| Chelsea Wolfe She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She | 4.0 |
| Tapir! The Pilgrim, Their God and The King Of My Decrepit Mountain | 4.0 |
| R.A.P. Ferreira The First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap | 4.0 |
| Best I've heard Rory since Purple Moonlight Pages. I've been spinning this one a lot. |
| JJ DOOM Bookhead EP | 4.0 |
| PACKS Take The Cake | 3.5 |
| Divine laughter alone is so insanely fun. It's a solid indie romp. |
| Nicole Dollanganger Married in Mount Airy | 4.5 |
| Maruja Knocknarea | 4.5 |
| Danny Brown Quaranta | 4.5 |
| Yeah this is excellent. Sput needs more hip hop lovers. Best I've heard Danny Brown yet IMO. Very smooth, fun, and full of engaging tracks. This will definitely be one of my favorites of the year for sure. |
| Aesop Rock Integrated Tech Solutions | 4.0 |
| Vyva Melinkolya Unbecoming | 4.5 |
| I can see myself bumping this to a 5 soon. Wow. Best shoegaze record I've heard in ages. 222 may be one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. If you sleep on this, you're crazy. |
| orchid mantis kulla sunset | 4.0 |
| Maria BC Spike Field | 4.0 |
| pink navel and Kenny Segal How to Capture Playful | 4.0 |
| Really enjoying this so far. It's bringing me back to my days of playing GameCube when I was 12. That's not a bad thing. |
| Gaza No Absolutes in Human Suffering | 4.5 |
| Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist Voir Dire | 2.5 |
| Wow. I'm bored. |
| Knifeplay Animal Drowning | 4.0 |
| Drake For All The Dogs | 1.0 |
| Yeule Glitch Princess | 5.0 |
| Yeule softscars | 4.5 |
| Yo. Why is this so insanely good? |
| David Eugene Edwards Hyacinth | 4.5 |
| Thank God. The Gothic Americana he does so flawlessly has returned in the best form I've heard since Consider the Birds. This may be my favorite thing DEE has ever done thus far. |
| Petey Lean Into Life | 4.5 |
| Sprain The Lamb As Effigy | 5.0 |
| Oh my god. This mixes everything I love about bands like Swans, GY!BE, and Daughters but still remains unlike anything else I've heard. Excellent in every way. |
| Hannah Jadagu Aperture | 4.0 |
| Geese 3D Country | 4.5 |
| Oh my god this is so wonderful. |
| HRVRD From the Bird's Cage | 4.5 |
| Loma Don't Shy Away | 4.0 |
| hand model Will Life Reign Supreme Even in Death | 2.5 |
| I love most of what W&R has put out. This is... Interesting, but sometimes it can be borderline frustrating. Maybe that's the point. The lyrics made me cringe. Again, maybe that's the point. |
| Home Is Where The Whaler | 4.5 |
| feeble little horse Girl With Fish | 4.5 |
I don't know why but this is my favorite thing I've
heard all year. |
| Tenhi Valkama | 4.5 |
| Horse Jumper of Love Heartbreak Rules | 3.5 |
| This is the first album of theirs that didn't feel like filler since their debut. Not as good as their first, but it's nice to hear them actually put out songs that feel like a complete thought again. |
| Midwife and Vyva Melinkolya Orbweaving | 3.5 |
| I dig it. As usual with most of Midwife's work in particular, I wish there was more. It always feels just a track or two too short. |
| Billy Woods and Kenny Segal Maps | 5.0 |
| Maybe this will finally break me of my Ethel Cain obsession. Woods never misses. Any beat Segal touches is magic. They can do no wrong. |
| Tim Hecker No Highs | 4.5 |
| I first listened to this yesterday on 04/20. So you can infer how it went. r |
| JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown Scaring the Hoes | 4.5 |
| I don't even understand how this works so well. It just does. |
| Big|Brave nature morte | 5.0 |
| A Country Western A Country Western | 4.0 |
| Ethel Cain Preacher's Daughter | 5.0 |
| Show Me The Body Trouble The Water | 4.5 |
| Brutus (BE) Unison Life | 4.5 |
| Easiest 4.5 I've given all year. They killed it on this one. |
| Skullcrusher Quiet the Room | 4.5 |
| Cloud Rat Threshold | 4.0 |
| One of my favorite metal releases this year so far. |
| Billy Woods Church | 4.5 |
| Woods can do no wrong. I will always be unsure of how I feel about ELUCID's flow. Amazing album nonetheless. |
| Jockstrap I Love You Jennifer B | 4.5 |
| The Callous Daoboys Celebrity Therapist | 5.0 |
| Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul Topical Dancer | 4.0 |
| Scarcity Aveilut | 4.0 |
| This is amazing so far. |
| The Books Lost And Safe | 5.0 |
| Imagine Dragons Mercury - Acts 1 & 2 | 1.0 |
| Let's get this average to a record low like it deserves |
| Talons' Make America Again | 5.0 |
Purple Mountains may be one of the most beautiful
songs I've ever heard. As a parent in this world
full of existential dread, this guy's music always
connects with me on a deep and relatable level
unlike anything I've ever heard before. |
| Elucid I Told Bessie | 3.5 |
| Elucid seems to always be a hip hop artist that I can't wrap my head. His work is simultaneously engrossing and off-putting. I think that's one of his most unique qualities. I always *know* it's Elucid if he pops into my playlist, and I don't even have to guess. Very signature. This is abstract, and his strongest solo release I've heard so far. I anticipate bumping it to a 4. |
| Emma Ruth Rundle EG2: Dowsing Voice | 2.5 |
| I know this is like an artistic catharsis thing, but... I'm not sure I'm digging it. We'll see, maybe it grows, but I can't see revisiting it to be honest. Her work is always amazing and respect to her for doing something different, but it doesn't hold a candle to anything else she's done. I really enjoyed her other Electric Guitar album, this one not as much... yet. |
| Gospel The Loser | 4.5 |
| Wow. I never expected to see anything from them again. Best release I've heard all year next to the new Billy Woods, which is saying a lot. Gonna blast this all summer long for sure. Damn |
| Sadistik x Kno Bring Me Back When the World Is Cured | 4.0 |
| Billy Woods Aethiopes | 5.0 |
Best I?ve heard Woods in years. This is everything I hoped for and more. I could see it hitting a 5 over time.
Edit: I didn’t need to wait. It’s the best album I’ve heard this year. Already on the third spin and it just gets better.
Absolutely top shelf stuff. Not only is Woods at the best I’ve heard him, but Preservation completely killed the
production here. It’s wonderful. |
| Absent In Body Plague God | 4.0 |
I really want more. I wish it was longer.
Lmao I set myself up for that one |
| White Lies As I Try Not to Fall Apart | 3.0 |
| It?s aight. |
| Wovenhand Silver Sash | 4.0 |
DEE is consistent as always. This definitely his most energetic I?ve heard him. Part of me still will always miss
his quieter Goth brand of Americana of his early releases, but he?s never missed a step with pure quality output.
Definitely an enjoyable and well crafted album. There are little dashes of his signature folk work intermixed with
excellent heavier notions and even a little bit of electronica here and there, it’s effortless. |
| Vaura Vista of Deviant Anatomies | 2.0 |
| Wtf |
| JPEGMAFIA LP! (online) | 4.5 |
| Banger after banger. |
| Knocked Loose A Tear in the Fabric of Life | 4.5 |
| Lingua Ignota SINNER GET READY | 4.0 |
| Sadistik L'appel Du Vide | 4.0 |
| The Moon Smiled Back at Me may be one of the best hip hop songs I?ve heard this year. This is a super enjoyable release.rI hope we get another full length from him soon, Cody has definitely carved out a pretty signature sound at this point in his career. |
| Celer Malaria | 4.0 |
| Midwife (USA) Luminol | 4.0 |
| Much better than her last release, but I still wish this were longer. It feels more like an EP. The tracks on here, however, are all excellent. |
| Armand Hammer and The Alchemist Haram | 3.5 |
| I hope it grows on me more. |
| Death Grips Gmail and the Restraining Orders | 1.5 |
| Wtf. I waited years for this? |
| R.A.P. Ferreira bob's son: R.A.P. Ferreira in the garden level | 4.0 |
| As always, Rory hits it out of the park. This album was not nearly as immediate as Purple Moonlight Pages, but it's certainly just as enjoyable after digesting for a few weeks. It's quite a fair bit more abstract and substantially less straight-forward in comparison to his earlier work under this moniker. That being said, anything this artist makes is a true pleasure to listen to. |
| 16 Horsepower Low Estate | 5.0 |
| Armand Hammer Shrines | 4.5 |
| Damn. :') |
| Just Mustard Wednesday | 4.5 |
| Midwife (USA) Forever | 3.0 |
| It's way too short in my opinion. More like an EP. There are like four short tracks and two long interludes. |
| Gilla Band The Talkies | 4.5 |
| R.A.P. Ferreira purple moonlight pages | 5.0 |
| Now if this isn't easily one of the greatest albums I've ever heard in my life. rR.A.P. Ferreira AKA Milo ups his game endlessly. |
| Sleep Token Sundowning | 1.5 |
| Have a Nice Life Sea of Worry | 2.5 |
| Billy Woods and Kenny Segal Hiding Places | 5.0 |
| Angel Olsen All Mirrors | 5.0 |
| Album of the year for me. |
| Car Bomb Mordial | 4.0 |
| Ruby Yacht 37 Gems | 4.5 |
| A blessing to all of mankind. |
| Kayo Dot Blasphemy | 2.5 |
| To think Choirs of the Eye is one of the best albums I've ever heard. What has happened? Experimentation without purpose is a mistake. |
| Wreck and Reference Absolute Still Life | 4.5 |
| Hell, somehow they topped their earliest works. This is pure art. It's hard to even categorize it, it's simply in its own sonic headspace.rIncredible |
| Starflyer 59 Young in My Head | 4.0 |
| Horse Jumper of Love So Divine | 4.5 |
I just want more. The more I listen to it, the better it
gets. |
| Low Double Negative | 5.0 |
| HORSE the band Desperate Living | 5.0 |
| Emma Ruth Rundle Some Heavy Ocean | 4.5 |
| Emma Ruth Rundle On Dark Horses | 5.0 |
| Cloakroom Infinity | 4.5 |
| Cloakroom Further Out | 4.0 |
| Milo Things That Happen At Day / Night | 5.0 |
| Milo Things That Happen At Night | 5.0 |
| Milo Things That Happen At Day | 5.0 |
| Milo So The Flies Don't Come | 4.0 |
| Little Kid Might As Well With My Soul | 4.0 |
| Nothing is easy or free |
| Sun Kil Moon This Is My Dinner | 1.5 |
| Chastity Death Lust | 4.0 |
| Polyenso Pure In The Plastic | 4.5 |
| Tim Hecker Konoyo | 5.0 |
| This Will Destroy You New Others Part One | 3.0 |
| They've always been so consistent. I don't know what happened. |
| Toby Driver They Are the Shield | 4.5 |
| Milo Budding Ornithologists Are Weary Of Tired Analogie | 5.0 |
| Milo raps as himself. It's nice to have an album that is almost completely devoid of features. The samples are excellent. It's relaxed and honest. I can see myself listening to this well into winter, it's a solid grower. Chill, contemplative, easy listening. It's engaging but not demanding. One of the best hip hop artists in the game right now.r |
| Thou Magus | 5.0 |
| Grails Black Tar Prophecies 4, 5, & 6 | 4.5 |
| Grails Chalice Hymnal | 4.5 |
| Eminem Kamikaze | 1.0 |
| mewithoutYou [untitled] e.p. | 4.5 |
| Cloakroom Time Well | 4.5 |
| LUH Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing | 3.5 |
| I wish Kerou's Lament didn't get changed for the album version. The original version was so raw and it was magnificent. But it's still a good album for sure. It's no WU LYF though. |
| Gilla Band Holding Hands With Jamie | 4.0 |
| All the Empires of the World A Trap For Giants, A Grave For Judges | 5.0 |
| Their best record, their last record. Return and Blessings are classics in my book, and this somehow is even better. I'll always miss these guys. Peace |
| Adult Jazz Gist Is | 4.0 |
| Typhoon (USA-OR) Offerings | 4.5 |
| Anna von Hausswolff Dead Magic | 4.5 |
| O (DEU) Black Sea Of Trees | 4.5 |
| O (DEU) When Plants Turn Into Stones | 4.0 |
| Digging the use of the hurdy gurdy on this |
| Wovenhand Consider the Birds | 5.0 |
| Wovenhand Puur | 4.0 |
| Midwife (USA) Like Author, Like Daughter | 5.0 |
| Kayo Dot Hubardo | 5.0 |
| Guadalupe Plata Guadalupe Plata (2017) | 5.0 |
| I'm a sucker for blues. |
| Moses Sumney Aromanticism | 4.0 |
| Eminem Revival | 1.0 |
| Milo Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?! | 5.0 |
| Dude's a wizard |
| Tim Hecker Virgins | 4.5 |
| Delta Sleep Management | 4.0 |
| Amenra Mass VI | 4.5 |
| I'll probably bump this to a 5. |
| Beck Mellow Gold | 3.5 |
| Protomartyr Relatives in Descent | 4.5 |
| Brand New Science Fiction | 5.0 |
| Jenny Hval Viscera | 4.5 |
| The World Is a Beautiful Place... Always Foreign | 2.5 |
| Definitely a let down. It's a bummer. There's a few good tracks on here but it's not even close to some of their earlier work. It's just pretty underwhelming tbh. |
| Birds in Row You, Me, and the Violence | 4.0 |
| Japanese Breakfast Psychopomp | 3.5 |
| The Killers Wonderful Wonderful | 1.5 |
| Score One For Safety Yoni | 5.0 |
| XXXTENTACION ItWasntEnough | 1.0 |
| XXXTENTACION Willy Wonka Was A Child Murderer | 1.0 |
| XXXTENTACION 17 | 1.0 |
| 16 Horsepower Folklore | 5.0 |
| 16 Horsepower Secret South | 5.0 |
| Wreck and Reference Indifferent Rivers Romance End | 3.5 |
| Emma Ruth Rundle Marked for Death | 5.0 |
| '68 Two Parts Viper | 4.5 |
| Altar of Plagues Teethed Glory and Injury | 5.0 |
| Mount Eerie A Crow Looked At Me | 5.0 |
| ANOHNI HOPELESSNESS | 1.0 |
| Wovenhand The Threshing Floor | 5.0 |
| Street Sects End Position | 4.5 |
| True Widow As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center | 5.0 |
| Wovenhand Star Treatment | 4.0 |
| David Edwards never disappoints. I'm definitely missing his old folk habits, though. Here's to hoping that he really strips back on the next release. |
| Preoccupations Preoccupations | 4.5 |
How can you give this album a 3 if there's only been one track released as of yet? Their new
single is awesome anyway.
EDIT:
It was worthy of my original rating. Memory is a phenomenal track. My only complaint is that I
want the album to be a little longer. |
| Pygmy Lush Bitter River | 4.0 |
| The Saddest Landscape Darkness Forgives | 4.0 |
| Brother/Ghost Buried | 5.0 |
| Album of the year, hands down. |
| Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams | 1.0 |
| mewithoutYou Pale Horses | 4.5 |
| I dig this. |
| Jon Foreman Fall and Winter | 5.0 |
I'm not much for worship music, but this is so honest and reflective that it ends up being one of
the most lyrically mature albums I have ever heard. It's been a staple of mine for years and I
can't believe I've never rated it. |
| Talons' Songs For Babes | 4.0 |
| Talons' Rustic Bullshit | 5.0 |
| Pssssh, this is a 5. Sounds of my teenagedom. I forgot all about this album until last night and it is heavily nostalgic. |
| Irreversible Irreversible | 4.0 |
| I'll miss these guys, they're always so solid... but I do recall that they claimed to have broken up after "Lights" was released and then they came back for a good few years. So you never know. |
| Scott Walker Tilt | 5.0 |
| Preoccupations Viet Cong | 4.5 |
| Forever Losing Sleep I Lost Myself Again | 4.5 |
| This is beyond good. It's always good to hear some unique post-hardcore. These guys sound like a mix between Pianos Become the Teeth and Citycop. in a weird but perfect way. |
| Death Grips The Powers That B | 4.5 |
| *shels Laurentian's Atoll | 4.0 |
| Sun City Girls Torch of the Mystics | 5.0 |
| BRNS Patine | 4.5 |
| This is one of the best things I've heard all year. Wonderfully inventive, and an improvement upon WOUNDS in every way. |
| From Indian Lakes Able Bodies | 4.5 |
| The World Is a Beautiful Place... Between Bodies | 3.0 |
| Gates (USA-NJ) Bloom and Breathe | 4.0 |
| Kayo Dot Coffins on Io | 4.5 |
| This Will Destroy You Another Language | 4.5 |
| This is perfect and I'm in love.rWill probably bump to a 5 if it stands the test of time like Tunnel Blanket did. |
| Little Green Cars Absolute Zero | 3.5 |
| The John Wayne rules. I don't know about the rest of the album though. But that song alone is worth a 3.5 at least. |
| Michael Cera True That | 2.5 |
| Eh, I've heard lo-fi done way better. It's fine and all, not atrocious... but it just kind of feels like he screwed around with some instruments for the lulz. Ruth is pretty freaking cool though. Wish there was more of that. But the album cover is class 2.5/2.32 |
| Red Sparowes The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein... | 2.5 |
| Pharrell Williams G I R L | 1.0 |
| Ted Nugent Shutup&jam! | 5.0 |
| This will be a classic, forever immortalized in the caramelized BBQ sauce upon the ribs of American glory. |
| Wax On Radio Exposition | 4.5 |
| Huun-Huur-Tu Altai Sayan Tandy-Uula | 5.0 |
| I Hate Myself 10 Songs | 5.0 |
| BRNS Wounded | 3.5 |
| Martin Grech Unholy | 5.0 |
| Wreck and Reference Want | 4.5 |
| Ben Frost A U R O R A | 4.5 |
| Anberlin Cities | 4.5 |
| Bull Of Heaven 056: Return of Ghost Sheriff | 4.0 |
| Saltland I Thought It Was Us But It Was All Of Us | 4.5 |
| Ulver Shadows of the Sun | 4.5 |
| Manchester Orchestra Cope | 2.5 |
| Old Gray An Autobiography | 4.0 |
| O'Death Head Home | 4.5 |
| Wovenhand Refractory Obdurate | 4.5 |
| This makes me moist. This will likely be an AOTY contender. DEE and company are geniuses. |
| Eyedea and Abilities By the Throat | 4.0 |
| Sorne House of Stone: Death I | 2.5 |
| :'( |
| Lantlos Melting Sun | 4.5 |
| This roolz |
| Daughter If You Leave | 4.0 |
| Chiodos Devil | 1.5 |
| Poopy poopy poopy poo. rLike, for real. |
| Horseback Piedmont Apocrypha | 4.0 |
| I'll probably bump this after a few more listens. I can feel it becoming one of my top albums of this year, potentially. |
| Moon Ate The Dark Moon Ate The Dark | 4.5 |
| Pygmy Lush Mount Hope | 5.0 |
| Have a Nice Life The Unnatural World | 3.0 |
| Cerberus Shoal Chaiming the Knoblessone | 5.0 |
| All the Empires of the World Sunscraper | 4.0 |
| This is so, so, solid. Extremely unique, and a slight departure from their previous albums. It still retains that really nice post-metal/black metal vibe they've had as of late. But man, there's some spoken word on this, a folk track, a Spaghetti Western feel on another track... I mean this has some really intriguing stuff. Definitely worth a go, and a very solid start to 2014.rhttp://alltheempiresoftheworld.bandcamp.com/album/sunscraper |
| Vaura The Missing | 4.5 |
| I love Selenelion or however you spell it. rI'm so glad they upped the production a bit more on this release, that was the only drawback of their debut in my opinion. This thing is solid. |
| Complete Freedom Earth Is Dust | 2.0 |
| I want to like this. But I can't... the rhythm just feels so forced... definitely something to work on the next time around. |
| Wife Stoic | 4.0 |
| Deafheaven Sunbather | 5.0 |
| The Body Christs, Redeemers | 4.0 |
| Wovenhand Blush Music | 5.0 |
| I love this. I love this way too much. |
| Ef Ceremonies | 4.0 |
| Walmart Associate Choir Eyes of a Child | 4.5 |
| The album art on this reminds me tremendously of the cover art on "Soundtracks for the Blind" by Swans. |
| Sadistik Flowers for My Father | 5.0 |
| subtractiveLAD No Man's Land | 4.0 |
| Locktender Kafka | 4.5 |
| Juna Heteroglossia | 4.0 |
| This is some fantastic post-hardcore. |
| Twine Violets | 4.0 |
| Frustrator Anther | 4.0 |
| Moving Mountains Waves | 2.5 |
| Celer Engaged Touches | 4.5 |
| 1099 1099 | 4.5 |
| Where nearly all post-rock has become stagnant and reliant on the same, tried and true, formula- 1099 stands apart in a beautiful way. This is post-rock with restraint. Yet, in their restraint, they prove to be crushingly beautiful and beautifully heavy all at the same time.rI can see this becoming a 5, in time. It's just right. |
| The Haxan Cloak Excavation | 4.5 |
| Swans Various Failures | 5.0 |
| 'Her' and 'Blind' are easily some of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard. However, there are so many gems on this that I can't even begin to name them all. To think these are basically "B-sides" and they're still heads and shoulders above what most bands put out at their very best is absolutely insane. Swans are so consistent. |
| Coldplay Parachutes | 4.0 |
| Their best album. 'Nuff said. |
| All the Empires of the World CVRSVS | 4.0 |
| The little interlude present in the second track is just about one of the best things I've heard in a long while. |
| Nihilists Hold Onto Life With Tooth and Claw | 4.5 |
| I know I'll bump this to a 5 eventually, just needs time. The bunch of guys behind ATEOTW are bloody talented, let me just say that. A side project of some of the guys in the aforementioned post-metal/sludge act. Just like Score One For Safety, it retains the power of ATEOTW while remaining vastly varied, different, and unique.rHuge AOTY contender here. I just wish it were longer. |
| Grouper The Man Who Died in His Boat | 4.0 |
| Man, these don't even feel like freaking B-sides. So good r |
| Braveyoung We Are Lonely Animals | 4.5 |
| Beyonce 4 | 1.0 |
| Buttholes |
| Low Roar Low Roar | 4.5 |
| Trist (GER) Hin-Fort | 5.0 |
| Barn Owl V | 4.0 |
| Yezda Urfa Boris | 5.0 |
| Martin Grech Open Heart Zoo | 4.5 |
| This is nearly perfect, I'll probably bump it to a 5. I'm so glad I have a physical copy of this now. Hopefully I can share its brilliance with some friends. |
| Giles Corey Hinterkaifeck | 3.0 |
As much as I want to like this, I feel pretty meh about it. There ain't no "No One Is Ever
Going to Want Me" on this album, that's for sure. |
| Clouds Collide Until the Wind Stops Blowing | 4.0 |
| Bullet for My Valentine Temper Temper | 1.0 |
| Talk Talk Laughing Stock | 5.0 |
| John Lithgoat Who Gives a Fuck Nowhere | 4.0 |
| Normally not my style of music at all. But it's really good stuff. Some pretty hard hitting punk/hardcore/what have you. I'm impressed. Reminds me of some of the earlier emo/hardcore acts like Indian Summer. |
| Red (USA) Release the Panic | 1.0 |
| Vali Forlatt | 4.5 |
| Shone Heat Thing | 1.5 |
| Little Kid Logic Songs | 4.5 |
| It's simple, lo-fi, quiet, and the last thing you'd expect to be powerful. Conceptually, it's too simple to be brilliant. However, it is brilliant- through its execution, its honesty, and its depth. Rarely have any lyrics struck chords with me as heavily this man's lyrics have. |
| Fire! Orchestra Exit! | 4.5 |
| Wovenhand The Laughing Stalk | 4.5 |
| FiRES WERE SHOT Solace | 4.5 |
| Jasper (TX-USA) An Index of Failure | 4.5 |
| Polyenso One Big Particular Loop | 5.0 |
| I normally am not one to rate something so high right after a first listen. But man I can tell this is going to be a tremendous grower. The vox remind me of Thom Yorke quite often, but that's not a bad thing. The production is fantastic, and there is a rather nice diversity in the instrumentation, whilst remaining relatively simple and laid back at the same time. Wonderful. |
| Four Tet Rounds | 4.0 |
| TTNG 13.0.0.0.0 | 4.5 |
| The Weak Men Weak Men DOG | 4.5 |
| Jakob Solace | 4.5 |
| Les Rallizes Denudes Cable Hogue Soundtrack | 4.5 |
| Les Rallizes Denudes Mizutani | 4.5 |
| Saaad Raincoats | 4.5 |
| Exuma Exuma | 5.0 |
| Koen Holtkamp Field Rituals | 4.0 |
| Dead Confederate Wrecking Ball | 4.5 |
| The Saddest Landscape You Will Not Survive | 4.5 |
| Handwrist All flesh is grass... | 4.5 |
| This is one of the greatest releases of 2012. The artist combines often heavy post-rock sections with very harsh vocals, reminiscent of black metal. The lyrics are very well thought out, and actually pull references from the Hebrew Bible, which I find interesting due to the nature of the music. He does all of this while remaining original, nothing is contrived, and not a single thing is out of place. Truly phenomenal songwriting and performance. It is incredible that this came from one man.rThe best album I have heard all year. |
| Daughters Hell Songs | 4.5 |
| Sun of Nothing The Guilt Of Feeling Alive | 4.0 |
| Horseback The Gorgon Tongue | 4.5 |
| Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww freaking yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. |
| Vaura Selenelion | 4.0 |
| I dunno why this doesn't have more 4's and what not... It is really unique on all fronts. It takes some getting used to, but is gorgeous once you get there. |
| Man Watching the Stars Qoheleth | 4.0 |
| Real nice improvised violin/ambient. Very subdued, and restrained, but also interesting enough to remain captivating. Me gusta. |
| Flying Saucer Attack Flying Saucer Attack | 4.0 |
| Naked City Naked City | 5.0 |
| Syven Aikaintaite | 4.5 |
| This album makes me feel like a viking hunting down a madman in the forest, I get attacked by rabid wolves along the way, fight them off, kill the madman, and then light a campfire on the top of a snow-covered peak at sunset. |
| I Create Complete Medley | 4.5 |
| Crimson Mourn Bring Your Desires Here | 4.5 |
| This is absolutely brilliant. Moments of post-rock and ambient mixed with the occasional electronic/indie influence, some poppy riffs thrown in and dripping with tantalizing segments of black metal. This is not to be missed at all. One of the best albums of the year. It spans genres. |
| Ten Kens Namesake | 5.0 |
| Freaking 2012 album of the year right here. It's like they threw indie styles in a blender and came out with this amazing avant-garde/psychedelic hybrid of stoner indie, post-everything, rock. Seriously, this is genre bending, I have no idea what to call it.rBeautiful. |
| Day Without Dawn Understanding Consequences | 4.5 |
| Some Russian dude just showed this to me. I am quite impressed, that's for sure. |
| HANDLINGNOISE HANDLINGNOISE | 4.0 |
| Well, this is pretty darned fantastic. It's good post-rock, but has enough of a spin on it, including great vocals/lyrics that sets it apart just enough as to prevent another clone release. Unique, and nice. Think Laura mixed with God is an Astronaut and Russian Circles. It may grow on me further as time goes on. |
| Talk Talk Missing Pieces | 4.0 |
| Swans The Seer | 5.0 |
| Well, this album is swimmingly good. By swimmingly I mean holy crap I'm drowning. |
| Paavoharju Laulu Laakson Kukista | 4.0 |
| Piano Magic Ovations | 4.5 |
| Piano Magic Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet | 4.5 |
| I haven't heard this yet. But, I'm rating it highly in knowing that it's certainly not a 1. Gotta counter that rating somehow. |
| Saltillo Monocyte | 4.0 |
| Pretty cool stuff. The drums can be a little too obviously techno at times... which I'm not entirely fond of. Despite this, it is still a fantastically solid release, and well worth the listen. |
| Seabuckthorn In Nightfall | 4.5 |
| Suffocate For Fuck Sake Blazing Fires and Helicopters... | 5.0 |
| Heptagram Lucidity | 4.5 |
| Jizue Novel | 4.5 |
| This is pretty darn rad. It's gonna grow on me throughout the year. Very unique. |
| Lights Out Dancing Oh The Places You'll Go | 2.5 |
| I bought this at Goodwill on a whim because it's only 5 tracks and I assumed it was post-rock or something like that for such a reason. Sadly, it's not very good... |
| In The Wake Of Giants Forever | 4.5 |
| Holy crap... This is so heavy hitting. I mean, wow. |
| Dead Confederate Sugar | 3.0 |
| I wish they went a little grittier still. I loved Wrecking Ball, oh it is a glorious album. This is still good, but not quite as emotionally stirring. |
| johnny_ripper Still Images & Other Dreams | 4.0 |
| Deuce Nine Lives | 1.0 |
| Mount Eerie Clear Moon | 4.0 |
| I am typing this so that I can reach the 50 character minimum |
| johnny_ripper Still Images & Other Dreams | 4.5 |
| I'll probably bump this to a 5. Best thing I've heard in awhile- it's so uplifting and relaxing. It's certainly very unique, as well, and has a nice flow. |
| Wreck and Reference No Youth | 4.0 |
| The Waters Deep Here Sunden | 5.0 |
| Score One For Safety Castles | 4.5 |
| Irreversible Ashes | 4.5 |
| I love that they're back. Oh man, they are back so hard. |
| Joanna Newsom Have One on Me | 4.5 |
| Sithu Aye Isles | 4.0 |
| Natural Snow Buildings Waves of the Random Sea | 4.5 |
| Tiago Benzinho Roses of Time I | 4.5 |
| Beautiful... Just absolutely beautiful on every single level. It makes me dream of canyons and ravines, slow falling waterfalls and angry forest fires. Sleeping Classical influences and lush, burning, ambient swells fill this thing to the brim. One of my favorite 2012 releases thus far. |
| Svarte Greiner Knive | 4.5 |
| Deaf Center Owl Splinters | 5.0 |
| Nature and Organisation Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude | 4.5 |
| Birds Of Passage Without The World | 4.0 |
| For someone who does not like female vocals at all (me.) I find this album to be brilliant. It's so minimalistic and soul crushing. Definitely worth a listen if you like ambient, drone, post-rock, or anything along those lines. Think of it as a more minimalistic Grouper... which is hard to imagine. |
| All the Empires of the World Old Gods, Old Worlds, Old Wounds | 4.5 |
| As others have said, not as bombastic as 'Return'. However, this is still bloody awesome. Muted vocals undermine epic riffing in "St. Peter" and "The Lion", what sound like chanting is also present on said tracks. Within the remaining tracks one can see the band returning to their more instrumental side that has suited them so well from album to album. Drone and ambient elements also show their faces now and again. A surprising release that is among the best 2012 has had to offer so far. Check it out. |
| Mason Proper Olly Oxen Free | 4.5 |
| This is so nostalgic to me. It is literally all I listened to years ago when I was a freshman. It is incredible. Fog is just one of those incredible songs. |
| Esmerine La Lechuza | 4.5 |
| Rome Flowers From Exile | 4.5 |
| Rome Die Æsthetik der Herrschaftsfreiheit | 4.5 |
| Dead Can Dance Into the Labyrinth | 4.5 |
| Basically the Best Band Ever You Wish You Were as Cool as Us | 5.0 |
| Indian Summer Science 1994 | 4.5 |
| Always been a favorite of mine. Shame it's been somewhat forgotten... |
| All the Empires of the World Return | 4.5 |
| I'll probably bump this to a 5, just because I love the music these guys make so bloody much. However, I haven't given it long enough to sink in, yet, so I can't. It's good, so good. I'm so glad they're back. There's a drum machine hanging around this time, and most of the songs are over 10 minutes in length. |
| Pygmy Lush Old Friends | 5.0 |
| Wreck and Reference Black Cassette | 4.5 |
| Deadhorse We Can Create Our Own World | 4.0 |
| Rachel's Handwriting | 4.5 |
| Naam Naam | 4.5 |
| This is so bloody tasty. I mean seriously, it's just amazing. The riffs and the vocals, ahhh they're stoner metal perfection. |
| Eleventh He Reaches London Hollow Be My Name | 4.0 |
| O'Brother Garden Window | 5.0 |
| Bull Of Heaven 013: Elsa, Are You In There? | 4.0 |
| I can't figure out how to upload Bull of Heaven's stuff. They're one of my favorite drone/ambient bands. However, they just release massive tracks one at a time. They have yet to release a single album. So, I'll probably just upload the tracks I feel like uploading one at a time (since they range from 13 minutes to 50,000 hours long.), and can account for their own individual albums/EPs. |
| Barn Owl Lost in the Glare | 4.0 |
Barn Owl are one of my favorite acts, simply because they combine folk and drone. It's such
a soothing and unique output.rImagine if Master Musicians of Bukkake had children with
Earth. Yeah, Barn Owl would bear its little head, and the doctors would place it in one of
those plastic boxes for a fortnight. The child would then grow to be the Paul Bunyon of the
drone scene- hanging out in the mountains, chill, and massive.rYeah, that alliteration
didn't work. Whatever. |
| Pyramids with Nadja Pyramids with Nadja | 5.0 |
| Indian Jewelry Free Gold! | 4.0 |
| From what I've heard of it so far, it's pretty cool. |
| LSD and the Search for God LSD and the Search for God | 4.5 |
| This album is rad. I don't use the word rad. But this is rad. It's cool enough to warrant a word that I never use. |
| Laura Twelve Hundred Times | 4.5 |
| This may grow to a 5 for me. Laura have taken a more ambient approach to their post-rock methods. Vocals are extremely present upon this release, they're good vocals at that. Definitely one of the top releases of the year in my opinion. They surprised me with this release, I had no idea it would come out today. |
| Dawnbringer Nucleus | 4.5 |
| Holy crap. That's all I can say. It's good. Yeah. |
| Master Musicians of Bukkake Totem Three | 4.5 |
| The Body All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To... | 4.5 |
| Kayo Dot Choirs of the Eye | 5.0 |
| Daughters Daughters | 4.5 |
| Skillet Awake | 1.5 |
| Mamaleek Kurdaitcha | 4.5 |
| The Fun Years God Was Like, No | 4.5 |
| I really like this. It's so sublime. It's just soothing, smooth, and perfectly crafted. |
| Autistic Daughters Uneasy Flowers | 4.5 |
| This is really cool. I mean, it's really, really, cool. Gorgeous soundscapes are crafted under the soft breath of the vocalist. Chaotic instrumentation swirls around in the background like a hurricane all throughout the album. It's never too chaotic though. |
| Alice Cooper Welcome 2 My Nightmare | 1.0 |
| UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH. |
| AWOLNATION Megalithic Symphony | 1.0 |
| I just think it's annoying... That's all, really. I want to see the tanktard, or whatever that American Apparel thing was. |
| Barnswallow Twos | 4.0 |
| Barn Owl Bridge To The Clouds | 4.5 |
| This is so beautiful... I just wish it were longer. But man, it's a perfect combination of drone and folk, it's really one of a kind. |
| Our Fair City A Most Clever Disaster | 4.0 |
| Indeed.rThis.rIs.rQuite.rGood.rExtra characters for character limit. |
| Magna Mater Rimor | 4.0 |
| SubRosa (US) No Help for the Mighty Ones | 4.5 |
| This is gorgeous. I have a feeling it's going to grow on me a lot.rIt's absolutely massive, and I love it. |
| Audiocaeneat! Red Sessions | 4.5 |
| We Made God It's Getting Colder | 4.0 |
| Pretty sweet stuff.rNow I'm just adding in words so this sound off meets the minimum character requirements. |
| Justin Bieber Never Say Never : The Remixes | 1.0 |
| Nature and Organisation A Dozen Summers Against the World | 4.0 |
| Silent Land Time Machine &Hope Still | 4.0 |
| This is such an odd mixture of sounds, but boy do I love it. I have a feeling it's going to grow on me immensely. |
| Cliff Dweller Ghosts of the Dust Bowl | 4.5 |
| Like a mixture between Hungry Ghosts and Balmorhea, this release is a dark journey through the Southwest US. I love it, it's beautiful and haunting. |
| Giles Corey Giles Corey | 4.5 |
| Thelonious Monk Underground | 5.0 |
| Fair to Midland Arrows and Anchors | 4.5 |
| Radius System Architects Of Yesterday | 4.5 |
| Me gusta.rMucho.rThis is some tasty stuff.rSome of the riffs on here are just fantastic, especially in 'Feed Feed Connect'. |
| Radius System Escape/Restart | 4.5 |
| Alberich NATO-Uniformen | 4.0 |
| This is like a monster of noise placed in the pit of a Cold War. |
| O'Brother The Death of Day | 4.5 |
| *shels Plains Of The Purple Buffalo | 4.5 |
| Got this today.rIt's so gorgeous, miles above Sea of the Dying Dhow. Oh man, I'm definitely going to review this or something once I listen to it more, Sputnik needs to hop on this thing.rI know I'm going to love this for a long, long, time. |
| Coldplay Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall | 2.0 |
| Joy Division Unknown Pleasures | 5.0 |
| Sorne House of Stone | 5.0 |
| I just started listening to this today. Despite this, I can tell that this is something I'm gonna love for a long time. It's beautiful. |
| Manchester Orchestra Simple Math | 5.0 |
| Swans Soundtracks for the Blind | 5.0 |
| My Beloved Force Feeding Love | 4.5 |
| This is one of those albums that makes me realize that modern post-rock isn't completely dead. It is absolutely phenomenal. |
| In The Wake Of Giants The Joy, The Sorrow | 4.0 |
| This album is really unorthodox. Somehow, I find it so passionate though, which I love. Don't judge me. |
| Efrim Manuel Menuck Plays "High Gospel" | 3.5 |
| Certainly not GY!BE or ASMZ here. Nonetheless, it's a refreshing and relaxed listen produced by an undoubtedly talented musician. |
| Gifts From Enola From Fathoms | 4.0 |
| Asking Alexandria Reckless and Relentless | 1.5 |
| You Slut! Critical Meat | 4.0 |
| Have a Nice Life Time of Land | 4.0 |
| Enya The Memory of Trees | 5.0 |
| Colour Revolt The Cradle | 4.5 |
| Colour Revolt Plunder, Beg, and Curse | 4.5 |
| Colour Revolt Colour Revolt | 5.0 |
| The Six Parts Seven Casually Smashed to Pieces | 4.5 |
| Oxbow The Narcotic Story | 5.0 |
| Mit'an Bli Imut Ein Hitkadmut | 4.0 |
| Punch in the face hardcore from Israel. Hebrew can sound really angry if used correctly.rFemale/male vocal switch offs, pulsing guitars, throbbing bass, and the fast paced drums. Pretty good stuff. |
| Juvenile Baroque Slaughterhouse Gall and Wormwood | 4.5 |
| Absolutely eclectic in every way. This is, without a doubt, an unorthodox release. Despite this, JBS manages to maintain a very high quality of music, one that is rarely found amongst obscure instrumental bands. Post-metal, prog, and post-rock at its finest. Hey, even some electronic moments are found upon this album. |
| PSOTY ...And The Sky Fell | 4.5 |
| Upon listening to the first few seconds of this, I knew I was in for something great. As the album came to a close, I was blown away. Simply put, it's crushing beauty. From the shredding guitars in "...And The Sky Fell" to the beautiful, quiet vocals of "I Am The Ocean" every moment is incredible. |
| Hungry Ghosts Alone, Alone | 5.0 |
| Suuns Zeroes QC | 4.0 |
| Land Of Kush Against The Day | 3.5 |
| Pretty cool stuff right here. Solid jazz-esque music, chock full of fantastic vocals. |
| Siskiyou Siskiyou | 4.0 |
| Clann Zu Black Coats and Bandages | 4.0 |
| Hollywood Undead American Tragedy | 1.0 |
| This is gross. It's like an old, moldy, toupee that some balding hipster found in his basement and put on trying to look cool again. Sorry man, but only fedoras can cover that hipster baldness. |
| Oxbow An Evil Heat | 4.5 |
| This is seriously, utterly top-notch.rProgressive at it's finest. |
| Merkabah (PL) Lyonesse | 5.0 |
| Really, this is excellent in every single waking way. Imagine if someone combined post-metal, post-rock, avant-garde, and jazz. This is what you'd get. The sax is used heavily, it is absolutely beautiful. |
| Earth Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version | 4.5 |
| Sed Non Satiata Sed Non Satiata | 4.5 |
| Horseback The Invisible Mountain | 4.5 |
| A Whisper in the Noise Dry Land | 4.5 |
| Brother/Ghost Black Ice | 4.5 |
| Comadre Burn Your Bones | 4.0 |
| Pile Magic Isn't Real | 4.5 |
| A Burning Water We Can See The Sky From Here | 4.5 |
| Black Sea Somethings Cannot Be Mirrored | 4.5 |
| Hello Isis replacement.rI hadn't listened to this in a good five months. Just started listening to it again, and it's pretty great. |
| Fuck, I'm a Ghost Fuck, I'm a Ghost | 4.5 |
| This is really good.rSeriously, it is extremely good, very, very good.rWithout a doubt, it is fantastic.rThe vocals, instrumentation, everything, just fantastic. |
| My Brother, The Vulture Now's Your Chance | 4.0 |
| Pretty cool stuff. Awesome debut EP from a little known band. Shows great promise, let's hope the stuff that'll follow this will be of the same quality, if not better. |
| This Will Destroy You Tunnel Blanket | 5.0 |
| Yeah, I haven't heard the entire thing yet... but from what I've heard, it's the perfect mix between crushing post-rock and top-notch ambient music. This will be phenomenal. |
| Nemean Lion Cast of the Moon | 4.5 |
| Imagine if a post-rock band took out the all too predictable crescendos. Well, if a post-rock band did that, you'd get Nemean Lion. Soothing post-rock with a blend of ambiance. |
| Labradford Mi Media Naranja | 4.5 |
| Irreversible Light | 4.5 |
| Irreversible Sins | 4.5 |
| Slint Slint | 5.0 |
| Slint Tweez | 4.0 |
| Explosions in the Sky Take Care, Take Care, Take Care | 3.0 |
| Guys, this is great.rYou people don't know what you're talking about, giving it 2's and crap lol. |
| MinionTV MinionTV | 4.0 |
| We Are Sheep Among Wolves Navaja/Massacre | 4.5 |
| Basically, it's a whole minimalistic post-rock album with vocal samples about massacres, one about Christianity, and another that is in a foreign language.rReally weird man, but pretty dang good. |
| William Hung Hung For The Holidays | 5.0 |
| The Tumbled Sea melody/summer | 4.0 |
| Grouper Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill | 4.5 |
| Rooftop Access Reals and Dreamity | 4.5 |
| Tad Piecka Stars Are Stars and Yours Are Yours | 4.5 |
| Maybe I'm a bit daft to rate this so highly since all that it consists of is the Beware of Safety bassist and a lone guitar. Everything is done on the spot, no overdubbing or anything, which is amazing considering how complex the arrangements are. Some sections the man drums his guitar and strums complex patterns at the same time. He has an immense amount of talent. |
| Citizens Of The Empire Citizens Of The Empire | 4.0 |
| Tesa Heartbeatsfromthesky | 4.0 |
| Superb post-metal... Purely instrumental, save for the occasional scream. It is not that common when there are vocals however. One of my favorite, mostly instrumental, post-metal albums. Nekad, their 2007 release which was previous to this one, is better though. |
| Austyn Sullivan The Expanding Art of Sorrows | 4.0 |
| Ten Kens For Posterity | 5.0 |
| Yeah, I know, I rated this twice since my old account bit the dust.rStill a 5. I can't even explain how insanely good this album is. It spans genres. |
| Ten Kens Ten Kens | 5.0 |
| Tommy The Warden Carbonated Lungs and Kerosene Tongues | 4.0 |
| CSTVT Summer Fences | 4.5 |
| Brand New Fight Off Your Demons (The Demos) | 4.5 |
| Ghinzu Blow | 4.0 |
| So, yeah.rHow does this not have a review yet? It's really good. I'd think it would have a review since it's fairly well known. |
| All the Empires of the World Blessings | 5.0 |
| It was so beautiful that it made me cry. I think that's enough to warrant a 5. If it isn't, then I don't know what is. |
| The Mayan Factor 44 | 5.0 |
| Jakob Jakob | 5.0 |
| Okkoto Childhood/Brotherhood | 4.5 |
| Anathallo Canopy Glow | 3.0 |
| I can't tell if I like this much. I've listened to it for a good while now, never purchased it, but simply heard it on sites such as Youtube and other places... I still can't tell if I like it or hate it. |
| Samla Mammas Manna Maltid | 4.0 |
| Lol, this is so cool.rYeah, that's right.rI said it was cool.rRight now,rI am trying to fulfill the 50 character minimum.rSo,rThis is a beautiful poem.rPoem.rSo, em.rMem,rThat's not a word. |
| Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | 2.5 |
| Guadalupe Plata Guadalupe Plata (2011) | 4.0 |
| Yeah, not a 5, its uniqueness wore off. But it is still fantastic. |
| Warning Watching from a Distance | 5.0 |
| I Would Set Myself On Fire For You Believes In Patterns | 4.5 |
| June of 44 Engine Takes to the Water | 4.0 |
| Morningwar The Front Room EP | 4.5 |
| 35007 Phase V | 4.5 |
| Light Bearer Lapsus | 5.0 |
| Over time, I'll probably bump this to a 5 cuz it's totally worthy. Very, very, well executed and brilliant post-metal. At times beautiful, at other times, harsh. |
| Slint Spiderland | 5.0 |
| Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia Indian Ink | 4.5 |
| (The) Slowest Runner (In All The World) We, Burning Giraffes | 4.5 |
| Junius The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist | 4.5 |
| Rosetta Wake/Lift | 4.5 |
| Rosetta The Galilean Satellites | 4.5 |
| Rosetta A Determinism of Morality | 4.5 |
| Mooncake More Oxygen, I Said... [EP] | 4.0 |
| And So I Watch You From Afar And So I Watch You From Afar | 4.5 |
| Souvenir's Young America The Name of the Snake | 4.5 |
| 35007 Liquid | 4.0 |
| Listener Not Waving, Drowning | 4.5 |
| Listener Wooden Heart | 4.5 |
| Pyramids Pyramids | 4.5 |
| The Mayan Factor In Lake 'CH | 5.0 |
| I decided to bump this to a 5. It's pure art.rThe band had such talent, it's a shame the vocalist had to hit the end so soon.rI miss the knowledge of their presence more and more every day. |
| Radiohead Kid A | 5.0 |
| Virgin White Virgin White-EP | 4.0 |
| Very nice stuff. Borderline post-hardcore, but mainly alternative rock. |
| Have a Nice Life Deathconsciousness | 5.0 |
| Manchester Orchestra Mean Everything to Nothing | 4.5 |
| Brand New Your Favorite Weapon | 4.0 |
| Brand New Deja Entendu | 3.5 |
| Brand New Daisy | 4.0 |
| Brand New The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me | 5.0 |
| Our Ceasing Voice When the Headline Hit Home | 4.0 |
| Our Ceasing Voice Steadied Stars In The Morphium Sky | 4.5 |
| Ruins Mandala 2000 | 4.5 |
| This Will Destroy You Young Mountain | 4.0 |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor F♯ A♯ ∞ [Vinyl] | 5.0 |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada | 5.0 |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor F♯ A♯ ∞ | 5.0 |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven | 5.0 |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor Yanqui U.X.O. | 4.5 |
