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User
Reviews 35
Approval 97%
Soundoffs 4,711
News Articles 6
Band Edits + Tags 1,023
Album Edits 2,441
Album Ratings 4672
Objectivity 77%
Last Active 01-05-23 6:04 pm
Joined 05-30-20
Review Comments 7,255
| users' 2010s list: listening party
fella by the name TundraL5Z is already doing it, but why not do it with him. join us in trying to decipher your choices, most balancing between baffling and predictable. few of these i listen to constantly, some i've heard enough, some i've heard and liked, some didn't like, some don't remember, a few didn't hear. one way or one of the others, it is not unhealthy to revisit them and understand what locals deem decade-defining material. | | 100 |  | Thrice
Major/Minor
I wish I could say I was anything above entertained. 'Major/Minor' is a thoroughly entertaining album. Melodically and in production I have nothing to scorn. But I fear that might be it. See, this album is fun, it engages you start to finish and you never feel even a hint of boredom. But I struggle to find any attributes other than fun and entertainment. It is not particularly memorable, lyrics aren't the most profound or clear-cut I've heard, vocals are wonky, song structures often repeat. And yet the band knows how to deliver and hit hard. 50 minutes fly by.
BT: Promises, Call It in the Air, Trading Paper, Blur, Anthology | | 99 |  | Cult of Luna
Vertikal
This album is half two things: either truly epic engrossing music (like holy hell the latter half of "Vicarious Redemption") or needlessly long uneventful passages that feel like musical exposition (like the first half of "Vicarious Redemption"), but that's kind of always been the problem with Cult of Luna. If this were a television series, it'd be very divisive for its filler episodes and groundbreaking effects.
BT: I: The Weapon, Synchronicity | | 98 |  | Fleet Foxes
Helplessness Blues
I remember this album, but apparently not well enough not to be surprised by its jazziness, breezy summery warmth and surprising songwriting depth. I remember it as a decent folk album, but not much else. Odd, considering I relistened to Crack-Up about a thousand times. I am certainly glad to have come back to it after the years and rediscovered its avant-garde magic hidden under the fabric of easy-going gaiety. It's pretty.
BT: Sim Sala Bim, The Plains/Bitter Dancer, Helplessness Blues, Lorelai, The Shrine/An Argument, Grown Ocean | | 97 |  | Typhoon (USA-OR)
White Lighter
Greatly ambitious in combining folk and arena rock sized production. I like a lot of the songwriting and some of the more intimate songs feel very warm. But it all comes off tawdry. A lot of flash a lot of flair, also plenty of over the top songwriting and excessive theatrics. The intimacy and tenderness always has to be interrupted by the arrangement getting up its own about itself and the vocals never quite can catch up with the instrumental's grandeur. The word 'bloated' comes to mind. But bloated and morbidly obese. Like Fleet Foxes on steroids and whinier.
BT: Possible Deaths, Dreams of Cannibalism, Hunger and Thirst | | 96 |  | Grimes
Art Angels
The biggest problem dragging Grimes down is not her style of futuristic deranged glitter-spraying love-maniac, but that she cannot make this exhilarating surfeit of glamorous insanities compliment each other. This album only wins over her others for its less all-over-the-place construction. Which in turn leaves it feeling more inessential than Grimes' ballsy aesthetic would like you to believe. So it is her more straightforward project, but even then a less than substantive work.
BT: Flesh Without Blood, Kill V. Maim | | 95 |  | Alcest
Écailles De Lune
Alcest were always mere feel-good easy-listening band. I never found their songwriting compelling, I never saw them as particularly engaging, and I rarely felt the need in returning to their music. But to the latter point, if I ever did, it would have probably been for the exact express purposes of finding something profoundly calming, despite the heaviness of its genre. Blackgaze or post-black metal or however you'd like to categorise this "angry boi toedipping in a gentle creek" kind of music, it is pleasing to the ears. I should sometimes try putting it on to go to sleep. Not because it is boring (although it can be), but because it has a pacifying energy. Bedtime bm.
BT: Solar Song | | 94 |  | Weyes Blood
Titanic Rising
First album on the list that I knew very well. What absolute heaven Weyes Blood gifted us here. As if to summon the god(ess) of love and beauty, 'Titanic Rising' sounds like a celebration of the absolute life, love, lovelife, love of life and life full of love. Even in moments of lyrical drowsiness, I feel like the album wants me to be happy, safe and warm in every and all case.
BT: Andromeda, Everyday, Movies, Mirror Forever, Picture Me Better | | 93 |  | The Chariot
One Wing
Surprising amount of versatility for a screamo hardcore album. I feel weird not knowing what else to say. It really is good. All those people praising it were right.
BT: Not, First, Love., Speak, Tongues, and, Cheek. | | 92 |  | Night Verses
From the Gallery of Sleep
I know a drummer guy who won't shut up about this band and keeps showing everyone Aric Importa's performance at Guitar Center Drum-Off 2012 finale. Listening to this I can see (hear) how this would be a topper of an instrumentalist's essential listening list. The finesse these guys display is undeniable. But other than often being overwhelmed by the instrumentals to a point of the songs being inscribed on the inside of my brain, I found most of the songwriting to be unremarkable. It is not unmemorable, but it is lacking in composition. It is like a car engine catalogue. All technicality, but unless you are already well versed in the craft of making them, you will struggle to understand what to listen for.
BT: Trading Shadows, No.0, Earthless | | 91 |  | Phoebe Bridgers
Stranger In The Alps
This album is something strange. It doesn't really change its pace or style much throughout, and yet I still found it to be a bit of a mixed bag. Phoebe's lyricism and songwriting can be on the dam point like nobody else, but it can also be corny, a little awkward, unintentionally shy drag. And the more I listen to this album, the more some of the songs sound sleepy (like Demi Moore or Killer for the worst offenders).
BT: Funeral, Scott Street, Would You Rather, You Missed My Heart | | 90 |  | Amenra
Mass VI
What by and large is the appeal of post-metal to me is that it often can transmit the emotional state of utter fury while possessing the energy levels of complete emotional exhaustion. It is something I often miss in genres like DSBM, where the two aspects are seated vice versa. And more than the lot of others, Amenra closed in on this particular state of music and perfected the musical feeling of complete emotional drain and hysteria turned to rage. I cannot place this record on a spectrum on their others, as they all - for lack of a better phrasing and in the nicest way possible - are the same. It is a tried and true musical formula that keeps on giving and I am happy (to be sad) for that.
BT: Plus Près de Toi (Closer to You), A Solitary Reign | | 89 |  | Ben Howard
I Forget Where We Were
The main impact of this album is felt through its lyrics and their interplay with the arrangements. The integral musicianship and song-writing, however, leaves a lot to be desired. | | 88 |  | Deafheaven
New Bermuda
On 'New Bermuda', Deafheaven have decided not to try and chase the inexplicable newness and nowness of 'Sunbather' again, and instead focus on refining more ordinary tropes and textbooks, resulting in a great listen that, of course, cannot help but pale in comparison with its predecessor just by default. | | 87 |  | Jon Hopkins
Immunity
'Immunity' is, I can only assume, what the transcendentalists and intersection profiteers of ambient-to-deep house music have been trying to accomplish for years now. | | 86 |  | State Faults
Clairvoyant | | 85 |  | M83
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming | | 84 |  | Brockhampton
SATURATION II | | 83 |  | Tool
Fear Inoculum
Tool at no point prove they have not been wasting their time between the records, as none of 'Fear Inoculum' comes off as carefully crafted or even particularly thought out. | | 82 |  | My Bloody Valentine
m b v | | 81 |  | Laura Stevenson
Wheel | | 80 |  | Lana Del Rey
Norman Fucking Rockwell!
It is true that her writing and composition skill improved tremendously and that this album is leagues above all her others. However I also found myself snoozing a little occasionally. | | 79 |  | Agalloch
Marrow of the Spirit | | 78 |  | Slowdive
Slowdive | | 77 |  | Macaroom
Homephone TE | | 76 |  | Anathema
We're Here Because We're Here | | 75 |  | Hop Along
Bark Your Head Off, Dog
Her raspy voice requires a few listens to really get into, but then all the beauty of this acoustic indie rock powerhouse is revealed. | | 74 |  | Casualties of Cool
Casualties of Cool | | 73 |  | Danny Brown
Atrocity Exhibition | | 72 |  | Between the Buried and Me
The Parallax II: Future Sequence | | 71 |  | Anna von Hausswolff
Dead Magic
I hate to break the beautiful 444 ratings count, but I have to chime in with a sound-off, as this is perhaps one of the absolutely best albums of the 2010s. Anna brings to the table some of the most harrowing imagery and sound design that is not only disturbing, but also hella gorgeous and captivating. | | 70 |  | Damien Rice
My Favourite Faded Fantasy | | 69 |  | Ghost (SWE)
Meliora
"Satanic Scooby-Doo Chase Music" actually sounds like a whole lot of fun. | | 68 |  | Swans
The Glowing Man | | 67 |  | Deathspell Omega
Paracletus | | 66 |  | Sophie
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
It really is a mess, in the most rejuvenating, positive, adorable way possible. | | 65 |  | Alcest
Kodama
Among Alcest's usual slope of tedious gazey fluff, the stars have miraculously aligned, through no fault of Alcest's own. 'Kodama' is perhaps the only album in their discography where the airy frolicking aim to leave all memorability to chance and atmosphere pays off. Again, it all feels like a stroke of chance more than skill, but what works shan't be denigrated. Well done, you champions of emptiness. | | 64 |  | Ne Obliviscaris
Portal of I | | 63 |  | Car Seat Headrest
Teens of Denial | | 62 |  | O'Brother
Garden Window | | 61 |  | Flying Lotus
Cosmogramma | | 60 |  | Circa Survive
Blue Sky Noise | | 59 |  | IDLES
Joy as an Act of Resistance
What Idles achieve here is bringing the raw, but fun-loving side of punk music to the modern age with all the rigour of its political bluntness. | | 58 |  | The Menzingers
After the Party
Menzingers play their most joyous songs to the words of their biggest anguish and sadness. | | 57 |  | The Dillinger Escape Plan
One of Us Is the Killer | | 56 |  | Thursday
No Devolucion | | 55 |  | Jason Isbell
Southeastern | | 54 |  | Women
Public Strain | | 53 |  | Ichiko Aoba
0% | | 52 |  | Julien Baker
Sprained Ankle
"Sprained Ankle" nearly becomes ambient with its minimal arrangement. Julien lets a lot of her lyrics do the heavy lifting, which only works so often. | | 51 |  | The War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream | | 50 |  | Swans
To Be Kind | | 49 |  | Amia Venera Landscape
The Long Procession | | 48 |  | mewithoutYou
Pale Horses | | 47 |  | Danny Brown
XXX | | 46 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise
The Dear Hunter can write a catchy song, but by God is their brand of pristine-clean pseudo-prog obnoxious sometimes. | | 45 |  | Bon Iver
Bon Iver, Bon Iver | | 44 |  | Trophy Scars
Holy Vacants | | 43 |  | Radiohead
A Moon Shaped Pool | | 42 |  | The Dear Hunter
Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional
Some of the corniest, most oversaturated, htunes and vocals and ridiculously bland storytelling you've heard outside of Pureflix soundtracks' token "rock" songs. | | 41 |  | Deftones
Koi No Yokan | | 40 |  | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis | | 39 |  | La Dispute
Wildlife | | 38 |  | Gorguts
Colored Sands | | 37 |  | The Wonder Years
The Greatest Generation | | 36 |  | Cult of Luna
A Dawn to Fear
Ridiculous that it took me only until this album to actually enjoy a Cult of Luna album in full. That said, it is also ridiculous that it took them until this album to turn their staling drony ambiance into a strength. | | 35 |  | Titus Andronicus
The Monitor | | 34 |  | Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas
Mariner | | 33 |  | mewithoutYou
[Untitled] | | 32 |  | The Knife
Shaking the Habitual | | 31 |  | Captain, We're Sinking
The Future Is Cancelled | | 30 |  | Sun Kil Moon
Benji | | 29 |  | Death Grips
The Money Store | | 28 |  | Lorde
Melodrama | | 27 |  | Altar of Plagues
Teethed Glory and Injury | | 26 |  | There Will Be Fireworks
The Dark, Dark Bright | | 25 |  | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
Stands the test of time and will keep on standing still, cause this is some of the most deceptively uncomfortable minimal music you can imagine. The whistling backing track throughout the whole album will haunt me forever. | | 24 |  | Gang of Youths
Go Farther in Lightness | | 23 |  | Deftones
Diamond Eyes | | 22 |  | The Dillinger Escape Plan
Option Paralysis | | 21 |  | Frank Ocean
Blonde | | 20 |  | Rolo Tomassi
Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It | | 19 |  | Converge
All We Love We Leave Behind | | 18 |  | Swans
The Seer | | 17 |  | Carly Rae Jepsen
Emotion
so im a dumb dumb maybe but why is this good or sth? i am so lost. easily the straightest of the gay-adopted popstresses. and i aint straight enough for this in spirit | | 16 |  | The National
Trouble Will Find Me | | 15 |  | Jeff Rosenstock
Worry.
Still stands as the pinnacle of Rosenstock's anthemic pop-punk writing, packed to the brim with ridiculously catchy tunes, managing to be progressive and multi-sectional at this short a runtime. Quite the damn achievement. | | 14 |  | The Tallest Man on Earth
The Wild Hunt | | 13 |  | Kanye West
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | | 12 |  | The Menzingers
On the Impossible Past | | 11 |  | Queens of the Stone Age
...Like Clockwork | | 10 |  | Manchester Orchestra
A Black Mile to the Surface | | 9 |  | Daughters
You Won't Get What You Want | | 8 |  | brand new
Science Fiction | | 7 |  | David Bowie
Blackstar
David Bowie's swansong has been conceived partially at the decline of his health, partially at its recovery. The rollercoaster of fear and torture has marked the final product immensely. Bowie this channels most of his efforts into near-academic exploration of instrumental and compositional newness, lyrical mysticism, and influential hullabaloo. What becomes of this avant-pro-avant-garde fusion is a masterful and haunting work that can truly only come once in a lifetime. A d what a lifetime it has been. | | 6 |  | The National
High Violet | | 5 |  | Kendrick Lamar
good kid, m.A.A.d city | | 4 |  | The Hotelier
Home, Like NoPlace Is There | | 3 |  | Sufjan Stevens
Carrie and Lowell
I don't know which in chronology magnum opus of his people claim this is, but it still deserves all the praise. | | 2 |  | Deafheaven
Sunbather
Everyone and their mum has said it, so I might as well say it too. This is pure (deaf)heaven. | | 1 |  | Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp a Butterfly | |
someone
06.15.20 | listen along too, why don't you | Tundra
06.15.20 | nice man | Mythodea
06.15.20 | good idea from both of you | ArsMoriendi
06.15.20 | If you wanna fix the art for MBV, just know sput has it listed as "m b v" with spaces | twlight
06.15.20 | Great list tbh | someone
06.15.20 | didn't even notice there was something wrong with it. thanks a plenty | Mythodea
06.15.20 | I'd like it if we organized and listened to one album every day or so, and then commented on it. | Pangea
06.15.20 | i'll join you guys. heard 47 so far so there's plenty to explore | someone
06.15.20 | @Mythodea: that sounds great. we'll need to sync tho. i already heard Thrice. gotta ask TundraL5Z | Mythodea
06.15.20 | I've already listened to some of these, and I wouldn't be surprised if people already love some of the users FAVOURITES. I'd be glad to invest in an experiment like that. Let's say we allow some time until all people who want to join do so, and we start from scratch. One album/day. | Tundra
06.15.20 | You can call me Tundra man, I can see maybe every day people submit scores for each album and then average it up, will be a lot of work though lol, either way I want to keep doing what I'm doing on my list if thats ok | Tundra
06.15.20 | @Mythod idea sounds good | someone
06.15.20 | i wanted to go from 100 to 1, maybe we can do it that way. day 1 = number 100. but will we do it in one thread or individual? | Satellite
06.15.20 | really wish i were open-minded enough to check out all of the albums i haven't heard from this list. much respect. | Mythodea
06.15.20 | I was thinking about individual lists for each album. [i] Listening Party - Day #1 [/i] is a title that comes to mind for the daily meetings. We only have to comment our opinion in the list, whenever we are ready, until we create our own individual sound off pages.
Edit: there's a similar project for undiscovered prog gems. We did domething similar to a listening party, and each week we would vote our favourite, until we got to a winner. | Tundra
06.15.20 | I mean you could, but 100 days is a pretty long time and a long commitment as well lol, for my list I just wanted to do it for a couple weeks or at most a month. I say you do your idea, I do my idea, but I will submit my scores to yours as well | Mythodea
06.15.20 | Oh, yeah, Tundra, don't sweat. No pressure at all. I get it's something we may not even finish after all. But there's really no need to justify yourself ;) | someone
06.15.20 | so the way i see it, we have a few options:
1. proceed at our own individual pace, individual threads and just discuss the albums we want to discuss with each other
2. we have our individual lists or one list to sum up our collective opinions and proceed one day at a time
3. we do it like Tundra: proceed based on individual episodes of the featured list (100-76, 75-51 and so on) and listen to everything within those margins at our own pace and then when everyone is done and ready, proceed to the next checkpoint.
i think individual list for each day is excessive and will needlessly saturate the front page | Tundra
06.15.20 | I prefer to do it in small chunks cause 100 to 1 sounds a lot more daunting than 100 to 76, and so on | someone
06.15.20 | well you can do it that way, if we go 100 to 1, then i guess it won't really change things that much if you divide it into sections. | someone
06.15.20 | but my first comment is already up | Tundra
06.15.20 | think its being overcomplicated in all honesty, think the process should just be a chill exploration of all the albums | Mythodea
06.15.20 | I'm with you on the last observation. | zakalwe
06.15.20 | Top one hundred has a lot of nonsense.
There I’ve said it. | someone
06.15.20 | so let's just go out own pace then?
@zakalwe: i could agree more, but i agree nonetheless | Mythodea
06.15.20 | Yes, we can move on our own pace and meet at each album's review thread | someone
06.15.20 | sounds good | Lord(e)Po)))ts
06.15.20 | you brave brave soul | someone
06.15.20 | this is not going to be difficult, i like most things that are | someone
06.16.20 | so i'll proceed with the list regardless of your guys' progress, okay? | Tundra
06.16.20 | yep | someone
06.20.20 | i found my first dud | Mythodea
06.20.20 | And I guess it's Art Angels? | someone
06.20.20 | We'll see about Art Angels, but I remember disliking them severely. I was talking about Typhoon, the needlessly extravagant foray into bombastic vapidness. | Mythodea
06.20.20 | Typhoon are better when they're lamenting. White lighter was... Lighter and low on fats | someone
06.20.20 | The opposite, it's too fat. | Mythodea
06.20.20 | I mean no substance dude, don't mess with my metphor XD | someone
06.26.20 | back on track after a little break | someone
06.26.20 | i think i should go through all of theneedledrop's decade end picks after this | someone
07.06.20 | i don't know if anyone is wondering at all about this, but i have not been inactive. this listening party is still going on, but i am just struggling with the sound offs and i can't jump straight to the albums i have a good few sentences written about, because i want to make the texts appear chronologically | someone
07.06.20 | i just have to figure out what to say about Amenra, Ben Howard, Anathema and Casualties of Cool. otherwise i'm set | Mythodea
07.07.20 | I'm wondering, because I've been a bit inactive about this challenge. Sowing's list about 2020 came around and messed with User's 100. But I'm going strong now! | Pangea
07.07.20 | i'm following the list as well, nice to hear it's going on | JohnnyoftheWell
07.16.20 | h i p e | someone
07.16.20 | Will be returning to this soon, life's busy and I don't always have time to listen to a 100 albums multiple times. | JohnnyoftheWell
07.16.20 | how dare you i am shocked | someone
07.18.20 | So I'm going away for some time ,so this will have to wait | JohnnyoftheWell
07.18.20 | take care m'dude ! | someone
07.18.20 | I'm not going to jail.
I'm leading a summer camp for kids. Just found out there's no internet and I don't have enough data to spend it on music, which is ficked, cause I won't reach my listening quotas. | JohnnyoftheWell
07.18.20 | Oh damn, that's a pain - dya have an ipod or whatever to keep your main tunes on hand? also ngl I fully believed you were doing to hospital with a trendy new virus | someone
07.18.20 | Nope, my immunity is acidic nuclear, I'm never sick. I have a futon of stuff downloaded, but I also have a rule to listen to one album every day and I will have a lot of catching up to do afterwards. | Egarran
07.18.20 | How many bytes are in a futon? | Tundra
07.18.20 | i've been done mine for weeks tbh, but go at your own pace I guess | someone
07.18.20 | I like to listen to thing repeatedly. I feel like I'm writing minireviews here, so I want to be thorough. | JohnnyoftheWell
07.18.20 | so this is what true investigative journalism is like. i just wish there could have been a better list for your fine efforts ;] | Tundra
07.18.20 | Yeah ide say I liked about half of what's there, was underwhelmed with a lot of them though |
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