Recommend me some 2022 albums +1000th album halp

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

If I'm correct, he'll be conducting for Simulacrum. Haven't heard the album yet but will do so soon.

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 217: A Distant Fist Unclenching by Krill

I'm seeing this guys tomorrow as they're with Pile and two other bands I do not care to look up right now. I've heard several songs and they've all been pretty decent but never a full album. Not too engaged in the local music scene I guess.

These guys are pretty great instrumentally, I have no complaints about their songwriting, and the use of irregular time signatures and weird bass grooves is awesome. The vocals are not to everyone's taste but I like them just fine.

The biggest problem I have with the album is that the production, for reasons I cannot understand, puts way too much reverb on anything, dragging the album down a notch as a whole. Also, centerpiece Tiger is pretty boring.

Still got a lot of good songs, and I'm biased to Boston bands of minor impact (whereas you couldn't pay me to listen to Godsmack and Aerosmith are overhyped as hell).

Best Track: Foot
Rating: 7.5/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 218: Magic Isn't Real by Pile

Jesus Christ, these guys tried really hard to sound like a 90s band here. Like, REALLY hard. The singer sounds like effing Chris Cornell on Don't Touch Anything.

Anyways, it's a pretty good album. Similar in style to the other album I've listened to, but not as many standouts and much more screaming without as much emotion.

Scratch that actually, there are plenty of standouts here, like Pets, #1 Hit Single and the aforementioned Don't Touch Anything, they just don't touch the peaks of Dripping. Still, credits for consistency, and lots of rocking, especially that outro track.

Best Track: Don't Touch Anything
Rating: 7/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 219: What a Time to Be Alive by Drake and Future

I really, really, really HATE this collection of songs.

That sentence was my RateYourMusic review. Now I'm going to attempt reviewing it in more depth.

Can't do it. I really, really, really HATE this collection of songs.

Best Track: NOTHING
Rating: 1/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 220: The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid by Stars of the Lid (Album Choice: Spenner)

I actually forced myself to listen to this one twice, because the first time I listened to it I didn't pay enough attention. Shut the hell up.

I like this one ever so slightly more than And Their Refinement Of The Decline but I can't put my finger on why. Maybe the drones are prettier this time? Nonetheless, my criticism still stands, why two goddamn hours? This would easily be a solid 8 or low 9 if you cut the album down to 40-60 minutes. Look at artists like Tim Hecker where the album lasts less than an hour. Hell, look at Basinski where his albums are often only one or two songs but the total running time never reaches 80 minutes. Maybe it's a undiagnosed attention problem I have but I can't stay engaged in drones for 2 whole hours.

But yeah I guess a ton of these songs are great.

Best Track: Mullholland
Rating: 6.5/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 221: Keep It Like A Secret by Built To Spill (Album Choice: Crazyjayde)

These guys made the genius decision to play three nights in a tow on Boston, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday respectively. What kind of idiot handles the scheduling like that?

Anyways, I actually wanted to listen to this band like, 3 or 4 years ago but something put me off of it. Have no idea as to what.

Good hooks, good (indie) pop songwriting, but nothing about this release makes me go wow. The guitar playing is pretty damn impressive, but it just seems like classic rock influenced wanking over these song structures.

Best Track: Carry the Zero
Rating: 6/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 222: Whatever by Nai Harvest (Album Choice: ChikaraGuy)

I'm not typically down with emo but I'm in a pretty down mood. This album is probably improved somewhat by being in a down mood, but it's still too overwrought for my tastes. On the plus side, it's a pretty perfect length, since the songs almost get samey but everything is over before it gets grating.

Best Track: Sitcom Fade-In
Rating: 6/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 223: Computer World by Kraftwerk

Unless I got scammed, I managed to score two orchestra level tickets to see these guys on Saturday for $30 a pop. Damn I love being Asian.

I dunno if I like this release more than The Man-Machine or not. On one hand, it neither has the crazy awesome atmospheric tracks (instead having some "pretty good" atmosphere tracks, which are pleasant but nearly as colorful or visual) nor any perfect pop songs ala The Model. However, it is more consistent overall, with never more than a boring minute, and the variety of atonal sounds (which are far greater in count here than in the former album) are like a goddamn endorphin release.

Either way, it's better than Trans-Europe Express so that's good.

Best Track: It's More Fun To Compute although I am quite fond of Numbers
Rating: 7/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 224: Radio-Activity by Kraftwerk

What a perfectly mediocre album. The skits are nothing but padding and the songs are hit-or-miss.

Still looking forward a ton for this show.

Best Track: Antenna
Rating: 5.5/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 225: Moon Colony Bloodbath by The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice

What.CD freeleech treat for myself. I've mentioned that I love love LOVE this band at least 40 times now, I don't need to review this in depth, it'll just be fanboy fawning.

Best Track: Emerging
Rating: 7/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 226: New England Triptych by William Schuman performed by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Album Choice: Tidus810)

It's mad confusing when someone recommends an orchestral piece that wasn't recorded immediately after writing. I have like 5000 choices here.

I'm not gonna judge the performance for obvious reasons, but this is a pretty nice piece. Reminds me of Disney. That is literally all I can think to say.

Best Track: Uhh... The first movement?
Rating: 7/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 227: My Love is a Bulldozer by Venetian Snares (Album Choice: XCV)

Is this album supposed to be funny? Half of these songs sound like jokes but not particularly funny ones thanks mostly to the vocals. That album art is horrible. Not really a bad album but it seems somewhat subpar.

Best Track: Amazon
Rating: 5/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 228: Tallahassee Turns Ten by Various Artists

Dunno what drove me to listen to this album, but most of these covers pale in comparison to the original versions. In particular, No Children is kinda bland even if pretty, and Oceanographer's Choice sounds like bootleg Ben Folds. The only song that actually improves on the original is Have to Explode. Alpha Rats Nest, See America Right and Ethiopians are pretty nice as well. Overall, a very meh cover album to a fantastic album.

Best Track: Have To Explode
Rating: 4.5/10

[rayword45]

Re: Meh, let's do it again, this time for a year

Day 229: Zombies on Acid by Family Farce

Sitting around by myself in Harvard Yard for a half hour, I need to kill some time. This is a short album. I absolutely loved these guys before I turned 13, but after that age I played a LOT less Stepmania. Never listened to one of their albums before, this is the only one that is on Bandcamp.

Trying my best not to let childhood nostalgia affect this review. I really like around 3 quarters of the songs here, even if they're all a bit rudimentary. Honestly I wish that a few of these tracks if not near all of them were more fleshed out. The longest track doesn't even break 2 and a half minutes, which makes sense since these tracks were meant for Stepmania. Also, vocal samples range from Anime to random profanity, neither of which I like. The only vocal sample that's legitimately funny/good is Singing In The Rain in zZz. Why do I still remember that tidbit from when I was 9?

Nice album, a bit too concise and perhaps scattershot.

Best Track: Retard Bus
Rating: 6.5/10

[dfkltap]

dfkltap be tired

day of ffring and stuff, need o relax mah fingers y'all xD