Recommend me some 2022 albums +1000th album halp

[Deadlyx39]

Might as well make the delayed 5-year retrospective a 6-year retrospective at this point.

[rayword45]

Originally Posted by Deadlyx39

Might as well make the delayed 5-year retrospective a 6-year retrospective at this point.

i have an idea lol

[rayword45]

Day 705: Miss Anthropocene by Grimes

I don't care if this leak is unfinished or not, I wanted to hear how Bezos changed the music. And also, I don't like the idea of my streaming money going to that cuck that lost a quarter trillion or something because he's the only 55-year old man in the world to send a dick pic during an affair.

Wait, I'm sorry, I fucked up, I don't like my streaming money going to Elon is what I should've said. He looks like he smells bad and says bad things.

Anyways, it looks like I forgot to review Art Angels but I found it equal parts boring and annoying. Either I'm misremembering, my tastes have changed drastically, or this is a significant step up! Only a few serious snoozers here and there, and if this is the unfinished mastering version I need to check it out again in a month. Some songs reminded me of 100 gecs except it's not because the songs sounded like them besides maybe the voice being squeaky it's just that that shit was so fucking horrible it hasn't left my head. This shit is good!

I'm mad that there's no song called "No Longer An Anti-Imperialist" or "Shadow Fetus" though. And just once again, fuck billionaires.

Best Track: Violence
Rating: 7.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 706: 2017-2019 by Against All Logic

I gotta tell ya, kids, this one started out WEIRD. All of the first few tracks were absolutely not what I was expecting, incredibly experimental stuff.

Then after the first 4 or 5 tracks it settled nicely into the groovy, danceable stuff I was expecting, and these tracks are for the most part up to par or just below the quality of his last album. The last track is also a bit weird though.

This score is ESPECIALLY tentative, because after 2 listens I'm still not sure what to make of about half or so, but the rest of it is quite good!

Best Track: Penny
Rating: 7/10

[rayword45]

Day 707: UNLOCKED by Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats

This one is reaaaaal short, and a bit more experimental than Zuu, less ambitious than TA13OO and honestly worse than both. I'm still enjoying it, the aggression on display, moreso than the last two albums for sure, matches well with the rather abrasive beats, but it isn't anything particularly special. Everything here is solid, no real misses, no real stand-outs.

Best Track: Read the last sentence
Rating: 6/10

[DeciBel1231]

Mama - NoMeansNo

[rayword45]

Day 708: The Slow Rush by Tame Impala

Happy national STD testing day, these guys (or is it just this guy?) decided to release on this day after a near 5 year hiatus. I... honestly had forgotten all about them, and that's weird considering I still think Lonerism is a good pop psych album and that some of the vaporwave-y songs on that vaporwave-y album slap. I say all that but I haven't listened to their music in, like, maybe nearly 3 years? Except a song here or there VERY intermittently. Anyways, on we go.

I... don't have much to say about this one. Somehow, it seems like he was trying to be really ambitious, but instead it just ends up being boring. It's not horrible or anything, most of these songs are passable, a few are good, and a few are cheesy, but that's just it. Nothing stands out hard enough, yet it really does feel like a lot of effort was put into it. Or maybe I'm just saying that because this is 2-3 years minutes too late and 20-30 minutes too long.

I'll never forget that night at Boston Calling though... Though Beck was the better performance.

Best Track: It Might Be Time
Rating: 4.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 709: Overdrive EP by Space Laces

Prepping for the festival next month.

Dubstep is such a great, enjoyable genre live. Most of the recorded stuff just bores the fuck out of me though, this included. I prefer cornandbeans as corny as some of those songs were.

Best Track: Kaiju
Rating: 4/10

[rayword45]

Day 710: Circles by Mac Miller

It's been, what, 5 years since I listened to this guy? And he died like 2 years or close to it now ago? I suppose that's working from a clean slate, or close to it.

Anyways, with the exception of a few tracks, this is barely hip-hop. DEFINITELY less so than the last album I listened to of his. Instead we get a bunch of slow pop soul which is enjoyable enough, but only a few tracks really left a lasting impression on me thus far. Maybe this one is a grower, but I've seen a lot of comparisons to IGOR which still hasn't grown on me. Only time will tell.

Don't do fentanyl.

Best Track: I Can See
Rating: 5/10

[mi40]

this is frankly the most ambitious project that is taking place on ffr
if i may,
Pete Namlook & Various ‎– The Ambient Gardener · Winter

[rayword45]

Day 711: Mama by NoMeansNo (Album Choice: DeciBel1231)

Yet again, here's someone I haven't reviewed in years, but unlike others I actually still listen to Wrong at least a few times a year! That's a well put-together album. I recall putting some of their other albums on in the background and not enjoying them as much, but definitely not this one.

And this one is eh. A hell of a lot less produced and a hell of a lot less aggressive than the album I like more, instead this one has more of a jazzy art-rock vibe which doesn't always work for me with the more restrained punk attitude. Also the comparative lack of bass tone is disappointing. Eh.

Best Track: Red Devil
Rating: 5/10

[Deadlyx39]

Ozzy Osbourne’s new album came out today. Haven’t listened to it yet.

[rayword45]

Day 712: Man Alive! by King Krule

Well, preconceptions are usually a bad thing! I haven't listened to, like, more than 2 songs by this guy before today, and I thought not much of them at all. My knowledge of him is basically that he's ginger, and that a lot of white girls in my area who like shit like Drake and The Weeknd tend to swoon over him a LOT so I assumed I wasn't his target audience, and that it'd be some boring whiteboy R&B type stuff. What this actually is is one of the strangest albums I've listened to in a while, especially for someone this big, and I enjoyed almost every second of it. There's almost nothing in the way of traditional melodies that are obvious on the forefront, and both texturally and mood-wise this album explores a LOT. Now I actually want to check out his other work.

When you make assumptions, you're an asshole. Is that the phrase?

Best Track: Underclass
Rating: 8/10

[rayword45]

Day 713: MG Demo Disc by Machine Girl

Outside of one track, which is my favorite, this sounds a lot more like Gemini/WLFGRL era stuff than the later stuff, which is interesting considering how it spans several years of demos but perhaps not all that surprising. Outside of that one track, this ranges from fun bouncy breakbeat type stuff to dull repetitive shallow breakbeat type stuff. I wouldn't call it consistent nor would I expect that, but it's decent.

Best Track: The Windows
Rating: 6/10

[rayword45]

Day 714: U-Void Synthesizer by Machine Girl

I'll open by saying this probably has the weakest opening track of any of their albums since before Because I'm Young Arrogant blahblahblah. But that's not really much of a slight, as those have often been the best tracks and the opener here is still GOOD. As a matter of fact, almost this whole album is good, something I haven't felt like I've been able to say about any of their works prior (I never reviewed WLFGRL or Gemini but I can confirm this is more consistent than the former). Thus it's my favorite of theirs now. Even the dancier tracks don't let up the aggression, leading to a far more cohesive release than anything else they've done thus far. Serious contender for my end-of-year list, as early as it is to say that I've not felt that way about one of their albums before.

Best Track: Devil Speak
Rating: 8.5/10

[mi40]

Originally Posted by rayword45

Day 714: U-Void Synthesizer by Machine Girl

I'll open by saying this probably has the weakest opening track of any of their albums since before Because I'm Young Arrogant blahblahblah. But that's not really much of a slight, as those have often been the best tracks and the opener here is still GOOD. As a matter of fact, almost this whole album is good, something I haven't felt like I've been able to say about any of their works prior (I never reviewed WLFGRL or Gemini but I can confirm this is more consistent than the former). Thus it's my favorite of theirs now. Even the dancier tracks don't let up the aggression, leading to a far more cohesive release than anything else they've done thus far. Serious contender for my end-of-year list, as early as it is to say that I've not felt that way about one of their albums before.

Best Track: Devil Speak
Rating: 8.5/10

i look forward to a WLFGRL review from you someday in the future

[rayword45]

Day 715: Honeymoon by Beach Bunny

All the Facebook music groups I'm in full of neckbeard hipsters that jack off to Fantano's nudes are talking about this artist. I'm completely unfamiliar but that usually doesn't equate to me liking the music beyond a "meh" grade, with some exceptions.

This is not an exception. This reminds me of the time in 2018(?) where Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy were blowing up, and this is better than the former but worse than the latter. Outside of just comparing to other singer/songwriter indie women, this album started off as a lot of bouncy fun with a sensed emotional core, but less than halfway through I was just bored and slightly annoyed. I would probably be nicer right now if it was lo-fi, or if the first 3 tracks didn't just make everything more disappointing after.

Best Track: Promises or April
Rating: 5/10

[Crazyjayde]

Originally Posted by rayword45

All the Facebook music groups I'm in

Solid ew.

Also that's the wrong Zimpel album (somewhat). There's also a James Holden collab, with some input from Ziolek, which was released not even last week. WAY more lively and engaging.
Glad to see you're still going strong with this. Keep it up fuck college you know the drill have some random recs:

Himuro Yoshiteru - View From Bottom
Innercity Ensemble - IV
Kittens - Tiger Comet
KoMaRa - KoMaRa
R.A.P. Ferreira - Purple Moonlight Pages
Sparklehorse - It's a Wonderful Life [obligatory edit cause I believe this is the one I was most curious about]
Swirlies - They Spent Their Youthful Days...
Winona Forever - Feelgood

[mi40]

Originally Posted by rayword45

Day 715: Honeymoon by Beach Bunny

Outside of just comparing to other singer/songwriter indie women, this album started off as a lot of bouncy fun with a sensed emotional core, but less than halfway through I was just bored and slightly annoyed. I would probably be nicer right now if it was lo-fi, or if the first 3 tracks didn't just make everything more disappointing after.

Best Track: Promises or April
Rating: 5/10

agree here except beach bunny's honeymoon has somehow crept into my worksafe playlist when i'm the one with the aux cord at work. i will admit that if you listen to their consecutively in an album format you will get annoyed with it way faster than if it was sprinkled in among other music

Originally Posted by rayword45

Day 718: WLFGRL by Machine Girl (Album Choice: mi40)

There really just needs to be way more groovers in the mix here. More aggression in the aggressive tracks too, but DEFINITELY this needs more groovers.

Best Track: Out By The 16, Dead On The Scene
Rating: 6/10

agree here also. a lot of people have the same sentiment regarding needing more groovers but it looks like machine girl tends to go more abrasive approaches to their albums so this is what happens. i like to think machine girl needs a separate mix of their groovers, like a best of. galatea & krystle (3rd impact mix) to name a few..

Originally Posted by rayword45

Day 733: Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple

Pitchfork gave this their first 10 in over a decade apparently. girls saying they bawled their eyes out to this baffle me. It's a solid album, and only a few bits got on my nerves, but that's as far as I'm going. Okay boomer Pitchfork. Time to go eat some ice cream.

Best Track: For Her
Rating: 7.5/10

yes

[rayword45]

Day 716: Be Up A Hello by Squarepusher

Fuck you Squarepusher your not cool because you can make the drums go fast

That meme will never be unfunny to me.

This album is... better than the last release of his I reviewed, but honestly, I still wouldn't call it good. The first two tracks are phenomenal, warm, MELODIC little nuggets of breakcore goodness, then for the rest of the album I guess he was just like "lol fuck melody" with the exception of slow outlier Detroit People Mover and it just sounds like soulless Autechre to me.

But those first two tracks are really, really, really good!

Best Track: Oberlove
Rating: 5.5/10