Recommend me some 2022 albums +1000th album halp

[rayword45]

Day 1009: Nature Morte by Big Brave

On the other hand, here's something else I listened to a couple times through on my bus from Boston back home to NYC. If y'all remember how much I love KEN Mode then, assuming you listen to at least 5 seconds of their music, it should be no surprise that when you mix sludge metal, my favorite type of metal, and noise rock, the music that shaped my childhood and teen years, I will jizz all over the place and onto your mom's face.

With a band name like that, I thought this would be something similar to Big Black but it's actually damn near the opposite, where Albini's band that I wonder if these guys named themselves after is fast-paced, treble-y to the point of seeming to have intended discomforting effects and concise, this is a slow, atmospheric combination of drone-infused, Panopticon-esque post-metal and the noise rock I'm so sexually attracted to.

I'm not sure this qualifies as "sludge metal" but who gives a shit about labels? You know what this qualifies as? GOOD FUCKING MUSIC. At first the clean yet harsh (almost shrill) female vocalist raised my brow, but I came to really appreciate what she brought to the heady, doom vibe of the whole thing. All the songs are brooding and take their time to develop, but never ever boring to this pair of ears.

This is the best album I've heard to come out this year yet. I'm sure I'll hear many more albums that are just as good or better, but I won't be surprised if this ends up in my top 10, maybe even top 5.

Best Track: A Parable of the Trusting
Rating: 9/10

[rayword45]

Day 1010: Ignore Grief by Xiu Xiu

I'm seeing this guy perform in 8 days! This album was enjoyable! Not exactly a melodic one, so fans of that Twin Peaks referencing album may be disappointed, but it fully achieves the creepy ambience it intends to develop and the stereo design is some of the best I've ever heard in terms of making the whole thing sound three-dimensional.

I like this more than the Lingua Ignota album baldy gave a 10.

Best Track: your father
Rating: 8/10

[rayword45]

Day 1011: 12 by Ryuichi Sakamoto

I've listened like 10 times now and I'm still not sure how much I truly like it.

Best Track: nah
Rating: 6.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1012: Berdlycore Chapter 3 by xaev

I remember last year I really, really hate chapter 2 of whatever the fuck this series is. Now with an artist name change, here we have more of the same but slightly better. It's still some of the most slapdash, hit-or-miss stuff I've ever heard, and it can be VERY annoying when it misses, but there were some enjoyable cuts with some genuinely dope melodic passages.

My god this dude only turned 18 last July? I'm fucking old goddamnit.

Best Track: do you actually care?
Rating: 5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1013: Nemesta by ТДК

Man, finally some good fucking noise rock from this year. I wish black midi sounded like this, THIS is what I expect when I hear "Brutal Prog" as a descriptor.

Best Track: Avtomontyora
Rating: 8/10

[rayword45]

Day 1014: Congratulations by EYES

We're on a hot streak here! I saw this as one of the higher-ranked noise rock albums for the year, but it also having the subgenres "screamo" and "metalcore" turned me off from it before I listened to a second of it. That was a fat ass mistake, as this fucking SLAPS. This is way more sludgy than those aforementioned descriptors would make me think, it is indeed angsty and angry as you'd expect but it doesn't make me cringe like some Rise Records bullshit.

This stuff can get pretty same-y, not just this band but pretty much all bands with a similar sound, but it works here because they keep things brief and tight (the whole album clocks in under a half-hour) and the whole thing never relents with the in-your-face aggression. Compared to the much more popular Chat Pile, the vocals here work better for me as do the riffs. Compared to the much more cancelled Daughters, this seems way more interested in just being face-shredding rather than "dark" and "spooky" and all that crap, which fits the sardonic album art.

I'm gonna have to listen to this a bunch times more to see if it's a new favorite like KEN Mode's Loved or if it loses its luster with repeat listens. With the first few go arounds though, this may very well be the best thing I've heard all year thus far.

Best Track: Bbbbbbbliss
Rating: 9/10

[rayword45]

Day 1015: Rat Saw God by Wednesday

Yesterday was a very special day for me, in that it marked exactly 900 unique musical acts that I've seen live, and Pinback gave a fantastic performance which was a nice coincidence since it's really hard to control that due to counting opening acts. Any act I've seen more than once only counts once, and a lot of local acts I saw during high school and college are excluded because they have no RateYourMusic page. Crazy to think that when I started this review crap, I was 2 years away from seeing a concert on my own dime. How time flies!

Anyways, this album has been getting quite a bit of hype. I find it hit-or-miss. I like the fuzzy, shoegaze-esque guitar tones but the country vibes are less my thing. Ah well, onto the next one!

Best Track: not sure and don't feel like checking
Rating: 6/10

[rayword45]

Day 1016: Quest for Fire by Skrillex

I'm a tad bit late. Many have heralded this as a "comeback" of sorts for good ol Sonny Moore. Or actually, more like an "artistic redemption".

I understand those arguments completely. I do not agree with them. This is definitely less cheesy than classic Skrillex but nothing bangs as hard as Bangarang, pun intended, and it's very inconsistent stuff. Really, I just think people like it more because it's not 2010s style dubstep and they're haters.

Best Track: XENA
Rating: 5.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1017: Live at Bush Hall by Black Country, New Road

I have to admit I was a bit too mean to the ant album and have mildly come around to it. I still think it's more overrated than Pete Davidson's looks but I think it's a middling album, 5.5-6/10 stuff. The debut is still wack.

My biggest complaint about this band was always the singer, but now that he's gone, what do we get?

About one half cringe tracks, one half okay tracks and one half good jams, although at least now the vocals are better across the board. Still prefer the awfully named Jockstrap.

Best Track: lichendies
Rating: 6/10

[robertsona]

check out water from your eyes' album when it comes out friday

[Plics]

Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers