Recommend me some 2022 albums +1000th album halp

[robertsona]

check out the Geese album from June I think there’s a chance you’ll love it

[rayword45]

Day 1027: new George Clanton

The best thing about this album is that if I see him live a fourth time he won't do the same setlist as the first three times

Best Track: too hungover to answer
Rating: 5.5/10

[Trogdor!!!!]

5.5 is a harsh rating, but I get it. I'm not really a fan at all of his stuff but I actually kinda liked his new record. A lot of his stuff sounds same-y to me

[rayword45]

Day 1028: new Lauren Bousfield

I liked it better without vocals.

Best Track: Deserted Olympic Villages
Rating: 4.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1029: Pink Tape by Lil Uzi Vert

I wonder if anyone will be frustrated that after what feels like months of one-liner and non-sequitur joke reviews, I feel obligated to write at least a paragraph for this thing. I mean, it's so fucking long, and Uzi has been a cultural phenomenon for almost a decade now. Not to mention, those features... ah who am I kidding? Nobody gives a shit either way.

Anyways, I've never listened to this dude as an albums person. He has some singles that are truly iconic, but that's about it. His past mixtapes have been inconsistent, overlong and poorly sequenced, although perhaps judging the track ordering of a mixtape isn't fair. Despite the "tape" in this title though, this is classified as an album, so it's totally fair for me to judge all those things and more! And like past Uzi releases, this suffers from all the same flaws! Why is this thing 87 minutes? I realize 10 of those minutes are bonus tracks, but that seems a bit meaningless when the bonus tracks were released same day and same edition as the other 23 tracks, and even without them this is still a fucking movie length.

That being said, though, I wouldn't say I was ever bored while listening to this, and that's a plus. For better or for worse, the biggest flaws are when a track comes off as laughable, like the Chop Suey cover. Oh yeah, the samples and ripoffs of pop culture throughout the 2000s on this thing are INSANE. You got Gotye, you got Justice, you got emo 2000s music I'm not remembering the name of off top, this is a nostalgia platter for the ears with a Xanax-addicted dude spitting mid bars over it. And those aforementioned features, Bring Me The Horizon and BABYMETAL? If anything, the sheer creativity and unabashed lack of fear of being lame makes this a bit better to my ears.

But those 3 flaws I mentioned REALLY stick out still. This could've been cut down by like half and lost nothing. This is honestly an admirable work for me, but I can't recommend listening to the whole thing in one sitting, or even the whole thing in general. Tough decision on what I think of this, but at the very least, this was as fun as going to a white trash carnival, so whatever.

Best Track: the Chop Suey cover is both the best and worst track
Rating: 6.5/10

[robertsona]

Geeeeeese

[rayword45]

Day 1030: 3D Country by Geese (Album Choice: robertsona)

Alright Rob, I'll give this one to you. Probably at least a few of the next batch of posts I slowly spew out my ass will be requests from other people, from fiffer or elsewhere. And while I'll try to give priority to 2023 stuff, I'll also try to mix it up with some stuff from other years as well.

When I first saw this request I was hesitant to try it, because I mixed this band up with Goose and I'm not much of one for jam bands. Thank god that I'm dumb because this is nothing close to a jam band, except for the genre-hopping and stylistic shifts that occur seemingly every track akin to a less goofy Ween. After a few listens, I can sorta break this up into three overarching song types, with variations within each category and overlap amongst the three.

The country-tinged cuts: This seems to be this band's bread and butter, at least on this album. However, for the most part it's my least favorite stuff on here. The songwriting on most of the countryish songs feels insincere in some way, kinda as if they don't REALLY like country and are just having a laugh. I doubt that was anywhere near the actual intent behind the songwriter's compositional process, but maybe it's that whole indie/slacker vibe that gives me pause. The slower ones are better than the faster ones for sure.

The stadium anthems: The most bombastic tracks on the album practically feel straight out of the 70s with their pomp and cheese. The same sort of indie detachment seems to permeate, but I mind it a lot less here, maybe because of my disdain for many classic rock elitists. This stuff is a lot of fun!

The weirdos: And then there are songs that are genuinely weird, noisy and sometimes psychedelic. This is where the album is the absolute best. It's not super esoteric, this is still pretty firmly in the "pop" category (by that I mean they use regular song structures, not that this sounds like assembly line radio pop or something) but it's the most earnest the band ever sounds AND it's the most unique and interesting stuff. I could take a whole album of their more punky styles and their weirdo freak-outs for sure.

On a somewhat related note, I've been seeing this band get compared to Black Midi a lot, but outside of both bands not seeming to take themselves overly seriously and a reliance on interlocking riffs, this reminds me a lot more of somewhere between Ween (as I mentioned before) and Modest Mouse. But comparisons are always a shitty shorthand way of describing a band's sound, and the more a band seems to be carving their own path, the less that shit will fit.

So, in summary, and I only said in summary to piss off any English teachers that some day come across this, cut out a majority of the most country-ish stuff and this would be golden. I did like this a lot more with each successive listen, so I look forward to whatever the band makes next.

Best Track: Mysterious Love
Rating: 7.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1031: In Times New Roman... by Queens Of The Stone Age

Another childhood favorite, I saw these guys live a couple weekends ago and I probably mentioned that in another review. Fuck Forest Hills Stadium. Those who bought their tickets not-resale were apparently told via email that they were not to bring any cameras with a detachable lens, and I sure wish I got that email.

There's extra relevance to that concert anecdote, because I stubbed my way down to a more expensive seat while I was there hoping for some classic Homme antics, but unfortunately no pants were dropped, no slurs were shouted at teenagers in the audience and no media people were drunkenly kicked in the face. It seems the man is fully on the wagon and on his best behavior now after a VERY contentious divorce, as any slip-ups will reflect negatively on him at custody hearings. Or something like that. It's probably fucked up that I'm disappointed I didn't get to see the man make an ass of himself, but I can't help it. At the core, if he's getting healthy and doing what's best for his children, I'm glad.

According to Homme in interviews, the divorce was not a big influence on the album, but I'm pretty sure that was deflection. A lot of the lyrics and tones on this album seem to be bitter, vengeful, heartbroken, all that classic breakup emotional shit. That, however, I don't want to dwell on, because that's not why I'm convinced that the divorce factored into the songwriting.

I'm convinced because this album is actually GOOD.

If that's fucked up to say, whatever. We all know or SHOULD know that some of the best art comes from dark places, and I don't think this band is an exception to that. Besides Like Clockwork, all the QOTSA albums after Songs For The Deaf, which is probably their magnum opus, have been mid as hell, and felt like everyone involved was phoning things in for a paycheck. This actually feels like passion AND care was put into the songs, the production and the sequencing. It's not the best the band made, but at this stage in their career, it's remarkably solid, and I can't ask for more.

Well, I can ask for a real Kyuss reunion tour. Give me that.

Best Track: Carnavoyeur
Rating: 7/10

[rayword45]

Day 1032: the new Travis Scott

The most surprising thing about this album is that I felt no moral quandary about listening to it, EXCEPT when I heard The Weeknd as now his voice makes me sick. Other than that, mid.

Best Track: crowd crush
Rating: 5.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1033: Struggler by Genesis Owusu

Originally Posted by rayword45

Day 824: Smiling With No Teeth by Genesis Owusu

Another case of "I have no idea but this is currently highly ranked for the RYM year chart", the first song and a couple of other cuts sound almost EXACTLY like Death Grips, but compared to them this album is far more eclectic.

Okay that's all I'm gonna write tbh I'm bored and my master's projects are stressing me the fuck out. This is a good album and I think it'll hold up with multiple listens if not get even better, although only time will tell. God why am I so basic?

Best Track: Drown
Rating: 7/10

This sounds completely different from that last album, to the point where quoting it is kinda pointless because there are no worthwhile comparisons to be made. That being said, I think this is a little bit of a downgrade, but that's with the context of Smiling With No Teeth having grown on me quite a bit over the past couple of years. I'd probably bump that a point or so from what I initially gave it, so maybe this one is also a grower.

And I really do mean "a little bit" when I say that, because this is still a solid effort. It's bouncy, weird, joyous, jagged, insert adjective here - all the usual descriptors that I've probably used 1000 times in this thread alone. It isn't super consistent, and it sometimes feels like it lacks polish in a way that doesn't mesh with the dance-punk vibe, but nevertheless I'm quite fond of this one.

Best Track: Tied Up!
Rating: 6.66666666666666/10

[rayword45]

Day 1034: Sundial by Noname

The controversy, for once, drove me away from this album rather than the inverse. Then I decided, fuck it, it's short and I'm missing out on the culture by not at least giving it a try.

I don't believe in "separating the art from the artist" out of principle, because the story of the artist is part of the story of the art. To fully ignore how the two are intertwined is bad media consumption, and I will argue against it all day every day. What I DO stand by is the notion that enjoying art made by objectionable people doesn't mean you support whatever it is that makes them objectionable, otherwise that means hundreds of millions of rap listeners support murder and beating women, and any time someone claims that every single XXXTentacion fan is an abuse supporter I want to commit die. You should avoid financially supporting those you find to be morally abhorrent, but otherwise, enjoy art as you please.

But anyways, the worst thing Noname has done, as far as I can tell, is platform Jay Electronica and his anti-Semitic bars, and then respond to criticism in the absolute worst way possible. I'm not here to pass judgement on either artist in question, I'm here to enjoy the music, and I can safely say that whatever controversy there is doesn't really bleed into the vast majority of this album. This isn't a super fiery, passionate diatribe against the evils of Judaism, this is just another short jazz rap album. It's solid, but not really worth a five year wait.

Best Track: Stormfront
Rating: 6.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1035: Secret Life by Fred again.. & Brian Eno

Is the titular secret about how artificially manufactured all the hype for this guy is? And hopefully, you realize I'm not talking about the godfather of ambient here.

Best Track: Swedish House Mafia
Rating: 4/10

[robertsona]

Nice 7.5 we killed it

[rayword45]

Day 1036: Enola Gay by Asia Menor

It's dece.

Best Track: whatever
Rating: 6.5/10

[rayword45]

Day 1037: When We Were That What Wept for the Sea by Colin Stetson

I decided to listen to this in honor of the 4-episode Uzumaki anime finally getting a release date after spending approximately 37 years in production. Those guys slaved really hard over those 90 minutes of animation. I also chose this as music to listen to while working.

This sounds exactly like the music from all the previews of that anime, exactly like the music in that one Ari Aster movie, and exactly like everything else I've heard from this dude. If you've heard his style before, you know what I'm saying. I've got no clue what his full albums outside of this sound like, as I've only heard a few songs and most were recordings of live performances, but this was pretty okay for me. I appreciate how unsettling it manages to be through minimalism and light touches of atonality, but it does get a bit tiring after 75 minutes of it. That, or I just felt tired of it because of the context I'm listening to it under. Either way, well made, but not something I'm gonna return to often.

Best Track: Choosing a best track from this album is really pointless and in fact probably actively goes against how the artist intended this to be consumed
Rating: 6/10

[rayword45]

Day 1038: Knower Forever by KNOWER

Originally Posted by rayword45

Day 514: Time by Louie Cole (Album Choice: Jonlovesddr)

1. The ratio of soft, dreamier songs to more upbeat tracks is WAY too high
2. This album is too long

Cut out about half of the slower tracks and this might make my top 10. The good tracks are bouncy good fun.

Best Track: Weird Part Of The Night
Rating: 7/10

Perhaps it's a bit weird to compare the dude's solo efforts to his main band, but hey, at least I'm not comparing to Clown Core, right? I only wanted to make that comparison to say that this album is basically completely devoid of those issues. It's a tight 45 minutes, and there's plenty of variety in tempo, mood and level of chaos here. And unlike Time where a lot of those slower songs bored me, every single track on this album is good. Every single one. Even the one-minute throwaway simply titled Bonus Track.

This really does feel like both artists listened to criticisms of their past albums, as miniscule as they were, and used that to inform a lot of the creative decisions here. The sequencing is on point, Genevieve Artadi's vocals are better than ever, there's a perfect balance of soft crooners, dancers and more abrasive cuts, I really can't think of any complaints. The closest thing to one that I have is that either the first word of the album title should've been capitalized or they should stop yelling their band name.

inb4 choof says something about gentrified jazz fusion

Best Track: It's All Nothing Until It's Everything
Rating: 9/10

[aperson]

This isn't a super fiery, passionate diatribe against the evils of Judaism

Best Track: Stormfront

ok this made me lol hard

[rayword45]

Day 1039: GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo

Clearing skies and drying eyes
Now I see your smile
Darkness goes and softness shows
A changing style

Just in time, words that rhyme
Will bless your soul
Now I'll fill your hands
With kisses and a Tootsie Roll

Oh, reality, it's not for me
And it makes me laugh
Oh, fantasy world and Disney girls
I'm coming back

Best Track: Bad Idea Right?
Rating: 4/10

[rayword45]

Day 1040: HELLMODE by Jeff Rosenstock

I thought I had reviewed this guy before, but apparently I instead listened to his 2020 album, told myself I would review it, listened again, then decided to just throw down a score within my Nicolás Jaar review instead. I still remember my general feelings pretty clearly, though, which is that I understand this dude's appeal both for, to quoth myself, "MySpace-nostalgic 30 y/o boomer burnouts [and] le wrong generation kids who WISH they were MySpace-nostalgic 30 y/o boomer burnouts" but it's ultimately a little grating to my ears.

Tonally, this album is pretty much the same as NO DREAM. Songwriting-wise, things are a little sharper and more refined here. And as for myself, this STILL isn't the vibe for me! But it's not bad, and I don't find myself annoyed like I did back then. It's one of those things where I can appreciate the craftsmanship on display as well as feeling the pure racuous fun that the whole band seems to be having here, yet still not find myself really "feeling" the album. A commendable effort, and if you're a pop punk slut you may love this stuff. Me, I'm moving onto the next album.

Best Track: ligma
Rating: 6/10

[rayword45]

Day 1041: Everything Is Alive by Slowdive

I saw these guys last night because I got extremely lucky and snagged a free ticket off reddit when the resale market was full of scammers and the legit sellers were asking absurd prices. I'm talking like well over $100 for a second-hand when the original price was $40, $57.73 after AXS fees. And seriously, the only time I've seen so many scammers out in full force have been for festivals or other pop EDM shows that attract dumbass ABGs and frat bros that buy all their tickets, airfare, lodging and bunk-ass MDMA using daddy's credit card. I guess there's equal opportunity for scamming between Asians that have fried their brains via weekly research chemical usage and technologically illiterate Gen Xers.

The show had visuals, which was actually really surprising, but they were extremely minimalistic to the point of "who gives a shit?" and the show was largely a standstill stage presence for a standstill audience. Both Slowdive and the opener Drab Majesty cranked the everliving fuck outta the fog machine, which really added to the impression that it was about the sound and not the sights. Speaking of the opener, the frontman had a fashion sense that was equal parts William Basinski and Milo Yiannopoulos, down to the bleached hair, sunglasses and tailored suit, but thankfully sounded like neither (no diss to Billy). Shit was extremely 80s, and that aforementioned fog was so thick that I literally thought it was a solo act until the very last song, when I noticed a second dude in the back who also had bleached hair, sunglasses and a tailored suit. For the record, this was indoors and it was dark as fuck.

But back to the band I'm reviewing, I'm glad that the show was a lot less loud than my recollection of seeing Ride in January, which I'm glad for, and I'm SUPER glad that the audience was largely populated by older millennials and Gen Xers because the past handful of shows prior to last night averaged so young that I felt my hairline receding. And in the case of The Breeders, that age breakdown was both surprising and resulted in a much more inappropriately rowdy and impolite crowd than I expected. I also felt old at Ashnikko a couple days after that, but that crowd was populated by people with basic manners.

Anyways, Slowdive's set was pretty well balanced between classics and new stuff, and VERY well-balanced between "softer" moments of sweet melodies and walls of noise. It was fairly amusing that the crowd largely only cheered for Souvlaki songs but I can't act haughty over that, because that's also the stuff I came for. That being said, their 2017-and-beyond songs definitely popped a lot more live than on record... Wait this isn't a concert review thread, fuck.

This album was okay, I'd put it on par or slightly below their 2017 effort. The handful of songs they played live, only 4 out of 8 for the record, are a lot less mesmerizing when relegated to a static recording, though the opener and closer at least get close. The other songs are also decent but not as magical as their 90s output. That's not really a fair benchmark to have, but it is what it is.

Okay that's enough about the actual album. Now I only have to somehow catch My Bloody Valentine and I've seen all of the big three shoegaze bands in concert!

Best Track: The Slab
Rating: 6/10