Pika

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment] 8/10

I was taken on a date listening to this album. It didn't try to impress me, or woo me, or blow my pants socks off. It wasn't the best looking, but man did I have a smile on my face the whole time. It showed me around the town. We started at maybe 4pm and somehow it's midnight and I've been dropped off at my place. I invited them in. I like them. Then the back half started. We talked about some serious stuff, shared some trauma, and… eh, fade to black. You know the rest.

Chumpfrey is an overall Damn Good Time. No Frills, no massive moments where it tries to win your favor, it's just so fucking charming that I must add this to my list of usual recommendations. Most of the album gave me such a nice grin. Maybe not as big as some of the higher rated albums with their big, bombastic and triumphant buildups, but it did so much with so little that I can't help but absolutely love it. And the times I wasn't smiling, I was pondering some of the more Interesting, Pondersome, or trippy aspects of the album, such as Pirate Muse, Big Epic or Llsr Ciaak. At no point did this album drop my attention.

Other than that there's really not much to say. My favorite songs were Until Then and Big Epic. Until Then, a charming and up beat "Folk Math Rock" tune with a long intro and a verse and instrumentals that've got places to be, a stomp and holler feeling chorus, and a bridge to shout along to and get stuck in your head. Oh, and the instrumental section is technically a 3 against 2 polyrhythm, putting us into this 2/3rd time as opposed to half time. And then there's Big Epic, one of the "Ponder-worthy" tracks I mentioned. It's intro reminded me of a more down-tempo and solemn "In The Morning" (JMPB) with its quarter note groove before opening up in the second verse with wonderfully composed secondary melodic guitars, and then completely diverging from it with its instrumental section. This tracks instrumental section was the only part of the album that actively tried to impress me, and I believe it succeeded. Great drum groove, nice solo, cool arpeggio synths, and the vocals that come in toward the last parts really cement this track as my overall favorite from the album.

Overall, I would recommend this album to anyone with a spare 35 mintues. Kind of fuckn hard to go wrong. Fine additions to my collection

Favorite Songs: Until Then, You Wake, Big Epic, Llsr Ciaak Least Favorite Songs: Promiscuity

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment] 4.5/10

Renaissance Of Rave is a 17 track, one hour long Hardstyle album by Sub Zero Project. It has a consistent sound design that has a tendency to just open up at points, with it's massive lead synth and deep subbass, with catchy hooks and pretty memorable vocals and verses at times

That ends what positive feedback I have about this album. As you can tell, I disliked it. Through it's 17 songs, I had to stop three times to give my ears a break, and while there were some sections and some songs that I could appreciate, all of them were flawed enough to just turn me off. It was so dire that I had to implement a new system for how hard this album missed me: The Complete Whiff Penalty (-0.5 points) When less than 2 songs make it onto any of my playlist. In this case, Not a Single Song was added. Even my lowest rated album had 3 songs that made it in.

While the compositions and lead lines were pretty damn good most of the time, what turned me off completely to enduring any of these songs again was the Sound Design. As I said, it had it's moments where it was Big and Open, with some solid driving percussion. However they were promptly ruined by the worst snares I've ever heard, going between some ultra-distorted Hyper Pop sample and a piercing, shitty sounding ray gun… thing. At times this percussion, and even the Bass became so sharp it prompted me to take my headphones completely off, or to turn my volume down just to endure the track. Sensory Overload is NOT something I want to have while listening to an album, and boy did this album give it to me.

The worst offenders of this were Lions, BASE, and Live Fast Die Young, with Basstrain coming in close behind with it's grating outro. Just absolutely painful drops and instrumental sections without enough of a hook to come close to redeeming it.

The only track that comes close to beckoning a return is HALO, with it's catchy hook echoed on this albums massive lead synth, beautiful female vocals, and mostly tolerable drop and instrumental sections. Easily one of the most approachable song on the album, but I'm not enough of a fan of the genre to go through with playlisting it.

Overall, would not listen again, likely wouldn't recomend to anyone. I need to take an hour or two to recover before going back to my music production, I am in pain.

Favorite Tracks: Halo Least Favorite Tracks: Lions, BASE, Live Fast Die Young, Basstrain

AOTD 3/5/2024 - For Long Tomorrow (toe)

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment] 9/10

For Long Tomorrow is a 13 track album spread over 50 minutes of run time, made by the Japanese based instrumental math rock band Toe. This album was damn consistent, each song was crafted in the same vein as the others, but they all had something of their own to offer, keeping it from becoming Boring. From front to back, it was a pretty damn good experience, one I believe worthy of high praise. However, I didn't feel this was an Elevated track list, not making the album worth more than the sum of it's parts, but it was worthy of rounding up it's score. While it didn't absolutely blow me away, it was absolutely fucking solid, scoring 8's all the way through, with the occasional 9.

In this album, The Groove is the #1 priority. The drums and bass are always forward, moving the track along - not too charged - but at a very forward pace. The rest of the composition was almost Trance-ish, using repetition to hook the listener into it's groove. I felt that it's use of repetition worked heavily to its favor, building legitimacy rather than feeling lazy or annoying, working perfectly to keep the listener nodding along to that sacred groove. Between the undistorted electric guitars, synths, acoustic guitar, piano, and xylophone for a track or two, the tone of each track were never too happy or down, always perfectly towing the line just north of Melancholic. While it did have it's more Chill, Midnight Burner-y tracks, they never once felt slow, always moving along to those drums. Those wonderful, immaculate drums…

Oh yeah, who the fuck is these guys' drummer? He's fucking Immaculate!! It's easy for drummers to drive a powerful, blazing rock beat, but to tow the line this fucking well, juuust barely edging on Driven, but not quite pulling back to the center of the pocket, always being just perfectly… Forward. Energetic, but never over driven. Genuine 10/10 performance there, holy shit.

My favorite track is Track 9, starting with an almost lazy head melody while the drums just go insane in the back, before syncing up to the melody with some cymbal crashes. The groove then starts, the melody moving between an acoustic guitar and two synths, as the drums push the song just so perfectly forward, taking absolute center stage with fantastic showmanship in it's performance. A Xylophone then comes in to lay down the main idea right before the drums completely drop out for a few bars, before running right back in with the synths and acoustic guitar. Different elements of the song trade and drop out all over this fantastically complex drum groove through the run time, and holy SHIT is it a joy to listen to! The song then breaks down with the drums kind of going off on their own thing as the xylophone keeps the pulse steady while these almost random synths raise the tracks intensity to it's peak, before ritarding down to a close, the synths beeping on for a few moments more before ending off the track. Elements of this song somehow reminded me of C418 between its instrumentation and… ambience? I guess that's what happens with these Trance type of compositions. Will Be coming back to Track 9 in the future, Goddamn. Heavy contender for my top 50.

My biggest critique of this album is probably the Mastering. Overall, it's really good; not over or under compressed, every element is audible, the balance is great, but the EQ is just a bit off, over emphasizing the Mids in some places. Oh well, I'll live. Small critique.

Overall, Great fuckn listen. Will be recommending this to people in the future

Favorite Tracks: two moons, track 9, track 10, long tomorrow

[all albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment] 8/10

I am frustrated with this album.

The first 7 tracks were fucking Amazing. Shoegaze, slotted perfectly into my taste pallet. 8's and 9's as far as the eye could see! Cage Girl, Fling, Idling somewhere, all running a 9/10. Wonderfuly driven songs with that classic Shoegaze sound with almost Electronic or Pop songwriting, reminding me strongly of Madeon and Shifting Perspectives. Fling especially I was able to Jam with. Fantastic dynamic range, an ambiguous yet mean guitar riff, and a set of distorted drums driving forward the track. God DAMN I can Jam with this one! Genuine contender for my top 50, I'll be coming back to that one a Lot.

And then two of the final three tracks just let the whole album down for me. Video was damn good, being a bit long for my tastes but it held it's own at it's length alright, really picking up toward the end. Contingency Song was…. mostly Noise. Not my thing, fair enough.

But the one that really made me upset was Census Designated. A great length, phenomenal songwriting and structure, a fucking KILLER ass guitar riff that helps drive the track forward while somehow still remaining relaxed, almost laid back. What more could you possible want- Drums. I want drums. This track does not have drums. I can understand introducing them later to further insinuate the songs dynamics. And so I waited, I waited patiently through it's 6 minutes of run time… But they never once came. I felt Blue Ballsed, cheated, disapointed. The rest of the album was so damn good up to that point, having strong potential of a 10/10, and it just… it let me down. I'm sad. I'm frustrated. I wanted this to be the one. It was the Title Track, the Chosen One, the one spoken about in the prophecy, and Luke Skywalker just… never came.

Overall, some damn good Shoegaze, with some good ol' Rock n Roll blent in to keep things driven. Damn happy to have those tracks in my shuffle, but I won't be coming back for a full listen through. I'll recommend some tracks from it, but given my disappointment in the back half, I don't believe I'll be recommending the album.

Favorite Songs: Cage Girl, Fling, Idling Somewhere Least Favorite Songs: Census Designated, Contingency Song

[All albums are rates subjectively based off my own enjoyment] 8.5/10

This album is about as solid as a California Redwood. From it's deepest roots, it's thick, firm, and tall trunk, all the way up to it's finest branches, this album delivers on everything it's got with absolutely no faltering. From the Compositions, the Production, the Sound Design, the Performances, and just those little tweaks that just pull the listeners ear in a liiiiitle bit more, no song was ever More or Less than Madeon designed it to be. No frills, no points, no pillows, look at it it looks like 4 synths and a kit (reference). This is, by my definition, a Near Perfect Album.

So, why only an 8.5?

Well, welcome to my album thread. If you missed the disclaimer at the top of all my reviews, it reads "All albums are rated Subjectively based off my own enjoyment". While I could fully appreciate, and at times get into this album, due to the nature of my tastes, I was unable to get into it as much as I would have liked. I had the same problem with the last electronic album, Random Access Memories, and I have it again here. For Me specifically, there's just not enough "Physicality" for me to get hooked in; The sweat droplets on the snare, the dead skin between the guitar strings and pickups, the smell of beer on the microphone, and the blood on keyboard, it's that type of Rigidness and Realness that my ears need to latch onto to get my heart thumping, and that just wasn't there for me in this album, nor is it for most electronic music I've heard. This is a fundamental problem for my enjoyment of the genre, that unfortunately, I am not past at this point in my life.

On the topic of Realness, my favorite of this album is Heavy with Hoping, sporting a One-Take Recording for the Lead Vocals. The vibrato and inflections in his voice were high tier not just for the genre, but for my music library as a whole. The percussion is minimalist, only doing exactly what it needs to do to keep the pulse going, and the Production and Sound Design was mwa, as the rest of the album was; never once more than it needed to be. My favorite moment in the album happened here as well: Toward the second half, the vocals start to increase in intensity, showcasing their Barritone fantastically, when all of the sudden the instrumentals just… drop out for a second as he launches up to grab a belted Gb4 right as the instrumentals come back in with a crash. Even with my fundamental distaste to Electronic, I may end up coming back to this song to start my shuffles off.

Overall, this album was Solid all the way through. Absolutely no duds. To my more Electronic inclined friends, this album is going to earn a Mainstay Recommendation. But otherwise, all I could do was appreciate Madeons technical prowless in composition, sound design, and production.

Favorite Songs: Nirvana, No Fear No More, Heavy with Hoping Least Favorite Songs: N/A

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own experience] 5/10

Honestly I was just bored listening through this, I have no real thoughts. Walkin' On the Sun and Padrino were good, but the rest of the album was just Samey. Every song felt very similar to the rest of the album - Fast Paced, Up Beat, Major Key Rock with a layer of Cheese applied to it (And not the Good cheese like Weird Al can do). I was bored and happy when it ended.

Heave-Ho was the worst. One of the more annoying songs I've heard, but it wasn't so bad as to physically repulse me.

EDIT: also their final song, Why Can't We Be Friends, a cover from War, has no right to exist. They milk the one good moment from that song for like a full minute after the track should end, and it's not even their own moment. Bruh

Edit: Trying to clense my pallet after this album, somehow I like 90's rock LESS after hearing it. What The Fuck did this thing Do to me?

Overall, listen to the two aformention tracks I liked and steer clear of this one. Not a great listen. So much so that I'm not bothering to do a full review and am writing this listening to The Bear by OK Goodnight to help clense my pallet.

Favorite Songs: Walk'n On The Sun, Padrino Least Favorite Songs: Heave-Ho, Pet Names, Push

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment] 10/10

I am going to forgo my usual format for this one.

This is a Fusion Jazz album, for the music nerds among us. A Musicians genre, if you will. Personally, I really love Fusion Jazz, finding myself basking in the almost ambience of Pat Methany, and the straight forward energy of Weather Report.

Snarky Puppy is now one of the Genre Mainstay Greats, in my eyes. Each main idea of every song is tight, with each one better than the last, fitting perfectly with the previous measures yet being a breath of fresh air, scarcely overstaying its welcome. The solos were dynamically intensive as they were crisp, tight, and Blazing at times. Frequently I found myself physically stimming to some of the better sections, squealing with joy and laughing maniacally during the highlights of each track. Just… Perfection all around.

The only song that felt repetitive in the slightest was Tio Macaco, a more Brazillian Jazz tune. Even though it's extended trumpet solo was awesome, it's accompanying riff felt like it lingered on for far too long, becoming a bit cheesy to my ears. Still, an 8/10 isn't much to sough at, but with the insane consistancy of the rest of the album, an 8/10 becomes somewhat of a sore point.

The highlights for me were the first two tracks, Shofukan and What About Me?. Given as they're both 6+ minute Odysseys that through several main ideas, each culminating in some of the Finest music I've ever heard, I'm not going to be able to describe them well over text. What I can say though, is that those two songs immediately made me realize that this album had a Serious shot at a 10/10, and wouldn't you know it, the track list remained strong enough to pull it off.

Just everything about this album is fucking amazing. The composition, the groove, the solos, the energy, the dynamics, the range and variety, it's just… Perfect. Next to no notes. A+.

Overall, if you're any amount of a Music Nerd, listen to this album. This album is going to become a mainstay recommendation for me.

Favorite Tracks: Shofukan, What About Me?, Sleeper, Outlier, Kite, Lingus Least Favorite Tracks: Jambone, Tio Macaco

Sidenote: Shofukan and What About Me are going on my top 50 most likely. I just have to figure out which tracks to cull…