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1.
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Swans - To Be Kind
Experimental Noise Rock - There are no words. A mastery of sonic-assault. A build-up of sound to epic proportions. 9.7/10 |
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2.
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Darren Korb - Transistor Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack / Downtempo - Purely stunning. I have yet to see a video-game where the soundtrack is both so central to the game's world AND a such a complete standout from the game itself. Darren Korb, only two games into his career, has already established himself as my favourite composer of VGM. 9.5/10 |
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3.
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Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies
Art-Rock / Avant-Indie - Original, diverse, incredibly written and even more incredibly performed. It's not often that a band can convey such a sense of solemn beauty alongside raw power. 9.4/10 |
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4.
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Gazpacho - Demon
Progressive Art Rock - A breathtaking, original, atmospheric release that shows off a beautiful sense of maturity. What's not to like? 9.2/10 |
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5.
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Vampillia - My Beautiful Twisted Nightmares In Aurora Rainbow Darkness
Avant-Garde Metal - Considering this band released two albums in less than a month, this is incredible. Pure Japanese avant-garde goodness which I would recommend for any fan of the genre. Haunting, soothing, beastly but beautiful. The title is the perfect description of the album itself. 9.2/10 |
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6.
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Igorrr - Maigre [Collaboration]
Breakcore / Avant-Garde - Igorrr's insanity balanced out by Ruby My Dear's mellow beauty. What a glorious collaboration this was. One of the best collabs I've seen. 9.1/10 |
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7.
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clipping. - CLPPNG
Experimental Hip-Hop/Rap - Incredibly original. Beats range from static to alarm clock noises to synth-rhythms that alter every 10 seconds. "Story 2" has potential to be song of the year. 8.9/10 |
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8.
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Jenny Hval & Susanna - Meshes Of Voice
Art Pop / Avant-Garde - Beautiful. The Meshes of Voice between Jenny Hval & Susanna are really something to behold. Hval takes the more mature, deeper road, whereas Susanna controls a far higher, almost lighthearted range. But when put together with the music, these two let their voices explode, weaving a narrative of raw emotion held strong by the very essence of sound itself. 8.9/10 |
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9.
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Cynic - Kindly Bent To Free Us
Progressive Rock - Cynic have moved away from their metal roots, adapting to themes that really fit a spacier, more "indie" vibe. That being said, this is still clearly Cynic, and the brilliant textures that riddle this album help make it a definiteive progressive album, and perhaps even Cynic's best yet. 8.7/10 |
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10.
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Lazer/Wulf - The Beast Of Left And Right
Progressive Metal - Creative, impressive and one hell of a wild ride! This album was built on the idea of a palindrome, and carries out this little experiment perfectly by creating a mirror image of itself. One of the most innovative instrumental metal albums ever made, and possibly the best instrumental prog metal album out there. 8.7/10 |
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11.
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Car Seat Hedrest - How To Leave Town
Indie Pop / Lo-Fi - An album that just absolutely hits home for me, both musically and lyrically. Possibly one of my favourite lo-fi releases to date, because it actually really explores the sound in interesting ways. 8.7/10 |
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12.
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Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.
AreYouKiddingMeCore - Incredibly creative and unique, taking on tendencies from ALL OVER the spectrum, this is perhaps the best metalcore-related release I've seen to date. 8.6/10 |
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13.
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BADBADNOTGOOD - III
Instrumental Jazz-Fusion/Hip-Hop - While it isn't as good as the masterpiece that was BBNG2, these guys seem unable to release anything substandard. Great stuff. 8.6/10 |
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14.
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Kishi Bashi - Lighght
Indie/Art Pop - An absolutely beautiful album that perfectly portrays a feeling of happiness. Brilliant production also fuses the use of synths and violins to give the album its very own unique soundscape. 8.5/10 |
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15.
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Hail Mary Mallon - Bestiary
Abstract Hip-Hop - Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic team up yet again, and the effects are great. As expected, lyricism is phenominal. What wasn't expected was just how good the beats are too. On one final note, FUNDRAISER CONCEEEEEERT! 8.5/10 |
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16.
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Lunatic Soul - Walking On A Flashlight Beam
Progressive Rock / Ambient - Cool, calm and collected. Possibly my favourite Riverside related release to date. 8.5/10 |
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17.
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Sage Francis - Copper Gone
Conscious Hip-Hop - Strong beats complimented by (mostly) strong lyricism and flow. The sage is back, even if he did unfortunately have to bring back some egocentric, meme-fueled lyrics with him for the odd song. Solid stuff from every angle. 8.5/10 |
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18.
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tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack
Art-Pop / Freak-Folk - A strong release with unique composition and a fun Afro-American edge for variety. Bonus points for genuinely impressive utitilisation of looping. 8.5/10 |
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19.
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Death Grips - Niggas On The Moon: The Powers That B (Disc 1)
Experimental Hip-Hop - A fantastic 1st parter to Death Grips' final release, with Bjork's vocal samples providing a central beauty to Ride's harsh aggression. 8.5/10 |
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20.
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Tobacco - Ultima II Massage
Wonky / Indietronica / Hip-Hop - Some of the filthiest electronic stuff you'll find out there. 8.5/10 |
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21.
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Troldhaugen - Obzkure Anekdotez For Maniakal Massez
Avant-Garde Metal - An absolute joy to listen to, a musical representation of monstrous fun. Recommended for fans of Diablo Swing Orchestra. 8.5/10 |
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22.
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Kairon; IRSE! - Ujubasajuba
Shoegaze / Post-Rock - An unusually heavy approach to shoegaze/post-rock that really shines in its originality. This is a must-have for both genres; every song is unique from each other, and all are high in overall quality. 8.5/10 |
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23.
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Sukekiyo - Immortalis
Alternative Metal - Kyo does it once again. Solid, unique alternative metal from start to finish. 8.5/10 |
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24.
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Flying Lotus - You're Dead
Wonky / Nu Jazz Fusion / Experimental Glitch-Hop - With a mesmerising feel of jazz, a smooth sense of hip-hop, and some incredible creativity and lack of limitations in putting it together, this is a release you do NOT want to miss. 8.4/10 |
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25.
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Ben Frost - A U R O R A
Industrial / Dark Ambient - A darkened, constantly evolving soundscape. Every time the church bells come in, I expect musical bliss. The only problem is that sometimes there's a lot of buildup that just doesn't resolve. 8.4/10 |
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26.
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Alt-J - This Is All Yours
Art Pop / Indie Pop - A brilliant sophomore release, showing that these guys are no fluke. They perfectly execute the creation of an atmosphere completely of their own. 8.4/10 |
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27.
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Grey Widow - I
Black/Doom/Noise/Sludge - Heavy, heavy stuff. Generally not my usual alley, but this was damn well executed. 8.4/10 |
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28.
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St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Art Pop - Great production. Great performance. Incredibly original, and really shows off just how good an art pop release can be. Even the lyricism on this thing is great. 8.3/10 |
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29.
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Open Mike Eagle - Dark Comedy
Abstract Hip-Hop - Creative, smooth and free-flowing. Definitely a hip-hop album worth checking out. 8.3/10 |
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30.
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Devin Townsend - Z²
Progressive Metal - Hevy Devy's finally starting to nail down his wall of sound, giving to a much more complete release than what one would expect from him. 8.3/10 |
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31.
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Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rhythm
Art Pop - A release of vocals and various drumming, both of which work to great effect. Reminds me of Fiona Apple, except with percussion replacing the piano. 8.3/10 |
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32.
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椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 日出処
Art Pop - Every song sounds like a different theme to a 70s Bond soundtrack. Needless to say the queen of the Japanese art pop scene has done it again. Every single song is fun, engaging and musically sound. 8.3/10 |
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33.
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Sophie - Lemonade / Hard
Bubblegum Dance / UK Bass - Those vocals are just SO obnoxious! ....so why am I loving it so much? Beautiful "tin-pan" sounding beats make this one of the most original and special releases I've heard all year. 8.3/10 |
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34.
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Vampillia - The Divine Move
Avant-Garde Metal - Brilliant avant-garde stuff that really fuses brutality with a Japanese flair of beauty. 8.3/10 |
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35.
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Idylls - Prayer For Terrene
Hardcore / Mathcore - AGGRESSION! 8.3/10 |
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36.
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Lantlôs - Melting Sun
Blackgaze - Definitely a key album to make its way into the rising Blackgaze scene. While I'm still having trouble getting into the sound, this album definitely does nail it. Yet another album where I'd probably say it deserves a score higher than what I give it. 8.2/10 |
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37.
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Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum
Black Metal / Grindcore - Anaal Nathrakh knew exactly what they wanted to go for, and they did damn good work with it. Does a great job at adding a more melodic side to the scene, adding a number of new tricks to the box too. 8.3/10 |
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38.
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Schizoid Lloyd - The Last Note In God's Magnum Opus
Progressive/Avant-Garde Metal - A solid debut, with an interesting take on the Leprous-esque prog/avant-garde metal area. 8.2/10 |
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39.
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Toehider - What Kind Of Creature Am I?
Progressive Rock - The definition of having a good time with rock. Playful, over-the-top, humorous, but most importantly, a damn good/unique release, which makes it even more surprising that it was all written/performed by one man. Oh, and that man has a voice that could put most of the legends to shame. 8.2/10 |
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40.
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Botanist - VI: Flora
Experimental Black Metal / Blackgaze - A really standout take on the usual sound. Everything is just... organic. Even though this is still a sound I'm trying to find roots in, needless to say the roots of the Flora have gripped mine. 8.2/10 |
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41.
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'68 - In Humor And Sadness
Post-Hardcore / Noise Rock - Heavy hitting stuff that's really close to reaching Future Of The Left levels of greatness. 8.2/10 |
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42.
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Snarky Puppy - We Like It Here
Jazz-Fusion / Prog Rock - Perhaps the best live album of the year, and maybe even of all time. Absolutely outstanding performance. 8.2/10 |
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43.
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Liars - Mess
Experimental Electronic Rock - Really unique and creative. I can't exactly elaborate further than that, other than by saying it makes for some great music memes too. FACTS ARE FACTS AND FICTION'S FICTION. 8.2/10 |
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44.
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Odonis Odonis - Hard Boiled Soft Boiled
Noise Rock - It can be hard hitting and softly subtle at times. I now get the title. 8.2/10 |
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45.
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tetema - Geocidal
Experimental 8.2/10 |
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46.
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Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
Hardcore Hip-Hop - Killer Mike and El P are back for another round, and kicking better than ever. A definite improvement, though still not quite my cup of tea. 8.2/10 |
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47.
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The Liturgists - Vapor
Devotional - This EP is the closest anything has ever gotten me to persuading me to start believing in God. Absolutely beautiful music. 8.1/10 |
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48.
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Lethe - When Dreams Become Nightmares
Electronic Trip-Hop / Experimental Rock - Pretty much Manes with a female vocalist, but whoever said that was a bad thing? 8.1/10 |
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49.
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Amerigo Gazaway - Yaasin Gaye: The Departure (Part 1)
Mashup/Conscious Hip-Hop - A great, soulful mashup that really captures the essence of both sides of the coin, Yaasin and Gaye. 8.1/10 |
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50.
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That Handsome Devil - Drugs & Guns For Everyone
Genre-Mash / Experimental Rock/Hip-Hop - A plethora of sounds are offered by a band who knows how to do all of them well. 8.1/10 |
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51.
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Neneh Cherry - Blank Project
Art-Pop / Trip-Hop - Hypnotisingly addictive. Can cycle you through the full range of emotions. 8.1/10 |
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52.
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Rabbit Rabbit - Rabbit Rabbit Radio Vol. 2
Experimental Folk / Art Pop - Yet another solid collection of monthly releases from the Sleepytime Gorilla Museum duo. Every song brings something brand new to the table, even if the odd few don't exactly hit home. 8.1/10 |
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53.
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Sohn - Tremors
Art Pop - Solid induction of electronics and vocal-splicing to make quite the original art pop release. 8.1/10 |
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54.
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Sunn O))) - Soused [Collaboration]
Psychdelic Drone - A surprisingly beautiful fusion between Sunn O))) and Scott Walker. Definitely left its mark. 8.1/10 |
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55.
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Messenger - Illusory Blues
Progressive Folk Rock - Great prog folk, raised carefully as a seedling until it matured perfectly. 8.1/10 |
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56.
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Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown
Mathcore / Metalcore - While not quite as surprising as, let's say, a TDEP album, we've definitely got a solid mathcore album on our hands here. 8/10 |
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57.
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Tipper - Forward Escape
IDM / Glitch - "How to make electronic music blink neon lights in a colorful way that soothes your soul" - The Album. 8/10 |
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58.
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Ariel Pink - pom pom
Psychedelic Pop / Hypnagogic Pop - A really versatile release that knows how to hit you from left-field every now and then. A few tracks drag it down, but just as many raise it far above your typical release of its type. 8/10 |
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59.
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Natural Snow Buildings - The Night Country
Drone / Psych-Folk - The kings of pull off another beautifully willful and entrancing release. 8/10 |
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60.
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Kashiwa Daisuke - 9 Songs
Glitch-Pop - Kashiwa's poppiest release to date (with a J-Pop singer on board) but there's still a lot of interesting stuff happening here musically. The guy(?) has standards to uphold after all. 9 Songs is definitely a worthy addition to Kashiwa's already great discography. The glitch elements (of course) are what really make this album what it is. 8/10 |
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61.
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White Hinterland - Baby
Art Pop - An incredibly pure-hearted release, where the effort that went into it really shows. 8/10 |
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62.
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Los Random - Pidanoma
Experimental Prog Metal - Fun and addictive, but with a much darker edge to it this time around. 8/10 |
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63.
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Fungoid Stream - Prehuman Shapes
Borderline Funeral Doom - Gripping and incredibly unique. One of those weird cases where I end up saying you have to "experience it" instead of just "listening to it". 8/10 |
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64.
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きのこ帝国 (Kinoku Teikoku) - フェイクワールドワンダーランド
Alternative Rock / Shoegaze - I'm still trying to find my ways into the shoegaze genre, but these guys offer an incredibly accessible (and at the same time musically interesting) point of entry, emphasised by the Japanese feel of the whole thing. 7.9/10 |
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65.
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Mehliana - Taming The Dragon
Jazz Fusion - Keyboard fusion heavy jazz styles, which I'm glad are becoming more popular nowadays. A really nice take on it all. 7.9/10 |
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66.
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Words Of Farewell - The Black Wild Yonder
Progressive Melodeath - These guys might be to 2014 what Persefone was to 2013. 7.9/10 |
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67.
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Devin Townsend - Casualties Of Cool
Country-Rock / Ambient - While it does occasionally get monotonous at points, this is a solid release all the way through, and definitely worthy of the Devin Townsend label. 7.9/10 |
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68.
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Closure In Moscow - Pink Lemonade
Prog-Rock / Post-Hardcore - Is this a Mars Volta rip-off... maybe. But I'll be damned if it doesn't pull off the style in great fashion. 7.9/10 |
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69.
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Half-Handed Cloud - Flying Scroll Flight Control
Art Pop / Chamber Pop - While overpacked with religious references and so stereotypically "indie" that it'll make you chuckle to yourself, the execution of this album is damn near flawless for its style. 7.9/10 |
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70.
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D'Angelo & The Vanguard - Black Vanguard
Neo-Soul / Funk - The great revival of its kind. 7.9/10 |
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71.
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Tuomas Henrikin Jeesuksen Kristuksen Bändi - Käkkyrällään
Experimental Rock - It's great when flaunting its experimental goodness, but gets dulled whenever its not. Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad here. 7.9/10 |
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72.
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The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
Heartland Folk Rock - These guys really know how to set the mood. Definitely recommended for those long car-drives where you want to get "Lost In The Dream". 7.9/10 |
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73.
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Haken - Restoration
Progressive Metal - More classic material from Haken. The epic is great, though Darkest Light leaves something to be desired. 7.9/10 |
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74.
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Destiny Potato - Lun
Djent - David Maxim Micic and his projects once again prove to be some of the most unique and innovative things on the djent scene right now. Love the fresh take on the style, and the fact that every song tries something new. That being said, I don't think it's AS boundary-pushing as his previous solo album. 7.8/10 |
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75.
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Numbers - Three
Progressive Metalcore - FINALLY we get something actually interesting from that djent-influenced metalcore scene. It's about bloody time. 7.8/10 |
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76.
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DVA - NIPOMO
Folktronica - Incredibly varied and original take to the sound. Definitely a lot of promise showing through. 7.8/10 |
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77.
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"Weird Al" Yankovic - Mandatory Fun
Comedy Rock - While comedy music doesn't often get good praise, this is a perfect example of how to do it right. Weird Al is back, and fresher than ever. 7.8/10 |
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78.
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Manes - Be All End All
Experimental Rock / Electronic Trip-Hop - Solid, though not up to the standards of some of the band's previous works. 7.8/10 |
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79.
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Benevolent - The Covenant
Extreme Prog Metal - Really driving stuff, with a sound I haven't heard done this well in a LONG time. 7.8/10 |
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80.
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Epica - The Quantum Enigma
Symphonic Metal - This should be the bar for how symphonic metal should be done. Everything is done right, but just never steps beyond the boundaries that it sets. 7.8/10 |
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81.
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Juçara Marçal - Encarnado
Vanguarda Paulista - Yeah... I don't know what that genre means either... What I do know is that this album has no bass or drums, yet manages to shine greatly thanks to the amazing latin vocals, guitar lines and other various instruments that are brought into the mix. 7.7/10 |
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82.
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Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks - Enter The Slasher House
Neo-Psychedelia - Not quite as interesting or grabbing as his works in Animal Collective, instead going for a more straightforward, poppy sound. However, it's still solidly executed. 7.7/10 |
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83.
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Anathema - Distant Satellites
Atmospheric Rock - Anathema capture that signature beauty of theirs once again, though it's not quite as astounding as its predecessor Weather Systems. 7.7/10 |
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84.
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Murmur - Murmur
Avant-Black - Beautifully constructed. 7.7/10 |
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85.
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Sisyphus - Sisyphus
Experimental Hip-Hop - A really nice fusion of hip-hop, electronics and art pop. 7.7/10 |
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86.
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Major Parkinson - Twilight Cinema
Cabaret Prog - Unique and fun, but can outstay its welcome sometimes. 7.7/10 |
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87.
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Hail Spirit Noir - Oi Magoi
Prog-Black - ...as in it literally alternates between 70s prog rock and black metal. And it does it pretty damn well too. 7.7/10 |
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88.
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Serdce - Timelessness
Progressive Metal - A great fusion of many great names in the genre such as Cynic, Dream Theater and Symphony X to create something completely of its own. 7.7/10 |
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89.
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Rome - A Passage To Rhodesia
Neofolk / Martial Industrial - Like a Neofolk Type O Negative. Interesting to say the least. 7.6/10 |
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90.
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KOOL A.D. - WORD O.K.
Abstract Hip-Hop - The guy's got a hilariously charming personality that really shines through in his words, and the laid back beats are all that you need for lazing on a Sunday afternoon. 7.6/10 |
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91.
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Anubis Gate - Horizons
Prog-Power - I generally don't enjoy PP releases to often. This is one of the clear exceptions. 7.6/10 |
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92.
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Perfect Beings - Perfect Beings
Crossover Prog - Good fun. 7.6/10 |
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93.
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Mondkopf - Hadès
Dark Ambient Electronic - Forboding in multiple colours. 7.6/10 |
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94.
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◻ - Missing Character
Experimental Electronic - A lot of hits and misses. Fortunately, the misses are short and sweet, whereas the hits take up most of the album. 7.6/10 |
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95.
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Young Fathers - Dead
Abstract Hip-Hop - A really nice ethnic vibe to add to the relaxed-but-powerful music. 7.6/10 |
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96.
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Babymetal - Babymetal
Idol Metal - Know what? I'll say it. Everyone's going to judge this album for its gimmick, but there's actually some pretty decent stuff underneath the smoke and mirrors. Solidly written. 7.5/10 |
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97.
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Too Many Zooz - F Note
Brass - Pure, unfiltered fun. The three-piece drumset is perfect for the sound, and gives new meaning to "more cowbell". 7.5/10 |
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98.
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Busdriver - Perfect Hair
Abstract Hip-Hop - A collection of really outstanding and really dull tracks. Thankfully the former strongly outweighs the latter. 7.5/10 |
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99.
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Distorted Harmony - Chain Reaction
Progressive Metal - They've managed to be a bit more versatile with the Dream Theater brand of prog metal, which is honestly quite a feat. The electronic touches, while minor, are what make this album stand out. 7.5/10 |
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100.
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Fabio Zuffanti - La Quarta Vittima
Progressive Rock - Takes the usual cliches of prog rock (jazz flute, Hammonds etc.) but utilises them in a unique and refreshing manner. 7.5/10 |
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101.
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Jack White - Lazaretto
Blues Rock - A brand new take on the genre, with solid results. 7.5/10 |
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102.
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Skalpel - Simple
Nu Jazz - A great EP that keeps up with Skalpel's previous works in terms of quality. 7.5/10 |
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103.
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Fire! Orchestra - Enter
Avant-Garde Jazz / Progressive Rock - Has some beautiful songwriting involved, but just too much random chaos going on at certain points. 7.5/10 |
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104.
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Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
Progressive Metal - I love these guys for their incredibly fresh (and strong) take on the genre. However this album also frustrates me because there's really nothing truly remarkable that happens here. Songs filled with musically entertaining and engaging themes tend to do little with them, and sometimes the most complicated works are left desiring something "more". These guys have got an INCREDIBLY strong sound, so I just want something a little more interesting/creative done with it, and this bugs me. 7.4/10 |
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105.
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Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything
Indie Rock - Overall, a well done release. Good to see this stuff being recognised by mainstream media too. 7.4/10 |
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106.
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Pyrapisme - Blastbit Rococollider
8-Bit - A great retro-rendition of their completely wacky release. 7.4/10 |
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107.
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Fennesz - Bécs
Electroacoustic Glitch / Ambient - A solid and unique execution that I can definitely recognise, but unfortunately can't enjoy too much. This album is better than the rating I give it. 7.3/10 |
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108.
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Jordan Rudess - Explorations
Modern Classical - A good fusion between Rudess' skill on his Steinway and the colour that the orchestra adds to the mix. 7.3/10 |
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109.
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Opeth - Pale Communion
Progressive Rock - Overall a far more solid style shift than Heritage... however PC seems to lack any sort of standout tracks, which greatly hinders it. A good album in need of something "more". 7.3/10 |
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110.
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Narrow House - Thanathonaut
Doom Metal - Solid doom, but not much more than that. Feels good most of the time, but somewhat missing at others. 7.3/10 |
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111.
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Blues Pills - Blues Pills
Blues Rock - Both a fresh and well-done execution of the style. Special props go out to the female vocals. 7.3/10 |
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112.
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Carla Bozulich - Boy
Experimental Rock - Definitely creative and unique, but had its moments where I was just wondering where the heck it was taking me. 7.3/10 |
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113.
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DragonForce - Maximum Overload
Power Metal - It looks like Dragonforce is finally growing up. Still littered with a few "gotta go fast!" tracks, but now there's also a good amount of solid power metal to balance it out. 7.3/10 |
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114.
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A.C.T - Circus Pandemonium
Progressive Rock - Some fun, theatrical concept prog with circus themes that Ayreon fans may enjoy. 7.3/10 |
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115.
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Todd Terje - It's Album Time
Nu Disco - Incredibly catchy. Some songs have potential to be song of the year. Others fall flat though. 7.2/10 |
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116.
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The Algorithm - OCTOPUS4
Electro-djent - While clearly a niche sound, this is The Algorithm's best work to date by far. Good variety, but I just think the sound's gotten a bit old for these ears. 7.2/10 |
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117.
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Killer Be Killed - Killer Be Killed
Alternative Metal - Solid. 7.2/10 |
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118.
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Imogen Heap - Sparks
Electronic Art Pop - Occasional moments of mainstream pop mediocrity stop this album from reaching its full potential. That being said, however, Imogen Heap's technological innovation is as good as it's ever been. 7.2/10 |
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119.
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Chimurenga Renaissance - riZe vadZimu riZe
Experimental Hip-Hop - These guys create a really unique sound that takes you back to Africa, but unfortunately don't do much to really experiment with it, which can make the album sound very same-y, even if the core sound itself is rather unique. 7.2/10 |
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120.
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Pink Floyd - The Endless River
Progressive Rock - A pleasant farewell to the band as they sail their paper boat slowly down the stream. Nothing spectacular, but nothing really wrong with it either. 7.2/10 |
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121.
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Behemoth - The Satanist
That-One-Album-Every-Metalhead-Is-Climaxing-To - Overrated? Definitely. Bad? Definitely not. 7.2/10 |
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122.
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Neil Cicierega - Mouth Silence
Mashup / Comedy - Lion King porn grooves, bluegrass SOAD, Austin Powers and much, much more. Hilarious, though not particularly interesting from a musical standpoint. 7.2/10 |
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123.
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Horseback - Piedmont Apocrypha
Psychedelic Drone - Does what it does, and does it well. Will put you in a good trance. 7.2/10 |
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124.
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Animals As Leaders - The Joy Of Motion
Instrumental Prog Metal / Djent - While I can sense the new, creative ways they've utilised it, this is stil the exact same core sound that we've grown to hear from most of these types of bands. 7.1/10 |
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125.
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Buffalo Daughter - Konjac-tion
Shibuya-kei / Indietronica - Catchy, quirky, fun and jerky. 7.1/10 |
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126.
|
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Pikapika Fantajin
J-Pop / Synth-Pop - First time trying my hand at the J-Pop icon. The music is pretty damn fun overall, but it doesn't strike me as anything too particularly special. 7.1/10 |
|
127.
|
TEEN - The Way And Colour
Psychedelic R&B - Makes you wonder why this combination of genres isn't more commonplace. A solid sound. |
 |
128.
|
Benighted - Carnivore Sublime
Brutal Death / Grindcore - Pretty fun, considering I'm not really one for the br00tal side of metal. 7.1/10 |
|
129.
|
The L-Train - Moonrise: A Symphonic Metal Opera
Symphonic Metal - Pretty well executed, especially considering it's a fan-project. That said, the vocals do hold this performance back. Nice Symphony X/Nightwish/Ayreon vibe to it. 7.1/10 |
|
130.
|
Sleaford Mods - Divide And Exit
Post-Punk / Spoken Word - Oh so British... 7.1/10 |
 |
131.
|
Periphery - Clear
Djent - Did what it was meant to do, and showed off Periphery's full diversity. 7/10 |
|
132.
|
The Lawrence Arms - Metropole
Punk Rock - Fun stuff. Not too original, but still a good listen. 7/10 |
 |
133.
|
Dog Fashion Disco - Sweet Nothings
Avant-Garde Metal / Alternative Metal - It's pretty solid, but I couldn't help but feel like I wanted a bit... more... especially from these guys. 7/10 |
|
134.
|
Cities Aviv - Come To Life
Experimental Hip-Hop - Musically beautiful, but I can't stand the MC's voice. 7/10 |
|
135.
|
Iisa - Iisa
Indie Pop - Good fun. Nothing special, but entertaining music. 7/10 |
 |
136.
|
Current 93 - I Am The Last Of All The Field That Fell: A Channel
Avant-Folk - Interesting poetry, but I can't give a score yet... really hard to pin down. 7/10 |
|
137.
|
Ian Anderson - Homo Erraticus
Progressive Folk Rock - It's decently written, and contains that ol' Tull flair, but Ian's lack of voice is starting to show nowadays... 7/10 |
|
138.
|
Evian Christ - Waterfall
Instrumental Hip-Hop / Trap - One of the only trap albums I can listen to. 7/10 |
 |
139.
|
Vanden Plas - Chronicles Of The Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1)
Prog-Power Metal - It's good, but I don't get what the big deal is about these guys. It's above average prog-power. 7/10 |
|
140.
|
??? - ???
Alternative Rock - 'S Alright, I guess. 7/10 |
 |
141.
|
Sockweb - Werewolf
Grindcore - Brutorable stuff made by a father-daughter duo. Quality is surprisingly good considering that part of the vocal performance and all of the lyrics are on behalf of a child. 6.9/10 |
|
142.
|
Big Ups - Eighteen Hours Of Static
Post-Hardcore / Noise Rock - Depending on your listening experience this can be anything from painfully annoying to fist-pumpingly strong. Fortunately for me, I found it to be the latter... most of the time. 6.9/10 |
 |
143.
|
Alcest - Shelter
Shoegaze - Great stuff half of the time, but the other half is completely dull 6.8/10 |
|
144.
|
Sun Kil Moon - Benji
Contemporary Folk - Powerfully blunt lyricism backed up by a decent band. Wears on you after a while though. 6.8/10 |
 |
145.
|
Issues - Issues
Trancecore - Someone actually put effort into the originality of their generic metalcore? Well I'll be damned. 6.8/10 |
|
146.
|
Peculate - In Two (A)
Extreme Progressive Metal - Absolute insanity that may occasionally go a little TOO far. 6.8/10 |
|
147.
|
◻ - Auria; Fade of Dusk
Experimental Electronic - An interesting experiment in taking randomly generated images and translating them to music. That being said, most of the images don't really leave much of an impression. 6.7/10 |
|
148.
|
Mø - No Mythologies To Follow
Electropop - Not one of the best of its genre, but it'll suffice. 6.7/10 |
 |
149.
|
The Contortionist - Language
Progressive Metal / Djent - They were onto something with this one, but unfortunately felt the need to go for yet another "squeaky clean guitars for ambience" trope which I already felt had outstayed its welcome upon the third time I heard an album do the exact same thing. There are some nice parts which redeem it however. 6.6/10 |
 |
150.
|
Whispered - Shogunate Macabre
Melodeath - Fun at first, but the effects wear off quick. 6.6/10 |
|
151.
|
The Bug - Angels & Devils
UK Bass / Grime - Some songs are quite unique, rich and entertaining. Others are completely void of any substance. 6.5/10 |
|
152.
|
Phantogram - Voices
Indietronica - Well written, well performed, but just largely uninteresting. 6.4/10 |
 |
153.
|
Aenaon - Extance
Prog-Black - Has some great ideas thrown in there, but doesn't really bring anything too "new" to the table. 6.2/10 |
 |
154.
|
Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun
Progressive Stoner Metal - At this point, I don't know if I'm just not feeling it with these guys, or if they're not the band for me. Either way, Once More 'Round The Sun just seems... unimpressive. Average, but hardly anything worth noting. 6.1/10 |
|
155.
|
David Crosby - CROZ
Folk Rock - The guy still has it in him... but what he has is rather uninteresting. 6/10 |
|
156.
|
Xiu Xiu - Angel Guts: Red Classroom
Experimental Rock / Synth-Punk - BLACK DICK BLACK DICK BLAAAAAAACK DICK! 6/10 |
|
157.
|
Lykke Li - I Never Learn
Indie/Art Pop - While it definitely has great, soothing instrumentation, the vocals (which are the main focus are the album) fall flat for me. 5.7/10 |
|
158.
|
Sza - Z
Contemporary R&B - One listen, and I'm already tired of it. 5.6/10 |
|
159.
|
Neil Cicierega - Mouth Sounds
Mashup / Comedy - Smash Mouth, Shrek Jokes, whatever more you need to piss people off. Here it is. Probably the lesser of the album duo though. 5.5/10 |
 |
160.
|
Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope
Prog Rock - You know the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Transatlantic pretty much runs by this motto, and now I just get bored with them. 5.4/10 |
|
161.
|
Big Giant Circles - The Glory Days
Chiptune - Presents a rather fresh sound to chiptune, but the trick wears off about 10 songs in... did I mention this album is over 30 songs long? 5.2/10 |
 |
162.
|
Linkin Park - The Hunting Party
Nu-Metal / Alternative Rock - Definitely a step up from their previous releases. A bunch of great tracks on here, but also many that just make you want to listen to Korn or something... I dunno. 5.1/10 |
|
163.
|
Dream The Electric Sheep - Heretics
Progressive Rock - I can't understand why people are liking this one so much... It's just riddled with cliches and cheese that the prog scene already has too much of. Still has some noteworthy moments though. 5/10 |
 |
164.
|
Trust - Joyland
Synth Pop - The melodies are good, but the vocals are a huge turn-off. 5/10 |
 |
165.
|
Mechina - Xenon
Industrial - Loved it on my first listen. Couldn't get through it on my subsequent attempts. Weird... 5/10 |
 |
166.
|
Within Temptation - Hydra
Symphonic Metal - ... 5/10 |
|
167.
|
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Christmas Island
Anti-Folk - Easily his most commercial release yet, which is worrying considering his whole persona was built on being an "anti"-catalyst. 4.9/10 |
|
168.
|
Perfect Pussy - Say Yes To Love
Post-Hardcore / Noise Rock - This album has hype... but I just don't get it. The production is either a major turn-on or turn-off, but for me it was the latter. 4.9/10 |
|
169.
|
Shlomo & Jeremih - No More
UK Bass / Contemporary R&B - A great starting track followed by wave after wave of mediocrity. Such a shame... 4.8/10 |
|
170.
|
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out At Jagbags
Indie Rock - Uninteresting. That is all. 4.5/10 |
|
171.
|
Pharrell Williams - G I R L
Contemporary R&B - Has one or two really good songs, but the rest is just fluff. 4.4/10 |
|
172.
|
Lana Del Ray - Ultraviolence
Wannabe Art Pop - Almost insultingly melodramatic, this is an album that has an obsession with being "deep", but has no musical substance with which to actually do so. 3.1/10 |
|
173.
|
Foxygen - ...And Star Power
Pyschedelic Pop - The perfect example of how to butcher any sort of good production. 2.3/10 |
|
174.
|
ALBUMS I NEED MORE LISTENS OF TO RATE - PLEASE SUGGEST WHICH I SHOULD LISTEN TO FIRST |
|
175.
|
Ab-Soul - These Days...
West-Coast Hip-Hop |
|
176.
|
Actress - Ghettoville
Microhouse |
 |
177.
|
Agalloch - The Serpent And The Sphere
Atmospheric Black Metal |
 |
178.
|
Allegaeon - Elements Of The Infinite
Technical Melodeath |
|
179.
|
Amerigo Gazaway - Yaasin Gaye: The Return (Part 2)
Mashup / Conscious Hip-Hop PRIORITY |
|
180.
|
Angus & Julia Stone - Angus & Julia Stone
Indie-Folk/Pop |
|
181.
|
Antemasque - Antemasque
Post-Hardcore PRIORITY |
 |
182.
|
Anubis - Hitchhiking To Byzantium
Prog Rock |
|
183.
|
Aphex Twin - Syro
IDM PRIORITY |
|
184.
|
Arca - Xen
Wonky / Glitch-Hop |
 |
185.
|
Architects - Lost Forever // Lost Together
Metalcore |
 |
186.
|
At The Gates - At War With Reality
Melodeath |
 |
187.
|
Atomic Ape - Swarm!
Avant-Prog |
|
188.
|
Auric - Auric
Blackened Sludge Metal |
|
189.
|
Banks - Goddess
Alternative R&B |
|
190.
|
Black Milk - If There's A Hell Below
Hip-Hop |
|
191.
|
Blockhead - Bells And Whistles
Instrumental Hip-Hop |
|
192.
|
Blonde Redhead - Barragan
Dream Pop / Indie Rock |
|
193.
|
Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Piano Nights
Dark Jazz |
 |
194.
|
Boris - Noise
Post-Rock PRIORITY |
|
195.
|
Burial Hex - Hierophant
Experimental Electronic PRIORITY |
|
196.
|
Clockwork Indigo - Clockwork Indigo EP
Hardcore Hip-Hop |
 |
197.
|
Clouds - Doliu
Atmospheric Doom Metal |
 |
198.
|
Cool Cavemen - Funkloric Trip
Funk Metal |
|
199.
|
Copeland - Because I'm Worth It
Art Pop / IDM |
|
200.
|
Crying - Get Olde Second Wind
Chiptune / Power Pop |
|
201.
|
Cybernetika - Solar Nexus
Psytrance / D'n'B |
 |
202.
|
Darkspace - Darkspace III I
Atmospheric Black Metal / Dark Ambient |
|
203.
|
Dean Blunt - Black Metal
Art Pop |
|
204.
|
Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World
Dance-Punk PRIORITY |
|
205.
|
Deerhoof - La Isla Bonita
Indie/Experimental Rock PRIORITY |
|
206.
|
Diamond Version - CI
Glitch |
 |
207.
|
Dirge - Hyperion
Atmospheric Sludge Metal |
|
208.
|
Dope Body - LIFER
Noise Rock / Post-Hardcore PRIORITY |
|
209.
|
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
Synth-Pop / Art Pop |
|
210.
|
Esben And The Witch - A New Nature
Ethereal Wave / Post-Rock PRIORITY |
 |
211.
|
Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken
Progressive Metal |
|
212.
|
Extreme Precautions - I
Industrial Techno / Experimental Electronic |
|
213.
|
FKA Twigs - LP1
Art Pop / Alternative R&B PRIORITY |
|
214.
|
Floor - Oblation
Sludge Metal |
|
215.
|
Flying Colors - Second Nature
Progressive Rock |
|
216.
|
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata
Gangsta Rap PRIORITY |
 |
217.
|
Full Of Hell - Full Of Hell & Merzbow [Collaboration]
Hardcore/Grindcore/Powerviolence/Noise |
 |
218.
|
Galneryus - Vetelgyus
Power Metal |
|
219.
|
Ghetts - Rebel With A Cause
Grime |
|
220.
|
Goat - Commune
Psychedelic Rock |
 |
221.
|
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Industrial Metal PRIORITY |
|
222.
|
GoGo Penguin - v2.0
Jazz Fusion PRIORITY |
 |
223.
|
Grey Skies Fallen - The Many Sides Of Truth
Progressive Melodeath |
|
224.
|
The Grouch x Eligh x CunninLynguists - The Winterfire EP
Conscious Hip-Hop |
|
225.
|
Guillaume Perret & the Electric Epic - Open Me
Jazz Fusion |
|
226.
|
Hauschka - Abandoned City
Modern Classical |
 |
227.
|
Helms Alee - Sleepwalking Sailors
Atmospheric Sludge |
 |
228.
|
Herder - Gods
Stoner Doom |
|
229.
|
Horse Lords - Hidden Cities
Experimental Rock / Krautrock PRIORITY |
|
230.
|
Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like A Bell
Folktronica / Art Pop |
|
231.
|
iamamiwhoami - Blue
Synth Pop PRIORITY |
 |
232.
|
Iamthemorning - Belighted
Chamber Folk / Progressive Art Rock PRIORITY |
|
233.
|
Icarus The Owl - Icarus The Owl
Post-Hardcore |
|
234.
|
Iceage - Plowing Into The Field Of Love
Post-Punk / Art Punk PRIORITY |
 |
235.
|
In Flames - Siren Charms
Alternative Metal |
|
236.
|
Interpol - El Pintor
Post-Punk |
 |
237.
|
Intervals - A Voice Within
Djent |
 |
238.
|
IQ - The Road Of Bones
Neo-Prog |
|
239.
|
Johann Sebastian Punk - More Lovely And More Temperate
Art Rock |
|
240.
|
Julian Casablancas + The Voidz - Tyranny
Synth-Punk / Neo-Psychedelia PRIORITY |
|
241.
|
Kangding Ray - Solens Arc
Minimal Techno |
|
242.
|
Kassem Mosse - Workshop 19
Deep House PRIORITY |
 |
243.
|
Kayo Dot - Coffins On Io
Avant-Garde / Art Rock PRIORITY |
|
244.
|
Keaton Henson - Romantic Works
Modern Classical |
|
245.
|
Lone - Reality Testing
House / Wonky |
 |
246.
|
Lux Occulta - Kołysanki
Avant-Garde Metal |
 |
247.
|
Mantar - Death By Burning
Sludge |
|
248.
|
Marco Minnemann - Eeps
Progressive Rock |
|
249.
|
Marissa Nadler - July
Contemporary Folk / Singer-Songwriter |
|
250.
|
Markéta Irglová - Muna
Indie Folk PRIORITY |
 |
251.
|
Mayhem - Esoteric Warfare
Black Metal |
|
252.
|
Mick Jenkins - The Water[s]
Conscious Hip-Hop |
|
253.
|
Milo - A Toothpaste Suburb
Experimental / Abstract Hip-Hop |
 |
254.
|
Moab - Billow
Stoner Doom |
 |
255.
|
Moanaa - Descent
Post-Metal |
 |
256.
|
Monolord - Empress Rising
Stoner Doom |
 |
257.
|
Morbus Chron - Sweven
Prog-Death - A lot of people hype this one. I haven't seen why yet. |
|
258.
|
Mr Oizo - The Church
Electro House / Wonky |
|
259.
|
Musk Ox - Woodfall
Dark Chamber Folk |
|
260.
|
My Brightest Diamond - This Is My Hand
Chamber Pop |
 |
261.
|
Nadja - Queller
Ambient Drone |
|
262.
|
Natural Snow Buildings - The Night Country
Drone / Psychedelic Folk PRIORITY |
|
263.
|
North Atlantic Oscillation - The Third Day
Experimental Progressive Rock PRIORITY |
|
264.
|
Olga Bell - Krai
Avant-Folk / Art Pop |
|
265.
|
Oneohtrix Point Never - Commissions I
Progressive Electronic PRIORITY |
|
266.
|
The Osiris Club - Blazing Worlds
Psychedelic Prog Rock |
|
267.
|
Otto A Totland - Pinô
Modern Classical |
|
268.
|
Ought - More Than Any Other Day
Art Punk / Post-Punk |
|
269.
|
Owen Pallett - In Conflict
Chamber Pop / Art Pop |
|
270.
|
Perfume Genius - Too Bright
Art Pop |
|
271.
|
Perturbator - Dangerous Days
Synthwave / Horror Synth PRIORITY |
 |
272.
|
Pet Slimmers Of The Year - Fragments Of Uniform
Post-Rock |
|
273.
|
Philip Selway - Weatherhouse
Singer-Songwriter / Contemporary Folk |
|
274.
|
Phish - Fuego
Jam-Band / Progressive Rock |
|
275.
|
The Pineapple Thief - Magnolia
Progressive Alt-Rock |
|
276.
|
Pink Floyd - The Endless River
Progressive Rock PRIORITY |
|
277.
|
Porter Robinson - Worlds
Electropop / Glitch Pop |
|
278.
|
Quirke - Acid Beth
UK Bass |
|
279.
|
The Raveonettes - Pe'ahi
Noise Pop / Dream Pop |
 |
280.
|
Rishloo - Living As Ghosts With Buildings As Teeth
Progressive Rock / Alternative Metal PRIORITY |
 |
281.
|
Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie
Hard Rock |
|
282.
|
Robert Plant - Lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar
Folk Rock |
|
283.
|
Roll The Dice - Until Silence
Electronic / Modern Classical |
 |
284.
|
Royal Blood - Royal Blood
Alternative Rock / Stoner Rock |
|
285.
|
Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
Hardcore/Experimental Hip-Hop PRIORITY |
|
286.
|
Sadistik - Ultraviolet
Conscious Hip-Hop PRIORITY |
|
287.
|
Sane Masayuki - lucent indigo
Electronic |
|
288.
|
Selim Lemouchi & His Enemies - Earth Air Spirit Water Fire
Experimental Psychedelic Rock / Krautrock PRIORITY |
 |
289.
|
Septicflesh - Titan
Extreme Symphonic Metal |
|
290.
|
Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
Abstract/Experimental Hip-Hop |
 |
291.
|
Silent Planet - The Night God Slept
Metalcore |
 |
292.
|
Slash - World On Fire
Hard Rock |
 |
293.
|
Sleepmakeswaves - Love Of Cartogrphy
Post-Rock |
 |
294.
|
Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter
Alternative Metal / Nu Metal |
|
295.
|
Slows Down - The Way Down Leering / On The Street
Chamber Pop |
 |
296.
|
Soen - Tellurian
Progressive Metal PRIORITY |
|
297.
|
The Soundcarriers - Entropicalia
Neo-Psychedelia |
|
298.
|
Spoon - They Want My Soul
Indie Rock |
|
299.
|
Synaesthesia - Synaesthesia
Crossover Prog |
 |
300.
|
Tempel - On The Steps Of The Temple
Atmospheric Sludge Metal |
 |
301.
|
Tengger Cavalry - Ancient Call
Chinese Folk Metal / Black Metal |
 |
302.
|
Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise
Black Metal |
|
303.
|
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light Onto Everything
Post Art Rock |
 |
304.
|
Thine - The Dead City Blueprint
Progressive Alt-Rock |
|
305.
|
Thom Yorke - Tomorrow's Modern Boxes
Glitch Pop / Electronic |
 |
306.
|
Thou - Heathen
Sludge-Doom |
 |
307.
|
Trepalium - Voodoo Moonshine
Progressive Death Metal / Swing PRIORITY |
 |
308.
|
Trioscapes - Digital Dream Sequence
Jazz Fusion |
 |
309.
|
Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
Doom Metal |
|
310.
|
Ty Segall - Manipulator
Psychedelic Garage Rock |
 |
311.
|
Vader - Tibi Et Igni
Death Metal |
|
312.
|
Venetian Snares - My Love Is A Bulldozer
Breakcore |
 |
313.
|
Voyager - V
Progressive Metal |
 |
314.
|
We All Die (Laughing) - Thoughtscanning
Prog Metal |
|
315.
|
Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In The End
Power Pop / Alternative Rock |
|
316.
|
White Suns - Totem
Noise |
|
317.
|
WIFE - What's Between
Electronic |
|
318.
|
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos
Ambient / Modern Classical |
 |
319.
|
Wo Fat - The Conjuring
Psychedelic Doom Metal |
 |
320.
|
Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestite
Progressive Electronic |
|
321.
|
Woods - With Light And With Love
Psychedelic Folk Rock |
|
322.
|
Wovenhand - Refractory Obdurate
Psychedelic Folk Rock |
 |
323.
|
Wovenwar - Wovenwar
Alternative Metal |
|
324.
|
Zammuto - Anchor
Art Pop / Folktronica PRIORITY |
|
325.
|
7for4 - Splash
Jazz Fusion / Prog Rock PRIORITY |
|
326.
|
和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band) - ボカロ三昧 (Vocalo Zanmai)
Visual Kei / Folk Metal PRIORITY |
|
327.
|
椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) - 逆輸入～港湾局～ (Gyakuyunyu ~Kowankyoku~)
Art Pop |
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