Reviews by fing2112

Lost Horizons is the aural form of all the good things in the world. It blissfully captures a world without worry and wraps it inside of an acoustic instrumental electronic/downtempo/trip-hop package. I say this with no exaggeration, this is possibly the happiest music I've ever heard and I love it.

The most interesting thing about this album from a musical perspective is how it balances the instruments with the electronic melodies. It primarily uses folk acoustic guitars and jazzier stuff like horns and strings, this gives all the songs a very comforting rural kind of feel (the fun and comforting kind with community like you see in Japan and Europe) while not feeling stuffy and old fashioned thanks to the downtempo beats.

Lost Horizons also uses extensive use of sampling, most notably for vocals, which is generally short repeated phrases from old media, again contributing to that rustic feeling. Samples are also used for the music though it blends in a lot more.

The album is extremely mellow, apparently some people complain about this but I think it's playing to its strengths. It does get very ambient at times which leads it starting to play into the background during certain, weaker songs, but usually snaps back to reality with a vocal sample or the introduction of new instrumentation. I like the ebb and flow that it has personally. It also has smooth transitions as to not break it's zen state, the only exception to this being the one between Nice Weather for Ducks and Experiment Number Six.

Should it be on the list: Yes

Top 3 songs: Elements, Space Walk, Nice Weather For Ducks

EDIT: I originally gave this album a 2, which the below review reflects. I have edited to update my thoughts.

I really don't have anything to say about this, it's a very middle of the road alt rock album. There's decent songwriting in here but it's pretty generic. It's also over an hour long and I started tuning it out about two-thirds of the way through.

EDIT: There's actually some quality songwriting in the first half of the album, I think if the length was halved this might be considered a classic, but unfortunately a good half of the album feels like filler.

Should it be in the main list: No

Top 3 songs: "Salesmen, Cheats, and Liars", "Rosy and Grey", "For the Hand of Magdelena"

The Italian Flag was a very interesting pick. It's indie/alt and takes its sound from similar bands around the late 80s-early 90s (primarily Sonic Youth but there's Dino Jr., 10,000 Maniacs, MBV) as well as Wire, and I think this variety is the reason why it holds up so well because it's a 69 minute album.

Prolapse (why on Earth would you name your band that?) have a very contrasting sound. There's a male vocalist with a very thick and rough Glaswegian accent but also a female vocalist with a soft and sweet singing voice; there's noisy and experimental stuff but also soft pop and dreamy stuff; there's anxious lyrics and there's calming lyrics. I think this is it's strength, it never sticks on one sound too long for it to get boring while still having a decent album flow.

Probably the poppiest song on the album (Autocade) seems to be hated by the lead male vocalist, and I think this might be key to why it has the sound it has, it seems like each member brings their own interests to the album, and it makes for an enjoyable listen.

Should it be in the main list: You could make a strong case for it. I can think of many other alt rock albums I would replace this with in the main list

Top 3 songs: Deanshanger, Autocade, Flat Velocity Curve

I don't like Godspeed and I don't like how they changed the post-rock genre, and they very much did change the genre because almost everything post 90s that tried to be post-rock followed Godspeed's methodology.

F Sharp A Sharp Infinity is very typical of their style, droning ambient soundscapes interspersed with rock-oriented crescendos, usually with spoken word segments sprinkled in about "society".

As I said I don't like this style of post-rock but F Sharp A Sharp Infinity is probably one of the most important albums that exists (as well as its follow up), and it's widely celebrated by fans and critics alike.

Should it be on the list: Yes 100%

Another Beastie Boys album, really? First it was Wilco, now this. Though just like the Wilco album, I actually rather liked this.

I think this album is comparable to Ill Communication from the books, it takes the Beastie Boys in a more rock direction but still staying true to hip-hop. It even has a random foray into psychedelia at the end of the album. Lyrically it's the same as every other album Beastie Boys have ever made, if you like it you like it.

Should it be in the main list: No, Beastie Boys have three already. I'd prefer this to Licence to I'll though.

Top 3 songs: Pass the Mic, Gratitude, Finger Lickin' Good

The Arctic Monkeys (yeah that dumb indie rock band) make a bizarre shift into psychedelic pop music... And possibly sound better than they ever have. A common complaint with the Arctic Monkeys' albums after Humbug was that they becoming too pop, this came to a head with Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, where instead of beating around the pop bush - like they had been on the past two albums - they plunge headfirst into it.

The main sound throughout the album is a mix of old and futuristic. They're clearly going for old timey 50s type aesthetic, while pillaging genres from the 60s and 70s to help create a "dated" sound. One such genre is "space age pop" a type of music made with old synths (such as the Moog) and production techniques to create a futuristic and spacey kind of sound, but with a modern sound elevates it to impressive degrees.

The album is a concept album about a luxury resort in space, and this is definitely something I need to listen to more over time so I won't go into too much detail because I don't really understand it, but I think the Arctic Monkeys' foray into the aforementioned outdated genres does set the scene very well. It makes you feel like you're in an old fashioned space resort. There's social commentary running throughout the album, to me it seems a bit ham fisted (on the first song Alex Turner explicitly says the message of the song in the outro) but I think the album is better for it just for contributing to the vibe.

There is some rock music in here for old fans (quite a lot of it actually) and while I do like how it's used to support the poppier songs like in Golden Trunks, I think the rockier songs actually hold the album back a little.

I remember when this album came out and it was very controversial and divisive, even among critics, and it still sorta is. I think nowadays it's received much better than it had been, and it deserves it. It's a bit clumsy but there's a lot of soul and I always love an established band doing something ambitious.

Should it be on the main list: You could make a strong case for it. Personally I would, it's a pretty unique sounding album

Top 3 songs: Star Treatment, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, The Ultracheese

As a disclaimer, I'm biased against Low Roar from the start. I've listened to some of their work and I found them to be painfully boring, to a point where I was dreading putting this album on. After listening to ross. , it's not as bad as I expected but it's still not something I'd ever listen to in my spare time.

This album is primarily indie pop/indie folk, but it bounces around having low-key electronic influences and more soundscape-type influences such as post-rock and slowcore. Typically the poppy songs has the electronic and the folk songs have the soundscapes. I much prefer the former to the latter. There's also a notable undercurrent of strings used to create more of a chamber pop sound.

A bulk of this album, particularly the electronic parts, remind me of the Portal game soundtracks, and as someone in the reddit community pointed out (shout out mrnovember91) this band has made music for video game soundtracks before, most notably for Death Stranding 1 and 2, so this probably isn't a coincidence. The floaty, weightlessness of their vocals, acoustic guitar, and the strings does sound like it's supposed to accompany something grander. Maybe I'll appreciate Low Roar more if I experience one of the medias that they have composed OSTs for.

These songs, even the poppier songs, are very quiet and slow with the only impactful things being bass related (typically some low toned percussion), and like with my previous experience with the band I just find it too boring to really get sucked into the experience.

Should it be on the list: No

Top 3 songs: Darkest Hour, I'll Make You Feel, Empty House

Modern country that's not "modern country". This is evidently a throw back to the contemporary stuff of old, but with a more modern finish on it. Lyrically decent, there's a few country cliches but I enjoyed it mostly, especially the first few songs. There's a little bit of rock in some of the songs and sometimes it shifts to more of a folky sound like on the title track. I think I'd have a higher opinion of it if it was 10 minutes shorter, but it's a decent album for what it is.

Should it be on the main list: I'm not into country enough to give a good answer on that, but you could make a case for it. I'm leaning towards no though.

Top 3 songs: Every Girl, 7 & 7, 1968

Perhaps the best minimalism albums of the 21st Century? This album features British electronic musician and DJ, Floating Points, legendary experimental saxophonist and jazz musician, Pharaoh Sanders, and the London Symphony Orchestra, a rather unusual combination of musicians but they've made a seamless and cohesive album with Promises.

The central point of the album is Pharaoh Sanders' soothing sax playing with Floating Points and the LSO backing him up. The album centres around a motif (played by Floating Points) which is present from start to finish on the album and provides a base for Sanders to work with. The Orchestra is here to provide swells and crescendos to add depth to the saxophone. I wasn't familiar with Floating Points prior to the release of this album, so I'm surprised he managed to do such a big collaboration.

Musically this is a combination of modern classical and jazz, but with some electronic elements hidden in the mix. This sounds a little chaotic in paper, but it all comes together immaculately, I didn't even really notice the electronic elements until a second listen where I paid a bit more attention. Mr. Points does a bulk of the work on here, such as composition and some percussion and string instruments, as well as the electronic stuff obviously, but it's a great showcase of his musical talent.

Overall this is a wonderful album, very peaceful but with a lot of depth that I'm sure I'll discover on repeat listens. This will most likely become a staple of my late nights.

Should it be in the main list: You could make a strong case for it. Personally I'd add it, I don't remember their being any minimalism albums in the books.

Wilco are a great band but I definitely wasn't clamoring for more of them after the three albums they had in the book. That said, A.M. is a damn good album.

A.M. is the debut album of Wilco, and it definitely feels like it. As with their other work it's a combination of alt rock and country, thought his one feels far more like Neil Young's country rock. This one is far more unrefined than their later works especially lyrically, but as a straightforward rock album it's pretty fun.

Should it be in the main list: No, Wilco already have three albums in the books.

Top 3 songs: I Must Be High, Box Full of Letters, Should've Been In Love

I'm sorry but I found this incredibly boring to a point where I'm struggling to say anything about it. This is a standard big beat project with a talk-singer similar to Mark E Smith from The Fall, which I guess is the most interesting thing about it. It's definitely not worth the 69 minute runtime.

Should it have been on the main list: No

Top 3 songs: Blisters on My Brain, Battleflag, Lazer Sheep Dip Funk

I was originally going to give this a 3, I found the vocalist to be quite annoying and lyrically pretty cringey at times, but this band has one huge advantage: hooks.

I was expecting this to be Windmill era art punk given the year it came out and the style of the first two songs, but they're more indie rock later on. They initially reminded me a lot of the band shame, I think primarily because of the vocalist as well as the punkiness they have in some of the songs, but as the album develops they seem more similar to Viagra Boys mainly due to their lyrical content and because of the dancey sound they go for later in the album. I think Viagra Boys have a better sense of humor and lean into the lyrical cringe better than Sports Team does though. I also see a few other reviewers have made the same connection that I have with Viagra Boys.

The third song is where Deep Down Happy really starts to flourish, at this point the album introduces dance punk into the repertoire. Now I feel like this band is a bit mediocre across the board, with one exception, and as I said before it's that they're fucking incredible at making hooks, specifically angular guitar based hooks. The complaints I have a singer also disappear on these songs, his overly quirky voice fits the poppier material very well. I really can't overstate just how good they are at hooks, they should really be making pop music (guitar based obviously), and after this I'm probably going to check out their other albums to see if they ever dip their toes in poppier music.

The more indie and rockier stuff is unfortunately bang average. There's a lot more of it towards the end and I think the albums has a significant drop in quality as a result. Still, I think Sports Team have great potential.

Should it be in the main list: No

Top 3 songs: Going Soft, Camel Crew, Born Sugar

I feel like it's unfair for me to rate this one, this is a genre that's completely out of my comfort zone and it was generated on a day that I wasn't feeling or expecting Celtic folk with dark ambient and industrial undertones. If I change my mind I'll update the score in future, which I'm expecting to happen.

There's three styles that permeate the album: Celtic folk, a dark ambient/drone/industrial darkness, and a more traditional style of folk. The highlights of the album are when it leans more into the second category, though generally all of these genres are mixed together into the same songs. Thanks to the Celtic folk, this album has a very fresh pastoral sound, very reminiscent of stereotypical Ireland, but the darker undertones give it a sinister sound

Should it be on the list: I'm going to say yes, there's nothing remotely like this in the book, and Celtic folk has played an important role in the development of popular music.

Top 3 songs: The Wild Rover, Ode to Lullaby, The Pride of Petravore

I was excited to listen to this because I've heard the reputation of The Tragically Hip being "the one that got away" for the American market despite being huge in Canada (and Australia for some reason), so after finally getting the opportunity to check them out I feel a little disappointed. Their style of alt rock isn't atypical at all to what was out at the time, so the whole selling point of the album rests on the songwriting, which is just fine.

I have two main thoughts on this: Firstly this band sounds a lot like REM, almost indistinguishable at times, though the content of the songs do differ considerably and Gord Downie
has a charming Canadian flair which Michael Stipe (obviously) doesn't have. My second thought: How was this band not popular in the US? This generic alt rock was a big deal back then, mix in the heartland/roots style of the music and lyrics and you have a recipe for a Yank success story.

There's a few songs on here that follow some Canadian specific topic, like Wheat Kings, and I find these by far the most interesting part of the album. Verdict: Be more Canadian.

Should it be on the main list: No

Top 3 songs: Locked In the Trunk of a Car, Fully Completely, Wheat Kings

EDIT: I originally gave this album a 2, which the below review reflects

I've had 3 electropop/dance pop albums in my last four albums, so it seems like that genre is the user album equivalent of Dimery's britpop. Just pointing this out because I'm automatically going in with a biased opinion because I'm tired of this genre already. That said, I feel like by the end I gained a sense of respect for the album.

Starting with my least favorite aspect because it's the first thing on the album: the blaring stuttery synth. I think this sound is incredibly annoying. I said before that this album is electropop/dance pop, but it borrows heavily from late 00s-early 10s EDM, which I think was a low point for the genre and I usually don't like music with that style of production.

There are a few interesting things about this album. There seems to be some crossover with some traditional styles of African music mixed in with Stromae's typical style. It's not very common but it did make my ears prick up, definitely an interesting blend. The thing I found most interesting about the album were some of the songs that seem to follow in the steps of old chanson artists (Jacques Brel and Scott Walker from the main list fall under this category) which isn't something I've heard before, though maybe it's common amongst French language music. I always see chanson as an "old" genre, so seeing that style with a new coat of paint and mixed in with more modern genres like EDM is very interesting in my opinion.

When this album was generated I thought I heard the name "Stromae" about 10 years earlier, but wasn't sure, however after checking the reviews I think I may have been right because apparently this album was very popular in mainland Europe around the time it came out. It's interesting to see something that was a big deal elsewhere that I had miniscule knowledge of prior.

I don't like this album at all, that said I found it to be an interesting album that I would have never listened to otherwise. I do not regret listening to it at all, and that's the best compliment I can give an album.

Should it be on the main list: I'm going to abstain from this one. I was certain it was going to be a no, but apparently this was a huge deal in mainland Europe when it came out and it seems to be held in high regard, so I'll let those people decide for me.

Top 3 songs: Papaoutai, Tous les Mêmes, Merci

I've listened to a lot of Chet Baker in the past, his music is very relaxing and perfect night time music. I don't know if I've listened to this album before however. I'm not a jazz expert but I believe this style is called "cool jazz" due to it's relaxing nature (though not being far enough for smooth jazz), and I think I like this style of jazz the most.

Chet (the album) definitely lived up to my expectations, it's very relaxing and intimate. It does risk falling into the background occasionally, but by utilizing dynamics well the higher/louder trumpet/piano notes pulls it back into the foreground. It's very rejuvenating music for the night.

Should it be on the main list: Chet Baker should absolutely be on there somewhere, whether this album or something else I don't know though.

Top 3 songs: Alone Together, How High The Moon, September Song

Oh I know this singer, she was in the teener bopper band S Club 7 that I liked as a child. I went into this assuming I wouldn't like it based on that, which was confirmed when I heard the first song which is pretty generic electropop/dance-pop. However the second song, I Said Never Again But Here We Are, is actually quite good! It's the same dance pop before but has a glam rock beat, and it's a pretty fun song. After this song however it's all downhill.

Most of this album is standard electropop for the era, it's reminiscent of Goldfrapp's (who have two albums on the main list, none of which I'm talking about) electropop/electroclash era, e.g. Strict Machine. There are some "rockers" on the list similar in the vein to the second song which I talked about above, they use a rock beat (typically glam) underneath the main dance pop melody, and I find that these songs are easily the best and are really the only songs on the albums that sound unique or interesting in any way. Maybe she'd have had a more successful career if she was a rockstar.

Anyway, after to listening to 13 inferior versions of Goldfrapp songs, I'm off to listen to Strict Machine.

Should it be in the main list: No

Top 3 songs: I Said Never Again (But Here We Are), Negotiate With Love, Some Girls

A throwback to 80s synthpop in a modern indie pop package, with some 70s disco throwback too, Dënver are very adept at making clean and satisfying synth sounds, with a hint of twee in there. All of these songs are packed with catchy hooks, making it a fun album to boogie along to. There are some songs that utilised more acoustic instruments but I don't find these songs to be as interesting as the synth heavy stuff.

I do find it a little flat however, it's very serviceable indie pop but I've heard enough of this kind of music and this doesn't really distinguish itself outside of being Chilean. It also really starts to drag towards the end. As hinted at earlier, I think they're at their best when making more dance pop music, which only occupies a small portion of the album. Overall I don't really find it interesting enough and given how upfront the music is I doubt repeat listens will improve my opinion.

Should it be in the main list: I mean I wouldn't add it but it's better than a lot of the post-2005 albums there as well as giving Latin America some much needed representation.

Top 3 songs: Olas Gigantes, Lo Que Quieras, Diane Keaton

A very millennial coded album, and probably the definitive indie folk album of the 00s. Bright Eyes play jangly jovial folk over anxious lyrics that go through a wide range of emotions, mostly about passionate love. The main songwriter - Conor Oberst - seems to be lumped in with all of the other depressing indie folk artists, and while I can see that perspective I think he has a certain level of hope and optimism that sets his music apart.

Despite being folk, most of these songs have well crafted pop hooks. You can groove along to most of the album without focusing on the lyrics too much (but you should!) which is an understated quality to Bright Eyes' music. First Day of My Life was even a pretty decent radio hit from what I remember! There's also a healthy dose of country music in here giving all the songs a grounded rustic americana kind of feel.

Also is it just me or is he drunk during the spoken word segment at the start of the first song?

Should it be on the list: Yeah I think so. I would definitely add it, it's one of the finest indie folk albums of the 00s and has been influential.

Top 3 songs: At the Bottom of Everything, First Day of My Life, Road to Joy

I can see the appeal of this album, it's silly and has a childlike charm to it, however I found it mostly irritating. They're obviously inspired by other "geek rock" acts, like They Might Be Giants but unlike them I don't find the musicianship to be particularly noteworthy, it's standard alt rock/power pop, and consequently it lives and dies by it's lyrics, i.e. inane humour. I'm sure it's great if you like that kind of lyricism, but I mostly found it annoying. The best song in here was a cover of MC5's Kick Out the Jams which cemented my beliefs.

Should it be on the list: No

Top 3 songs: Lump, Dune Buggy, Kick Out the Jams