Reviews by k-dot-r

God I hate dance music albums. It just doesn't work as a concept, even if some of the tracks are nearly ok. Would probably have been on track for two stars if Sam Bloody Smith - one of the biggest asshats of the century so far - hadn't turned up and made a poor album significantly worse. It doesn't even have "Pompeii" on it (cos it turns out it's not by these guys)

The song "White Noise" is decent I guess, but for the rest I would have preferred actual white noise

Not eligible, as it's a game soundtrack, not an album. Also ineligible as it is absolute horseshit.

Decent enough, like a hybrid of Ooberman, Roddy Woomble and Self Esteem. But if this is the best album of 2024, it must have been a pretty quiet year in British music.

Like The Avelanches, but not quite as fun.

Not great. It seems like everyone ever has recorded an americana album, most of them pretty crappy, and this is one of them. It does nothing interesting, just kind of happens and then stops. I liked when it stopped.

Brilliant

Pish. There is so much good hip-hop out there, from golden age to right now, but this just isn't it.

Sounds like about 40% of the original list, and 30% of the suggestions - slightly worthy, fairly dry folksy Americana, which will always find an audience but doesn't need (or deserve) as much representation in the book.

An afro-futuristic prog conscious hip-hop concept album - right up my street! Not a band I had heard of before, but certainly one I will be exploring further. Well worth a place in the book, if only to showcase the variety of sounds and styles that are being crafted in the 3rd millennium.

One of the greatest hip-hop albums of the century so far - along with their other three! An album so good I listened to all their other albums within a day or so of this one. Well worthy of a place in the book, probably instead of some terrible 80s British indie!

Takes itself very seriously, but not especially memorable. From a long line of oddball female artists, but without the touch of genius that Kate Bush, Björk, or Tori Amos would have brought.

Rubbish. She can clearly sing, but she overdoes it on pretty much every song - some of the notes she hits are more like a guitar solo than a vocal track. All the rappers who were briefly cool (and Snoop) show up, along with every producer, and as a result it's a bit of a confused mess at points. Not offensively bad, but dull and forgettable.

Punk as hell - my only gripe is it's too short!

In the words of the famous Scottish philosopher and polymath Brian Limond:

'Check out Daft Punk's new single "Get Lucky" if you get the chance. Sound of the summer.'

Rest of the album is not quite as good as that one though

Boring and repetitive, and more like a collection of samples than a coherent collection of songs. Borders on hypnotic at points, but tends to puncture those moments in a stupid or annoying way. Not offensively bad, but a bit pointless, and not really an album in the classic sense

Rubbish

Folksy indie, which sounds very English - I didn't get "kiwi" at all! Nothing particularly exciting or innovative, but pleasant enough

Delicate and fragile, with a couple of heartbreaking songs about losing people. Sounds much older than 2003, presumably on purpose. Charmingly childlike innocence, which didn't grate as much as I worried it might. It's kind of hard to believe this ever got a proper, wide, well-supported release - and maybe it didn't - but it was an interesting one i would never have heard without the suggestion. Thanks!

Awesome

Better than actual whale music, but not hugely memorable. Pleasant enough though, and very, very Canadian.