(28/28) Decent enough. Would probably rank mid-to-low compared to Big Thief/Lenker's other albums but still a nice listen to end the week (and month) with. Not big on the opener and a few of the gentler songs didn't do much for me, did enjoy the second half a lot more than the first though. #MWE
February 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM
(28/28) Decent enough. Would probably rank mid-to-low compared to Big Thief/Lenker's other albums but still a nice listen to end the week (and month) with. Not big on the opener and a few of the gentler songs didn't do much for me, did enjoy the second half a lot more than the first though. #MWE
(27/28) Very glad I've finally got around to listening to this. Atmosphere is just perfectly crafted, very dense and surreal. Explores many different genres (much more than just "trip hop") and there's so many cool, subtle noises and moments. Lyricism is superb too, heavy and really absorbing. #MWE
February 27, 2025 at 11:50 PM
(27/28) Very glad I've finally got around to listening to this. Atmosphere is just perfectly crafted, very dense and surreal. Explores many different genres (much more than just "trip hop") and there's so many cool, subtle noises and moments. Lyricism is superb too, heavy and really absorbing. #MWE
(26/28) A bit unfazed by this. Sure, the tracks are effectively dramatic and dynamic, but a lot of the power isn't really there for me, and after a point don't do much to distinguish themselves. That said, it does get better in its second half - the ten-minute track near the end is great. #MWE
February 26, 2025 at 10:39 PM
(26/28) A bit unfazed by this. Sure, the tracks are effectively dramatic and dynamic, but a lot of the power isn't really there for me, and after a point don't do much to distinguish themselves. That said, it does get better in its second half - the ten-minute track near the end is great. #MWE
(25/28) Slow and meditative. The length of the tracks here allows a lot of room for all three musicians to interact and their sounds to fuse together; at its best points, the atmosphere is immense and wonderful to sink into. Unfortunately this also means that the more static moments linger. #MWE
February 25, 2025 at 7:11 PM
(25/28) Slow and meditative. The length of the tracks here allows a lot of room for all three musicians to interact and their sounds to fuse together; at its best points, the atmosphere is immense and wonderful to sink into. Unfortunately this also means that the more static moments linger. #MWE
(24/28) For a 70-minute album it's so impressively well-paced - a couple of weaker moments but it never gets boring. Very smooth, lively beats and instrumentation, matched with superb performances, great lyrics and a deep atmosphere. That said, didn't gel as much with the last two tracks. #MWE
February 25, 2025 at 12:04 AM
(24/28) For a 70-minute album it's so impressively well-paced - a couple of weaker moments but it never gets boring. Very smooth, lively beats and instrumentation, matched with superb performances, great lyrics and a deep atmosphere. That said, didn't gel as much with the last two tracks. #MWE
(23/28) Perfectly decent but not many moments where it blew me away, especially compared to their later stuff. Nothing it really does wrong - the riffs are effectively heavy, vocals are intense and songs are long and intricate, but a lot of the time it all just sat in the background for me. #MWE
February 23, 2025 at 8:08 PM
(23/28) Perfectly decent but not many moments where it blew me away, especially compared to their later stuff. Nothing it really does wrong - the riffs are effectively heavy, vocals are intense and songs are long and intricate, but a lot of the time it all just sat in the background for me. #MWE
(22/28) Chaotic and exciting from start to finish, can't think of a single moment where the energy drops off. Lyrics are full of character and often very funny, vocals hit hard, superb riffs. So much creativity here too; longer tracks in particular just do so many fun and interesting things. #MWE
February 22, 2025 at 5:12 PM
(22/28) Chaotic and exciting from start to finish, can't think of a single moment where the energy drops off. Lyrics are full of character and often very funny, vocals hit hard, superb riffs. So much creativity here too; longer tracks in particular just do so many fun and interesting things. #MWE
(21/28) Very solid electronic album. Soundscape is really vast, lot of cool synths and precise, technical beats. Did tend to prefer the more energetic moments though the calmer stuff is well-paced and Sea-Watch especially is sublime. Does start to wear a little bit thin towards the end. #MWE
February 21, 2025 at 11:44 PM
(21/28) Very solid electronic album. Soundscape is really vast, lot of cool synths and precise, technical beats. Did tend to prefer the more energetic moments though the calmer stuff is well-paced and Sea-Watch especially is sublime. Does start to wear a little bit thin towards the end. #MWE
(20/28) Pavement have never really clicked for me as much as they should and I'm not sure why. Listening to this in full for the first time, still feel that a bit, but I do think this is a superb album. Everything just sounds great, and Malkmus' vocals and songwriting work perfectly together. #MWE
February 20, 2025 at 11:27 PM
(20/28) Pavement have never really clicked for me as much as they should and I'm not sure why. Listening to this in full for the first time, still feel that a bit, but I do think this is a superb album. Everything just sounds great, and Malkmus' vocals and songwriting work perfectly together. #MWE
(19/28) This era of the band has been a blind spot for me; sounds much closer to Sing to God than I expected, quite surprised how quickly they'd moved in that direction. Opener is very cool and dramatic but then takes a couple of tracks to properly get going - excellent when it does though. #MWE
February 19, 2025 at 11:25 PM
(19/28) This era of the band has been a blind spot for me; sounds much closer to Sing to God than I expected, quite surprised how quickly they'd moved in that direction. Opener is very cool and dramatic but then takes a couple of tracks to properly get going - excellent when it does though. #MWE
(18/28) Hard to say any of this made much of an impression on me. Often ends up feeling sluggish, many moments that should be really cool and dynamic which just fall flat. Not a huge fan of Teen Dream for similar reasons but that at least has some highlights to elevate it, not many here. #MWE
February 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
(18/28) Hard to say any of this made much of an impression on me. Often ends up feeling sluggish, many moments that should be really cool and dynamic which just fall flat. Not a huge fan of Teen Dream for similar reasons but that at least has some highlights to elevate it, not many here. #MWE
(17/28) It's a classic for a reason. Flow from all three here is superb - really versatile performances too, particularly Hill's. Instrumentals sound great and there's so much packed into the lyrics (plus the skits/interludes). Though would say it runs out of steam a bit towards the end. #MWE
February 17, 2025 at 10:53 PM
(17/28) It's a classic for a reason. Flow from all three here is superb - really versatile performances too, particularly Hill's. Instrumentals sound great and there's so much packed into the lyrics (plus the skits/interludes). Though would say it runs out of steam a bit towards the end. #MWE
(16/28) Lovely sound to this; lot of heart, tender vocal harmonies, and rich instrumentation - sort of like if Crowded House went country. Does feel a bit front-loaded, or maybe my interest just waned over time. Still, nice to listen to, maybe would've clicked more if it was raining today. #MWE
February 16, 2025 at 5:24 PM
(16/28) Lovely sound to this; lot of heart, tender vocal harmonies, and rich instrumentation - sort of like if Crowded House went country. Does feel a bit front-loaded, or maybe my interest just waned over time. Still, nice to listen to, maybe would've clicked more if it was raining today. #MWE
(15/28) Manic breaks with a bright and sparkly atmosphere; definitely a different branch out from WLFGRL to the more aggressive style of their work since. Always throwing out new ideas and sounds; maybe doesn't stand out as much as their two albums either side, but still consistently great. #MWE
February 16, 2025 at 12:20 AM
(15/28) Manic breaks with a bright and sparkly atmosphere; definitely a different branch out from WLFGRL to the more aggressive style of their work since. Always throwing out new ideas and sounds; maybe doesn't stand out as much as their two albums either side, but still consistently great. #MWE
(14/28) Not a single thing to flaw here, some of the most skillfully crafted and polished stuff I've ever heard. The band are incredible, every aspect of every song comes to life, so many great little touches and moments. Sade's vocals are just phenomenal and hold everything together so well. #MWE
February 14, 2025 at 11:47 PM
(14/28) Not a single thing to flaw here, some of the most skillfully crafted and polished stuff I've ever heard. The band are incredible, every aspect of every song comes to life, so many great little touches and moments. Sade's vocals are just phenomenal and hold everything together so well. #MWE
(13/28) Very nice! Warm, lively and emotive samba with rich and varied instrumentation; great vocal performance and melodies, especially the backing vocals on the last two songs. All skillfully crafted and arranged, though one or two of the shorter tracks did pass by a bit too quickly for me. #MWE
February 13, 2025 at 11:23 PM
(13/28) Very nice! Warm, lively and emotive samba with rich and varied instrumentation; great vocal performance and melodies, especially the backing vocals on the last two songs. All skillfully crafted and arranged, though one or two of the shorter tracks did pass by a bit too quickly for me. #MWE
(12/28) Lukewarm reputation, not hard to see why. Nice in the moment, but the songs don't leave much of an impression. Paddy's songwriting mixed with the country/western vibes should work better than this. Also, only half of the songs here were written for the album, so lacking identity a bit. #MWE
February 12, 2025 at 7:07 PM
(12/28) Lukewarm reputation, not hard to see why. Nice in the moment, but the songs don't leave much of an impression. Paddy's songwriting mixed with the country/western vibes should work better than this. Also, only half of the songs here were written for the album, so lacking identity a bit. #MWE
(11/28) Heavy, thumping beats mixed with airy synths and strings. Manages to be frantic & noisy while also feeling cold & sparse, which is neat. Sadly a good amount of the first half just lingers far too long and doesn't go anywhere; second is definitely better, but the damage is done by then. #MWE
February 11, 2025 at 9:59 PM
(11/28) Heavy, thumping beats mixed with airy synths and strings. Manages to be frantic & noisy while also feeling cold & sparse, which is neat. Sadly a good amount of the first half just lingers far too long and doesn't go anywhere; second is definitely better, but the damage is done by then. #MWE
(10/28) There's an obvious contrast between the funky beats and the grittiness of the lyrics. He's a great MC and everything is laid out in vivid detail. But behind all the violence there's more serious, introspective themes explored here; some very personal and brutally honest lines. #MWE
February 10, 2025 at 11:25 PM
(10/28) There's an obvious contrast between the funky beats and the grittiness of the lyrics. He's a great MC and everything is laid out in vivid detail. But behind all the violence there's more serious, introspective themes explored here; some very personal and brutally honest lines. #MWE
(9/28) Oh yeah, this is brilliant. Slick, hard, exciting and perfectly paced - jumping from the liveliness of Three Way Split into the calmer, laid back Carolyn is particularly rewarding. Packed with superb musicians and plenty of great solos. A real treat to listen to. #MWE
February 9, 2025 at 4:38 PM
(9/28) Oh yeah, this is brilliant. Slick, hard, exciting and perfectly paced - jumping from the liveliness of Three Way Split into the calmer, laid back Carolyn is particularly rewarding. Packed with superb musicians and plenty of great solos. A real treat to listen to. #MWE
(8/28) Feels a lot more accessible than their other two albums, though that's not to say there isn't plenty going on here too, just not quite as dense. As with their other work it's very sharp, inventive and fun, the theming around Mt. Fuji is really neat and Chiyono Ide's energy is fantastic. #MWE
February 8, 2025 at 4:16 PM
(8/28) Feels a lot more accessible than their other two albums, though that's not to say there isn't plenty going on here too, just not quite as dense. As with their other work it's very sharp, inventive and fun, the theming around Mt. Fuji is really neat and Chiyono Ide's energy is fantastic. #MWE
(7/28) Been wanting to check this out for a while as Anwandter's solo albums from last year and the year before are both excellent - this is great too! Very 2008 indie pop, very bright and fun, production is really tight. Not as much dance-pop as I was expecting but not disappointed at all. #MWE
February 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM
(7/28) Been wanting to check this out for a while as Anwandter's solo albums from last year and the year before are both excellent - this is great too! Very 2008 indie pop, very bright and fun, production is really tight. Not as much dance-pop as I was expecting but not disappointed at all. #MWE
Yeah it was the original - those are very cool though, thanks 😁
February 7, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Yeah it was the original - those are very cool though, thanks 😁
(6/28) Amazing stuff. I don't dislike Nevermind but this is so much better in every way - much harder, more biting, more cathartic. Of course you have to credit Albini's production for a lot of the noisiness, but the lyrics are often just as abrasive, and Kurt's delivery is flawless. #MWE
February 7, 2025 at 12:00 AM
(6/28) Amazing stuff. I don't dislike Nevermind but this is so much better in every way - much harder, more biting, more cathartic. Of course you have to credit Albini's production for a lot of the noisiness, but the lyrics are often just as abrasive, and Kurt's delivery is flawless. #MWE
(5/28) Nice mix of styles and moods here, good consistency. Strong vocal performance, suits both the uptempo and slower stuff, and the lyricism often stands out. That said, it's a solid country album but doesn't go too far beyond that - not a lot of innovation, but well-made and endearing. #MWE
February 5, 2025 at 11:54 PM
(5/28) Nice mix of styles and moods here, good consistency. Strong vocal performance, suits both the uptempo and slower stuff, and the lyricism often stands out. That said, it's a solid country album but doesn't go too far beyond that - not a lot of innovation, but well-made and endearing. #MWE