felismors

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animal guitar

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Xiu Xiu + GameCube

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I get how the whole “listening to music as a dick-measuring contest for who can listen to the most obscure band” thing can get grating sometimes but I don’t think people realize just how vital that phenomenon is for new up and coming bands to get a foot in the door. it’s understandable to be annoyed by hipsterism but unless you want all music to be industry plants and former child stars you’re just going to have to accept it as part of the social ecosystem.

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A conflicted review of VANISHING ACT II: ULTIMATE REALITY by Clarence Clarity

via rateyourmusic

Clarence Clarity is a man with a very clear purpose, much clearer than his contemporaries trying to make music with pop appeal and a similar texturalness to him: he wants to be a popstar about it, or at least sound like one, and I'm honestly not quite sure if he succeeds or not.

His production tends to be quite good, with the rare issue being largely inaudible if one's not actively being a cunt about mastering, like I so often find myself being, and the composition is largely solid as well, playing with 2000s pop nostalgia in a way more interesting than most, as has been his modus operandi for most of his career. Neither of these are my problem, though. My big problem is Clarence himself.

He seems to have a very clear vision of how he wants his vocals to sound on a track, and what purpose he wants them to fulfill, usually going for a falsetto, and by god, I can't tell if his purpose completely disagrees with me or if he just failed what he was attempting vocally half the time. It's a good 50/50 of tracks that I find myself thinking "Oh! That's a really good instrumental! I wish these vocals were literally anyone else!"

That's not to say the album is bad, though. The production and composition breach fantastic territory a good few times, and I do find myself hoping he might do something like salute did earlier this year and get a star-studded album wherein he doesn't find himself in the recording booth.

SCORE: 3.5/5

listen on spotify

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A reflective review of Dummy by Portishead

via rateyourmusic

When I listen to music made from a place of negative emotions, or even just darkness, I usually go for something that's from feelings on the active side of things — heartbreak, rage, dissatisfaction — but I don't usually listen to music that's moody like Dummy is.

Now, the choice of words may feel a bit derogatory, but this album is hard to describe with a different word. It portrays a darkness that's consumed, passed through, left the drippings of wax on the holder, but no trace of a wick. It's gloomy and tired, its intense pain is drowned in an opiate haze with smart sampling and groovy drums. It's coping, but it's not coping well.

Dummy is a seminal work in a genre largely consisting of music that tries to evoke it, and while its sounds may not be the newest in this day and age, it still manages to stand tall as a monument in Trip Hop's genredom.

SCORE: 4/5

listen on spotify

[felismors]

you complain about the mixing and mastering on one album and motherfuckers will have you like this

Konstantin Korobov (Russian, 1985) - Agnus (2022)

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A wowed review of Beyond The Fleeting Gales by Crying

via rateyourmusic

I was talking to a friend briefly about sincerity in music last night, and that left me thinking about something: how does music tend to exhibit its sincerity most often?

The natural, obvious answer to this question is the lyrics. Albums like Somewhere City exhibit their sincerity mostly through them in ways that manage to be soul-baring and beautiful, and that's something relatively common to see attempted by others, to varying degrees of success.

It is much rarer to see an album be fully sincere in its composition, but Beyond The Fleeting Gales manages it with flying colours. It wears its influences of 80s prog and AOR, genres largely considered gaudy, on its sleeve while still very much being indie-pop-rock, a genre with a scene that tends to stray far away from that kind of gaudiness, and makes it look absolutely beautiful in every regard.

If there's one thing I do wanna point out as especially remarkable, it's the fact that the saturated mix, something I usually struggle with, sounds absolutely stellar with the soundscapes they've made. It's just as much part of the aesthetic experience, rather than the amateurish mistake it tends to be.

Might bump this up to 5 stars in a few months. Damn.

SCORE: 4.5/5

listen on spotify

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spotify is raising prices again here's the apk that gives you premium for free

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this is gonna make me thriw up

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sometimes this world really can be good

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A cranky review of NO HANDS by Joey Valence and Brae

via rateyourmusic

The songs aren't bad at all by themselves (except the intermission, that one's straight up obnoxious), but I can only put up with quirked up white boys for so much time in a row, and 30 minutes is about 20 minutes past that point. Being corny and silly has been a big part of their bit since the start, and it's clear that they're authentic about it, but listening to this album in one sitting feels like eating a full sleeve of saltines. Production's clean as fuck, though. Damn.

SCORE: 3/5

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[felismors]

DRAKEVEMBER - AN EPILOGUE: A grizzled review of Drake Edits Vol. 2 by DJ Paypal

via rateyourmusic

full list

This album is a bit dry and repetitive, a lot of the tracks end up looping for a little too long. There are some bangers in the mix, but not enough to even out the numbers for a 30 track album. I listened to this as an epilogue for the entirety of Drake's discography, and it definitely made me see the potential his music has to be... interesting. To be better. To be danceable in a way different from the absolute disaster that Honestly, Nevermind was. I just wish this was made with a less-is-more mentality, instead of a more-is-more one.

SCORE: 3/5

listen on bandcamp

THE END OF DRAKE: YOU ARE (NOT) THE BEST I'VE EVER HAD

PROLOGUE TO THE EPILOGUE

The final album of Drakevember. Published intentionally after midnight on December 1st, Chile time. This whole thing was an experience. One that I'd love to replicate with a lot more time if possible, instead of procrastinating doing anything until the last week of the month like a total dumbass. I've learned a lot about the way that I approach music, and managed to get back into the habit of taking notes while listening to the album, or the second I get the chance directly after. Drake's discography is a mess, largely mediocre with some standouts on both ends of the quality spectrum. I see myself reflected in it. I look at the cover of Certified Lover Boy and think about the fact that if I was given a selection of horribly expensive designs, I would probably also pick the funniest, most horrible one possible for an album with that little effort put into it, and that makes me realize that Drake, much like I, is a human person with a heart. One that he tries to show to the world with his music. But he also has a shitload of money, so I don't respect him and he needs to die.

[felismors]

THE END OF DRAKE: YOU ARE (NOT) THE BEST I'VE EVER HAD

PROLOGUE TO THE EPILOGUE

The final album of Drakevember. Published intentionally after midnight on December 1st, Chile time. This whole thing was an experience. One that I'd love to replicate with a lot more time if possible, instead of procrastinating doing anything until the last week of the month like a total dumbass. I've learned a lot about the way that I approach music, and managed to get back into the habit of taking notes while listening to the album, or the second I get the chance directly after. Drake's discography is a mess, largely mediocre with some standouts on both ends of the quality spectrum. I see myself reflected in it. I look at the cover of Certified Lover Boy and think about the fact that if I was given a selection of horribly expensive designs, I would probably also pick the funniest, most horrible one possible for an album with that little effort put into it, and that makes me realize that Drake, much like I, is a human person with a heart. One that he tries to show to the world with his music. But he also has a shitload of money, so I don't respect him and he needs to die.

full list on rateyourmusic

[felismors]

DRAKEVEMBER PART 17 - THE FINALE: A triumphant review of If You're Reading This It's Too Late by Drake

via rateyourmusic

It's crazy how hard Drake can go when he's actually trying, and I think this might be the last time he was trying. Every track on this is a trap banger. There are moments on this album where Drake actually opens up emotionally, like You & the 6, and on this album, it actually feels genuine instead of whiny and trite like it usually does on his later works. I'm glad I saved this one for last. It's not his best best, but it sits pretty comfortably in second place behind Take Care.

SCORE: 3.5/5

listen on spotify

[felismors]

DRAKEVEMBER PART 16: A spaced out review of Comeback Season by Drake

via rateyourmusic

This album felt longer than every other Drake album I've listened to, and that's saying a lot considering some of their runtimes. The music isn't bad, per se, but it's so mediocre and there's so much of it that it just becomes tiring. The bars are an improvement over the ones on Room For Improvement, and they're not as derivative of Lil Wayne as they are on So Far Gone, so that's a point in its favor, though. The one track that stuck with me is City Is Mine, which has a beat that had me in shock with how incredibly fucking goofy it is. I beg you to listen for yourself. I'm gonna be thinking about it all day.

SCORE: 2/5

listen on youtube

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DRAKEVEMBER PART 15: A short review of Care Package by Drake

via rateyourmusic

I was very shocked to see that a Drake album from 2019 was this good, until I did a small amount of research and learned that this album consists of unreleased tracks from 2011 to 2015. I might be overrating it due to how low my expectations were for any Drake album past 2016, but this was pretty great! It being a compilation does make it feel less curated and structured than the average Drake album (which is already saying a lot), but the music itself is peak Drake! Also, wow, that album cover is almost as bad as Certified Lover Boy's!

SCORE: 3.5/10

listen on spotify