10.28.2024

October 2024

Bad Moves - Wearing Out the Refrain: Power pop will never die

boris - boris at last –feedbacker–: Subtle yet satisfying

BORIS - PINK: Moments of bliss married to chunks of confusion. Highly recommended.

Boris - Akuma no Uta: Neither the highs nor the lows of Boris.

Boris - NO: Sounding like Minor Threat was not expected.

Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow: Certainly has its moments

Bright Eyes - Five Dice, All Threes: Unapologetically Bright Eyes

Charly Bliss - Forever: Easy to Love is the standout

Edwyn Collins - Gorgeous George: Would fit right in on the National/War on Drugs tour

Phil Collins - Face Value: I was hoping this was for me. Jury is still out I suppose.

Phil Collins - No Jacket Required: It feels too purposefully restrained

Phil Collins - …But Seriously: Three albums and never could get it to click

Combat - Stay Golden: Outstanding energy

Foxing - Foxing: As incredible as the hype would have you believe. Album of the year and it is not even close

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel: This is more compelling

Peter Gabriel - Security: Couple of clunkers

Peter Gabriel - So: Finally lost me

Genesis - Foxtrot: So much better than their solo outings!

Genesis - Selling England by the Pound: I am buying what they are selling here

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway: Pushing the boundaries on length

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail: Not quite weird enough

Genesis - Wind & Wuthering: I am fully out in the later career

Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About (25th Anniversary): Such a great album

Laura Jane Grace and the Mississippi Medicals - Give an Inch: Something about the drums giving those early AM! vibes

illuminati hotties - Power: Ear worms for days

JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU: Crazy good follow up to a great album

King Crimson - Red: Incredibly engaging and wistful

MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks: Very listenable, but would not call it fireworks

Nails - Every Bridge Burning: Certainly sounds like a bridge on fire in all of the best ways

oso oso - life till bones: Exactly what you want from Jade and co

Parannoul - Sky Hundred: Seems to have lost a little

Regional Justice Center - Freedom Sweet Freedom: Perfect.

Wishy - Triple Seven: Summery

your arms are my cocoon - death of a rabbit: Just a bit too all over the place

Denny Zeitlin - Live At Maybeck Recital Hall: Serenely soothing

8.05.2024

August 2024

Blow Up - Blow Up: Total vibe album. Reminds me of ATR.

Capsule - Blue: Controlled chaos

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone and the New World: Whatever is next, he can do whatever he wants

Eminem - The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce): I understand the nostalgia, but maybe tried too hard to find it

Grateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa: Sometimes you forget there are songs under the mystique.

Grateful Dead - Live_Dead: This may be a turning point

Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead: Casey Jones is a Dead song?!

Grateful Dead - Anthem of the Sun: Maybe I do like jam bands?

Los Campesinos! - All Hell: Some tracks blend together, but ultimately there is enough here

Love Letter - Everyone Wants Something Beautiful: The desperation, the intensity, the love.

Macseal - Permanent Repeat: Would not mind listening on repeat

Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven: Interesting to see the love for what seems like a good album

Pratt, Jessica - Here in the Pitch: Floated by too quickly

Remingtin - Remingtin: I think I had unrealistic expectations

Southtowne Lanes - Take Care: Outstanding amalgamation of influences

Senses Fail - Let it Enfold You: Peak 2004 scene album

7.19.2024

July 2024

Blitzen Trapper - 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions: Comforting

Carly Cosgrove - The Cleanest of Houses Are Empty: Emo AOTY by a Midwest mile

Childish Gambino - Atavista: Talk about memory holed.

Dälek - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots: Tremendous rap album full of interesting production and captivating delivery

Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again: A little longer than it needs to be, but otherwise what you would expect

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: Too subtle too frequently, but certainly listenable

Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown: Melancholic.

Hope Conspiracy - Tools of Oppression_Rule by Deception: This rules and was worth the wait

Ladies - They Mean Us: Left me wanting a little more

Les Savy Fav - OUI, LSF: As if they never left

Marías - Submarine: I was really bought into the first half

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well: I still cannot explain why she clicks, but she does it again

of Montreal - Lady on the Cusp: A few good tracks here

Streets - Computers and Blues: I would not have been ready for this when it came out. Barely ready for it now.

Young Jesus - The Fool: Rabbit might be my song of the year, but the whole album just feels like a dream

6.07.2024

June 2024

Alexisonfire - Crisis: I now understand the allure

City Of Caterpillar - Decibel Flexi: More please

John Coltrane - The Olatunji Concert_ The Last Live Recording: Chaos. Controlled, glorious chaos.

Cure - Faith: More subdued than I was hoping for

Cure - Pornography: Immediate. Engaging. Punchy and full of hooks.

Ekko Astral - pink balloons: Just when I thought I was over post-punk. Good casual listen but there is a lot going on

Goalie's Anxiety At The Penalty Kick - The Iliad And The Odyssey And The Goalie's Anxiety At The Penalty Kick: Weird mix of influences that does not always hit the mark

Hovvdy - Hovvdy: Sometimes the basics hit just right

Knocked Loose - You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To: Heavy but accessible, easy to see why it is getting attention

Me Rex - Smilodon: Love these guys

Microwave - Let’s Start Degeneracy: Chill music for a cool band

Oolong - Oolong: Trying to cram too much in

Real Friend - Standard Issue: Really love the vocals

St. Vincent - All Born Screaming: Really loved the NIN inspired tracks. And all the other ones.

Starting Line - Say It Like You Mean It: New Found Glory without the breakdowns

Stay Inside - Ferried Away: Lost in the shuffle, this deserves to be let outside for everyone to enjoy

Staynless - Transistor Theory and Circuits Made Simple: Tremendous Slint vibes

Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement: I prefer the tracks without vocals

5.13.2024

May 2024

Jackson Browne - The Pretender: Bordering on too slick

Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky: Clean without being slick

Jackson Browne- Running on Empty: Nothing empty about this

Chuck Strangers - A Forsaken Lover’s Plea: Polish Jazz almost enough on its own to bring it into AOTY consideration

Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee: Succeeds way more than it should at its length

Distillers - Sing Sing Death House: Much better than anticipated and makes the major label attention more understandable

Elbow - Audio Vertigo: Some great tracks

Kim Gordon - The Collective: Wonder what the reception would have been under a pseudonym

Plunger - The Station Is Not Received: A lot to unpack here, but the earlier sparser songs really grabbed me

Prize Fighter Inferno - Virtual Pioneers Single: Love the shorter format

Rise Against - Revolutions Per Minute: I always ignored them, but it was completely arbitrary because this is awesome

SeeYouSpaceCowboy - Coup de grâce: Not sure where it fits in, but I liked it a lot

Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention: Certainly benefits from its members, I wonder the reception had it been released anonymously

Smile - Wall of Eyes: Great background music

Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us: A very grown up album

VIAL - Burnout: What if Rilo Kiley were a but punkier but kept their twinkly guitars and melodies

Xard - Beyond Darkness And Time: Not something I normally would have sought out, but enjoyed listening as I worked

4.16.2024

April 2024

Bedbug - Pack Your Bags The Sun Is Grow: Sometimes charming with moments of beauty

Liam Gallagher & John Squire - Liam Gallagher & John Squire: Exactly what I expected and hoped for. Basically perfect.

Gouge Away - Deep Sage: Always glad to have it even if it does not not like , Dies.

Tylisha Haskins - Meister Klasse-A Thorough Textile: The beats are starting to take center stage

Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot: Both familiar and engaging

Little Kid - A Million Easy Payments: A million good moments

Josh T. Pearson - To Hull And Back: Lift to Experience is not dead!

Josh T. Pearson - Last of the Country Gentlemen: Emotionally draining and wonderful at it

Josh T. Pearson - The Straight Hits!: More polished, but familiar

Jeff Rosenstock - Craig Before the Creek: Any excuse to get more Jeff

Sonic Youth - EVOL: LOVE

Sonic Youth - Goo: Entering new, but familiar territory

Sonic Youth - Dirty: Pretty clean, Untouchables aside

Sonic Youth - Washing Machine: Loose and free

Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves: Getting spacious

Sonic Youth - Murray Street: Sprawling and contemplative

Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse: Playful

Sonic Youth - Smart Bar • Chicago 1985: Great document

Trikl Act - A Spatial Plot Thickens: Hear me out. The Mountain Goats covering Spiderland in full.

Various - Modern Miracles In Science And Medicine: A ton of great tracks here. Worth digging into

Various - Vermin-Rat's Nest Recording Society Compilation: Very interesting mix

3.22.2024

March 2024

Beck - Mellow Gold: Sufficiently weird

Beck - Odelay: Weird, but serious

Beck - Sea Change: Can see why it was a critical hit

Bewilder - From the Eyrie: Would have liked a little "more" instead of the passiveness

Boilermaker - Leucadia: So happy to have a compilation instead of digging into multiple albums.

Chisel - What A Fucking Nightmare: What a fucking first track

dutchmasters - substation, my home. melancholy, my bride_: Understanding the lyrics not a prerequisite but would like the vocals mixed a bit louder

Dylan, Bob - 50th Anniversary Collection_ 1973: Completely unnecessary yet worth listening to

Friko - Where we’ve been, Where we go from here: Cannot wait to hear where they go from here

Gingerbee - Our Skies Smile: Put a smile on my face

glass beach - plastic death: Hoping these hit harder live

Laura Jane Grace - Hole In My Head: Her best solo release yet

Green Day - Saviors: Not bad for a late career album

Hot Mulligan - Why Would I Watch: I would watch before I listen again

Infant Island - Obsidian Wreath: Would love to hear an instrumental version

Li'l Dicky - Penith (The DAVE Soundtrack): Perfect end to a funny show

Mean Jesus - Challenger: This is incredibly enjoyable, a fun little hardcore treat

Mean Jesus - Abomination: A little harder but very listenable

Renaissance Sound - Renaissance Sound: Jazzy post-rock that soothes my soul

Renaissance Sound - Renaissance Sound II: Please tell me there is more

Jeff Rosenstock - In the Key of the Creek_ A Craig of the Creek Musical: Happy to check out the songs without having to watch the show

Tommy Designer - Tommy Designer's Golden Fleece: Too good for this to be the end

Welcome to Berlin - ...And It's Blinding: Really great screamo-adjacent album

what is your name_ - beyond old names, everyone’s songs_: Just when it seemed like 2023 was a down year for emo, gems like this pop up

what is your name_ - My Name Is…: A second album in the year and somehow better? Maybe?

2.25.2024

February 2024

A.R.E. Weapons - A.R.E. Weapons: Some monster singles here

Abela, Lucas & Zach Hill - Never: Not always, but not never

awakebutstillinbed - Chaos Takes the Wheel and I Am a Passenger: Missed listening to this last year, but what power even in restraint

Beirut - Hadsel: Perfectly splendid

Bleach Everything - All Alone In Dirt: Four minute bite of perfection

Blind Equation - DEATH AWAITS: Sounds like a novelty that would kill live

Brown, Danny - Quaranta: Love the beats here

Browne, Jackson - For Everyman: Leading off with Take it Easy is like a cheat code

Captain Jazz - Captain Jazz: I want to know more without knowing more

Cat Power - Cat Power Sings Dylan_ The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert: Absolutely stunning

Daitro - Y: This was an important album if you were there at the time

Drew, Kevin - Aging: Everything I expected

Drums - Jonny: It does what it does well

Dylan, Bob - The Complete Budokan 1978: Budokan was my introduction to Dylan and I will always have a soft spot for it

Empty Country - Empty Country II: I hope he keeps making music even if it never becomes my thing

Foxing - Dealer: Strong album that I somehow missed

Foxing - The Albatross_ Ten Years: Really enjoyed the reworked versions

Golden Apples - Bananasugarfire: In a constant quest for the extremes, this is comforting

Good Looking Friends - Wasted Now: Hoping to become better friends

Ho99o9 - Ho99o9 presents Territory _ Turf Talk, Vol. 1: Love the vibe

Ho99o9 - SKIN: The unsustained energy of the first track made for a disappointing rest of the album

Ho99o9 - Ho99o9 presents Territory _ Turf Talk, Vol. II: More consistent, but could have come in shorter

Hope Conspiracy - Confusion_Chaos_Misery: Back with a vengeance

Hotline TNT - Cartwheel: Not sure how unique it is, but it certainly is good

Jane Remover - Census Designated: The fastest hour long album I have heard in a while but play it loud

Lerche, Sondre - Understudy: I had forgotten it was a cover album and it took me too long to realize it

Lync - These Are Not Fall Colors: I wish I remembered where this recommendation came from so I can put more stock into their future

Lync - Remembering the Fireballs (Part 8): Reinforcing how excited I am to revisit their album

ME REX - Giant Elk: I still do not understand how under-the-radar they seem to be

Mil-Spec - Marathon: I did not connect like I did with the last one

Minor Threat - Out Of Step Outtakes: How much more is there? I want it all

Mountain Goats - Jenny from Thebes: Laid back affair

Natl Park Srvc - Magician: A good album with great tendencies

Open City - Hands In The Honey Jar: The anticipation got the better of me

Paint It Black - Famine: Short and fast never goes out of style. Slow and angry either.

Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter - SAVED!: Really forces you to pay attention

REZN - Solace: Not sure how it stands on its own, but as a background this was as close to perfect as it gets

Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds: Shockingly good

Save Face - …Found Dead At The Crime Scene (EP): Looking forward to a new full length

Stern, Marnie - The Comeback Kid: Frantic. It rules.

Streets - The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light: Light and fun

Teenage Halloween - Till You Return: Good but see why it could have gotten lost in the shuffle

Turbine - Demo Tape: I forget how this connects to City of Caterpillar, but it does which makes this awesome

Tylisha Haskins - November Drop: I love that he continues to make art even if I do not always identify with it

X-Parrot - Blue Wave: Have to admire the passion

X-Parrot - Casualty: Slightly more summery

X-Parrot - Life's Too Short To Notice: Slightly more experimental