Hello, everyone! I’m back with eight more mini reviews!

As always, all of this is just based on how I personally feel about these albums, and even if I give an album a negative review, it’s not intended to be mean or anything.

In a year full of disappointing albums for me and a surprisingly low amount of albums I feel are legit great … well, unfortunately most of the albums in this post are no exception to that … but anyway, time for the reviews!

Úpal by Kostnatění:

Here’s a very critically acclaimed black metal album from a one-man project, and the lyrics are in Czech. So, I just want to say that, as someone who only understands English, while I translated the lyrics online, I can’t understand them as well as I would if I knew Czech, so I’m not going to talk much about the lyrics here, even though they do factor into my feelings on the album. Although I will say that based on the translations I read, I do like a lot of the lyrics here, such as the frustration with violence on “Rukojmí empatie”, a track which also features a really good bass and guitar!

I mostly like the mixing, although there are some points where it doesn’t really work for me, like in “Opál” when the vocals get drowned out in the mix.

The snares mostly sound good but not amazing, and while it’s a very impressive album overall, it’s not one I think I’m going to be going back to much, as there’s not a ton in the guitar melodies that I really love, and parts of the album get pretty boring.

If you’re not into black metal I doubt this will be your cup of tea, but even as someone who likes black metal, I don’t think I can rate this higher than a 6/10. Again, it is quite impressive, and I understand why it’s getting a lot of critical acclaim … but when I could be listening to the albums released this year by Agriculture or Victory Over the Sun, I just don’t see why I personally would want to go back to this. But again, that’s just my taste.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Řemen”, “Rukojmí empatie”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Hořím navždy”

Nosebleeds by MisterWives:

MisterWives are a band formed in 2012 who released their debut album in 2015, and despite this being their fourth studio album, it’s the only one I’ve listened to so far … and unfortunately, it’s not doing a lot for me.

There are some nice synths on this album, and the snares have some punch to them, and there are some interesting lyrics here … but overall, it’s just not hitting as hard as I’d like, and part of that is due to the vocals often sounding drowned out by the instrumentation.

There are quite a few points on this album that feel like they’re so close to clicking for me but they just don’t, like how the melody of the chorus of “Sideways” feels so close to a melody that I love, but something just feels kind of awkward.

Now, all that being said, there are some standout moments here. I really like the blazing guitar and great snare in “Trip Around The Sun”, “Silver Lining” is a short but effective song partially about how people often hide their struggles, and there are more moments here that I like … but this is mostly pleasant background music to me. I’ve just heard this sound done in ways I find more interesting, and for me this album is a light 6/10. If you really like pop-rock, I’d recommend you give this a listen, and I don’t think it’s bad at all, but it’s not really for me outside of some moments here and there.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sideways”, “Too Late”, “Silver Lining”, “Trip Around The Sun”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Other Side”

Ley by Approaching Mountains:

Here’s a mostly instrumental ambient album that’s about forty-five minutes long.

There are some vocals on this album, like in “O Kai Mes Būsim”, but I can’t tell what any of the lyrics are (I think that song is probably sung in Lithuanian, and the only language I know is English). There are also some vocals in “Ignited in a Field of Bright” in which I don’t know what the lyrics are. So, just keep in mind that lyrics won’t be a factor in my review.

Overall … it’s not one that gives me a ton to say, but it’s quite eerie at points, and it’s quite an interesting album experience. It’s just a hard one to put into words.

Overall, there’s lots of creativity here, and there’s also a great cover of a Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis piece. The sound quality of the album is incredible, and overall it’s a very good album with some great patches, but there are a few tracks which kind of bore me, and I don’t think the album ends super strong … so overall, I wouldn’t quite call it a great album. 7/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Weeping in Radiance”, “Aerial Thyme Reverie”, “Forest Migraine”, “VL-184”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Black Smoke Above Trees I”

Kröflueldar by Altari:

This is a black metal album from a band from Iceland who’s been gaining traction this year, and this is their debut album. The lyrics are in Icelandic, so while I looked at a translated version of the lyrics, I’m not sure how accurate the translation was, and the only language I know is English, so keep that in mind, especially considering I’m not particularly great at analyzing lyrics anyway.

Musically, though, it doesn’t really grab my attention all that much. I mean, yeah, there are some hard-hitting moments, but overall I find a lot of the compositions and guitar melodies … just not all that interesting to me personally.

I also find the mixing a bit messy at points, and some of these songs have a kind of unsettling feeling to them—and I don’t think it’s unsettling in the way it was intended.

Again, it’s hard for me to analyze these lyrics, especially because I only read translated versions of the lyrics, but based on what I could find the lyrics didn’t really grab me much, either, for the most part, although there are a few things I found interesting, like the closing track which seems to be about the passage of time and death being inevitable, and how our ancestors are all eventually dying and we will, too—I mean, it’s dark, yes, but we have to accept it because there’s no way to change that inevitability.

But overall, the album just isn’t really my thing. I’m going to give it a 6/10. There are some moments here I find interesting, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to this much.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Djáknahrollur”, “Vítisvilltur”, “Grafarþögn”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Sýrulúður”

Ooh Rap I Ya by George Clanton:

This is my first time listening to a George Clanton album, and it’s easily one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2023. But it seems like this year I’ve come across so many of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year that just haven’t really clicked with me nearly as much as they have for so many others … but I was still really excited to hear this!

And … okay, this might be kind of tricky to explain accurately. Because … well, there’s moments here that I really like. I like the bassy synth of “Punching Down”, and I like the lyrics on that track, too, which seem to be about bullying, but from the perspective of the person bullying someone. “You Hold the Key and I Found It” feels kind of like an interlude and fits really well, and there’s a lot of nice percussion on this album, too … and there’s also the title track, which has some really interesting philosophical lyrics!

But once again, like so many albums this year, I can’t say it’s fully clicking for me as much as it is for so many others. And I think part of that is the vocals being mixed really quietly at points, sounding drowned out in the mix, and these songs would hit a lot harder otherwise … but also, it just doesn’t really make me want to go back to it much. Yes, the synths do sound good, and there are some good basslines … but it kind of feels like style over substance to me. And I don’t like using that description, because I’m not trying to disrespect the creativity here … but at least to me, as much as there is going on in the instrumentation, it doesn’t really stand out much to me compared to a lot of other albums. I’ve heard similar synth-pop albums that, to my ears, are much more interesting and a lot better.

But I don’t want to make this all about comparisons. For me to really like an album, I don’t have to think it’s totally inventing a new genre or anything … but for the most part I don’t even find the hooks all that interesting, and to me it kind of feels more like background music than anything.

So, if I’m being honest … as controversial as it is, I’m going to give this album a 7/10. On the surface it may appear larger than life, but once you dig deeper you might not find it as interesting … but maybe there’s more to this than I’m giving it credit for, who knows? I mean, it’s open to interpretation, and I’m curious to hear what you think about this.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Punching Down”, “You Hold the Key and I Found It”, “Ooh Rap I Ya”
Least Favourite Tracks: “F.U.M.L.”

Soft Landing by Art School Girlfriend:

This is the second studio album by Art School Girlfriend, an artist I don’t think I’d heard of until recently, and while I still haven’t listened to her debut from 2021, I decided to give this a chance, and …

Well, it’s got a nice sound to it, but aside from that there’s not a lot that makes me want to go back to it.

I mostly like the sound of the percussion, and there are a lot of nice synths, and the vocals are good (even though I don’t like how the vocals sound drowned out in the mix at points), but there’s not a lot melodically or lyrically that really sticks with me. And keep in mind I’m not the best when it comes to analyzing lyrics, so take this with a grain of salt, but a lot of the lyrics just feel generic to me, although there are some I find interesting.

Overall … I think I’m going to give this a very light 6.5/10. I like it as background music, but I doubt I’ll be going back to it much.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Waves”, “Laugh My Head Off”, “How Do You Do It?”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Out There”

Se Bueno by TURQUOISEDEATH:

TURQUOISEDEATH is a teenage music producer, and this new album has been getting a lot of critical acclaim!

And while it’s not really my thing, it’s a very impressive album with a very dreamy sound to it and a lot of detail.

I do find the breakbeats kind of awkward when paired with the dreamy instrumentals here, and fifty minutes of this is a bit much for me, but there are some fantastic moments here! For example, I really like the guitar in “Vertigo”!

Personally, I’m going to give this a 6/10 … again, the percussion doesn’t really work for me, and some of the synths can also feel a bit out of place. But while it’s not fully clicking for me, I highly recommend you listen to this! It’s quite impressive, and I can understand why so many people love this!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Eureka!”, “Guessabelle”, “Vertigo”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Crawl Space”

Starcatcher by Greta Van Fleet:

This is my first time listening to a Greta Van Fleet album, and at least to me, this sounds like some pretty generic hard rock.

As I often say, I’m not the best at analyzing lyrics, so take this with a grain of salt, but I don’t really find the lyrics all that interesting … and it’s not like I’m a big fan of the way this sounds, either.

The vocals often sound drowned out in the mix, and it holds a lot of these songs back for me, even “Sacred The Thread” which I think is a pretty great song, and easily my favourite on the album!

But there’s also “Waited All Your Life” which sounds like a much weaker version of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android”, and there are also a bunch of songs that just feel really forgettable to me.

I mean, this just isn’t really my style of music. I kind of see the appeal of this, but it’s not for me at all. I’ll give it a 4.5/10. It’s impressive, but that doesn’t mean I really enjoy listening to it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sacred The Thread”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Waited All Your Life”, “Runway Blues”, “Meeting The Master”