Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another mini review post! I’m reviewing eleven albums in this post (a little more than usual), and I’ve got more mini reviews on the way that I expect to have posted soon!

As always, this is all just how I personally feel about these albums. Even if I say something negative, I’m not trying to be mean or anything. Art is subjective, and I’m sharing how I personally feel about these albums.

Alright, time for the reviews!

voices of flowers by eden clear:

You’ve probably never heard of this artist or this album, and … well, a few weeks ago I was looking at new album releases, and I found out about eden clear, an artist who released four very short albums in four days this September, each of them with only one track (ranging from 6 and a half minutes to over twenty minutes) … and yes, the reason I decided I wanted to review those albums is mostly because shorter albums are usually easier and quicker for me to review, but I also do like to review some albums by obscure artists as opposed to just reviewing what’s popular. And this is one of two eden clear albums I’m reviewing in this post, and I’ll also be posting mini reviews of the other two very soon.

And this particular album doesn’t give me much to say … but I mostly ended up enjoying this, even though there isn’t a ton of variety here.

Now I will say this: for a lot of people, this wouldn’t count as ‘music’. I personally would argue that it is music—and that it’s good music—but I can see the argument that it’s just noise. But if you’re looking for a challenging listen that might surprise you, I’d highly recommend this!

Yes, it’s got a very distorted, haunting sound to it, that for a lot of people isn’t going to be an easy listen … but I like it. 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: N/A
Least Favourite Tracks: N/A

eternal stasis, encompass me by eden clear:

You might be wondering, ‘Simon, once you choose which albums to review in a mini review post, how do you determine what order you review them in?’ Well, I mostly write all the reviews, and then use a random generator to determine what order they go in. Then I make edits after that … so, yes, it’s a coincidence that this is right after voices of flowers in this post.

This is the first of the four eden clear albums (and also the first one I listened to), and overall, this album isn’t really for me. It’s full of staticky sounds—which is something I often like in music—but it doesn’t really feel like a cohesive album experience to me, as listening to it kind of just feels like going around in circles and not really going anywhere.

There are some parts of this album that do change, but it doesn’t feel like enough to make me want to go back to the album.

But if you really love staticky, noisy experimental music … well, this might click for you. I’ve certainly heard much worse albums with a similar sound, and at least there’s a bit of variety here to keep it at least the tiniest bit compelling for me.

So, I’ll give it a 5/10. Not bad, but not really my thing … still, I can kind of see the appeal.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: N/A
Least Favourite Tracks: N/A

Springtime by Evergreen Avenue:

And now another obscure artist who’s released multiple albums this year and also has another album I’m reviewing in this post … well, this is the second time I’ve reviewed an Evergreen Avenue album, as I reviewed Favorite Hiding Place last month.

This is one of TWELVE ALBUMS Alec Critten has released this year under the name Evergreen Avenue, and Evergreen Avenue has released OVER A HUNDRED ALBUMS IN LESS THAN A DECADE. And before I talk about my feelings on the music, at the very least I’ve got to say I’m very impressed!

I also just want to say I can’t pick favourite and least favourite tracks for this album because the album is just one thirty-plus minute track.

Compared to Favorite Hiding Place, this album has more variety to it, and it feels more like an album experience! And it’s not like that album doesn’t have the atmosphere to really click for me, it’s just that I wanted to hear more variety.

And as much as I hate to say it, I think I like this album less than Favorite Hiding Place. The atmosphere doesn’t feel as calming or interesting to me personally, and the sections of the album where the instrumental changes don’t really feel all that gripping to me.

So, overall, it didn’t really click for me, but I’d recommend it if you’re looking for some instrumental ambient music.

This album has the variety, and Favorite Hiding Place has the atmosphere … listening to this album, I was just left wanting an album with atmosphere that really clicks for me and also more variety like this album has. So, I’ll go with a 5.5/10. It’s just not really my cup of tea.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: N/A
Least Favourite Tracks: N/A

Behind the Wallpaper by Spektral Quartet & Julia Holter & Alex Temple:

Well, this is some pretty haunting stuff!

I’ve never listened to a Julia Holter album aside from this one, but I’ve heard really good things about her music, and I decided to give this collaboration album a chance … and I’m so glad I did! Because this is excellent!

Now, it’s not an album that I really feel like saying a whole lot about, because it’s one that I think speaks for itself a lot … and that doesn’t mean you have to like it, but it kind of feels like an album that wasn’t even meant to be analyzed … and of course I don’t know what the intentions were, but it still feels that way to me.

Yes, I could talk about how amazing the strings sound, and how great a singer Julia Holter is, and how great everything sounds when put together, and I could talk about the amazing vocal melodies and compositions … and I could go on and on, but this album is incredibly open to interpretation with lots of potential double-meanings in the lyrics. I’m not going to pretend I understand it, but it’s an incredibly haunting listen that I absolutely love! For me, this is a 9/10 and one of my favourite albums that I’ve heard from this year! And I highly recommend this album!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: “Midnight Bus”, “Tiny Holes”, “This American Life”, “Science Park”, “Fishmouth”, “Night After Night”, “Jolene”, “Spires”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Unnatural”

What Now? by bridge of sand:

This is a twenty-two-minute ambient album by an artist I don’t think I’d heard of until just recently, and it’s a fascinating listen that I didn’t see coming at all!

I can’t say it’s fully my thing, but there is a lot to like here, with so much experimentation and creativity!

There are samples on this album, although I’m not sure where they are on the album. So, I don’t know how much of it is original material, but still, you can be creative by taking samples and turning them into your own thing!

It’s also worth mentioning that I couldn’t find the lyrics when I looked them up, although I can hear what some of them are—but not all of them, so the lyrics aren’t as big a factor for this review as they otherwise would have been.

I think I’m going to give this a 7.5/10. It’s a lot to take in, but at points it’s very eerie and very haunting! It’s an incredibly fascinating album that I highly recommend!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Wool of Desire”, “0Pen”, “Fast To Love”, “What Now”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Rush”

Smartwoods by Piotr Kurek:

This is a mellow, instrumental ambient album that doesn’t really give me much to say.

I mean, the production is pretty good, but there’s almost nothing melodically or compositionally that really sticks with me, and a few listens in I’m just left feeling really underwhelmed.

The album isn’t even forty minutes long, and yet it kind of feels like it’s an hour full of sounds that I understand the appeal of but that don’t do much for me at all.

So, yeah, I do kind of get why this might click for someone, as there are quite a few small details here that—despite not clicking for me—could really elevate this album for some listeners. But it’s just not for me at all … it’s a 5/10 for me, and if it weren’t for the really nice, smooth production, that rating would be lower. I’d recommend it if you’re a fan of this style, but I couldn’t get into it in the slightest.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Walk”, “Klamm”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Maybe Life”

Signs by Purelink:

Here’s another instrumental ambient album, and it’s one that I quite like!

This album’s sound has a nice, smooth feeling to it, and I think it creates a pretty good atmosphere. But with that being said, compositionally I don’t find it super interesting. But there are some small details that add a lot for me.

So, overall, I wouldn’t say I love this album, but I still did enjoy it quite a bit. It’s a nice, calming listen that I’d probably like a bit more if it were shorter, but as it is it’s pretty good.

I’m going to give this a 7/10, and if you’re into instrumental ambient music—or looking to get into it—I think this album is worth listening to.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “4k Murmurs”, “Stadium Drive”, “Pinned”
Least Favourite Tracks: “We Should Keep Going”

Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again by Lydia Loveless:

This is my first time listening to a Lydia Loveless album, although I know one of my favourite music critics is a huge fan of hers, and I was really excited to hear this!

And after giving it multiple listens, I can safely say it’s an interesting album that I’d absolutely recommend. And while I think it’s a pretty great album, there is still this strange feeling I get that I ‘should’ like this more than I do. And I think part of that is because quite often the vocal melodies feel underwhelming here, leading to it just not resonating for me as much as I’d like.

I like a lot of the lyrics on this album, such as the messy situation painted on “Sex and Money” in which the narrator is getting caught up in a bad habit of spending too much money, and there’s this sense of emptiness in the lyrics that really works. And “French Restaurant” has a really interesting breakup story, and instead of the cliché food as a sex metaphor thing, food seems to be used as a metaphor for the relationship here. And there are other moments here that I really like lyrically, and I think the lyrics and music often fit really well together.

And don’t get me wrong, I do like some of the vocal melodies here, and there are some standout choruses … and I like the crunch that the guitars have at points, and the basslines are good.

Again, something feels missing here that I can’t fully place, but I’m still going to give this an 8/10, because Lydia Loveless is a great singer and it’s consistently enjoyable … and the best moments here absolutely rule. This makes me excited to listen to more of Lydia Loveless’s discography, and if you’re into indie rock or anything like that, I highly recommend this!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sex and Money”, “Runaway”, “Feel”, “Toothache”, “Ghost”, “Do the Right Thing”, “French Restaurant”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Song About You”

Releasing Tension by Evergreen Avenue:

Alright, now the second Evergreen Avenue album I’m reviewing in this post … and I’ll be reviewing another Evergreen Avenue album soon!

This is the second Evergreen Avenue album I listened to, and while I wasn’t a huge fan of Favorite Hiding Place, I wanted to review some of Evergreen Avenue’s other albums from this year, including this one which was released on the first day of the year, and also only features one track, with the one track here being over thirty minutes.

And unfortunately, this album is held back for me by the same thing that held back Favorite Hiding Place for me … it kind of feels like when you’ve heard a short passage of the album, you’ve pretty much heard the whole thing … and I say it ‘kind of’ feels that way because there are some changes throughout. But there’s still not much variety here at all if you ask me, and I didn’t really find a lot of small details that made certain parts of the album stand out.

But with that being said, it’s just got such a nice, calming feeling to it that I’ll give it a 6/10 anyway. If you’re in the mood for some really nice, relaxing ambient drone music, I’d recommend this.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: N/A
Least Favourite Tracks: N/A

Cold Blood by Fully Involved:

This is Fully Involved’s second studio album, and while I haven’t listened to Mark Berman’s 2017 debut album under this name, I decided to give this album some listens, and … well, it’s pretty great!

First of all, the mixing/production here is absolutely fantastic! These songs have a lot of punch to them with a really tight sound in the production, and I love the blazing guitars all over this album!

And there are also a lot of really great hooks and catchy moments here! For example, “Dopamine” has a super catchy chorus that I love! And I love the groovy feeling to the instrumentation of “Wait No Don’t Go”, another incredibly catchy song! And speaking of catchy, there’s also the excellent closing track, “Give It a Name”!

I also really like the lyrics about neurodivergence, and while I’m not sure whether or not I’m neurodivergent (I have OCD, but I’m not sure if that counts as neurodivergence or not), I will say some of the lyrics really resonated with me with that feeling that you’re different than everyone else … so, while I wouldn’t say I fully relate to the lyrics here, there are some elements of it that I do relate to, and even when I don’t relate I still really like most of the lyrics here.

This is some really hard-hitting alternative rock that I highly recommend listening to! For me it’s an 8.5/10! Awesome album!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Publick Occurences”, “Dopamine”, “Wait No Don’t Go”, “Exhibit Z”, “Cold Blood”, “Paralyzed (Anew)”, “Give It a Name”
Least Favourite Tracks: “The Cover”

Blame My Ex by The Beaches:

The Beaches are one of those bands I’ve heard of a lot, but I hadn’t listened to them much until recently. So, I decided to check out their 2017 debut studio album Late Show … and it didn’t do much for me. To me, it’s a decent alternative rock album that isn’t actively annoying or anything but just feels like it blends in with a lot of other alternative rock for me. And honestly, I kind of expected more of the same from their sophomore studio album this year.

But what a pleasant surprise this was! I didn’t expect to like this as much as I do, and I’m so glad I gave this album a chance! Because this album feels more unique to The Beaches, and the production is more hard-hitting, too! And there are way more standout melodies and choruses here!

The mixing on this album is really strong, and the snares add a lot of punch to these tracks! Not only is Jordan Miller a great vocalist, but the vocal production is also great! And there are so many awesome choruses, like in “Blame Brett”, “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid”, “Shower Beer”, and “Edge of the Earth”! And there are some small details in the instrumentation/production that add so much, like the excellent vocal layering in “Edge of the Earth”, the way the guitar and snare complement each other in the chorus of “Kismet”, and the reverb in “If A Tree Falls” that gives the song more atmosphere but doesn’t feel too distracting.

And I really like a lot of the lyrics, including some really great standout lines. With that being said, there is the occasional line that I don’t really like, such as ‘I wanna be your cigarette’ in the closing track, “Cigarette”, and there’s also one line in “Me & Me” that I just can’t ignore: ‘If I go twenty-seven years with someone who treats me like shit instead of going out with my girls fuckin’ L-I-V-I-N, is it really such a sin? Is it really not a win?” And I get that she’s trying to say being single would be better than being with someone who treats her like shit, but if you read the line again, the wording makes it sound like she’s saying the opposite. You could call it a nitpick, but I just couldn’t ignore it.

But with that being said, I love the ‘alphabet soup’ line in “Shower Beer”, and while you could argue “Kismet” feels a bit stalker-like, I don’t hear it that way, and I think in the context of the song the totally ridiculous lyrics really fit! And I love how “Blame Brett” calls out an ex by name (I’m not sure if this is actually about someone named Brett or not, but either way I really like that there’s a name used here), and she’s acting as if being mistreated by her ex justifies her mistreating her new partner—and in real life, that would be a problem, but in the context of the song I just find it hilarious how she’s taking no responsibility for her own actions … and at least she warns this person that she’s going to be an asshole; this is some really creative song writing.

And “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid” might be the best song on the entire album, with its paranoid lyrics (as the title would imply) and a The Killers-esque chorus that absolutely rules!

Again, I didn’t expect to like this as much as I do, but I’m so glad I decided to listen to this, because this is great! I’m giving this an 8/10, and I highly recommend you listen to it, especially if you like alternative rock, because this album is absolutely awesome!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Blame Brett”, “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid”, “Everything is Boring”, “Kismet”, “Shower Beer”, “Edge of the Earth”
Least Favourite Tracks: “My Body ft Your Lips”