Oh. Well, thanks. Just you're generally not disposed towards complimenting anyone, least of all me. But it's appreciated then.

And yet he never listens to any of them ever again.

You don't know that. You don't know anything. ;)

You've told us like five hundred times.

Eh, no, that's where you're wrong. I've told you four hundred and ninety-three times.

What I've said, and you're trying to twist my words, is that I won't listen to any album FOR REVIEW twice. There's nothing to say that, once this project is done, or even before, I won't listen to any of these albums for my own pleasure. The ones cited as possible AOTYs are likely to get more listens.

You've told us many times that your "schedule" is so packed that you almost never listen to albums twice.

For. Re. View.
Dumbass.
:rolleyes:

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Album title: Dumb Blood
Artist: Vant
Genre: Indie Rock/Punk Rock
Nationality: English
Release date: February 17
Position in Discography: Debut
Fear Factor: High
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 2.69
I'm not quite sure how Wiki can call this Vant's “only studio album” when it was only released this year, but it's certainly their debut. Sounds more like hard rock/heavy metal than punk to me, but that's only the first track. Not bad though. Hmm, though we're four tracks in and, while it's good and I have no complaints, I can't actually point to anything and say that was a great track. A little generic? What's the difference between this and Garage Rock, then? Eh? Answer me that, if you can. I don't see a huge difference personally, not that I'd know. I have to say, “I Don't Believe In God” is just so cringeworthy a title – this is SO punk, isn't it guys? :rolleyes: - that I almost don't want to complete the album now. Jesus.

“Parasite” is the first song here I would call, with my laughably limited understanding of the genre, punk, but it's almost like “Summertime Blues” sped up, then surely “Are We Free?” is as far from punk as it's possible to get? I guess this is mostly more indie than punk rock, but for all that, and for all its overriding genericity, it's not too bad really.

Check out more from this artist? Probably not, assuming they make another album
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes
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Expectation Index: 8

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Album title: Reassemblage
Artist: Visible Cloaks
Genre: Neoclassical New Age/Ambient/Vaporwave
Nationality: American
Release date: February 17
Position in Discography: Second
Fear Factor: High
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 3.17
The last (and only) Vaporwave album I listened to (something about Flower Shoppe I think) did not impress me, but was that just a bad example? Will this be any better? Will I ever stop asking questions to kick off my notes here? Well, as to the latter, who knows, but as to the other two questions, it certainly starts more promisingly than the other one, with a nice kind of harp-type sound, quite celestial, though the second track is more fragmented, with what sounds like Chinese or Japanese or some Asian language being spoken by a woman. Okay, on further research, it seems that, according to Discogs, "Valve" contains elements of Miyako Koda's "Sea of Love" from Jupiter, in addition to MIDI data generated by its digital analysis.” I see. Well, I don't like it. Some of this is quite nice, ambient kind of stuff, but the more experimental (and I suppose, Vaporwave) stuff leaves me kind of cold really.

“Circle” is quite good – not sure if that's violin – surely it is? While the xylophone (?) on “Mask” reminds me of Vangelis ... never mind: I've just read that these are all digital samples or some damn thing, so will conclude that I will probably never be able to accurately describe or review vaporwave, if such this is. Overall though there's not much here that's made me want to throw my hat at it, did I possess such an article of clothing, which I do not. Like Tim Bowness's album to an extent, though much moreso, it seems to be more a case of not looking at individual tracks but just appreciating the whole thing as an overall composition, and not trying to deconstruct it, which I think is pretty impossible anyway, certainly for someone like me. There's certainly a heavy Japanese influence on the music here, but then, you probably knew that anyway.

According to the Wiki entry, the final track, “Place”, uses "software that randomly generates a new set of notes every time the track is recorded to disk." I think, with the full breadth of the English language at my command, and my own not inconsiderable powers of description, the only thing I can truly say about this album is that it's ****ing weird, but (presumably) very clever and innovative. Frownland probably loves it.
Check out more from this artist? I really don't know
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? I really don't know
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I'm not rating this as I have no idea how to.

Expectation Index: 7

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Album title: The Black
Artist: William Control
Genre: Darkwave/Synthpop
Nationality: American
Release date: February 17
Position in Discography: Second EP of four to presage their fifth album
Fear Factor: Low
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Average RYM Score: 2.00
Interesting idea. Though it might seem like these guys are paying homage to Ireland's most famous export with the title of this EP, it's actually one of four, each referring to a Horseman of the Apocalypse. So there has already been The Pale, released in 2016, and The Red and The White will follow. Sweet. What doesn't seem such a good idea is that, apparently, these four EPs will then make up the new album, called, quite cleverly, Revelations. Well, if you're going to shell out for all four EPs, why would you bother buying the album when it's released, unless there are extra tracks, and even then, would it be worth it? I suppose collectors, hardcore fans etc will have to have all four EPs plus the album, but your average Joe Nobody who hasn't got the cash for that will surely think, “**** it: I have all these tracks now, why pay for them, essentially, a second time?” I guess time will tell. I would have to say, as Zaphod Beeblebrox once opined: “Ten out of ten for style, but minus several million points for good thinking.” Hmm.

Anyway, there are four tracks only on this EP (and if I assume this is to be the pattern then the album will have – anyone? - sixteen tracks) and as it gets underway, well, my opinion is that it's nothing like Massive Ego: much more synthpop than darkwave, kind of generic really. Catchy enough, but not much more than that. Admittedly, hard to judge the band on only four tracks, but I assume I'll stumble across the other two remaining EPs (and maybe the album) in due course, when I can make a better assessment of them. For now, kind of meh but I'll reserve judgement.

Check out more from this artist? I'm bound to
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes
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Expectation Index: 6