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Showing posts from October, 2025

Paul Kalkbrenner - THE ESSENCE (2025)

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THE ESSENCE is a poised, introspective return for Paul Kalkbrenner—an album where dancefloor drive and melodic clarity meet evocative restraint. From “Ninety-Two” onward, he fuses nostalgia and futurism: the single’s stripped-back, groove-anchored form suggests a sound that honors rave heritage without being chained to it. The production navigates peaks and plateaued spaces—tracks swell with emotion, then retreat into spacious moments, giving the listener breathing room. Kalkbrenner’s claim that there are no filler moments feels supported: each composition feels deliberately placed in the album’s arc. Ultimately, THE ESSENCE feels like a reaffirmation, a mature statement from an artist reclaiming his voice in the landscape he has long helped define. Genre : Techno Country : Germany Final Verdict: 65% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 228th / 691 Highlight : NINETY - TWO Made me think of: Carl Craig Moderat Floating Points #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #no...

Public Service Broadcasting - Night Flight - The Last Flight Remixes (2025)

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Night Flight refracts The Last Flight through a nocturnal lens, tilting its lofty storytelling toward darker, more electronic reimaginings. Gus’s alt-J remix of “The Fun Of It” strips back its brightness, recasting the track in shadow and tension. Meanwhile, more abstract contributions like The KVB’s take on “Arabian Flight” or Hainbach’s reconstruction of “A Different Kind of Love” push the original’s archival textures into more fragmented, glitchy terrain. The project balances reverence for the source material with bold transformation—these are not passive remixes but dialogues with the original themes of ambition, disappearance, and human aspiration. As a companion piece, Night Flight deepens the emotional and sonic resonance of The Last Flight , offering listeners new perspectives on a journey already rich with narrative weight. Genre : Electronic Country : UK Final Verdict: 66% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 178th / 690 Highlight : The South Atlantic (Peter Sandberg Remix) Made...

Amber Mark - Pretty Idea (2025)

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Pretty Idea is a lustrous, emotionally candid album that maps the tension between romance and self-reclamation, using dancefloor sheen as both shield and amplifier for vulnerability. Amber Mark glides through disco, funk, and R&B textures, her breathy vocals threading through glossy synths, rubbery basslines, and warm harmonies. The record blossoms in moments like “Sweet Serotonin,” where woozy nostalgia meets modern groove, and it plunges deeper in “Don’t Remind Me” (with Anderson .Paak), when heartbreak is laid bare against a slow funk pulse. While parts of the album lean toward pop polish, Mark’s lyrical sincerity and vocal nuance prevent it from feeling merely decorative. All told, Pretty Idea achieves a balance: a body of work that seduces with its surfaces but sustains with its emotional core. Genre : Contemporary R&B Country : US Final Verdict: 64% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 305th / 689 Highlight : By The End of the Night Made me think of: Solange Janelle Monáe Kal...

God Alone - The Beep Test (2025)

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The Beep Test confronts you with a wild, unpredictable collision of aggression, melody, and stylistic leaps—it’s not content to stay in one lane. The opening track hits with mathcore dissonance and thunderous dynamics, then Sir Laplage pivots unexpectedly into funky rhythms and falsetto vocals, making you question your expectations (as noted in the Bandcamp Daily review). Tony Gawk leans into darker territory—blast beats, tortured vocals—before Pink Himalayan returns with a more dance-inflected but still emotionally potent edge. Throughout, God Alone balance their heavier impulses with bursts of electronic textures, groove sections, and lyrical absurdism, creating a sense of controlled chaos. The result is a daring, volatile record that demands attention and resists easy categorization. Genre : Mathcore Country : Ireland Final Verdict: 60% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 546th / 688 Highlight : Yupasaid Made me think of: Dillinger Escape Plan Converge Every Time I Die #newalbum #newa...

Ozark Henry - August Parker (2025)

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August Parker marks a thoughtful and resonant return for Ozark Henry, merging his distinctive voice with expansive, atmospheric production that feels both intimate and expansive. From the single “Light,” which introduces warm tones over subtle textures, to “Pharaoh” and “King Kong,” the album explores both personal storytelling and broader emotional landscapes. The production leans into rich layering: vocals, minimal electronics, ambient space, and careful use of dynamics balance accessibility with depth. While the sound retains some of the familiarity of his earlier work, there’s a maturity and refinement here—a sense that each song breathes and reveals over time. In sum, August Parker feels like a reclamation and evolution: familiar yet new, personal but also poised to engage listeners on multiple levels. Genre : Atmospheric Pop Country : Belgium Final Verdict : 59% (Forgettable Album) Yearly Ranking: 589th / 687 Highlight : In The Wild Made me think of: Peter Gabriel David Sylvia...

Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe - Liminal (2025)

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Liminal is a haunting, meditative record that masterfully navigates the spaces between ambient abstraction and delicate, human emotion. Wolfe’s vocals float through soft synth beds and subtle textures, often feeling both present and distant in the mix, casting a dreamlike glow over even sparse instrumentation. The album’s pacing is deliberate, allowing each sonic gesture—whether a shimmering chord, faint pulse, or voice echo—to resonate and breathe. At times, Liminal leans toward introspective minimalism; at others, it hints at melodic structure, treading the boundary between song and pure atmosphere. In sum, Liminal is an elegant experiment in mood and fragility—one that rewards patient listening and reveals its depth gradually, like light through dusk. Genre : Ambient Country : UK Final Verdict: 71% (Very Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 50th / 686 Highlight : Little Boy Made me think of: Biosphere Oneohtrix Point Never Cocteau Twins #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #al...

Worakls - From one blink to another (2025)

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From One Blink to Another is a bold, cinematic leap for Worakls—he marries his electronic roots with orchestral depth, creating a sonic world where melody, tension, and expansive dynamics coexist. The album’s textures shift from lush strings and piano motifs to rhythmic pulses and climactic electronic surges, each track feeling like a vignette in a broader narrative. Collaborations and guest elements accentuate rather than overshadow, helping the record feel collaborative yet cohesive. Despite its ambition, the record rarely feels overstuffed: Worakls leaves space for introspection and avoids bombast for its own sake. Ultimately, From One Blink to Another is a confident redefinition—a project that signals growth, reach, and a willingness to push the edges of electronic orchestration. Genre : Electronic Country : France Final Verdict: 79% (Very Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 12th / 685 Highlight : (both added to my 2025 best of) Anges Lueur Made me think of: Nils Frahm Ólafur Arnalds Ma...

Neko Case - Neon Grey Midnight Green (2025)

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Neon Grey Midnight Green is a grand and vulnerable work, one in which Neko Case confronts grief, memory, and longing with lyrical boldness and sonic breadth. She marries her keening alto voice to sweeping strings, chamber orchestration, and a band that shifts between quiet reflection and cathartic surges—on tracks like “Destination,” “Wreck,” and “Neon Grey Midnight Green” she balances restraint and abandon. The album thrives on contrasts: intimate lines—“Your fire’s hue / A maraschino cherry”—can explode into distortion and emotional intensity. In “Rusty Mountain,” she critiques the triteness of love songs while nonetheless staking her claim to their power on her own terms. Ultimately, Neon Grey Midnight Green reaffirm her as a songwriter unafraid to blend small, personal moments with epic gestures, building an album that feels both introspective and expansively alive. Genre : Folk Country : US Final Verdict: 64% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 291th / 684 Highlight : Neon Grey Midni...

NewDad - Altar (2025)

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Altar is a haunting, atmospheric journey through longing and transformation, where NewDad sharpen their sound without abandoning their emotional core. Julie Dawson’s vocals carry both fragility and steel—at times whispering, at others letting loose in cathartic bursts—anchoring songs that swell from hush to tremor. Tracks like “Roobosh” stand out for their urgency and raw energy, while quieter pieces such as “Other Side” and “Mr Cold Embrace” reveal deeper textures and restraint. The album often leans gothic in tonality, yet it also surprises with moments of brightness and dynamic contrast. In sum, Altar is a bold second chapter: a record of distance, beauty, and emotional reckoning that bridges mood and melody with subtle ambition. Genre : Indie Rock Country : Ireland Final Verdict: 64% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 330th / 683 Highlight : Roobosh Made me think of: Wolf Alice Cocteau Twins My Bloody Valentine #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #nowspinni...

shame - Cutthroat (2025)

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Cutthroat kicks off with brash intent: the title track immediately sets a high-voltage tone, combining muscular riffs, clipped guitars, and Charlie Steen’s snarling presence. The album as a whole maintains momentum—no long detours, twelve concise tracks that push forward rather than linger—its propulsion underpinned by Congleton’s precision production. Lyrically, Shame sharpen their blade: the record takes aim at hypocrisy, arrogance, insecurity, and the paradoxes of modern life in biting, often confrontational lines. While Cutthroat may lean less toward the raw vulnerability of their past work, it compensates by embodying boldness and menace, offering thrills in almost every phrase. In short, this is Shame at a new peak of urgency—reminded that confrontation can be both musical and moral. Genre : Post Punk Country : UK Final Verdict: 59% (Forgettable Album) Yearly Ranking : 583th / 682 Highlight : Lampião Made me think of: IDLES Fontaines D.C. Interpol #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albu...

Puggy - Are We There Yet? (2025)

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Are We There Yet? distills Puggy’s signature warmth and melodic charm into a tighter, focused set of songs, trading expansiveness for concise, heartfelt pop. The shorter runtime forces the band to make every moment count—each track feels purposeful, with no filler drifting in. The production leans clean and immediate, with crisp instrumentation that lets vocals and melody come forward without over-polish. While there’s familiarity in the band’s sound—chiming harmonies, accessible hooks—there’s also a maturity in the songwriting that suggests growth rather than mere repetition. In all, Are We There Yet? doesn’t reinvent Puggy, but it reaffirms their strength: crafting intimate, emotionally resonant pop with clarity and heart. Genre : Indie Pop Country : Belgium Final Verdict: 60% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 563th / 681 Highlight : Never Give Up Made me think of: Phoenix Foster the People Bombay Bicycle Club #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #nowspinning...

Raphael Weinroth-Browne - Lifeblood (2025)

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Lifeblood is a stirring and ambitious solo statement: Weinroth-Browne treats the cello as an orchestra unto itself, weaving bass, rhythm, lead, and percussion from a single instrument. The title track begins hypnotically, then gradually intensifies as layers build—what sounds like multiple cellos in dialogue. In tracks like “Possession” and “Ophidian,” he channels the emotional grit of metal—power chords, tension, and dramatic arcs—even without guitars. He also balances that intensity with quieter, introspective pieces like “Winterlight” and “Glimmering,” which allow space and reflection. The result is an album that feels cinematic, emotionally rich, and disciplined in its exploration of what the cello can convey alone. Genre : Classical Crosover Country : Canada Final Verdict: 68% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking : 110th / 680 Highlight : Lifeblood Made me think of: Apocalyptica Jo Quail 2CELLOS #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #nowspinning #NowPlaying #musi...

Dirkschneider & The Old Gang - Babylon (2025)

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Babylon delivers with warm, classic metal energy—Udo’s vocals are as commanding as ever, and the instrumentation evokes the golden era of German heavy while embracing a more accessible, melodic edge. The interplay between Udo and Manuela Bibert brings new texture: in tracks like “Strangers in Paradise,” her vocals open the song with haunting softness before the metal onslaught arrives. Songs like “Hellbreaker” and “Metal Sons” lean into distortion and riff aggression, while others—such as “Beyond the End of Time”—unfurl into epic, multi-movement closers. The production is clean and punchy, allowing each guitar, drum, and vocal layer to hold space. Overall, Babylon feels like both a celebration of legacy and a fresh collaboration—familiar enough to satisfy long-time fans, ambitious enough to feel relevant in 2025. Genre : Heavy Metal Country : Germany Final Verdict: 68% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 98th / 679 Highlight : Blindfold Made me think of: Accept (obviously) Judas Priest Dokk...

we.own.the.sky - In Your Absence (2025)

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In Your Absence is a striking, emotionally resonant album that weds post-metal intensity with melodic clarity and atmospheric breadth. From the djent-tinged push of “The Urge to Prey” to the sweeping crescendos of “Swarm,” the band walks a fine line between force and fragility. The album rarely lingers in gloom: each track evolves, building momentum, offering breathing space, then surging again—this gives it a sense of narrative flow rather than monotony. While “Fragile, Alive” is a softer moment that borders on sentimentality, the follow-up “Eclipse” and closing “Silhouette” reassert the band’s command of drama and emotional gravity. In sum, In Your Absence cements we.own.the.sky’s position in the post-metal landscape as a band that can elevate heaviness with genuine soul, texture, and melodic purpose. Genre : Post Rock Country : Greece Final Verdict: 68% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking : 98th / 678 Highlight : Swarm Made me think of: Russian Circles God Is an Astronaut Caspian #newalb...

Die Spitz - Something To Consume (2025)

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Something To Consume is a gut-punch of a debut, a storm of pain, rage, and raw ambition that doesn’t apologize for its intensity. From the opening “Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)” to the closing “a strange moon/selenophilia,” Die Spitz patrol the border between control and chaos, offering moments of fragile melody before tearing into full-throttle noise. The band’s decision to swap instruments and share vocal burdens gives the album a restless energy—each track feels shaped by collaboration and urgency. Even in the most aggressive passages, there’s room for vulnerability: tracks like “Sound to No One” evoke quiet desperation before exploding outwards. In total, Something To Consume is both a ferocious statement and a deeply human one—a debut that demands attention, scars, and lingers. Genre: Alternative Rock Country: US Final Verdict: 61% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 484th / 677 Highlight: Red40 Made me think of: Brutus Amyl and the Sniffers Nirvana #newalbum #newalbum2025 #al...

Orchestra of the Swan - Light and Shadow (2025)

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Light and Shadow is a magnetizing blend of the familiar and the transformed, where Orchestra of the Swan takes listener-beloved themes—“Exit Music,” “Solsbury Hill,” “Libertango,” among others—and reinterprets them with depth, space, and elegance. David Le Page’s arrangements are deft: he retains recognizability while weaving new textures of jazz, electronics, and chamber articulation that invite you to hear these melodies anew. The album masterfully balances cinematic swell with intimate detail; sweeping strings give way to moments of restraint, electronic shading, or soft percussion so that each piece reveals quiet surprises. Even in its most dramatic passages, Light and Shadow feels curated rather than bombastic, with emotional arcs that breathe and recede. Overall, it’s a compelling demonstration of how orchestral programming can be adventurous, accessible, and deeply musical in one striking mosaic. Genre : Orchestral Crossover Country : UK Final Verdict: 66% (Good Album) Yearly...

Romane Santarelli - OK:KO (2025)

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OK:KO is an ambitious, evocative album that sees Romane Santarelli confidently exploring the tension between the inward and the ecstatic — a record that moves gracefully from introspective ambient soundscapes to charged, pulsing techno. The opening “Splendiose” sets a lofty tone, while tracks like “Inner” and “Verti Go” drift into cinematic introspection before being jolted by rhythmic surges. In more dancefloor-forward numbers such as “Baseline,” “OK Chaos,” and “No Way Out,” she reveals her command of tempo, texture, and dynamic contrast. Despite its length and complexity, the album rarely feels indulgent — each track seems deliberate, pushing or releasing tension without overstaying its welcome. In sum, OK:KO is a striking statement: Romane Santarelli proves she can inhabit both the quiet corners and the neon glare of electronic music with equal authority. Genre : Electronic Country : France Final Verdict : 77% (Very Good Album) Yearly Ranking : 18th / 675 Highlight : No Way Out ...

Big Big Train - Are We Nearly There Yet (2025)

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Genre : Progressive rock Country : UK Final Verdict: 70% (Very Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 56th / 674 Highlight : Light Left In The Day Made me think of: Pendragon Marillion Genesis #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #nowspinning #NowPlaying #musicdiscovery #Progressiverock #BigBigTrain #UK #LP #Album #release  

Jade - THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! (2025)

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THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! is Jade’s bold solo debut, bursting with theatrical flair, hook-laced pop, and emotional transparency. She leans into maximalism—glossy synths, dynamic percussion, and playful texture—while also exploring vulnerability beneath the surface. The record feels front-loaded with standout singles, yet a careful ear will catch subtle production details and lyrical depth in quieter moments. At times, the ambitious stylistic shifts risk overextension, but Jade’s charismatic presence keeps the balance intact. In total, THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY! is a triumphant statement of independence, signaling her emergence as a pop artist fully in command of her own voice. Genre : Electro Pop Country : UK Final Verdict: 64% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 336th / 673 Highlight : Plastic Box Made me think of: Dua Lipa Carly Rae Jepsen Charli XCX #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #nowspinning #NowPlaying #musicdiscovery #ElectroPop #Jade #UK #LP #Album #release ...

Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (2025)

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The Life of a Showgirl is a sparkling return to bold, polished pop for Taylor Swift, where she embraces joy, spectacle, and vulnerability in equal measure. She leans into upbeat rhythms and catchy melodies while exploring themes of fame, love, persona, and behind-the-scenes emotional terrain. Songs like “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Elizabeth Taylor” feel cinematic, while tracks such as “Wood” and “Actually Romantic” mix humor, sensuality, and self-awareness. The production remains in the recognizable Swift-Max Martin-Shellback orbit, with retro glimmers, warm guitars, and sweeping synths, though some critics argue it doesn’t stretch far beyond her established template. Ultimately, The Life of a Showgirl succeeds as a celebratory pop album—less about reinvention than reaffirmation—and captures Taylor in a moment of brightness, introspection, and performance. Genre : Pop Country : US Final Verdict: 57% (Forgettable Album) Yearly Ranking: 628th / 672 Highlight : The Fate of Ophelia Made m...

Tars - A Star Within A Star (2025)

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A Star Within A Star is TARS’ most expansive and assured statement yet, fusing colossal post-metal riffing with the patience and depth of progressive atmospherics. Tracks like “Burned (Lost in Space)” exemplify the balance: walls of distortion collapse into wide, echoing passages where melody flickers like light across a void. The band’s Belgian roots in heaviness show through, but the record resists monotony by weaving moments of near-silence and space-drone into its structure. It feels cinematic, as if charting a voyage through collapse and rebirth, echoing the cosmic themes implied in its title. Ultimately, A Star Within A Star is a powerful blend of weight and wonder—an album that proves TARS belongs among Europe’s most compelling post-metal voices. Genre : Post Rock Country : Belgium Final Verdict: 85% (Excellent Album) Yearly Ranking: 7th / 671 Highlight : (both added to my 2025 best of) Our Sun Is Dying Burned (Lost in Space) Made me think of: Explosions in the Sky Russian Cir...

Cate Le Bon - Michelangelo Dying (2025)

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Michelangelo Dying is Cate Le Bon’s boldest emotional leap yet, an album where her signature surrealism softens into raw intimacy and grief. She channels heartbreak into hypnotic loops, layered percussion, ambient piano, and saxophone lines that linger in the shadows of memory. Her voice shifts between crystalline detachment and tremulous vulnerability, especially in tracks like “Heaven Is No Feeling” and “Love Unrehearsed,” where longing and accusation coexist. The production feels sculpted—not showy—but gives space for tension, repetition, and small details to breathe. In all, Michelangelo Dying is a tender collision of art pop and confession, marking a new chapter in Le Bon’s evolving emotional and sonic landscape. Genre : Art Pop Country : UK Final Verdict: 58% (Forgettable Album) Yearly Ranking : 595th / 670 Highlight : Jerome Made me think of: St. Vincent Björk Laurie Anderson #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #nowspinning #NowPlaying #musicdiscove...

Sir Richard Bishop - Hillbilly Ragas (2025)

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Hillbilly Ragas is a brave, stripped-down odyssey that marries deep roots and distant horizons, carving new terrain within the American primitive guitar tradition. Bishop’s fingerwork is raw and muscular—he pushes his instrument into rhythmic territories with jagged strums and sudden time feels, especially on pieces like “They Shall Take Up Serpents.” At the same time, tracks like “Raw Eggs and Rooster Juice” unfurl with introspective grace, recalling the meditative side of his Tangier Sessions era. He wears the mantle of the “undiscovered mountain man” well—eschewing safety and predictability in favor of visceral immediacy. In sum, Hillbilly Ragas is a mesmerizing, restless statement: wild, risky, and richly singular. Genre : Acoustic Guitar Country : US Final Verdict: 57% (Forgettable Album) Yearly Ranking : 623th / 669 Highlight : They Shall Take Up Serpents Made me think of: John Fahey William Tyler Ry Cooder #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmusic #albumoftheday #nowsp...

Robert Plant - Saving Grace (2025)

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Saving Grace is a quietly powerful and humbly assured album, one in which Robert Plant distills decades of musical curiosity into a roots-oriented, interpretive songbook. His voice, now softer and more controlled, blends beautifully with Suzi Dian’s harmonies, especially on tracks like “Gospel Plough,” which pulses with both reverence and life. The arrangements are spare yet intentional: the acoustic frame allows subtleties to emerge—fingerpicked guitars, cello, banjo, and gestures of blues or gospel texture—never overwhelming the song. Plant leans into the role of cultural excavator, rescuing lesser-known songs from obscurity and infusing them with delicate modern resonance. In the end, Saving Grace isn’t a grand gesture—it's a modest, deeply felt act of musical stewardship and renewal. Genre : Americana Country : UK Final Verdict: 66% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 173th / 668 Highlight : I Never Will Marry Made me think of: Bonnie “Prince” Billy Townes Van Zandt Alison Krauss #...

Thrice - Horizons/West (2025)

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Horizons/West is a powerful, tension-rich chapter in Thrice’s evolution, delivering brooding atmospheres, stark dynamics, and poetic introspection in equal measure. From the slow-burn build of “Blackout” through the rawer aggression of “Gnash” and the crystalline introspection of “Albatross,” the album navigates light and shadow with precision. Kensrue’s voice shifts between vulnerable falsetto and weathered grit, while the band’s instrumentation weaves electronics, post-rock textures, and hard rock heft into a cohesive sonic landscape. The closer, “Unitive/West,” offers a meditative, spiritual coda—restful but unresolved, a fitting end to the album’s arc. Overall, Horizons/West stands as one of Thrice’s most assured post-hiatus records—a balance of ambition, maturity, and raw emotional force. Genre : Alternative rock Country : US Final Verdict: 66% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 176th / 667 Highlight : Distant Suns Made me think of: Manchester Orchestra Alexisonfire Thursday #newalb...

Vanessa Funke - Requiem (2025)

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Requiem is a haunting and deeply personal descent into emotional darkness, where Vanessa Funke strips away pretenses to confront grief, isolation, and identity with unflinching honesty. The music balances mournful melodies, slow, doomy riffs, and sparse black-metal atmospheres—sometimes echoing in silence before crashing into weighty weight. Her vocal delivery shifts between whispering melancholy and anguished cries, lending each track an intimate edge that feels less like performance and more like confession. Though the album is uncompromising in its sorrow, moments of fragile beauty (particularly in tracks like “Broken”) brace the listener with glimpses of light amid the shadows. Ultimately, Requiem is not an easy listen, but it is a necessary one—a requiem in both name and spirit, offering space for mourning, reflection, and catharsis. Genre : Melodic death metal Country : Germany Final Verdict: 71% (Very Good Album) Yearly Ranking : 44th / 666 Highlight : Gone Made me think of: ...

Maruja - Pain to Power (2025)

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Pain to Power is a fiercely ambitious debut that channels Maruja’s raw energy, political urgency, and genre-hopping restlessness into a sprawling, emotional ride. From the explosive opener “Bloodsport” through anthemic pieces like “Look Down On Us,” the album weaves furious rap, abrasive guitars, saxophone blasts, and dirge-like passages into a turbulent tapestry. At its best, the record feels cathartic and alive—its sonic peaks deliver visceral impact, and its quiet moments carry weight. Yet, some sequences falter under repetition, and occasional lyrical generalities dilute otherwise bold statements. Still, as a first full-length, Pain to Power announces Maruja as a band unafraid to challenge norms, holding power and pain in tension with fierce conviction. Genre : Post Rock Country : UK Final Verdict: 66% (Good Album) Yearly Ranking: 149th / 665 Highlight : Born to Die Made me think of: Shabaka & The Ancestors Death Grips Black Midi #newalbum #newalbum2025 #albumrelease #newmu...

The Murder Capital - Blindness (2025)

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Blindness represents The Murder Capital reclaiming their edge: it’s leaner, fiercer, and more immediate than before, channeling tension into sharp, unrestrained post-punk. The album opens with “Moonshot,” a visceral assault of drums, clashing guitars, and raw vocals, signaling the band’s intent to break free of overthinking. Throughout, they balance moments of atmospheric pause—like in “Swallow”—with blistering tracks such as “Death of a Giant” and “Love of Country,” in which social commentary and emotional intensity converge. James McGovern’s voice alternates between plaintive introspection and impassioned catharsis, especially when exploring themes of identity, nationhood, and disillusionment. In short, Blindness feels like a rebirth: it’s urgent, thorny, and confident—The Murder Capital firing on all cylinders with a sharpened purpose. Genre : Post Punk Country : Ireland Final Verdict: 57% (Forgettable Album) Yearly Ranking: 635th / 664 Highlight : Love Of Country Made me think ...