NTTR - No Time to Review

I think Live at Dunk Festival 2025 is a good live album, but I don't think the atmosphere is quite enough to make it a truly strong one. The Pyre is probably the highlight for me. The slow build works because the drums and guitars gradually give the piece real physical weight, and the final section feels earned rather than automatic. An Heir to the Throne also benefits from the live setting and makes a very effective ending. I also like The Woods . The sparse vocals help a lot because they give the quieter sections an emotional centre instead of leaving everything to texture and dynamics. My main issue is repetition. A Swarm of the Sun are very good at moving from fragile, restrained passages into huge walls of sound, but several tracks rely on a similar emotional arc. Once I understand that pattern, some of the later climaxes lose part of their impact. The live setting does add intensity, but not every song feels substantially transformed. I often remember the overall mood,...

I think Nine is a good Russian Circles album, but I don't think it consistently reaches the level of their strongest work. The main strength is still the rhythm section. Brian Cook and Dave Turncrantz give the music a lot of movement, and that helps the album avoid becoming another sequence of predictable quiet-loud post-rock builds. Empath works especially well because the riff is heavy, direct and easy to remember. Eluvial is probably the best track for me. The build feels natural, the textures change enough over eight minutes, and the final section has real weight without sounding forced. I also like Seventh Seal because it finishes the album with aggression instead of another oversized atmospheric climax. The short running time helps a lot. Thirty-nine minutes is exactly right for this kind of music, and Arletta gives the second half a useful break before the final track. My main issue is that I rarely feel surprised. The synths and nylon-string guitar add some new col...

I think Witch is a good In This Moment album because the band still understands how to make very polished modern metal feel personal. Maria Brink is obviously the main reason it works. Shame and Crawl use her voice particularly well, moving between whispers, clean vocals and much more aggressive screams without making every song feel like the same performance. I Want To Believe is probably my favourite because Rory Rodriguez actually adds something rather than simply appearing as a guest. I also like the amount of contrast. Into The Dark and Wrapped Around Your Finger slow things down, while Heretic does almost the opposite and becomes deliberately chaotic. Father is probably the most important song because the emotion feels much less theatrical and much more direct. My main issue is that In This Moment's formula is becoming very easy to recognise. The industrial production, whispered passages, huge choruses and dramatic builds still work, but I can often predict where a...

I think 2 Big To Rig is a good Ghost live album, but nowhere near essential. The setlist is obviously strong. Cirice , Year Zero , He Is , Rats , Mary on a Cross , Dance Macabre and Square Hammer are all here, and the newer material generally fits well beside them. Peacefield works particularly well as an opener, while Umbra gains some extra weight live. The problem is that I rarely feel I am hearing radically different versions of these songs. The performances are powerful, precise and very polished, but sometimes almost too controlled. I hear an excellent Ghost show more than a live album that changes my relationship with the material. The length is also a real issue. One hundred minutes is generous, but I don't think I need the complete experience every time. I would probably return to selected sections rather than replay the whole album regularly. There are some strong live moments, especially Mummy Dust and Monstrance Clock , where the crowd and extended arrangements...

I think Marrow Deep works because Mastodon sound genuinely hungry again. The opening two tracks are particularly strong. Barbarians Blood has exactly the kind of huge, slightly crooked riff I want from Mastodon, while Poisonous Weapons combines aggression with a very effective clean section from Brann. The heaviness feels purposeful rather than simply nostalgic. I also really like what the keyboards bring to the album. Your Ghost Again , Golden Spires and Moth and Bone have much more colour than I expected, and the seventies prog influences fit surprisingly naturally alongside the sludge riffs. The last part of the album is probably my favourite. The Vanishing has a great Sabbath atmosphere and develops slowly rather than immediately going for another huge chorus. Then The Three Fates gives the record a proper ending, moving through prog, psychedelic textures and heavy sections without feeling like an eight-minute collection of unrelated ideas. The emotional context obviousl...

I think Grimalkin is a good melodic progressive rock album, but I don't think it consistently rises above the level of a very competent genre exercise. The songwriting is clearly the main strength. Maybe All a Dream has enough melody to make the progressive structure feel natural, while Break Away balances hooks and instrumental detail particularly well. I also like Slowly Falls the Flying Man , which is probably the most ambitious track and the one where the different textures actually create something memorable rather than simply showing how many ideas the band can fit into one song. Ted Leonard remains a major asset. His voice gives the album warmth and continuity, and the shorter tracks help prevent the record from becoming overloaded with long-form prog. My main problem is familiarity. I hear a lot of Kansas, Spock's Beard and classic melodic prog in the arrangements, and although Pattern-Seeking Animals handle those influences extremely well, I don't always hear...

I think Ohm has a very strong identity, but I don't think the songs are as memorable as the sound of the album. The combination of analogue electronics, bandoneon, strings and Río de la Plata rhythms is immediately recognisable. Switched On Milonga is probably the best example: the synths feel playful and slightly strange, while the underlying rhythm keeps everything grounded. Acequias and Tres Empanadas also work well because they balance atmosphere and groove without feeling like obvious electro-tango exercises. I also like how compact the album is. Fourteen tracks in forty-six minutes means Bajofondo rarely overextends an idea, and the sequencing keeps things moving. My main problem is that too many tracks function more as textures, transitions or clever studio constructions than songs I really want to return to individually. I remember the palette of the album very clearly, but not enough specific melodies or hooks. Se Fue el Sol is interesting because Cristian Castro ...

I think Hazel Eyes is pleasant and very well produced, but I don't think the songs justify the amount of polish around them. The organic direction suits Sam Smith much better than the more synthetic pop of some previous releases. The acoustic guitars, piano, strings and gospel elements give the album warmth, and their voice is obviously excellent throughout. I also like that they don't constantly push every song towards a huge vocal climax. Everlasting Love is probably the track I would return to first, and Moondance works well because Feist brings a different texture to the album. Oh Mother also has some emotional weight without becoming too theatrical. My problem is that too many songs start to blend together. The production is warm and tasteful, but the songwriting is often quite conventional. I remember the atmosphere of the album, the voice and the seventies-influenced arrangements much more clearly than most of the actual melodies. The lyrics also don't help e...

I think Sunset Blush is a good atmospheric metal album, but I don't think the intensity is enough to make it a truly strong one. The atmosphere is clearly the best part. Sadness is very good at combining shoegaze warmth with black-metal weight, and when the guitars become huge there is a real emotional effect. Pink Sounds is probably my favourite because the build feels natural rather than simply loud, while Istoy works well as the final long climax. I also like how direct the album is emotionally. There is no distance or irony here: sunsets, summer, love, absence and nostalgia are pushed almost to the point of excess. Most of the time that sincerity works. My main problem is repetition. The four tracks have different details, but they often move towards the same kind of release: softer textures, increasing layers, distant vocals and then a large wall of sound. Once I understand that pattern, some of the later climaxes lose part of their impact. I also remember the overall p...

I think Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going is a good album, but I don't think it quite becomes a very good one. Ella Williams is clearly the main reason it works. Her voice gives the record a real identity, and I like the way she moves between something very fragile and something much heavier without forcing it. Cleveland is probably the song I would return to first, while Helicopters and Foot Thick Ice are the moments where the album has the most impact. I also like the balance between folk, heartland rock and noisier guitars. The production is detailed without becoming too polished, and the thirty-five-minute runtime helps a lot. There is very little filler and the sequencing is strong. My main issue is still the songwriting. A lot of the songs are well written, but not enough of them leave a strong melodic trace afterwards. I remember the atmosphere, the voice and the feeling of movement through roads and cities more clearly than I remember the actual hooks. So fo...

I think Cheesy Love Songs is pleasant and well made, but I also think I enjoy the idea of the album more than most of the actual songs. The Lazy Eyes clearly know how to write this kind of retro pop. The harmonies are good, the arrangements are detailed without becoming overloaded, and tracks like The One Who Got Away and How Does It Feel To Be In Love? have enough melodic ideas to stand out. I also like the short runtime. Thirty-three minutes is exactly right. But I keep hearing the references before I hear the band. Beatles, Beach Boys, Zombies, a little Queen or Elton John. None of it is badly done, but the more psychedelic and heavier side of The Lazy Eyes gave them much more personality. Here they often sound like very talented students of classic pop. The other problem is that the songs are more charming than memorable. There are nice chord changes, clever arrangements and plenty of pleasant moments, but not many hooks that stay with me once the album finishes. So I don...

I think Still Coming Down is pleasant and well made, but I also think I admire the details more than I actually want to return to the album. There are some very good textures here. The mix of distorted guitars, pedal steel, fiddle and other acoustic instruments gives the record a real identity, and John Ross is still a strong writer. Round of Applause at the End of the World and 500 Is the New 250 are probably the tracks that work best for me. My main problem is the songs themselves. Too many of them feel more interesting while they are playing than memorable afterwards. The arrangements are often excellent, but the hooks are modest and the understated vocals keep the emotional peaks fairly low. The short runtime helps a lot. At around thirty-three minutes, the album never becomes tiring and there is very little obvious filler. But even with that economy, I don't hear enough songs I really want to keep. So for me this is a solid indie-rock album with a strong atmosphere and ...

I think Weezer (The Gold Album) is perfectly enjoyable, but I also think I liked the idea of Weezer sounding like Weezer again more than I actually liked most of the songs. The good moments are easy to find.  We Might as Well Be Strangers  is probably the strongest track. Say Yes works well as an opener but  We Might as Well Be Strangers has more emotional weight than most of the album. I also like the fact that the band sounds more alive again. The guitars have some weight, the drums feel less processed and thirty-three minutes is exactly the right length. But the songwriting is much more uneven than I initially thought. Too many songs have the familiar Weezer ingredients without the melodies being strong enough to justify them. I hear the crunchy guitars, the awkward humour and the big choruses, but only a few of those choruses actually stay with me. I also get tired of how much Rivers is writing about Weezer itself: getting older, dealing with fans, the music bus...

I like the sound of Mirage more than I like the album itself. The production is beautiful. There is a lot of space, the acoustic instruments are integrated very naturally, and the move towards organic house makes sense for KSHMR. Mirage , Nigaaro and Rosh work particularly well, while Lost Temple  is probably my favourite. But after a few tracks, I start hearing the formula. Organic percussion, atmospheric synths, guitars or flutes, a warm melody, then another variation of the same mood. Nothing sounds bad, but too many tracks leave roughly the same impression. That is also where the comparison with Harmonica Andromeda becomes difficult. That album had songs and moments I could immediately remember. Mirage has a sound I remember. For me, that is not quite the same thing. So I think this is a well-made and coherent album, and I would happily listen to it again. But I don't hear enough strong compositions or memorable individual tracks to rate it much higher. Pros Beautifu...

I like the direction Chelsea Wolfe takes here. The Dark is more direct than some of her previous work, with clearer songs, stronger melodies and less reliance on pure atmosphere. Cold , Seethe and Humours work especially well, and her voice remains the main reason to listen: fragile one minute, genuinely threatening the next. But I also think the simplification removes part of what made her music so distinctive. A few songs are beautifully produced without leaving much behind once they are over, and some of the lyrics are more obvious than the music deserves. The heavier moments help, but the album often feels controlled rather than dangerous. So I enjoy it, and there are several tracks I would keep, but I don't think it becomes a major Chelsea Wolfe album for me. Good songwriting, great atmosphere, excellent vocals, but not enough truly memorable moments to push it much higher. Pros Excellent vocal performance throughout Strong atmosphere without becoming too dense Several ge...

Alien Metal is one of King Gizzard’s more focused electronic experiments, but it still works better as a stylistic exercise than as a genuinely strong album. The modular synths, acid lines and trance rhythms give it a clear identity, and “Alien Metal” proves the band can make this approach feel genuinely forceful rather than merely playful. The problem is that too many tracks rely on repetition without enough melodic or structural development. The production is dense and energetic, but the songwriting underneath it is often surprisingly thin, and the vocoder-heavy vocals rarely add much. There are enjoyable stretches throughout, yet very few moments that feel essential. It is coherent, fun and technically convincing, but also derivative enough to expose how much more distinctive the band are when their electronic ideas are mixed with their usual rock instincts. Pros Strong electronic production “Alien Metal” is a real highlight More coherent than The Silver Cord Cons Repetitive s...

Ritual is a compact, polished dance-pop album that does exactly what it sets out to do, even if it rarely pushes beyond that. Icona Pop still know how to build immediate hooks, bright synth lines and choruses designed to hit quickly, and the short runtime keeps the record moving before its limitations become too obvious. The title track and “Hurt” are the clearest highlights, while the rest maintains a consistent level of energy and professionalism. The downside is that much of the production feels interchangeable with contemporary EDM-pop, and the emotional or stylistic ambition remains fairly limited. Still, the album is more effective than exceptional. It is catchy, coherent and easy to replay, with enough strong moments to sit comfortably above average, but not enough personality or depth to reach genuinely great territory. Pros Consistently catchy Tight, efficient pacing Strong production and a few excellent hooks Cons Too safe stylistically Limited emotional depth Several t...

Comes in Waves is a dignified and often moving late-career record, carried more by Carly Simon’s emotional candour than by consistently exceptional songwriting. Her voice has aged visibly, but that fragility suits songs built around memory, regret, family and reconciliation. The best tracks work because Simon sounds specific rather than merely reflective. “Maybe I Never Loved You” and “Mother of Pearl” have genuine emotional weight, and the understated production usually gives the material enough room to breathe. There is warmth here, and occasionally real poignancy. The weaker material is much more conventional. Several melodies drift into tasteful adult-contemporary territory, some lyrics are too broad, and the album rarely approaches the melodic or lyrical precision of Simon’s strongest work. Its comeback context undoubtedly makes it feel more significant than the music alone warrants. A good, sincere album with several strong songs, but not a major late-career statement. Pro...

Gentlewoman is beautifully sung, impeccably produced and almost impossible to fault on a technical level. Cleo Sol and Inflo once again create that warm, intimate blend of neo-soul, gospel and understated R&B, with plenty of space around the vocals and a consistently rich organic sound. The limitation is familiarity. Very little here feels like a real progression from Mother , Heaven or Gold , and across more than an hour the album’s serenity can start to flatten into sameness. The songwriting is often elegant rather than striking, and some of the affirmational lyrics feel too direct to carry the emotional weight the arrangements suggest. There are strong songs and no obvious disasters, but also relatively few moments that demand to be revisited immediately. It is another good Cleo Sol album, just not one that significantly deepens her catalogue. Pros Excellent vocal performance Warm, detailed production Consistent atmosphere throughout Cons Too stylistically familiar Overlong...

unshine finds Jungle doing what they do best: sleek disco-soul, elastic basslines, airy falsettos and grooves that feel effortless without ever sounding lazy. The production is immaculate, Lydia Kitto adds extra warmth to the vocal interplay, and the album’s short runtime keeps the formula from becoming too exhausting. There is still a clear limitation: Jungle rarely challenge themselves here. The record is polished to the point of predictability, and several tracks feel more immediately enjoyable than genuinely memorable. But compared with a harsher 62, the consistency deserves more credit. There are very few weak moments, the sequencing works well, and the best songs have the kind of elegant, instantly recognisable groove that Jungle have made their own. Not a major artistic leap, and certainly not a masterpiece, but a very accomplished version of their sound. Pros Extremely consistent production Excellent groove throughout Strong vocal chemistry Cons Very little risk-taking Fo...

i think i want to go home now. is compact, sincere and consistently competent, but also frustratingly familiar. The XCERTS still know how to build a strong chorus, and the album benefits from its short runtime, but too much of it sits comfortably inside an already well-established emo/alternative rock vocabulary. There are good songs here, especially “do it to myself” and “sinking feeling”, yet the record rarely pushes beyond its influences. The emotional weight is convincing, but the melodies and arrangements are not distinctive enough to justify the very strong critical response. Nothing is especially bad, but very little feels essential either. A solid comeback, professionally executed and occasionally affecting, without enough personality or standout songwriting to rise much higher. Pros Concise and well paced Several effective choruses Genuine emotional conviction Cons Very derivative stylistically Few truly memorable songs Critical acclaim feels inflated relative to the son...