Hardly Credible Music Reviews with Kieran

     Mindful is too kitschy of a word, so to summarize my music listening this year, I'll describe it as: picky, yet broad. I listened to 39 albums this year that released this year, which is more than usual, but I wasn't just listening to whatever I stumbled across (a bad habit I held long ago). This year, I was far more intentional about what new music I consumed, and I think the answers speak for themselves. I usually struggle to name my top three albums of the year, but this year I've got ten, plus some honorable mentions! Please note that being intentional and mindful does not equate to original: all but one of these albums you are about to see are either recommendations from Rate Your Music or Anthony Fantano. If you recognize either of those names, there are no surprises to be found below. I like to think I enjoy these albums regardless of how well they've been received by others, but only time will tell how much of a Fantano/RYM fanboy I am. HONORABLE MENTIONS E...

     In my ever so amateurish taste, I rarely come across an album that I flat out do not like. There have been plenty of albums I listened to this year that I simply didn't care for, but even then I just admit that I must not being trying hard enough to like it, or  more likely I'm just not in the target demographic for the album. Ignore Grief  by Xiu Xiu may have been too scary for my taste, and Wallsocket by underscores may have had vocals that I found annoying, but for this year, there was only one album that really took the cake for worst album of the year, and that's due in large part because I'm in the target demographic. Read any interview the band did about this album and you'll find the same: THIS ALBUM WAS MADE FOR ME! Without further ado: drumroll please. And the worst album of 2023 goes to... The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version)  – Switchfoot      Why? Why does this album exist? In an interview with Billboard , Jon Foreman (you kn...

  Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven – Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2000) Guys, this album is so good. This is a freewriting exercise because I haven't posted anything to this blog in well over a year (despite what my last post promised), but that's okay because I don't need to collect my thoughts for this album. Just like you don't need me to tell you that this album is good: every indiehead on the planet who also isn't a bitter contrarian will tell you that this album is a masterpiece. 4 tracks, 80+ minutes, post-rock bliss, crescendo-core, anarchism. It's not for everyone, but if you have the patience and the time, it's a must-hear. I consider this album to be a "tribute" to humanity, an ode to all the things we've done, a parade of all the mistakes we've made. I remember it was listening to/thinking about the passage in "...Like Antennas to Heaven," in which we hear a field recording of children playing when I real...

The Legend of Chin  - Switchfoot 1997, Re:think Ah, Switchfoot's charming debut record. I wasn't alive yet and these guys were already getting things started, albeit their line-up was a bit smaller at the time (Jon and Tim Foreman and Chad Butler). Even in their earliest iteration, Switchfoot was already establishing their style, one they would continue to develop over time. The result is a likable record from a band that showed promise. As you might have guessed, this album is a blend of what would become Switchfoot and a youthful side of the band that has, with age, been abandoned. On the track "Chem 6A," Jon sings about having "nothing but laziness" in a tongue-in-cheek song about teenaged indifference. The song "Might Have Ben Hur" is about a girl Jon is infatuated with; a handful of songs start with some pre-performance banter among the guys. All of this adds to the charm and youth that oozes out of the album. On the other hand, Jon was...

Girl with Basket of Fruit - Xiu Xiu 2019, Polyvinyl I can only describe this album as absurd. I have little previous experience with the experimental band Xiu Xiu, nor do I know if I want to know more about the crew. The sounds on this album are disturbing, contorted, even repulsive. The lyrics hardly make sense during the initial listen-through and it doesn't get much better on repeat experiences. In fact, repeated listens are what hold the album back. Like re-watching a horror movie, you know when the freaky stuff starts. Songs are no longer held up by their weirdness and, strangely enough, become boring. But that's not to say all songs lose their punch. "Mary Turner Mary Turner" will remain one of the most disturbing songs I've ever heard, as it retells the disturbing execution of Mary Turner. The title track still makes absolutely no sense and teeters on the line between enjoyably weird and too weird. Jamie Stewart's vocal delivery sounds pained at ...

Igor  - Tyler, the Creator 2019, A Boy Is a Gun / Columbia Records This is Tyler's left turn. He took the instrumental style of his previous full-length album Flower Boy  and took it further, releasing something far from a rap album. Instead, what Mr. Creator has produced is one of the best break up albums I've ever listened to. From a sonic aspect, this album is amazing; the way Tyler warps his voice against the music works incredibly well. The sinister sounds of "NEW MAGIC WAND" and "WHAT'S GOOD" are addictive; the hooks on this album are crazy catchy. But what really takes the cake for me is the pacing. Every song arrives just in time and never overstays its welcome. The order of the songs tells a convincing lost-love story: from the admittance of one sided love in "EARFQUAKE" and "RUNNING OUT OF TIME" to the manipulation on "PUPPET," from the I-don't-need-you-anymore vibe on "WHAT'S GOOD" to the ...

Native Tongue  - Switchfoot 2019, Fantasy Records In 2017, Switchfoot turned 20 years old, which is quite an achievement. Over the years they have refined their sound while dipping their toes in different sounds, from the alt-rock hit Beautiful Letdown to the pop-driven Fading West . But after twenty years, their message has remained the same, and that is exactly where my problem lies. For me,  Native Tongue is just another Switchfoot record; yes, they changed their sound a bit, going further into electronica than ever before, but they aren't singing new song. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this new album isn't new; it's predictable, same-old Switchfoot that I've gotten to know quite well over the greater part of this past decade. The title track and "Voices" are annoyingly repetitive; "We're Gonna Be Alright" is merely a sequel to "When Was the Last Time" off of their last record; "Prodigal Soul" is the mos...

Albums of the Year My apologies for not keeping a consistent blog (the semester got hectic near the end). But I am back nevertheless and here are my favorite albums released this year. 2018 was a great year for music for me personally, as many of these albums are joining my all-time favorites list. The following albums are in no particular order, however my definitive album of the year appears last. Without further ado, here is my incredibly basic list.  God's Favorite Customer - Father John Misty FJM steps back from the grandeur and scope of last year's Pure Comedy  and releases a beautiful collection of love songs written for his wife. Favorite Aspect: Lyrical Themes Joy as an Act of Resistance - Idles A noisy and ambitious punk album wrought with emotion. Favorite Aspect: Overall sound Little Dark Age - MGMT A decade after they burst onto the pop scene, the duo known as MGMT have released some of their best songs yet, setting pop lyrics against ...

Wind Up Bird  - Matthew Thiessen and the Earthquakes 2018, SMLXL To me, Matt Thiessen is a legend. He co-founded Relient K, one of the more famous Christian bands of the 2000s, and wrote most of their music, inserting himself as a favorite among any Christian who grew up in the 2000s. Another great thing about Matt Thiessen is that he never pinned down a "Relient K" formula; the music grew with him.  Air for Free , Relient K's latest album, is an energetic yet mellow album filled with Thiessen's skillful piano melodies and outstanding lyrics: fitting for a group of guys in their mid-thirties. Now in his late-thirties, Thiessen has gone solo and released his most stripped back and laid back work yet:  Wind Up Bird . The main instruments on this album are guitars, pianos, drums, and vocals, and Thiessen lays them down well. The easiest comparison I can make to this album is a dip in a cool lake in the middle of a forest on a hot summer day: in other words, refres...