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Microshift

Hookworms

2018
Microshift
Album Summary

Microshift is the third studio album, fourth long play record and final album by British rock band Hookworms. It was released on 2 February 2018 by Domino Recording Company. The album's namesake is an audio plug-in. The record is dedicated to "Archie", the band's former live sound engineer. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.07

Votes

6883
Genres
Rock

Reviews

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Wed Aug 18 2021
2

Wow, this is currently the absolute newest album on the list. No surprise, then, that it happens to be British, because why else would an album this unremarkable be chosen to represent that year? Be honest, who really thinks that this is something we MUST hear before we kick the bucket? To name a few from 2018 alone, I think Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour, Earl Sweatshirt's Some Rap Songs, Tierra Whack's Whack World, SOPHIE's Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides, hell, even Travis Scott's Astroworld are all leaps and bounds closer to being "must-listens" before you die. I wouldn't say this album is bad music, but it's a pretty bland selection (and current conclusion) for this list. I liked a couple tunes, but I can't say I'd return to it. The bias is strong with this one. Favorite tracks: Static Resistance, Opener. Album art: The saving grace here is that the album art is pretty neat. I like the colors and the smooth, abstract art. Made me expect something funky and groovy, and the music didn't quite deliver. 2.5/5

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Thu Nov 24 2022
2

Fifa15 bakgrundsmusik med krautrock beats???

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Wed Aug 24 2022
5

Yeah, so I really enjoyed this. A lot. So much so that I had to look up Hookworms - an act I'd literally never heard of. And I rather wish I hadn't. This album game me strong Spiritualised vibes - and that cannot possibly be a bad thing. Catchy, melodic and multilayered, this album stands up. I might even go an listen to their first two albums. Just don't go looking into the band and you'll be blissfully unaware of the need to separate art from artist and the context its made in.

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Thu Nov 03 2022
4

In the interest of full disclosure, I was tripping out in a nice way when I listened for the first time. I'd like to report that it opened up a whole new world for me. And it actually did for a while. But then I started feeling like I was in the middle of the panic scene of Batman Begins when Cillian Murphy throws that fear gas at a young Katie Holmes, which made me realize she was in that movie before Tom Cruise entered her life, so much so that she didn't do The Dark Knight and we just had to accept that Rachel Dawes is now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. I don't really have anything against Maggie Gyllenhaal, it's just, you know. Tough beat. Show up for half of what is considered the greatest superhero movie ever before your character is killed off. So yeah that's the rabbit hole I went down with this album. The shrooms did the heavy lifting, and I eventually stopped listening to this and chose some Fat Elvis alternate take of a Righteous Brothers song that the King allegedly performed after Midnight in front of a rapid Vegas crowd. I bet the Colonel was passed out, but I'm telling you, Elvis was BRINGING IT! He even came back and did the "Baby Baby, I get down on my knees for you..." part again at the end of the song. If there's anyone who could ever will you into bringing back that lovin' feeling, it's Goddamn Vegas Elvis in the wee small hours of the morning.

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Thu May 18 2023
3

first impressions: sounds like a Hot Chip side project? should I know this? seems like peak p4k bait from this era. pleasant enough, some fun songs that I imagine could have been singles. after listening through: i enjoyed this and appreciate that it sounds like a culmination of a lot of other work in adjacent genres (e.g., Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, some lower-fi stuff) it doesn't seem like it merits a place on this list for innovation, though. post-reading reviews/wiki: yeah the reviews about this band falling apart after some allegations of s*xual abuse are not great. its also weird that there's so little information about this band even though they're so contemporary (relative to the rest of the list.) I know the question of separating art from artist is challenging, and i am v sure that MANY of the artists on this list have had similar allegations and if not/if they were downplayed bc "it was a different time" that that doesn't make them any better/worse... relisten?: I've added some of the songs I liked to my monthly favorites playlist, and might carry them over into my working playlist for this year, but I don't think I'll listen to the whole album again.

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Fri Aug 19 2022
5

The perfect balance between noisy and catchy, poppy and experimental. Call me Goldilocks, because this was just right, and I’m gonna fucking devour this porridge.

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Wed Aug 03 2022
5

This is what I signed up to this site for. An album and a band I had never heard of that blew me away. Mesmeric beats and samples building up to a shimmering flow that drags me in. Sure, I couldn't tell you want the lyrics are about, or even remember them, but every song have ideas and their own hooks. No filler.

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Mon Feb 20 2023
5

Krauty, rocky, beaty, lovely I needed this. Nice little injection of good modern music i hadn't heard before.

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Wed Oct 13 2021
4

Reminds me of all the indie rock albums I listened to in college. This isn't a bad thing at all, but it feels of an era pre-2015. Surprising that it came out in 2018. Probably doesn't deserve a 4, and if I really think about it, I don't "get" why it deserves a slot on this list. But I like this kind of music a lot.

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Thu Mar 10 2022
3

I’m not sure - is this sub par New Order or sub par LCD Soundsystem? Either way, not quite enough here to sustain engagement with the record.

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Thu Apr 21 2022
3

Very chill but somewhat unique vibe. No bangers/ memorable songs to me though

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Mon May 15 2023
3

Bribery is the only explanation as to why this is on the list. Notice how almost all the reviews for this album start with "Never heard of this band...". Seriously, who the fuck are these guys? Even you, currently reading this review, have never heard of this band before. I thought Wikipedia would help me understand why this could be considered an essential listen, but 75% of their page is about sexual assault allegations and their official site is an uncustomized Blogspot blog. Okay let's talk about the actual album now. It's nothing special. The first three songs are actually really good, but after that I think they forgot they were making an album. No fucks were given by anyone after that point. "Boxing Day" could have been the best song on the album, but it just abruptly ends without any rhyme or reason. 3/5 from a musical enjoyment perspective, but who cares man.

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Fri Jul 14 2023
3

Last night, after listening to three songs, I decided that Microshift by Hookworms is nice and tolerably boring. This evening, the rest of the album lanced much of my contempt. I'm not in love with the record, but 'Opener' had a powerful effect on me, and the motorik-pulse soothed my scorn away. Sorry I haven't called, S, been a hell of a week x

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Wed Dec 14 2022
2

I went on a fruitless search to find a reason for this to be on the list. In addition to finding that this album's only distinction may be the very fact that it's on this list, I instead I found that they disbanded the same year this album was released following allegations of sexual assault against the lead singer. I thought the album sounded fine, but I'll take Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer instead, thank you.

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View Author
Tue May 16 2023
2

Never heard of this but I'm going to say it's UK electronica. Cover has a retro vibe that I kinda dig. Song titles look appropriate. Could still be hipster shit like chvrches yesterday though. Fingers crossed eh? Ok, album art was a bit misleading but I was semi-right - it's UK indie rock. Ever so slight sci-fi vibe and a few electronic beats/sounds here and there... but mostly 3-chord indie. Wikipedia entry is one of those where "was included in 1001 albums" anecdote is a large % of its content. Overall very disappointing. 2/5.

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Thu May 18 2023
1

honestly couldn't finish it because the sounds were hurting my ears. none of the songs really stood out to me but the first one was alright. overall, not a fan.

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Tue Nov 30 2021
5

Added to my catalog. Love discovering nuggets like this.

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Thu Dec 30 2021
5

Really awesome! I had never heard of these guys, but it is just great cool driving indie rock.

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Mon Oct 10 2022
5

this was great! and totally new to me

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Wed Nov 09 2022
5

Leuk plaatje. Blij dit te hebben leren kennen

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Sat Nov 12 2022
5

Great stuff! Sounds a bit like gizz, a little like arcade fire, but all around very enjoyable song writing

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Sat Nov 12 2022
5

Primeira música é impressionante, demonstra opção de psicoldelia ampliada.

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Thu Nov 17 2022
5

Voice is slightly annoying but the music is really good and Im into it. Great album

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Thu Nov 24 2022
5

Great. It hit me in the right mood. Good mix of modern indie electronics and psychedelia

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Thu Apr 13 2023
5

вау!! очень классный альбом!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Wed Apr 19 2023
5

Singer sounds a little like Brandon Flowers on some songs… and I love Brandon Flowers. This was very good. I’ve never heard of Hookworms but will dive deeper into them now.

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Fri May 26 2023
5

This album is like the backing for a techno rom com set in the 80’s. If Tron Legacy had been about Flynn falling in love with a computer.

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Thu Jun 15 2023
5

I had never heard of this band. They are what would happen if Joy Division and Muse had a baby and then put that baby up for adoption, only to be adopted by LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth. I really enjoyed this album and was a bit surprised that I had never heard of it.

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Sat Jul 15 2023
5

Never heard of Hookworms before so didn’t know what to expect. If I had heard the music and been asked to guess the artist I might have said Stereolab. This is great to just sit back and chill out to or play in the background while I work.

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Tue Aug 29 2023
5

Wow this was a fantastic surprise. Never heard of them before and this was right up my alley. Moody almost progressive like, easily one of my favorite discoveries. This will definitely be getting added to the main rotation.

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Thu Aug 31 2023
5

Very interesting album. This sounds unique

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Tue Aug 24 2021
4

- remind me of django django - really like boxing day

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Fri Sep 24 2021
4

Strong 4 stars. Honestly pretty awesome album. Surprised I haven’t heard before

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Wed Oct 06 2021
4

Like it - will listen to more. Not a fan of vocals so low in mix.

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Wed Oct 06 2021
4

Really like this. Reminded me of Les Big Byrd.

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Thu Oct 07 2021
4

Weird perhaps even stupid name but damn, I Like this album. It rocks...it has soul and it's mostly electronic. I enjoyed most every song. I really enjoyed the album and I will delve deeper into their catalogue. 4 stars

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Fri Oct 15 2021
4

A lot of melodies and stuff. 0RS

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Thu Oct 21 2021
4

I really like this, shades of MGMT and Tame Impala, nice and dreamy with some interesting weirdness in there such as the broken guitars in Boxing Day. Each Time We Pass was a standout for me, really nice song

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Fri Nov 26 2021
4

This came as a complete surprise and I really enjoyed it ! 4*

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Wed Dec 01 2021
4

I enjoyed this - I like a bit of motorik style krautrock. Not entirely sure what qualified this album for the list, though? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Fave track - uh, "Static Resistance" maybe? I listened to it three times and no specific track jumped out at me, although I liked the album well enough as a whole...

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Thu Dec 02 2021
4

Sono rimasto spiazzato all'inizio, ma facendo l'abitudine ai suoni elettronici ne escono dei bei pezzi. Sì, una piacevole esperienza. 'Each time we pass' la mia preferita. Sta tra il 3 e il 4, direi 4 perché mi ha piacevolmente sorpreso.

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Thu Dec 09 2021
4

funky. i like the keyboards. reminds me a bit of genesis. freaking love static resistance. synthy madness. reminds me of the Brian Eno from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

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Wed Jan 19 2022
4

Pretty damn good! Atmospheric, the connections between songs was well thought out.

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Wed Feb 23 2022
4

Good, reminded me a little bit of arcade fire

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Wed Mar 09 2022
4

Du bon indie rock alternatif. Définitivement à réessayer, influences évidentes mais son tout de même original.

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Wed Apr 06 2022
4

Cool album cover The transitions between some of the songs are seamless!!

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Thu Apr 14 2022
4

This one really took me off guard. I had never heard of this band and honestly thought they were electronic vs alt rock Apparently now broken up after this one came out from accusations against their lead singer which is unfortunate.

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Thu Apr 21 2022
4

Really interesting sound, love the blending of genres here. Great find

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Mon Apr 25 2022
4

Never heard of this bunch. Quite like it. It’s never a 5 but glad to have discovered them. Cover art 5/5. You can beat a bit of surrealism

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Mon Apr 25 2022
4

Really good. I enjoyed it. The vocals were hidden in mix and should be more profound.

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Sun May 01 2022
4

This is deadly! Unreal rhythms and grooves, it really digs in

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Fri Jul 08 2022
4

When I first started listening to this album, I would not have guessed that it was from 2018. I'm not sure that I could place when exactly it was from, but this album is a throw-back to earlier synth music in many ways. There are also many modern elements, and everything blends together seamlessly. Some parts of it compare favorably to Animal Collective's sound. Really cool synth pop with solid if not overwhelming lyrical content. Dope. 4/5

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Sun Jul 10 2022
4

Had never heard of them before, but I really enjoyed this album! I don't feel like there was anything particularly innovative or stand-out about it, but it's well-executed melodic electronica which is good enough for a 4/5 in my book!

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Wed Jul 13 2022
4

Surprisingly good. I didn't know anything about it going in, but I really enjoyed the album and will look forward to listening to it again.

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Wed Jul 13 2022
4

Never heard of this band but enjoyed the listen. If i had to compare them to someone, they're like a more straight forward Tame Impala

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Wed Jul 13 2022
4

Wow.. I'm surprised how much I like this.. I'll be listening to this more for sure.

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Thu Jul 21 2022
4

Enjoyed this a lot, it bopped.

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Thu Jul 21 2022
4

I actually thought this was sick, reminded me of Foals and sort of Arcade Fire. and Little Comets kind of, but more experimental at times. Will listen again! Summer vibe

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Fri Jul 29 2022
4

Neo-psychedelia, space rock, noise rock, drone rock. Muy chulo. Un poco Claps your hands and say heah, pero con más guitarra.

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Fri Aug 12 2022
4

Big Kraftwerk energy. very boppable and enjoyable.

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Fri Aug 19 2022
4

Good neo-psychedelia, like a lesser MGMT to me. Disappointing to hear about why they dissolved as a group.

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Thu Sep 01 2022
4

When the album started I thought: oh idk about this… but then I ended up rather liking it!

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Thu Sep 01 2022
4

I’ve never heard of this group but I did enjoy it. My kind of sound.

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Fri Sep 02 2022
4

Very interesting album. The mix of post pop punk and new wave flow together beautifully.

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Fri Sep 16 2022
4

A bit strange, can't quite place the genre but pleasant enough to listen to

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Wed Oct 12 2022
4

Hlustaði tvisvar, fannst skemmtilegt og mundi hlusta aftur, jafnvel í fjórða sinn.

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Mon Oct 17 2022
4

Surprisingly good! Typical Indie sound of the late 2000s, few filler songs and generally songs dragging on a bit but overall catchy and easy listening songs

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Mon Oct 17 2022
4

A tad lengthy for this style, but overall enjoyable. Up beat and fun.

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Fri Oct 28 2022
4

I like this type of modern rock music. Good!

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Fri Nov 04 2022
4

DFA meets shoegaze. I guess they broke up for problematic reasons.

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Tue Nov 15 2022
4

I can't remember the first Hookworms track I heard but it was streaming era randomness—which is to say either partly or wholly governed by the algorithm. It felt like just a song on a playlist somewhere in the Spotify Sea. Off the coast of Wherever, it was enough to make me look into them. I've been a casual fan since. It must be hard for bands with casual fans. I never bought any merch, never bought an album, never supported them by going to a show or sending a few dollars their way. Essentially, I streamed a song or two with some regularity, probably threw one of them onto a playlist mix that I listened to for a month before forgetting it, maybe listened to a few albums at the outset during the discovery phase. And what's that amount to in terms of financial viability? A few pennies here and there from me. I understand platform math and the long tail and how things can add up. But they don't always. I also understand the money isn't what drives most music, but they got to eat too. Anyway, I hope these guys who were around from 2010 to 1028 understand. I liked them then and now. And I really like this record. It's definitely in that sweet spot for me of psychedelic, fuzzy, synthy rock. Some tracks step into the pop realm more than I might prefer but it feels holistic to the band. It doesn't feel like a coincidence that it's Neu! 75 for me one day, and Hookworm's Microshift for me the next. They, along with Maserati/Turing Machine, sound like kin to my ears. And, the kind of family you want to hang with. Not some annoying cousin who you wish would stay home. -- Note: Of course, this is one of the dangers of casual fandom: You might not ever know about if or when someone has been a creep. And, that just might come to light after hearing their record on 1001albumsgenerator.com and writing a positive (unedited) review only to check out the wikipedia after the record closes but before your new album is up.

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Tue Nov 15 2022
4

This was a pleasant surprise. Likeable and contemporary

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Thu Nov 24 2022
4

It’s always more exciting for me when there is a more recent band on the daily album generator that I haven’t heard of. It makes sense if I haven’t heard of a band from long before I was born, but something from just a few years ago then went under my radar is always good fun to explore! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Ullswater, Negative Space This was such a fun album. I’m always a sucker for a good synth, and I got the feeling from only the first few notes that I was going to like this. The synths stay throughout, but it is much more rocky than those first few notes would suggest. The music is high energy throughout, and the vocals sound great - somehow reminiscent of playing sports games as a kid despite this album being released long afterwards. Overall, an easy album to recommend if, like me, this album passed you by when it released 4 years ago.

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Sat Nov 26 2022
4

Nice to hear something I wasn't already familiar with that I liked a lot. Very reminiscent of Arcade Fire. 4 stars.

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Wed Dec 14 2022
4

Pretty dope grooves. Some of the songs are a little meh in comparison but in general I enjoy the vibe and vocals.

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Sun Jan 08 2023
4

Heard of, without hearing this band (knowingly). Excellent on first listen.

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Mon Jan 16 2023
4

An interesting choice for an album from 2018. I liked it and I dug the synthy vibes. Will check out the other albums from this group (although another artist that had a sexual creep in it seems). 4.5/5

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Wed Jan 18 2023
4

This is one of the few albums I had to listen to a second time to figure out what I think about it. I'm still not entirely sure, but I now know enough to call this very good. The first few tracks left me underwhelmed at first, but the album gets better with every track, and I'm quite fond of tracks like Opener and Shortcomings. Somehow, I find this mixture of electronica, pop and rock very fascinating, and my second listen intensified that feeling for me. I suspect I will listen to this again multiple times, and I still don't know what I like about it especially. I just do. Perhaps it's best not to overthink it. 4/5 ish

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Thu Jan 19 2023
4

I've never heard of Hookworms before, but this album reminded me in parts of some of my favorite music from the Indie Sleaze era of the 2010's. I thought the instrumentation was great, and all of the songs were really catchy and well written. I enjoyed the lyrics as well, especially on 'Negative Space.' Even though I enjoyed listening to it, I don't know if it's something that I'll necessarily seek out again, but I'm glad I can appreciate it for being a really well made album.

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Thu Jan 26 2023
4

Never heard of these before.... Really enjoyed it, right up my street. This site says it is "rock" but it isn't. Not sure what I would call this but it reminds me of the shins, the postal service, or public service broadcasting. I'll be listening again

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Thu Jan 26 2023
4

I didn't like this album at first but felt there was something there, so I gave it another listen and I'm glad I did. I preferred the more electronic/psychedelic tracks and the longer songs were some of were my favourites. Highlights were "Each Time We Pass", "Opener" and "Ullswater".

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Thu Jan 26 2023
4

That was really good, just the right blend of electronic loops and indie. Heard a lot of other bands in there and this was better than most of them.

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