Microshift

I thought this was pretty interesting. It's got a great wall of sound, indie influences with almost a Radiohead vibe at times. I'll check out more for sure.

If you love late 70s electronic before the synths were any good, and British punk, this album is for you. (It’s not for me)

kinda indie krautrock neo-psych pop

I really like it

Negative Space // Ullswater // The Soft Season // Opener // Shortcomings

When this album popped up, and realizing that I'd never even heard of this group, I naturally assumed this was yet another shitty British EDM record that seem to be all the rage on this site. I guess I wasn't totally right, but also wasn't terribly far off either. Hookworms is not EDM, but it employs some of the same "instruments". There is some effort at creating actual songs (as opposed to "pieces" or "soundscapes" or whatever); it doesn't seem like Hookworms' M.O. is to make anybody dance (thankfully). They actually sort of resemble MGMT a bit. The problem really is—at least for me—that the reliance on synthesized music lends a real lifeless sterility to the whole record, and while I appreciate that they're trying to write songs, those songs are incredibly boring and—again, to me—not worth the effort it takes to listen. 5/10

I just don’t think I like most British rock after the 70’s.

Solid hipster pop-electronica. Resembles alt-j just without the refinement. Most songs are missing seemingly one element to complete the scope, or perhaps too many elements? Hard to say.

Oli siellä ihan kivoja melodioita mutta tämäntyylisen muzan pitää olla mulle jotain superia että lähtee. Koukkumadot ei ny koukuttanu.

Aivan päällisin puolin hyvän kuulosta indierockia, tai mitä ikinä onkaan semmosta. Ei ehkä säväyttäny niin paljoa, että uudestaan laittaisin kiertoon.

Nice, sounds nostalgic

Não curto rock moderninho não. :/

Solid at times but nothing that really stands out here

Fine and forgettable

Too..techo

I’d not heard these before. I’m informed this is quite different from their earlier work and they split shortly after this, which is a shame as it’s rather good. Spacey, electro - indie pop probably covers it

There was nothing wrong with this - I just don’t understand why it’s here. It’s more background music for me than something I have to hear…

I appreciated the abrupt changes between songs

eita pega 2018 FAVS (top 3): negative space, opener, wach time we pass mençoes honrosas: static resistance, ullswater, reunion, shortcomings CARA... nao tava esperando por isso, MUITO BOM!!!!!!!!!! no começo eu fiquei mds n acredito q vai ser isso o album mas ai BOOM um otimo album veio nas minhas maos. foi lindo eu adorei. nota final: 5/5

Not the most memorable

I'd never heard of this band let alone this album. Thoroughly enjoyed and will listen again.

Awful, not even music

This genre is psychedelic rock and has all the correct pieces of a good band, but I think their producer and mixer sucks. The singer has a great voice, great tone, I really like his sound. The drum sounds like it is a synth more than an actual dummer, but it may just come down to overly simplistic drumming. Overall this sounds like what one dude would make on his own when he does not have any idea how to finish a song. It reminds me a lot of a really shitty version of Foster the People. There are too many instances of synth notes held 10 seconds too long, repetitive sounds, simple mixing. Looking the band up, it sounds like all of their appeal came from their live shows.

Started off fairly strong and went mildly downhill.

Didn't connect with it at first but then they started to sound like Passion Pit more and I was able to slip into some enjoyment. Might revisit a song or two.

I enjoyed this, but it didn't seem especially ground breaking or anything.

Can’t believe this is 8 years old. I remember it getting some votes in the end of year polls and thinking “I really should listen to that again” but not sure I ever did. Really good album

This band soooooooo wants to be the Killers, but they are not.

MicroShit

Album isn't bad. It's very easy listening. I wouldn't mind listening to it again!

Like everyone else I have never heard of.them before. It’s ok. Grew on me on second listen. Starts off strong then fades away somewhat. On the plus side it prompted me to have a Foals listening session. They should be on here instead

Very tame impala esque

This is certainly not terrible but it is far from an essential album to listen to before you die. I am not going to vote it down just because it’s far too average to be on this list, but this is just taking up space that could be given over to something that provokes actual emotional responses.

Listen to the whole album without skipping but probably couldn’t recall a single song I hear because nothing stood out.

Not heard of this band before or this album. I actually really enjoyed it. Will check out more of their catalogue.

Great songcraft - really liked the quickly sound design.

Ultimately feels like something I have heard before.... many times before... and the songs all sound the same. Opener is OK.

Had an interesting, upbeat sound; it was not particularly memorable for me

Not my thing. A bit boring. All tracks sound the same.

Love The Soft Season. In general, like this album. Rock, but melodic and catchy. Driving rhythms in some songs, others with no drums and more atmospheric. Didn't like Boxing Day.

Accusations and a threatened court case brought this lot to a halt, shame really as I loved this noise 5 from me

Why are all of these so long?

I enjoyed this album, BUT I can't get away from the fact that the electronica elements of this album tend to make it sound technically homogeneous with ambient music. The vocals are often deliberately muted and ambiguous. There are some interesting hooks, but I would have to spend a lot of time with this album to unpack it and possibly embrace it. Maybe one day.

What a gem. Never heard of Hookworms before, but it's magnificient. At the same time, it's complicated, poppy, introverted, playful and has odd timings. An Album just like me. Fav: Negative Space

This album sounds ethereal, and has a lot of synthwave elements. It is an amazing album

I liked this at the start but then it got incredibly boring for a good 70% of the album, and then the last song was pretty good. The 3 good songs on here put it at 3 stars but this is pretty boring indie rock stuff

reminds me of the Heartstopper soundtrack

2.7 stars

I almost wish I liked this less than I did. The band has faded essentially into obscurity and has seemingly made no impact on popular culture. I don't think this album NEEDS to be in the book, but, I am glad I heard it. 5

This was quite good, I’d never heard of the artist before I really enjoyed this

Oh man, this is something. I don't like it - too many times I've caught myself thinking, “This sounds like band A,” “This sounds like band B.” I'm annoyed by the singer's voice and some of the sounds here and there. I wanted to give this album a solid 2, but I already want to listen to it again. Not sure if it'll keep me interested in the long run, but there's certainly something in it.

bastante buono

Interest albums I’ve never heard of. Reminds me of a quirkier/poppier LCD Soundsystem.

It's nice music. Interesting, it reminds me of MGMT, or Phoenix, at times. I am not that much into that kind of music, but there are several songs that sound great. Others leave you easier.

Okey okeyyyyy. Intros interesantes, pero está padre. (No lo acabé srry)

This the most recent album the algorithm has given me yet. I do like that some contemporary music is also here but the music is just...fine. Some sad British guy on synth beats doesn't really reinvent the wheel but the sound isn't bad either. One element I especially appreciated was how each song leads into each other, which makes for a smooth listening experiences. Best songs are Negative Space and Boxing Day. 6/10, sounds very 2018 but lacks a distinct identity.

Feels like a weird album to select from the late 2010s, and I would bet money on it not surviving to the next edition of the 1,001 book. It gets an unenthusiastic "it's alright" from me. The sound is interesting-ish. Cool album cover though.

Hooked me man - it’s great!

it kept reminding me of something that i couldn’t put my finger on……. regardless, this was mostly unimpressive

Rv

I hate to be comparative but I felt, listening to this, that I'd rather be listening to either Dutch Uncles or Hot Chip in turns. It wasn't bad. It was fine and even catchy in spots. It just didn't grab me with a thesis at any point musically.

first half of the album was fire then it became ermm..

i cant tell if like it or not, its like a sometimes...

It wasn't a pleasant listen, at all. I don't get why this one is included here. The modular synth pads are lifeless and uninteresting and vocals didn't do anything. I know it's not a valid criticism but I have found them annoying as hell. I don't want to hear it ever again. Unfortunately, a 1

Top 3: 1. Negative Space 2. Static Resistance 3. Opener Least Favourite: Reunion

The first 1:30 started out nice until whimsical whiney vocal bulldozer came in to wreck the mood they crafted. Somewhat disinterested. Every song starts off with this interesting urgent driving beat and then the vocal dozer breaks the alluring trance.

Only production sounds modern. Very similar bpm for almost all tracks. Not a big fan.

nothing that really stuck out to me. just aight. probably another 2.5 rating, but i don't think i would go back to this one

I can't say I disliked it, but I listened to it in three parts during separate sittings and I think that was a disservice to the album as a whole. But you can't blame me, the first minute of the album is just beeps and boops so how am I supposed to be down to listen to a whole album with an intro like that. I'd like to give it another go, there are parts that caught my attention, but overall it was just mid alternative indie music.

I like a few songs and their overall sound but why is this on the list? It's not bad, but I feel like there are a lot more deserving or influential problems that should be in the spot.

Overall: 4/10 Started off decently enough, but I found their style to be kind of annoying in large doses. I refuse to believe that this is one of the best albums from 2018 that everybody needs to hear before they die. Fav Song: Static Resistance

Nice

It's aight. Probably won't listen again, but could easily listen through it.

Mostly harmless, I guess. I'm thinking it will also be just about completely forgettable.

Take any list on the internet of the best albums of 2018. I mean any. You'll not find a single one that puts Microshift on it, let alone in the top 5 or 10.

Idk. Could be anything from the 2010s imo. Not for me.

552/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Read the Wikipedia page and noped out.

Reading reviews and seeing mention of how noisy Hookworms’ previous albums were and how they occasionally sound like LCD Soundsystem, I had high hopes for this album. But overall it didn’t resonate with me at all - body or soul. It was fine.

I love the amount of energy delivered and how it’s done. The production so skillfully supports whatever the through line is and gives it even more power. From a strong bassline to an electric guitar’s rhythmic melody, there is matching passion in the vocals and production that does an amazing job at building up to big moments. There’s often several minutes of what seems like more of the same at first, only to transition to a climax that you feel deeply. All across the album you get developments like this due to the dynamism that’s ever-present. Faves: Negative Space, Static Resistance, Opener, Shortcomings

Misc thoughts: robots banging pots and pans in a cool way. Vocals like if radiohead was cheerful

This started out not great and for the most part got worse from there. The best parts sound like an electro-pop take on The Cure, but there are only glimmers of that. Most of it is uninspired hipster-indy claptrap.

Good overall. Seems very vanilla to me.

Not bad, but not something I'd probably listen to again. Boxing Day was good, but has an abrupt ending that doesn't work.

yet another weirdass, quickly forgotten publication-year-end-core entry to the list but man . i rly rly rly like it FHJSHJSFHJFSFSJ its krauty, synthy, and hypnotic...taking the sort of elemental and formalist qualities of krautrock and mixing them with the individualist emotion of indie rock-y vocals and even lyrics. if it is krautrock its certainly Diluted i suppose...theres little indication here that the musical dna here was birthed from postwar german youth feeling understandably disconnected from their entire culture. but as Form and Art....man its just rly beautiful and pushes so many of my autistic buttons. great great self-regulation music.

I'm puzzled. There's some nice songs but at the same time, this generation of bands all sound the same with the same boring voices ! half of the album is sounds experimental and you jump from a "real song" to something weird and its quite disturbing

A few really nice songs, nice album. Might listen to some of their earlier albums to discover more.

- tässä tuntuis olevan kaikki elementit 2010-luvun indiemusiikista, hauskaa huomata että kliseisimmillään se alkaa kuulostaa omaanki korvaan vähän eltaantuneelta - väitän kuitenkin että on mahdollista että olisin tästä tykännyt jos olisin tämän kuullut joskus 2010-luvun puolivälissä, julkaisuvuosi 2018 sinänsä yllättääkin koska tää sopis ennemminkin johonkin 2014 paikkeille

This is from 2018 and I have no idea what it is and never heard of it. So another first timer. It starts as weird dance electronica, okay. Pretty early on, I get some MGMT vibes, and it’s pretty good. Synth heavy throughout the album. Very 2010s indie rock sound. It’s kinda psychedelic at times. These long synth openings lead into some good rock music. Nothing blows you away, but I like a lot of the sound. Sometimes it does seem to get a little repetitive and certain songs feel to drag longer than they should. That being said, a lot of fun indie music here. Kinda that spacey vibe with the synths but surprisingly rocks at times too randomly. This feels like a solid 3, and something I may choose to revisit again. The compositions of a lot of the longer songs lead them to be less catchy than they could be, as they seem to meander a little and create more of a vibe. And sometimes that vibe really works.

"A book with 1001 albums chosen by a panel of music critics to be the most important and influential in popular music.". Well. This album certainly was not popular in 2018, nor particularly influential. I could think of several 2018 releases that fit this criteria better. This so called panel of "experts" certainly have some weird ass choices that don't seem to fit their own criteria sometimes. All that being said I do remember hearing a few songs of this album in 2018, but this was my first time actually listening to the album. I did like it, but it's nothing groundbreaking.

hot chip did it better

I like it. Bringing electronic back to it's roots while retaining a bit of that indie scumbaggery that spawned groups like Battles, Hot Chip, Justice, Crystal Castles, etc.

The album just left me feeling kind of bored. The songs were fine. The music was fine. A lot of the songs sounded pretty much the same with an occasional held note which actually irritated me a little.

Nice

Negative Space 3.4 Static Resistance 3.5 Ullswater 3.3 The Soft Season 3.1 Opener 3.3 Each Time We Pass 3 Boxing Day 3.1 Reunion 2.8 Shortcomings 3.6 Score: 3.233333333

Ethereal walls of sound hit you like waves stitched together with beautiful melodies. It has lots a psychedelia yet is well grounded. I had never heard of this group before but I am a huge fan of this. It will be a repeat listen.

Interesting listen, some cool modern alternative stuff

Never heard of them but like a hot chip mix up. Enjoyed !

I enjoyed this one, low 4. Some fun time signatures and nice sounds

psichedelico? non il mio genere, comunque capisco che può piacere. c'è di peggio

Leuk wat nieuwe muziek die anders klinkt dan anders. Zou er wel eens vaker naar luisteren, maar zou het niet een must listen noemen

1001 Albums Vol. 0021: Microshift ============================================================ Introduction: We have finally made it to something that was released in the last decade...and I couldn't be more unsure of how to feel. I really don't listen to much that was released in the last decade or so. By the last decade, I mean from 2016 and on, not the entirety of the 2010's. I'll occasionally listen to albums such as Ants From Up There or Imaginal Disk because I hear really good things about them, but that's about it. As far as I know, there's really not been a huge influx of music or albums that could be considered masterpieces in the past two decades unlike the decades which came before it. That's not me stating a fact or opinion, that's just me dumping my musical knowledge. I know Anthony Fantano gave an album a 10/10 recently. That's about it. I really just don't keep up with modern music. That's pretty much the gist of it. My kinda stuff was released from the 60's to the 2000's at the latest. Anyway, this album is apparently one of the most recently released to be added to the 1001 albums list. We're really in need of a new edition, huh? The album in question, Microshift released by Hookworms in 2018, is considered influential for...God only knows why. The Wikipedia excerpt for this album absolutely sucks and gives almost no insight into the actual album or its sound. My main takeaway is that this album was dedicated to someone by the name of "Archie". That's really all I have to go off of. From additional research, I've seen some pretty mixed statements regarding this album. It was apparently a huge deviation from the band's previously established sound, which will always understandably anger a portion of your fanbase. I've already made the Bob Dylan comparison in the past so I won't make it again. Point still stands. It apparently charted in the United Kingdom as well. Good for them, they need it...because their Spotify numbers are absolutely abysmal. I am willing to bet that a good number of their streams on Spotify come from users who either own the book or use this site listening to the album. I'm willing to bet that. It kinda checks out since the majority of their streams are from this album. You really can't help but feel kinda bad for them. Their albums have performed so poorly and they're somewhat trashed on by casual listeners and critics. I would hope that they'd make a breakthrough someday had they not already disbanded. Anyway, with all of that said, I've rambled on long enough. Let's just get into what might possibly be the worst performing album that we'll generate from this site as a whole. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 1: Negative Space Score: 10/10 Track 2: Static Resistance Score: 7/10 Track 3: Ullswater Score: 9/10 Track 4: The Soft Season Score: 5/10 Track 5: Opener Score: 7/10 Track 6: Each Time We Pass Score: 6/10 Track 7: Boxing Day Score: 6/10 Track 8: Reunion Score: 8/10 Track 9: Shortcomings Score: 7/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conclusion: You know, I forgot to mention something in the intro...who the hell even are these guys? This question came to me more and more throughout the entire album. I ended up looking at some other people's reviews on this site, and nobody seems to have a clue either. Seriously, why was this album picked out of everything else that could have been picked from this year. Uh...I think Mac Miller released something that was considered good this year...yeah, this is how little I am aware of music. Anyway, this album is an extremely, extremely mixed bag. The first track makes it seem as if this album will be a huge experimental project full of lushness and life. The first track almost sounded Shoegaze-like in a way with the way the instrumentation and vocals were layered. In a way though, this album was extremely experimental. It was unique and it did a lot of things I've never quite heard before. That being said, a lot of this isn't necessarily that good. It took a lot of influence from the kinds of pop albums being released at the time and mashed it with the echoey style of Shoegaze and the electronic style of...Electronic to make this amalgamation of sound. All things considered, there isn't a singular point on the entire album where this unique sound is bad, but it's almost always just decent at best. Again, the obvious exceptions to this are the three songs that got above a seven. Speaking of which, Reunion, the only song to get an eight from me, is literally just an ambient track. It's one that's well-written and produced, yet that should say a lot about the quality of music when it comes to the rest of the album. There's just a lot of strangeness with the musical direction this album decided to take. I've given a basic explanation of it, but there's no real way to get a real idea of what it sounds like without actually listening to it yourself. Now, with the album's music out of the way, I have to move onto the album's weakest point: its vocals. Look, they are pretty decent on some songs, but they are absolutely abysmal on others. It's really the music that saved these songs from getting a much lower score. No better word describes the singer's voice other than "annoying". It's just so annoying at times. There are exceptions to this as well such as Negative Space and Ullswater where his voice actually sounds pretty relaxing and peaceful, but it's bad majority of the time. It's high-pitched, it sounds autotuned, (and may very well be) and the layering of vocals on top of it only adds to the annoying factor. He also does the forbidden thing in music where...sometimes...when he's singing a word...he quickly changes the pitch of his voice from low to high before going back to low again and so on....Look, this will literally never sound good to a large majority of people. Whatever you call this way of singing a word is lazy, sounds stupid, and is annoying. There's an infinite amount of better ways to make a singular word sound so much better. Anyway, the general point is that the voice is horrible and sounds almost anthemic in a way. Moving on. Lyrically, I'd say this album is pretty decent. It delves into a number of different themes such as loss, breakups, and so on. Ullswater is one that's especially emotionally vulnerable for the listener and the band due to it being based on the singer's father passing due to Alzheimers. It goes into themes of forgetting and time. I'd really recommend it. It may be because I used to be a huge Everywhere At The End Of Time fanboy, but this song actually kinda hit me. I'd call it great. Now, the same can't be said about the overall album. Like I said, it is such a mixed bag. Overall, I can't help but call this album a very average listen. To many, nothing much will really stand out as all too good and nothing will stand out as all too bad. For that exact reason, despite the song average saying otherwise, I can't give this album anything higher than a six. I can't. Song average can reflect the overall song quality, but I won't let that interfere with my projection of an album as a whole. Guess these guys are pretty unknown for a reason: the world would be the exact same without their music. Seriously, why the hell did we have to hear this before we die? ============================================================ Microshift Score: 6/10 Song Average: 7.2/10

How have I not heard this before? This album rips

I disagree that this album is essential listening, but don't hate it. I had never heard of this group. Their Wikipedia page was... interesting. Terrible allegations against their lead singer prompted an abrupt break-up. I would probably give this a 2.5, rounding down because of *waves arms* all that.

more like microshit

Not terrible, glad to hear it. But basically nothing I haven’t heard from a bunch of other alternative bands, and done better by others

Nothing really stuck out to me as well, but very unique and dreamy sonically speaking. 5/10

Nice energy that kept me engaged! Something I'd go back to for another listen

An enjoyable listen, but nothing super special.

Interesting sound.

This feels like synth pop or dance filtered through turn of the 00s pop indie - think Phoenix or Passion Pit. There are grooves on some songs, but it all feels sweetly poppy, never quite leaving conventional rock or pop completely. The longest songs are the best. "The Soft Season" is a dull, empty ballad, but it flows right into "Opener," which builds nicely. The opener, which isn't "Opener," also has a nice build-up, but it feels very indebted to LCD Soundsystem while being solidly less interesting. Similarly, "Ullswater" has a big obvious Gary Numan synth while never reaching the stark heights Numan did. There's more variety in addition to those - an ambient track and some rock songs - but that also prevents it from really finding its footing or establishing its sound. It's nice enough for what it is, but it's hard to point to anything it does that another artist didn't do better.

This started off quite well but sort of lost me the more it went on. Quite interesting sounds going on, and I like how the beat built and built during Negative Space. I was vibing a lot but as I said it did wear on me and I feel the rest of the album didn't quite hit the mark. Also, not that there's anything wrong with listening to artists that are very unknown, but I question the inclusion of this album on the list. 4,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, I don't think you could really call this one of 1001 albums to hear before you die.

UK slop

Reminds me of the Strokes mixed with MGMT with a lead singer from Death Cab for Cutie. It's not bad, just boring, mass produced noise.

eerste helft was goed, tweede helft werd plotseling erg poppy

This is an interesting album - there are some bangers on here and some examples of musical masturbation. Thankfully there was more banging that masturbating.

Anxiety producing

3.4 2x caught up on second listen on 1/30. really interesting album

It was ok. Not sure why it’s included.

i like it it’s cool!!!!

A surprising inclusion but a fun record nonetheless. Sorta a blend of Passion Pit, Cut Copy, and MGMT. Sounds like peak 2004, not 2018.

Wonderful album!

Симпатичная музыка.

I really liked this album. If I’d discovered it as a 17 year old I probably would’ve been obsessed with it. A really creative take on the 2010s indie sound.

Kind of generic rock music, but had some songs that I enjoyed. Didn't hate it. Certainly choosing a lot of other bands or albums before this one.

This was really good! Fun - easy to listen to - good vibes

Better than a lot of other psychedelic music I've heard, though this album is better when it's less psychedelic. It made me think of King Gizzard.

Super fun, reminded me of arcade fire.

Not only had I not heard this album but I hadn’t even heard of the artist. I was impressed.

Another one I could have skipped before I died. 'Hookworms' leads me to believe it's catchy music. Never heard of the band or any of the songs. It came out of the gates fast and furious but sounded super run of the mill. I can't get past the in-your-face vocals, I felt he was yelling at me. This is another, in a long string, of British albums and artists (Leeds this time) that never hit in the US and there's a SOLID reason for that. 7 min/8 min songs, why? It was repetitive. The production was good (though a bit wall of sound heavy at times) but the songs were not. The two songs with the most listens, "Negative Space" (1.9M) and "Static Resistance" (1.5M) were average at best, the rest was filler. I really can't imagine either on the radio. I have no idea how this made this or any best of list. I won't remember this album an hour from now. 2 stars, I could have gone lower, it was just weak from start to finish.

sceptisch bij de eerste tonen, aangenaam verrast richting het einde

- 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM

Sympa

Not horrible, would need to be in the right frame of mind for it.

Decent

Enjoyed quite a few tbf

Are you joking this ELEVEN YEARS after the MGMT album it's copying, badly. Microshit!

This was pretty cool, but didn't set me alight. Favourite track: Boxing Day, thanks to the atonal horns.

Another introduction to me. At one hand I generally like this kind of music but at the other hand there is absolutely nothing unique or remarkable on. 2,5

I can pull out my hipster card again and say that I did know about this album before going through this list. It’s an odd little psychedelic indie rock album. Fun but probably doesn’t need to be included here

It all feels a bit more mainstream indie rock compared to their debut that was more psychdelic freak out kraut rock. It's good, for what it is (generic indie), and when the songs start to veer more towards the ones on their debut it gets better, but I have no idea why it's on the list. Best Tracks: Ullswater; Opener; Boxing Day

This album was okay. More interesting than not, but not many reasons to come back to. They use some psychedelic sounds, but I personally don't believe that it is a novel approach.

I could have easily not listened to this before I died and been totally fine with that. Not totally awful but nothing really all that special.

This is another one that I don’t really understand how it got on a list like this.

Tuli välillä mieleen Blondie. Täs on yritystä

Lenkillä tätä kuunnellessa huomasin, että kappaleista ei ole jäänyt mitään mieleen, eikä herättänyt mitään tunteita. Tasaista taustamusaa. Ei siis hyvä. ⭐️⭐️

Vähän liian kokeilevaa tämä. 2/5

Barely a 3 out of 5. This album will be a bit forgettable I think. There are little catchy bits here and there, just not enough to really hold this up as a whole.

Bleh

Very interesting. A bit bubbly, a bit strange, pretty decent.

I enjoyed this alot. Kinda felt like LCD Soundsystem mixed with M83. Dope modern psychedelic rock. I am gonna listen to this one again.

Loved this! Just the thing I want from this project. 4/5

I liked the energy of a lot of this, although it did start to overstay its welcome. I'll err on the generous side today.

I was incredibly bored listening to this. I also can’t figure out for the life of me why this belongs on the list.

Ok so we don't get death cab for cutie, or the bluetones, but we do get this dictionary definition of mid 2010s bang average? It's ok, bordering on good in parts, but seriously.

Interesting enough and a valid edition to the list, but I didn't groove to it too much

I really liked it to begin with, but the longer it went on worse my enjoyment got. And I don't think that it's because the songs got worse either. I think I just found it more annoying the more I listened to it. The synth was the main culprit for this.

Cute

3.88/5 Stars Top Songs: Negative Space, Soft Season, Ullswater

Enjoyed this, defo up my street. Feels a bit like Django Django

A surprisingly decent indie rock album with some krautrock touches

Cool and chill

Good album with creative songwriting. The layering of guitars and keys makes some really beautiful soundscapes, that unfortunately the vocals get lost in. Standout Tracks: The Soft Season, Shortcomings.

bummer because it was actually so good

Transitions….. I love a good transition so this album got bonus points in my book for this. Felt like I was in the world they created with this album, it’s so fun when that happens. This is an album I would definitely revisit and know I would’ve been obsessed with if I would have found in 2018 when it came out, it’s such a pre-2020 album haha. - Standouts: Each Time We Pass

Not for me.

Ok

Not bad but kinda forgettable indie rock electronica throwback mashup. Surprised this came out in 2018--feels very derivative without much of interest. There's 2-3 semi-standout tracks on an otherwise kinda boring album, but I don't hate it.

I was set to call it another "huh" of an un-relevant record. Which it may still be. But then I listened again and got fairly hooked on Ullswater, a poppy electroclash song in 9. Anyone who makes a fun electronic song in a weird signature is alright by me. Might come back. A 3.5 rounded up.

Ok, some cool songs, others ok, very random band

I was trying to persuade a friend to do this album a day thing by telling him that the choice of albums wasn’t just down to personal preference, and that there were objective reasons for the inclusion of each one. This album made that argument a lot less convincing.

5/5 instrumentals 1/5 Vocals

Decent music, around a 4* on that alone, but it doesn't belong anywhere near this list unfortunately. Not awfully original, and not known. I'm all for supporting smaller bands but this isn't the list for that. 2* overall

I will need to listen again on a day that's not so stressful, but I think I might really like this. 3.5

This album did nothing for me. It felt like "What if MGMT was really big into Bowie's Berlin era?" Bowie and Eno, these guys aren't. Favorite song: Shortcomings

I listened to it while cooking and have already forgotten most of what it sounded like. Perhaps more suited for a Sprint commercial.

The amount of times I sighed as a realized early on this was going to be 5 stars for me. Who are these guys? How do they have 4k monthly listeners, most of whom must be from this site. How come they broke up? Oh, allegations? Dropped allegations. Why are they in the book? What happened. Begrudgingly though I love this. So ya know. Whoopie!!!

Alright. ★★★

Its pretty good honestly, but I have no idea what merited it to get on here over more influential albums from 2028

Inoffensively bland. This would work great as the soundtrack to a mumbly indie rom-com.

Tikrai įdomu, kodėl jis šitame sąraše. Nieko labai įspūdingo, geras pasiklausymas, tiesiog įprastas brit rockas.

I thought Opener was a particularly good tune. The rest was alright. A decent find.

Extremely experimental and some really insane sounds I like it a lot

A surreal, modern, and inviting swirl of sounds, samples, and melodies. Expansive in its atmosphere yet precise in the details. Feels like walking through one of those illusion museums where around every corner is a new distortion of reality, not in a dreadful way but an intriguing, curiosity-piquing one. Hook, worm, and sinker.

It's been almost 6 years since we've started the project so I might not remember it correctly, but I'm pretty sure this is what Kraftwerk sounds like Okay it was only the intro, the actual songs sound more like Animal Collective Very good nice, esp The Soft Season and Each Time We Pass

White-people-owned-and-run ramen shop soundtrack core

Oh, I haven't played this album in a long time. And after playing this through, it seems rather underwhelming and unsuitable for this list.

Cool

First listen Saved 3/9 Top track: Negative Space

Really good modern...whatever it is

Got a little random noise-ish at parts, but overall a very pleasant listen. I would definitely throw it on again.

Meh layered on meh. 2/5.

Horror

Actually enjoyed this, nice sound, album flows really well

Literally never heard of this band, and apparently they broke up less than a year after this album released due to abuse allegations against the lead singer 💀 so weird pull. But that said, this was actually a pretty cool listen. The first 5 tracks make for a great run, just loses me a bit in the back half. 3.5/5

This was fine enough to put on and listen to while I was working; I didn't know them before and I probably won't seek them out again when I have other things that I already like that are kind of in this space.

This album exceeded my expectations, which were set by reading some of the negative comments by other listeners. I find the music to be quite different from most British alt rock bands, although I must admit it does get a bit repetitive after the first few songs. Still, I feel it's worth four stars, even if I'm tempted to dock one for the awful band name.

Not bad, but felt like it just went on for too long. Shorten some of this shit and you got yourself a decent album.

Bookended by a couple of solid alternative boppers. The rest of the album is a experimental sludge of noise.

3 stars I never heard of this but this is something I would have been into in high school. I don’t know how much it would stand out in a line up of indie music but it’s a good time. I enjoyed it and would put it on again or listen to their other albums. But not revolutionary.

Some nice moments with a load of waiting around in between for something to change or happen. Really nothing special

# In-Depth Review: *Microshift* by Hookworms *(Released 30 Jan 2018, Domino offshoot Weird World)* --- ## 1. Lyrical Focus – “The first time MJ lets you read his diary” - **Subject Matter**: Mental-health collapse, survivor’s guilt, romantic self-sabotage, the 2015 Leeds flood that destroyed front-man/producer Matthew “MJ” Johnson’s studio. - **Tone**: Wistful, almost conversational; the old psych-shriek is replaced by a soft northern accent that cracks under pressure. - **Key Lines**: – “I still hear you every time I’m down” (*Negative Space*). – “How long’s forever?” – the record’s central rhetorical hook. – “It’s hard to find a better world where we can count up all the shortcomings” (*Opener*). - **Technique**: Sparse repetition, negative-space metaphors (literally living in the void left by someone), sudden last-verse confessions that feel ripped from a crisis-line transcript. > “The lyrics are unequivocally wistful and confessional… hiding desire only to be betrayed by the expression on their face” . --- ## 2. Musical DNA – From Psych Squall to Neon Pulse - **Core Shift**: Distorted shackles removed; motorik krautrock, DFA-style disco throb, modular-synth bubbles and Spiritualized gospel lift form the new chassis. - **Tempo Strategy**: Three 7-minute pillars (*Negative Space / Ullswater / Opener*) hold up shorter, hook-driven satellites. - **Dynamics**: Still explosive, but explosions now rise out of pin-drop silence rather than guitar-swell fog. - **Reference Points**: – *LCD Soundsystem*’s hand-clap percussive layers . – Early-*Devo* synth spikes . – *Spiritualized*’s hymnal melancholy (*The Soft Season*) . > “…a maximal, DFA-flavoured playland, driven by drums that make it sound like a hand from above is physically pounding the reverb-laden fog of the first two albums out of the system” . --- ## 3. Production – MJ’s Rebuilt Playroom - **Gear Story**: After the River Aire flood, MJ re-stocked with boutique modular racks, new ribbon mics, and a Calrec console allegedly once owned by the BBC. - **Sound Palette**: – Glittering stereo splits (hi-hats duck from ear to ear). – Side-chained synth pads that inhale/exhale against the bass drum. – Brass recorded in a stone staircase for natural reverb, then sliced into stabs on *Boxing Day*. - **Mastering**: Heavier low-mid punch than previous records; treble is air-bright rather than ear-blasting. > “Microshift is full of space and sharpness… the sound handcrafted” . --- ## 4. Themes – Trauma, Technology, Transcendence 1. **Personal Aftermath**: Survivor’s guilt (*“Reunion”*) and seasonal depression (*“The Soft Season”*). 2. **Digital Ghosts**: Voicemail samples, iPhone notification clicks tucked into the mix = modern loneliness. 3. **Water & Weather**: Recurrent flood imagery; the album artwork’s rippled barcode suggests a data sheet washed clean. 4. **Hopeful Glow**: Even at its most defeated, a synth arpeggio or gospel-tinged backing vocal lifts the curtain—acceptance rather than nihilism. --- ## 5. Influence & Legacy - **Immediate Ripple**: 2018 “Best Album” short-lists in *The Guardian*, *Pitchfork*, *Loud & Quiet*; pushed contemporaries (*Goat, Kikagaku Moyo*) toward cleaner, synth-forward mixes. - **Producer MJ**: Subsequent credits for *Peanut*, *Vanishing*, *Mandy, Indiana* show the *Microshift* drum sound becoming a Northern-studio trademark. - **DIY Community**: Demonstrated that a basement psych act could pivot to electronic without losing credibility—important for bands like *Black Midi* and *Squid* who later hybridised their sounds. --- ## 6. Pros & Cons | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | + Bold reinvention: keeps emotional intensity while swapping guitar fuzz for synth shimmer. | – Devotees of the old wall-of-noise may find the cleaner palette “polite”. | | + Lyrical candour: MJ’s mental-health openness adds human weight rare in kraut-disco. | – Runtime: three 7-minute songs plus coda can feel lopsided; some edits meander. | | + Production master-class: every tick, tom and filter sweep is three-dimensional. | – Hook inconsistency: highs (*Negative Space, Opener*) overshadow a couple of mid-album tracks that never quite bloom. | | + Emotional uplift: despite heavy themes, the record arcs toward catharsis, making repeat plays rewarding. | – Niche appeal: if you dislike 80s synth-brass or motorik grooves, centre pieces may grate. | > “…a vast leap forward into a powerful, pop-wise future without sacrificing any intensity” ; conversely, “each song after is rather relaxed… almost shoegaze” which may underwhelm fans seeking constant bombast . --- ## Verdict *Microshift* is less a cautious step than a pole-vault. It sacrifices some of the feral distortion that originally defined Hookworms, but the trade-off is a laser-focused, emotionally naked album whose production tricks and melodic earworms continue to reveal themselves years on. In the Venn overlap of *LCD Soundsystem* pulse, *Spiritualized* ache and *krautrock* hypnotics, *Microshift* stakes out a sweet spot few bands have managed since.

Some songs are actually enjoyable and fit right into what I like. Some songs are not enjoyable at all. I would give it a quantum ranking of 2 and 4.

Neither great nor terrible

Boring. Kept checking to see how many songs were left. It just went on and on.

The kind of shit Dobby would listen to

I didn’t mind this as much as some of the other reviewers. It’s certainly better than the dozens of Madchester and EDM records on this list.

Good band, terrible name.

I like this

nothing really grabbed me about this album

Was excited as the band and album meant nothing to me. After first listen was ready to slate and question why on the list. Microshift - Microshit more like etc. But on second listen it wasn’t so bad. So maybe a generous 3.

This album came into it's own in the 2nd half. The Soft Season is a particular favourite like a more dreamy Hot Chip. Good addition to the list

This one feels like a bit of a Rorschach Test. I am hearing LCD Soundsystem, Spacemen 3, Krautrock and particularly Stereolab, though it does lack the latters Gallic shruggery and Marxist Dialectics. Good enough to get me checking out their earlier leas polished but arguably superior albums.

One of the more interesting British groups of modern times on this list, although admittedly I was unaware of their existence before listening. Plenty of creativity on show here, heavily influenced by Arcade Fire in places, but I also heard a bit of new order in there too. It was a rewarding listen, even if it didn’t soar to any great heights in any single place. A good find.

Hey uhh with all this new AI clogging up every aspect of their once great operating system, Microsoft is more like uhhh hehe, uhh MicroSHIT hey? What's that? It's MicroSHIFT? Another Britrock band? This time from from 2018? Can I guess the album duration? 57 minutes. 46! That's a valuable 9, but as I attempt to navigate yet another British rock project that isn't the Beatles or the Stone Roses, I shudder. I am taken back to the disorienting boredom of Blur, or the abject pain of U2 and I convulse. I had escaped. My project was deactivated on this site. I have a child. I was free, yet still, I re-entered the animus in order to endure albums that sound like this for the purpose of saying I've heard them. "Hey guys, have you heard Microshift by Hookworms" "No, of course not, nobody has heard that or even heard OF that." "Well, just imagine a canvas painted grey hanging in Bono's palatial estate, splashed with tepid tea that was painted by a guy with allegations of sexual abuse." "Sir, you're upsetting everybody at the kindergarten talent show." This is why I do this. To intellectually enrich myself and others. The crusade continues. May I put each and every Britrock album to the sword in the name of joy and ultimately, creativity. 0.5 HIGHLIGHTS: High? Nooo. Light? Barely.

First impression before listening: "Oh great, Britrock from the 2010s. Surely this isn't filler, and it's actually a great and influential album." This is actually pretty good. It's not particularly incredible, but it is good. It does fall off as the album goes. The thing that does actually bother me with this album is that it feels uninspired. It doesn't really sound any better (let alone different) from music from the 2000s. If this album came out alongside The xx, Blind Pilot, The Antlers, or other bands like that of similar vibes I think I'd be more impressed/invested. That's not normally how I judge or think about albums, but I can't get it out of my head with this one. It just never really does anything special or particularly interesting. It's a fine listen, but pair that with my feelings about how I find it uninspired, and I'm just not into it. Favorite Song(s): Negative Space

Enjoyable enough but doesn't sound wildly different from any other indie album.

Great sound with heartfelt lyrics!

Loved

- Never heard of this, which is somewhat surprising as it's British Indie but also not, as seven years ago I just wasn't looking for new music to get into. - But it's glorious, melodic Neo-Psychedelia. This can go directly into my veins all day. I love the way they've woven the tracks into each other in places. It feels like a journey. It lurches and shifts between playful electronic beats, guitar riffs and thumping bass. - Listened multiple times over the weekend and will look for a copy. This is great stuff.

Didn’t sound bad but also did nothing for me

This was uneven for me. Some of it was a 3 and some was a 1.5

Good for what it is, but it's another one that just didn't grab me.

I enjoyed this album lot more than I thought I would. Especially the more lengthy pieces.

weird but not in an interesting way

this was an interesting album. techno and cool a lot of the time. but never anything mindblowing. also i think this is the smallest band to be on this list - less than 5000 monthly listeners?? seems like an odd inclusion but overall not mad about it

Hookworms were a great band. Great live. Their spin off project XAM is great. Their leader’s production work for others was great. Their guitarists post Hookworms work with Yard Act is great. Their first three albums are wonderful. Then they made his album, which sounds like Hot Chip meets Tame Impala and is as bland as that implies. Got embroiled in a scandal and split.

Not for me. 1/5

Came in with very low expectations based on the brief Wikipedia entry for this album. I'm not mad that it's on the list, but again just questioning the author that why THIS album was chosen, and from what I've seen from others, why were a bunch of really good albums left off? Was it because they aren't British? Probably. 3.1 / 5 stars

I didn’t think I was going to like this. I thought it was going to be 2010s indie crap but it’s actually rather pleasant. Got that FIFA vibe.

That was a good experience. A sign that people still can do good music.

Cool Passion Pit / Phoenix Vibes. Loved the polyrhythms and some of the writing reminded me of Elbow.

One of the band members has the same name as my initials, so there is little proof that it is not me

*in Ongo Gablogian's voice* Derivative...

?Pop?

Grand, not familiar before

smooth

hey finds saaaaugeil. erste track chli extra weird aber etz ullswater slappt uuhuere. super geili drums.

microshit s albumcover isch reecht cool, erinneret mi h chli an tame impala EO of erwerbsersatzordnung fame??? und jz lauft mier das blöde lied na BUT IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYYEEEYEEESSS anyway ja chli komplizierti gschicht wege abuse. nödso cool aber blick au nöd ganz durre zrugg zude musig: ähh finds easy? schono funny sini stimm erinneret mich ah suscht öpper und scho auchli radiohead-time zwüscheziitlich weiss iwie au nöd so recht. weiss glaub, was sie hend welle mache und schlecht findis nöd aber über wiiti streckene hani doch wenig chönne demit ahfange. glaub s hätt bi mier nachli meh pfupf brucht? zweiti rundi! MANNN ich chan mich nöd entscheideeeses jz bim 2. mal gfalltsmer schochli besser chum es knapps 4i gits

Really awesome and niche album. I'm glad I could listen to it.

Not for me

Kind of sounds like MGMT, but also sounds unique enough to have a cool ring to it. Had never heard of these guys before. Kind of cool all around--I was expecting to be annoyed and was pleasantly surprised. 4/5

Grappig, Rock/Neo-psychedelia Rock blijkbaar idk

Better than expected

I was leary at first but it grew on me. Nothing amazing or life changing but it changed enough and was pleasant to listen to. I didn't feel like I was stuck in the same beat over and over, it grew and expanded bringing me into a pleasant spacey world.

I listened to this one several times and never really got hooked on hookworms. Songs have their moments but nothing really clicked for me. I didn't dislike it. It's kind of creative and has some good beats.

This was fun. It’s combines elements of electronic dance music and modern pop rock bands. I truly enjoyed that the songs morphed into each other. I also like that the songs stretch out and breathe. It still sounds too general to be an album that I’d go head over heels for, but in time, it might surprise me. 3.5. 😄

I've never heard of this group. They remind me of a mix of Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, and maybe even a little Fun (the band). And then they turn into Underworld in Boxing Day! I was kind of sad that song ended so abruptly. So the sound isn't necessarily original, but who cares, I really liked it. It had reflective emotion that put me in my feels but was also catchy and made me feel dancy. And I like music that makes me feel these things!

Enjoyed it more than I expected.

Incredibly reminiscent of MGMT. But very good all the same

Cçum qlbun feito para as pistas de dança. Cada a faixa é recheada pela guitarra e por efeitos, reverbs e tudo que tem direito para não deixar ninguém parado. Bom

Really good music.

I've never heard this album... never even heard of the band before, but there were some fun moments. I'd revisit this

Woah! Where did this come from? Great album.

Yeah, this is the good stuff. Gonna be revisiting this one a lot. Awesome intro.

Føler at kuratorene av denne lista er dårlig til å peke ut hva som er definerende for samtiden, og ergo dårlige på å single ut albumene som faktisk kommer til å bli kanonisert. Jeg liker denne skiva, men jeg synes ikke den høres kontemporær ut; jeg synes heller ikke den sitter godt nok til at jeg tror jeg kommer til å fortsette å høre på den. Det høres ofte ut som Arcade Fire med neo-psych- og kraut-elementer, noen ganger høres det også akkurat ut som Flaming Lips (The Soft Season spesielt, og selv tittelen minner jo om Lips eg. The Soft Bulletin, så det er kanskje tenkt på som en homage...?). Ingrediensene er der, men klarer ikke helt å finne det særegne. De er flinke, skiva holder en rimelig jevn kvalitet, men når det er over, så er det borte.

Helt ålreit, men ikke en plate som blir med meg videre. Føler Superfamily naila energisk poprock bedre, 120 days naila dronene bedre og at MGMT, Tame Impala og Gypsy and the Cat naila psych bedre. Høydepunktet var "The Soft Season"

Mye bra her, men føler de ikke helt tørr å gå all inn i det som funker. Når de er litt mer eksperimentelle og dronete er det ganske kult. Desverre så virker det som at de tror at de må slenge inn mye halvdårlig indierock inni der for at folk skal høre på.

3.75

What a ride. At first i thought this was going to be some DJs work, some kind of minimal music, which would have been fine with me. But this explosion of guitars and synths caught me off guard. For me personally my favorite so far.

Not good. Shouldn’t be on here.

jamen den er da vældig fed. Jeg hørte den i 2018, altså ikke den her, men alle de andre albums der lød præcis som den her

Får kun 3 stjerner fordi jeg ikke er helt overbevist om at det er essentielt eller skal-høre-før-du-dør territorium, men det er ret meget my shit faktisk. Hvorfor hørte jeg ikke den her i 2018?

Sounds like a copy of MGMT.

I expected to hate this, assuming it was just another average indie rock album from the 2010s… but surprisingly, it’s actually rather good. Everything revolves around ‘Opener’, the album’s centrepiece and beating heart, but the songs on either side of it are consistently engaging and surprisingly strong. The mix of pulsing electronics, expressive vocals, and solid songwriting gives the record a clear emotional core without ever feeling heavy-handed. It’s a confident album that rewards repeat listening.

Interesting, havent heard smth like this before

enjoy

Really like this one. Was wondering why I've never heard of this album, and it's because the singer had abuse allegations against him shortly after this album came out, the allegations blew up on Twitter, and the band split. Plus they're British. Anyway, great album!

Not sure how this got on here, kinda weird, but not in a way I really cared for.

Not at all what I was expecting from a band named Hookworms. Very cool electronic effects throughout.

Really big fan of this album actually. Wasn't sure what to expect but the sound is incredible and really nice to listen to. Great vocals too. Pretty much every song on the album sounds great too, really good listen.

I liked this. Plus, I found a niche I didnt even know about. Better bands than this one.

I almost love it. It has something but it's not all the way there.

This was new to me, which was surprising as they are from my area, play my kind of music and were around when i was an active participant in the music scene. There was a lot of familiarity here. With supergrass vocals and much more psychy and indie songs. The novelty was intersting but i don't see why this would be here. I got the klaxons album yesterday and complained it shouldnt be here. This is exactly the same, minus the decent singles

Lots of playlist worthy songs, overall a great album.

• it was a little bit boring

Immediately thought of Kraftwerk. Album then shifted to an upbeat Death Cab For Cutie vibe. It's a good album. Never heard of the band previously. Does it deserve to be on the list? I'm unsure. There's some thrash on this is that this is miles better than. 3.5/4. Raising to 4.

It’s ok.

Best album, reminds me of college

Ooh a newer release for a change! How have I not heard this album?! You can really hear the lineage of greats like Pink Floyd and Kraftwerk while still managing to connect with the sound of 2000’s indie bands like LCD Soundsystem or Phoenix. This is really right up my alley! I love the lush synths and the dry high energy danceable drums, and the intelligent and melodic vocals that at times remind me a bit of Animal Collective or The Shins. The guitars and are so fun and innovative as they weave around the foundational and hypnotic bass work. All around great musicianship on full display. Once again thank you to the 1001 gods for giving me a new favorite album! 4.5

This was a fun album. I like the high energy Devo vibe throughout. While it was a good album, I don't think it should be a "must hear" album. I guess it's good, because I wouldn't have found this band otherwise.

Not a band I'd heard of and an odd choice for this list. The album is a mix of sounds and more electronica than the bands previous releases which I checked out. Interesting on initial listen but doesn't really improve, maybe a little too much experimentation for my taste

When the album started I thought I might hate this but I actually kinda liked it. Big fifa menu music energy but it was a fun, interesting listen. Shame the lead singer seems like a POS cause I would’ve checked out more of them and they loss a star because of him.

Nah

it's a fun listen, indietronica group from Britain but sounds American type ordeal. Hot Chip but worse, but not that worse.

4,000 Monthly Listeners? Alright, we'll give 'em a shot. Honestly, this blew my expectations away. About halfway through the song, I found myself just tapping my foot to it, forgetting I was doing the project. This one's incredibly underrated. I don't know what genre it is but it bangs nonetheless.

Millor del que pensava a la primera impressió, però necessito escoltar-lo més.

Definitely hear some influence from Muse and Phoenix, not in a bad way. Some good tracks on this one. Highlights: "Opener" and "Shortcomings"

This is semi-adventurous territory for sure, a mix of driving rock, pop, and dance music. They hit some unique notes. I’ve never heard a dance song in 9/8 time before. But overall it doesn’t grab me and make me wanna listen again.

I was excited by this retro-electronica album. I don't know what to say exactly as I was somewhat distracted while listening. I think for caution i will give it a neutral rating but personally will listen a bit more to their catalog, as it may well be up my alley!

Pleasant and layered enough to make for a good listen, but sounds more than a little passionless and generic, as if a group of nepo-babies started a band with the help of AI.

Wtf was this? Why is it on the list?

Never heard of them but, I really liked them. 4 stars

Not bad! Really funky

The album sounds "cool" Great opener. Really great opener. Negative spaces is so in your face, doesn't let up, great tempo Ullswater is the next song of note. Really like the vocals on this one. Builds really well Everything links together well Must revisit

The first minute of this starts with a midi-sounding Pong noise. I thought "Yike! I am going to hate this!" And normally, I would have killed it right there. But that's not the game we're playing here, so I stuck it out. I am pretty happy that I did. Like 99% of everyone in the world, I never heard of this band before. While it starts sort of badly, the song picks up and is Ok. A little more rock than anything else they do on the album. The rest of it though sounds like Yo La Tengo and Spiritualized, which is a god thing. I will listen to this again, but probably skipping that first song. I don't have any favorites or hates on here. Sort of like the above mentioned bands, I probably couldn't tell you the name of three songs. But I like listening to an hour's worth for the vibes. With them going back and forth with the sounds of those bands, it makes it even easier to listen without getting bored of the same-y-ness. Actually going to give this a 4. Seems to get better with repeated listens.

This was alright in places, meh in others, and in a few cases not good at all. On average, ⭐⭐⭐? Feels a bit generous...

FIFA background music. Not bad but not memorable

Dig some of the krautrock grooves they’ve got going on here but does this really deserve a spot on this list? Some good tunes but nothing super influential or original going on here. It’s better than two stars but in the context of this list I think I that’s what Iit deserves. Favorite track- “Opener” 4/10

Interesting sound! 3.5