Microshift

really good indie rock/noise rock album. 4.5 in my book, will listen some more.

GOSTEI, VOU OUVIR MAIS!

I enjoyed their indie sound.

I was dreading this album after the first couple minutes of the opening track, but I ended up really enjoying it! Some progressive stuff mixed with more standard indie fare, it checked more than one box for me. Not sure if I'll dig into this artist more, but I enjoyed this album. Notable Tracks: - Negative Space - starts off weird but picks up midway and gets real catchy - Ullswater - Opener - to have this song mid-album, the hypocrisy! - Shortcomings 7/10

I actually really enjoyed this album. It felt uplifting and like life altering in a way… It felt like I was flying and like just beautiful.

Like Spiritualized....but 20x better? I'm getting a little hint of Flaming Lips with better singing and more direct melodies. Like everyone else, I'd never heard of this band (and after perusing their brief history never will again, alas...yeesh...) but swirling melodic keyboard-laden tunes is something I'm definitely into. Album loses a bit of momentum near the end (esp. "Boxing Day" which might be the only skippable song) but I'll definitely listen to this again. 7/10 4 stars

i liked this way more than i expected

The actual album was good. Finding out about the band was not. 7/10

Not sure why it's here. But i love the sound. Opener is nice, everything is nice. This one can be on repeat and i would not mind.

Great album. Reminds me of something but couldn't put my finger on it

Hidden gem

ei tarpeeksi klariteettia ja työntääkseen albumi kokonaisena muottiin.. Matoja siellä täällä ei ole microshiftejä.. vaan macroshiftejä ei saisi sellaisia olla vaan koheesio.. ei tartte olla surkea albumi kuten the darkside of the moon missä kaikki kappaleet ovat sama kappale ja soitatnta useaan kertaan.. mutta jos järki päähän kuiteskin...

I did enjoy this one. It was a bit flat at times though. Not sure why it’s on this list.

While the sound of mid-2010s indie rock/pop was done to death, and rightfully gets shit on from time to time, I'll give credit where credit is due when I believe it was done well - and IMO this album is one of those times. The electronic elements also give me Beach House vibes which I am absolutely here for.

Neat

Actually I kinda liked it. I think I need to give it another listen to fully grok it.

Microshift is a baffling crossbreed between that public radio late 2010's indie pop sound (wonder why) and heavy Stereolab influence in both choice of warm, analog synths and an eternal debt to krautrock and weird library music instrumentation. as both a product of their time and still firmly driven by bands like The American Analog Set and Broadcast, Hookworms intrigue me to no end. i had no idea this combination would even work -- like cheddar cheese and apple pie. aside from the somewhat grating "Boxing Day", i don't think there's a single skip on this thing. a delight, and one that i argue deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list more so than three solo Moz records. still, nothing good can stay. ever. nothing good ever happens and if it does, ohohoho buddy, hold onto your shittin pants, cause you're about to learn a valuable life lesson.

Never heard of these guys before, but this was a decent little album.

Modern krautrock. Love it!

This is an odd choice to have on this list. I've read before that the list tries to include bands & albums that were not hits, but they felt were very strong songwriting showings. This is likely one of those as I've never heard of this band or album. I really like the first four songs and the general flow of the album up until this point. It's ambient in a way that I enjoy. "The Soft Season" has very Bon Iver inspired sounds. The 'noise' with soft trumpets and other similar instruments in the background. I love Bon Iver so that sound is really doing it for me. I really like that the songs flow into one another so well. It reminds me a little of the M83 album "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" in that way. "Each Time We Pass" wasn't as great for me and I didn't love the wailing noises on "Boxing Day". "Shortcomings" is a good ending to the album. This album wasn't too long and had some really good sections. It dropped off a little on songs five, six , seven and eight, but then came in strong again at the end. 7/10

Brian Eno meets the strokes

Look, I love albums like this. Psychedelic music is one of my favourite genres and I like this album when I'm in a specific environment and headspace and after a specific vibe so yeah I'll be saving it for future plays. That being said, was it a masterpiece of motifs, bass lines, lyrics or production? No. There were definitely aspects to the tracks that I loved e.g. I have no idea wtf kind of instrument or effect was used at the start of Negative Space, it gives me a "someone flicking a rubber band against a metal bucket but make it reverb", but I did like it. I also enjoyed the bubble effect in The Soft Season but that song in general made me feel like Hookworm ripped off Sigur Rós so I have mixed feelings. The transition between Boxing Day and Reunion threw me off entirely and Shortcomings felt like a bit of a cliche song to end the album with lyrics wise. Overall probs a 4/5, was tossing up between a 3 but I genuinely did enjoy most of this.

Quite enjoyed this one, nice to listen to a modern album on the list that has a fresh sound. The singer's voice really reminds me of someone else though, and I can't figure out who. The album has some very interesting electronic instrumentation, and while it is a bit repetitive, it's a soundscape that I enjoy. It was a nice album to let wash over me, as different layers are added and removed. Seems like a pretty natural progression from stuff like Animal Collective and LCD Soundsystem in the 2000s.

Better than I expected. Some nice builds and sustains

I'm pleasantly surprised by this, it has some energy and sounds unique enough to merit 4 stars. Especially considering that by this point feels like everything has been already done. As a whole album it's pretty consistent without becoming boring.

like the strokes but less interesting overall. pretty good but not really elite like mr casablancas

Wasn't sure what to expect once the first song started with all sorts of old school electric rhythm sounds only for it to transition into a very Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, !!!, MGMT mix of early 2000's indie dance punk. There's a certain nostalgia I got from this record This is my first experience with this band but I'll likely be digging into the rest of their catalog in the future. Check out "Static Resistance", "Opener" and "Each Time We Pass" 4/5

Music was pretty neat. I like this kind of rock. Do not look the band up if you can't separate the art from the artist.

Decent and different.

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

A mix of neo-psychedelia (whatever that is), space rock, noise rock, and drone rock - think OMS meets Joy Division meets Kraftwerk meets Snow Patrol. I quite liked it, especially "Opener".

I fucking love phych-rock

Beautiful layers and textures

Took me by surprise. Didn't know them/it and really enjoyed it. Shades of LCD Soundsystem and Tame Impala with a rock twist. Into the library it goes!

Nobody has heard of this band. Who knows why they're on this list. It's a decent album. Off brand Hot Chip. But not list worthy.

Never heard of them before. I like the multilayered music, some nice sound pads there. Each track is quite unique, in pace, volume and vocal delivery. Will likely return for a re-listen.

#50 - I quite enjoyed this, I think the album is extremely well produced. I'd like to come back to it and pay more attention to the lyrics. Reminded me a bit of Hot Chip.

Hookworms is an album with consistent vibes. The feelings, colors, and moods persist throughout the recording, making it feel as a solid entity. If it was not a straight A, it is a great experience.

never heard of them before and despite the awful band name and album title, I really enjoyed this! Sort of surreal, sort of ambient, sort of rock adds up to a mellow and interesting album. Easy on the ears without being boring.

That was pretty cool. Inhaber missed the record when it came out and i really liked it after the first songs. Good work!

Indie rock. A lot of nice tunes here. I enjoyed it.

This was a pleasant surprise! In the first few seconds I was worried I was in for a long album, but it flew by in a good way. 4/5

don't you just hate it when you find music that is a real breath of fresh air, but then the band members just have to turn out to be complete shitheads?

Groovy confluence of indie, electronic, and ambient. Reminded me a lot of some of the midi electronic indie of the 2000s in a good way. Also, the transitions on this album are pretty stellar, very atmospheric.

There's a lot of interesting elements going on here. I think it's a really good synthesis of a lot of bands that came before them in the late 2000's to early 2010's. I can hear some Foster the People, The Strokes, Passion Pit, Two Door Cinema Club and others in this. I think while this is a really good stamp on what a lot of music coming out around that time sounded like, I don't know if there's anything revolutionary in this. I think an album like this can go so far rating wise despite how much I enjoyed it.

I walked into this album assuming I’d hate it based on the description. Modern psychedelic indie rock is very much not my jam, traditionally. But, strangely, synthy space age indie rock very much is my jam! It has a handful of casual hiccups, don’t get me wrong. It can sometimes be a bit too sparse, like “The Soft Season” or “Each Time We Pass” And sometimes it doesn’t tie up neatly enough, like “Boxing Day.” Overall, Side B is a much weaker offering than Side A, as that side has a lot more stop-start energy, but I think to say o prefer one over the other is also splitting hairs when overall, I liked it all. It’s a stronger listen front-to-back than it is with each track heard on their own, sure, but this isn’t an album I’d normally listen to track-by-track. It works as a single-sitting flowstate album, which fits with its vision and themes. I don’t know if it’s the most essential album of the last 10 years, but I’m really glad this challenge brought it to my attention. It’s a very solid modern take on this sound, and I think it’ll age like fine wine over the next decade.

I had never heard this one before. Enjoyable throughout.

I liked this.. more experimental than I expected

"Microshift" by Hookworms is an exhilarating ride through a rich, sonic landscape that marks a notable evolution for the band. Released in 2018, this album sees the band moving away from their noise-rock roots towards a more polished, electronic-infused sound, without losing the raw energy and intensity that defines their music. Tracks like "Negative Space" and "Ullswater" stand out with their propulsive beats and immersive synth layers, creating an atmosphere that's both expansive and intimate. The lyrics, often exploring themes of personal and societal upheaval, are delivered with a fervor that resonates deeply, adding emotional weight to the swirling instrumentals. The production on "Microshift" is meticulous, each track carefully crafted to build and release tension in a way that keeps the listener engaged from start to finish. The band's ability to blend electronic elements with their traditional rock foundation results in a sound that's refreshingly innovative yet familiar. While some might miss the rawer edge of their earlier work, the shift in style showcases Hookworms' versatility and willingness to experiment. "Microshift" is a compelling album that demonstrates significant growth and creativity, earning it a well-deserved 4 out of 5.

(Track 1) hey they got the mainspring from Clock Cleaners (the Mickey Mouse cartoon from 1937) to sing on this track Settles into a more abstract place about halfway through, but I was pretty psyched by this album. Whenever I get a slice of 21st century psychedelia, my brain automatically sizes it up to MGMT, but the parallels to Neu! & Jason Pierce from the Guardian review are equally relevant. HL: \"Negative Space\", \"Static Resistance\", \"Ullswater\", \"Opener\", \"Each Time We Pass\" May 10, 2024

This album goes.

Negative Space:10/10 ThIs Is A BOP!!!!!🔥🔥 Static Resistance:14.5/10 ABSOLUTE BOOOOOOPPPP!!!!!!!!! Ullswater: 16/10 BANGER RIFF AAAAND TIME SIGNATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Soft Season:4.7/10 Just ambiance and vocals....no drums???? Opener:18.8/10 Very mellow track.This should be the Opener to the Album. Each Time We Pass:13.7/10 Can definitely vibe to this. Boxing Day:8/10 W TRANSITION🔥🔥🔥 This sound so weird... Reunion:20.5/10 This is the best song on the album the band. Shortcomings:20/10 THIS IS A VIBE!!!!!!!!

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

I remember hearing Static Resistance on the radio for the first time in the car, and really enjoying it, then getting onto the album. Listened to it a lot for a few weeks, and then totally forgot about it. Anyway, I was extremely pleased to have it back in my life. I listened to it running, and it is about as good a running album as you can get. Really well paced, very propulsive and just generally very good indeed.

I have read the reviews before listening to this album... it was foolish. This album wasn't that bad. I actually liked most of these songs. Nothing special, but it wasn't as bad as I have expected it to be. Worth giving it a try

Pleasantly surprised!

I enjoyed the flow from one track to the next. Sure, the albums inclusion is a little weird, but the fact I came away wanting to listen to some of this again isn't just the result of some lame marketing stunt, there's plenty of musicians I've become more opposed to as a result of this experience.

I thought this was great and am glad I was introduced to it. Listened through twice and will go back to it in future.

at first i didnt think much of this, but i had spotify on repeat and after three listens i really like it. Maybe its just Stockholm syndrome, but maybe this is just a really unique band with a really fresh sound?

This was unbelievably cool

Really, really dug this album. It's like Devo had a baby with Tame Impala. Gimme.

A new-ish album I've actually heard! Not sure if anything quite matches the cynical energy of the first track, but they've got a unique sound and the tunes are there.

Yeah I’d never heard of this band either and I’m not in love with all the unknown Britpicks on this list. This one though I feel is a legitimately good indie album with energy, creativity and variety. I enjoyed the first three tracks in particular with Ullswater being my favorite

It's good to hear a recent album that has substance, a great sound and songs and is a pleasure to listen to. I don't know whether it will stand up against time but it's one of the best post 2000 albums in this project so far.

Great album, not quite sure why on the list but thoroughly enjoyed either way

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

It’s fun and weird, but very early 2010s. Not great, but I liked it too much for a 3

Another good-not-great UK album is selected by an English editor. I listened and enjoyed but it's hard to see this approaching 'essential.'

honestly i kind of liked this i didnt save every song and some of the influences (such as tame impala) were very obvious but i reaaaaallly liked a few tracks. the opening track negative space felt as if it was underwater it was something i really liked however the next song was almost exactly the same so i was like meh idk the soft season and opener together worked really well, the first is probably my fav song from this album instrumental track reunion was really good and shortcomings had some very fun instrumentation i felt like i could listen to on a car ride home overall not as bad as i thought it was gonna be + unrelated but the album cover is rlly pretty :-)

Niet wat ik had verwacht! Het is veel futuristischer en niet een recht toe recht aan rock album, ik ben best wel positief verrast! Vooral de langere nummers vind ik heel vet met Ullswater en Opener die echt een soort reis zijn als het ware. Daar staat een hoop standaard rock tegenover, maar de meer psychedelische nummers zijn heel erg vet! ] FAVO: Ullswater, Opener, Shortcomings

nära en femma. det här är bra

i had never heard of this before. its great!

I really enjoyed this album but I'm not sure it is one to listen to before I die although I obviously have

Firstly, Hookworms is a terrible band name. From one angle it grosses you out, from the other it's only a very mildly amusing pun. Anyway, reading the reviews I thought this wasn't going to be very good, but there was loads to enjoy! Driving beats and, true to their name, lots of nice electro hooks. Sorry Americans, there may well be too much British stuff on this list, but I think this deserved a place.

Awesome. 4.3

Nice sound

Much better than I thought. Listened to this all the way through. Reminded me of Phoenix in a good way. Def would revisit this

This album got less weird as it went, until I actually started to like it. The spaces between songs sometimes sounded awkward or abrupt. More mellow than I’d expect an EDM album to be.

I have a lot of predjudice towards newer rock artists due to it including some of the most uninspiring music out there. But this is awesome — a nice blend of noise, groove, catchy pop and krautrock. I didn´t think that was possible, but here we are.

Surprisingly good.

What can I say I’m a sucker for 2010s indie rock and this one was no exception. Sometimes it felt like part of the social network score and sometimes it had a more mgmt vibe and sometimes it just had weird production choices. But I liked it pretty much all of the time I listened to it and especially enjoyed negative space opener and shortcomings.

On hyvä! 4/5

Trippy and fun soundscapes here. I’ve heard *of* these guys but never *heard* these guys. Some fun stuff throughout for sure. Almost like Porcupine Tree lite at moments.

Très intéressant et innovante. Super pour monter l'esprit. Bon chaussant pour faire le footing

Jamais entendu parler de ce groupe ! Très sceptique en écoutant le début de la 1ere chanson de l'album, je me demandais bien ce que j'allais écouter. Mais finalement bonne surprise, des morceaux pas mal.

Love this album! I used to listen to this quite a bit a couple years ago. Really good musicality and unique style. The urgency of "Boxing Day" and the way it cuts off abruptly is an interesting choice. 4/5

I really liked this Gave me lots of vibes from bands like tame impala, arcade fire, band of horses and really enjoyed listening to it 3.5-4

Actually really liked this for working

Surprisingly refreshing and creative. I enjoyed the electronic grooves and sounds of the album.

Really fun record. Not something I’m likely to come back to but really enjoyed it

this was odd but i loved it. four stars only because i’m unsure of how likely i am to return to it frequently. but it was great.

beep boop

One more band I've never new anything about before. Enjoyed the album. Kraftwerk-esque intro was nice.

first listen feels super indie for a psych record

Not too shabby. I thought it was going to be avant garde at first but it wasn’t - 8/10

Pretty good! Fun to have a modern one. Reminded me of that childish gambino album with the all white album cover, which I really liked initially but the novelty kind of wore off on multiple listens. 7/10

Nothing super crazy or special here, but I enjoyed listening 7.5/10

I really liked this album. I’ve seen some criticism because who the hell are these guys and why are they included in the 1001 albums to hear before you die? But I came to this site to be turned on to new music. So while I agree it’s odd to have this album on here I still enjoyed it.

It sounded like a mix of Tame Impala and new order. Really liked it but wish some minutes were trimmed off the tracks. It became a bit laborious waiting for tracks to end. Rating: 3.7

Negative Space - 4 Static Resistance - 3 Ullswater - 4 The Soft Season - 3 Opener - 4 Each Time We Pass - 4 Boxing Day - 3 Reunión - 3 Shortcomings - 3

Pretty solid psychedelic synthrock album. Vocals were pretty great and the part in the middle were they dropped out and the instrumentals got to take over for a solid section was really nice. Some of the early tracks were a bit boring and forgettable though, containing just boring rock chords and floaty vocals. The space Tron sounding stuff was the better parts of the album. Seems like a band that would be a lot of fun live.

My favorite album I've listend to so far

Never heard this before, bit like Arcade Fire. Liked it a lot.

I had to give this a few goes. I was surprised if never heard of it. It seems like a bit of an obscure choice for this list. It was enjoyable to listen to, but I don't know if I'd go back to it. I liked the subsequent suggested tracks that listening to this on Spotify generated, too. 3.5 stars.

Every time I've tried to listen to this album I've been interrupted about halfway through. Today I've finally listened all the way! It's an interesting one, for all the reasons why I shouldn't like it, I did enjoy it. Good vibes.

Really fun

Although it gets a little too derivative of bands like Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem or Flaming Lips with a hint of Krautrock, this record is a LOT of fun. The way it plays with time signature changes on tracks like Ullswater keep your ear invested in a 7-minute long track. I wish more longer tracks would take this approach. If you had asked me to name the year this album came out, I'd say no later than 2010. It feels like a lost millennial gem, and that's not a bad thing. That said, this sound had its day in the sun, and I'm okay not having too many more out there.

At first it sucked, but then there are some good tracks here. I usually hate this kind of music.

за синты ставлю жирные 3 сразу. Еще балл добавляю за общие аранжировки и тягучесть переходящего звука

Just odd and weird enough to make it interesting but not pretentious, keeping the runtime short makes it more digestible too. Lots of variety on this album, my only gripe is the vocals are a little muted at times. I found Shortcomings and Static Resistance (gives some U2 energy) were up my alley.

Was pleasantly surprised by this one! Really great sounds and rhythms and energy. I knocked a star off because it all gets kind of “samey” by the end

Fun, electronic

Enjoyed this record quite a bit. Some of it reminded me of something that would result from crossing Public Image Limited with Pink Floyd.

Listened to this while playing Return to Dark Tower solo. I finally won! I really enjoyed this album. It didn't really feel like there was anything new happening here...but it was still an enjoyable, occasionally dance-y album with a solid progression. Nothing earth shatteringly inventive, but I would still listen to this with friends.

Pleasant & upbeat Indie rock. Made for good background music while I worked. 3.5 stars.

LOVED THIS. Sounds like Animal Collective with the bass from Kid A.

Really liked it, and likely will continue listening. Has a fun alternative rock / electronic mix.

I’ve never heard of the Hookworms but I listened from front to back and really fucking love it. Giving LCD, Arcade Fire. Added to my playlist for sheeze

1. Negative Space - interesting choice for the sound, very electronic or something, intro goes a little long for my liking. I appreciate the build-up but probably could got there quicker. don't mind the lyrics and it's actually kind of a bop. 2. Static Resistance - this one is also quite boppy, i like it. 3. Ullswater - I really like the sound of this one too, reading what it's about (his father's alzheimers) is also super interesting to me and the lyrics def reflect that and it's actually heartbreaking. 4. The Soft Season - interesting sound (crackling and splashing), i didn't mind this one, liked the others better 5. Opener - again the intro went for a little long for me and not a pleasant sound, it built up and I liked the sound of it mostly, but a little too long. 6. Each Time We Pass - sounds like birds chirping in the background, which I don't love. 7. Boxing Day - this one is a really interesting sound, it's a little experimental with that sound that shows up in the song, it's not that pleasant for me, well...that ended abruptly. 8. Reunion - an instrumental, it was ok since it was only one in the whole album and makes sense after the 'loudness' of the previous song, but not a fan of instrumentals. 9. Shortcomings - i like the sound of this one, it's a bop. Overall, I really like the sound of this band and the songs imo are pretty unique and i like their lyrics and music. I don't really get the track lengths, some are super long and then some are like 2 mins, would have liked some consistency, but surprisingly one of my favourites was the Ullswater which went for about 7 mins. I also really like the writing style and the stuff they are writing about is really interesting and not as talked about in music, so that's interesting. looking into it apparently the band split up because MJ had allegations of abuse...that's very disappointing.

Verygood

This was a cool discovery. Seems a bit inspired by KGATLW, tame Impala and the like, while at some times sounding like a source of inspiration for butterfly 3000 by KGATLW

Never heard of this band but wow! I really enjoyed the electro power pop on here. Yes the first 90 seconds of each song drags and sounds like laptop bleep-bloop music but then you get some real emotive, melodic synth rockers. Nice surprise album for me.

This band is entirely new to me. Pleasantly surprised.

Je ne connaissais pas du tout, j'ai bien aimé (revue très utile mais la flemme d'argumenter plus avant)

J'ai plutôt bien aimé. J'ai oublié d'écrire ma note après l'avoir écouté donc je ne me souviens pas de plus de choses pertinentes à dire, mais c'était globalement pas mal.

The first song, "Negative Space", gave me an impression that I wasn't going to like this album, but it's actually interesting. Ullswater reminds me a bit of some 80s and 90s alternative.

Its the electronic driving vibe that's a little dark and ambient that really works for me. Enjoyed.

Pretty funky, actually

The music was excellent. The singing was a bit too 2010's for me. But still, well done Hookworms.

Strong 3 to light 4

I really enjoyed this one. It's got a good energy and it's a well-crafted album. I don't know that it's anything exceptional, necessarily, but it was a good time. That band name, though. Hard pass.

was pretty good

Cool plaatje. Volgens mij door Arie ooit aangeraden.

Heel creatief en divers album. Boeiende band, en live ook heel goed!

Really enjoyed this one. Never heard of the band but I'll be listening to their other stuff now.

Really enjoyed this one quite a bit. Pretty cool, full sound, especially in the instrumentation. Albums like this tend to sound the same from track to track, but that certainly is not the case here. Favorite track: Opener

Didn't know this before but really enjoy it

Enjoyed this a lot from start to end

In a time where songs have become more important than albums, I'm happy to have listened to an album again. I was aware of the singles Static Resistance and Negative Space that have been played on my alternative radio stations, but for some reason never got to listen to the entire album. And it really didn't disappoint, the album is listening to a heavy trip.

Sounds like Weezer doing a King Gizzard album. Ironically enough, neither of those artists are on this list. 7/10

Never heard of them. Enjoyed it though.

Thought this was very good

Plodded along, this kind of generic electro indie always scratches an itch for me

This reminded me of late sixties, early seventies electronic music in some ways, when synthesizers were a new toy. I liked that. Overall it was an interesting listen. 4

This was fine...it was fine... My interest was piqued at first and then I got kind of bored. Then the second listen was better, but still not thrilling for me. With the third run-through, it landed in the "it's tolerable" to the "I like it" range.

Really enjoyed this, shame about the lead singer being a rotter

This was an enjoyable neo-psychedelic/electronic album. The music has strong influences from early 2000s British alternative and sounds like a British version of Phoenix, a French band who also infused indie/alternative rock with electronic influences. However, this album doesn’t seem to be breaking new ground though its pacing, flow, and production are perfect.

I do like some good distortion and feedback every now and then. The earlier Hookworms releases were noise rock that showed its influences on its sleeves. Microshift adds pop and synth elements and it all works. Ironically, the synths tempers some of the harsher Krautrock elements. Boxing Day and Static Resistance are highlights.

Pretty cool album, a decent listen and one which I would revisit

Me on my way to look up a band I really enjoyed only to find they broke up due to sexual assault allegations :D

Positief verrast. Alhoewel psychedelische invloeden niet zozeer een plus zijn voor mij, vind ik dat ze het in dit album op een creatieve manier hebben gebruikt, en zo zitten er dan ook wat aardige nummers tussen.

Beetje MGMT achtig, maar beetje zweverig en traag

like it

Drone rock. Wow another genre moniker that fits perfectly. This is hard driving good beats by a band that I never heard of. They must have liked Kraftwerk back in the day. I didn't get time to discover too much of the lyrics but I did check out lyrics to Negative Space; they deal with emotions and hallucinations after a good friend dies. Very well done. I like that the list is augmented with recent stuff and I will  be generous with rating more recent albums that I like. When we're done and we look back at our ratings, I don't want all my 4s and 5s to be bands comprised of old grey haired  fothermuckers like me. 

First time listen. This is a good driving album, the songs run together nicely, the beat fits a road running pattern Will check it out again

Hidden little gem loved their downtempo songs

Great album. Less loud and punk than their previous two, but still got that familiar krautrock/pysch sound with the addition of more synth / electronic. The antithesis of laddy indie rock. Lyrically too they don’t shy away from sensitive themes, which made the allegations about the singer even more shocking at the time. Pleased to see other members have found success elsewhere- they’re far too good to have their careers cancelled by the actions of one idiot

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.

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".

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

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.

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

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

Solid but unremarkable

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

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

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

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.

This was a pleasant surprise. Likeable and contemporary

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

I like this type of modern rock music. Good!

pretty good

funky

Very good

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

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

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

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

ma confiture fort

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

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

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

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

Big Kraftwerk energy. very boppable and enjoyable.

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

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

Enjoyed this a lot, it bopped.

Nikad čuo za ovo

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

This is a really good record and I’ve never heard them before. This will definitely get another spin. Good electronic based indie pop.

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

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.

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!

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

Decent

Quite an enjoyable listen. Certainly one to explore further. A bit of a sad story but these are the times we live in. No particular fave but it does finish strong so let's say Shortcomings.

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

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

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

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

decent; 4,5

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.

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

Muy bueno, grata sorpresas

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

Good, reminded me a little bit of arcade fire

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

Great record.

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

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.

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...

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

That was a pretty good one.

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

A lot of melodies and stuff. 0RS

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

Really like this. Reminded me of Les Big Byrd.

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

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

- remind me of django django - really like boxing day

Uplifting and different enough to earn its place. 3 - deserves to be on this list

Sounded ok. Quite Stereolab ish.

Interesting sounding between early edm and rock/punk sound.

Smooth and easy to listen through. Works well as background music for me but not something I would listen to actively or have as the main part of an experience.

Ugh… like it’s fine but absolutely nothing special.

2.8

7/10 - some pretty good indie synth light rock, some of the longer tracks especially

Not saying it's completely bad, but really struggling to see how it's relevant. Especially when Wikipedia categorizes its genre simply as 'Rock'.

Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. Respect the author for making an attempt at including recent things in the latest release of the book. Didn’t land with me, but I can see how people would love this.

O

A new discovery for me and its all very pleasant electro/ indie and would undoubtedly grow on repeat. Only managed two run throughs and I enjoyed it - but nothing really grabbed me. All sounded very similar to foals/ pale impala - both of whom I'm partial too. Confused as to its inclusion on the list. Especially when fellow Leeds band Alt-J are omitted and their album won a mercury prize and I think had a much greater impact on wider music scene.

Microshift Musically I was immediately into this, I love the drums and instrumentation, a kind of Depeche Mode and 2000s indie-disco combination that is very enjoyable. However vocally and melodically I found it far less engaging - I don’t really like the tone of his voice, and combined with the melodic style it puts it very much in the 1993-2010 indie also-ran’s bracket, to the point it kind of turned me off a little. I think I’d really enjoy an instrumental only version, as there is some nice stuff going on, the guitars on the standout Ullswater, the organ and sax on The Soft Season, the pulsing motorik rhythms and Baba O’Riley-ness of Opener Musically it's pushing a 4, but as a whole it's somewhere between 2 and 3, the vocals and melodies drag it down and consequently give it an indie-generic feeling, and that there are plenty of other bands who do this better. However I think I’ll just tip it to a 3 a 🪱🪱🪱 Playlist submission: Ullswater

Electronica, 85 eme album =>3/5 Bien plus intéressant que l'électronica d'hier (tellement ennuyeux que je n'avais pas pu aller au bout - noté 1/5 donc). Les morceaux sont plutôt dynamiques et variés, même les plus longs qui prennent leurs temps mais évoluent. Une bonne découverte donc, que j'écouterais probablement de nouveau. Par contre il ne rejoindra pas ma collection (il manque un peu d'originalité).

Enjoyable! I sometimes like the singing more than the music, and I sometimes like the music more than the singing. Most tracks felt a bit out of whack like that. Still had a good time.

I kind of dig it (what was it?)

I really thought this was going to be a hardcore punk outfit and was all set to express my dislike. It is not hard core punk. Not exactly sure what it is, but it doesn't sound like it was released 8 years ago. Older sounding, more 80s in many ways. Interesting find.

Another band I surprisingly never heard of. I liked this album. Interesting they were cancelled by reported abuse from seemingly one woman.

decent record, surprising that’s it’s on the list, quite a random modern album to be on the list but it was good i enjoyed it, quirky sounding album and dramatic where it needs to be

Negative space - 3 Static resistance - 4 Ullswater - 3 The soft season - 3 Opener - 3 Each time we pass - 2 Boxing day - 3 Reunion - 2 Shortcomings - 4

Let's talk about that album art. It kind of feels like Giorgio de Chirico meets Adobe, which is to say something like a really cool part of the past meets the professional tool of the modern day. I feel like the first couple of songs help make sense of the art, but the feeling of it is the transition between Boxing Day and Reunion. So, for the most part, not really an album I feel I "must listen to before I die", but I think I get why it's there. Lots of classic influences, lots of modern production, very hazy-vocal-indie-rock and it feels generic until you start to 'get' the music. It's got some interesting times going on, a good feel for musical progression, but without trying too hard to feel academic, and aiming significantly more for radio play. 2.8/5

(the rotting zombified corpse of 2017-2018 voice) did you (cough) did you uh (an eye falls out of a socket) did you (wheeze) did you know tame impala is just one guy

I just don’t understand how they landed on _this_ as the bedroom pop album to put on the list. Is there _any_ Mac DeMarco on here?? Say what you will about Mr Drumstick, At least he has hooks!! That moongel drum sound is truly the spectre of rock music that will haunt “””guitar pop””” until the whole thing goes belly-up caput and we’re all scrounging gobbling up Tomato Paste out of the can with a spoon, thinking about “man what happened to a good live drum sound?” Much to be said about the millennial proto-matcha-rave ideology rooted in Thee 2010s Radio Mirror Park America (I’d say “caucasity,” but this album lacks anything that could be called audaciousness). But to say I hated this is to fundamentally deny a part of myself I’d rather not admit to right now. The first track rocks. The second track rocks. It’s Dominoslop. I know I’m a sucker. I just really like the organ sound and all the cheesy electronic flourishes. This is representative of my lack of ball knowledge when it comes to electronic music, but that’s always been the contention of indie pop, right? Combining the ”sOuNd dEsign” 102 cocky-boing-boing-esque wrist motions with that of the all-elusive art of “””songwriting.””” I’ll probably sample this. 2.5 - 3.2

what in the fuck. alright man. as someone who's used the plugin this album's named after........ the brexit geezer jerking off will continue until morale improves. this time it's a geezer with Allegations! i already gave MJ a 5. let's see if This MJ can let the "separating the art from the artist" talk again. i don't hate the first track. should've just let ratatat write it (and made it two minutes shorter). i like the second track. but how is it NEO if you're using the SAME psychedelic organ presets. requisite weird time signature track (9/4). all this hoopla for (essentially) intimacy era bloc party + congratulations era MGMT. unfortunately "the soft side" + "each time we pass" land like 2007 jake brown after the. y'know. is this positive? is this negative? find out next time on DBZ. this time on DBZ: the album starts to get good with its "opener". next time on DBZ: they end two songs too early. 3.5-4.1 (on quality basis. you don't need to hear this before you die). pitchfork bait. glad to know i made the right allegation band decision (DIIV FTW). addendum: a. damn they broke up on my birthday lmao b. apparently he sued for libel and got (i assume only in the UK) the original allegation post taken down. whether that's SLAPPy or another example of the "marx christ" leftist ouroboros taking itself out rather than punching up...... ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Interesting electronic heavy pop with a few standout tracks.

i kinda like this and i kinda don’t

never heard of these guys before, they kinda sound like a midpoint between fuck buttons and m83 that ends up being not really as good as either. and yet neither of those artists are on the list, but hookworms is? not sure why that might be, but the genre being listed as "psychedelic rock" (despite imo being much closer to shoegaze or dream pop) feels like a clear tell given the known proclivities of the folks who compiled the list.... musically this album is fine but i can't stress enough how much it feels like "fuck buttons and m83, simultaneously, but worse" to me. to the point where the electric organs repeatedly had me pausing to check they weren't just sampled from "bright tomorrow", especially in "static resistance" and "the soft season". this is a mixed bag, since it means i did mostly enjoy the sound, but also means i was constantly just thinking about how good fuck buttons and m83 are and wanting to bail and listen to those instead. which is exactly what i did once i finished my first listen. i think this one is another ascended 2 for me. i do like the sound but "each time we pass" was the only track that stood out to me and that was almost entirely down to it being the first track on the album that doesn't sound like either of the aforementioned bands. it's just not enough for me to come back to this when i could just as easily listen to those bands instead, yknow?

I actually really liked a couple songs enough to save them for later, but on the whole the psych noise walls of sound weren't doing enough or anything interesting to make the album memorable. Friends were comparing it to M83, or The Fuck Buttons but honestly I found myself regarding it like a very neutered Hot Chip with a fraction of the vocals. I like it, but among the precious few acts from the 2010s featured on here, it did not stand up.

Never heard of this group, despite how modern this album is in comparison to the rest of the list. Starts off sort of electronic, but morphs into rock, noise rock, psychedelia all throughout. It gets trippier early on, but past that, things sort of fall into one lane.

O.K.

Atmospheric.

I had forgotten about these guys. This is cool.

Some very good, some very bad songs

The album fails to make an impression on subsequent listens, unfortunately. The opening few tracks are quite catchy but it loses steam pretty fast towards the end of the album. The album art, however, merits some points on its own. It's probably the main reason I was excited to listen to this album when it was generated. Now that's rare.

What the hell? No clue who this band is, why is it on the list? That being said, it is not bad. I went into this thinking I would hate it, in fact I really WANTED to hate it, but it is not bad. It is no Rubber Soul or Pet Sounds, but it is not shit either.

Some fun songs but not a lot of substance

There were one or two songs that really stood out, but mostly this was generic indie.

I'm not sure what is supposed to make this special other than it's British and they needed to add something relatively recent to the latest edition to sell the book. It's ok. I didn't hate it, it's a bit boring. Krautrock vibes, which I liked. 2.5

Synth Indy not offensive elements of poppies. Will listen again.

Fun, enjoyed the autoplay after. Felt the heart in the music

Commençons par l'évidence: quel cover dégueulasse. Comme celui de Django Django et emperor tomato ketchup. Emperor Tomato Ketchup gagne encore. Une grosse soupe 00s' indie comme on les aime (ou pas)

Alexa : What's that Shakespearian quote about "Full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing"? Actually, bit's of it were OK, but other bit's edged towards suck-y.

3/5 Liked the songs but none stuck out to me. Favorite Song: Shortcomings

Interesting. I was verging on a negative listen--too electronic?, then it crept up into solid out-there big-sound attentiveness. Had a Baba O'Riley moment their in Static Resistance. Similarly the bassy electronic vibe starting Ullswater gets overwhelmed by an offbeat vocal Kraftwerk/Stereolab channelling. Ullswater heading to anthemic. All new to me; didn't know what I was missing.

I’m not hooked on hookworms, but they were perfectly alright. Nothing to write home about or groundbreaking and nothing that I can particularly remember. But they were fine in the background.

This falls into that category of albums where, if someone just handed this to me and said, "Oh, you might like this," I'd give it a spin, and say, "Yeah, that was pretty cool." And maybe I'd give it another listen, and maybe it might even find its way into rotation. But the fact that it's on this list forces me to listen to it through a different filter, which isn't necessarily fair to these guys. After all, they're just putting out music; they don't realize the burden of "Must Listen Before You Die" is going to be placed on this. And so, half of me is listening just to listen, and half of me is listening, judging this against other albums that didn't make the list. Is this more deserving than, say, Of Montreal, Travis Scott, MF Doom, or Howling Wolf, etc., etc., etc? On that front, then, no. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking here, and nothing that stuck with me after it passed, though maybe more listens would change that. But just as a record in and of itself? It's cool. I dig their Stereolab-esque vibe.

I listened to this twice. Casually while doing other things. I played a second time because nothing stuck out in my mind. I’m in the same predicament…nothing meaningful to report.

Loud and headbangy. futuristic synths. Not 100% my cup of tea but very cool

Interesting, didn’t blow me away.

ну тип талантливо но волну поймала не сразу. однако позже на пьяную бошку вкатило жоска. по обложке подумала будет tame impala кор, включила и услышала twenty one pilots, а по факту оказалось Arcade Fire или LCD Soundsystem, чуть-чуть the killers или sigur rós или beach house. а еще вспомнился момент примирения Макса и Вики из кухни под трек make merry, amphibious zoo music. ну хуй знает пойду поем. изменено: очень понравилась песня the soft season. а вообще я немного удивилась увидеть здесь альбом 2018 года. пс. бляяяя а трек reunion жоска фармит вайбы киномузыки blade runner, 1982.

неплохой альбом, некоторые треки зашли

AI struck early with this band. Guessing more than one person in this band has a trust fund.

Have not heard of these guys at all. When I first hit play, I thought it was going to be a purely electronic album, maybe something Kraftwerk-esque. But it quickly morphed into something much more adjacent to Phoenix. I'm not sure I ever got past the disappointment of this not being weird and different but instead sounding pretty straightforward. It's good and I like it but missing something needed to push it beyond 2.5 stars (rounding up to three). I'm also not convinced this needs a spot on this list.

Raro....mzcla de 8ndie electronico

Different kind of rock and overall experience. Long songs and a concept that travels and weaves through the songs. Interesting.

Catchy and has a good beat. I really liked Static Resistance. The album over all is well composed... beautiful. You can tell they understood how to put music together. I wrote the above and then Boxing Day just ends... weird.

Interesting little record. Why on this list? Feels like a dude from hookworms lobbied to get on this platform? Is this legit? Certainly worse records on this list but again I’m looking for must listens - not hey this is kind of cool.

Funky, but I wasn't entirely sold on it. Stand-outs - Negative Space - Boxing Day

Classic way to tell if a newer album on the list has become a “classic” is does it quickly mention being in this book? Then it hasnt. The album is fine.

IT was odd but OK

It was just ok.

Quite like Spiritualised in places. Which is nice.

Catchy but unremarkable at the same time. Also do not google the singer.

Best Song: Hookworms. Fun and experimental, with an almost Daft Punk feel. Worst Song: Reunion. This is just fancy elevator music. Overall: What started as a fun, experimental album quickly degraded into fairly ordinary, indie rock fare. Inoffensive, but disappointing because it showed brief glimpses of being something more.

Favorite Track: Each Time We Pass

Ni idea de qué es esto! Pero si me dices que es al música de fondo de un documental de los 80, me lo creo. Descubrimiento interesante. Me guardo: "Static Resistance", "Ullswater", "Opener" y "Shortcomings".

Given the band name, I was a bit surprised that the album was actually pretty good. Ultimately though, it'll disappear into the unremarkable middle of my experience listening to these 1001 albums. It does, however, have the distinction of leaving me with just 69 more until I'm finished. Nice.

increibles transitions y background noises y todo, se siente como una cancion eterna y no como varias. me encanta que hagan esto!!!! howeverrr no es super mi estilo, puedo apreciarlo pero no es algo que escucharía yo.....mas que alguna que otra

Some interesting tracks - Kraut rock, and maybe a bit of shoegaze.

nic fascynujacego

🎧Pretty musically adventurous, all around okay to good listen.

++: Static Resistance, Ullswater, Each Time We Pass, Boxing Day +: Negative Space, The Soft Season, Opener, Reunion, Shortcomings 7,2/10

This did the trick as background music while I completed work tasks, but it did not contain anything that jumped out at me to really draw in my attention. Not bad.

A new discovery for me and its all very pleasant electro/ indie and would undoubtedly grow on repeat. Only managed two run throughs and I enjoyed it - but nothing really grabbed me. All sounded very similar to foals/ pale impala - both of whom I'm partial too. Confused as to its inclusion on the list. Especially when fellow Leeds band Alt-J are omitted and their album won a mercury prize and I think had a much greater impact on wider music scene.

It was alright. A couple of interesting tunes, and a lot of non-descript. Others in the genre have higher profiles and maybe better tunes. Nothing fancy, nothing crap, nothing revolutionary, nothing especially interesting.

3/5

Ok

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

Fun psychedelic rock. I hear a bit of Hot Chip and Tame Impala in their sound. Those are bands I'm a big fan of, so I connected with this right away. But the songs didn't ultimately land. Maybe I'll revisit this in the future, but right now I feel like I'd sooner listen to this other bands before returning to Hookworms.

The album flowed very nicely and it was fun to listen to but it was also very standard indie and felt like a bit of a filler album.

This was a nice indie album! I don't have much else to say about it other than that I liked how the songs flowed into each other.