Microshift

decent but not my typa thing

Surprised I had never heard of this being it was released less than 10 years ago. And it was pretty good not great. This indie rock / alternative album starts off really strong and trails off as you start to work your way through. The first 2 songs in particular are awesome with cool guitar work and some interesting layered instrumentation. I feel like they don;t kinda that same intensity after that but it's a consistent listen. I probably won't come back to this but it's nice to know it exists...

I actually quite like this Shame about the rapey cunt

2.5 really Was okay, but i just couldn't be arsed with it. Pretty forgettable. Doubt ill return to it

Every song has a distinct texture to it!! Apparently this is kinda krautrocky which is p cool and makes sense cos I really liked Faust IV last month. The vocals and beats in this are top. I think the first 3-4 songs reach a very high high which the rest of the album doesnt quite match BUT i still loved it!!

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

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.

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

Fine and forgettable

Too..techo

I appreciated the abrupt changes between songs

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.

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 my thing. A bit boring. All tracks sound the same.

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.

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

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)

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.

Rv

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

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

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

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.

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

552/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Interesting listen, some cool modern alternative stuff

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

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

An enjoyable listen, but nothing super special.

Interesting sound.

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.

eerste helft was goed, tweede helft werd plotseling erg poppy

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

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

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.

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.

Sympa

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

Decent

Enjoyed quite a few tbf

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

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.

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.

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

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

A surprisingly decent indie rock album with some krautrock touches

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.

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.

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

5/5 instrumentals 1/5 Vocals

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

Alright. ★★★

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

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

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

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

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 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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

?Pop?

Grand, not familiar before

smooth

Grappig, Rock/Neo-psychedelia Rock blijkbaar idk

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. 😄

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Interesting sound! 3.5

Comes in with a blast but gets a bit generic over time.

A bit of a weird one, I think this album is quite good, sounds nice has some good songs but also some skippable stuff. I do however echo a lot of the other people as I had no idea this band existed and do question the inclusion of them on this list, I feel this list is for bands who have pushed the art of music forward, and I’m not saying modern artists shouldn’t be on this list but more so I feel this band is just another group that made good music in a genre but didn’t adapt or progress it forward

Kind of hated the noise used for the intro to the album at the beginning of Negative Space, but I’m glad I stuck with it as the lyrics and songs on this album are pretty good. I enjoyed the electronic music, vocal style, and themes of grief and loss explored throughout.

not really memorable for me, but certainly enjoyable enough

These guys are trying to do the dance/ psychadelic thing that is very hard to nail. To their credit I skimmed through it again after listening and I didn't dislike it. It's solid even if I don't think it really stands out.

I'm not sure why this is on here other than the need for "recent" music. It's once again one of those choices where it's fine but it's not groundbreaking or terribly interesting. I do like the sort of post-rock mixed with electronic music buildups but nothing other than the 8 minute "Opener" was really standout to me. It's fine, if I heard it in a bar or a coffee shop I wouldn't even notice it.

Negative Space - 3/5 Static Resistance - 4/5 Ullswater - 5/5 The Soft Season - 2/5 Opener - 3/5 Each Time We Pass - 4/5 Boxing Day - 3/5 Reunion - 3/5 Shortcomings - 3/5 Average score: 3.3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ wish i knew about the SA allegations before i listened to a couple of the tracks, i'd rather not give them a dime of streaming revenue. furthermore, these dipshits have like ~5k monthly streams. i know those metrics aren't solely what makes a group good or not but... how the fuck did they make this list when seemingly no one knows who they are? i guess if your group is british you automatically make the cut 🙄 anyways, this was pretty mediocre and i've heard other artists do this sound but better (like Hot Chip, another british group!). in fact, i can think of at least a dozen other artists who would've been better selections for this list, regardless of genre or country of origin i hope that should they make another edition in the future, they pick more artists outside of the UK for once. i'm very tired of wasting precious hours of my life on lackluster music just cuz it's bri'ish

Decent energy throughout. A clubbing record for clubbing at home. I like the way the tracks segue into each other.

This album reminds me a lot of the electronic rock from the ’90s. It’s hard to believe it was released in 2018. Maybe that nostalgic sound is part of why it was well received. Personally, I didn’t find it very original, but I can see why some people might be into this kind of sound. "Opener," which runs for more than eight minutes, has a noisy texture that I actually found quite suitable for background listening while working.

J'sais pas ça feelait genre "Music for musicians" mais en même temps, un shit de 2018 avec pleins de drama, j'le feelais moyen.

Interesting and enjoyable somewhat.

Perfectly good electro-techno-indie-alt-rock. Not exactly memorable, but not bad.

Very electronic, very fresh. Does not sound too obvious or predictive. Instead, it sounds unique.

Did not inspire me to listen again

This was a fun listen. Back in the day, a few friends of mine were obsessed with it, so for me this record works a bit like a memory machine. It doesn’t quite have the wit, the sharp political edge, the dazzling rhythms, or the mind-bending production of, say, Stereolab. But then again, who can match their brilliance? Still, Microshift is definitely worth revisiting: its neo-psychedelic, krauty vibe feels (positively) familiar/nostalgic and the well-placed bursts of noise (Hookworms wearing their Stereolab fandom pretty openly here) give the whole thing enough punch to keep you hooked (haha, no pun intended) right up to the last track. Some lengthier synth-y interludes create a sense of seamless sequencing and give your mind some room to drift (see first section of Opener, which is oddly enough, situated at the centre of the album), before the krautrock-style repetition pulls you back to earth. Checks a lot of boxes of what you’d expect from a nostalgically tinged music project.

It’s not bad, but once again don’t understand why this is on this list.

It shouldn’t be on the list; however, it sounds meh not bad not good just right in the middle

Pretty good. Would listen again

3.5 stars. Musically, first couple tracks remind me of LCD Soundsystem. "Soft Season" synth sounds like M83. Annoying noisy distortion in "Boxing Day" makes it a skip. Standout is "Static Resistance".

Seems like the arena rock version of the whole Meet Me in the bathroom scene. Album is fine.

better than anticipated

2018 Nope, never heard of this. Started brightly with shades of Daft Punk/New Order/Working Mens Club, but soon disappeared up its own backside and simply became a nonentity as the minutes dragged by. I can imagine this being a mainstay of RSD reissues in coloured vinyl and alternative sleeves! Something to cherish for 'hip' 6 Music Dads out there, desperately trying to maintain their relevance. Why is it here? I expect Pitchfork can answer. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Standard 6Music fodder ★★★☆☆ (5/10)

Der var noget på, som virkede interessant. Noget bedre af det nyere.

It's Hooky! It's Wormy-ing (its way into your brain)! you know what I listened to this when it came out and it passed me by. This on a relisten is a terrific album, kind of what Mercury Rev might sound like if they came from Yorkshire. 2018 is a bit soon to judge if this really is one of the best albums every made though. 3.5 but too recent for a 4.

Good enough to listen to twice

I saw that it was British and a feeling of dread came over my body. This list has albums on it that seem to just be here because they're British (and end up being mediocre). This album was actually pretty decent. I wouldn't go back and listen to it multiple times, but I enjoyed it.

pleasant, entertaining - never heard of them - nothing to write home about though.

This was a new one for me. I like the mix of trance with more of an underlying pop sound. It works.

Strains of albums that came out twenty years prior - Dismemberment Plan, the Notwist, third phase New Order, maybe even Stereolab - aka rock bands that didn't just use synths but leaned in - all the way in. I ended up enjoying this album more as it went on. I thought it would run out of steam. But the song writing is solid. It's highly listenable. But I really don't know why it's on the list nothing extraordinary except it's slightly above ordinariness.

This band has a sound far more pleasant than their name implies.

The mostly uplifting music (a la Fun) added ambient/electronic noises (meant to give a fuller sound) that tended to dull the emotion, rather than enhance it. Each noice that connected one ending to the next beginning became annoying, beginning with the tap “dancing.”

Worthy. Dull-ish

I walked into this not wanting to like it since it's newish (2018) and the 1001 albums list still doesn't have two of the greatest albums of the decade (both released in 2018) that could have easily taken the place of this album (Rosalia's El Mal Querer and Low's Double Negative). Despite that, I actually really liked this. A lot. I'm a sucker for psychedelic sounds, krautrock minimalism and buildups in rock. Some really great bass guitar and textures throughout. The actual opener and the track called Opener are huge highlights. Lyrics are a bit trite and the hooks aren't the most memorable, though. Has a very late "millenial" vocal sound, which is a touch grating, but overall a good album

Oke, voorop gesteld, dit is niet de muziek die ik normaliter zou aan zetten. En bij het eerste nummer dacht ik ook oprecht, oeh hier komt een 1 ster aan. Begon nogal matig met wat verschillende tonen volledig uit de maat. Daarna herpakte het zich echt (op een nummer na maar weet niet meer welke) en was het best wel blij en prima om naar te luisteren. Ga ik dit alleen nog eens opzetten? Dat denk ik niet. Daarom is het een 3

Vibey, pretty upbeat, original. Didn't like Boxing Day, thought it was actually a bit grating. Especially liked Soft Season and Each Time We Pass. Not perfect, but yeah overall pretty good.

01) Negative Space - 7,5 02) Static Resistance - 6,5 03) Ullswater - 7,0 04) The Soft Season - 6,5 05) Opener - 6,5 06) Each Time We Pass - 7,0 07) Boxing Day - 7,0 08) Reunion - 6,5 09) Shortcomings - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,83 (68/100)

I liked this! I don’t remember a single song, but I remember I liked it.

Never heard of Hookworms. Is this an album I had to hear before I died? Probably not. But I listened three or four times and it got better with each listen. Maybe it was the crunchy organ and Stereolab vibes? Welp, on my way to listen to some Stereolab.

a pa ono. ima dobrih momenata koji mi se sviđaju, ali ima i nekih skroz bezveznih. tako da za solidnu trojku

This is kind of torturous at the beginning of each song but then it starts to come into its own as a good song. If they cut that horrendous build to the song especially on songs like Opener. Turned out to be a great sounding song but the first part of it turns you off and makes you want to skip it. This album would be a 5 if it didn’t have all that.

Starts pretty poorly but thankfully gets a lot better. Great ending track as well.

Not bad.

learning the release date makes me wanna knock this down a star

fine

Tyyppillinen listan indie-levy 2000-luvulta: ihan ok ja britti.

Boppy, like the upbeat vibes

Gone for a 3, may drop to a 2 on reflection but this was better than others that I have voted a 2. No bangers, but solid throughout.

I quite liked the space rock

really like the cover, but the album is a bit meh

I, like other commenters apparently, have never heard of this band. Ever. I did find myself loving certain tracks on this, though. However, there’s just as many that seem middle of the road. 3/5

it was ok.

Good listening for my acupuncture appt but I think I liked the last album more

It's pretty good but a bit same-y same-y throughout and missing the peaks that make a real classic

Neo-psych with space elements craft a unique sound for a patient listener.

It's not clear to me what makes this record essential. It's fine but I wonder if it suffers from recency bias. THE SCIENCES would have been a more appropriate 2018 choice.

better than i anticipated

Musically solid mix of electronic rock and psychedelia, but nothing too outstanding. I didn't really vibe with it, but it wasn't offensive either.

Microshift marks a clear stylistic shift for Hookworms, moving away from noise rock and garage energy towards a more polished, synth-driven sound. The krautrock influence is strong, and there are definite echoes of bands like Stereolab. The production is sleek and carefully crafted throughout. Tracks like “Negative Space” and “Ullswater” build hypnotic atmospheres with looping structures and extended arrangements. There’s an artistic ambition here, emotional depth, themes of grief, loss, and mental health, expressed with clarity and intention. But despite its emotional weight and sonic elegance, Microshift never quite grabs hold. The songs tend to blur together, and while the synth textures are beautiful, the album ultimately lacks variation and edge. It’s an album that’s easy to admire, but harder to truly love. Impressive in sound, but a little… dull in the long run.

This album was pretty chill. Not too much to complain about but also nothing to write home about. I originally didn’t think it would be for me but then I felt like the album just flew by.

Not bad Indie Psych/space rock from a band that I didn't know of. high 2.5 rounded to 3

Sounded cool, talked over it in the car. 3/5

Albums not included on this list: Giant Steps - John Coltrane; I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One - Yo La Tengo; For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver; The Shape Of Jazz To Come - Ornette Coleman; Grand Prix - Teenage Fanclub; Under The Pink - Tori Amos; Things We Lost In The Fire - Low; Chet - Chet Baker; Goat - The Jesus Lizard; Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie; Mingus Ah Um - Charles Mingus; Silent Alarm - Bloc Party; Sublime - Sublime; In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel; Give Up - The Postal Service; Weezer (the Blue Album) - Weezer; Somethin’ Else - Cannonball Adderly; Ram - Paul McCartney; Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt; Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend; Excitable Boy - Warren Zevon; Breakfast in America - Supertramp; Flood - They Might Be Giants; The Moon and Antarctica - Modest Mouse; Aquemini - OutKast; Fly - Dixie Chicks; Currents - Tame Impala; Funky Kingston - Toots and the Maytals; Curtis - Curtis Mayfield; Mezzanine - Massive Attack; Shoot Out the Lights - Richard and Linda Thompson; Loaded - The Velvet Underground; Damn the Torpedos - Tom Petty. Albums included on this list: this one. Make it make sense. This was perfectly fine indie synth pop. Nothing bad about it whatsoever. I’d never purposefully put it on but it was not unpleasant to listen to. It was also wholly unremarkable in every sense of the word. Just a non-entity of a record. To the extent there is any validity to a list like this - which is highly questionable - this album has no place on it.

I have no memory of this but presumably I thought it was ok

Very experimental in the best way. It feels like a full experience. Definitely some I will go back to. Love the use of different instruments to make the music feel like a piece of art.

I will admit to not having heard of this band before. Sort of a bit of Phoenix, with another little bit of the Arctic Monkeys and dare I say a dash of Arcade Fire. This album was pleasant enough. No real singular standouts. But a quality listen, start to finish.

This album oozes 2010s indie. Wouldn’t be my choice on here to rep the genre (Phoenix is far superior in this idiom). But interesting album and too bad the singer is apparently a dirtbag. So it goes.

Some parts of this I really loved. When the album started, I thought it'd be a 4 or a 5, but then some of the other tracks really dragged.

5.5/10

Eh, nothing special here.

Not much to say about this. It's completely forgettable, but inoffensive.

This was a pleasant surprise for once. More British favoritism by the editor of the book, but this one actually panned out for once. I hear comparisons to Spiritualized and LCD Soundsystem, but I don't hear those comparisons really. I enjoyed this album more than the albums by both of those artists. Is it perfect? No, not by a stretch, but it was, for me anyway, better than most of the albums released in 2018. The strength of the album for me is in the first 5 tracks. The last 4 tracks on the album are a mixed bag, with the most interesting to me being the instrumental, "Reunion" and the finale "Shortcomings". Did I think that there were objectively more solid efforts all the way through in 2018? Yes, I think there are seven more interesting albums in this genre alone, including Prodigy NO TOURISTS, Gary Numan SAVAGE, La Matos SUMMER OF '84 Soundtrack, Blue October I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY, Meg Myers TAKE ME TO THE DISCO, The Glitch Mob - SEE WITHOUT EYES, and Awolnation HERE COME THE RUNTS.

Not bad and nice to hear a band I've never listened to before. Reminded me a bit of Animal Collective, LCD Soundsystem and Postal Service in places, spacey elecronica/indie with a bit of a psychadelic edge. Probably wouldn't listen again but quite a cool sound even if the album didn't entirely "hook" me

Not for me.

First song is great. The rest of the album is fine but not as much my thing.

Faktisk et godt lyt. Der er noget LCD Soundsystem over det til tider.

Det er okay. Men så heller ikke mere

didn't hate this but didn't think it was especially interesting, wish i hadn't looked up the band

Not bad- when the first track came on I thought it was going to be more than it turned out to be. Sounds fine but quickly dissolved into the background.

From now on it’s the BigMac system 1-10 scale with decimals allowed. 1 1-3.5, 2 3.6-5.0,3 5.1 - 7.0 4 7.1-8.5 5 8.6 and above. Hookworms were cool - plus was the beats minus was the lead singer beatings 7.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Loved this weird little album so much. Such a vibe and hit it perfectly between weirdness and absurdity.

A very 3 album. I didn’t like the one song that abruptly ends it made me feel like I accidentally skipped it on my phone so I had to go back and listen twice and it was still jarring the second time.

Pretty non-descript, noy very interesting or fresh, never really caught my attention anywhere.

A puzzling experience. Low three? Might revisit

Was enjoying this until I found out they'd been cancelled. Woopsie (it's actually still a very strong album).

This was a pretty good album, I had not heard of them before but I did like what I heard!

kinda weird

Decent alt. Nothing I’d put on though.

Het klinkt verdacht veel alsof iemand muziek moest maken bij een computerspelletje op de Gameboy. Licht esoterische zuurstokmuziek dus, er zal vast een markt voor zijn, maar voor mij wordt het algauw te langdradig.

Rock staat er op wiki. Verder staat er eigenlijk helemaal niets. Dus wat kunnen we verwachten. Het begint elektronisch, maar al snel hoor je waarom er 'rock' staat. Halverwege de zeroes was dit soort festivalmuziek de trend. Dit album komt uit 2018 en hobbelt dus achter de feiten aan. Tijdens Ullswater zing ik bijna mee "Everyday I love you less and less". Zo erg ademt dit Kaiser Chiefs. Er is weinig mis met dit album, maar waarom staat dit in de lijst? Het is niet zo toonaangevend, niet beter dan anderen in zijn soort en het heeft geen continue kwaliteit. (Na nummer 3 volgt een bak opvullers). Het was prima om eens te luisteren, maar volgende week ben ik het meeste wel weer kwijt.

Cool textures but not exactly for me.

Solid synth indie with strong beats, krautrock drumming, riffs that are a throwback to 00s post punk revival guitar, some garage psych fuzz bits, classic synth tones and programming, lots of energy throughout and a singer that suits the music and doesn't stand out for good or bad. They're doing a very generic sound as well as can be. This is such a fun kind of band, people are always going to keep having them, making ok albums and playings party shows that get the crowd dancing. There should be (and kind of is) one in every town at all times and once in a while one of them like MGMT will strike gold with a banger that goes huge and brings a lot more energy/attention to the scene so it starts to permeate the whole pop landscape before receding back to baseline.Some good stuff on this album, but nothing bangs hard enough to break containment.

Ultimately a pretty middling album for me. Not sure what sets it apart from its peers that made their mark in this genre from 2007-2012ish. Seems like a continuation of the “Dark Was the Night”-type thing.

Who is—oh they’re pretty good

Never heard. Some interesting stuff. May found a new band to like. Very cool stuff.

Static resistance is my personal favourite. Would be a great band to see live.

3/5

This was pretty decent and I've never even heard of them.

not bad

Can we get some LCD Sound System? We have LCD Soundstystem at home.

At last, some middle-aged white man music! I can imagine that Radio 6 Music was all over this when it was released. Therefore, of course, I liked it.

This was fine. I liked parts of it.

That was alright! A cross between Spiritualized and late era Wilco.

Interesting. Some catchy beats, but overall not something I would go back to.

Truly random choice.

Not bad, still wondering why this album is so essential.

Kinda liked this, but not enough to listen again. If you fancy the flavour why go for the rip off when the original is available?

favorite song: static resonance. Overall score: 7.4/10

Found myself enjoying this one- I had never heard of Hookworms before. 3.5/5

It’s fine. Like it’s a decently made 2018 indie rock record. No idea why it’s on this list other than the guy liking them. Nothing makes this a monumental album in any way. That all being said, it’s good some good energy and good tunes. But if it fades in the world’s collective memory that wouldn’t really be a bad thing.

"I'm telling you the kids are going nuts for this indie thing, we can't just be putting only electronic music we used to dance to on ecstasy in the 90s! You there! Intern! What are the kids bopping to these days?" "Well, my nephew's in this band Hookworms... they played at the Cheltenham Music Festival, subbing in for Mouse Trap Replica on the Benson's Motor Oil Pop-Up Stage, right behind the Shawarma stands, right next to the latrines." "Are they anything like them Arcade Fires and Vampire Weekdays?" "My mates seemed to like them, could've been the drugs though..." "That's good enough for me!"

Tame impala csak nem olyan jó

Good album just not my favorite type of music

reminiscent of phoenix, of montreal, passion pit and the like from around a decade prior, but with less to stand out or stick in my mind. however, they are not on the list, and this album is, for it is sufficiently british and sufficiently unknown. robert dimery is pleased with this im still biased towards this sort of music though so its cool on that note, after this album ended i successfully searched for the song "heimdalsgate like a promethean curse" from sheer memory without any errors. i felt proud of this. just wanted to add that.

Pretty decent. Let's just say I was whelmed. Sounds a bit like LCD Soundsystem (via Can) with some MGMT and Tame Impala vibes. Not as good as any of those, mind you, and I felt like the 00s-UK-indie-as-fuck vocals might be the reason I didn't dig it more.

This is possibly the most inoffensively boring album on this list. The most forgettable without being annoying at all. This album will have no effect on my life whatsoever. Just a passing breeze, “that was nice, now it’s over, moving on”. I enjoyed a part of one of the songs. 3/5

Interesting but too long

The back half rallies the album a bit. Still very so so in parts.

Very interesting sound, I like the singer and the music hits some pretty good highs. Not a genre I'm super familiar with and am usually reluctant to put on casually.

First time hearing this. It's alright. Catchy. Nothing new or groundbreaking or breathtaking. 3 stars.

adored the first 1:16, the voice and the rest is subpar

Enjoyable electronica tinged rock; first three songs are very strong, though weaker back half prevent this album from reaching a 4. Good album from band I hadn't heard of. Standouts: 'Negative Space', 'Static Resistance', 'Ullswater'

I do enjoy this album, but I have to wonder how essential it is. Only a cluple years old from a genre I dabble in and I had never heard of it. It's pretty trancy psychadelic alt rock and is quite ambient at times, reminding me of some Brian Eno tracks. The best here is probably Each Time We Pass, and I also liked Boxing Day, minus it's abrubt ending. It's an enjoyable listen, but loses some points for no notable influence to date.

It’s a 3.5 for me

That's an odd one.

3.5 odd but alright

It's actually pretty good. I think it's really creative and I like the way how it melds different genres into something new and fresh. That said, I'm having a bit of trouble ranking it. I think it's good, quite good, but I also think the singer's voice is a little grating, and it starts to sound a bit Arcade Fire-y at points, which is annoying. It's an easy 3.5 if we had half star rankings, but the struggle is - do I bump it to a 4 or leave it as a 3? It's better than yesterday's Minor Threat album, which I gave a 3, and probably better than the Sonic Youth album I gave a 3 the days before that. I gave Travis a 4, which is probably a bit high, to be honest, but this isn't as good as The Blueprint by Jay-Z, which I gave a 4 last week. Ultimately, I think 3, because by the time I got to the back end of the album I was more than ready to have it wrapped up.

Sounds like a mix of bands I already know but not unpleasant

Was ok

A pretty impressive fusion of synth pop, indie pop and prog rock. The songs are bright and colorful. The production is excellent. Some songs reminded me of MGMT, others a little bit of Radiohead. A lot of songs have a driving, repetitive rhythm that gives the songs forward momentum.

This is a fun listen with an abundance of comfortable energy, great pulsating synths, and a sleek voice that sits really nicely on top of the instruments. I really enjoy the continuous 4-on-the-floor beats throughout the album; it was like the momentum never really ceased and kept me going. I'm listening to this album sporadically on a frumpy Monday morning in March and I haven't had coffee yet and I wonder if the energy of these songs is keeping me awake and moving right now. I will say that it does take a little too long to get to any respite(s). It's fine, but that's one small thing I'd like more of: more dynamics in their structures so that I can breathe and lean-in and lean-out along with the flow of the music.

I had no clue what to expect. Fun! Maybe a little average, but fun! Still don’t know who these guys are, though.

Never heard of the band or the album before, but I like it. Psychedelic sort of pop, rock, other in interesting combinations. I'd listen again, it's not something I've heard before but it hooked me.

For not being my kind of style, it's quite nice. Overall sounds very modern with hints of nostalgia. It sounds like "if synthwave met indie pop/indie rock". First song is interesting, sounds experimental, drone-minimalist with some rock elements. Sounds quite unusual, yet very uplifting. Second song is very nice, rocky with comforting synths. Third song sounds chiptune and drone-like song. Sounds bright with synths. Relaxed and nice song. Fourth song starts mellow, and stays consistent. Upbeat and uplifting. Fifth song starts with an ascending tone. Drone noises. Progresses to a sound that feels like you're going through a cloud with the synths. Towards the end of the song sounds like there are good (noise?) rock solos. Sixth song starts very mellow and dreamy. Sounds electronic and experimental, yet still quite nice. Seventh song starts nice, groovy, uplifting, psychedelic. Slowly becomes very noisy (not in a good way). Experimental, noisy and quite annoying. Eighth song starts dreamy, relaxing, ambient. Psychedelic feeling, not bad. Ninth and final song starts really nice, indie rock with psychedelic elements. Quite uplifting. Comforting hazy synths come in later. Song gets better as it progresses until the end. 7 out of 10 rating. 3 out of 5 stars.

Enjoyed the album, not as good as LCD system but enjoyable nonetheless. I think reviews on here are a bit harsh, song good songs but some also not so good songs. 5/10 down the middle for me.

Day431 - right out of the gate i was thinking what is this? it got better quickly and i ended up enjoying it

In one way, there's nothing truly powerful here. MJ (the band members all have abbreviated names - don't ask me why) sustains a high register and can, in his own manner at least, belt, but he doesn't blow me away, and the blend of rock and techno is competent but not out of this world. In another way, the nine songs that comprise this record are indeed powerful, b/c they get you moving, they are bound by an authentic sweetness, and they exult in some impressive lyrical statements: 'My father waited for hours just to hear me play a note'; 'There's nothing wrong with being fragile in life'; 'Peeling out and high in the reasons you're worth knowing.' Their project exceeds what I'm assuming it had been on paper - & thus, it has success.

This was pretty good. Not at all what I expected. Noisy yet melodic.

3/5

It wasn’t bad

I'd give this a 3.5. I want to listen again.

Never heard of them but first listen quite enjoyable.

First? 3,5 /5 Again? 3/5

I had never heard of Hookworms prior to exploring this list, which is surprising, as I considered myself to be very aware of pretty much any major new release, and apparently this was their final album. I quite like this type of modern Krautrock (or faux-krautrock, given this is a british band). Groovy and psychedelic. Very curious inclusion. Key tracks: Negative Space Ullswater

I had no preconceived ideas about this because I hadn't heard of the band, Hookworms, nor the album, Microshift. I was curious so hear why an album released so recently could be so impactful and great that it can make the list. It started slowly, but really upped the beat on the second track and it continued with a satisfying mix of indie rock and electronic beats. A few tracks reminded me of Arcade Fire and the Postal Service and overall it was varied enough to keep my interest up. It started to drag a bit towards the end, but the heavy bass on several tracks kept it feeling like the party wasn't over yet. I generally liked it and while trying to separate serious abuse allegations versus the art can be difficult, I didn't read about the issues with the lead singer until after listening the first time. Now it's weighing on my mind while listening again, but it's still a worthwhile listen and this will probably remain their last album. (Minus one star for MJ for being a dick)

good, interesting

ez egészen izgalmas volt, a krautrock-hangzást nagyon adom pl. valahogy mégsem mozgatott meg, szóval lehet, hogy még visszatérek hozzá.

Pleasant yet forgettable; good background music. I don't think this really merits inclusion on the list. It's almost like LCD Soundsystem trying to perform while sleep deprived.

The Hooks!!! This album was funky but an interested choice? As they only have 6k listeners on Spotify but I was happy to listen. I was nervous it was gonna be rudimentary EDM like MJ Cole according to their bio but they actually had fun beats and the lead vocalist had a nice voice.

It's good but I am strangely not fussed. I find it weirdly forgettable

Some fine moments.

Favorite Track: Negative Space

Decent. I hear a lot of Stereolab and Animal Collective, two bands I got deeply into in 2024. I might come back to this, but I'll probably rather reach for the above bands or MGMT, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip etc. instead. The allegations against the singer do dampen my enjoyment of the album, particularly for some of the self-pitying lyrics contrasted with his alleged behaviour. I might track down some of the other band members more recent projects though.

This album list confuses me sometimes. How the hell did someone on the team making the list discover an album like this and deem it necessary enough for someone to listen to before their death? How could they look at all of the album from the late 2010s and determine that Microshift by Hookworms is more important and/or better than albums from actually iconic artists like Tyler, The Creator, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Billie Eilish? I don't get it! Whatever. At least the album is decent. Microshift isn't a bad album. It's just a weird inclusion for a list like this. Is there really anything that this album provides that I can't get from something like an LCD Soundsystem album? I don't think there is. The singing is fine. The writing isn't bad. The songs are okay. Admittedly, the style of this album is good. It's just not original or unique enough to be on this list. I know I should try to rate these albums by how much I actually like them, but I have to admit that justification (or the lack thereof) of an album's inclusion on this list has absolutely played a part in how I listen to some of these albums. I'm sorry Hookworms... is what I would say if your singer wasn't (allegedly) a creep. The album's fine, I just don't particularly care for it. It's not a crime for existing, but I seriously question its inclusion on this list. 3/5.

Despite featuring only 9 songs, they all varied wildly. Lots of crazy synths, bass, and other funky sounds. I can't say I liked all of it, but most of the songs were good. I feel like I'm landing at a high 3. Not quite a 4 in my book.

Enjoyable listen, a bit generic. The last songs in the album seem to be going for sensory overload.

Hookworms, huh? Never heard of them. Not a whole lot in the wiki about it. British rock band...let's see what it's all about.

Not a bad album. I would've liked some more inclusions of albums that came out ten years before this that sounded pretty damn close to it. But they wanted to take the safe, euro centric approach. Would I listen to again? Maybe. Doubtful.

Fun sounds; not necessarily the most memorable but I liked the album overall

ребята хотели под хот чип закосить и меня провести, но нет, только в их мечтах

I'd never heard of Hookworms before and I really enjoyed this! I'm not sure how much repeat-listen value this had for me, which is why I didn't rate it higher

Reminds me of Stereolab

Aikas nörtti. Kaipasin rosoa ja psykea vielä enemmän, jäi vähän indieksi. Parempi kuin Arcade fire kuitenkin. Hmmm, juuri ja juuri kolmonen, koska saatan palata tän bändin tuotantoon joskus.

Yeah I enjoyed it, couple skips though. Highlight: Ullswater

good vocals

Good enough songs, especially in the first half, just not sure why it’s here given everything else that came out in 2018… Will be upset if like “Be The Cowboy”, TBHC, “Little Dark Age”, or “Sex & Food” aren’t here but this is.

Not great. Not terrible.

This was pretty innovative. I dug the hard driving beats that felt like they were never going to stop.

Not bad for electronic music.

Interesting digital music.

Cool.

Quirky, not in a bad way, but a curious addition to this list.

had no previous knowledge of this, liked it enough to listen to more hookworms

why is "Opener" track five this was pleasant enough but did it need to be here?

Pleasantly surprised by this one. The vocals were meh but overall the sound was pretty interesting.

It was fine. Not very memorable

Love a lot of the music. Really put off by the vocals though. And isn't this guy an abuser?

Easy to forget