Song: Andrew Huang - Cloud Collapse [2023]

I've been following Andrew Huang for a long while, he's one of my favourite music YouTubers out there. Despite loving his content, I've always been on the fence about his music, partially due to the genres he leans into, but also because there's a kind of depth that YouTube-centric music generally lacks. Cloud Collapse surprised me though, it seems to be his most inspired and soulful song yet.

Andrew Huang's music revolve around the electronic realm, from modular synths to MIDI instruments, but he is familiar with the traditional instruments too. It puts him in a position where he has a lot of tools at his disposal to design his songs. A lot of his music have great sound design and soundscapes, this included, but they rarely feel like a cohesive song. Cloud Collapse, however, feels like a legitimate piece, an epic, a magnum opus. It feels like he really managed to bring together the best of all his worlds into one song.

Cloud Collapse is highly synth-driven, in part due to the keyboard he's using. This whole song came to life with his review and use of the Expressive E Osmose, which, not sponsored but, is pretty cool with it's pitch-bendable keys. At parts, the song is solely synths. He does incorporate traditional rock elements and vocal processing as well, but they act as complementary elements to the overall sound of the song.

I feel like this is some of his best writing in a long while. The solo passages are exquisite, not over the top but extremely tasteful, making great use of the pitch-bending that the keyboard allows. The vocals and lyricism are actually stunning on this track, with that modern poetic touch that echoes profoundness. The overall spacey vibe of the song is great, and I love the operatic sound of the louder sections that reminds me a little bit of Queen, actually.

Cloud Collapse is the first time I've heard a song written for YouTube that I don't mind listening to as a song. It's surprisingly rare to see music YouTubers use their talents in pure musicality, rather than lending to a video concept or gimmick, which I have to preface that I completely understand and respect the premise in which it occurs, but I always find myself not really enjoying songs of that nature. It is a treat to see Andrew's musical talents put in such a fully realised track.

Rating: 3.5/5

Album: Holding Absence - The Noble Art Of Self Destruction [2023]

I've been loving Holding Absence a lot since their split EP with Alpha Wolf, and Coffin was in my top three songs of 2022. When this year came around and they started dropping singles for a new album cycle, I was pretty excited. Their last album was commendable but I found it falling a bit flat in certain places, and I was cherry-picking at the end of it.

The Noble Art Of Self Destruction first showed its colours with A Crooked Melody, a catchy post-hardcore, almost pop-punky banger. False Dawn followed, and I love that song to death, but Scissors and Honey Moon didn't really hold my attention. It looked to be shaping up to be similar to The Greatest Mistake Of My Life where there were some great picks and the rest were meh, but I held out hope.

Overall, I think The Noble Art Of Self Destruction is still a step forward in the evolution of their sound, however subtle. It's clear that they're still strongly rooted in their iconic flavour of post-hardcore, powered by strong clean vocals and vibrant instrumentation, but I love that they took the chance with experimenting and diversifying a bit here and there. Honey Moon is a nice change of pace that really dials in on the softer side of Lucas' vocals, and Scissors sees him gaining some good grit in the vocals like he did on Aching Longing.

Their lyrical identity has remained largely the same, but I love the different conceptual palette they had this time around. It feels brighter and more modern compared to the more vintage aesthetic of The Greatest Mistake Of My Life, like the kintsugi on the cover art, which gives a tastefully sharp contrast to the lyrical themes of the music. Mental health struggles, relationships, contemplating life and death, all against a high-energy instrumental background.

I think they've gotten better at sticking to the mark this time around. Of course, coming from someone who might just not be completely immersed in the genre and its stylings, take my words with a grain of salt. That said, I found a lot more songs on this album sticking to me than the previous one, and I found their songwriting to be more refined and captivating. Cohesiveness has never been an issue for them, and I think they've always been great at telling a story and painting a great picture throughout an album, but some of the songs suffer in being less memorable as a result. The Noble Art Of Self Destruction sees that being whittled down to a minimum though, which is nice.

I think Holding Absence can be summarised as having a duality of songs: either they are designed to be extremely catchy, or to be extremely meaningful and sentimental. I won't deny that their lyrical content is a treat at times, especially on songs that aren't as catchy. I do wish they could put two and two together though, I would kill for a song with the lyrical heaviness of The Angel In The Marble and the musical and melodic charm of False Dawn.

All in all, The Noble Art Of Self Destruction is still a small step up. I'll probably end up cherry picking still, but I have a much better impression of this album for sure. False Dawn also has me irreparably hooked, maybe even more than Coffin did, so that's always a win in my books. And above all, they remain wholly true to themselves and their unique sound, which I can never complain about. As long as Holding Absence sounds like Holding Absence, no matter what form that takes, I'll be happy.

Rating: 7/10

Tracklist:

1. Head Prison Blues

2. A Crooked Melody

3. False Dawn

4. Scissors

5. Honey Moon

6. Death Nonetheless

7. Her Wings

8. These New Dreams

9. Liminal

10. The Angel In The Marble

Lyric Of The Week 91: Take Me Back To Eden

"And no amount of love will keep it around if we don't choose it."

Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden, from the album Take Me Back To Eden

Song: Invent Animate - Heavener [2023]

The single Heavener (not to be confused with the album Heavener) breaks my heart in multiple ways: it is one of the most emotionally intense songs of the whole year, and it also makes me immensely sad that this song didn't make it in time for the album release. Yes, the band did only start writing this after the album came out, and I'm still extremely glad and grateful that they released it all, but can you imagine this title track actually being on the album as the last song? It might've legitimately made Heavener my AOTY if it was on there.

Heavener very aptly and beautifully ties up the entire album cycle's narrative and soul in a four-and-a-half minute masterpiece. Featuring the very best of every aspect of their sound, save for the sonic heaviness, Heavener is an ethereal experience like no other, and I think Marcus did an amazing job coalescing the identity of the album into one song.

Heavener presents itself, for the most part, along the same lines as Without A Whisper, being a super atmospheric song with angelic cleans. The verses are soft and powered by ambience, in contrast to the chorus where the guitars come in to provide bolder rhythm parts. There's background leads in the verses too which add a lot of flavour, and the drums are great at matching the energy throughout. They also seem to reprise a line from Without A Whisper ("yeah, you"), and whether that's intentional or not, it's a lovely touch.

Heavener's breakdown is definitively the biggest moment of the song, of the whole album cycle, and maybe even all of progressive metalcore this year. There was something extremely emotionally evocative about how they wrote this moment, one that I truly think meets the standards of perfection. The build up to it, with the vocals slowly getting stronger until the callout, and going from falsetto to sing-scream at the same vocal range is already top tier performance on Marcus' part, but the guitar riff? It feels so unbelievably human, so powerful with the way the melody feels like an outpour of emotions, I feel like it transcended what it meant to be a guitar riff and is now some partially divine melodic construct. If you couldn't tell from my praises, it blew my mind. I got goosebumps the first time I heard it and almost teared up, and it never failed to that for the next few times that I replayed it.

Even after a behemoth of a moment like that, they still make the whole song extremely cohesive, wrapping up the song perfectly with another repeat of the chorus and the breakdown section. It's so beautiful that it honestly makes me want to just close my eyes and soak in it every time it plays, regardless of when and where I am.

Other than the breakdown, it's not a particularly technical song in any aspect, vocals or instruments, but there's something so thematically perfect about what they wrote here. It's the way the song perfectly encapsulates the intensity of grief, the joy that it draws from, and the bittersweet aftermath, expressing it in a way that words alone cannot, in a way that you really can feel.

Heavener has completely captivated me, more emotionally loaded than any other song I have come across by far. I keep coming back for the breakdown, but I listen to the whole song because it gives the breakdown meaning, and then I feel things. In the musical landscape of today, few songs have the power to connect a listener to the humanness in them, in others, and this song is so special in that way. This one is going in my hall of fame, for sure.

Rating: 5/5

Album: Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks Of God [2021]

Manchester Orchestra stunned me with their 2017 release A Black Mile To The Surface, and I was entirely intrigued by their music. After putting it on repeat too many times and figuring out the story behind the album, I decided it was time to set it aside and taste another album. The Million Masks Of God was next on my list, since it was pretty highly commended in some critics' lists, and the artwork intrigued me too.

The Million Masks Of God keeps the same kind of alt-rock palette presented to us in A Black Mile To The Surface, but uses it a lot differently. The darker aesthetics that were designed to fit the darker themes of A Black Mile To The Surface were absent here, which resulted in a brighter tone throughout most of the album. Instead of a threaded narrative, The Million Masks Of God instead tackles multiple separate topics all loosely centred around struggling with the idea of god and trying to love someone through it, something that emerges from Andy's deep spiritual and religious self, and I think the genuineness speaks for itself in the music.

Manchester Orchestra has always been excellent at building captivating soundscapes, but The Million Masks Of God goes for a more diverse soundscape throughout the record, ranging from borderline indie bedroom pop to straight up gritty electronic alt-rock. From the brilliant harmonies of Inaudible and the grandeur of the epic-like Angel Of Death, to the softness of Telepath and the melancholy sentiments of The Internet, they're covering a very large range of sounds.

I'll admit, this album did not hit as much as A Black Mile To The Surface did, but I think it's less of a testament to the quality of this album and more of a testament to the quality of their music as a whole. A Black Mile To The Surface was such a powerful album that, even though The Million Masks Of God is by all standards an amazing album, can pale a bit in comparison to it. Regardless, The Million Masks Of God is chock full of bangers, great lines and melodies, and some really solid songwriting. Angel Of Death is one of their best standalone songs in both musicality and lyrical meanings, and Bed Head has the best vocal one-liner in their recent discography.

For the most part, I perceive The Million Masks Of God to be the softer album of the two, mostly due to how much calmer the second half of the tracklist is. Outside of that, I think it actually beats A Black Mile To The Surface in sonic diversity, no longer constrained to a overarching narrative. I love the parallels as well, the sonic familiarity with their first and last track seem almost intentional. Inaudible reminded me a lot of The Maze but bolder, and The Internet reminded me a lot of The Silence but calmer. While we're here, I should mention that having listened to The Million Masks Of God after The Valley Of Vision, hearing Rear View's callback in The Internet the wrong way around was surreal. I loved it.

They definitely feel like sister albums as this point, but I think it might just be the overall new sound of Manchester Orchestra that I love so much, spearheaded by the amazing vocals and lyrical prowess of Andy Hull, and supported by some of the best instrumentation in modern alt-rock. Even though I have to say that The Million Masks Of God doesn't top A Black Mile To The Surface, I can at least say that they're both very high on my lists.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. Inaudible

2. Angel Of Death

3. Keel Timing

4. Bed Head

5. Annie

6. Telepath

7. Let It Storm

8. Dinosaur

9. Obstacle

10. Way Back

11. The Internet

Lyric Of The Week 90: Routine Pain

"So let me ruin my guts tonight."

Spanish Love Songs - Routine Pain, from the album Brave Faces Everyone

Song: While She Sleeps - SELF HELL [2023]

While She Sleeps is on a new and very interesting path this time around. Coming off of SLEEPS SOCIETY, they were at their creative best, both in their music and in their identity, and their deluxe additions were no different. I was pretty impressed at how robust their sound had become, especially for how unique it was already. When they released SELF HELL, I have to admit that it was a bit of a whiplash moment.

SELF HELL is a drastically different sound from what everyone is used to, and depending on how open you are with your music tastes, you might love it or entirely hate it. It's a super spiritual synth-heavy nü-metalcore dance groove, a blend of elements that makes complete sense for While She Sleeps even though I didn't see it coming. The band has always been moving towards these sounds even if you hadn't noticed, but you'd definitely notice this time around as it's one of the biggest jumps they've made.

Their repeating motif of "let's praise the love inside of us" is a core theme of the song, and it starts off the song before going into a groovy nü-metal riff. As the song progresses, it becomes more noticeable that this is heavily electronic, courtesy of Sean. It seems that he's dual wielding these days, either a guitar and double whammy pedal combo or a straight up synth patch, which is super fun honestly. As much as I love seeing Sean go ham on the strings, his synthwork is pretty tasteful and adds a lot of colour to their music.

The nü-metal aspect really shines through in the verses and their rapping/talking aspect, and lyrically it feels exactly like While She Sleeps, complete with mantra-esque lines and unapologetic rants on inner self and spirituality. Switching between robotic palettes and punchy punk ones, the verses are, even at it's very least, never dull. The choruses are quite a contrast in comparison, sounding more like an electronically infused psychedelic rock passage, stereotypically reminding me of hipsters and stuff.

After the second chorus, there's a fun groovy chug section that's subtly Bleed-like, before going into the breakdown itself. I like the cheekiness of adding claps into this section for that one moment, continuing to affirm their "we'll do what we want" mentality. The breakdown is slightly closer to metalcore territory though, and I love how frantic the drumming gets building up to the drop. Synths are already flying around during the build up, then become the main melody of the breakdown itself. A solo comes after, and even though it's a bit short, it's nice to see Sean still rip the guitar a bit with his signature high lead whammy playing style.

SELF HELL is definitely a very different cup of tea, and I can see it being slightly controversial as a release for long-time fans, but I appreciate it for what it is. Even though I personally didn't find myself coming back to it, I have to admit that, all things considered, it's a good song and a great release for them. It's a great blend of all their current stylistic elements, and it really sets the tone for what they're capable of these days. Much like how Bring Me The Horizon did with their current entire POST HUMAN catalogue, I think While She Sleeps is making a statement: they're making what they want to make, and they don't care what you think.

Rating: 2.5/5

Album: Humanity's Last Breath - Ashen [2023]

The other kingpin of the modern thall movement, alongside Vildhjarta, has released a new monstrous album. With cornerstone and extraordinaire of thall, Buster Odelholm, on the guitar, Humanity's Last Breath has always represented the heavier and more brutal side of thall. Compared to Vildhjarta's more prominent use of melodies, however unorthodox, Humanity's Last Breath has always been a relentless onslaught of extremely low-tuned palettes and an unforgiving sonic experience.

Ashen is the latest instalment of their undeniably heavy sound, with a production value so insanely high I can't actually fathom that it exists. Despite the combination of the heaviest, lowest-tuned guitars in the modern metal scene, unbelievably robust gutturals and intense drumming, not to mention the extra production they add on top and the eerie samples they use, it's a complete work of god that this is even comprehensible, much less so fucking enjoyable. The true achievement of this album, above the unbridaled heaviness and sheer violence of the music, is the fact that it sounds so clear, so refined and pristine, despite every aspect of the music being intrinsically distorted and loud.

Just to be clear, I think of Humanity's Last Breath as some kind of hypermodern-deathcore with really strong thall influences. Their main element is not just thall, that really only makes up half of their identity. I think the main element of their music is really this focus on hypermodern production work that makes it physically possible for extremely low and distorted notes to sound good, and then to capitalise on that with a djent-esque instrumentation and extremely harsh vocal work. Of course, thall is really just a extension of djent, so it's all just in the same area. Regardless, they are making insane advancements in the realm of modern metal heavy production that far outweighs even the current heavyweights of this emerging hypermodern-deathcore sound, with the likes of Brand Of Sacrifice and Darko US.

Beyond the overall unparalleled heaviness of Ashen, it has many other aspects worth commending. The soundscapes are intense and well-built, making use of sharp and eerie leads and atmospheric synths to contrast the lows of the guitars and vocals. There's also the use of choir samples on Instill, which add to the eerieness of the experience. Beyond that, the few riffs we get here and there are absolutely tasteful, whether it's the pure thall riffs on some cuts, the extremely syncopated grooves on others, or just pure insanity on some of the breakdowns. I have to give the biggest shoutout to the breakdown of Catastrophize, that insane downwards chromatic riff had me fucking losing it.

Ashen is an insane experience, a masterpiece in modern metal production and in heaviness. It is the first album I've heard that I can say that it sounds like hell and actually mean it. This album might actually be lovecraftian to the average human, incomprehensible yet striking immense fear. I cannot tell you how ecstatic I am that this exists, that it's possible, but that also I am at a point in time where my tastes in music are geared correctly and I can enjoy this album for what it is. Buster is rapidly becoming a new figurehead of the entire modern metal scene, and I am all here for it. Ashen is definitely one of the biggest achievements in modern metal, period.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. Blood Spilled

2. Linger

3. Lifeless, Deathless

4. Withering

5. Instill

6. Labyrinthian

7. Catastrophize

8. Death Spiral

9. Shell

10. Passage

11. Burden

12. Bearer

Lyric Of The Week 89: Collider

"The past is an open wound."

Silent Planet - Collider, from the album SUPERBLOOM

Song: Unprocessed - Thrash [2023]

I want to say I love Unprocessed, but the truth is, I've only heard like two of their songs. They released an album last year and I kind of skipped it entirely, and I'm not exactly proud of saying I like a band and then not actually bothering to listen to any of their albums. But, they announced a new album along with the drop of this ridiculous first single, and I'll definitely listen to this one.

Thrash is a stunning evolution of their sound compared to the days of Deadrose and Real, but a magnificent one, keeping the best elements of their sound and adding in better ones to make them truly one of the best progressive modern metal acts of today.

It starts off with that signature clean guitar tone of Manuel's, alongside his stunningly beautiful playing style that seamlessly blends a rapid concoction of notes. It goes straight into the chorus, and holy shit it is amazing. The whole band comes in and it is tight, and the vocals are borderline anthemic. I love that he leaned into his accent, one which previously made a few lines sound funny in earlier songs, actually makes the chorus sound a lot cooler with the way he pronounces some of the words. Not to mention, great vocals, a huge improvement in the power and stability of his voice.

The biggest improvement to his voice is pretty obvious though: he's doing harsh vocals now. And they introduced it in the best way possible, which is on top of an insane blast beat section. Such a good moment, the drumming obviously bringing a lot of the energy, but I love how the bassline holds it up as well. After that, they give us a whole verse of uncleans, and we can really see that he has it down, it's not just a one-off thing. Admittedly, it's not like super crazy, but the versatility that Manuel has now is insane.

And of course, the biggest thing about this song is the breakdown. They went for the extreme subversion of expectations here, playing into a gimmick but in such a smart way that I have to commend them. They dared to play the risky move and they were good enough to pull it off, but to be honest, who even thinks of something like this? A pure muted tremolo on one note, no drums and bass either, it was really one of those "I don't care, we'll do what we want" kind of moments. Not gonna lie, I thought it was a cool gimmick but sucked from a musical standpoint at first, but it grew on me over time. I think they did the smartest thing they could've done, which is to let it run once over with zero backing, and then bring in the drums and bass afterwards. It let's the shock value present itself in it's entirety, but then show to the listener afterwards that they can actually pull it off with the full band and make it a worthwhile musical element.

Thrash was a great first single for this album cycle, because it definitely caught everyone's attention. It's an amazing song, gimmick and otherwise, and a testament to their quality at this point in their career. It's also great to see them becoming more than just technical, and getting to the point where their songwriting ability as a whole is strong, from vocals and production to flow and cohesiveness. I am undoubtedly excited to see what else they have in store for their upcoming record.

Rating: 4/5

Album: Laufey - Bewitched [2023]

Laufey is one of the most surprising viral acts of the year to me. Her music is heavily influenced by the exposure to classical and jazz that she had growing up, and it definitely comes across quite strongly in her blend of jazz pop and bedroom pop. And for a jazz adjacent genre, it is surprising that she managed to enter the mainstream consciousness despite jazz staying out of it for a long while.

Now, I'm not gonna pretend I know anything about jazz. It's definitely a flavour of music from an older time, one that I am unfamiliar with the inner workings of, but it sounds nice. Jazz music has never been a turn off for me, but there's always the struggle of not being sure how good it is because I don't know how to appreciate it. Laufey's blend of jazz and pop, however, makes it a lot easier for me, and for the younger generation of today, to consume and enjoy it.

Laufey's professionalism is evident in the quality of both her vocals and the instrumentation throughout the record. Jazz influences can be found left and right, like the acapella harmony starting off Dreamer or the vocal improvisations on From The Start. Of course, it's a blur between jazz, bossa nova and mid-century pop influences, and Adam Neely even asks if it could be compared to musical theatre, but I think this is a point in music whether the barriers of genres no longer matter as much. Laufey's musical prowess is in making music that speaks to people, fluent in the modern post-internet culture and language, and fully expressive in the areas of romance and love.

Debating whether her music is truly jazz or not is not my prerogative here. Jazz influences are there, and that's enough for me. It's a pop-based record full of stellar tunes, one that I feel has a subtle but strong evolution from her previous album, Everything I Know About Love. Other than her viral single, From The Start, that has strong bossa nova influences, there's also songs like Lovesick that see a more orchestral and theatric sound or Letter To My 13 Year Old Self that is deeply rooted in that confessional bedroom pop aesthetic, that show this diversity that she is capable of.

I do appreciate how committed she is to both the genuineness of her music, as well as the prominence of her identity on the internet and in the music world, without compromising either. No part of co-existing in the pop world has discouraged her from continuing to explore her unique blend of sounds, yet she shines at every opportunity to connect with the younger generation, digitally and physically.

Laufey's Bewitched is an album that reflects the kind of unusual phenom she has become in the past few years. Despite the state of both the real world and the musical world, she holds her ground on making music the way she wants to, even collaborating with orchestras, and overall unapologetically infusing her passions and love into her music. It is definitely a refreshing offering in the midst of the oversaturated and undercooked pop scene of today, and for me, a solid welcome change in perspective of an artist that I thought sounded like christmas music at first. Oops.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:

1. Dreamer

2. Second Best

3. Haunted

4. Must Be Love

5. While You Were Sleeping

6. Lovesick

7. California and Me (feat. Philharmonia Orchestra)

8. Nocturne (Interlude)

9. Promise

10. From The Start

11. Misty

12. Serendipity

13. Letter To My 13 Year Old Self

14. Bewitched

Song: Dead Poet Society - Running In Circles/HURT [2023]

Dead Poet Society is back for another round! After the release of their sophomore slam dunk -!-, I was an avid fan of their tasteful alt-rock flavour. Now, two years past, Dead Poet Society is freshened up for a new album cycle, and starts it off with a bang. With a two-single release to start us off, there is no debate as to whether we're in for a good time or not.

Running In Circles is the more standard anthemic alt-rock cut of the two that they're known for. Crunchy basslines, tasteful drumming and powerful vocals dominate the majority of the song, peaking at the chorus. It's a great tune and easy to consume, and I love the variety of it all. I love the cheeky little guitar riffs we get here and there, and how they gave the bridge lots of space to evolve the song. This track could easily fit on the previous record, and that is a testament to the consistency of their alt-rock prowess.

HURT is my personal favourite of the two, taking a slightly different route in the alt-rock world. Capitalising heavily on one phenomenal chorus, with a perfect pairing of vocal melody and guitar melody underneath, it is such an earworm. Groovier than any other song they've put out, featuring some of the most relentless vocal outputs the band's ever had, this song might not be as arena-esque but it is just as powerful, if not more. I am in love with the cadences and the syncopation that add so much to the vocal delivery, not to mention how expressive his vocals get at some points. Chorus aside, I think the verses are actually pretty solid. They complement the energy of the chorus very well, taking a softer vocal tone and downpicking eighths. The bridge is also really well put together, evolving the melodies we've already heard in a way that feels surprisingly refreshing.

The trend so far with two-single releases is that I always seem to love the second song way more than the first one, despite it having less plays. Regardless, a great first offering for what's to come, as it definitely has me excited for the album in January 2024. Until then, I'll keep putting HURT on repeat until my ears bleed.

Rating: 4/5

Lyric Of The Week 88: Hyperthymesia

"Nothing real meant the whole world to me."

Adjy - Hyperthymesia, from the EP Prelude (.3333)

Album: Biffy Clyro - A Celebration Of Endings [2020]

I've enjoyed this album for a while now, and I think it's finally time to give it the post it deserves. I first heard Simon Neil on Architects' Goliath and While She Sleeps' NERVOUS, and eventually I got curious of where this powerful voice resides. Lo and behold, UK rock outfit Biffy Clyro it was, although I had never heard the name before. Seems like they're well known in the UK and virtually unheard of anywhere else, but at least now I know them.

I remember this album evading my comprehension for a while. There was this surrealness to the catchiness of it all, like I was listening to an unstable variant of anthemic rock that seemed to permeate in and out of my memory. I can confidently say that this album is chock full of catchy tracks and great alt-rock cuts, but for the life of me, sometimes it feels like a dream I can barely remember. Makes it a great album to revisit every now and then, though.

Overall, it's easy to say what I love about this album and the band. The vocals are stunningly unique, the harsh vocals too, even if we don't see much of it here. The instrumentals are always either super catchy or super intriguing in a semi-experimental way, something I've come to learn has been their thing for a long time. Of course, the weird and quirky creative choices have simmered down a lot since their early days, but bits and pieces of refined unconventional ideas here and there are an absolute treat. They're no strangers to playing with time signatures either, which keeps the album from getting stale.

A Celebration Of Endings feels like their most accessible album, yet manages to maintain the unbridled creativity and spirit of the band in a modern presentation. Their pop sensibilities are at an all-time high, but they do not care at all about relenting to the mainstream appeal, and they're clearly doing what they want. Most people will be able to find at least one song to take away from this album, but any alt-rock enthusiast should find the whole album quite enjoyable.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. North of No South

2. The Champ

3. Weird Leisure

4. Tiny Indoor Fireworks

5. Worst Type of Best Possible

6. Space

7. End Of

8. Instant History

9. The Pink Limit

10. Opaque

11. Cop Syrup