Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal

I done smoked this review up on The Silent Ballet. I am fairly proud of this one.

The machines have won. Humanity has been assimilated into a scientific factoid without a history, which no longer exists thanks to the myths and stories of our kind yet violent species no longer being passed along. Yet, consciousness continues. Somehow, beings who are drawn to alternate existences with limitations continue to channel the happenings of our Earth, but through computers and android modes. The first track of Returnal is a complete disaster if one gives up during its maelstrom of chaos and fractured howls. Judging the album by this track alone would be a mistake, for while the piece is dense and challenging, it is merely the horrible portal we must pass through, the final crushing blow to our species, in order to reap the benefits of a synthetic consciousness. And this consciousness, this new dream being woven by the keys of Oneohtrix Point Never is a sumptuous and blissful experience.

The Glitch Mob - Drink The Sea

I done reviewed this on The Silent Ballet. Read more.

None of these tracks fall under five minutes, and never do any of the songs drag on too long. The pop aspect is prevalent, but the sounds that make up the structures are so succulent that any prejudice against the word "pop" collapses under their glory. "Fistful of Silence" is possibly the best example of how damn good things can be with this album. A delicious distorted guitar groove completely slays, and just when we get comfortable with a rocking beat or a catchy passage, The Glitch Mob throws in a cinematic curve ball to take things in a new direction. No pop motif is safe; The brain is just bound to love the energy and sonics on display. The pacing is such that the strongest songs emerge as the record moves along. The single is probably the weakest song, which speaks to the band's strength of writing expanded pieces that don't bog down on a theme. At times the band wears its influences on the sleeve, but Drink The Sea features a unique voice being broadcasted through layers of crunked out fuzz and phase-hopping shifts. It's an irresistible combination and sounds just dangerous enough to get even the most conservative of popular listeners to cross over to something new.