Broadcast - Tender Buttons (2005)
>indietronica
Very affable and pleasant to listen to, the band plays around with a lot of minimalist, almost chiptune-influenced sounds, and they all work incredibly well, bouncing perfectly off Keenan's vocals. The songwriting and general ambition is a bit lesser than The Noise Made by People, however, it's much more of a simple pop album. That's not a bad thing, I just miss the grander scale of the band's debut.
3.0
The National - Sleep Well Beast (2017)
>indie rock, art rock
The first couple tracks promise a more hard-edged, rock-influenced National than anything else the band has done. Two tracks even feature guitar solos, it's really weird for the band and it works shockingly well. The back half of the album is an absolute snoozefest, though. Outside of "Guilty Party", these drifting tracks amplify everything I don't really like about the National tenfold, and it's a chore to get through.
2.0+
Kaizers Orchestra - Ompa til du dor (2001)
>gypsy punk
Gypsy punk is kind of an inherently cheesy and over-the-top genre, and Kaizers Orchestra just take that and run with it. It's not a great album, and not a subtle album, but it's a fun album, and one that constantly keeps me on my toes. Can't give much praise to the folk tracks, however.
2.5+
Carina Round - The Disconnection (2003)
>alternative rock, singer/songwriter
Alt rock that takes a massive page out of the PJ Harvey songbook. Enjoyable enough, with dazzling vocals from Round, but unoriginal and done better by hundreds of other artists.
2.0+
Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent (2017)
>post-punk
Another shockingly good album from last year's small post-punk revival. The vocals are perfect for the genre, very dismal and Ian Curtis-esque, and the noisy sound is done incredibly well. The band tries to incorporate some poppier elements that go across poorly, but the straight-forward noise rock is incredible.
i fucking LOVE that song
