three albums you've never listened to before (#3)

it's been awhile!

i gave out two of these out as recommendations privately, so if the person who received them a few months ago sees this... sry! i usually keep the best ones close to my chest and litter them around my recommendations, but i thought wth.

three albums you've never listened to before...

maybe you've heard of the artist, or a song or two off the album, but my goal is to give you three full albums. they are all albums i enjoy myself and i think have genuine merit in their respective genres!

hypochondriac - brakence

year: 2022

genre(s): hip-hop, alternative-rap, indie-pop, hyper-pop, glitch-pop

length: 52 minutes

i have been a day one brakence girl. i wasn't really into the soundcloud rappers and their shit, but i was in a car years ago with a friend who was. he put on Nervosa2 and i was instantly in love. if you are a fan of this kind of music, you probably already know brakence. he is in the shallow waters of the iceberg. however, for anyone who doesn't, he is like the great funnel of getting into this style. the intricate guitar and drums are sure to reel in rock fans, the emo vocals will draw in those pop-punk lovers, and pop music enjoyers will appreciate his hooks. this album is his most recent, and is almost like the fully-realized metamorphosis of his capabilities. the flows are solid, the production is great, and the lyrics are a nice cut between well done and goofy (if you disagree, he references elden ring, time to join reality).

as a complete project, it's great. the transitions are seamless, long, and interesting. not to mention there are so many details added into the backgrounds of the music, every listen is new! my favourite track is intellectual greed without a doubt. the hook in the chorus when he hits the falsetto is swoon worthy, and the guitar and bass have sonically delicious runs. the lyrics are also great, and the energy builds very satisfyingly as the track progress. then it hits the transition and the music falls away to hear the chill sample before cutting straight into 5g. i love a lot of songs on the album, but i find this short entry near the beginning to be the one i get excited to hear.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination - The Alan Parsons Project (1987 Remix)

year: 1976 (original release)

genre(s): prog, art-rock, concept, pop-rock, symphonic

length: 43 minutes

straight out of left field, please enjoy this Edgar Allan Poe concept album from rock histories deepest coffers! yes... you read that correctly. this album is a prog-rock concept album with lyrical interpretations of one of horror's greatest writer's short stories. this little gem landed on my lap during an intersection of my two great loves in law class, rock music and horror literature. Alan Parsons is a genius of telling stories with his instrumentation, and someone gave him the go ahead to add a symphony to this nutcase of an album idea. how could this not be amazing! the first half of this album is a fanciful collection of songs that each illustrate Poe's stories with the help of lyrics, a choir, an orchestra, weird synthesizers, wicked guitar, and emphatic vocals. each one is its own self-contained masterpiece. then in the second half of the album, we get a full blown orchestral piece with The Fall of the House of Usher. a FULL symphony in the middle of this album, and its the thing of dreams. finally, the album ends with a return to form and gives us a rock ballad.

this album is everything it needed to be. the whimsy is off the charts, with a tinge of intensity that makes the whole thing feel like the soundtrack of a fantasy epic. the cohesion is great as well, being a concept album and all. i recommend this album in any form, but i'm partial to the 1987 remix because of how well the production was re-balanced. my favourite song by a long shot is (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether. the whining guitar lead in mixed with the deep chanting sets a crazy funk, and the lyrics are by far the most catchy. there is so many great rhymes, and the drums hit me in just right way. not to mention the guitar solo is perky and the keys are mixed just right. GIVE THIS ALBUM A CHANCE! it will be weird, but you will enjoy it!

Neversmile - Neversmile

year: 2006

genre(s): alt-rock, punk, emocore, pop-punk

length: 45 minutes

russian emo music... who could have guessed? now, here me out. i know the language barrier is hard for a lot of people to overcome. understanding the lyrics is a lot of the enjoyment of listening to music. but this... this self-titled more than makes up for it. this album has a palpable vibe, one that makes it so you can almost here the echo of some slavic garage vibrating as these musicians scream into their shitty mics. yet, the production isn't actually bad. it's not revolutionary, but it sounds good. personally, i think this holds up against similar American artists. the reason i like this album so much is their dedication to making every song catchy. the melodies shift between typical pop-punk chords, to little tasty licks. not to mention, the vocals are great and the screams are nice and gruff.

it's a solid addition to any emo playlist, and the whole collection of songs mesh well. it's almost like it's own little microcosm of every flavour of emo. my favourite track is Напишут наши имена (the second track). i love the chorus and the choir that appears near the end. the drums have a few particularly nice rhythms, the kick doing some doubles here are there. not to mention the the lyrics are gorgeous if you look up a translation or you speak the language. i encourage anyone interested to try not to head bang to these tracks!

(once again, i apologize that i can't find a full version of this album to link. my favourite track is the one i included)

-kolfang