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Year in Tiers 2021 - The Eli Mannings
Eli Manning was a very good NFL quarterback. The dude won two Superbowls and did so beating one of the best quarterback / head coach duos of all time in Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. TWICE. But he's always going to be in the shadow of his older brother Peyton. He's good, but not an all time great. This tier is dedicated to Eli. #39. GLOW ON by Turnstile While it would have been easy for Turnstile to churn out another collection of ass-whooping mosh pit anthems for their third
Dec 15, 2021


Year in Tiers 2021 - Ramen Noodles
We've classified the middle tier of this year's recap as the Ramen Noodles. Not bad, filling, and easy to consume - these are the albums that wont inspire much fanaticism, but they'll keep you from starving if you can't afford something with a little more flavor. #76. Crawler by Idles Idles returns with a quick recovery effort in the intentionally understated "Crawler", which contains much less pomp and circumstance than last year's " Ultra Mono " but is also undeniably drab
Dec 15, 2021


Year in Tiers 2021 - Fast & Furious
The next tier in our 2021 recap is composed of albums that aren't necessarily terrible, but are definitely far from perfect. If you're desperate enough you can find something to like about them but for the most part, this is subpar entertainment. Much like the Fast and Furious franchise. There are worse ways to kill 2 hours but sometimes watching a Hot Wheels movie made for UFC zealots isn't all that bad. #106. Let The Bad Times Roll by The Offspring The Offspring have always
Dec 15, 2021


Year in Tiers 2021 - The Coffin Flops
I love listening to music. Even stuff that I don't gel with, I love exploring new material and dissecting what I do or don't like about it. There's no desire to gatekeep or taste-make, just share my bare naked opinions and open a discussion on where the current zeitgeist of musical evolution is headed. So I always like to preface The "Worst of the Year" recap section with the sentiment that obviously, there are probably much worse albums out there than these. But I don't nece
Dec 15, 2021


2020: The Year in Tiers - The Worst
It's a couple of months later than usual so that we could include all of the 2020 Oscar eligible films released, but here we are with the first installment of our Year in Tiers recap of the Best and Worst films 2020 had to offer. As always, I'll preface this with the note that obviously there are some dogshit terrible films out there that didn't make this list but these are the worst films we actually took the time to finish and intrigued us enough to seek them out in the fir
Mar 1, 2021


2020: The Year in Tiers - The Best
The final tier of our 2020 recap is the tip of the mountain top, best of the best, undisputed heavyweight champions of the world. The standard all future generations will be measured against, I give you - The Seinfelds. #10. Inlet by Hum The most improbable comeback story of the year, Hum returns after a 22 year gap between albums and it's as seamless as you could possibly imagine. Fuzzy sick riffs on top of fuzzy sick riffs, "Inlet" is music to get high and head bang yoursel
Dec 11, 2020


2020: The Year in Tiers - The Good
The 4th tier finds our good, not great entries - The Runners Up. Nothing to be ashamed of, these records are just missing that extra punch to put them over the top. Like Arby's. Love Arby's. But it's not like anyone on death row is asking for their last meal to consist of a Beef N Cheddar. Curly fries maybe... #40. Columbus by Terminal Crush Grey Gordon (of Kill Surf City, Wickerwolves, Parasitic Twins, Karloff, and well...Grey Gordon) debuts his latest musical endeavor with
Dec 10, 2020


2020: The Year in Tiers - The Middle
In the third tier we find the average, or slightly above records that couldn't quite separate themselves from the middle of the pack. Much like 90's WWF Superstar The British Bulldog, these albums never really achieve greatness but are serviceable middle card entertainment nonetheless. #72. Welcome to Bobby's Motel by Pottery There's an undeniable dance-ability to the kinetic acid funk rhythms on display here, just a disappointing lack of substance underneath it all. Especial
Dec 9, 2020


2020: The Year in Tiers - The Bad
The next tier in our 2020 recap is composed of bad, yet not terrible efforts. If you're desperate enough for some entertainment you'll likely find redeemable qualities scattered throughout but deep down in your gut you know what you're consuming isn't fully on the level. Much like the early quarantine bingeworthy docu-series, these are The Tiger Kings. #100. May You Be Held by SUMAC The further SUMAC strays away from it's raw industrial debut and continues to sink into improv
Dec 8, 2020


2020: The Year in Tiers - The Worst
With the unrelenting shitshow that 2020 bestowed upon us, it's hard to really pinpoint the lowest of lows. But for me, I think I'll always remember the night when our country took a break from mismanaging a global pandemic and began burning from coast to coast in a cultural civil war while the commander and chief instigator turned off the lights and hid under his bed like a little kid waiting for mom and dad to come home and save him from the closet monster. Now I always like
Dec 7, 2020


The Best Albums of 2019: The Top 10
We've finally arrived at the top tier of this year's releases. The Top 10 Records of 2019. The best of the best, undisputed heavyweight champions of the world. The standard for all future generations to be measured against. The Jordans. #10. Heavy Banding by Slingshot Dakota Heavy Banding illustrates the journey of Slingshot Dakota wonderfully and finds the group finally finding peace with carving out their own space in the industry instead of trying to fit into it. Which is
Nov 22, 2019


The Best (and Worst) Albums of 2019: The Runners Up
The Second Tier is made up of some truly remarkable records but still aren't quite the best of the best. These are the runner ups. The second bananas. Lex Luger was a hell of a pro wrestler in the peak of the Monday Night Wars but he was never really a top line attraction compared to his contemporaries. Meet this year's Lex Lugers: #39. Ultra St. Opera by Jupiter Styles Jupiter Styles delivers an incredibly ambitious pop punk record that's so soft and catchy that it's tough t
Nov 21, 2019


The Best (and Worst) Albums of 2019: The Middle
This third tier introduces us to a solid crop of releases that are average or slightly above. These are mostly good records that just aren't necessarily standouts. Like a restaurant soft serve vanilla ice cream cone. I mean who doesn't love ice cream? It's just not really anybody's first choice... #64. No Holiday by The Muffs The Muffs have always held a special place in my heart. I don't know what it is about their simplistic formula that always puts a smile on my face but K
Nov 20, 2019


The Best (and Worst) Albums of 2019: Nic Cage
Tier 4 is full of albums that aren't terrible by any means but aren't really that good either. These are records with some entertaining qualities that can make them more listenable than the absolute worst options, if you're desperate enough. You can easily find something to like about these but overall, they are sub-par. Much like the work of Mr. Nicolas Cage. #105. Mother Nature by The Dangerous Summer There's an aura of pretense and levity attached to this record that never
Nov 19, 2019


The Best (and Worst) Albums of 2019: The Bottom Tier
With the overwhelming abundance of media being released every passing year, it's hard to definitively say what the absolute best and worst pieces of music released were with any degree of certainty. So to keep our year in review a little more organized we've divided the records we've listened to into 5 tiers - this bottom tier contains the worst albums we actually took the time to listen to, although I'm positive there were much worse records released out there. These are the
Nov 18, 2019


"Cosmic Thrill Seekers" by Prince Daddy and the Hyena
Let me just start but saying I fucking love this record. But I have to admit, at first listen, I was expecting a little more from "Cosmic...
Jul 2, 2019


"Natural, Everyday Degradation" by Remo Drive
Remo Drive burst onto the scene in 2017 with their debut record "Greatest Hits" which introduced an infectious blend of indie-pop hooks...
May 31, 2019


"I Am Easy to Find" by The National
While Rolling Stone continues to gush over Vampire Weekend as the last surviving indie rock giants, The National shows you why they're...
May 22, 2019


"Here Comes the Cowboy" by Mac DeMarco
Mac DeMarco has become somewhat of a mythical hipster icon over the past couple of years. His mixture of wavy synth undertones, ultra dry...
May 10, 2019
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