LOWSUNDAY : "Black ep"

Perhaps not as dark as some of the albums I have been digging into lately as I get ready for  Halloween, but still a form of post-punk. I would not have guessed these guys were from America, so they have successfully fooled my ears, which, given the glut of albums I listen to daily, is a feat. They capture a sound that is in a similar ZIP code to what A Place to Bury Strangers used to occupy between shoe-gaze and post-punk, but these guys have more of the mellower elements of shoegaze, where A Place to Bury Strangers was more on the noisy My Bloody Valentine side of the genre's more end. 

The lead single that opens the EP works well, as it's catchy and the vocals are more forward than some of the murk they fall into by the time they get to "Someone to Talk," which falls more closely in the direction of early Cure. There is more of a Brit-pop mood to "Shattered' which is not the Rolling Stones, but an effective song on its own right. "This is Not Heaven" drifts through the haze of its reverb-heavy guitars, with the whispered vocals falling into the back of the mix and being swallowed by the haze of dusk. 

The last song drifts by in more of a haze while I appreciate the sounds; the vocals become a moot point as they drown in the effects this album is bathed in. I generally feel like how this album is produced works more often than not, but I feel the vocals could have gotten more love, which at the end of the day would have elevated the songs; they made the choices they made for the reasons they had at the time. You never know until you hear what the raw tracks they had to work with were like.  Still is a surprisingly enjoyable album; I will give a 9 as it takes the genres they blended in different directions

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Lockstep : "I Know What I Saw"

 

This Nashville-based band nails the shoegaze sound, which is apparent from all the key elements being in place. The reverb warble of guitars and the breathy coo of the vocals, but just dialing in a sound is no feat, so how are their songs? This is the question that really matters. The first two songs show they are not afraid of their distortion pedals, but it's the indie rock groover mixed with a narcotic pulse on "Tilt of the World" that sells me on what they are doing. This album does sound great through headphones, so they have taken great care in capturing these songs in the studio. 

They back off into a dreamier haze with "Soft Gauze of Time," and they bring in a dynamic shift and very deliberately chug up some power chords to contrast how the song opened. The guitar players have a decent sense of melody and carry the weight when the vocals get lost in the mix. I think the whispery vocals will get old for me before the guitar tones. They are smart to keep the songs all under the four and a half minute mark, rather than sprawling everything out into a drone. 

"Dog in the House of Plenty' is nap-inducing even with the sonic heft of the bass and the guitars' more feed back biting tones. For fans of shoegaze, we have to not just settle for what we have heard done before, as this is what separates quality from quantity. Thankfully, they give things more space with the bass line to "Half Measures". It is a little darker and does not rely on drifting in the same clouds. There is a slight angular swagger in the verse riff. 

They are going in a heavier direction with "Solvent Sound", it is a subtle shift, but it works, as the drums give more of a punch in their accents. The syncopation the bass line creates works well and gives the guitar more room.. They jam out the fade-out ending of this one. The last song, "Return" is the first one that actually legit rocks out. By rock out, it's in a doomy way. I will give this album a 9, as they carve their own place out in this genre that is becoming overcrowded in 2026, but they earn a spot. Dropping July 24th on Profound Lore. 

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𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲 : "𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙁𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨"

 

This band from France plays a 90s-influenced take on burly indie rock. Sonically,, it finds its place between shoegaze acts like the Catherine Wheel, and post-hardcore/alternative acts along the lines of Failure and Hum. Plaintive vocal weave over the fuzzed-out bass lines, and angular guitar jangle that intersects on the opening track "Avoider". I went into this knowing nothing about the band, but the first song works well enough for me to stick around and listen to more. "Desire Path" has a more Cure-like path, and vocals are sung with a breathy emotion behind them. The moodier vibes work for me here. Almost predictably,, they stomp on their distortion pedals. They have both dynamics and melody in play,, so that is half the battle. 

The woozy guitar effects you expect from shoe-gaze surface going into "Here the Mermaids Play". There are more nuanced guitar licks than what you normally get from this sort of thing, which helps set them apart. "Rituals" has more momentum as the drums give it more drive. There is also an underlying aggression to the riff's attack. Things begin to find a more grungy jangle on "Silhouettes". There is a more morose mood here that works for me more than even the previous song. The vocals are oddly dry for a great deal of the album,, though the production tricks on them here work well. There is more of a slacker strum to "Red Herring". The vocals come in softer, electronic elements ate introduced, as you might begin to suspect the sessions for this album might not have been as organic as the albums from the 90s. It's a weird turn for the album.

"Skins Make One" is another turn in a more shoegazing direction. The almost whispered vocals slowly drift to the front of the mix.  The guitar tones that create the wall of sound lead you into an impressive. It works off a similar formula to what Deftones use these days. "Bleeding at the Door' has more of  indie rock feel, but coming from a more post-hardcore place. They ebb back down into sheogaze for "Origami", and by this point I am beginning to feel like their ppst-hardcore leaning songs are more original as this is a little more in Deftones zip-code again. The last song 'My Lips Taste Like the Ocean" rides the line between the two genre's , Overall this album is an impressive display of these 90s sounds being fused into songs that would have worked then and still resonate today. I will give this a 9.5.

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Midscale : "Dread, This Could Save You"

 

The first from the French band's new EP kicks off with the kinda of woozy vibes you expect from shoegaze in 2026. Especially given how pronounced the nod to the 90s guita5r tones they have dialed in. Where they set themselves apart is in the more indie rock feel of the vocals, This in some ways is more of a production choiuce, less effects on the voice and more forward placement in the mix, instread of the hazy whisper of shoe gaze vocals that are a more androgymous coo, that what happens here, where you can make out lyrics rather than it being the texture of a voice.

This carries over to a greater extent on the second song, "Screengaze," that finds the guitar ringing out more like the Smiths. The sullen croon of the baritone vocals might not carry the anxious tension of post-punk, but it comes closer to the genre than shoegaze here. This gives a strong argument in favor of them not just falling in line with what other bands are doing and setting themselves apart. This is also accomplished in the more nuanced vocal approach with this song. They are also very dynamic songwriters, and I think giving the vocal priority falls in line with this. This can also be felt in hte very organic flow of "Blurry." 

The last song fnds the hesitant chords falling with a thought of deliberation. The vocal melody carries a pathetic drone that sets the stage for the more intense sonic build that grows around them. While this all sounds great, it is more of an abstract arrangement than a hookier songwriting formula they have managed to balance up until this point. Things get heavier, with shouted vocals accenting this, which was not the build I was expecting, but glad they were willing to go there. Overall, what they do here works better than most since they are writing songs and keep the vocals vital, this places them ahead of the pack when it comes to indie rock flavored shoegaze in 2026 so far, I will give this one a 9.5, and see if it keeps my interest as the year progresses. 

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Iress : "Sleep Now, In Reverse"

 

We are being blessed with another wave of beautiful doom-gaze from Iress. The Los Angeles-based band fronted by Michelle Malley, drifts between darker ominous tones that are emotionally heavy to lighter breezy speculation on songs like "Ever Under" which soar into the sunset from the haunted places among the Hollywood Hills. Dynamically once again everything is perfect. Her vocals lurk around the corner of grunge-influenced riffage that sometimes recalls bands like Curve or Lush They find an almost more conventional place in the mix, as they are less of a moaning sonic texture, and the lyrics are phrased in a more articulated fashion, though emoted with equal conviction as past releases.

There is a dreamier haze to "Mercy" which is pulled together by Malley putting lung power to the chorus. This song is more atmosphere and driven with less rock intention, though still delivering more punch than some of their sonic peers like Emma Ruth Rundle who venture into genres like folk. It plays to the band's favor to stick to their guns as it creates a more melancholic longing. The drums find an almost Police influenced groove on "Leviathan".  If you had to pin a decade to them it would be the 90s, but they are not trying to recreate a particular sound, and while things sound quite delightful here they are more committed to songwriting. However, the soft-to-loud dynamic that bands like Deftones continue to carry the torch for, is also celebrated here. The key is that this is executed unpredictably rather than a set formula, which many bands default to.  

The pace picks up enough to add new vibes to "Lovely ( Forget Me Not ). Malley's hushed alto proves to be quite supple, as her voice reaches into new melodic corners.  This album might be another step away from metal, but it does balance a depressive atmosphere that translates into something more sonically heavy with the vocals as a counterpoint to that. The finesse of their drummer gives her plenty of catchy grooves to layer her beguiling melodies over that sometimes erupt in a more cathartic fashion. The drummer does lay into the cymbals when it's time to get serious. "Knell Mera" certainly opens in a way that is intentionally metal, though they take you on a journey with impressive dynamic breadth with it  The vocal harmonies that crop up are very effective. 

Things take a different turn in the last two songs with the brooding tension of "Sanctuary" working off the droning throb of a distant storm inching closer to the storm as the dusk settles. Her is the rain that falls when they give you the dynamic release  The last song is more of a lingering minimalist pulse that never finds a groove and is more like an experimental outro. It might make for an odd goodbye to the album, but I suppose it works well enough for the overall feel of the album so I will go ahead and round this up to a 10, as it feels like a step forward for the band as songwriters. This drops on Church Road Records on July 26th 

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A Horrible Death To A Horrible Man : "Days Gone By"

It was my second listen to this album I put on the headphones to ingest all that they have going on. Some of this is more in your face than others. I would not say comparisons to Deafheaven are unfounded. They capture a similar static buzz. The downtrodden vocals have more in common with Interpol. This detached croon sits back in the mix. This also serves as a case for when the unique nature of the swirl they hit you with takes you into it's arms before you question the cause of the hypnosis and ask but can they write a song ? This common with very heavy music to do, but as demonstrated here it can also occur with things that are only adjacent to metal. I type this even with the more black gaze  buzz of guitar is raging into the head phone. Though it is the rage of of a storm and not the hateful rage that empowers black metal. 

What they do leans very much into the hypnotic drone generated by tremolo picked guitar. The vocals do put more effort into making sure this is a song. They give them vocals more room to breathe that plays to the song's favor. The black metal energy which is more of the shimmering wall that overpowers languishing melody of "First Light' finds the odd juxtaposition they work off dulling it's charm slightly. Dynamics are still in play. I have often pondered if the droning ambiance that black metal so often locks into would be made more interesting if the vocals were sung. The answer is still unsure on the third song. They manage to break away from this on "Fails". I could hear some of the higher vocals being pitchy live. The vocals are less drenched in effects than what you expect from shoe gaze. I guess if the National was into metal rather than Taylor Swift they might sound like this.

They hold things steady for the title track and it pays off. His declaration of  love is pain, is made effective by doing less tempo wise. It might not be as intense as the first couple of songs, but it works better and I feel I hear who they are. They do build back up into the faster tremolo but the dynamics make it more effective. They take things to a more cautious polarity into terms of safe breathing room with the last song, until the four minute mark. I do not think the vocals are as compelling as the previous song, but I like the glum lyrics, declaring we are all going to die.  I will give this album a 9, as it sound great, and does something pretty wonderful the swarm of guitars might need to grow on me to avoid feeling the uniformity they create.  

Cloakroom : " Dissolution Wave"

It's been a minute since I listened to this project, but this has a more organic 90s rock feel than I remember coming from them. Where their shoe gazing from 10 years ago might have been more abstract, this finds the vocals with more form and function and adhering somewhat to more conventional song structuring, all while not selling out. There is more of a dreamy glaze to the second song. It is more focused on a sound than the song, but the sound is pretty cool so that is ok. They bounce bounce back with more of an indie rock on " a Force at Play" which works really well, so despite loving the first song, I am not tied down to them having to rock like that. 

It is on "Dottie Back Thrush" that they come to a dynamic compromise between the atmosphere of shoegazing and a more rocking for of post- hard core indie rock. It also does not pigeonhole them into sounding 90s either. The claiming of their identity might be one of the album's high lights. They crank up a fuzzed-out bass done to provide a contrast to the airy space left by the vocals that float around the song like a ghost cloud. It might not stick in your head like the previous song but works really well for what they are going for. 

They return to a breezier version of their jangle indie sound on "Lambspring" there is the undercurrent of more distorted guitar that fades in and out which reminds me of sounds My Bloody Valentine played with. They are not as experimental as MBV , just similar tones in places. "Doubts" finds them drifting even further out, but it is a very cool melodic place they venture off to that has more in common with Pink Floyd. "Dissembler" is another song that blends the varied aspects of what they do to their full effect, allowing sedate vocals so sit along the wavering guitar driving the song. I will give this album a 9.5 as it is an infectious listen that grows on me and can just be allowed to play on a loop. It comes out Jaunary 28th on Relapse Records.

Gothtober -Deathsomnia - "You Will Never Find Peace"

 Had to save this one for October or I would run out of new goth to cover for the month midway in. This gem blends darkwave , shoegaze and industrial in a manner not unlike the old roster of 4AD, these days indie rock bands are on the label but it used to mean something to be released by them. These guys are not on the label , but should be as they deserve it more. We have ethereal vocals with memorable melodies . We have solid percussive grooves. We have a band that can capture the sound and still write songs. The second song they push through the ambiance to give the beat more kick and get you out on the dance floor. Idle Hands singer Gabriel Franco lends his voice to "Void Oblivion". His Danzig influenced bellow is intact and compliments this more darkwave sound well. It also bears saying the drummer from Uniform plays on this album. 

'Dysphoria" has a more retro synth sound to it's pulse. The vocals are more of a textured chant and not as engaging as the first couple songs, but this is still a solid song where the sonics of what they are doing compensates.  Kyle from Night Sins / Nothing shows up on "Katabasis" which has a more rock dynamic and a pretty interesting groove to it. Most importantly like the rest of the songs darkness is pervading the mood. This is a really well produced album as it is true to the time it pays homage to yet the mix allows for new sounds. "Open My Eyes" is more up beat, almost in a future pop manner, but rawer and more organic. The woozy shoe gazing glaze washes over it. The deeper into the album the weirder things get" Self Sabotage" is almost hard to define, I guess gaze- wave would say it best. 

I like that even when things get dancey that does not mean the guitar has to be discarded. "One Being One Flesh" is a good example of this . Things get a little murky on the more straightforward guitar drone of "Wastelands" which does grow on me, but prehaps not not as dark and dynamic as the other places they take us. I will give this one a 9.5 and see how it grows on me.  

 

Deafheaven : "Infinite Granite"

If you are shocked that this band has crossed over and made a total shoe gaze album then you have not been paying attention. George Clark has been slowly working on his actual singing voice. He is a better singer than he was a screamer, as with a few exceptions while emotive his scream was always more of a one trick pony. If he was screaming on this album there would be be people who would still try to call this metal. "In a Blur' is more interesting than what most of the other new shoe gaze bands are doing these days. He also tries  to create melodies rather than the normal breathy cooing most utter. "Great Mass of Color' was one of the singles that preceded the album. There is more drive and dynamic than your average shoe gaze band who is not Nothing. The vocals sit back in the mix , but I remember being a little more impressed with his singing here and how he blends his upper register despite not being able to really belt or at least I have not heard him do so yet.  In the past you could kind of get the vibe this band were Smiths fans and it comes up again here.  

I can live without the cinematic instrumentals that are really just atmospheric interludes that sound like they could have been lifted from a sci-fi soundtrack. Even with the jangling guitars the drummer digs in to make things rock a little more on "Lament For Wasps".  It is an effective dynamic perhaps not as punchy as where they used to go in the past, but it works for this song. "Villain" finds the Smiths side of the coin really shining more. Though I can just as easily hear Roxy Music influence. Not as catchy as some of the previous songs but it flows in a more Cocteau Twins manner that makes lots of sense. In the last minute and a half of the song it builds into perhaps not a heavier sound but more sonic one and the screamed vocals return but are further in the back ground.   

Things get more driving in a more metallic direction , with George's singing smoothing things out on "the Gnashing" which is an even more interesting song and perhaps the album's best. Hear the guitarists who have had impeccable tones here so far, really shine more playing wise as they kind of jam things out a bit. There is more atmosphere at the onset of  "Other Language" which is a more run of the mill shoe gaze affair. The he last song finds the band back to what you expected from them , but only in the last two and a half minutes of  this eight minute song. The first six minutes has a really pretty sailing feeling, that his newfound croon works well over. I was not afraid of singing showing up as ever since I first heard them and heard them mention the Smiths in an earlier interview I knew this day was coming, my concern was more can He sing? The is , he is no Morrissey in terms of belting it out , but does fine with what he has so I will round this album up to a 10. 

Look Back In Anger : The Cure's "Faith"

 Once again I take a look at a classic album and see how well it not only stands up over time, but resonates with me. Since today is the 37th Anniversary of the Cure's 1981 album "Faith" , Their 3rd album , "Faith" finds them hurling further into the dark place they began exploring on "Seventeen Seconds"/"The Holy Hour" is heavy in it's gloomy plod. I normally doing like their more up beat songs. "Primary" was still in touch with their punk side, and aggressively shoves it mood in your face. The taunt tension it moves with has gone onto to influence tons of post-punk bands. There is a colder stiffness to the bass groove of "Other Voices", yet it is a lighter mood than the first two songs.

Once we get to "All Cats are Gray" the sonic rain clouds begin to settle over the albums more narcotic drone. Synths begin to play a larger role as the atmosphere begins to thicken. Robert Smith's begin to show another side . His vocal is less of a staccato punk and more of a smoother vulnerable croon."Funeral Party" finds his vocals coated in a more despondent longing as the synths form a more dream like wall behind him. With lyrics like "two pales figures ache in silence" I think you can't get more goth than that, though Smith insisted the band was never goth. They just like to dance at funeral parties. "Doubt" finds them picking it up into more of a punk pace and Robert Smith's vocals revert back to what he was doing on the first two albums. Lyrically it's more aggressive, it seems ridiculous for Robert Smith to sing about beating someone up, but that is what's happening.

"the Drowning Man" might be the album's most powerful song with it's ethereal drone. The few people who I have spoken with who aren't into the Cure site the reason as being Robert Smith is too whiny for them. This is one of the few songs where his emoting might have a whine to it. I also doubt some one giving them a casual listen is going to hear since it's a deeper cut on an earlier album and not one that garnered much in the way of radio play. The title track closes the album. It follows a simple beat with the layers of single note guitar creating another drone. The lyrics might be the album's most depressing. There are some more abstract and some what religious metaphors in the them.  I'll round this one up to a 10 not their best album, but we are talking about at band who has made some of best albums of all time, so the bar is pretty high. It is still an important piece of their evolution and a great getting high on a rainy day album.

Nothing : "Guilty of Everything"

The Shoe gaze movement is poised to be the next big thing in indie rock . If you were going to pick a band to bet on to break the biggest waves, the money would be on the  Philly band Nothing. Blending a  dreamy natures with 90's rock sensibility. They are by no means metal , but are still band heavier than Alcest's most recent outing. The vocals  retain their smooth whisper even when the guitar tenses up around them.

Songs like "Bent Nail", carry the propulsion of  rock while floating  away with you. "Guilty of Everything"  earns repeat listens  as these songs breeze right by you. The juxtaposition  more pronounced on the shift in  " Endlessly" . While "Get Well" runs into more rock territory not unlike Sliversun Pick Ups or Smashing Pumpkins. They don't care about radio friendly production as their guitars take on a more indie rock fuzz to them.

The only draw back a few of these song's has is the way the breeze by sometimes doesn't even register , if you haven't had your first cup of coffee and it fades into background music. There are some really great guitar sounds on here like how "Somersault" almost nails the Cocteau Twins heavenly tone. I do think when they allow their guitars to revert to the more indie punk jangle after hearing them able to conjure the clouds down that it's dumbing it down.

"B&E"  is not black metal, but  builds a crescendo into the albums heaviest moment, a blistering tremolo picked section,   closer to black metal than Russian Circles attempt to head in that direction on their last album. The title track closes out the album, with a distorted guitar ringing against the deliberate pound of the drums. This song works off a similar ebb and flow the album seems to work best on, its a formula the band doesn't deviate from , but they approach with a different twist on each song.

They recreate the best of the early 90's on "Beat Around the Bush".They languish on the riffs letting them drone by like water flowing under a sheet of ice.They chant of " god and man our souls are spent" rings out in an eerily. They tend to shimmer even more than Hum, though that would be the band their guitar tone most closely resembles when the distortion pedals are stomped upon. Overall I'll give this album delivers what it needs to and secures there place at the top of the shoe gaze heap.I'll give it a 9 as it's dips into garage punk are the only parts that keep it from perfection.

Death of Lovers: "Buried Under a World of Roses" EP

This band features members of the shoe gaze act Whirr. This is a side project the started while on tour with Nothing, and it is pretty accurate stab at post-punk/ goth. They tackle their songs with more wild abandon than any type of romantic pageantry that would would be more fitting of the goth side of things. So the Cure influences tend to reflect back more on when the band was closer to their punk roots and the dark tension recalls Joy Division more than it does Sisters of Mercy.

The opener "Cold Heaven" is aptly titled ,  the music captures and cold cavernous landscape. Going into the chorus the synth sounds create that darker "Pornography" era sound and at times Bauhaus could be heard haunting the belfry here and there in the creepier moments . The chanted refrain of " who played this joke on us" is very effective and the song pays off with a very sonically heavy climax.

What the synths in "Shaken" lack the vocals make up for. This is preformed more like Depeche Mode but feels like shoegaze, which makes for a rather unique collision.  Dynamically.... this song drifts. In its defense its more of an ambient mood builder like the Cocteau Twins.

They strike a perfect balance of their shoe gaze influences with the more cold wave / goth sounds they are going for here. The bass carries the bulk of the song, but the vocals melody is put to good use and fits over the floating shimmer of the dusk the song conjures. The vocals are lighter and not the typical baritone moan you expect from this kind of bat cave worship.

"The Blue of Noon" sounds like one of Fields of the Nephilims' mellower moments or even Love and Rockets. The guitar sounds great on this song as well as the entire album, the bass is fluid and holds things down leaving the synths as the only weak spot through out, but the songs marry such interesting sounds that this largely goes unnoticed. The final moments of the album finds it slipping away into a drone in the night. I'll give this EP a 9.5, and look forward to hearing what they can pull off on a full length.    




 

Catching Up With 2013: True Widow: Circumambulation

This album came out back in July, but I just found it. This  Texas band calls themselves stonegaze, and it's a fitting label as any, as the guitar playing is too clean to be sludge and the doom is more in the feeling, but I suppose calling them doomgaze would be like calling Chelsea Wolfe doom folk.

After seeing this band live, I was pretty hopeful about this album. The day dreaming drone it carries causes you to wake up in the middle of it and realize you are half  way done. The singer guitarist, seems like a clean cut well adjusted guy, to the drug addle shoe gaze that glazes this album is odd indeed. The songs all carry similar pacing, the dreary nature of the desert coldness that radiates from them , creates the most infectious atmosphere .

The opener "Creeper" no doubt references the type of weed, at least the druimmer was partaking of when these songs were conceived.The vocals often border on croons and whispers , when the two singers harmonize. Their is a David Lynch quality to their songs, that reminds me of the long drives on dark roads his films seem to take.The drums do have less pound to them on this album than they held live. This takes away some of the metal under currents.    

The second song sees a little more distortion added, but this is a casual fuzz, nothing I would deem metal as far as the tone goes. The males singer's voice often reminds me of Sonic Youth in it's lazy approach. While no strangers to their re-verb pedals , this album is not soaked in the same amount of effect like say Slowdive, their is still a doomy rock element. The songs are very simplistic in composition, though not minimal, the over all sound is pretty full figured. Their bassist contributes the most to this quality.

" Four Teeth" has the catchiest melody on the album, it almost has a sweet after taste to it. It feels like 60's girl group pop, but with a stoned fuzz to it. The vocal blend on the chorus is really smooth. The fuzz reaches a another level of fullness on the more robust " Numb Hand" . The song meanders around the same lagging mid tempo. The bass has most of the beef leaving the vocals between the buns .

The album's lengthiest venture is the often noise ridden " Trollstigen". It also might be the the heaviest song on the album. Bassist Nicole Estill allows her voice to haunt the top soil of this one. The guitar finds some extra creepy chords to ring out some where post-chorus , though this song walks a narrow line and drone in a similar direction the duration.

There is a more delicate sound to their thunder on " IMO" . This shows the more shoe gazing side, but it also reminds me of Sonic Youth, some of the more shimmering moment from Daydream Nation perhaps. Slim Stacks takes on a more conventional melody when he picks up lead vocals, the bassist balances him out with yes still a very Sonic Youth feel but there a western feel to it.  

 Their is less dynamic in terms of fast to slow or the often over done clean to heavy. They stay on the same despairing waters they sail on for the course of the album, though at times the guitar sounds more western, think almost old Chris Isaak meets surf rock.  By " Lungr" the album begins at the same dynamic it began with. Their is a sluggish drug shuffle to this one, and a dark cloud hanging over the song, like the one that keeps me in the bed when I am depressed.

I really like this album, it fit my mood the past couple of days and I can see this earning its keeping the iPod, even though when I break it down song by song it doesn't really sound as impressive as I score, partly because of the lazy drone throughout. So I will round it up to an 8.5.