Ænima

Pushes the boundaries of the genre in interesting ways.

There's not a wasted second on this record. Even the interludes and transitions feel purposeful. I've seen people debate which track is the best and the fact that there's no consensus tells you everything about how consistently excellent it is.

Ambitious album that mostly delivers. There are one or two moments where they overreach, but the confidence and vision on display are admirable. The standout tracks here are absolutely world-class.

I want to like this more than I do. There are three or four tracks here that are genuinely excellent — inventive, well-produced, emotionally resonant. But the album as a whole doesn't sustain that level. The middle section in particular feels like it's treading water, and the closing track, while ambitious, goes on too long. That said, I do think this is worth hearing. At its best, it shows real creative vision, and even the weaker tracks have interesting ideas in them. It just needed a more ruthless editing pass to trim the good from the great.

I respect the ambition but this doesn't work for me.

Not quite their best work but honestly that's a high bar. This is still a fantastic album by any reasonable standard. The songwriting is sharp, the sound is distinctive, and it's got great replay value.

Middle of the road for this artist. Not bad by any means but not essential.

Returned to this after a few years away and it hit even harder than I remembered. Some albums age poorly but this one has only gotten better with time. The themes feel more relevant now than ever and the sonics still sound fresh.

Some interesting ideas here that don't always pan out. You can tell they were trying to push in a new direction and I respect that, even if the results are mixed. A couple of tracks are genuinely great.

Pleasant listening experience but not something I'll return to often.