Ava Mendoza appeared in the avant-rock scene in the '10s, and throughout the decade, she defined many works with her adventurous guitar playing and tonality. She made her mark through projects like Unnatural Ways, the trio with Tim Dahl and Sam Ospovat, and her split release with Sir Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls, Ivory Tower. Along her journeys, she collaborated with violinist extraordinaire, gabby fluke-mogul, in a larger band setting. Now, the two reunite and are joined by extreme metal drummer, Carolina Perez to produce an ambitious full-length in Mama Killa. I was expecting a crazed, jazz-infused recital from the get-go, but the trio touches upon many diverse sounds and aesthetics. The first to appear is a post-hardcore vibe, originating from the crisp, fluid guitar playing in "Puma Punku." It further evolves through Mama Killa, but it is with "Amazing Graces" that it fully exposes a contorted Fugazi-styled poignancy, moving closer to the latter adventurousness of The Messthetics. "Nowhere But Here" continues to chase that dragon, but here the drone elements push the endeavour toward alien paths. This is where Mendoza and fluke-mogul shine, providing a richness to the sonic background with their instrumentation. The drone space opens as … Read more
I ramble, at length, about basically everything. Word limits fear me. My friends dnf my texts. I think I may … Read more
What does Unseemlier sound like? I've been mulling that question as I listen to I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere … Read more
I had a hard time starting this review. I can’t help coming back to the fact that it sounds like … Read more
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I came to this book through it’s author. Ian Lawrence Campbell Swordy aka Pony. His involvement in Bent Outta Shape, Behavior and the New York art scene makes him a fascinating character in my mind’s eye. So naturally, reading his first book was an easy ask when given the opportunity. “The book is about a series of performances that started with joining the band (Bent Outta Shape) and ended with walking across the country.“ Pony and I crossed paths in Bushwick, Chelsea and Venice, Italy, but our experiences were vastly different. HIs anarchist Long Island reaction to the threat of a commuter train existence generated copious angsty creativity. This honest account of Bent Outta Shape’s struggles with innovation and addiction could act as a positive guide for young artists experiencing … Read more
Her Head’s On Fire (NY, NY) and Arms Like Roses (New Haven, CT) team up on this split 7” with two new tracks (one each band) of post-hardcore tunes that are both massive and melodic in their own distinct ways. "Universal" is the track from Her Head’s On Fire. Recorded by the band’s guitarist Jeff Dean, "Universal" came from the … Read more
Dead Bars has a unique talent of taking the everyday, the experiences you see and live all the time, and shining a new light on them to make them personal and interesting. I've written about it before, yet it's my job to say this again and to make it interesting. It's what Dead Bars does, so it only seems fitting … Read more
Painkiller, the trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris shows no signs of slowing down. The Great God Pan is their third full-length, since their reunion in 2024, and in many ways it is an unexpected offering. In keeping with their interests in the metaphysical realm, Painkiller find inspiration from the famed Arthur Machen horror novella. Here, the … Read more
Painkiller sees three absolute masters of extreme music join forces. John Zorn of Naked City and a billion other projects, Mick Harris who transcended from Napalm Death drummer to illbient guru with Scorn, and producer extraordinaire Bill Laswell. Their first two records, Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets are strange meditations traversing between free-jazz, grindcore and dub. Still hungry … Read more
The lazy approach would be to call Dauber "ex-Screaming Females," but that barely scratches the surface. If I had to pick one band to namedrop a comparison to, it would be labelmates Night Court. They play a familiar style but with a lot of quirks that set it apart from the genre standard-bearers. It's driving and energetic -- more importantly, … Read more
Aesop Rock has a reputation for esoteric and abstract raps. It's certainly an earned reputation, but that background makes it interesting when you peel off the layers of his latest, Black Hole Superette and realize that many of these dense songs are actually about the mundane: walking the dog, cohabitation... hell, even fishkeeping. While there's a lot of day-to-day routine … Read more
Haley Fohr's artistic vehicle, Circuit des Yeux, defies categorisation. Stamping the indie folk label on her was superficial, something dispelled easily once you have experienced the lo-fi distortion of "The Girl With No Name." It might be that under the layers of sonic disfigurement, a folk ethos is present in Fohr's narrative sensibility, but it is no longer the same. … Read more
Sometimes you can just hear the passion in a voice. ZEPHR is one of those bands. They defy convention a little bit, in that I associate gravelly voices with harsher, heavier sounds, but ZEPHR use sore-throat vocals to great effect with midtempo, emotional and melodic 3-chord chugging punk rock and some DC sound. In few words, it's raw, both musically … Read more
Kreiviskai's origins are deeply rooted in the neofolk sound and ethos. Their debut record, Zemmis : supnãi, focuses on the musical lineage of Tver, embracing the traditional instrumentation to produce a somber and moving piece. Their follow-up record, Nonregnum expands outward, focusing on various historical events and introducing further influences. The pull of neo-classical is palpable, while the abrasive industrial … Read more
The debut album from Florida punk band Miller Lowlifes features a vintage baseball theme, best enjoyed with a can of cheap domestic beer in hand. The metaphor fits, as Pinch Hitters focuses on the American dream -- and where it stands in 2025. The vintage educational TV audio clips add to this past-meets-present theme. It's an album that's equally about … Read more
I’ve never reviewed a box set before but Art Brut released my favourite sprechgesang anti-art-punk album of the early aughts so I figured I’d give it a go. 2005’s Bang Bang Rock & Roll placed Art Brut among the “Art Wave” scene but was more post-punk revival than “Indie Sleaze”. Argos has cited Jonathan Richman and Axl Rose as his … Read more
Few bands have as fitting a name as The Slow Death. They play forlorn, self-deprecating punk that’s heavily influenced by lonesome country. The music itself is more driving and punchy, but many of the lyrics would fit just well in a somber old-timey country ballad. It’s forceful music that punches inward instead of at The Man. The first song is … Read more
People in the indie punk scene in Canada can usually be linked by six degrees of separation. I’ve never met Golden Shitter guitarist Matt Ellis IRL but I became acquainted with him when he played in the short lived Plastic Heads with Jon Sharron. Having played with everyone from Chokehold to Brutal Knights, along with the criminally underrated Valley Boys, … Read more
The Raging Nathans are a unique band. They play '90s influenced punk that checks a ton of familiar boxes. It will appeal to fans of the old "EpiFat" sound, as it's been pejoratively called... but they seamlessly add a new element of emotion that's often carries blunt, harsh and personal emotional truths in their songs. Sometimes it's subtle, but usually … Read more
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