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Various Artists

Drainland / Enabler - Split EP
Halo of Flies (2012)

Splits are, in general, a simultaneously good and bad thing. For each split that flows and feels strong through out (maybe even introduces you to a new band) there are probably 10 more that feel more like a way for bands to get rid of otherwise discarded songs. So with a bit of trepidation i grabbed this split and put … Read more

Enabler

Year One
Creator-Destructor (2011)

Enabler play a style of hardcore that takes clear influence from crust and metal (ala His Hero Is Gone). Over their first year they managed to release two EPs. Now to help those that lack tape decks and record players, Creator-Destructor has compiled these releases for the greater public. Year One contains the EPs Eden Sank to Grief and War … Read more

OSI

Fire Make Thunder
Metal Blade (2012)

OSI are extremely tough to nail down, and that's not just because they seem to have ins with every major progressive band in the books. Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore, the only two actual members of the band, come from such Fates Warning and Dream Theater respectively, and their guest musicians over their career have included names like Mike Portnoy … Read more

War

At War For Youth
Sacred Bones (2012)

Debut 7”, At War for Youth (the band has also released a split cassette) seems totally off-putting. It’s brash, terribly lo-fi, and haunting. There is a strong, almost mesmerising quality that springs forth from its murky depths of whatever genre you might classify it as. And to make it easy on you, let’s just say its post-punk/lo-fi/electronic/no-wave whatever music.Akin to … Read more

John K. Samson

Provincial
Anti (2012)

It’s already been four plus years since the last Weakerthans record. If I weren’t aging quickly myself, that would feel like a long time. While I’m not sure what’s up with their status as a band, ringleader John K. Samson set aside time in early 2011 to record his first solo record, Provincial. The frontman, known for his somewhat nasal … Read more

Fat Shadow

Foot Of Love
Houseplant (2011)

It's hard to categorize female-fronted, Fat Shadow. They blend a mix of indie-rock with late 60s-psychedelia, while bleeding over into punk-rock as well. They do a pretty fine job of it, no doubt. The band's debut full length, Foot of Love, is bringing back a sound and tweaking it into something quite satisfying.The first half of the album is new … Read more

The Book Of Knots

Garden Of Fainting Stars
Ipecac (2011)

The Book Of Knots are an anomaly in music. They are a super group of sorts entailing members of many different groups (Including Skeleton Key, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Shiner, Battle of Mice, Sparklehorse, Elvis Costello, Unsane, Pere Ubu, Frank Black, They Might Be Giants) and using members of a number of guests including one Blixa Bargled (of Nick Cave And … Read more

Toh Kay

Streetlight Lullabies
Pentimento Music (2011)

I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews about this record, and based on the feedback received, I think it’s a really underrated album. Is it perfect? No, but it’s very rare to find a completely flawless album. Is it worth listening to? Of course, this is Tomas Kalnoky we’re talking about here. If you haven’t heard by now Streetlight Lullabies … Read more

Digital Leather

Modern Problems
FDH (2012)

It’s been three years since Shawn Foree’s one man synth-punk project Digital Leather released the critically acclaimed album Warm Brother. In that time he’s seen the untimely passing of his friend-turned-manager Jay Reatard, and—after one-off stints on Goner and Fat Possum—has returned to the smaller label he was with before that, FDH. The latest outing, Modern Problems, was recorded to … Read more

Bleaklow

The Sunless Country
Independent (2011)

Though a lot of post-anything music can, using a single theme, reach past the 10 minute mark without necessarily becoming repetitive or stale, there is still a point where too much is too much. You can only listen to embellishment and variation on one theme for so long before you start to go mad and beg for some variety. I'll … Read more

Bubonic Bear

Fleshworld
Sloth Tapes (2011)

Over several very under the radar releases (EPs, splits, half lengths, etc.), the dynamic duo that makes up Bubonic Bear unleash Fleshworld on a mostly unsuspecting audience that (despite lots of touring and tons of shows) still have yet to experience the crushing doom-y noise-y sludge that has become this group’s trademark for audience destruction (I always thought of the … Read more

Signals Midwest

Latitudes & Longitudes
Tiny Engines (2011)

Placing the band Signals Midwest into a genre is a difficult task; their latest release Longitudes and Latitudes is a beautiful mesh of melodic interludes, upbeat pop punk and gritty punk rock. Having this many influences in your work can often lead to great things being lost in translation and the overall result being muddled. However, you can fully appreciate … Read more

After

Edges Of The World
Independent (2012)

When I heard California's After described to me with phrases like "Soundgarden meets Rush" and "progressive pop", I knew I had to give them a try. Any band willing to reach back and recapture some of the classic rock sound that you just can't hear today definitely gets my interest, and I gave this EP a listen as soon as … Read more

The Shins

Port Of Morrow
Aural Apothecary (2012)

Spring has arrived. The sun pours through the sky. Pollen blankets the surroundings. The streets suddenly become more occupied. Much has happened in the world since last spring. Even more has occurred in the five years passed since we were last offered a new album from The Shins, a band whose spring-like sound sonically reflects the seasonal transference.In the world … Read more

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