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Aisha Devi

Death Is Home
Houndstooth (2023)

The talent and quality of Aisha Devi have been apparent since the release of her first EP, Aura For Everyone through her own Danse Noire imprint. As the years passed, Devi became more ambitious and started honing into the duality between ecstasy and mysticism. Her latter works, in 2018’s fantastic DNA Feelings yielded towards the atmospheric and ambient side, presenting a sublime journey through … Read more

Aesop Rock

Integrated Tech Solutions
Rhymesayers (2023)

Aesop Rock seems to be the rare artist who gets better with age. I enjoyed his early work with Blockhead, but it felt like things started to take off when he took over self-production, steadily growing and hitting what felt like peak when Spirit World Field Guide came out in 2020 (followed by Garbology in ’21). Luckily for all of us, he’s maintaining his trajectory … Read more

Benefits

Nails
Invada (2023)

In December 2019, Benefits released their “Marlboro Hundreds” single. The UK act sourced all the fury and urgency of punk, wrapping it into a devastating noise facade and powerviolence demeanor. A prime example of weaponized music, and while through the years Benefits have morphed, their poignant messaging remains. Now, their debut record, Nails, sees them revisit some of their early single … Read more

Goat

Joy In Fear
NAKID (2023)

Having listened to Goat’s first two records, 2013’s New Games and 2015’s Rhythm & Sound, I was firstly blown away by their minimalism, but mostly by their precision. Featuring primarily percussive elements, the act from Japan perform an etude on both technical aptitude but also creativity. I was even more impressed when I had the chance to see them perform live at 2018’s … Read more

Seagulls

The Rapture and Resurgens
Say-10 (2023)

While this is their second overall (if Bandcamp is up to date), The Rapture and Resurgens is my first time really sitting down with a Seagulls full-length. And my takeaways match with seeing them at FEST 21 recently. It’s heavy punk that’s big on singalongs, equally angry and melodic -- and usually both at the same time. I like the band’s high energy approach … Read more

Lankum

False Lankum
Rough Trade (2023)

Dedication to tradition is tricky business. On one hand, adhering to existing norms carries on the legacy. On the other end, can this result in something novel? Folk music is, by definition, rooted in tradition. And while many have pushed its boundaries, they are instead labeled as experimentalists or neofolk. From the early works of Comus to the feverish interpretations of Current 93, … Read more

Various Artists

Time x Heist / Without Love - Split EP
Best Life Records, Our Pride Records (2023)

Six songs a bit shy of 12 minutes, it’s the new split EP from Time X Heist and Without Love. They didn’t waste any time so why should we? Let’s get into it. Time X Heist, a straight edge band hailing from Colorado, take the first half of the album with an optimistic, but gritty, intensity. Opener ‘Keep On Fighting’ … Read more

Alien Nosejob

The Derivative Sounds Of​.​.​. Or​.​.​. A Dog Always Returns To Its Vomit
Anti Fade Records, Goner (2023)

Alien Nosejob, the one-man project from Australian musician Jake Robertson has been releasing a lot of records. The project began a garage rock bent and recently moved into hardcore-inspired raw punk. The newest record, a 13-song collection called The Derivative Sounds Of​.​.​. Or​.​.​. A Dog Always Returns To Its Vomit goes full circle -- really even further back, with some of these … Read more

Gina Birch

I Play My Bass Loud
Third Man (2023)

Gina Birch is a 67 year-old '70s feminist icon who smashed into 2023 with her loud bass. Originally only knowing of Gina Birch from her fame with The Raincoats experimental post-punkness, I found out that over the last four decades the godmother of punk has saved numerous audio files on her computer of her whispering, singing, and screaming to form I Play My … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Chain Whip

Call of the Knife
Neon Taste (2023)

It’s hard to keep the classic genre styles sounding fresh, which is what makes a band like Chain Whip so vibrant. The Vancouver hardcore band play tough-sounding, angry, loud, and fast punk – the type that makes yoo want to punch things. Heck, they named the band Chain Whip and the record is called Call Of The Knife. It’s aurally and … Read more

The Immortal Samsara Travellers

Hanging Gardens In Glacial Apocha
Utech (2023)

Drone music is a deceptively difficult genre to get right. Sure, anyone can play very slow and heavy, letting the feedback carry them into obscurity. But in truth, it is all about what happens in the space in between, and the feeling that the artists can transmit. The Immortal Samsara Travellers are more than capable of delivering exactly that with … Read more

Meteor Police

New Type Destroyer
Independent (2023)

Ocean County, New Jersey four piece, Meteor Police, mean business and have gone above and beyond to ensure their debut album New Type Destroyer gets the attention it deserves. This ten track album showcases their talent not just as musicians but the whole package, from recording quality to the artwork and marketing of the finished product. New Type Destroyer arrived at SPB HQ in … Read more

Billy Liar

Crisis Actor
Pirates Press (2023)

I really liked Some Legacy when it released, listening a lot in 2019-2020. Then it kind of slipped off my radar, as records tend to do as somebody who gets a ton of new music. Now, Billy Liar is back with new record and this one is equally vibrant. Billy Liar is a Scottish musician, sometimes playing solo and sometimes with a … Read more

Lambrini Girls

You're Welcome
Big Scary Monsters (2023)

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cake, Iron & Wine, Meat Puppets, Blind Melon, Peaches, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lemon Demon and The Sugarcubes. While stylistically these bands are essentially alien to one another they do have one unifying quality. Bands named after food and drink have a long lineage. As a side note, I have a major beef with online lists of ‘100 Best … Read more

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