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Justin Walter

Unseen Forces
Kranky (2017)

Trumpeter Justin Walter is mostly known through his works in experimental jazz/fusion collective NOMO, his collaboration with Brian Case (of Disappears) in Bambi Kino Duo, and his contribution to works of His Name Is Alive and Colin Stetson. What is constant in all these instances, is the depth of his exploratory playing, something that whets the appetite in seeing him … Read more

Good Friend

Ride The Storm
Red Scare Industries (2016)

I’m a fan of a select little niche of pop punk. The cleaner the voices, the more I tend to dislike it or just not connect. However, Red Scare Industries has been capturing a nice little segment that hits right in the middle between my proffered gruff stuff with the more up-front and happier sounding ilk (on the surface, anyway). … Read more

Mystery Date

Love Collector
Collision Course Records (2016)

Mystery Date fit that classic mod-power pop sound, with an ear for well-tuned guitars, a hint of fuzz, and more focus on melody than “lead” anything, be it lead vocals, lead guitar, whatever. Love Collector is their first (recorded) album, first issued digitally in 2014 and now out on LP via Collision Course (late 2016). They released New Noir previously … Read more

Liquids

More Thana Friend EP
Drunken Sailor (2017)

English record label Drunken Sailor Records released this sweet and short EP. For some reason that made me believe Liquids are an English band. And that’s not only because this EP is released on an English label. The band sounds like they could be from that funny little island. I was wrong though. Dead wrong. Liquids hails from Indiana. And … Read more

Laura Marling

Semper Femina
More Alarming Records (2017)

Laura Marling was routinely described as being precocious when she first started making her own music as a teenager. She emerged as part of London's early '00s nu-folk scene, alongside the likes of Mumford & Sons and Noah and the Whale, but her music still seemed distinctly different from her peers'. Marling dealt with a preoccupation with death when she … Read more

Dodecahedron

Kwintessens
Season of Mist (2017)

The word quintessence derives from the Latin “quintus” and the english “essence,” translated roughly to the fifth essence. The reason for the number appearing in this instance comes from medieval philosophy, where quintessence was considered to be the fifth addition to the four classical elements (earth, wind, fire and water,) one that exists in the heavenly bodies, and is inherent, … Read more

Max Richter

Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works
Deutsche Grammophon (2017)

Neo-classical music and minimalistic explorations always had a point of convergence. Minimal electronic applications found their way into classical orchestrations, expanding the sound of the orchestra, as well as the emotional scope of the composer. Max Richter is a proud example of this tradition, a composer who has learned as much from Philip Glass and Steve Reich, as he has … Read more

The Obsessed

Sacred
Relapse (2017)

The Obsessed belongs in the category of the legendary American doom acts. Formed during the '70s as Warhorse, they truly kicked things off in the early '90s, with their self-titled debut full-length. Led by Scott “Wino” Weinrich, an iconic figure of the scene, The Obsessed was a powerful vehicle of heavy rock visions and bleak doom worlds. And as a … Read more

Greg Graffin

Millport
Anti (2017)

Greg Graffin has always been a big influence on the way I approach things. I love punk rock, but there was always a stigma attached to those that partook in the genre. It’s true I was part of a generation that pushed the vision of the '90s slacker kid, but I would like to think it was much more than … Read more

The Great Old Ones

EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy
Season of Mist (2017)

The influence of H.P. Lovecraft in popular culture is undeniable, and its presence in the metal genre is highlighted from classic Metallica tracks, to off-kilter acts like Blind Idiot God. The Great Old Ones, a French post-black metal outfit, proudly embrace this tradition, as their suggests, exploring the themes of cosmicism through the years, starting with their debut album, Al … Read more

Paco Sala

The Silent Season
Denovali (2017)

Paco Sala is the strange, outsider pop project of producer Anthony Harrison and singer Marie-Pascale Hardy. Having released a series of albums, with their main goal being the tinkering of pop structures and norm, The Silent Season marks their fifth full-length, and is the first of their works to be released through experimental label Denovali.The production of this record is … Read more

Hellmouth

Oblivion
Fast Break Records (2017)

When I heard my first Hellmouth record—which I’ve since learned was their second release (Gravestone Skylines, 2010)—it was more of a curiosity than something that really grabbed me. Here was Jay Navarro of Suicide Machines in a metal band. His voice definitely fits the style, but the riff-dominant vitriol was such a transition that it threw me off. I enjoyed … Read more

Pallbearer

Heartless
Profound Lore Records/Nuclear Blast Records (2017)

Pallbearer’s evolution over the last seven or so years has been one that seems natural and organic, with each record building on what came before and giving the Arkansas based band a step forward on the ladder towards greatness. Their demo of 2010 introduced a band indebted to doom greats Black Sabbath, but the inclusion of a cover of Billie … Read more

Sorority Noise

You’re Not As _____ As You Think
Triple Crown (2017)

What is emo? A classicist view may lend itself to sounds like The Promise Ring’s Nothing Feels Good or Weezer’s Pinkerton, which gave way to second-generation icons like Brand New. While The Promise Ring and especially Weezer never really quite built on the successes of their early records, Brand New began as a yawpy pop-punk band that suddenly transformed into … Read more

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