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Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

The Bedroom Witch

My Mother Grows Plants With Her Eyes
Independent (2016)

Nobody knows the void like a trans lady does. There is no dark night of the soul that can compare to what most trans women just call “Tuesday.” The toxic combination of societal violence and body dysphoria can really cast a pall over existence—and inspire some incredible art about isolation, body horror, and impending death. From Anna Varney Cantodea to Genesis P Orridge (yes, Genesis is trans!) transfeminine people have made some of the rawest, saddest, strangest music in history. Now, The Bedroom Witch (Sepehr Mashiahof) is here to carry on that legacy. I am a big fan of her previous two albums, Moon Bathing and Ceremonial Serenades. When I am in the mood for something between Trust, Crystal Castles, and some sepulchral 80’s goth, I go to The Bedroom Witch. Doom and gloom pervades, between danceable beats and sparkling synths. My Mother Grows Plants With Her Eyes is a bit different. It contains a new artistic element for Mashiahof: hope. From the first notes of “Lullabies From The Womb,” I was enraptured by this EP. Mashiahof keens, tunefully but mournfully, seeming to echo Creatures-era Siouxsie Sioux. A little tape hiss, and a hint of vocal distortion, add a simmering … Read more

Switchblade

Switchblade (2016)
Denovali (2016)

Originally formed back in the late '90s, through the years Switchblade have managed to attain a cult status. Flying a … Read more

Vektor

Terminal Redux
Earache (2016)

The progressive thrash band from Pennsylvania is definitely very ambitious with their concept in their latest album, Terminal Redux. Their … Read more

Woman is the Earth

Torch of Our Final Night
Init (2016)

Woman is the Earth aren’t a new prospect, but latest record Torch of Our Final Night is a massive step … Read more

Psalm Zero

Stranger to Violence
Profound Lore (2016)

The main man of Psalm Zero, Charlie Looker, has been/still is part of some great bands. The avant-garde mentality of … Read more

Diarrhea Planet

Turn To Gold
Infinity Cat (2016)

I recently saw Weiner, a documentary about Anthony Weiner, the New York politician who completely obliterated his career with a … Read more

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One from the archives

El-P

I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Definitive Jux (2007)

Nas' latest release makes the claim that hip-hop is dead. If he paid attention to the underground, he'd know the genre is not only alive and well but with a pulse fresher than ever. Five years after the release of his first solo release, Fantastic Damage, El-P returns with I'll Sleep When You're Dead, an album proving why El's label Definitive Jux is a staple in the underground hip-hop scene. A native New Yorker, El-P states that if Fantastic Damage documented the feeling of paranoia he had when thinking about living in the new millennium, particularly under the Bush administration, then this new album serves as a way to show his post traumatic stress disorder of living in these turbulent and often bleak times. Progressing where Fantastic Damage left off, … Read more

More album reviews

Ithi

Chapel Perilous
Utech (2016)

Ithi is a Brooklyn based duo, that had been so far exploring the experimental drone domain. Their 2011 release, The Persistence of Meaning, was based around the big drones, immense feedback and noise elements that they were able to conjure. A slight shift came with their next album, Within, seeing Ithi going into a more abstract, experimental rock tone. Their … Read more

Swans

The Glowing Man
Young God (2016)

Bands returning after a prolonged hiatus, or re-forming after a break, are rarely able to recapture the essence and/or quality of their earlier existence. When Michael Gira announced the return of Swans it seemed that it would solely be a repeat of the band's earliest style at best. My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky came … Read more

Katatonia

The Fall of Hearts
Peaceville (2016)

Katatonia’s evolution over their twenty five year career has been one that’s taken in doom, death metal, gothic soundscapes and progressive beats, but more than anything, a deeply felt emotional tie to the music has been found within. Whenever they’ve been moving through difficult moments as a band - with members leaving during last few years – their music hasn’t … Read more

Quaaludes

Rejects
Independent (2016)

Leave it to Quaaludes to elevate a tape of previously unreleased demos to a work of art. I have to admit, even as a long-time Quaaludes fan (and, full disclosure, someone who personally knows Aimee,) I was a little skeptical about their decision to release these demos, “recorded in Quaaludes practices.” It felt like filler, maybe even like a rip-off, … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Western Settings

Old Pain
La Escalera (2016)

Ever wondered what it would sound like if Off With Their Heads and Iron Chic had a baby? Well, even if you haven't, you need to check out Western Settings. With the help of Chicken (Dead to Me), they've produced a release that builds off the melodic punk rock they premiered last year with their LP, Yes It Is. They're … Read more

Sun Worship

Pale Dawn
Golden Antenna (2016)

Sun Worship made a grand, and quite unexpected, appearance in the black metal scene with their debut full-length, Elder Giants. The album was supposed to be released just in digital format and on a limited tape release, but, the quality of this work saw an additional CD release coming later on through Translation Loss Records. The band's grasp on the … Read more

Perturbator

The Uncanny Valley
Blood Music (2016)

James Kent, known as Perturbator, has been meticulously constructing whole worlds with his dark synthwave music, one album at a time. His love of cyberpunk concepts has been the driving force for all his releases, and coupled with a strong '80s aesthetic, he has been able to breathe life into these feverish visions of futuristic domains. The Uncanny Valley is … Read more

Multiple Authors

Perturbator

The Uncanny Valley
Blood Music (2016)

The Uncanny Valley pulses in high concept waves and the mastermind behind it all, Perturbator (composer James Kent), creates visual magic with naught but a synthesiser and a slick, rain-soaked neon palette. Kent has been making music as his electronic alter-ego since at least 2012, but he started out in black metal and the Frenchman carries over similar aesthetics from … Read more

Sumac

What One Becomes
Thrill Jockey (2016)

The announcement on the newest band from Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom) was one of the most intriguing news in 2014. And things only got more exciting as the line-up of the new band was confirmed to include bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists), as well as the members stating that SUMAC would be a … Read more

Blaqk Audio

Material
BLQNOIS/Kobalt (2016)

Davey Havok and Jade Puget (you may recognize them from AFI) are back this year with a new Blaqk Audio album. Because the duo is constantly putting out music through multiple outlets, you wouldn't believe it's been 4 years since the last one, but here we are. Material is the Electro-duo's third album, and it may be their most accessible … Read more

Dälek

Asphalt For Eden
Profound Lore (2016)

Dalek has long been a group for outsiders. Embracing noise, industrial and ambient genres while still holding a tenuous grip on their New York hip hop roots. There is something strangely prescient about their mix of these genres being their own thing while fully embracing a structured sound that embodies the new york aesthetic at the same time. So after … Read more

The Dandy Warhols

Distortland
Dine Alone (2016)

The Dandy Warhols new release Distortland is a trippy foray into pop that should not only garner new fans but also satisfy their long term fans as well. The band has been putting out great records for 22 years now and this is their ninth release. The band continues to hone their sound and have put out some of their … Read more

Marissa Nadler

Strangers
Sacred Bones (2016)

Marissa Nadler has been releasing albums since 2004, and her meticulous constructions of dream states has been astonishing since the first notes of “Fifty Five Falls.” Through the years, Nadler has shown her aptitude in songwriting, not solely by awakening an emotional response with her music, but also with a sense of certainty that became more and more apparent in … Read more

Music Band

Wake Up Laughing
Infinity Cat (2016)

Music Band, along with JEFF the Brotherhood and Diarrhea Planet, forms the Infinity Cat triad, the latest representatives of the Nashville indie punk scene. I’ll readily admit to being a big DP fan - I’ve seen them four times, once with JEFF and once with Music Band. I knew these were DP’s buds, so I had high expectations. JEFF was … Read more

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)