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Steve Hackett

Genesis Revisited II
Inside Out (2012)

This (entirely too long) review is part of my coverage of the 2013 Progressive Music Awards, on 3 September. I fully admit, before I even listened to this album, I actively disliked it. For one, musical sequels are rarely as good as the original (as I've mentioned before). For another, it's a covers album--and we at Scene Point Blank are … Read more

Pharmakon

Abandon
Sacred Bones (2013)

Phamarkon is a deep black pit inviting you to fall in. If you do, you will never want to climb out again. The girl behind the name Pharmakon is Margaret Chardiet, a not so typical 22-year-old from New York, active in the city’s underground diy scene, who embodies the sound of said darkness. According to an interview of hers (http://janepain.wordpress.com/2012/04/0 … Read more

Ken Mode

Entrench
Season of Mist (2013)

Ken Mode from Canada have been around for quite a while. The band was formed back in 1999, releasing their debut album, Mongrel, in 2003. Since then three more full-lengths followed (Reprisal, Mennonite and Venerable) until Ken Mode reached their absolute peak with the enthralling Entrench. Listening to the album what seems so surreal is that, even though this is … Read more

Apocynthion

Sidereus Nuncius
Pest Productions (2013)

Well, when it came time to pick the newest fad in metal music, I certainly wasn't expecting post-black metal* to become a genre. And yet, so many bands have been affected by Alcest's sublime, beautiful interpretation of black metal and post-rock that it's really not too surprising to see others taking the genre in a new direction. Cue the debut … Read more

Big Black Delta

Big Black Delta
Master Of Bates (2013)

Jonathan Bates is quickly becoming a musician who can't be ignored. Working under the moniker Big Black Delta, Bates has created some incessantly (and confusingly) catchy releases whose quality demands attention. What's more, his latest release, 2013's eponymous Big Black Delta, is his best offering yet.The album is still confusing for a couple of reasons, not the least of which … Read more

Laura Marling

Once I Was An Eagle
Virgin (2013)

The musical scene that was dubbed ‘nu-folk’ appeared quaint almost from its origins, perhaps due to the fact it will be forever associated with MOR stadium fillers Mumford and Sons or perhaps because the concept of folk as ‘new’ seems paradoxical in nature. Indeed, of the artists that have emerged from it and are still talked about, the tag no … Read more

Leprous

Coal
Inside Out (2013)

Leprous have an odd claim to fame—they serve as the live backing for fellow Norwegian metalhead Ihsahn (who, in turn, is known for his time as the vocalist for Emperor). But as their own band with a modest discography under their belts, Leprous play a much more subdued, near-rock version of progressive metal, and the stylistic difference is readily recognizable … Read more

The Hussy

Pagan Hiss
Southpaw (2013)

If Pain Teens and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion fucked and had a baby and that baby grew up to start a two-piece garage band with Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon's kid and they went into the studio to record with Phil Spector after his release from prison, The Hussy's Pagan Hiss would be the end result. Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, … Read more

Epic Problem

All Broken
Pirates Press (2013)

I wasn’t expecting this one to hit like it does. It’s raw, forceful, and honest; personal but socially conscious, and it blends street punk energy and repetition with so-called “beard punk sensibility.” In many ways, it reminds of American Steel’s self-titled debut, putting a rough persona atop more emotionally-driven content.Starting with the gruff vocal tradeoffs of “Choke,” there’s an immediate … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Rifle Diet

Abuse Begets Abuse / The Affected
Profane Existence (2013)

The fourth inclusion in the Profane Existence Single Series arrives via Minneapolis, MN's Rifle Diet, a band comprised of former members of Garmonbozia and In Defence. Up until 2011 the band was known as Thrash Compactor. Along with the name change came a noticeable shift in sound – Rifle Diet is the result of the band moving into a darker … Read more

True Widow

Circumambulation
Relapse (2013)

I know when I think of stoner music, I think of pot-fueled haziness, guitar theatrics straight out of the '60s, and a red-eyed three-piece to play it all. But there is one band that steadfastly refuses to conform to that stereotype, and that's Texan trio True Widow, whose third album, Circumambulation, is one of the most intriguing to come out … Read more

Arckanum

Fenris Kindir
Season of Mist (2013)

Swedish black metal entity Arckanum - led by Shamaatae – have been a constant presence on the chaos-driven scene since the band’s early 90s inception and their material is as prolific as it is devastatingly weird and wonderful. Arckanum have always been a little, well, bonkers, and Fenris Kindir is no exception to that rule. From the career highlight of … Read more

Kanye West

Yeezus
Def Jam (2013)

In an interview with the New York Times that predated the release of Yeezus, sixth solo album from Kanye West, the rapper/producer proclaimed himself the nucleus of music, fashion, internet and culture. On “New Slaves”, the quasi-single anonymously debuted on the side of 66 buildings worldwide, Kanye, in less-than eloquent diction, declared his preference of being a leader over a … Read more

Night Birds

Born To Die In Suburbia
Grave Mistake (2013)

Releasing the 7” teaser Maimed for the Masses certainly helped introduce the increasingly prominent surf guitar in Night Birds. Still, the opener “Escape from New York” is a holy shit moment as it perfectly blends surf lines with punk aggression. After their debut, The Other Side of Darkness, I was wondering just how far the band could take their sound … Read more

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