At some point in the '90s a strange scene begun to form, spawning from the adventurous nature of Gore and their follow-up project Bohren & der Club of Gore and expanded by the likes of Asunta and Phantom City. Taking the cool jazz structures, artists begun performing alchemical experiments with ambient music, abstract rhythms, drone elements and aspects of dark … Read more
Dälek have the ability to produce an album that's so distinctively different from anything that have done before and yet still sounds characteristically like a Dälek album. As soon as you hear a song by this group, you know it's them. Not only have they consistently been able to do this album after album, but while doing so the quality … Read more
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
Describing Dälek is always pretty tough. Despite the fact that MC Dälek himself has stated that they should be considered purely hip-hop since the origins of the genre lie in experimentation and breaking down barriers, I would conjecture that whacking Gutter Tactics onto your stereo and playing it to your average chart-loving hip-hop aficionado would result in blank stares and … Read more
It is easy to take for granted the excellent state of experimental hip-hop today. With Death Grips freely applying noise and electronica with a punk ethos, and clipping. doubling down on industrialized beats and Afro-futuristic narratives, it is easy to forget that this landscape was not always so rich. Traveling back in time, to the end of the ‘90s, it … Read more
Seeing Damnation A.D. for the first time in years at New Year's reunion in Syracuse a couple of years back awoke something in me that I had not realized had been sleeping. Watching this five piece shake the building with their tortured, bottom heavy power was and is a great experience. If you doubt this, go see them and watch … Read more
If you have the good/bad fortune to live in the U.K., you will in all likelihood have a fairly limited view of hip-hop. For many years it kind of bypassed us, only really hitting the charts in the mid-to-late 1990s with the gangsta boom (a term which I am hoping will catch on). As a result, most U.K. hip-hop is … Read more
Ah, the sophomore curse. It's a minefield for most artists, and rare indeed is the second album that matches the first. After due consideration, I declare that the problem is primarily one of gestation. The songs that comprise a debut are usually ones which have been fine-tuned over a number of years while the individuals concerned earn enough reputation or … Read more
It’s been almost a year since As the Ox Plows popped up on the interwebs. Back then it boasted itself as a free digital version of the soon-to-be-released LP. Well, that time has finally come, with Razorcake Records, It’s Alive, and Dirt Cult stepping up to deliver the San Diegans’ second full-length. The four-piece band shares members with Tiltwheel and … Read more
Considering the amount of time it took for Dan Padilla to drop their second full-length, last year’s As the Ox Plows, it’s surprising they’re back already with another full-length in Sports Fans. The DIY San Diego, CA band hasn’t changed up their sound much here, offering a similar blend of pop-punk, gruff vocals, and a strong bent of work-sucks-let’s-get-drunk themes. … Read more
Dan Webb and the Spiders have been out spreading their punk rock for a few years now. They've collected a bunch of unreleased tracks, some singles and splits, as well as some bonus tracks from their second album and put them on one big compilation for all to enjoy in one place. Now It Can Be Told is perfect for … Read more
There are three things that make me like this band. One, they have a ton of Star Wars references in their music. Actually, besides having a song named with a semi-obscure line from the original movie, there is an entire song about Darth Vader - shame on you if you are so culturally unaware as to who that is. Two, … Read more
Once upon a time, while on a late evening binge of marijuana and cartoons, a young adult named Zed felt it would be appropriate to create. Well, the "young adult" is actually 21 years old...and he's, like, a total hunk. Anyway, the man covered in glistening oils combined his favorite wrapper and his favorite produce in a cereal bowl. With … Read more
It's all been done before. I'm not being jaded; I'm referring to what bands do to be "edgy." Hair in mohawks, boys wearing makeup, and eating your own (or someone else's) shit on stage, none of it is progressive and none of it is offensive. Actually...eating shit would still shake people up. But, anyways, Dangers realizes this and instead of … Read more
With a career spanning for almost three decades, Daniel Menche is a distinguished experimental artist. Implementing abstract themes within a minimal setting, applying noise to build an asphyxiating environment, his music takes on a physical manifestation to the listener. Creating an illusion of claustrophobia and anxiety, taking away the warmth of any safe spaces and leaving all exposed to the … Read more
In 2014 Mamiffer, the project of Faith Coloccia, released Statu Nascendi, which was described as a transitional album, leading to the next full-length the band would eventually release. Statu Nascendi definitely felt like an album of change, with Coloccia and collaborator Aaron Turner stepping further into the realms of minimalism and drone. It might still be a while until The … Read more
If you find yourself loving classical or orchestral pieces, but would just enjoy something with a little more electronic funky vibe this is what you’re looking for. I imagine such wide varieties for this music and it can fit with many of my moods. None of these songs have lyrics but the music speaks for itself. I find myself lost … Read more
I’m not sure I could come up with a worse scenario for a band than having one of its players pass away while the group was touring, but that’s sadly what occurred in September 2014 when Lorein Bourne, a.k.a. Styx and drummer for Portland, Oregon-based and self-proclaimed “garunge” duo Dark Oz, died of complications from Turner Syndrome after a show … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here:
Click anywhere outside this dialog to close it, or press escape.