Here’s a list of notable new releases set to premiere on April 19th, 2024. Inevitably, there will be other new releases in the comments. Bless. Genres/labels are best guesses based on cursory Googling and should not be taken seriously. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 19th, 2024 –
A Certain Ratio – It All Comes Down to This Genre: Funk Rock / Dance-Punk Label: Mute
Anne Wilson – REBEL Genre: Country Pop / Contemporary Country Label: Sparrow
BIG|BRAVE – A Chaos of Flowers Genre: Drone Metal / Doomgaze Label: Thrill Jockey
Blaze of Perdition – Upharsin Genre: Black Metal Label: Metal Blade
Bongripper – Empty Genre: Doom Metal / Sludge Metal Label: Burning World
Brian Eno – Eno (Film Soundtrack) Genre: Ambient Pop / Neo-Psychedelica Label: Universal
The Ferret in Preston is a venue very close to my heart, as I’ve played there a few times in various bands over the years. However, I hadn’t been to Preston for quite some time and obviously didn’t know what The Ferret was actually like since the last time I had been there (about a decade ago). When I walked in, the place was exactly how I had remembered it being, only now the vibes were even better. The stage had been moved to the opposite end of the room, with a really eye-catching neon “The Ferret” sign adorning the back wall of the stage, as well as some moody red lighting which receded the room’s dominating darkness.
The first act of the night was Fuck Money – a band I knew by name but hadn’t actually had chance to check them out before seeing the show. Four guys walked onto the stage, with the band’s frontman – a towering, intimidating figure (he’s actually a really nice guy) sporting a striking mouth grill, suited out in a black boiler suit with their logo and some black face paint. Immediately, the band grabbed the audience with their ferocious blend of hardcore, punk, and noise rock. The musicianship was excellent, with bassist Jeremy Humphries in particular really catching my eye with his blistering down stroke technique, but as a whole the band were supremely tight and the songs were concise and engaging to listen to and watch. TaSzlin kept the energy up…
2024 has already been a wonderful year for music, so it makes sense that we’d be treated with some exceptional artwork as well! Below are my 49 favorite album covers of the first quarter of 2024, unranked and lightly organized by color/aesthetics. This is not as exhaustive or delicately arranged as the year-end list will be, but I’ll likely be pulling from it later. Scroll all the way down to see the 7×7 grid–a taste of things to come 😉
Enjoy, and feel free to comment some of your favorite covers I might’ve missed!
Tierra Whack // World Wide Whack
Beyoncé // COWBOY CARTER
Scrim // lonely boy
Dissimulator // Lower Form Resistance
Erika de Casier // Still
Gesaffelstein // GAMMA
Roxy Radclyffe // The Median’s Ark
Kali Uchis // orquídeas
Ornette Coleman // The Complete Science Fiction Sessions
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 12, 2024. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 12, 2024 –
Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties: In Lieu of Flowers
Genre: Folk/Americana/Emo Label: Hopeless Records
Asha Jefferies: Ego Ride
Genre: Indie Pop Label: Nettwerk Music Group
Castle Rat: Into the Realm
Genre: Doom Metal/Hard Rock Label: King Volume
English Teacher: This Could Be Texas
Genre: Alt-Rock/Post-Punk/Psych Label: Island Records
Chad Kroeger – lead vocals, lead guitar (1995–present)
Ryan Peake – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1995–present)
Mike Kroeger – bass (1995–present)
Daniel Adair – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2005–present)
Former members:
Brandon Kroeger – drums (1995–1997)
Mitch Guindon – drums (1997–1998)
Ryan Vikedal – drums, percussion (1998–2005)
Studio albums: 10
Active: Yes
Are Nickelback the Kings of buttrock?
For this edition of the Doctor’s Diagnosis series, I thought I’d give things a little shake up and throw myself out of the comfort zone. Thus far, the artists I’ve covered are both well-respected in their respective fields, and they only have a couple of blunders at worst in their back pocket. With that in mind, I felt it was time to tackle a genre I’m not particularly thrilled about and double down still on a band I have relative ambivalence for. Why? Well Nickelback are a curious case, gaining momentum with their third album Silver Side Up and peaking mainstream success with All the Right Reasons, albeit quickly garnering an ire so intense it became a cultural movement. Was the hatred warranted? That’s what the Doctor is here to find out – so, Nickelback, it’s time to spread ‘em…
Welcome to the first installment for our 2024 quarterly playlist! Feel free to jam while reading what some of our newest staff writers as well as other longtime Sputstaffers had to say about their picks. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, any new artists you may have discovered here, or let us know what we missed!
Tracklist:
Allie X – “Girl With No Face” Girl With No Face
On an album loaded with mid-tempo mad-bops, “Girl with No Face” truly takes the cake. A new-wave beat and sassy bass lines revel in the humid dark before venomous guitars crash through the bridge and fully kick shit into gear. The resulting finale is a noiry powertrip with surprising muscle and a killerrr groove. –neekafat
Anatole Muster – “blip blop” blip blop
The alliterative onomatopoeia “blip blop” seems to cleave a space between the digital and the natural — the ‘blip’ indicating an ontology rooted in electronic music, the ‘blop’ indexing the kind of reverberation brought forth by the movement of an object in real space. Anyways, this vaguely hyperpop-ish song by very promising German accordion prodigy Anatole Muster (“Layers”, “auntie mabel”) and pretty-damn-good South African cornball M Field (“Andrew”, “Block Universe”) is beautiful and expansive and catchy and has a chorus in falsetto to show that softness can…
Below, please find an ongoing sampling of new releases for the week of April 5th, 2024. If I missed something obvious, pretend it’s April Fools’ Day and I bamboozled you. Ha! Genres/labels are best guesses based on cursory Googling and should not be taken seriously. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. Don’t forget to swap out Oreo cream for Arm & Hammer toothpaste if you hate your family (or yourself).
– List of Releases: April 5th, 2024 –
Alpha Wolf – Half Living Things Genre: Metalcore / Nu Metal Label: SharpTone
Austere – Beneath the Threshold Genre: Blackgaze Label: Lupus Lounge
Bayside – There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive Genre: Pop-Punk / Alternative Label: Hopeless
The Black Keys – Ohio Players Genre: Blues Rock / Psychedelic Soul Label: Nonesuch
Bob Vylan – Humble As the Sun Genre: UK Hip Hop / Punk Rock Label: Ghost Theatre
Dana Gavanski – Late Slap Genre: Indie Pop / Indie Folk Label: Full Time Hobby
Dead Pony – Ignore This Genre: Alternative Rock Label: LAB…
Has there ever been a more distinct guitar tone? Welcome, denizens of Sputnik, to the ninth edition of the Doctor’s ‘Diagnosis Series’, where I go through a band or artist’s catalogue of music and analysis the core strengths and weaknesses found within their recorded works. Shellac recently announced their first new album in ten bloody years, so I felt it was an auspicious time to run through the trio’s work, which sprawls over three decades. So, sit in the waiting room for a minute and grab a coffee while I get my coat, stereoscope and gloves to run through this bitch.
At Action Park (1994)
The Doctor’s rating: 4/5
Analysis: Named after the infamous theme park in Vernon, New Jersey, where at least six people were known to have died as a result of the park’s negligence and failure to follow health and safety regulations, Shellac’s 1994 debut sets the groundwork for their illustrious future. Being that this band is one third Steve Albini, you can only imagine the abrasive…
Chelsea Wolfe- She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
“You only know the one I’ve been
I’ve shed a thousand skins since then”
Not many artists are quite so familiar with re-invention as Chelsea Wolfe; on She Reaches Out to She…, she wanes away the pagan-folk of her prior LP and welcomes electronics back under her shroud. Expounding on the darkwave of Pain Is Beauty, her latest churns through nocturnal scenery while flipping familiar gothic, industrial, and trip-hop influences around on their heads. Dave Sitek (of TV on the Radio fame) contributes razor-sharp production that provides clarity to each element without losing the shadowy murk the album inhabits so naturally. But perhaps the most notable progression Wolfe has made is personal—as nightmarish as her soundscapes are, her lyrics expound optimism. As each track twists toward its uniquely devastating climax, Wolfe’s vocals soar with the fire of someone bursting from their internal void to fight for the light in their life—and coming from Queen of Darkness, that means something. Her latest displays an artist fully aware of themselves and their brand, who knows just how to throw their audience for a loop. By combining that knowledge with a willingness to turn inward and face her demons, Chelsea Wolfe has crafted a proper goth album for the ages.
It’s that time again! Below is a list of the new releases for the week of 29 March 2024. As always, feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. Cheers!
– List of Releases: March 29th, 2024 –
The Absence – The Absence Genre: Melodic Death Metal Label: Listenable Insanity Records
Beyonce – Cowboy Carter Genre: Country / R&B Label: Parkwood / Columbia
Boundaries – Death Is Little More Genre: Metalcore / Hardcore Label: 3DOT Recordings
Buddy – Don’t Forget to Breathe Genre: Hip-Hop Label: Empire
Chastity Belt – Live Laugh Love Genre: Indie Rock / Post-Punk Label: Suicide Squeeze Records
Coffin Storm – Arcana Rising Genre: Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal / Doom Metal Label: Peaceville
Deadman – Genealogie der Moral Genre: Alternative Rock / Indie Rock Label: David Skull No Records
Ed Harcourt – El Magnifico Genre: Alternative / Indie Label: Deathless Recordings
Good day denizens of Sputnik and welcome to today’s edition of the Doctor’s diagnosis series, where I take on a band or artist’s studio recordings and formulate a comprehensive diagnosis by looking at the artist in question’s simmering highs and disappointing lows. On this eighth instalment, I will be putting on my latex gloves and analysing the mighty Riff Lord Wes Borland and his seminal project, Black Light Burns – a scintillating artistic affirmation that has only spawned three records and a compilation album hitherto, but has left a lasting resonance. So, join me while I grab my stethoscope and go over the Black Light Burns catalogue.
Here’s a list of 30 notable new releases for the week of March 22nd, 2024. Please refrain from immediately jumping into the comments letting me know how much I suck for omitting a fusion dungeon synth polka band from Kyrgyzstan (I can deal with it if you wait at least a day). Genres/labels are best guesses based on cursory Googling and should not be taken seriously. Some Bandcamp embeds are included. This is the Little Caesars Hot-n-Ready Principle: instead of picking two between Hot, Ready, and Good, you have to pick 2 from Some Embeds, Some Information, and Exhaustive List of Everything That Could Possibly Be Released This Week Complete with Hyperlinks Everywhere. Yaaas, queen! Slay! Live, laugh, love. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. Or don’t, whatever. I’m not your mom. Live your best life. YOLO.
– List of Releases: March 22nd, 2024 –
Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future Genre: Alternative / Folk Label: 4AD
Alestorm – Voyage of the Dead Marauder (EP) Genre: Folk Metal / Pirate Metal / yarrrr Label: Napalm
Barely Civil – I’d Say I’m Not Fine Genre: Midwest Emo / Indie Rock Label: Take This To Heart
Blanket – Ceremonia Genre: Shoegaze / Alternative Rock
In celebration of the release of Chelsea Wolfe’s enrapturing new record She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She and the ongoing tour that, if you’re lucky, will bring her stunning show to a room near you, a group of staffers decided to gather around the fire, burn our clothes and howl our favorite Wolfe tunes under the light of a red moon.
As you know, Chelsea Wolfe’s body of work now spans seven albums (or eight depending on what you choose to include or not) and she has managed to consistently blend different styles into one single sound that is unmistakably hers. Whether it is the dark folk and occult Americana of Birth of Violence, the noisy bamboozling of electronic evil of Abyss or the indescribable gothic post everything of Pain is Beauty, Chelsea Wolfe is an artist that has grown from a seed of bedroom lo-fi recordings to branching out: making a collaboration project with hardcore legends Converge, soundtracks for different films and touring the world with unanimous success for her craft. Us here at the staffdom are very much fans of her music and hence we present you with our favorite tunes from the Californian songstress. – Dewinged
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 15th, 2024. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: March 15, 2024 –
Aborted: Vault of Horrors
Genre: Death Metal Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Andrea Von Kampen: Sister Moon
Genre: Indie Folk Label: Independent
Atrophy: Asylum
Genre: Death Metal Label: Massacre Records
The Black Crows: Happiness Bastards
Genre: Rock Label: Silver Arrow Records
Dragonforce: Warp Speed Warriors
Genre: Power Metal Label: Napalm Records
Four Tet: Three
Genre: IDM / House Label: Rough Trade
Justin Timberlake: Everything I Thought I Was
Genre: Pop Label: RCA Records
Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well
Genre: Country / Folk Label: Interscope
Lenny Kravitz: Blue Electric Light
Genre: Pop Rock Label: Roxie Records
Lutharo: Chasing Euphoria
Genre: Metalcore / Melodic Death Metal Label: Thrash / Metalcore
Marla Hansen: Salt
Genre: Trip Hop / Pop Label: Just Isn’t Music Ldt.
Necrophobic: In the Twilight Grey
Genre: Melodic Death Metal Label: Centruy Media Records
Pink Milk: Night on Earth
Genre: Gothic Shoegaze Label: Black Hair Records
The Progressive Souls Collective: Sonic Rebirth
Genre: Progressive Label: Metalville Records
Sam Lee: Songdreaming
Genre: Folk Label: Norman Records UK
Scott Stapp: Higher Power
Genre: Rock Label: Napalm Records
Till Lindemann: Zunge
Genre: Industrial Metal Label: Universal Music Group
Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
Genre: Progressive Metal Label: InsdeOut
World Wide Whack: Tierra Whack
Genre: Rap / Pop / R&B Label: Interscope Records
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 8th, 2024. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: March 8, 2024 –
Alterium: Of War and Flames
Genre: Symphonic Metal Label: AFM
Ariana Grande: Eternal Sunshine
Genre: Pop Label: Republic
Before the Dawn: Archaic Flame [EP]
Genre: Death Doom / Gothic Metal Label: Napalm
Bleachers: Bleachers
Genre: Indie Rock Label: Dirty Hit
Ecclesia: Ecclesia Militants
Genre: Heavy Metal / Stoner Doom Label: Aural Music
…
