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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 4th, 2022.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: November 4, 2022 –

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Anna Of The North: Crazy Life

Genre: Indie Pop
Label: PIAS Recordings

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Big Joanie: Back Home

Genre: Post Punk
Label: Kill Rock Stars

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Black Anvil: Regenesis

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Label: Season of Mist

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The Blue Stones: Pretty Monster

Genre: Indie Rock
Label: MNRK Heavy

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Born Without Bones: Dancer

Genre: Alt Rock / Emo
Label: Pure Noise

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Brkn Love: Black Box

Genre: Alt Rock
Label: Spinefarm

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Cavetown: Worm Food

Genre: Indie Pop / lo-fi
Label: Warner

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Coco Jones: What I Didn’t Tell You [EP]

Genre: Hip Hop / Soul
Label: Def Jam

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Daniel Avery: Ultra Truth

Genre: Techno
Label: Phantasy Sound

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Dayseeker: Dark Sun

Genre: Experimental indie Rock / r&b / Alternative
Label: Spinefarm

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Decius: Decius Vol. 1

Genre: Techno / Acid…


Revisit other SputStaff Top 10 Lists:

| Bon Iver | Kanye West | Mastodon | mewithoutYou | My Chemical Romance |

| The National | Say Anything | Taylor Swift | Thrice |

Foreword:

Welcome to the final SputStaff Top 10 of 2022! For this installment, our staff decided to dive into Bjork’s extensive discography and select her ten best songs. We felt it was a good time to reflect given the recent release of Fossorra — so if you’re new to Bjork, this might be the perfect place to catch up! Below are five honorable mentions who narrowly missed the cut, followed by the official list itself. Don’t miss out on the Spotify playlist near the end of this article either, where you can jam our selections all in one easy-to-access place. So without further ado, please continue below and enjoy!


Honorable Mentions:

15. I’ve Seen It All

14. Possibly Maybe

13. Arisen My Senses

12. Aurora

11. Hidden Place


Sputnik Staff Top 10 Bjork Songs:

(10) “Crystalline”

from Biophilia (2011)

Everyone likes “Crystalline”! It’s the sole track outside of Bjork’s…


It’s with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Brandon Scott (aka TheSpirit), a longstanding member of the Sputnik community who lost his battle with addiction. Brandon was a member of Sputnik for over thirteen years, over which time he wrote frequently as a site Contributor and made an indelible mark on the site with his kindness, wit and unquellable positivity. He wrote prolifically across the internet for a variety of platforms, significantly InvisibleOranges, and was a talented musician involved in active creative projects. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family. If you are able to, please consider contributing to his funeral expenses here.

We have compiled a short list of testimonials below; please feel free to share any of your own in the comments (or contact us via sowingsputnik@gmail.com if you would like to be included in this piece):

***

Though we were never close, I remember Brandon from my earliest days on Sputnik, and of all the people I’ve come across online, he was easily one of the best-humoured, affable and, no matter the scenario, room-brightening. The longer I spent on Sputnik, the more amazed I became at the way he maintained a cheerful spirit, brought the best out of everyone around him, faced personal hardships with vast openness and optimism, respected mutual differences, never took himself overly seriously, and yet – perhaps above all – did what he loved with total dedication without losing his heart to it. I know


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 28th, 2022.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: October 21, 2022 –

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Abyssic: Brought Forth in Iniquity

Genre: Blackened Doom/Death
Label: Osmose Productions

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Ásgeir: Time On My Hands

Genre: Indie Folk / Synth Pop
Label: One Little Independent

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Benjamin Clementine: And I Have Been

Genre: Singer Songwriter / Soul
Label: Preserve Artists

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Brant Bjork: Bougainvillea Suite

Genre: Desert Rock / Psychedelic
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds

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Clamoris: Opus Limbonica

Genre: Death Metal / Melodic Black Metal
Label: Inverse

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The Damned: A Night of a Thousand Vampires [Live]

Genre: Punk
Label: earMusic

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Darkthrone: Astral Fortress

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Peaceville

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Dead Cross: II

Genre: Thrash / Groove Metal
Label: Ipecac Recordings

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Defleshed: Grind Over Matter

Genre: Death Metal / Thrash Metal
Label: Metal Blade

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Demon Hunter: Exile

Genre: Alt Metal
Label: Weapons MFG

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Devenial Verdict: Ash Blind

Genre: Dissodeath…


Free Photography of Cat at Full Moon Stock Photo

As part of a new tradition, Sputnik will be putting together seasonal playlists to celebrate some of our favorite holidays/times of year. The first installment in this series is for the spookiest/eeriest tunes of 2022, just in time for Halloween! It’s a pretty eclectic mix, featuring everything from hip-hop to doom metal, so hopefully there’ll be something for everyone (even though I know that the lone Muse track will be the one that everyone jams relentlessly). This playlist was compiled by both users and staff utilizing only songs from 2022, which admittedly limits the output but also ensures that while listening, you can feel like you’re on the cutting edge of creepy music — a hallow-hipster, if you will. So to all of our readership, enjoy this round of fresh tunes on us. Have a scary but safe Halloween!

Playlist Contributors:

mkmusic1995(for Ptolemaea, Ronin, Vlastimil)

AlexKzillion(for Centurion, Photograph, Pamela)

SlothcoreSam(for The First Dead Body I Ever Saw, Satanic Slumber Party Part 2, subtle-body-horror)

Sowing(for Nuages, Ghostland, Laguna Seca)

Hyperion1001(for Mangled as the Hideous Feed)

Sunnyvale(for You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween)

PitchforkArms(for Dead Friends)

dedex(for Welcome to Hell, Bites on My Neck, Nabokov)

izakaya(for Vanity)

cold(for Blue Chalk, Golgotha)

JohnnyoftheWell –…


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 21st, 2022.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: October 21, 2022 –

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a-ha: True North
Genre:
Pop
Label: Swinglong Ltd.

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Archers of Loaf: Reason In Decline
Genre:
Indie Rock
Label: Merge

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Architects: The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit
Genre:
Metalcore
Label: Epitaph

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Arctic Monkeys: The Car
Genre:
Indie Rock
Label: Domino Recording Company

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Avantasia: A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society
Genre:
Power Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast

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A Wake in Providence: Eternity
Genre:
Deathcore
Label: Unique Leader

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Black Math Horseman: Black Math Horseman [EP]
Genre:
Doom
Label: Profound Lore

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Black Royal: Earthbound
Genre:
Sludge / Death Metal
Label: M-Theory

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Brutus: Unison Life
Genre:
Post Hardcore
Label: Sargent House

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Cabal: Magno Interitus
Genre:
Death Metal / Deathcore
Label: Nuclear Blast

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Carly Rae Jepsen: The Loneliest Time
Genre:
Singer Songwriter / r&b / Pop
Label: Interscope

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Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn: Pigments
Genre:
EDM /…



Welcome back to the Digbox for a three-in-one collaborative special!

The Digbox has been undug for rather a long time, but we are back once more with a sexy square container and a voluptuous square NUMBER – give it up for it up for number nine, folks (it might be square, but boy I wish it were single…)

Nine is very much key here: nine collaborators, nine digs. Usually one intrepid digger will command full Digbox autonomy, but this time we have many paws scooping from many angles. To streamline this somewhat, we are going to tackle today’s excavation from three distinct angles: Food, Dogs and God.

Please leave a comment specifying:

a) which of these themes is your favourite and

a) which Digbox contributor is the most attractive.

Let’s go!

digbox

[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]

Foodbox

Wine Goblet and Lacquer Food Box with New Year's Meal - PICRYL Public Domain Search

Deepchord – “Alfama”

As I write this, I’m wiggling on my desk chair. Yes, moving and grooving, foot-tapping, and thinking about how even the most punny could possibly construct a food metaphor from “Alfama,” a driving, yet soothing dub techno tune by Rod Modell, aka DeepChord. Without lyrics to extract perceptible wordplay, the listener is left only with minimalist dance music structure and, of course, their own thoughts. “Would I dance to this?” “Would I eat food to this?” “How far is Alfama from the nearest KFC/Taco Bell?” Questions are…


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 14th, 2022.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors and let us know what else you’re looking forward to hearing this week.

Any mistakes in genre/label identification can be blamed on Jom’s illiteracy and/or bad Googling.

– List of Releases: October 14, 2022 –

The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Genre: Art Pop / Pop Rock
Label: Dirty Hit, Polydor

Alter Bridge – Pawns & Kings
Genre: Alternative Metal / Hard Rock
Label: Napalm

Bill Callahan – YTI⅃AƎЯ
Genre: Americana / Singer-Songwriter
Label: Drag City

Birds in Row – Gris Klein
Genre: Post-Hardcore / Screamo
Label: Red Creek

Boston Manor – Datura
Genre: Alternative Rock / Post-Hardcore
Label: SharpTone

Brian Eno – FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE
Genre: Ambient Pop
Label: UMC

Daeva – Through Sheer Will and Black Magic…
Genre: Black Metal / Thrash Metal
Label: 20 Buck Spin

Field Medic – Grow Your Hair Long If You’re Wanting to See Something That You Can Change
Genre: Indie Folk / Singer-Songwriter
Label: Run for Cover

Firtan – Marter
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal…


Revisit other SputStaff Top 10 Lists:

| Bon Iver | Kanye West | Mastodon | My Chemical Romance |

| The National | Say Anything | Taylor Swift | Thrice |

A to B: LifeCatch for Us the FoxesBrother SisterIt's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright!Ten StoriesPale HorsesPale Horses: AppendixUntitledUntitled Album

Foreword:

We’ve arrived at our ninth installment of this wonderful little series, which happens to land on a group that has recently (and amicably) disbanded. mewithoutYou developed a cult following early in their career with A to B: Life and Catch For Us The Foxes before 2006’s Brother, Sister turned them into key players in the indie-rock/post-hardcore scenes. As the band pushed into the latter years of their career, they delivered some of their strongest material with the apocalyptic Pale Horses and the emotionally unhinged [Untitled] LP. Throughout their existence, they always delivered music that meant something. Frontman Aaron Weiss wielded his pen masterfully for two decades, in the process curating a world that often felt like it blurred the line between the playfully imaginary and sobering reality. In a way celebrating the life of this poetic and emotive vessel, the staff here at Sputnikmusic have created a list of the ten best mewithoutYou songs. We hope you enjoy.


Honorable Mentions:

15. Messes of Men

14. Magic Lantern Days

13. The Fox, the Crow, and


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 7th, 2022.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: October 7, 2022 –

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A.A. Williams: As The Moon Rests

Genre: Singer Songwriter / Doom / Post Rock
Label: Bella Union

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Aenaon: Mnemosyne

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Agonia

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Alvvays: Blue Rev

Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Polyvinyl

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Armed For Apocalypse: Ritual Violence

Genre: Sludge
Label: Candlelight

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Avantdale Bowling Club: Trees

Genre: Hip Hop
Label: Years Gone By

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The Bobby Lees: Bellevue

Genre: Punk / Garage Rock
Label: Ipecac

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Bonny Light Horseman: Rolling Golden Holy

Genre: Americana
Label: 37d03d

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Borealis: Illusions

Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: AFM

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Broken Bells: Into the Blue

Genre: Indie Rock
Label: Awal

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Bush: The Art Of Survival

Genre: Alt Rock
Label: BMG

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Charlotte Wessels: Tales From Six Feet Under Vol II

Genre: Goth Rock / Symphonic Metal
Label: Napalm

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Cloud Rat:


2020 | 2021

2022 :: Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4

Sputnikmusic Staff’s Q3 Playlist 2022

Welcome to our third installment for our 2022 quarterly playlist! Feel free to jam the playlist below while reading what our writers had to say about each selection. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, as well as any new artists you may have discovered here — or, alternatively, tell us what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening.


Tracklist:

The 1975 – “I’m in Love with You”
Being Funny in a Foreign Language

I’m historically mixed on the results whenever The 1975 go straight at their default, somewhat-played ’80s pop throwback sound. For every instant classic like “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” there are a handful of overbaked, cloying cuts which end up with titles like “She’s American” and “She Way Out”. Thankfully, the genuinely adorable “I’m In Love With You” leans towards the quality of the former; an irresistible groove underpins a hook that I’d describe as repetitive if it wasn’t so lovable. “I’m In Love With You” is so cutesy you may feel your strings being yanked, especially watching the too-twee video with Matty Healy doing silent slapstick and a Phoebe Bridgers cameo — but if I’m gonna have good vibes force-fed to me, it may as well be via a…


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 30th, 2022.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: September 30, 2022 –

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Acausal Intrusion: Seeping Evocation

Genre: Black Metal / Death Metal
Label: I, Voidhanger

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Acephalix: Theothantology

Genre: Black Metal / Doom / Death Metal
Label: 20 Buck Spin

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Alice Cooper: Live From The Astroturf

Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Good Records

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Autopsy: Morbidity Triumphant

Genre: Death Metal
Label: Peaceville

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The Bad Plus: The Bad Plus

Genre: Jazz
Label: Edition Records

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The Big Pink: The Love That’s Ours

Genre: Indie PopShoegaze
Label: Project Melody

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Björk: Fossora

Genre: Electronic / Experimental
Label: One Little Indian

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City of Caterpillar: Mystic Sisters

Genre: Post Hardcore
Label: Relapse

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Clark: 05​-​10

Genre: Electronic
Label: Warp

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Darkest Era: Wither On The Vine

Genre: Progressive Metal / Doom
Label: Candlelight

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The Dead Daisies: Radiance

Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Ward

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Yesterday, I went back and read both staff reviews for The National’s I Am Easy To Find (one by klap and one by Rowan). Impressively, they’re both among the classic pieces on Sputnikmusic.com in my book (even if that lovable mess of an album in no way deserves any rating over a 4.0), combining this site’s trademark tolerance of loving fanboyism with genuine insight, not to mention being a bunch of beautiful words strung together in beautiful ways. In this case, both writeups isolate and explore The National’s tendency to ponder the idea of distance (whether physical or emotional): in klap’s words the album is “another release about distances and quiet tragedies”, in Rowan’s estimation the band’s always has been obsessed with “distance, the lack of it, and the ways people are transformed by those extremes”. In short, I think these claims are essentially right, and all the more impressive because I’d never thought to put the band’s music in that context, even having jammed the band’s songs thousands of times by the 2019 release of I Am Easy To Find.

There was a reason I went down this particular rabbit hole, and (spoiler alert), it wasn’t because of an overwhelming nostalgia for the Sputnik of three years ago. Fast forward a few hours, and my wife and I were at the new Boston concert venue Roadrunner for The National’s concert, standing on the mezzanine, amidst the punks and cannonballers. I’ve been pretty much enthralled by the band for a…


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 23rd, 2022.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: September 23, 2022 –

5 Seconds of Summer – 5sos5
Genre: Pop
Label: BMG

Alex G – God Save the Animals
Genre: Indie Folk
Label: Domino

Beth Orton – Weather Alive
Genre: Folktronica / Ambient
Label: Partisan

Big Scary – Me and You
Genre: Alternative / Art Pop
Label: Pieater

The Comet is Coming – Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
Genre: Nu Jazz / Jazz Fusion
Label: Impulse!

Courting – Guitar Music
Genre: Art Punk
Label: PIAS

death’s dynamic shroud – Darklife
Genre: Vaporwave
Label: 100% Electronica

Editors – EBM
Genre: Post-Punk
Label: Play It Again Sam

Future Teens – Self Help
Genre: Indie Rock / Emo
Label: Triple Crown

Gaerea – Mirage
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Season of Mist

Jake Blount – The New Faith
Genre: Bluegrass
Label: Smithsonian Folkways

KEN mode – Null
Genre: Noise Rock
Label: Artoffact

Evidence-Of-Immortality-Conan

Conan – Evidence of Immortality


 

With the release of their fifth full-length instalment, one thing about Conan is abundantly clear: It exists as a powerhouse of doom metal that embodies a distinct stubbornness. A stubbornness almost equalling the unstoppable forces of geology which created our very existence. Evidence of Immortality exhibits the staunch refusal of Conan to let the quality of their music slip below the commendable standard fans have come to expect. Containing monumental, crushing doom riffs, faster, more bellicose sludge passages and a desperate sense of mounting tension, this album can be considered somewhat a summary of the material comprising the preceding four albums all neatly packaged into an incredibly satisfying 50 minutes of apocalyptic doom metal bliss. Get comfortable and whack that volume up!

Immediately, the humongous opener “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots” fast-forwards a simulation of the formation of Pangaea (a supercontinent which began to break up again roughly 200 million years ago at the start of the Jurassic period to form the arrangement of continents we know today). The robust sound dominating the album is impressive for a three-piece and atmospherically speaking, the sense of foreboding projected is nothing short of remarkable. The listener is transported to a medieval and geological war zone where all hope for survival rapidly evaporates. It’s just a question of whether you will succumb to a horrific wound from Jon Davis’ battle axe or if you’ll be swallowed whole by the…


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