Explosions In The Sky isn’t exactly a band that strikes joy into the heart of every post-rock aficionado anymore, and it has nothing to do with the band’s talent level. After all, nobody questions that these guys can play, and some of the crescendos that they’ve crafted over the years will stand tall as historical examples of the heights to which the genre can aspire. The problem, recently anyway, has been a perceived lack of imagination. It seemed that following The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, each successive release was merely a retread of that incredible experience – only with diminished satisfaction for every additional time we heard sparkling guitars, clashing cymbals, and earth-shattering drums. It was quite simply time for a change, and even though basically any change would have sufficed, The Wilderness presents us with a road that is both less traveled and far more scenic than the one we’ve watched them retread for approximately ten years. In an album full of brooding ambience and eclectic stylistic ambition, ‘Landing Cliffs’ feels like the perfect ending to a record that, at this point in Explosions’ career, has the potential to be groundbreaking. The song feels like a breath of new life, shimmering with gorgeous piano notes while pirouetting in a light, spacey atmosphere that is immersive but not oppressive. The beauty of the actual wilderness will come to mind immediately:…
Woods’ brand of indie folk always seems to find a comfortable sweet spot between eerie and inviting. With a haunting vocal performance from Jeremy Earl and seductive brass, ‘Sun City Creeps’ is every bit as enticing as it needs to be to kick off the band’s latest LP properly, yet it doesn’t bite off more than it can chew. Despite Woods’ unique style, it’s their knack for subtlety that makes their music so rewarding, and ‘Sun City Creeps’ is no exception. The song’s a perfect portrayal of the band’s creative spark, with funky guitar sections and triumphant mariachi horns that wouldn’t feel out of place one bit in the Red Dead Redemption video game.
Few bands are able to incorporate such a wide array of influences without sacrificing their identity, but Woods are one of them. Whether it’s the alluring vocals of Earl who sounds uncannily similar to Justin Vernon at times or the seemingly effortless folk instrumentation, there’s a lot to love about Woods. ‘Sun City Creeps’ is just another excellent addition to their discography, and likely only a hint of the brilliance buried within their upcoming LP, City Sun Eater in the River of Light.
City Sun Eater in the River of Light will be released on April 8th through the singer’s very own label, Woodsist Records.
It’s almost criminal that Steven Page’s post-Barenaked Ladies material hasn’t attracted more attention. Starting with Page One in 2010 and now continuing with Heal Thyself Pt. 1: Instinct (released March 11, 2016), Page’s solo career has yielded some of the most well-crafted and catchiest tunes of his career, including his tenure as a Barenaked Lady.
“No Song Left To Save Me” flirts a little more with Page’s serious side than other tracks on Heal Thyself, such as “Manchild” and “Linda Ronstadt in the 70s,” but this is also part of the appeal of Page’s solo career – a little more balance between serious songwriting and tongue-in-cheek tracks reminiscent of BNL mainstays. “No Song Left To Save Me” bounces on a feel-good Motown-inspired sound and showcases the real power of Page’s voice as it steers a vehicle full of soulful brass and on-point rhythm. It’s not hard to imagine a well-dressed Page filling an auditorium and trading smirks with a big band leader between his titular pleas to the crowd, living out the full Motown vibe, heart and soul. In combination with the power and authenticity Page projects on the track, it’s hard not to fall for “No Song Left To Save Me,” whether you’re a fan of Page’s solo stuff, a BNL fan, or a first time listener.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of Apil 1, 2016. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
#N/A – Nisennenmondai (Beat Records)
Alexander Durefelt – In the Grace of the Woods (Daughters and Son Records)
Andrew Bird – Are You Serious (Wegawarm Music Co)
Autolux – PUSSY’S DEAD (Columbia Records)
Babymetal – Metal Resistance (Amuse Inc)
The Bendal Interlude – Reign of the Unblinking Eye (Black Bow Records)
Black Stone Cherry – Kentucky (Mascot Music Productions)
Coves – Peel (1965 Records Ltd)
Doro – Love’s Gone To Hell (Nuclear Blast)
Ensiferum – Two Decades of Greatest Sword Hits (Universal Music Oy)
Entheos – The Infinite Nothing (Artery Recordings)
Explosions In The Sky – The Wilderness (Temporary Residence Ltd)
Faintest Idea – Increasing The Minimum Rage (Faintest Idea)
Goetic Equivalent – Goetic Equivalent (Ordo MCM)
Hammock – Everything and Nothing (Hammock Music)
Haxen – Haxen (Eternal Death)
Hein Cooper – The Art of Escape (Indica Records)
Hot Coffin – Hot Coffin (Triple Eye Industries)
Ill Omen – Æ.Thy.Rift (Abyssic Commune)
It Lives, It Breathes – Silver Knights (Stay Sick Recordings)
Japanese Breakfast – Psychopomp (Yellow K Records)
Lake Of Violet – The Startling Testimony of Plumb Lines (Gilead Media)
Lukas Graham – Lukas Graham (Warner Bros. Records Inc)
The Last Shadow Puppets – Everything You’ve Come To Expect (Domino Recording Co Ltd)
Lower Automation – Maps (Independent)
Mogwai – Atomic (Temporary Residence Ltd)
Moonsorrow – Jumalten Aika (Century Media…
Social Distortion’s self-titled release was a potent concoction of punk, blues, and rock-n-roll that allowed the band to reach new levels of success in the early ’90s. Growing up through that decade, I can’t even count the amount of times I saw Social D patches clung to the backpacks of kids as they passed me in the school hallways. Who could blame them, though? The band’s logo of a skeleton sporting an alcoholic beverage in one hand, and a lit cigarette in the other was (and still is) a slick and fitting portrayal of the band’s rebellious attitude.
Aside from their popular image, however, their music was adored for good reason. There are a handful of tracks on their 1990 breakthrough album that stand the test of time, but it’s the final track ‘Drug Train’ that seems to be a rather underappreciated gem in their discography. Complete with peppy harmonicas, blues-inspired guitar riffs, and a punk backbone, the song rolls along with a steady and powerful momentum. It might not be the fast-paced assault many punk songs are known for, but it carries an awful lot of substance and weight along the way to its destination. Beneath the playful nature of the song, vocalist Mike Ness lends his nasally, apathetic vocal approach to paint a vivid picture of the rollercoaster ride that is drugs. The unique combination of his thought-provoking lyrics paired…
Considering whatever thought processes might go into choosing a single, “End” is an interesting pick for Philly post-punk act Psychic Teens. The closer appropriately feels conclusive and reflective, as though we’re given the epilogue in advance. Sonically, Psychic Teens blend both jagged and anthemic riffs under a blanket of shoegaze, with vocalist Larry Ragone delivering relatable-yet-kinda-vague lyrics, acting as support for the instrumentation. The band’s MO has always been pretty modest, opting for energy and functionality in their atmosphere rather than elaborate, insistent story-telling; fortunately, if “End” is any indication, their upcoming LP will evoke a rewarding story arch, raw fun, and any combination thereof.
Nerve is available for pre-order from SRA Records, and releases on May 13.
Ohioan drone metal band Drose create helpless, introspective music that balances muggy atmospheres with strategic pauses in energy. Vocalist Dustin Rose delivers and unconventional double presence, being almost effeminately serene one moment, and resembling a tortured Patrick-Kindlon-meets-Abe-Simpson demigod the next. “The Man” insists “I’m here! To destroy you!” in a way similar to most beaten, defensive wretches: initially a bit laughable, but with a disturbing level of going-off-the-handle persistence. The industrial sampling complements the music, stressing the divide between humane and apathetic – a tipping point into sociopathy.
O’Brother’s latest post-hardcore conquest Endless Light is a sweeping triumph. It’s a prolific enough record that at some point in 2016, you’ll probably have no choice but to hear about it. Reminiscent of both Thrice and Manchester Orchestra, the album bestows a level of grit and atmosphere that is rarely combined so successfully. The guitars are fiery and scorch the air, the drums and vocals have a presence that fills the room, and the songwriting is so tight that each song feels like a continuation of the one that preceded it. Amidst an album that is practically devoid of flaws, “Complicated End Times” stands out as the clear pinnacle. Everything about it is ominous, from the terrorizing reverberated guitars during the opening sequence to the breathy and mysterious ooh‘s that effortlessly bring the swirling walls of flame to a cool, soothing close. Like the album, the way the song progresses within itself is a thing of beauty…and it’s something you can only begin to appreciate by immersing yourself in every aspect of O’Brother’s sprawling, free-flowing rock aura.
Welcome back! Below is our compilation of staff picks from March 21-25 of 2016. Thanks to Jacquibim, whose tastes exceed the outer limits of Spotify, I was forced to break convention and use Youtube (look at this guy…a few weeks on staff and he’s already sticking it to the man). Anyway, the layout looks nicer but the playback is less convenient. See what you missed last week by checking out our third installment of this feature, and as always, enjoy our diverse and (hopefully) enjoyable selections!
1) Fracture: “Makin’ Hype Tracks” [Monday, submitted by BroStep]
One of the most genuinely fun tunes released this year on Exit (though their other release this year, a Zed Bias EP, is also phenomenal), “Makin’ Hype Tracks” is exactly why Fracture’s become one of the most popular names in drum & bass over the past few years, and it’s great to see his decade-plus of hard work become recognized. —BroStep
2) The Strumbellas: “Spirits” [Tuesday, submitted by Sowing]
Remember in 2006 when My Chemical Romance launched the single/video “Welcome To The Black Parade”, and it was so wildly over-the-top that, on some levels anyway, it actually worked? Or way back to 1967 when The Beatles had done pretty much the same thing withSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band except it actually did work? Well subtlety be damned, here’s your folk installment. —…
As anticipation continues to build for The Hotelier’s follow up to 2014’s wildly successful Home, Like NoPlace Is There, many are left scratching their heads with the release of their latest single ‘Piano Player.’ Admittedly, the song isn’t the cathartic release many fans were hoping for, but maybe it doesn’t have to be. After all, their last album was focused on loss, whereas Goodness has been revealed as an album about love. Once this vast difference in themes is considered, the subtle and content sound of ‘Piano Player’ starts to make more sense. It’s a more restrained track for The Hotelier, but the extra room they’re given to breath results in one hell of an ear-worm upon repeated listens. The song reveals itself to you slowly – starting with a lulling vocal performance by Christian Holden before kicking into gear with his trademark nasally pipes, and eventually ending with a gratifying payoff. Despite the subdued nature of the song, everything feels synced together in a fuzzy sort of way, from the steady pace of the guitars and drums to the repetitious, yet mesmerizing chorus. It’s not a track that will hit you in the gut from the get-go, but spend some time with it and soon you’ll revel in its reflective lyrics and pleasant familiarity.
Only time will tell how ‘Piano Player’ connects to the complete package of Goodness, but if the track…
Flotsam and Jetsam have faster more epic albums (Doomsday for the Deceiver), thrashier albums (No Place For Disgrace), more adventurous albums (The Cold), and even more commercial albums (Drift). None of them hold a candle to Cuatro. When Cuatro was released in 1992, it seemed like Flotsam and Jetsam were finally going to hit the big leagues. Cuatro featured the band’s best sound, best songwriting and was (and still is) their most consistent release. It was also the album that finally attracted Mtv and radio attention. That attention started on the radio with the song ‘Never to Reveal’. ‘Never to Reveal’ was an excellent blend of the band’s new streamlined sound combined with a bit of the energy and heaviness of their past, and it received frequent plays on metal radio. A subsequent video for ‘Wading Through the Darkness’ put the band front-and-center on Mtv, and things seemed to finally be going well for the band.
Things have never really gone well for Flotsam and Jetsam, though. For every step forward, there’s at least the same amount of steps back (if not more). Everyone knows what happened in the early nineties, and Flotsam’s attempt to capitalize on their newfound attention with Drift ended with them splitting from their label and landing back at Metal Blade where they made a series of decent albums before finally releasing The Cold — which stands as one of their best releases. Which led…
For three long years, Zealotry has teased us. It was said the arrival of a frostbitten behemoth was imminent and that The Charnel Expanse was merely a portal for something far more malevolent, but somewhere along the way, a shadow of doubt was cast. Like unfulfilled prophesies, deadlines began to pass with barely a word to sate our hesitations. But we were wrong to doubt, so very wrong. The Last Witness has finally beckoned, set to leave nothing in its wake undefiled. If “Yliaster” is to be seen as a statement, it means we’re to be treated to a beast that, while cut from the same cloth as its ancestor, operates on a different wavelength. The Charnel Expanse was like a realm-traversing phantom that revelled in bending reality for its own amusement, but The Last Witness appears be less impish and more deliberate in going about its callous deeds. “Yliaster” is very serpentine in terms of composition, slithering between dimensional walls as guttural murmurings effervesce and guitar licks writhe and twist like tentacles. It’s a concoction that is slightly more contemplative than what we’ve come to expect, but make no mistake, it’s just as evil.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 25, 2016. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
American Head Charge – Tango Umbrella (Napalm Records)
Amon Amarth – Jomsviking (Mwtal Blade Records)
Asking Alexandria – The Black (Sumerian Records)
Beastmaker – Lusus Naturae (Rise Above Records)
Birdy – Beautiful Lies (Jasmine Van Den Bogaerde)
Bloodsweat – Plague Vendor (Epitaph)
Caliban – Gravity (Century Media Records Ltd)
Cameron AG – Way Back Home (Independent)
Cobalt – Slow Forever (Profound Lore)
Demonstealer – This Burden is Mine (Demonstealer Records)
The Joy Formidable – Hitch (C’mon Let’s Drift)
Hammerfight – Profound and Profane. (Napalm Records)
Irkallian Oracle – Apollyon (Nuclear War Now Productions)
Lelkem – All Four Seasons in One Day (Panta R&E)
Like Rats – II (Southern Lord Records)
Lontalius – I’ll Forget 17 (Partisan Records)
Marathonmann – Mein Leben gehort Dir (Century Media Records Ltd)
Metalchurch – XI (Rat Pak Records)
Museyroom – Pearly Whites (Grind Select)
Necronomicon – Advent of The Human God (Season of Mist)
Night Moves – Pennied Days (Domino Recording Co Ltd)
NilExistence – Existence in Revelation (Independent)
O’Brother – Endless Light (Triple Crown Records)
Phazm – Scornful of Icons (Osmose Productions)
Plague Vendor – BLOODSWEAT (Epitaph)
Radical Face – The Family Tree: The Leaves (Radical Face)
Ragnarok –…
Remember in 2006 when My Chemical Romance launched the single/video “Welcome To The Black Parade”, and it was so wildly over-the-top that, on some levels anyway, it actually worked? Or way back to 1967 when The Beatles had done pretty much the same thing with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band except it actually did work? Well subtlety be damned, here’s your folk installment. “Spirits”, The Strumbellas’ lead single to Hope, seems to have it all: a huge chorus with a melody that sticks, harmonized crowd chants, clashing cymbals, a tender bridge heavy on the piano, and even some subtle brass. Maybe we didn’t ask the band to parade through the streets while performing, but that’s where the element of grandiosity – for as often as it feels out of place in music – almost seems fitting here. As The Strumbellas sing out proudly “But something inside has changed, and maybe we don’t wanna stay the same” and “I don’t want a never-ending life, I just want to be alive while I’m here”, there’s this sense that they’re speaking to a larger purpose worthy of such demonstrative celebration. Subtlety may be lacking all around, but I can promise you that even if you only listen once, it won’t the the last time it plays through your head.
I’m a little late on the draw with Fracture’s excellent Hype Tracks EP (out in February on Exit Records), but I’ve been absolutely obsessed with Charlie Fieber’s brand of hip-hop-inflected jungle since I discovered it a few years back. Hype Tracks continues down that road – some straight drum & bass (“Black Pearl”), some footwork (“Acid Claps”) – but by far the best tune on the four-tracker is the opener, “Makin’ Hype Tracks.” It’s a glorious bit of dubby jungle, organ and spectral horns adding pounds of swagger to a stomping half-time intro before an infusion of chunky bass and raw breaks take center stage. The song teeters between a swung hip-hop feel and a more staid jungle backbone, organ and vocal snippets colliding with half-time snares and cleanly on-beat cymbal splashes, and the effect is not unlike the adjective in the song’s title. One of the most genuinely fun tunes released this year on Exit (though their other release this year, a Zed Bias EP, is also phenomenal), “Makin’ Hype Tracks” is exactly why Fracture’s become one of the most popular names in drum & bass over the past few years, and it’s great to see his decade-plus of hard work become recognized.
