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Image result for White Ring – Gate of Grief

1) White Ring – Gate of Grief

Genre: Indie/Electronic/Experimental

Release Date: 7/20/2018

Hype Rating: 10

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Now this is just creepy.  There’s such an unsettling vibe to this whole thing, from the band name to the artwork to the massive industrial groove beat that throws me all the way back to The Downward Spiral.  Oh, and those shrill, shouted vocals, followed by by the low, distorted Frank the Rabbit (Donnie Darko) spoken passage.  Yikes.  This thing just feels monumental.  I get the feeling from the tracklist that there could be some serious political vibes on this thing as well.  The band itself has 25k Facebook likes, so this is very much a fringe “under the radar band” (sure, they don’t have hundreds of thousands of followers)…but they have only released one album (as far as my knowledge and a cursory google search can tell) and it was all the way back in 2010.  Apparently, Gate of Grief has been 7 years in the making.  I have a feeling it will be well worth the wait, and one of those albums that catches everyone off guard when it comes out of nowhere.  Consider me as hyped as I’ve been for anything so far in 2018.

Listen to “Leprosy”:

 


2) Pram – Across The Meridian

Genre: Dream-Pop/Psychedelic

Release Date: 7/20/2018

Hype Rating: 8 

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Another choice on the fringe of this blog’s purpose, Pram has been around (7 LPs!) and has some name recognition, but not so much on this site.   In 25 years of existence as a band and 7 full length LPs, they’ve accumulated 59 total ratings on the site (not counting EPs).  After hearing about this album and listening to the brilliant “Shimmer and Disappear”, I decided that was enough to warrant including the band here.  Based on the single, Across The Meridian will be a jazzy, classically-influenced affair with plenty of indie/psychedelic appeal.  If anyone wants to join me in getting to know this band, listen to the song below.  It’s a dreamy, free-form blend of dream-pop and jazz, and if the album follows suit even slightly, then we’re in for a treat.

Listen to “Shimmer and Disappear”:


Image result for Liam Singer – Finish Him

3) Liam Singer – Finish Him

Genre:  Indie Rock/Pop

Release Date: 7/13/2018

Hype Rating: 6.5 

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Never heard of this guy until today, and chances are neither have you.  He has just over 1k social media followers, and is not present in the site database yet.  I’m getting Bowie vibes from the vocals, although he can sound a little more Disney-esque than I’d like at times — but still, he’s got the voice for this.  It feels like atmospheric pop more than indie-rock or anything, from what I can gather, but there’s promise here.  I like the keyboards and usage of overlaying vocals; seems like a project that has its sound figured out.  At this point, I’m more intrigued than hyped but I just figured I’d share the name so that you can decide for yourself if it’s anywhere near your wheelhouse.  “Test” out the lead single below:

Listen to “Test Tone”:





Sowing
07.06.18
You all knew this was coming. So far I've kept up with my hype, reviewing all 9 albums across the first 3 posts. Hopefully that trend will continue because I'm particularly interested in seeing how this batch pans out.

Sowing
07.07.18
Bump (in the spirit of hype)

Papa Universe
07.07.18
2 is mildly intriguing, but that's about it.

Dewinged
07.07.18
Happy to see you still doing these Sow. First 2 sound really good, will check them singles later today.

JustJoe.
07.07.18
I defy your hype, though 1 has me semi-intrigued.

Frippertronics
07.07.18
oh baby Sowing, you don't know how badly that new Pram is gonna suck

Sowing
07.07.18
oh no fripp :-(

Sowing
07.07.18
Still super pumped for #1 either way. Will have to make my own judgment on Pram but I'm assuming you have valid reasons to doubt them.

Divaman
07.07.18
1 reminds me of Crystal Castles.

Frippertronics
07.07.18
My main issue with this Pram reunion is the fact their singer (Rosie Cuckston) is no longer in the band and from what they've put out beforehand for this record, and especially for their first in a decade, it's not really that promising ig.

Sowing
07.07.18
Yeah Diva, they're definitely similar to Crystal Castles...I much prefer the sound of the White Ring songs I've heard so far though. A lot heavier and darker.

Fripp, that's disappointing, I had no idea about any lineup changes (I don't follow the band). Not having the frame of reference may help me enjoy it more, but it sucks to know that they've been way better and that this has little chance of living up.

Sowing
07.09.18
I'm significantly less excited for 2 and 3 now than I was when I made my post :-(

Conmaniac
07.09.18
sowing have you heard Pram's Dark Island though? Fripp, Space, and I covered it a bit ago and it's a special treat. check it out !

neekafat
07.10.18
“Shimmer and Disappear” is fucking crazy holy hell

Frippertronics
07.10.18
But, definitely check Dark Island out. Or better yet, start with the new one and go backwards.

Brandon33
07.10.18
Russia world cup live stream - FIFA World Cup 2018
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Sowing
07.14.18
yooooo 3 exceeded expectations hard
what a beautiful opus of an album

Sowing
07.20.18
either I misread it from the start or 1 got pushed back a week
pram on the chopping block this week

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