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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of June 12, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: June 12, 2020 –

Madness and Magic

Arabs In Aspic: Madness and Magic
Genre: Hard Rock/Psychedelic/Progressive
Label: Karisma

Hell Will Come for Us All [Explicit]

Aversions Crown: Hell Will Come For Us All
Genre: Death Metal/Metalcore
Label: Nuclear Blast

Sleep On The Wing

Bibio: Sleep on the Wing
Genre: Electronic/IDM
Label: Warp

Hapeleptic Overtrove

Behold The Arctopus: Hapeleptic Overtrove
Genre: Progressive/Death Metal
Label: Willowip Inc.

Solid

Boney James: Solid
Genre: Jazz/Pop/R&B
Label: Concord

Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston

Built To Spill: Built To Spill Plays The Songs Of Daniel Johnston
Genre: Indie-Rock/Lo-Fi/Indie-Pop
Label: Ernest Jenning Record Co.

Liquid Portraits

Clap! Clap!: Liquid Portraits
Genre: Electronic/Experimental/House
Label: Black Acre Records

Disheveled Cuss [Explicit]

Disheveled Cuss: Disheveled Cuss
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Sargent House

Mia Gargaret

Gia Margaret: Mia Gargaret
Genre: Indie-Folk/Pop
Label: Orindal Records

Out In The World [Explicit]

GUM: Out In The World
Genre: Psychedelic
Label: Spinning Top

Love, Death & Dancing

Jack Garratt: Love, Death & Dancing
Genre: Alternative Rock/Electronic
Label: Universal-Island Records Ltd.

TO LOVE IS TO LIVE

Jehnny Beth: To Love Is to Live
Genre: Indie Rock/Post Punk
Label: 20L07 Music

Self Made Man

Larkin Poe: Self Made man
Genre: Blues/Rock
Label: Tricki-Woo Records

Pick Me Up Off The Floor

Norah Jones: Pick Me Up Off The Floor
Genre: Jazz/Pop
Label: Blue Note

Arrow

Noveller: Arrow
Genre: Drone/Ambient/Post-Rock
Label: Ba Da Bing!

Ugly Is Beautiful [Explicit]

Oliver Tree: UGLY IS BEAUTIFUL
Genre: Hip-Hop/Pop
Label: Atlantic Records

Waking Hours

Photay: Waking Hours
Genre: Indie-Pop/Downtempo
Label: Mexican Summer

Nomad

TENGGER: Nomad
Genre: Ambient/Electronic
Label: Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of June 5, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: June 5, 2020 –

Shrines [Explicit]

Armand Hammer: Shrines
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: Backwoodz Studioz

Tearless

Amnesia Scanner: Tearless
Genre: Grime/Electronic
Label: PAN

Head Above The Water

Brigid Mae Power: Head Above The Water
Genre: Folk
Label: Fire

technicolor

Covet: technicolor
Genre: Math/Progressive Rock
Label: Triple Crown

Blues With Friends

Dion: Blues With Friends
Genre: Blues/Pop-Rock
Label: KTBA

Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face [Explicit]

END (NJ): Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face
Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore/Death Metal
Label: Closed Casket Activities

GoGo Penguin

GoGo Penguin: GoGo Penguin
Genre: Jazz
Label: Universal Music Division Decca Records France

The Prettiest Curse

Hinds: The Prettiest Curse
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock/Lo-Fi
Label: Mom+Pop

Confessional

Janet Devlin: Confessional
Genre: Pop
Label: OK!Good Records

GENE

LA Priest: GENE
Genre: Funk/Ambient/Techno
Label: Domino

Tower of Age

Lithics: Tower of Age
Genre: Punk/Post-Punk
Label: Trouble In Mind

Annual

Modern Nature: Annual
Genre: Indie Rock
Label: Bella Union

Rearrange Us

Mt. Joy: Rearrange Us
Genre: Indie-Folk/Rock
Label: Dualtone Music

Mind Over Matter

The Republic Tigers: Mind Over Matter
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: The Record Machine

Sideways To New Italy

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Sideways To New Italy
Genre: Indie-Rock/Post Punk
Label: Sub Pop

Kistvaen

Roly Porter: Kistvaen
Genre: Industrial/Ambient/Drone
Label: Subtext Recordings

RTJ4 [Explicit]

Run The Jewels: RTJ4
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: BMG Rights Management

World On The Ground

Sarah Jarosz: World On The Ground
Genre: Americana/Folk/Bluegrass
Label: Rounder

Patience [Explicit]

Sondre Lerche: Patience
Genre: Indie-Pop/Jazz
Label: PLZ

All Things Being Equal

Sonic Boom: All Things Being Equal
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Carpark Records


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One of my favorite phenomena in music is when a band renowned for pristine, flawless production has lesser-known/stripped-down roots. It’s actually a very common occurrence, as typically bands enrich their sound over time when better resources/more expensive equipment becomes available. Nevertheless, I felt that it would make for an interesting set of case studies, observing where a band began, what they ended up sounding like, and whether that journey made them better or worse (in this blog, “before” indicates they were better before polishing their brand, “after” implies the opposite). There are several examples that could be used, but today I’m going to go with a handful of artists that have been making frequent rounds on my  rotation of music. We begin with one of my all-time favorite bands, The Antlers:

Case Study #1: The Antlers

In contrasting ‘Palace’ from The Antlers’ 2014 LP Familiars to ‘In the Attic’ off their 2007 sophomore record In The Attic of the Universe, you can hear the development of the band’s sound quite clearly. On ‘Palace’, frontman Peter Silberman reins supreme, his vocals the central focus of everything as the surrounding instrumentation is highly orchestral and elegant. It works wonderfully, resulting in a crystalline, glass-like glaze that covers the album. If you’re anything like me, you got into The Antlers later in their career – probably circa Hospice – so it was quite the aesthetic shock when I trekked backwards to In The Attic of the Universe,…

Grayscale Photography of Music Instrument

It’s not always about being on the cutting edge. Sometimes, as hard as it can be to slow yourself down, it’s just about living in the moment and taking it all in.

An interesting thing happened to my perception of music over time. If you were to go back to my heyday on this website – let’s say 2010-2012 just for argument’s sake – everything changed my life. That heartfelt guitar solo. The lyric about overcoming depression. The slow burner that paralleled my own rage boiling beneath the surface. Everything was so relatable. Every moment within the music mattered.

Now, I can barely feel it.

The music plays, and I can discern (certainly to a debatable extent among some of you) the quality albums from the poor ones. Occasionally I’ll get wrapped up in a moment, but then that moment passes and I move on to the next one. Gone are the days where an album would imprint itself upon my life; there’s no Southern Air that defines my marriage the way that pop-punk slice of summer originally did for my most meaningful relationship. There is no The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me that makes me question my faith in 2020. I’ve tried in vain to find an album to emotionally attach to the birth of my son, but I keep coming up empty-handed. Maybe I’m burned out, or maybe I’m just getting way too old for this…

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 29, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: May 29, 2020 –

Curse of the Crystal Coconut [Explicit]

Alestorm: Curse of the Crystal Coconut
Genre: Power Metal/Folk/Thrash Metal
Label: Napalm

Pop Music / False B-Sides II

Baths: Pop Music / False B-Sides II
Genre: Electronic/Downtempo/IDM
Label: Basement’s Basement

A Forest [Explicit]

Behemoth: A Forest
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: Metal Blade

Fracture [Explicit]

Bleed From Within: Fracture
Genre: Metalcore/Melodic Death Metal
Label: Century Media

Death in Pieces [Explicit]

Centinex: Death in Pieces
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Agonia

Honey Moon Drips

The Chain Gang of 1974: Honey Moon Drips
Genre: Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Fever Ltd.

Future Teenage Cave Artists

Deerhoof: Future Teenage Cave Artists
Genre: Psychedelic/Indie Rock/Noise Rock
Label: Joyful Noise

Black Balloons Reprise (Instrumental)

Flying Lotus: Flamagra (Instrumentals)
Genre: Electronic/Hip-Hop/IDM
Label: Warp

Fields Of Blood

Grave Digger: Fields of Blood
Genre: Power/Heavy Metal
Label: Napalm

Continuous Portrait

Inventions: Continuous Portrait
Genre: Post-Rock/Drone/Electronic
Label: Temporary Residence Ltd.

Harmony Avenue

Jade Hairpins: Harmony Avenue
Genre: Electronic
Label: Merge

Wild World

Kip Moore: Wild World
Genre: Country
Label: MCA Nashville

Chromatica

Lady Gaga: Chromatica
Genre: Pop/Electronic
Label:…

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 22, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: May 22, 2020 –

Notes On A Conditional Form [Explicit]

The 1975: Notes On A Conditional Form
Genre: Indie-Rock/Electronic
Label: Polydor Records

Hollywood Park [2 LP]

The Airborne Toxic Event: Hollywood Park
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Rounder

Banana Skin Shoes

Badly Drawn Boy: Banana Skin Shoes
Genre: Indie-Rock/Folk
Label: One Last Fruit

Rise Radiant (Bonus Tracks Version)

Caligula’s Horse: Rise Radiant
Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock
Label: InsideOutMusic

SPECIES [Explicit]

Crossfaith: Species
Genre: Metalcore/Electronic/Nu-Metal
Label: UNFD

Osyrhianta

Fairyland: Osyrhianta
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Massacre Records

Look Long

Indigo Girls: Look Long
Genre: Folk/Rock
Label: Rounder

Introduction, Presence | Nation of Language

Nation of Language: Introduction, Presence
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: N/A

Seminar VIII: Light Of Meaning

Old Man Gloom: Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning
Genre: Sludge/Post Metal
Label: Profound Lore

Peripeteia (Peripeteia)

Rafael Anton Irisarri: Peripeteia
Genre: Ambient/Classical
Label: Dais Records

Ghosts of West Virginia

Steve Earle & the Dukes: Ghosts Of West Virginia
Genre: Country/Americana/Folk
Label: New West Records

Strange To Explain

Woods: Strange To Explain
Genre: Psychedelic/Indie-Folk
Label: Woodsist


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 15, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: May 15, 2020 –

Like A House On Fire [Explicit]

Asking Alexandria: Like a House on Fire
Genre: Metalcore/Post-Hardcore
Label: Sumerian Records

Binary Code: Momento Mori
Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: Independent

Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

Charli XCX: How I’m Feeling Now
Genre: Pop/Electronic
Label: Atlantic

Lovers Rock [Explicit]

The Dears: Lovers Rock
Genre: Indie/Alt Rock
Label: Dangerbird

ALLES IN ALLEM

Einstürzende Neubauten: Alles in Allem
Genre: Industrial/Experimental/Noise Rock
Label: Potomak

Reunions

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: Reunions
Genre: Folk/Country/Americana
Label: Southeastern Records

Sorceress

Jess Williamson: Sorceress
Genre: Indie-Folk
Label: Mexican Summer

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: The Mosaic of Transformation
Genre: Experimental/Electronic
Label: Western Vinyl

Quickies

Magnetic Fields: Quickies
Genre: Indie/Dream Pop
Label: Nonesuch

Best Wishes

Maita: Best Wishes
Genre: Indie-Rock/Folk
Label: Kill Rock Stars

All Visible Objects

Moby: All Visible Objects
Genre: Indie/Dream Pop
Label: MUTE

Grae

Moses Sumney: Græ
Genre: Folk/Soul
Label: Jagjaguwar

WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD

Nick Hakim: WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD
Genre: Soul/Folk/Psychedelic
Label: ATO

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 8, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: May 8, 2020 –

Cosmic World Mother

…and Oceans: Cosmic World Mother
Genre: Black Metal/Industrial
Label: Season of Mist

Brant Bjork

Brant Bjork: Brant Bjork
Genre: Blues/Stoner Rock
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds

American Love Story [Explicit]

Butch Walker: American Love Story
Genre: Pop Rock/Folk
Label: Ruby Red Recordings

What Wands Won't Break

Daedelus: What Wands Won’t Break
Genre: Hip-Hop/Electronic
Label: Dome of Doom

Fake Names [Explicit]

Fake Names: Fake Names
Genre: Punk/Rock
Label: Epitaph

Leaves of Yesteryear

Green Carnation: Leaves of Yesteryear
Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock
Label: Season of Mist

Petals For Armor

Hayley Williams: Petals for Armor
Genre: Pop/Alternative Rock
Label: Atlantic

Warnings

I Break Horses: Warnings
Genre: Indie/Dream Pop
Label: Bella Union

It Was Good Until It Wasn't [Explicit]

Kehlani: It Was Good Until It Wasn’t
Genre: Soul/R&B
Label: TSNMI/Atlantic

Straight Songs Of Sorrow [Explicit]

Mark Lanegan: Straight Songs Of Sorrow
Genre: Indie-Rock/Americana
Label: Heavenly Recordings

Cerecloth [Explicit]

Naglfar: Cerecloth
Genre: Black/Melodic Death Metal
Label: Century Media

Premonitions

Sojourner: Premonitions
Genre: Black Metal/Folk
Label: Napalm

The Reckoning Dawn

Winterfylleth: The Reckoning Dawn
Genre: Black Metal/Folk/Ambient
Label: Spinefarm


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The Weeknd – “House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls”

This is one party that I wish I wasn’t so late to. Hell, by the time I got there the party was over.

I discover The Weeknd when “Can’t Feel My Face” hits the airwaves in 2015, which I think is a catchy tune so I download it. I check out samples of few other songs and decide it’s not for me. Yep, I’ll just stick with that one song and add it to my upbeat party mix. Cool.

Then comes 2016’s “Starboy” – which I hear at a night club/bar as I’m halfway to my goal of not remembering a damn thing from the night – and I think to myself that it’s the greatest fucking song ever. Spoiler: it isn’t, but consuming copious amounts of alcohol helps.

Skip ahead four years and After Hours is receiving all kinds of acclaim on sputnikmusic dot com; I’m skeptical, but I dive in. As I’m clicking “play”, I peruse the album’s ratings and I see that Doof gave it a 2/5. I immediately raise one eyebrow and my expectations as well.

Fast-forward another two hours and I’m finding After Hours to scratch an itch that R&B rarely does for me. I slap an admittedly hasty 4/5 on it,but I still find myself more intrigued by everyone’s comparisons to this “Trilogy.” I press on, and download the whole thing on an impulse.

As House of Balloons begins, I’m immediately sucked into…

[April Edition, Vol. 1]

A monthly curated bite of word salad on the hottest new tracks to come out across the globe, targeting artists of all genres and popularities. Brought to you by myself and a few other friendly writers, this blog series intends to inspire something new yet familiar to this wonderful music review site. This first post is purposefully short; I know for a fact there’s many others out there like me who do the daily Spotify / new music release check’n’scroll, people that are just dying to get their opinions out about their favorite (or least favorite) singles of the week! If you see something that’s missing, don’t just tell me how derivative and basic my music taste is, go and prove it by writing the hell out of a 1-paragraph review for whatever recent single you think will win you those imaginary obscurity points. Best part? You can act like your favorite staffer by giving out a nifty .1 incriminate rating! Just track me down and give me a Gmail friendly email address whenever you have the review, streaming link, and single information typed up. Without further ado, here’s the very first edition of the Spotlight Singles Series, featuring special guests ArtBox and AsleepintheBack!

Dying to Believe

The Beths – “Dying To Believe” [ArtBox]

Rating: 3.3/5

We all know how sophomore efforts go; slumps, successful refinements/reinventions/re-etc., sometimes a healthy mix of both. And sometimes they just sound like…

2020:   Q1   |   Q2   |   Q3   |  Q4

Sputnikmusic Staff’s 2020 Q1 Playlist

Welcome to the first installment of our 2020 quarterly playlist/mixtape! Below you will find hand picked songs from January to March. 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 comment, as well as any new artists you may have discovered here – or, alternatively, tell us what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening.

.


Tracklist:

We Can't Be Found
(#1) Algiers – We Can’t Be Found
On their new album Algiers show that they are not afraid of taking risks. We Can’t Be Found is a haunting dub-inflected track that’s all about the ghosts of the past. Yet, the verses build up to a soaring chorus that feels like a much needed release from all the doom and gloom. –Greg.

 

The Outskirts of Reality
(#2) Yuri Gagarin – QSO
This is one of Yuri Gagarin’s most raging tunes, pushing forward soaring, noisy guitars over punishing drum beats. Solos abound and windy synthesizers roam along, growing steadily until a gentle coda puts things to rest. For

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 1, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: May 1, 2020 –

All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet

An Autumn For Crippled Children: All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet
Genre: Black Metal/Post-Rock/Shoegaze
Label: Prosthetic

HiRUDiN

Austra: HiRUDiN
Genre: Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Domino Recording Co.

GLUE [Explicit]

Boston Manor: Glue
Genre: Pop-Punk/Emo/Post-Hardcore
Label: Pure Noise

Making a Door Less Open [Explicit]

Car Seat Headrest: Making A Door Less Open
Genre: Indie-Rock/Lo-Fi
Label: Matador

What's New, Tomboy?

Damien Jurado: What’s New, Tomboy?
Genre: Indie-Rock/Folk/Psychedelic
Label: Mama Bird Recording Co.

Do You Wonder About Me? [Explicit]

Diet Cig: Do You Wonder About Me?
Genre: Indie-Rock/Pop-Punk
Label: Frenchkiss

I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep

Ghostpoet: I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep
Genre: Hip-Hop/Downtempo
Label: Play It Again Sam

V [Explicit]

Havok: V
Genre: Thrash/Heavy Metal
Label: Century Media

Outland

Ital Tek: Outland
Genre: Dubstep/Electronic/Techno
Label: Planet Mu

good to know [Explicit]

JoJo: Good to Know
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Warner Records

Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between

Man Man: Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-Between
Genre: Indie-Rock/Experimental
Label: Sub Pop

Pure X

Pure X: Pure X
Genre: Lo-Fi/Dream-Pop
Label: Fire Talk

Shadow of Life

Umbra Vitae: Shadow Of Life
Genre: Death Metal/Metalcore
Label: Deathwish Inc.

Solitude in Madness [Explicit]

Vader: Solitude in Madness
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast

Black Metal

Witchcraft: Black Metal
Genre: Doom Metal/Stoner Rock
Label: Nuclear Bast


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 24, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: April 24, 2020 –

Covered in Colours

Anubis Gate: Covered in Colours
Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Label: Nightmare

Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders

AWOLNATION: Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders
Genre: Electronic/Indie-Pop
Label: Better Noise Music

Birds of Tokyo - Human Design - Reviews - Album of The Year

Birds of Tokyo: Human Design
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Birds of Tokyo Pty Ltd

Dear Life

Brendan Benson: Dear Life
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Third Man

Forever Black

Cirith Ungol: Forever Black
Genre: Doom/Heavy/Power Metal
Label: Metal Blade

Afterburner [Explicit]

Dance Gavin Dance: Afterburner
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Progressive Rock/Math Rock
Label: Rise

Sings Elvis

Danzig: Danzig Sings Elvis
Genre: Doom Metal/Gothic
Label: Cleopatra

Omens

Elder: Omens
Genre: Stoner Rock/Progressive Rock/Psychedelic
Label: Armageddon

Habits

Elephant Tree: Habits
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Holy Roar

City Burials [Explicit]

Katatonia: City Burials
Genre: Doom/Progressive Metal
Label: Peaceville

Good Souls Better Angels [Explicit]

Lucinda Williams: Good Souls Better Angels
Genre: Country/Americana/Folk
Label: Highway 20

For Their Love

Other Lives: For Their Love
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: ATO

Looking for a Feeling

Pam Tillis: Looking For A Feeling
Genre: Country
Label: Stellar Cat

What The Dead Men Say

Trivium: What The Dead Men Say
Genre: Metalcore/Thrash
Label:Roadrunner

Stare Into Death And Be Still

Ulcerate: Stare Into Death And Be Still
Genre: Death/Progressive/Post Metal
Label: Debemur Morti Productions

Heartwork [Explicit]

The Used: Heartwork
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Emo
Label: Big Noise Music Group

Weapons of Tomorrow

Warbringer: Weapons of Tomorrow
Genre: Thrash Metal/Punk
Label: Napalm

Survival

Wares: Survival
Genre: Alternative/Indie-Rock
Label: Mint


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 17, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: April 17, 2020 –

Phylogenesis

Abysmal Dawn: Phylogenesis
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist

Verminous [Explicit]

The Black Dahlia Murder: Verminous
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade

A Muse In Her Feelings [Clean]

dvsn: A Muse In Her Feelings
Genre: R&B
Label: OVO Sound

Nothing is True & Everything is Possible [Explicit]

Enter Shikari: Nothing is True & Everything
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Electronic
Label: So Recordings

Earth [Explicit]

EOB: Earth
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Capitol

Chaos. Order. Renewal.

Etherius: Chaos. Order. Renewal.
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Etherius

https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/mast_image_landscape/public/mastimages/fiona%20apple%20ftbc%20cover-2.jpg?itok=Ea6XspKh

Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Genre: Indie-Pop/Jazz
Label: Epic

Kindred

Hexvessel: Kindred
Genre: Folk/Psychedelic
Label: Svart

Knuckleball Express

The Howling Hex: Knuckleball Express
Genre: Indie-Rock/Alternative Rock
Label: Fat Possum

Miss Colombia

Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia
Genre: Indie/Alt Rock
Label: Anti/Epitaph

Mestarin kynsi

Oranssi Pazuzu: Mestarin Kynsi
Genre: Black Metal/Psychedelic/Progressive Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast

SAWAYAMA [Explicit]

Rina Sawayama: Sawayama
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Dirty Hit

The Fun Ones [Explicit]

RJD2: The Fun Ones
Genre: Hip-Hop/Trip-Hop/Electronic
Label: RJ’s Electrical Connections

Hermitage

Ron Sexsmith: HERMITAGE
Genre: Folk/Pop
Label: Cooking Vinyl Limited

The Don Of Diamond Dreams [Explicit]

Shabazz Palaces: The Don of Diamond Dreams
Genre: Hip-Hop/Experimental/Electronic
Label: Sub Pop

The Smith Street Band: Don’t Waste Your Anger
Genre: Folk/Punk
Label: Pool House Records

Hurry up and Wait [Explicit]

Soul Asylum: Hurry Up and Wait
Genre: Alt-Rock/Punk
Label: Blue Elan Records LLC


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100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

10. Jenny Hval – Viscera
e00787e433929e0f965bfe530f4dc348.1000x1000x112

[Spotify] // [Review]

Can desire best be described as a train running into a tunnel? In popular culture, desire is rarely written with the nuance (or maybe, the trepidation) it deserves, reduced as it is to the slickest surface of its skin and hardly deeper. Sex is a commodity that enforces possession and hierarchy, something to receive or give depending on a narrative. In music production, we can find erotic platitudes that extend the length of an appendage environed by the digital squalor of diamond-studded algorithms. Pop music, great trains, running into tunnels: sex as a deliberate force acted upon us by the external forces we internalize and, by god, in turn, externalize. Art as submissive constructs to societal norms. If not trains, what then?

The answer Jenny Hval offers is immediate, though you’d be forgiven for thinking it the iconic opening gambit: “I arrived in town / with an electric toothbrush / pressed against my clitoris.” Rather, we are drawn inward by the quiet intensity of her arrangements, in the discordant ambiance that slowly envelops the stark percussive elements. There is a timeless quality to the mixture of industrial and folk music, in the glacial way the tracks erode and subside only to build into discomfiting calamity. The songs unspool with seeming spontaneity…

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