Sputnikmusic - Sowing

Author Archive

Con’s Single Spotlight

By Sowing Thursday April 30, 2020

[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!

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…

Staff’s Q1 Playlist

By Sowing Wednesday April 29, 2020

22 Comments

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:

(#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.

(#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

…

Weekly Releases 5.1.2020

By Sowing Wednesday April 29, 2020

19 Comments

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

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

Follow us on…

Facebook
Twitter

Weekly Releases 4.24.2020

By Sowing Tuesday April 21, 2020

44 Comments

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

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

Follow us on…

Facebook
Twitter

Weekly Releases 4.17.2020

By Sowing Monday April 13, 2020

33 Comments

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

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

Follow us on…

Facebook
Twitter

Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: #10-1

By Sowing Friday April 10, 2020

210 Comments

100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

10. Jenny Hval – Viscera

[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…

Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: #30-11

By Sowing Thursday April 9, 2020

84 Comments

100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

30. Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle

[Spotify] // [Review]

It’s strange that a twenty-year-old has seemingly been through it all. Julien Baker sings and plays with such confidence and writes about such harrowing circumstances that it’s easy to forget she was barely out of her teens when recording Sprained Ankle. Eight guitar songs and one piano track are all it takes to convey Baker’s rock bottom. Sprained Ankle was recommended to me by a dear friend shortly after I had hit rock bottom in my life. It’s hard to even articulate what this album did for me emotionally. It’s like salt into wounds except that’s exactly what you need. Much of the subject matter here is Christian related which normally does nothing for me, but Baker’s blunt lyricism and blunt songwriting have me singing along like I’m in the pews at church. Julien Baker says what she means and says it loudly. Sparse arrangements and forthcoming lyrics allow Baker to get straight to the point and get you completely broken down in just over thirty-three minutes. She could offer an emotional cleansing service with this album. Go ahead and cry the next time you spin Sprained Ankle; it’s all right, everybody does. –Trebor.

29. The National – Trouble Will Find Me

[Spotify]…

Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: #50-31

By Sowing Wednesday April 8, 2020

44 Comments

100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

50. Fair to Midland – Arrows and Anchors

[Spotify] // [Review]

One of the graver losses of the 2010s, Fair to Midland outdid themselves with sophomore (and ultimately final) album Arrows and Anchors. While the band have straddled genres from alternative, metal, folk, and prog throughout debut Fables from a Mayfly, Arrows and Anchors managed to tighten up the band’s genre fusion, drive the sound into heavier territory, dial up the catchiness of nearly every track on the LP, and reinvent timeless children’s story Rikki Tikki Tavi into something you can headbang your brains out to. Need I say more?

Darroh Sudderth’s vocals remain as iconic as ever, warbling with passion as he projects clever twists of common sayings over fuzzed out guitars sparkled up by just enough keyboard to transform a dirt foundation into a more respectable pavement. Describing Arrows and Anchors can sound almost formulaic, but each and every track is just so much fun that it’s hard to care. While every track manipulates the ratio of keyboard twinkle to guitar crunch to similar spectacular results, the meat of each is seasoned just appropriately enough to feel freash and fun. There’s an undeniable menagerie of influence and expertise compiled into Arrows and Anchors, but ultimately it’s the the levity of the music and lyrics like “If…

Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: #75-51

By Sowing Tuesday April 7, 2020

60 Comments

100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

75. mewithoutYou – [Untitled]

[Spotify] // [Review]

Over the past two decades mewithoutYou have been ever present, but not necessarily in the foreground, in comparison to their peers. However, unlike many of the bands they have played alongside, mewithoutYou are more relevant than ever, even as they plan on disbanding. [Untitled] starts off unrelenting with “9:27a.m., 7/29” until “[Dormouse Sighs]” provides a brooding release from a three song barrage of chaotic harmony. Where mewithoutYou shine is found in their ability to balance emotion and volume. That balance blows past albums away with how seamlessly [Untitled] transitions from song to song. From “2,459 Miles” to “Wendy & Betsy” to “New Wine, New Skins” provide some of most graceful yet ferocious moments. [Untitled] provides a glimpse at how mewithoutYou have learned to adapt and evolve with time, especially coming off their landmark effort in Pale Horses. Look no further than the post-hardcore ballad in “Julia (or, ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses),” where every element feels perfectly placed and timed. As mewithoutYou wind down, they leave a blueprint for the next decade of upstart alternative rock bands to follow. –IsItLuck?

74. Burial – Tunes 2011 to 2019

[Spotify] // [Review]

It’s all there in the name: far from…

Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: #100-76

By Sowing Monday April 6, 2020

59 Comments

100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

100. The Menzingers – On the Impossible Past

[Spotify] // [Review]

The urge to repost lyrics in lieu of a blurb? Strong. (In all caps, obviously.) Maybe italicised, maybe emboldened, undoubtedly justified. That’d require, though, some prior knowledge of the album, its melodies; and as much as I’d like it to be, this isn’t karaoke. (You might as well listen to the album; not a bad idea.) A case regardless:

Despite my unfortunate Australian identity, On the Impossible Past makes me feel American. A weird thing, I imagine; after all, I don’t feel Japanese driving my girlfrend’s Toyota, listening to Kero Kero Bonito. (Make a bounce playlist: start with Iggy, transition into KKB’s ‘Trampoline’. You won’t regret it, I promise.) It’s testament, though, to the impressive songwriting capacity of the band’s two frontmen, Greg Barnett and Tom May — their underwrought narratives, and the ease with which one relates to them. And though it’s far from the album’s best song (fans could debate this forever), nowhere is this better epitomised than on closer ‘Freedom Bridge’, a song that anthemises (with irony, of course) suicide, detailing in vignette-form the short lives of victims of the so-called American dream. It is, as far as I’m concerned, a perfect (pop) punk song, perfect in its capacity to make earnest and powerful a line that would…

Weekly Releases 4.10.2020

By Sowing Sunday April 5, 2020

22 Comments

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 10, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: April 10, 2020 –

In Another Life

Active Child: In Another Life
Genre: Electronic/R&B
Label: Masterworks

Loop of Yesterdays

Azusa: Loop of Yesterdays
Genre: Progressive/Thrash Metal
Label: Solid State

The Universe Inside

The Dream Syndicate: The Universe Inside
Genre: Psychedelic/Alt-Rock/Post-Punk
Label: Anti/Epitaph

The Loves Of Your Life

Hamilton Leithauser: The Loves Of Your Life
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Glassnote

Shapeshifting

Joe Satriani: Shapeshifting
Genre: Hard Rock/Jazz Fusion
Label: Legacy Recoridngs

Song For Our Daughter

Laura Marling: Song For Our Daughter
Genre: Indie Folk
Label: Chrysalis Records

Laurel Halo: Possessed
Genre: Ambient/Techno/Experimental
Label: The Vinyl Factory

Local H: Lifers
Genre: Grunge/Alt-Rock
Label: Antifragile Music

The Way It Feels

Maddie & Tae: The Way It Feels
Genre: Pop/Country
Label: Mercury Nashville

Forever

Midwife: Forever
Genre: Ambient/Shoegaze/Indie-Rock
Label: The Flenser

Human. :II: Nature.

Nightwish: Hvman. :II: Natvre.
Genre: Power Metal/Classical/Gothic
Label: Nuclear Blast

Trust the River [Explicit]

Sparta: Trust The River
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Alt-Rock
Label: Dine Alone Music Inc.

Lamental EP

Squarepusher: Lamental
Genre: IDM/Drum and Bass/Jazz
Label: Warp

The New Abnormal

The Strokes: The New Abnormal
Genre: Indie-Rock/Post-Punk/Alt-Rock
Label: RCA

Follow us on…

Facebook
Twitter

Sowing’s Q1 Mixtape

By Sowing Tuesday March 31, 2020

13 Comments

Person Doing Tricks on Cassette Tape

I’m not sure what’s made 2020 crazier for me so far: all this coronavirus & social distancing, or the fact that I suddenly really dig both country and R&B. It’s a weird feeling listening to so much Honey Harper and Mac Miller, only to dive into Psychotic Waltz right after. You’ll find all kinds of variety on my Q1 Mixtape, which I hope will help you pass some isolation/self-quarantining time while also – maybe – discovering a new artist. Here’s 100 songs that stuck with me from January to March, in alphabetical order by artist name. I suggest you click ‘shuffle’ and let yourself get sucked into the weird, swirling genre vortex that is my current musical taste. Hope you enjoy.

~~~

Weekly Releases 4.3.2020

By Sowing Monday March 30, 2020

35 Comments

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 3, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: April 3, 2020 –

Chapter I: Monarchy

Ad Infinitum: Chapter I – Monarchy
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Napalm

Wake Up, Sunshine [Explicit]

All Time Low: Wake Up Sunshine
Genre: Pop Punk
Label: Fueled by Ramen

If You're Dreaming

Anna Burch: If You’re Dreaming
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: Polyvinyl

Guardians

August Burns Red: Guardians
Genre: Metalcore/Progressive Metal
Label: Fearless

JUICE

Born Ruffians: JUICE
Genre: Indie-Rock/Post-Punk
Label: Yep Roc

Ellis: Born Again
Genre: Indie-Folk/Pop
Label: Fat Possum

Emancipator: Mountain of Memory
Genre: Trip-Hop/Electronic/Downtempo
Label: Loci

I'm Your Empress Of [Explicit]

Empress Of: I’m Your Empress Of
Genre: R&B/Electronic
Label: Terrible Records

Faþir

Forndom: Faþir
Genre: Folk/Ambient/Drone
Label: Nordvis

Ever-Roving Eye

James Elkington: Ever-Roving Eye
Genre: Folk
Label: Paradise of Bachelors

Migration Stories

M. Ward: Migration Stories
Genre: Indie/Folk
Label: Anti/Epitaph

Best Wishes

MAITA: Best Wishes
Genre: Indie-Folk
Label: Kill Rock Stars

Enter The Mirror

Maserati: Enter the Mirror
Genre: Post-Rock/Psychedelic
Label: Temporary Residence Ltd.

Weekly Releases 3.27.2020

By Sowing Monday March 23, 2020

24 Comments

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 27, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: March 27, 2020 –

CALM [Explicit]

5 Seconds of Summer: Calm
Genre: Pop-Rock
Label: Interscope

Unmask Whoever

Activity: Unmask Whoever
Genre: Electronic
Label: Western Vinyl

Are You in Love?

Basia Bulat: Are You In Love?
Genre: Indie-Pop/Folk
Label: Secret City Records

Diamonds

The Birthday Massacre: Diamonds
Genre: Alternative Rock/Industrial/Gothic
Label: Metropolis

Local Honey

Brian Fallon: Local Honey
Genre: Folk/Rock
Label: Lesser Known

Candlemass: The Pendulum
Genre: Doom/Heavy Metal
Label: Napalm

Cavetown: Sleepyhead
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock
Label: Sire

Forever Just Beyond

Clem Snide: Forever Just Beyond
Genre: Indie-Pop/Folk
Label: Ramseur

17J11230009,

Coriky: Coriky
Genre: Alt/Indie Rock
Label: Dischord

Illusion Of Time

Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini: Illusion Of Time
Genre: Electronic
Label: MUTE

Void Moments

FACS: Void Moments
Genre: Post Punk
Label: Trouble In Mind

The Caretaker

Half Waif: The Caretaker
Genre: Indie-Pop/Experimental
Label: Anti

Red Sun Through Smoke

Ian William Craig: Red Sun Through Smoke
Genre: Ambient/Drone/Electronic
Label: Fat Cat

…

Weekly Releases 3.20.2020

By Sowing Monday March 16, 2020

30 Comments

Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 20, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.