Sailing Narrenschiff (aka “Ship of Fools”) is like getting your ass kicked for 20 minutes straight by a bunch of deranged Swiss freaks. Nevertheless, this massive display of power never really gets out of control, just like an experienced fighter who always delivers his blows at the right moments. Nostromo’s 2019 EP mirrors maturity and capacity for synthesis without ever losing irreverence. It’s a relentless slab of European grindcore, whose lethal riffs, fierce vocals, and tight musicianship should not pass under the radar. –TheNoTrap
A number of lineup changes have warped the Sodom sound over the years. Having once commanded thrash supremacy in M-16 and Agent Orange back in their heyday, there was sure to be a question of unreachable quality thrash when it comes to the band’s new music. If anything, Out of the Frontline Trench adds a glimmer to the hope that Sodom are on the up-and-up, bringing back the same classic edge the band used to live on and redressing old cuts to match their longing, greying hair. –Nocte
Latinx influence on popular music in 2019 is hard to overstate, but most online music discussion seems to circle back to maybe five different artists. Bad Bunny and Rosalia are certainly progress…
Sonic Citadel is a timely reminder of exactly how much colour and joy can be packed into a solid noise rock album. While last year’s big name releases in that field (Daughters and KEN Mode) were harrowing and monochromatic, Lightning Bolt smash their way through every note as though they’re having the time of their lives. It’s still heavy as hell – “Blow to the Head”‘s opening notes mean business from the word go — but Sonic Citadel is less a merciless beatdown than a raucous stomp — along with an open invite for all your friends and family. “Air Conditioning” explodes all over the shop, “Halloween 3” drops riffs like spare change, “Big Banger” does just that, “All Insane” is a cute melodic shuffle, and “Van Halen 2049” is the most conclusive proof since Melt-Banana’s Cell-Scape that a band this proficient can do whatever the hell they like for ten minutes at the end of a solid record without incurring the slightest flack for it. Not from me, at any rate. Anyhow, with its glib track names and distorted deadpan vocals both well placed for a further wry touch, Sonic Citadel is a thoroughly competent album pulled off with a keen sense for craft and consumption alike. –JohnnyoftheWell
In case you couldn’t tell from that gloriously stupid band name, Prince Daddy are a bit of an audacious bunch. Cosmic Thrill Seekers is the most ambitious emo release of the 2010s and can be counted as one of the best, too. Hung loosely on a narrative framework of watching The Wizard of Oz while tripped out on acid, this really just gives the band free rein to try pretty much anything they’d like. The fact that it results in a blissed-out masterpiece instead of a drug-addled mess instantly places Prince Daddy as one of the premier bands to watch in any genre. Combining Weezer-esque power-pop, outbursts of atonal punk outrage, and glistening emo theatrics, Cosmic Thrill Seekers deserves to be just as fondly remembered and endlessly influential as the likes of Whenever, If Ever or Nothing Feels Good Anymore within the always outwardly expanding genre of emo. –Slex
Following on from the growing pains of the transitional Dark Bird Is Home, I Love You. It’s A Fever Dream. might just be Kristian Matsson’s most accomplished release yet. While it isn’t as raw or effortless as the landmark 2011 album The Wild Hunt, it’s exponentially more layered, musically and otherwise. There’s a juxtaposition of warm and weightless wide open space being…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of January 10, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: January 10, 2020 –
Alexandra Savior: The Archer
Genre: Indie Pop/Dream Pop/Psychedelic
Label: 30th Century
Apocalyptica: Cell-0
Genre: Classical/Metal
Label: Silver Lining Music
Beach Slang: The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
Genre: Punk/Emo/Indie-Rock
Label: Bridge 9
The Big Moon: Walking Like We Do
Genre: Indie-Pop/Indie Rock
Label: Fiction
Brothers Of Metal: Emblas Saga
Genre: Power Metal
Label: AFM
It’s almost surreal to remember reading this site’s 2000-2009 decade list like it was yesterday, and now be a part of the new one that’s on-deck. And just as clearly, I remember turning the page to the 2010s, with the likes of Titus Andronicus’ The Monitor, The Tallest Man on Earth’s The Wild Hunt, Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Deftones’ Diamond Eyes all – among others – making early splashes. It’s weird to think that we’re all on the precipice of repeating that. What will 2020 bring? Surely at least a few releases that we’ll still be talking about in December 2029.
Decade milestones are huge, especially for time spent on a website. I’ve been here going on 12 years and there are others who have been here even longer. It’s caused some reflecting on my part, and I’ve put some serious thought into how I want to approach the next decade. As such, I’m going to put out a few “new decade resolutions”:
-> Stricter Rating: I’ve had as much fun as anyone handing out 4.5’s and 5’s to everything I enjoy, but the time to put things in perspective is long overdue. I’m not sure how this will impact my historical ratings and reviews, but moving forward I plan to reestablish some credibility to my assessments. I take pride in my writing and now I want my scores to reflect that. Expect future reviews/ratings to adhere much more closely…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the month of December, 2019. As the year winds to a close, so typically to the quantity of releases. Inevitably, some albums will always fly under the radar – so feel free to make recommendations in the comments. Please be on the look out for the staff top 50 albums of 2019, as well as additional features by individual staff, contributors, and users. Also, the staff’s top albums of the decade is on-deck to be published sometime in the first half of 2020! Plenty to look forward to. Until then, the staff and administrative team at Sputnikmusic would like to wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.
One of my favorite musical sub-hobbies is re-imagining albums as they might have been. It’s not because I think the artist did wrong, it’s more just a way for me to bend the artist’s output to fit around my taste even better. I’ve re-done everything from Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool, which was originally tracklisted in alphabetical order, to Brand New’s Science Fiction. However, my favorite album restructuring has to be the one I did years ago for Viva La Vida and Prospekt’s March, which I happened upon while cleaning out some old files on my PC. The LP (VLV) and the bonus follow-up collection (PM) are each superb in their own right, but in blending the best of them, you get a truly special – dare I say perfect – pop/rock record. Chances are if you’re not a huge Coldplay nerd I’ve already lost your attention, so I’ll cut through all the fanfare and just get right down to my playlist and the reasoning as to why I structured it the way I did.
The album begins with “Life in Technicolor II” – I chose this version because it is more fully fleshed out than its instrumental counterpart. The band stripped away the vocals from the original version “Life in Technicolor” in 2008 because it sounded too much like “an obvious single”, but I much prefer the full bodied track with Chris Martin’s stunningly beautiful melodic arc. “Viva La Vida” fits in nicely early…
If you’re excited for the 5th annual SMA’s, you’re not alone.
It’s that time of year again when artists wait with baited breath to hear their name called for the most prestigious award in all of celebrated art. Sure, there are more mainstream ceremonies out there, but this is the one that artists – secretly – take vast pride in. In 2014, Low Roar won the Seriously Cool Shit AOTY trophy [pictured below], for their breathtaking sophomore LP 0. In 2015, it was Sufjan Stevens for his haunting classic folk record, Carrie and Lowell. 2016 yielded us Yellowcard’s tear-jerking finale. Manchester Orchestra swept away the competition in 2017 with A Black Mile to the Surface. 2018 rewarded mewithoutYou for finally topping Brother, Sister with their [Untitled] album. None of them have reached out to me requesting to make an acceptance speech – I find it surprising, if not even a little rude, but I suppose that they’re just so humbled emotionally and spiritually that they can’t muster the words.
The categories are largely the same as they’ve been in previous years, but also a little different. The only EP I enjoyed this year was Mree’s The Middle, so I did away with the EP category (but seriously, if you want to hear an angel sing ambient pop songs, look no further). Gone too is the “best under the radar” category, because it aligned almost precisely with my “best new artist”…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 29, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 29, 2019 –
Anyway Gang: Anyway Gang
Genre: Alternative/Indie Rock
Label: Royal Mountain
Blue October: Live from Manchester
Genre: Alt-Rock
Label: Up Down
Bölzer: Lese Majesty
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: Lightning & Sons
Cattle Decapitation: Death Atlas
Genre: Grind/Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade
clipping.: The Deep
Genre: Hip-Hop/Industrial/Experimental
Label: Sub Pop
CZARFACE: The Odd Czar Against Us
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: Silver Age
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 22, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 22, 2019 –
Avatarium: The Fire I Long For
Genre: Doom Metal/Blues
Label: Nuclear Blast
Beck: Hyperspace
Genre: Folk/Experimental Rock
Label: Capitol
Ben Lee: Quarter Century Classix
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: New West
Blood Incantation: Hidden History of the Human Race
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: Century Media
Coldplay: Everyday Life
Genre: Pop Rock
Label: Parlophone UK
Coma: Voyage Voyage
Genre: Electronic
Label: City Slang
Galcher Lustwerk: Information
Genre: Electronic/House/Techno
Label: Ghostly International
Hannah Diamond: Reflections
Genre: Pop/Electronic
Label: PC Music
Harry Nilsson: Losst and Founnd
Genre: Folk/Pop
Label: Omnivore Recordings
Hypno5e: A Distant (Dark) Source
Genre: Progressive Metal/Metalcore/Ambient
Label: Pelagic
Leonard Cohen: Thanks For The Dance
Genre: Folk/Pop/Blues
Label: Legacy
Lindemann: F&M
Genre: Industrial Metal
Label: Craft Recordings
Lord Mantis: Universal Death Church
Genre: Sludge/Black/Doom Metal …
With the recent announcement that My Chemical Romance is reuniting, our staff inhaled a collective breath of nostalgia and revisited the band’s discography. From their rawer beginnings to their epic, glistening concept albums, MCR is a band that is forever tied to the mid-2000s emo punk-rock phase. Whether or not the group aspired to great artistic heights is certainly debatable, but it’s pretty much indisputable that they were a damned ton of fun. So put on your black eyeliner, stick some pins in your backpack, slip on your wristbands, and join us as we revisit one of the most grandiose, over-the-top bands of our era. Here are our top 10 My Chemical Romance songs – let us know what you think in the comments section!
Sputnik Staff Top 10 My Chemical Romance Songs:
#10: “The Sharpest Lives”
During their prime, there was more substance to My Chemical Romance’s output than they were credited for. The songs’ lyrics always peeled layers off loose narratives, but most of them could’ve been easily enjoyed out of context as well. ‘The Sharpest Lives’ is a fine example of an ode to living life at its fullest, indulging in all the vices and excesses without thinking of consequences. Musically, it retained the energy found on Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, yet showcasing a more refined approach to structures. Gerard Way leveled up his delivery too, especially during the catchy, melodic choruses. —…
Narrowing down an entire decade’s worth of music to two or three songs was a tough call, but I can’t think of a more appropriate top pick than this. On the face of it, Saishuu Koen (Last Performance) is a case study of the most beautiful, raw facets of indie folk, spinning a bitter snapshot of dejection into a stunning outpouring of frustration, heartbreak and loneliness. I used to think it would be impossible to recreate this song’s magic beyond the original version, but hearing the almost-as-good rock revamp on Seiko’s Pink Tokarev side project gave me bad ideas and it’s since become the only Japanese song I can cover by heart. Putting aside her incredible songwriting talent, one of the things about Oomori Seiko that has always spoken to me is her knack for turning her distinctly imperfect voice into a dazzling force of personality. Her lyrics and performance are presented in a way that foregrounds her own weaknesses, with a fierceness and boldness that a long way to explaining why her exemplary discography has stolen the show this decade.
The Knife – “Full of Fire”
Finding a worthy runner-up for Saishuu Koen was a tough call. A lot of songs might have held the slot, but I gave myself a load of silly criteria: it shouldn’t be Japanese, it shouldn’t be overrepresented across the rest…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 15, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 15, 2019 –
Abigail Williams: Walk Beyond The Dark
Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Label: Blood Music
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto: TWO
Genre: Ambient/Minimal/Electronic
Label: Noton
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 8, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 8, 2019 –
Bask: Bask III
Genre: Psychedelic/Jam Rock/Stoner Rock
Label: Season of Mist
Bishop Briggs: CHAMPION
Genre: Indie-Pop/Alt-Rock/Gothic
Label: Island Records
Esoteric: A Pyrrhic Existence
Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist
FKA twigs: Magdalene
Genre: R&B/Electronic/Trip-Hop
Label: Young Turks
Girl Ray: Girl
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Moshi Moshi Records
Have a Nice Life: Sea of Worry
Genre: Shoegaze/Post-Punk/Industrial
Label: The Flenser
Jason Derulo: 2Sides
Genre: R&B/Pop/Hip-Hop
Label: Beluga Heights Records/Warner Records
Je Suis France: Back To The Basics Of Love
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Ernest Jenning Record Co.
Kele: 2042
Genre: Electronic/House
Label: Kola
Land Of Kush: Sand Enigma
Genre: Psychedelic/Experimental/Jazz
Label: Constellation
Low Roar: ross.
Genre: Indie-Folk/Post-Rock/Dream-Pop
Label: Tonequake Records
Moor Mother: Analog Fluids Of Sonic Black Holes
Genre: Hip-Hop/Experimental/Industrial
Label: Don Giovanni Records
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 1, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 1, 2019 –
A Winged Victory for the Sullen: The Undivided Five
Genre: Ambient/Classical
Label: Ninja Tune
Anavae: 45
Genre: Alternative Rock/Electronic
Label: A Wolf At Your Door
Angel Witch: Angel of Light
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: Metal Blade
Cannabis Corpse: Nug So Vile
Genre: Death Metal/Grind
Label: Season of Mist
Cold War Kids: New Age Norms 1
Genre: Indie-Rock/Pop
Label: Cwktwo Corp.
Counterparts: Nothing Left To Love
Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore/Emo
Label: Pure Noise
Cradle of Filth: Cruelty and the Beast (Re-Mistressed)
Genre: Black Metal/Gothic/Death Metal
Label: SIN/MFN
Eskimo Callboy: Rehab
Genre: Metalcore/Electronic/Post-Hardcore
Label: Century Media
Gang Starr: One of the Best Yet
Genre: Hip-Hop/Jazz
Label: Gang Starr Enterprises LLC
Half Moon Run: A Blemish In The Great Light
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: Glassnote
Highly Suspect: MCID
Genre: Alternative Rock/Stoner Rock
Label: 300 Entertainment
![Wings of Rage [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81r4htTaIqL._SS500_.jpg)
![Rare [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BM9CYkF3L._SS500_.jpg)
![A Beautiful Thing: IDLES Live at Le Bataclan [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71dA0PwBPML._SS500_.jpg)
![Live from Manchester [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81rklfL0V5L._SS500_.jpg)
![Death Atlas [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/817mMeOSvoL._SS500_.jpg)
![Prestige Worldwide [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/711Qm8tDCKL._SS500_.jpg)
![Everyday Life [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1XimwGNe9L._SS500_.jpg)
![Information [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1Iff1pC-4L._SS500_.jpg)
![I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91PaJJtJalL._SS500_.jpg)
![Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81aECQlJWwL._SS500_.jpg)
![The Black Parade [Clean]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81o6k0bPesL._SS500_.jpg)
![Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FDUix+WcL._SS500_.jpg)
![Our Pathetic Age [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81vust5OETL._SS500_.jpg)
![CHAMPION [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71txiTI6uSL._SS500_.jpg)
![Rehab (Bonus Tracks Version) [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GeE3Th4zL._SS500_.jpg)
![One Of The Best Yet [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71IcF1Xg7HL._SS500_.jpg)
![MCID [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71qfIPf13AL._SS500_.jpg)
