God gave Noah the rainbow sign…no more water, is the H-Bomb next time?
There’s stark contrast in the implications carried by the phrase, “the end of the world.” For those with a religious upbringing, it likely conjures images of plague, famine, and horsemen wreaking unfathomable devastation. To others, they might imagine World War III – cyber warfare shutting down power grids, industry, and commerce, while increasingly desperate leaders launch nuclear missiles at each other from outer space. mewithoutYou’s end-times scenario is a little of both, and their song ‘Rainbow Signs’ entails all of the intensity and destruction that could come if/when a Biblical and secular apocalypse were to cross paths.
What makes ‘Rainbow Signs’ so effective isn’t its eccentric storytelling, it’s the personal anecdotes. Aaron Weiss makes God seem like he has a twisted, sarcastic humor (in the above quote, it’s a reference to God’s promise to Noah that he would never again destroy the Earth with a flood — but he never said anything about nuclear bombs). He also cracks wise about his hairline, comparing it to Napoleon’s receding hairline late in life after his exile to St. Helena, in what also happens to be the first/only time that the mostly Christian band drops the F-bomb on its listeners. In the middle of the song Weiss prays in both Arabic and Hebrew. He even ends the song by recounting an inside joke that only he and his deceased father ever shared. There’s so much humanity and personality injected into what lesser…
So, anyone got a spare 30 minutes to listen to a pop track? I know, it’s easy to approach songs that lengthy with trepidation; usually they’re either a bloated mess, annoyingly repetitive, or worse yet – they do that pointless “hidden track” thing where they put 18 minutes of silence between two average-length tracks. Thankfully, “Impossible Soul” is none of those things, and instead of viewing it as the final song from Stevens’ 2010 blockbuster TheAge of Adz, I beg you to imagine that it is an album in and of itself. After all, it’s more of a collection of movements than it is one drawn out song idea, with different concepts bleeding into each other effortlessly.
There’s a lot of inspiring messages floating around within the confines of “Impossible Soul”, but instead of rattling off all my favorite passages it would be more prudent to look at how the song evolves within itself. It begins as this somber/electronic/dehumanized ballad, and gradually adds layers of warmth. By the second “movement”, you can hear more audacious synthesizers zipping through space in the background, while Sufjan self-harmonizes to make it sound like he’s no longer in isolation. Eventually, the song erupts into this celebratory dance — with a full crowd harmoniously chanting a series of choruses (“it’s a miracle..do you wanna dance” / “we can do much more together” / “it’s not so impossible”) that all brim with equal optimism. Someone on Sputnik once said that The Age…
The weight of 2019 is bearing down on us. As the final stop in a 10 year waiting period – which started waaay back when the staff punctuated their 2000-2009 list with a Jane Doe victory – there’s an awful lot to think about this year. A lot of 2019 will be spent reflecting, looking back on the last 3,650 days of music and beginning the impossible task of identifying what stood out as the very best. Frankly, it’s a fool’s errand to even try. That of course, is where I come in. Even though I will continue to evaluate my top 100 albums separately – and eventually submit that list when it comes time to vote – this particular blog series will aim to spotlight my favorite songs. That’s right, a whole decade of sowingcore at your fingertips. I’m excited too. For this series, I will incrementally add what I deem to be classic/essential songs to my spotify playlist [below] until there’s a list of only my very favorite songs from 2010-2019. Please note that these installments are not ranked, but rather a compilation.
This first entry might come as a slight surprise. Many associate “The Battle of Hampton Roads” with the very best that Titus Andronicus’ 2010 landmark record The Monitor has to offer, but I’ve always been partial to “A More Perfect Union.” There’s a tremendous sense of political urgency that emanates from it, even though it’s not…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the month of December (2018). Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. As the year draws to a close the number of noteworthy releases tends to shrink, but do not despair – we have a number of exciting features on the way! This will include, but is not limited to: Staff Top 50 Albums of 2018, Users Top 50 Albums of 2018, and individual staff year-end lists. And of course, we will return stronger than ever with our weekly release calendar in January 2019. From the staff here at Sputnikmusic, we wish all of you a wonderful and safe holiday season!
– List of Releases: December 7, 2018 –
AFI: The Missing Man
Genre: Alt-Rock/Punk
Label: Rise
Brett Young: Ticket To L.A.
Genre: Pop Country
Label: BMX
Canon: Home
Genre: Rap
Label: Reflection Music Group / EMPIRE
Coldplay: Live In Buenos Aires / Live In São Paulo
Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: Parlophone UK
Gotthard: Defrosted 2
Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Nuclear Blast
Hammock: Universalis
Genre: Ambient/Post-Rock
Label: Hammock Music
Jason Becker: Triumphant Hearts
Genre: Heavy Metal/Classical
Label: Music Theories
Welcome back to the greatest show on the internet!
The SMA’s have returned!
Duh – Sowing’s Music Awards? It’s cute that you pretended to forget – it’s only the biggest name in sputnik user profile, end-of-year, blog-based award shows. It’s kind of a big deal.
So anyway, after a one year absence, the SMA’s are back in full force to rock your world. Forget the Grammy’s – they’re a joke. Teen Choice Awards? God help us. This is where you want to look for the best music of 2018: A place where only exceptional music earns the spotlight, and only the very best wins (Well, unless it’s one of the worst of the year categories – a brand new feature! But I won’t give anything else away.)
There’s a plethora of fun categories this year, but no award is more coveted than the seriously cool shit AOTY trophy [pictured below]. Low Roar, Sufjan Stevens, and Yellowcard (lol) have all come away with it before, and last year it would have been Manchester Orchestra. In the meanwhile, we’ve seen distinguished nominees such as Radiohead, The Antlers, and Fleet Foxes walk away empty-handed. It just goes to show that I don’t give a shit, and this is my show.
I’m still accepting offers to host the show. Judio (remember him? wasn’t he a contributor or something?) still has permanent dibs, but seeing as…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 30, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 30, 2018 –
The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
Genre: Indie-Pop/Alt-Rock
Label: Polydor
Alessia Cara: The Pains of Growing
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Equal Vision Records
Bryan Ferry: Bitter-Sweet
Genre: Pop
Label: BMG
Clean Bandit: What Is Love?
Genre: Pop/Electronic
Label: Atlantic
Daniel Romano: Finally Free
Genre: Folk/Country
Label: New West
Jeff Tweedy: WARM
Genre: Folk/Americana/Indie-Rock
Label: dBpm
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 23, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 23, 2018 –
Art Brut: Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out!
Genre: Indie-Rock/Pop
Label: Alcopop!
Bauhaus: The Bela Session
Genre: Post-Punk/Gothic
Label: Leaving
Cattle Decapitation: Medium Rarities
Genre: Grind/Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade
Dan Reed Network: Origins
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Zero One
Ed Harcourt: Beyond The End
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Point of Departure
In The Woods…: Cease The Day
Genre: Black/Progressive Metal
Label: Debemur Morti Productions
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 16, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 16, 2018 –
Anderson .Paak: Oxnard
Genre: R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop
Label: Aftermath
Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness: Upside Down Flowers
Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: Fantasy
Azusa: Heavy Yoke
Genre: Progressive/Thrash Metal
Label: Solid State
Eiko Ishibashi: The Dream My Bones Dream
Genre: Pop
Label: Drag City
Esben And The Witch: Nowhere
Genre: Post-Rock/Shoegaze
Label: Season of Mist
The Good, The Bad & The Queen: Merrie Land
Genre: Indie Pop/Alternative Rock
Label: Studio 13
John Mellencamp: Other People’s Stuff
Genre: Folk/Americana
Label: Republic
Little Mix: LM5
Genre: Pop
Label: Columbia
Mariah Carey: Caution
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Epic
Mark Knopfler: Down The Road Wherever
Genre: Blues/Folk/Country
Label: Blue Note
Memphis May Fire: Broken
Genre: Metalcore/Post-Hardcore
Label: Rise
Michael Bublé: Love
Genre: Jazz/Pop
Label: Reprise
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 9, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 9, 2018 –
All That Remains: Victim Of The New Disease
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Razor & Tie
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 2, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 2, 2018 –
Alias & Doseone: Less is Orchestra
Genre: Hip-Hop/Electronic
Label: Anticon.
All Get Out: No Bouquet
Genre: Indie-Rock/Alt/Emo
Label: Equal Vision Records
Arsis: Visitant
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Audiotopsy: The Real Now
Genre: Hard Rock/Nu-Metal/Progressive
Label: MRI
Beacon: Gravity Pairs
Genre: Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Ghostly International
Bill Ryder-Jones: Yawn
Genre: Folk/Indie
Label: Domino Recording Co.
Dan Mangan: More Or Less
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: Arts & Crafts Productions Inc.
Dead Can Dance: Dionysus
Genre: Gothic/Folk/Post-Punk
Label: [PIAS]
Devil Master: Manifestations
Genre: Black Metal/Punk
Label: Relapse
Marianne Faithfull: Negative Capability
Genre: Pop/Folk
Label: BMG Rights Management France
Moonface: This One’s For The Dancer & This One’s For The Dancer’s Bouquet
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock
Label: Jagjaguwar
Mother Feather: Constellation Baby
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Metal Blade
The Ocean: Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
Genre: Post Metal/Progressive/Sludge
Label: Metal Blade
The Prodigy: No Tourists
Genre: Electronic/Techno
Label: BMG Rights Management (UK)
Sun Kil Moon: This Is My Dinner
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: Caldo Verde
Sylvaine: Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone
Genre: Shoegaze/Post Metal/Black Metal
Label: Season of Mist
Tenacious D: Post-Apocalypto
Genre: Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
Label: Columbia
Witherfall: A Prelude To Sorrow
Genre: Power/Heavy/Progressive Metal
Label: Century Media
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 26th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the artwork (if we remember…) so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
Julia Holter: Aviary
Genre: Ambient/Pop/Experimental
Label: Domino Recording Co.
Julia Holter has emerged over the past decade – and especially in the last five years – as one of the premier experimental artists in pop. 2013’s Loud City Song and 2015’s Have You In My Wilderness were both different strands of beautiful, offering breathtaking melodies atop mesmerizing soundscapes. Aviary figures to keep the trend going, as we witness Holter in her prime and at the top of her collective game. Dip your feet into “I Shall Love 2”, the album’s lead single, below:
– List of Releases: October 26th, 2018 –
Bloodbath: The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Peaceville
Boy George And Culture Club: Life
Genre: Pop/New Wave
Label: BMG
Daughters: You Won’t Get What You Want
Genre: Noise Rock/Grind/Post-Hardcore
Label: Ipecac
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 19th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the artwork (if we remember…) so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
Greta Van Fleet: Anthem Of The Peaceful Army
Genre: Rock/Blues
Label: Republic
The other day I played a Greta Van Fleet song for my wife, who barely listens to music that was made before the 2000’s. “Is this Led Zeppelin?”, she innocently inquired. I corrected her – “No.” “Oh”, she said, “They sound just like them except not as good.” “Yes, yes they do”, I replied. We rode the rest of the way to the grocery in awkward silence.
– List of Releases: October 19th, 2018 –
Ace Frehley: Spaceman
Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Entertainment One
Amaranthe: Helix
Genre: Power Metal/Melodic Death Metal
Label: Universal Music Oy
Cloud Nothings: Last Building Burning
Genre: Indie-Rock/Lo-Fi/Punk
Label: Carpark
Disturbed: Evolution
Genre: Nu-Metal/Hard Rock
Label: Reprise
Elle King: Shake The Spirit
Genre: Pop/Blues/Country
Label: RCA
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 12th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the artwork (if we remember…) so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
Allelic: The Smoke of Atavistic Fires
Genre: Black Metal/Folk
Label: The Green Man
Created by one of this site’s very own users, lalchimiste, The Smoke of Atavistic Fires is a metal/folk album worthy of high acclaim. With full, rich sounding textures and a seamless blend of harrowing black metal and lush folk, this debut record ensures that Allelic will become a name you should know. This isn’t your typical low-budget indie metal project — brace yourself for something more on par with Agalloch or Opeth. Yeah, it’s really that good. You can stream the LP in its entirety here.
– List of Releases: October 12th, 2018 –
Allelic: The Smoke of Atavistic Fires
Genre: Black Metal/Folk
Label: The Green Man
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 5th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the artwork (if we remember…) so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
mewithoutYou: [Untitled]
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Indie-Rock
Label: Run For Cover
mewithoutYou’s 7th full-length LP feels destined for big things. The band has never shied away from experimenting with styles, and [Untitled] is one of their rawest, sludgiest endeavors to date. There are moments where Weiss sounds like he’s the last man on Earth, screaming questions that have no answers. It’s the best of Pale Horses met with a little A->B Life and Catch For Us The Foxes. Any true fan of the band will salivate. For an appetizer, check out the pre-released singles below. Alternatively, you can stream the entire release here.:
– List of Releases: October 5th, 2018 –
Adrianne Lenker: abysskiss
Genre: Folk
Label: Saddle Creek
A Place To Bury Strangers: Re-Pinned
Genre: Noise Rock/Shoegaze
Label: Dead Oceans
A Storm Of Light: Anthroscene
Genre: Post-Metal/Sludge
Label: Translation Loss
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 28th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the artwork (if we remember…) so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
– List of Releases: September 28, 2018 –
Against The Current: Past Lives
Genre: Pop Rock/Alternative
Label: WEA
All Them Witches: ATW
Genre: Stoner Rock/Psychedelic
Label: New West
![Live In Buenos Aires [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51wAcQGL3OL._SS500.jpg)
![Heart to Mouth [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41G6XqwL8SL._SS500.jpg)
![A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31Ncg-T41kL._SS500.jpg)
![What Is Love? (Deluxe) [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xjKVPpeNL._SS500.jpg)
![Afterlife [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61gw8ttMCZL._SS500.jpg)
![Phoenix (Deluxe) [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41B0YjHO7ZL._SS500.jpg)
![Oxnard [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/411UtUzAyQL._SS500.jpg)
![Upside Down Flowers [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nIwoME85L._SS500.jpg)
![Caution [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516CY8wlZAL._SS500.jpg)
![Victim of the New Disease [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51trytpqtJL._SS500.jpg)
![A Patient Man [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51U74oZvEaL._SS500.jpg)
![Constellation Baby [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/618Kx5CLXWL._SS500.jpg)
![Post-Apocalypto [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61XdqLc%2B66L._SS500.jpg)
![Helix [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61iekfQ4djL._SS500.jpg)
![Us [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41X0Ra0UHYL._SS500.jpg)
![[Untitled] Album](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Yig76akQL._SX522_.jpg)
![Reduxer [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41TYUiiEglL._SS500.jpg)
![A New Kind of Horror [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Pu-d0uIBL._SS500.jpg)
![Elephants on Acid [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61D9hTInLUL._SS500.jpg)
