Author Archive
By Sowing
Thursday April 27, 2023
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 28th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 28, 2023 –
Austere: Corrosion of Hearts
Genre: Black/Doom Metal
Label: Prophecy
Bebe Rexha: Bebe
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Warner Records
Belgrado: Intra Apogeum
Genre: Post-Punk/Gothic
Label: La Vida Es Un Mus Discos
Bernice: Cruisin’
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Telephone Explosion Records
Braids: Euphoric Recall
Genre: Electronic/Psychedelic
Label: Secret City
Cradle of Filth: Trouble And Their Double Lives
Genre: Black Metal/Gothic
Label: Napalm
Crown The Empire: DOGMA
Genre: Metalcore/Post-Hardcore
Label: Rise Records
The Damned: Darkadelic
Genre: Punk/Gothic
Label: earMUSIC
Defiled: The Highest Level
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist
Enforced: War Remains
Genre: Thrash/Hardcore
Label: Century Media
Fires in the Distance: Air Not Meant For Us
Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Doom
Label: Prosthetic Records
Graveworm: Killing Innocence
Genre: Black Metal/Gothic
Label: AFM
Great Lake Swimmers: Uncertain Country
Genre: Indie-Folk
Label: Great Lake Swimmers
ILLENIUM: ILLENIUM
Genre: Electronic/Dubstep
Label: Illenium, LLC
Indigo De Souza: All of This Will End
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Saddle Creek
Jessie Ware:…
By Sowing
Tuesday April 4, 2023
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 7th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 7, 2023 –
Asystole: Siren To Blight
Genre: Death Metal
Label: I, Voidhanger Records
Covet: Catharsis
Genre: Math/Progressive Rock
Label: Triple Crown
Daniel Caesar: Never Enough
Genre: R&B/Soul
Label: Hollace Inc.
Daughter: Stereo Mind Game
Genre: Indie-Rock/Dream Pop
Label: Glassnote Entertainment Group
Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven
Genre: Indie Pop/Electronic
Label: Universal Music
Fire-Toolz: I am upset because I see something that is not there.
Genre: Experimental/Electronic
Label: Fire-Toolz
Frenzal Rhomb: The Cup Of Pestilence
Genre: Hardcore/Punk
Label: Frenzal Rhomb
HMLTD: The Worm
Genre: Post-Punk/Electronic
Label: Lucky Number Music
ISON: Stars & Embers
Genre: Ambient/Drone/Shoegaze
Label: Avantgarde Music
Linkin Park: Meteora 20th Anniversary Edition
Genre: Nu-Metal/Rock
Label: Warner Records
Mudhoney: Plastic Eternity
Genre: Grunge/Punk/Alt-Rock
Label: Sub Pop
NF: Hope
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: NF Real…
By Sowing
Saturday April 1, 2023
2023 :: Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4
Sputnikmusic Staff’s Q1 Playlist 2023
Welcome to the first installment for our 2023 quarterly playlist! 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 comments, any new artists you may have discovered here, or let us know what we missed!
Tracklist:
Acid Arab – “Habaytak”
٣ (Trois)
Acid Arab continue to infuse techno with Arabian music to great effect, with “Habaytak” offering a more aggressive groove sprinkled with catchy vocals and hypnotic keyboard leads. It might seem like an absurd mix at first, but the song (and the entire album) becomes addictive. –Raul Stanciu
Algiers – “A Good Man”
Shook
I like Algiers when they let loose and let that bit of Bad Brains take over. This is where this band shines. Their latest record Shook is an impressive display of experimental post punk — sometimes hard to follow, sometimes hard to let go — but it’s in short bursts like “A Good Man” where this band really proves there’s a wildfire still burning inside of them. –Dewinged
Asian Glow & sonhos tomam conta – “hangthemall”
…
By Sowing
Tuesday March 7, 2023
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 10, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: March 10, 2023 –
Altin Gun: Ask
Genre: Psychedelic/Folk
Label: ATO
Ane Brun: Portrayals
Genre: Indie-Rock/Folk
Label: Balloon Ranger
Delerium: Signs
Genre: Electronic/Ambient/New Age
Label: Metropolis
Dutch Uncles: True Entertainment
Genre: Indie-Pop/Alternative Rock/Post-Punk
Label: Memphis Industries
Fever Ray: Radical Romantics
Genre: Electronic/Pop/Experimental
Label: Rabid Records
Flogging Molly: Til the Anarchy’s Restored
Genre: Folk Punk
Label: Quiet Man LLC
For the Fallen Dreams: For the Fallen Dreams
Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore
Label: Arising Empire
Frankie Rose: Love as Projection
Genre: Indie/Dream Pop
Label: Slumberland
Frozen Crown: Call of the North
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Scarlet Records
Gorod: The Orb
Genre: Death/Progressive Metal
Label: Gorod
Isole: Anesidora
Genre: Doom/Progressive Metal
Label: Hammerheart
Judiciary: Flesh + Blood
Genre: Hardcore/Thrash Metal
Label: Closed Casket Activities
Juice WRLD: The Party Never Ends
Genre: Hip-Hop/Emo
Label: Interscope
Manchester Orchestra: The Valley of Vision
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Loma Vista
Miley Cyrus: Endless Summer Vacation
Genre: Pop/R&B/Psychedelic
Label: Smiley Miley Inc.
…
By Sowing
Tuesday February 7, 2023
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 10, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
–List of Releases: February 10, 2023–
The Academic: Sitting Pretty
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Universal Music Operations
Amber Arcades: Barefoot on Diamond Road
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Fire Records
Andy Shauf: Norm
Genre: Alt-Rock/Indie-Folk
Label: Anti
Black Belt Eagle Scout: The Land, The Water, The Sky
Genre: Indie-Folk
Label: Saddle Creek
The Brian Jonestown Massacre: The Future is Your Past
Genre: Psychedelic/Shoegaze/Indie-Rock
Label: ‘a’ recordings
Cadaver Shrine: Benighted Desecration
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Label: Chaos Records
 Carnosus: Visions of Infinihility
Genre: Tech Death
Label: Independent
Delain: Dark Waters
Genre: Metal/Gothic
Label: Napalm
Distant: Heritage
Genre: Metalcore/Death Metal/Deathcore
Label: Century Media
Elyose: Deviante
Genre: Industrial/Metal/Gothic
Label: Independent
In Flames: Foregone
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Isole: Anesidora
Genre: Doom/Progressive Metal
Label: Hammerheart
Kelela: Raven
Genre: R&B/Electronic/Garage
Label: Warp
Klone: Meanwhile
Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Label: Kscope
Maps: Counter Melodies
Genre: Post-Rock/Shoegaze/Electronic
Label: Mute Artists Ltd.
Narrow
…
By Sowing
Saturday January 14, 2023
50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 | EP/Live/Compilation
[Label site] // [Spotify]
“It’s not unheard of, but certainly rare when a band 25 years old and eight albums deep into their career create a record that could be in contention as their best, but if there was any group who could it, it would be He Is Legend. And guess what? That’s exactly what they’ve done with Endless Hallway. Tonally, it suggests one of their most divisive efforts since Suck Out the Poison — it’s dark, heavy, sludgy, and one of their most narrative driven releases — but it has all of the finesse of their post-reunion material. Speaking of heavy, Endless Hallway may be their most brutal outing to date, oscillating between near djent riffcapades and slower, churning swamp metal throwdowns — there is no shortage of headbanging moments strewn throughout the record. However, this uptick in viciousness does little to deter Schuylar Croom from crafting some of the most memorable hooks of his career. As always, the frontman has a very distinct sense of melody, writing passages that make use of odd harmonies but are still impossibly catchy. Endless Hallway is somehow He is Legend at their peak, and I can’t see any fan of the band being disappointed with this one.” —Brandon Scott / TheSpirit
It’s hard to write about this album without letting Brandon’s words really describe it. The day Brandon left was a tough one –one that is sure…
By Sowing
Friday January 13, 2023
50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 | EP/Live/Compilation
[Bandcamp] // [Spotify]
If The Loser proved Gospel wanted to go proggier, MVDM proves they really are a prog band that just couldn’t do without infusing some mid-’90s screamo into their Yes worship. Having gone through the perilous (but succeeded) step of coming back, nothing holds the band back from showing what nerds they are — look at that goofy-ass title — a good reminder that prog was never cool. So crafting a sprawling tune whose shtick is to build tension through retrofuturistic synth and keyboards was ultimately Gospel’s ipseity — it just took them 15 years to figure out how to properly forge that version of themselves. Maybe that’s why they never showed signs of existence during that period: Gospel could only be MVDM. –Erwann S. / dedex
[Bandcamp] // [Spotify]
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but from the instant I saw the album cover for Bleed the Dream, I knew exactly what I was in for. The depiction of blood on a music box is a perfect metaphor for this EP. Aggressive music expresses an abrasively gorgeous duality; there is beauty in the breakdown. Bleed the Dream is a brutally raw and urgent collection of songs recalling early-2000s metalcore that is
…
By Sowing
Thursday January 12, 2023
50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 | EP/Live/Compilation
[Bandcamp] // [Spotify]
The overall takeaway from multiple 2020 releases was this overbearing sense of isolation. Across the globe, seclusion was imposed to alleviate a growing pandemic, and its sudden necessity caused a mass dissolution of social connections and relationships. Perhaps, as a response, 2021’s cycle had a bevy of familiar faces delivering solid, safe records, offering comfort that had previously been dismantled. Toss that all out the window — it is 2022, two years removed from when life shut down and power systems demonstrated their profound weaknesses when addressing it. Ashenspire’s purpose on Hostile Architecture is to survey the damage; their scathing social critique takes aim at calculated oppression, malignant government bodies, and the widening divide between the haves and have-nots, firing with such precision that it’s impossible to not envision burgeoning crowds stocked to the brim with pitchforks and torches aplenty. It came out of left field, but the Scots’ sophomore release was certainly something that the new decade’s omnipresent uncertainty was craving.
Given the subject matter at hand, Hostile Architecture is appropriately claustrophobic, erecting shadowy soundscapes that echo about crumbling cities, ringing in the alleyways and reverberating in shelters as frustration bubbles to a boiling point. The band’s grab-bag of influences and contributing elements that they use to portray this hauntingly real dystopia possesses incredible depth. Dissodeath and black metal forge a mesmerizing foundation, while touches of post-punk…
By Sowing
Wednesday January 11, 2023
50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 | EP/Live/Compilation
[Official site] // [Spotify]
CMAT resides in the soft, pillowy safety of a thought bubble, in the sunset hues of daydream and if-only. Hers is a particular longing, and who can blame her, for the tropes born of country denizens Dolly Parton and Glen Campbell — she wants the tall boots with spurs, the rodeos, and the heartbreak that birthed all those lovelorn Foghorn Leghorn country classics. She wants a slice of the adulation reserved only for pop megastars the ilk of Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey. She wants not to be tangled up in the humdrum of abject normality.
If My Wife New I’d Be Dead plays out like a self-exposing fantasy, a simulation as far removed from reality as possible. It’s full of biting humour aimed very much inward — album standout “No More Virgos” frames her failing relationships as being astrologically determined, denying any possibility of her own shortcomings and pithy demands. On “Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)”, a bittersweet romp on the subject of over-imbibing in the face of the absence of romance, she geo-locates herself as being very far away from Nashville indeed with a reference to the Gaelic Athletic Association: “Honky tonk girl of the G.A.A., with about the same glamour and half the game.” But ultimately, CMAT’s reality is right in front of us. There’s no character work…
By Sowing
Monday January 9, 2023
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of January 13, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: January 13, 2023 –
Ahab: The Coral Tombs
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Napalm
Ashen: Ritual of Ash
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Bitter Loss
BabyTron: Bin Reaper 3: Nеw Testament
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: N/A
Belle and Sebastian: Late Developers
Genre: Baroque Pop / Indie Rock
Label: Matador Records
Beyond the Black: Beyond the Black
Genre: Power Metal/Classical
Label: Nuclear Blast
Billy Nomates: CACTI
Genre: Folk-Punk/Post-Punk
Label: Invada
Circa Waves: Never Going Under
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock
Label: Lower Third
Cursed Excruciation: Arcane Diabolism
Genre: Black/Death Metal
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Declaime & Madlib: In The Beginning (Vol. 3)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: SomeOthaShip Connect/Fat Beats
Defy the Curse: Horrors of Human Sacrifice
Genre: Death Metal/Sludge Metal/Punk
Label: Hammerheart
Gabrielle Aplin: Phosphorescent
Genre: Folk/Pop
Label: Never Fade
Gaz Coombes: Turn The Car Around
Genre:
…
By Sowing
Friday January 6, 2023
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | 2021 | 2020
Since the turn of the decade, we’ve amassed 389 staff-selected songs for our ever-growing playlist, which equates to just under 30 hours of music. Here you can find all of our favorite songs from 2022 (for previous years, follow the links above) — from metal to indie to hip-hop to whatever obscure genre you can think of, it’s most likely represented here. We’re a proudly eclectic website, so if your aim is to broaden your musical horizons, then you’ve arrived at the perfect spot!
The playlist below encompasses all 143 songs that our staff hand-picked from the past year. Please join us on a retrospective journey through 2022: listen in order for the chronological Q1 –> Q4 experience, or shuffle the playlist for more of an even flow. Spotify’s embedded playlist only shows the first 100 songs, so be sure to launch the spotify app or web browser to listen in full. From our administration and staff to you, we hope you had a safe and wonderful holiday season. Happy listening!
By Sowing
Monday January 2, 2023
2022 :: Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4
Sputnikmusic Staff’s Q4 Playlist 2022
Welcome to our fourth installment for our 2022 quarterly playlist! 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 comments, as well as any new artists you may have discovered here — or, alternatively, tell us what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening, and stay tuned for the cumulative 2022 playlist later this week and the Community’s Top 50 LPs (and Top 10 EPs/Live Albums/Compilations) of 2022 next week!
Tracklist:
16 – “The Floor Wins”
Into Dust
The sludge metal veterans returned this year with a brand new, uncanny full length that further explores the misery, deception and sad realities of American life. Centerpiece “The Floor Wins” peeks into the ugly downward spiral of drug addiction that haunts the country right now. The scorching riffs and aggressive vocals create a suffocating atmosphere that works really well with the lyrical content. –Raul Stanciu
The 1975 – “Wintering”
Being Funny in a Foreign Language
I’m not exactly a fan of The 1975 in general for plenty of reasons that many of this music site could articulate. “Wintering” doesn’t really set itself apart from all my…
By Sowing
Thursday December 29, 2022
One of my goals in 2022 was to spend more time reading user content, which resulted in the monthly Best User Reviews lists. There is a a lot of talent hidden beneath the “official” ranks of this website, and below is a list containing many of those writers. Consider this a heartfelt thank you to everyone who put time and effort into creating worthwhile content over course of the past year. So without further ado, please join me in congratulating the below users for their efforts!
Category I: User Recognition
Tier 1: These reviewers made one appearance on the monthly “best-of” list for user reviews. We’d love to hear more from you!
anarchistfish, parksungjoon, ramon., Josh D., brendanstupik, Zig, TVC15, JayEnder, JamesW, untitled, theBoneyKing, Toad, deathofasalesman, TooManyFriends, SublimeSound, whitecastle142, brandontaylor, someone, arf, BrushedRed, AmericanFlagAsh, Valzentia, Shamus248, Batareziz, JayEnder, GiaNXGX, SitarHero, 0BSCURA, luci, SunBro, BlazinBlitzer, vult, gimo80, Toondude, nnpoc, thejoelsder, Romulus, 0range, MrToothbrush, combustion07, DePlazz, Poet, libraryofsalt, eMZ, BlackTemplarofAutism, TerraIncognita, SlothcoreSam, ChaoticVortex, nilsson, Boreque, victorhugotoffoli, pjquinones747, kaparoni, Slex, WoahHenny, johndavis33, trackbytrackreviews, Douglas, DoofDoof, MOYA, TheGreatEscaper, Invariance67, Gannoncannon, Edgehog61, LunaticSoul, JonWedge91, Maniac!, JoyfulPlaypus, Permafrost, Drbebop, shemson, GoldenGuy444, Chamberbelain, kildare, e210013, HstroX, ArsMoriendi, XfingTheSullen, counterparts24, Dizchu, frozencarl, claygurnz, pennyroyal22, davidwave4, Tundra, rabidfish, DeanBrown, daemonaria
Tier 2: Double Agents – These writers made the list twice!
PanosChris, NexCeleris, Biscuitborn, LemonBen, NicksMusicList, GarthAlgar, SandwichBubble, theBoneyKing, TheGlowingWeen, Get Low, hobblepot, YatMot, ConcubinaryCode, Purpl3Spartan, Scoot, SpiridonOrlovschi, DadKungFu, Minortimbo12
Tier 3: Triple
…
By Sowing
Monday November 28, 2022
Here’s a list of major new releases for the entire month of December 2022. These releases have been condensed into one post as, historically at least, December is a slower time for new musical releases. In the meanwhile, our staff will be working on compiling their highly anticipated “Top Albums of 2022” feature, so stay tuned to see what we anoint as the album of the year. With regards to the below releases, please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums. From our staff and userbase to you, we wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday season. We’ll see you in January!
– List of Releases: December 2, 2022 –
brakence: hypochondriac
Genre: Hip-Hop/Pop/Electronic
Label: Columbia
Celestial Season: Mysterium II
Genre: Doom/Death
Label: Burning World Records
Galcher Lustwerk: 100% Galcher
Genre: Electronic/House/Techno
Label: Ghostly International
Hammers of Misfortune: Overtaker
Genre: Power/Progressive/Heavy Metal
Label: Metal Blade
Isafjørd: Hjartastjaki
Genre: Post-Rock
Label: Svart Records
John-Allison Weiss: The Long Way
Genre: Indie-Rock/Pop-Punk
Label: Get Better
Leftfield: This Is What We Do
Genre: House/Techno/Electronic
Label: Virgin Music
Metro Boomin: Heroes & Villains
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: Republic
NOFX: Double Album
Genre: Punk/Pop-Punk/Hardcore
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
Olly Murs:…
By Sowing
Saturday November 26, 2022
As we reach the end of another incredible year of music, I’ve decided to deviate from my typical awards ceremony in favor of something a little more traditional. Maybe I’m just getting old, but the thought of constructing yet another bloated set of “categories” with GIF-hyper presentation and endless embedded videos made me feel…tired. So, in retiring that format at least temporarily (RIP Sowing’s Music Awards, 2014-2021), I present to you — plain and simple — my Top 50 Albums of 2022. I hope you find some quality releases and/or songs here that you might not have otherwise discovered. Thanks for a great year, and I hope you have a very safe and enjoyable holiday season. See you in 2023!
50-31
#50 – Sea Power: Everything Was Forever
Official Site // Review
Oscillating between power and beauty, Everything Was Forever is grandiose and thrilling at its best and still very solid/serviceable even at its perceived worst. This band was one of my favorite discoveries of 2022; just high quality indie-rock with no unnecessary frills.
#49 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Cool It Down
Bandcamp // Review
After nine years, Yeah Yeah Yeahs return just as bold and confident as ever. Cool It Down, a warm and dreamy…
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