I caught up with Parthan Shiv (SitarHero) about what makes good prog, Top Gun, and the impact of COVID-19.
Telescopium is a pretty interesting band name. Before I researched it and discovered that it is the name for a constellation, I thought it had something to do with telescopes (insert facepalm emoji). How did you come up with that name, and does it mean anything to you beyond providing a sweet moniker for your music?
Ha! We like to joke about how we can tell a whole lot about someone from what they take away from the name; whether it’s the “telescope” part (insert nerdy emoji), or the “opium” part (insert stoner emoji), or whether it’s just confusion at a bloody silly moniker that’s hard to spell and even harder to remember (confusion emoji?).
I caught up with Josh D. of Spieglass to discuss his intimidating discography, his intent as an artist, and the Sputnik community.
You are the sole member of Spieglass, a post-rock/metal project. What have you found to be the pros and cons of being a solo musician? Would you ever aspire to be in a band (or to add other musicians to your project) if the opportunity presented itself?
Of course the best thing about solo work is complete autonomy. The only thing I feel like I’m missing most days is a pro-level mixer/producer. I would love to work with other people, although maybe under a different project/name. That way Spieglass is something I can have as my own, sort of like how Toby Driver has his distinct projects and solo material. I don’t think I’ve actually played…
Hello, and welcome to the second installment in a series of articles observing all things related to the musical past. If you have a suggestion for something you want to see covered in this series, feel free to drop it here.
Video games were always a fun part of my childhood. I remember when I got my first console (the original Nintendo NES) for Christmas sometime in the early 90s, and it was easily one of my favorite presents that I ever received. My family was by no small exaggeration poor, so even as a six year old I knew to temper my expectations when it came to what Santa could fit inside of his bag. Needless to say, the fact that I actually got one blew my mind at the time. Some of my favorite games were Super Mario (1-3), Donkey Kong, and Crystalis (think pre-Zelda for a quick reference to the overall gameplay).
At that age I didn’t think about the music behind the games; it was sort of just there. Now, that classic 8-bit sound is the fastest portal that I can find back to my childhood. It’s a funny feeling listening to songs I have not heard in 25+ years and still knowing them like the back of my hand. Because of the hundreds of hours I spent playing these games, they’re ingrained in my mind, and the music is like a key that unlocks doors to memories I didn’t even know…
Are you a member of Sputnik? Are you also a musician? Drop a message here for a chance to get your name out there to the community!
BACKGROUND
Artist Bio: Black/doom metal from the UK formed in 2013 by Joseph Hawker whom handles all the instrumentation, songwriting, performances, artwork and production (unless otherwise stated!). No live shows. Anti-fascist and angry at the world.
I caught up with Joseph Hawker about his sudden ascent to relevance, the emotional impetus behind his music, and his future as an artist.
In December 2021, your album Trisagion received quite a bit of attention. Not only did it receive a glowing review from our own Kyle Ward, but it also placed #24 on the Staff’s 2021 Top 50 Albums of the Year. In addition to recognition on Sputnik, Trisagion received high praise from many other publications, graced the front page of Rate Your Music, and was even a featured download on iTunes’ metal page. How does it feel to suddenly receive this kind of recognition?
It was honestly very bewildering. ‘Trisagion’ was a record I held onto for a very long time and I felt it could have gone two ways –…
While Shinedown’s post-Sound of Madness career has been anything but consistent, they’ve still managed to outlast most of their grunge/rock peers thanks to Brent Smith, who is easily one of the most talented vocalists in the mainstream sector of those genres. His ability to transition from raw, gritty barks to soaring melodic choruses is something special, and for the majority of Shinedown’s existence, it has allowed listeners to overlook some of the band’s other glaring deficiencies.
A lot of folks will be bothered by ‘Planet Zero’s apparently right-winged lyrical content, but the truth is that political affiliation alone doesn’t make a song bad or good. Revealing your political affiliation like a series of low-end YouTube comments, on the other hand, does: [I think we’ve reached the ceiling / They’re canceling your feelings], [Shut the door, say a prayer, kill the lights / Bite your tongue ’cause it might save your life], [Better pray that you’re not erased…On your knees or you’ll be replaced]. It doesn’t take long to realize that they’re criticizing cancel culture, and to be more accurate, beating you over the head with it. You can be for or against these lyrics — that’s your prerogative — but a less meme-worthy set of verses would have gone a long way in establishing ‘Planet Zero’s concept as possessing enough depth to actually convince someone on the other side of the aisle to pay attention. Instead, this just plays out like a poorly thought-out Facebook…
Are you a member of Sputnik? Are you also a musician? Drop a message here for a chance to get your name out there to the community!
BACKGROUND
Artist Bio: Domestic Terminal is an indie rock band from Lake Forest, Illinois.
Genres: Indie-Rock, Emo, Alternative Rock
Band Lineup: Tim Hotchkiss: guitars, backing vocals / Jack Mancuso: lead vocals, additional guitars / Kyle Waggoner: bass, keys, backing vocals / Matt Ackman: drums
I caught up with Jack Mancuso and his fellow bandmates to discuss their debut album, their aspirations, and this little corner of the internet we call Sputnikmusic.
Tell us a little bit about the band — what’s the vibe like? Is it chill and laid back, or serious and meditative? Was there a lot of pressure to fashion a representative debut out of I Could See Midnight Sky, or was it treated as more of a sampler plate for ideas to see what worked out the best?
MATT: Out of all the bands I’ve been in, I’ve felt the least amount of pressure in this one. The meditative part of me comes out in the lyrics…
Hello, and welcome to the first installment in a series of articles observing all things related to the musical past. If you have a suggestion for something you want to see covered in this series, feel free to drop it here.
–Clears throat obnoxiously, unwraps hard candy, and pushes glasses up from tip of nose —
I grew up a 90s kid, which means that most of my music-consuming life has been centered around the compact disc (CD). It’s strange for me to think that there are full grown adults today who have never owned one, but with streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Prime Music offering a nearly endless selection of songs – along with the emergence of numerous high quality digital file types – I can’t really claim that they’re missing out on much. In fact, listening to music is arguably easier and a better experience than it was at any other point in history. Technology has put the world at our fingertips, and that world includes a lot of music.
However, the experience of listening to music is wildly different than it used to be. In 2005, I remember waking up on a Tuesday (which is when new albums used to be released, particularly in the United States) and rushing out to buy Thrice’s Vheissu. I didn’t have my own car,so I had to bum a ride off my friend who was eager to…
Ah, Avril Lavigne – everyone’s favorite 2000s pop-punk star! Oh wait, it’s 2022? Well, you’d be forgiven for mixing up your decades, because Avril is once again revealing her pop-punk side in an ode-to-Green Day that all but cements just how much the world has actually passed her by.
Oh well, the world is overrated. Even though I (allegedly) enjoy music that is actually good from time to time, I still find it fun to indulge in very basic pop/pop-punk. It takes me back to a simpler time when bands like Yellowcard, Simple Plan, and Sum 41 were dominating MTV. In that sense, ‘Bite Me’ is a nice little nostalgia trip – it’s got punchy upbeat verses and a chorus so memorable that you’d think it was written by The Gaslight Anthem. It’s not a shining beacon of originality, but it’s got enough going on to be enjoyable – especially Travis Barker’s contributions on the drums.
Vocally, Avril pretty much continues doing her thing. She’s always possessed a good blend of melody and attitude, making her an ideal fit for these sort of quasi-rebellious anthems. For as much as I doubt that any true music aficionado takes Lavigne’s songwriting seriously — a prospect made all the more difficult by lines like “forever and ever, you’re gonna wish I was your wifey” — there’s still no shame in bobbing your head or tapping your feet to this. It’s shallow, face-value…
Muse’s career has been a tale of two halves. From 1999’s Showbiz to 2006’s Black Holes & Revelations – a stretch that also included their best LPs in Origin of Symmetry and Absolution – the band was virtually unstoppable. They were one of the most technically skilled mainstream rock acts in the entire world, but they also demonstrated an uncanny knack for quality songwriting and memorable hooks. That formula made them irresistible to fans of guitar-driven alternative music, and they were able to garner even more widespread appeal thanks to their politically-driven lyrics, a Queen-like flair for the dramatic, and an ever-increasing commercial footprint.
Unfortunately, 2009’s The Resistance came along and things quickly fell apart. The album was a haphazard blend of new, poppier pursuits and attempts to pacify their original fanbase with half-baked riffs and watered down versions of previous hits. Some would argue that their target audience merely shifted, but in aiming for a more streamlined and profitable sound, they lost too much of their core appeal. In short, they chased the rabbit too far, and then continued for another decade after that: The 2nd Law was just as uneven of an experience, Drones – while marking a sincere attempt to return to their roots (‘Reapers’ and ‘The Handler’ are more than worthwhile) – still had two laughably bad songs for every tolerable one, and Simulation Theory – co-produced by Timbaland – finally pushed Muse to the…
While progressive sludge metal might be a rather sparsely-inhabited sub-sub-genre, Dvne have assuredly claimed their kingship over its fertile lands with Etemen Ænka. Standing tall as an epic journey built upon the stones of crushing virtuosity and wizard-level songwriting festooned in ribbons of grandiose, this Edinburgh quintet have procured an especially astute amalgamation of poise and power with their sophomore LP.
Compared to their 2017 debut longplayer Asheran, the whole affair is noticeably tighter as it follows the story of a civilization’s journey through the centuries. The ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ production job helps these matters by offering a wide breadth for the myriad layers to breathe, and moreover, work in harmonious fashion to maximize the emotive gestures and unbelievably devastating heavy sections (think Cult of Luna’s Salvation here). There are parts, like the epic peak of “Sì-XIV”, that hit so fantastically hard you’d swear you can feel the tectonic plates below the soil shift to the movement of the riffs. It’s all very dynamic, with every player sounding loose and totally electrified as they tap into the very tactile power of the music they’re conjuring. Truly cohesive and utterly gripping through its entire runtime, this is prog for the peasantry and sludge for the sommeliers. –Evok
Here and Now sees Gates return with their first new music since 2016. Frankly, it’s like they never left, with the EP’s six songs residing firmly in the band’s sweet spot, ensconced in the lush middle of the triangle of post-rock, emo, and indie rock. It’s all good, although the staunchly post-rockian (that’s a word) intro “Out Of Nothing” and the melodious anthem “We Are” stand above the rest. If Here and Now doesn’t quite reach the quality level of the group’s two full-lengths, that’s quite OK. Hearing something new from these New Jersey boys is always a treat, especially given the long drought between releases. –Sunnyvale
Hello and welcome to 2021’s most satisfying “redemption arc” — in quotation marks because I don’t think any teen star with approximately zero creative control over her past output requires any ‘redemption’ whatsoever. Nonetheless, Rebecca Black Was Here managed to divert some of the attention Rebecca Black still gets from the 2011 single “Friday” to some genuinely good music. The new 20-minute project fully and successfully embraces PC music aesthetics, featuring metallic production and hooks for days. Black’s vocal performance suits the stylistic choices brilliantly, detailing unremarkable but well-written tales of maturity, love, and drama. The
Leave it to JPEGMAFIA to create hip-hop that’s equal parts abrasive, experimental, and just plain bold. I guess it comes as no surprise when looking at his list of influences, which includes artists as stylistically disparate as Kanye West, Bjork, MF DOOM, and even Hanson. However, LP! might just be the best record of his career thus far: the balance between accessibility and risk-taking is at its strongest here, leading to a record that never stays in one place — musically or emotionally — for too long. “Hazardous Duty Pay!” and “Tired, Nervous & Broke!” bring out the aggro side of JPEG perfectly and manage to be two of the biggest bangers he’s ever put out, but it’s impressive that he’s able to juxtapose these songs so well with more tender, melancholic moments. You’ve got the gospel-inspired “What Kinda Rappin’ is This?”, the low-key vibes of “Thot’s Prayer!”, and even a goddamn Animals as Leaders sample on “End Credits!”. Moreover, LP! can be seen as JPEG’s “fuck you” to the hip-hop industry, which is even more apparent on the ‘(Offline)’ version, which he considers “the true LP!“. LP! largely acts as a commentary on exploitation and favoritism, as well as JPEG’s disillusion with an industry that “never had my best interest at heart.” Really, it’s no wonder that he wanted to go all-out with LP!, and thankfully, he did. –Brendan Schroer
Although Lord Huron have been of note in indie folk circles for a while, the group’s fourth LP Long Lost really sees them come into their own. While still treading indie folk/Americana waters, here the band have moved into a much more lush sonic direction (think Honey Harper with a tinge of Ruston Kelly), while also leaning into classic country influences. While the country aspects of this record can feel like pastiche, they work, especially as it’s pretty clear that Lord Huron mastermind Ben Schneider is self-aware enough to understand he’s not Waylon Jennings. For listeners who, like most of my music-loving friends and I, are enthralled by forlorn old songs drenched in bourbon and steel guitar, this album is a godsend. Before the sunset haze of a lengthy ambient drone closer brings us home, Long Lost leaves us with the repeated mantra, “What does it mean if it all means nothing?” — a line that ultimately isn’t just a reflection on familiar tropes of long lost love and hard-drinking wandering songsmiths. More than anything, it’s a reminder that simple words can capture elusive and quite deep concepts. Now that’s a true country music tradition! –Sunnyvale
One hundred and thirty nine songs. Eleven hours. That’s what we’ve poured into our collective playlist this year, as we continue compiling what will hopefully be an infinitely growing resource for registered users and general readership alike. All songs have been hand-selected by individual members of our staff, and the final product represents a melting pot of musical tastes covering a diverse range of genres. No matter your personal preferences, there should be more than something for everyone. Who knows, you might even find yourself dabbling in genres that you’ve never considered approaching before! That’s part of the magic of this place. We’re unpaid, unbought music critics who play for the love of the game.
Everything you’ll hear below meant something to us at one time, and every word you’ll read in the blurbs (see our quarterly installments, linked above) was a labor of pure passion. As we put a lid on 2021 and look ahead to 2022, we hope you’ll join us in revisiting some of our favorite tunes from this year. Feel free to shuffle the below tracks for more of an even-flowing experience, or play it in order for a chronological/retrospective journey through 2021.
Protip: Spotify’s embedded playlist only shows the first 100 songs of our expansive 139 song collection. To hear…
Welcome to the fourth and final installment of our 2021 quarterly playlist! It’s been another quarter of quality music, and we look forward to sharing some of our personal favorites with you. Please play or shuffle the Spotify list at your leisure. Our staff writers have also taken a few minutes to jot down some thoughts on each track. We hope you enjoy it, and feel free to share additional music worth checking out in the comments!
To view the historical content of these playlists, visit the bottom of this page.
Tracklist:
1914 – “FN .380 ACP#19074”
1914 is not your average blackened death metal band; these guys have done an amazing job in researching their material, and that shows in their lyrics. “FN .380 ACP#19074” is a song about the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, and the symphonic elements, that may bring to your mind Septicflesh, fit the atmosphere of the song perfectly. — manosg
Aesop Rock x Blockhead – “That is Not a Wizard”
“Could you please share some more Aesop Rock quotes with us all?” asked nobody.
![FN .380 ACP#19074 [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1OmVD311fL._SS500_.jpg)
![That is Not a Wizard [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91tlCNXTInL._SS500_.jpg)
