Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 11th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
The year is 2023 and rock ‘n’ roll is officially dead in the ground, as recently cemented by Queens of the Stone Age’s latest record In Times New Roman. Sad? Well lemme tell you, this time ten years ago many thought the same – they thought rock’s parent bands had split up prematurely, failed to split up at a dignified age, failed to move with the times, or flat-out lost its grit. Radiohead had once promised us the future: the future was Muse, Coldplay and The Killers. The future haemorrhaged its savings accounts on Chinese Democracy and The Endless River and left a creative dearth so dearth-like that we are today surviving our way through the legacies-to-be of Black Midi and The 1975 because the hacks finally have someone to talk about again.
Dad said everything would be okay as long as rock ‘n’ roll could save us. Fuck you, dad.
Back in the ’10s people thought rock had failed to find new parents. They were (dubiously, but prevailingly) wrong! Radio rock didn’t need a stepdad – it needed a dad who stepped up! The dad was Josh Homme, second only to Dave Grohl on extending gruff-pop-music-played-on-guitars’ lease on popular life, allowing us to remember and savour that ten years before that, the man was churning out classic bangers to which good, dumb, good times were (probably) had in fraternal multitudes.…
Here’s a list of noteworthy new releases for the week of August 4th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors. Or don’t, whatever. I’m not your mom.
– List of Releases: August 4th, 2023 –
An Autumn for Crippled Children – Closure Genre: Blackgaze Label: Prosthetic
Annie Hart – The Weight of a Wave Genre: Indietronica Label: Uninhabitable Mansions
Two years on from the critically acclaimed third album from Musk Ox, Inheritance, and a lot has happened in that time. Evan, the band’s violinist departed from the band this year to pursue other creative ventures, Raph has continued to tour extensively with both his solo work and Leprous, and the band’s founder and guitar player Nathan Larochette, it seems, has been very busy indeed. On 21st July Nathan released his second solo album, Old Growth – an austere dark-folk album with an incredible array of tactile moods and an underlining poignancy. I recently caught up with Nathan to discuss his new album, a slew of new content headed our way soon, live prospects, and Musk Ox’s future.
Earth and Sky was seven years ago and since then you’ve done Inheritance, so what made you want to release this album now?
It’s funny because I recorded the album in September/October of 2020, so I’ve had it for a while now and some of the older songs date back maybe ten years. It’s been a project that’s slowly come together, because the main focus was finishing the third The Night Watch album and then working on Musk Ox’s third album, Inheritance – which were these big projects that took so much effort and work. Whereas this album [Old Growth] had similar challenges, but it was a reaction to those other records; they were albums with big, long songs that made it intense, so I really wanted to…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 28th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: July 28, 2023 –
Anne-Marie: Unhealthy
Genre: Pop Label: Asylum
Aphex Twin: Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760
Genre: idm/Ambient/Techno Label: Warp Records Limited
Ashtar: Wandering Through Time
Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal Label: Eisenwald
Bear The Mammoth: Purple Haus
Genre: Progressive/Post Rock Label: Art As Catharsis
Bethany Cosentino: Natural Disaster
Genre: Indie-Pop Label: Concord
BØRNS: Suddenly
Genre: Synthpop Label: Beautiful Glamorous Records
Blue Garden is a cozy and serene little trip of a record, offering more than enough in the way of lush, textural composition and simple beauty to find its way into the heart of somebody who has no idea what “progressive breaks” is. The tender vocal songs punctuating the tracklist offer an inviting hand to me and it’s not hard to find myself enjoying the rest. It is my favorite record of June, and not just because ****** made me write this.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 21st, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: July 21, 2023 –
Agriculture: Agriculture
Genre: Black Metal Label: The Flenser
Akercocke: Decades of Devil Worship (Live)
Genre: Death/Black Metal Label: Peaceville Records Ltd
Bloc Party: The High Life
Genre: Indie-Rock/Post-Punk Label: BMG
Blur: The Ballad Of Darren
Genre: Britpop/Alt-Rock Label: Parlophone Records
Greta Van Fleet: Starcatcher
Genre: Rock Label: Republic Records
Guided by Voices: Welshpool Frillies
Genre: Indie-Rock/Lo-Fi Label: Matador Records
Jennifer Lopez: This is Me … Now
Genre: Pop/R&B Label: Hitco
Johnny Booth: Moments Elsewhere
Genre: Hardcore/Metalcore Label: Booth Records
Mizmor: Prosaic
Genre: Doom/Black Metal Label: Profound Lore
Molly Tuttle: City of Gold
Genre: Indie-Rock/Folk/Country Label: Nonesuch Records
Mort Garson: Journey to the Moon and Beyond
Genre: Ambient/Electronic/New Age Label: Emanay Music
Nathanael Larochette: Old Growth
Genre: Folk/Ambient/Classical Label: Anamnesis Arts
ODESZA & Yellow House: Flaws in Our Design
Genre: Electronic/Ambient Label: Foreign Family Collective
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 14th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: July 14, 2023 –
Aetherian: At Storm’s Edge
Genre: Melodeath Label: Lifeforce
Alaska Reid: Disenchanter
Genre: Alternative / Singer Songwriter Label: Luminelle
Calligram: Position / Momentum
Genre: Blackened Crust / Black Metal Label: Prosthetic
Cavalera Conspiracy: Bestial Devastation
Genre: Death Metal Label: Nuclear Blast
Cavalera Conspiracy: Morbid Visions
Genre: Death Metal Label: Nuclear Blast
Chamber: A Love to Kill For
Genre: Mathcore Label: Pure Noise
Cosmicdust: Sadness
Genre: Shoegaze Label: UndePanDante
Crown Magnetar: Everything Bleeds
Genre: Deathcore Label: Unique Leader
Daniel O’Sulliven: Rosarium
Genre: Chamber Pop Label: House of Mythology
Deitus: Irreversible
Genre: Black Metal / Death Metal Label: Candlelight
I had benefitted greatly from her care and yet I had always kept my heart hard to her, believing that if Weezer did make it, I would want to be free for the many superior options I imagined would be available to me.
– Rivers Cuomo on his on-off relationship with Jennifer Chiba (later Elliott Smith’s girlfriend)
No further preamble on this one (here it is): KILL or KEEP is back in full swing, and to celebrate our return with maximum hubris, we decided to sidestep our usual brief for bloated opuses in need of a butcher’s trim. Instead, we tumble headlong into one of the worst records ever made.
At a poxy 35 minutes, Weezer’s cursed flagship record Pinkerton might as well be a doe in the headlights here – can KILL or KEEP do justice to such a fragile ego death album with such, uh, vast horsepower behind it and Pheromone’s egregiously powerful foot at the wheel? What kind of justice can we do for a man like Rivers Cuomo, whose entire existence is itself above justice, logic and humanity? Let’s see…
Rules
The team is jesperL,johnnyoftheWell, and Pheromone.
Every song must either be KILLed or KEEPed.
There is no minimum KILL threshold. There was no need for a maximum KEEP threshold.
Okay.
Starting Impressions
Phero: This is a sexy album. It is an album about sex. It…
At the start of KILL or KEEP Vol.9 (Taylor Swift – Red), we promised we were getting back together.
But then, at the end of that KILL or KEEP, we broke up again.
It took some time, but an elite KILL or KEEP hitsquad eventually assembled for a champion assignment album party. It was time to do the inevitable: to look back in time, to a time before 100 gecs, before Whorecore-gate, before nu-gaze,, before retroism decided Linkin Park were good actually, and to start directly into the face of the modern music landscaping capitalism egotism vortexes. That’s right. We were to examine a record that changed the shape of commercial hip-hop and wiped its arse across the whole consenting pop landscape including, as of now the good pages of KILL or KEEP. It was a proper comeback and we took the elevator up to the top. Can we get much higher? Is he too high? Too big for his boots? If so, just you watch as we KILL him down to size.
Without further ado, I give you: Kanye West…what do you even say about the man?
Rules
The team isjohnnyoftheWell, normaloctagon, Pheromoneand Windowpain.
Every song must either be KILLed or KEEPed.
We played with a specialrule:Every song KILLed must be accompanied by a cancellable take that Kanye himself has not yet said.
Welcome to the second 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:
Alfa Mist – “BC” Variables
If you’re a sucker for tricksy, stuttering drumwork, “BC” will have a firm hold on your nether regions from the jump. If you need to be wined and dined first, well, stick around for seven minutes worth of wild soloing and nimble comping before that final reprisal of the starting motif makes you want to spark a cigarette and stare at the ceiling, fully-satisfied and maybe just a little hungry. Go ahead and eat — you’ll need the energy. Those sheets aren’t gonna change themselves. –Milo
Allie Kelly – “Gunshy” GUNSHY
Like Big Thief, Allie Kelly cognizes the value of a touch of the insolite among pop structures; like Sheryl Crow, she wants her guitars to shimmer like the sun; like both, she’s capable of knocking it out of the park — 2022’s excellent Menthol with Thumpasaurus…
uhhhhhhh I made this half hour video where I talk into the camera about the Minneapolis indie rock band 12 Rods, who are releasing a NEW ALBUM, their FIRST in TWENTY-ONE YEARS, called IF WE STAYED ALIVE, this Friday!
the formatting is off, particularly in the literal like first minute of the video. I edited this on a laptop whose trackpad doesn’t work using an internet browser video editor. I used the touchscreen it’s a chromebook.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 7th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: July 7th, 2023 –
12 Rods: If We Stayed Alive
Genre: Indie Rock / Shoegaze Label: Rough Trade
Alice Phoebe Lou: Shelter
Genre: Indie Pop / Art Pop Label: Independent
A Life Divided: Down The Spiral of Soul
Genre: Industrial Rock Label: AFM Records
Amaara: Child of Venus
Genre: Dream Pop / Pop / R&B Label: Lady Moon Records Records
Anohni: My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
Genre: Indie Pop / Electronic Label: Downtown Music
Blackbraid: Blackbraid II
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Label: Independent
Blackscape: Suffocated By the Sun
Genre: Power Metal Label: Nuclear Blast
Welcome back! Those who have been following along know that I’ve already covered CDs on two other installments (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) and apparel in the most recent publication (Vol. 3). I’m back with some more CDs that I hope you will find interesting/alluring; let me know what you think in the comments, and as always, feel free to share pictures of your own collections. Thanks for reading!
(1) The Republic of Wolves – Shrine
Aside from being one of my favorite bands, The Republic of Wolves are also a group that I feel a sense of closeness to. I’ve been reviewing their material since their 2009 debut EP when they were virtually unknown, and have conversed on a semi-regular basis with both their lead singer and drummer. They always have the coolest themes and artwork, and the above captures their essence: mysterious & ominous, yet full of purpose.
While the cover art shows people marching and wielding torches, the CD shows a building burning to ruins.
Signed by every member of the band; this is definitely a favorite keepsake.
(2) Ethereal Shroud – Trisagion
Another artist that I feel a sense of connection to. Ethereal Shroud is fronted by a fellow Sputnikmusic member, and his most recent 2021 LP, Trisagion, earned him critical accolades from several different publications. It’s…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of June 30th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: June 30, 2023 –
Anberlin: Convinced
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Alt-Rock Label: Equal Vision Records
Angelo De Augustine: Toil And Trouble
Genre: Indie-Folk/Lo-Fi Label: Asthmatic Kitty
Before the Dawn: Stormbringers
Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Gothic Label: Napalm Records
Bdrmm: I Don’t Know
Genre: Post-Punk/Indie-Rock Label: Rock Action Records
The Body: I Shall Die Here / Earth Triumphant
Genre: Sludge Metal/Drone Label: RVNG
Brigid Mae Power: Dream From The Deep Well
Genre: Folk/Country Label: Fire
death’s dynamic shroud: After Angel
Genre: Electronic/Dream Pop Label: 100% Electronica
death’s dynamic shroud: Darklife Anthology
Genre: Electronic/Dream Pop Label: 100% Electronica
Delacey: The Girl Has A Dream
Genre: Pop/R&B Label: Photo Finish Records
Dwellings: Little Gardens
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Progressive Rock Label: Tragic Hero Records
East of the Wall: A Neutral Second
Genre: Post/Sludge Metal Label: Translation Loss Records
…
