Weekly Releases 7.28.2023

By Sowing Wednesday July 26, 2023

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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

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

Ashtar: Wandering Through Time

Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal
Label: Eisenwald

Bear the Mammoth

Bear The Mammoth: Purple Haus

Genre: Progressive/Post Rock
Label: Art As Catharsis

Natural Disaster

Bethany Cosentino: Natural Disaster

Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Concord

BØRNS

BØRNS: Suddenly

Genre: Synthpop
Label: Beautiful Glamorous Records

The Clientele

The Clientele: I Am Not There Anymore

Genre: Indie/Dream-Pop
Label: Merge

Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen: The Loveliest Time

Genre: Synthpop
Label: School Boy/Interscope

Closure in Moscow: Soft Hell

Genre: Alt/Progressive Rock
Label: Bird’s Robe

Dexys & Dexys Midnight Runners

Dexys: The Feminine Divine

Genre: Pop/Soul
Label: 100% Records

George Clanton: Ooh I Rap Ya

Genre: Electronic/Psychedelic
Label: 100% Electronica

Euphoric

Georgia: Euphoric

Genre: Pop/Electronic/R&B
Label: Domino Record Co.

Hailey Whitters

Hailey Whitters: I’m In Love

Genre: Country/Americana
Label: Pigasus

Jessy Lanza

Jessy Lanza: Love Hallucination

Genre: R&B/Garage
Label: Hyperdub

Madeline Kenney: A New Reality Mind

Genre: Indie/Dream-Pop
Label: Carpark Records

Mutoid Man

Mutoid Man: Mutants

Genre: Stoner Rock/Sludge
Label: Sargent House

Oslo Twins: Back to Nothing

Genre: Alt/Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Fascination Street Records

Post Malone

Post Malone: Austin

Genre: R&B/Pop/Hip-Hop
Label: Mercury

Sevendust

Sevendust: Truth Killer

Genre: Nu-Metal/Hard Rock
Label: Napalm

Signs of the Swarm

Signs of the Swarm: Amongst the Low & Empty

Genre: Deathcore/Death Metal
Label: Century Media Records

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Sputnikmusic Release of the Month: June

By Sunnyvale Monday July 17, 2023

18 Comments

DreamWeaver – Blue Garden

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.

-mechamagica

Weekly Releases 7.21.2023

By Sowing Monday July 17, 2023

19 Comments

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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

Akercocke: Decades of Devil Worship (Live)

Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: Peaceville Records Ltd

Bloc Party

Bloc Party: The High Life

Genre: Indie-Rock/Post-Punk
Label: BMG

Blur

Blur: The Ballad Of Darren

Genre: Britpop/Alt-Rock
Label: Parlophone Records

Greta Van Fleet

Greta Van Fleet: Starcatcher

Genre: Rock
Label: Republic Records

Guided By Voices

Guided by Voices: Welshpool Frillies

Genre: Indie-Rock/Lo-Fi
Label: Matador Records

jennifer lopez this is me now album 2023 release

Jennifer Lopez: This is Me … Now

Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Hitco

Johnny Booth

Johnny Booth: Moments Elsewhere

Genre: Hardcore/Metalcore
Label: Booth Records

Mizmor

Mizmor: Prosaic

Genre: Doom/Black Metal
Label: Profound Lore

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Molly Tuttle: City of Gold

Genre: Indie-Rock/Folk/Country
Label: Nonesuch Records

Mort Garson

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

ODESZA & Yellow House: Flaws in Our Design

Genre: Electronic/Ambient
Label: Foreign Family Collective

Outer Heaven

Outer Heaven: Infinite Psychic Depths

Genre: Death Metal/Hardcore
Label: Relapse

Oxbow

Oxbow: Love’s Holiday

Genre: Noise Rock/Experimental/Blues
Label: Ipecac

Restraining Order: Locked In Time

Genre: Hardcore
Label: Triple B Records

Strange Ranger

Strange Ranger: Pure Music

Genre: Post Punk/Indie-Rock/Post Rock
Label: Fire Talk

Voivod

Voivod: Morgoth Tales

Genre: Thrash/Progressive Metal
Label: We Are Connected Music

Yellowcard

Yellowcard: Childhood Eyes

Genre: Pop-Punk
Label: Equal Vision Records

The Zenith Passage

The Zenith Passage: Datalysium

Genre: Progressive/Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade Records

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Weekly Releases 7.14.2023

By Dewinged Wednesday July 12, 2023

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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

The Devil’s Trade: Vidétek Vannak Ideben

Genre: Doomfolk
Label: Season of Mist

Edge of Paradise: Hologram

Genre: Symphonic Metal
Label:…

KILL or KEEP: Pinkerton

By JohnnyoftheWell Friday July 7, 2023

65 Comments

KILL or KEEP Vol.11

Weezer – Pinkerton

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…

Pinkerton (album) - Wikipedia

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…

KILL or KEEP: Kanye West – MBDTF

By JohnnyoftheWell Wednesday July 5, 2023

28 Comments

KILL or KEEP Vol.10

Kanye West – My Fantasy!

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?

Kanye West's 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' Turns 5! | 2DOPEBOYZ

Rules

The team is johnnyoftheWell, normaloctagon, Pheromone and Windowpain.

Every song must either be KILLed or KEEPed.

We played with a special rule: Every song KILLed must be accompanied by a cancellable take that Kanye himself has not yet said.

We forgot to enforce a minimum KILL threshold,…

Staff’s Q2 2023 Playlist

By Sowing Wednesday July 5, 2023

10 Comments

2020 | 2021 | 2022

2023 :: Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4

Sputnikmusic Staff’s Q2 Playlist 2023

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…

SonaVlog: A History and Appreciation of 12 Rods

By robertsona Monday July 3, 2023

53 Comments

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.

let me cook

Tags: 12 rods, if we stayed alive, indie rock, Pitchfork, robertsona, vlog

Weekly Releases 7.7.2023

By Willie Monday July 3, 2023

26 Comments

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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

Celestial North: Otherworld
Genre: Dream Pop / Shoegaze / Electronic
Label: Independent

Emma Ruth Rundle: Engine of Hell – Live
Genre: Indie Folk / Gothic / Ambient
Label: Sargent House

Fen: Monuments to Absence
Genre: Post Black Metal
Label: Prophecy Productions

Hazing Over: Tunnel Vision
Genre: Metalcore / Deathcore
Label: 1126 Records

…

Vol. 4: Let’s Get Physical – Sowing’s CD Collection

By Sowing Wednesday June 28, 2023

7 Comments

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.

Trisagion | Ethereal Shroud

(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…

Weekly Releases 6.30.2023

By Sowing Monday June 26, 2023

19 Comments

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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

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

Before the Dawn: Stormbringers

Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Gothic
Label: Napalm Records

Bdrmm

Bdrmm: I Don’t Know

Genre: Post-Punk/Indie-Rock
Label: Rock Action Records

The Body

The Body: I Shall Die Here / Earth Triumphant

Genre: Sludge Metal/Drone
Label: RVNG

Brigid Mae Power

Brigid Mae Power: Dream From The Deep Well

Genre: Folk/Country
Label: Fire

Cover art for After Angel by death's dynamic shroud

death’s dynamic shroud: After Angel

Genre: Electronic/Dream Pop
Label: 100% Electronica

death's dynamic shroud - Darklife Anthology

death’s dynamic shroud: Darklife Anthology

Genre: Electronic/Dream Pop
Label: 100% Electronica

Delacey

Delacey: The Girl Has A Dream

Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Photo Finish Records

Dwellings

Dwellings: Little Gardens

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Progressive Rock
Label: Tragic Hero Records

East Of The Wall

East of the Wall: A Neutral Second

Genre: Post/Sludge Metal
Label: Translation Loss Records

Frank Zappa …

SputStaff Top 10: Tim Hecker songs

By JohnnyoftheWell Saturday June 24, 2023

25 Comments

Revisit other SputStaff Top 10 Lists:

My Chemical Romance | The National | Say Anything | Taylor Swift | Thrice

Foreword:

Tim Hecker’s discography is a patchwork of ambient treasures, as rewarding to the deepest pursuits of one’s navel as it is deceptively tourist-friendly. As such, in honour of his latest album, No Highs, the Staff team has undertaken to give it the Treatment. Here are our picks! Patience goes a long way with Mr. Hecker, and so we have taken a generous length of time to absorb No Highs and reflect on the rest of his corpus. We hope the wait has been worth it.

Honorable Mentions:

15. The Work of Art in the Age of Cultural Overproduction

14. Live Room

13. Castrati Stack

12. Song of the Highwire Shrimper

11. Azure Azure

Sputnik Staff Top 10 Tim Hecker Songs:

(10) “Music for Tundra”

from Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again (2001)

Tim Hecker’s music feels natural and synthetic at the same time; it’s therefore no wonder that he’s been drafted mercilessly into the ranks of Forward-Thinking Electronic Artists in the early part of the 21st century, with its various temporally specific concerns about the divisions between the kinds of artistic “decisions” made by a computer program and those made by those with eyes to see cathedrals everywhere.…

Vol. 3: Let’s Get Physical – Sowing’s Band Apparel

By Sowing Saturday June 24, 2023

30 Comments

Hello again! I’m back to break up the monotony of CD artwork/packaging with my band apparel. It’s not as diverse band-wise as I remembered, and it turns out I’ve only really bothered to buy (or, at least keep) apparel merch from four bands: Yellowcard, Brand New, mewithoutYou, and Manchester Orchestra. In a way this makes sense, as they represent favorite bands of mine at different junctures within my lifetime.

Disclaimer: I did not, nor would I ever have the desire to, iron or even dry all this stuff just to make a blog post, so please excuse the massive wrinkle epidemic as well as any dog/cat hairs that appear. They know not what they do. If you missed the previous installments in this series, you can check out Vol. 1 and Vol.2 by clicking the links.

Yellowcard

Of the bands in this post, Yellowcard was my first love. Nothing makes me feel more ready for summer than sporting a shirt featuring this band’s name or logo, although sometimes I do feel a little self-conscious being a 30-something dude wearing stuff promoting a pop-punk band that peaked 20 years ago. But, as they say, you gotta do you.

Ocean Avenue era T-shirt. Can’t remember when I bought this but I’m fairly sure it was long after OA was released.

One of my favorite band shirts

…

Vol. 2: Let’s Get Physical – Sowing’s CD Collection

By Sowing Wednesday June 21, 2023

20 Comments

Hello readers of Sputnik! Those who’ve been following along are aware that I’m in the midst of a deep dive into all things physically related to music – from CDs to apparel and random memorabilia – and right now I’m here to deliver the second installment within the CD category. If you missed it, Vol. 1 can be read here.

I’ve been trying to limit this series to CDs that (A) have a great deal of personal meaning to me, (B) have particularly alluring packaging/art, or both A & B. A lot of these check both boxes, so without any additional pointless stalling, here is the next batch of CDs that I view as treasure.

(1) David Bowie – Blackstar

The CD release for the legendary David Bowie’s final album does the music, and him, justice. There’s a dark/shadowy/reflective theme and color scheme that really sells the whole “black star” concept. This is one of my all-time favorite CDs to hold in-hand as I reflect upon his legacy. It’s a thick booklet, full of mysterious images with lots of layers to the art/conceptual meaning.

The man, the myth, the legend.

Ground control to Major Tom…

Notice the reflective quality of the images and words

Look up here, I’m in heaven…I’ve got scars that can’t be seen

Sue, I pushed you down beneath the weeds…Endless

…

Weekly Releases 6.23.2023

By Dewinged Wednesday June 21, 2023

18 Comments

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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of June 23rd, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.