Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 25th of 2022. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: February 25th, 2022 –
Abraham: Débris De Mondes Perdus
Genre: Post Metal, Progressive, Sludge Label: Pelagic Records
Allegaeon: Damnum
Genre: Melodic Death Metal Label: Metal Blade Records
Avril Lavigne: Love Sux
Genre: Pop Punk Label: Warner
Bad Omens: The Death of Peace of Mind
Genre: Rock, Metalcore Label: Sumerian Records
BAMBARA: Love on My Mind
Genre: Alternative, Pop, Noise Label: WHARF CAT RECORDS
Basia Bulat: The Garden
Genre: Alternative, Folk Label: Secret City Records Inc
Blood Incantation: Timewave Zero
Genre: Ambient (This Release) Label: Century Media
I caught up with Scott Krasman to discuss his ambient project Kannatama, and his debut LP “Hell Debris”.
You’ve been involved in a number of projects, from Dropped Flyer (Trip Hop) and Consumer Death Proposal (Hardcore/Thrash) now to Kannatama (Ambient). What is it like moving between genres with such widely varying aesthetics, and what ultimately led you to your most current project, Kannatama? Do you see one genre as more “you”, are you still searching for your preferred style, or are you just a musician who enjoys dabbling in as many musical landscapes as possible?
I’ve been officially making music since 2011, when Dropped Flyer grew from the influences of DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing. Those EPs were largely created using Audacity and some simple reversing/editing techniques – looking back now, a lot of it comes off as unpolished but ambitious. Some of the tracks on Lowlife are a glimpse into what Kannatama eventually became, especially the opening…
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Big Thief are a nu-hipster indie band from Brooklyn. They make mostly folk musics that many people enjoy but no-one really gets. If you get it, you’re out: house rules. As part of the Big Thief tradition of doing oblique things with tangential glimmers of Meaning that deepen more mystique than they open windows, the band have released a twenty-track single album entitled Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. Everyone including you is already talking about it. Everyone has wildly different song rankings and all of them are fucking wrong.
We at KILL or KEEP HQ wondered whether there was something #deeper to explore, and so we assembled with a big question mark. We are ianb, JesperL, johnnyoftheWell, Pheromone and Sinternet. We hope you have fun.
Rules
Every song must either be KILLed or KEEPed.
If a contestant fails to KILL at least four songs, they will themselves be KILLed!
Special rule: Who Is The Big Thief?
If a contestant KILLs a song, they must accuse a celebrity of being the big thief.
If they KEEP a song, they are the big thief. They must reveal what they stole, and from whom.
First Impressions
Ian: so is this an album i can commit mass larceny to or no? because i set fire to 17 orphanages in the rural American south in preparation for…
Earlier this week and much of last week I had the opportunity to do something I’ve not done before (yay!). I reviewed Skin Tension’s latest…um, full length, which has a pretty daunting runtime of twenty-seven hours. You can read the review here. On the back of that I caught up with half of the duo responsible, (which naturally got me the whole lineup) to chat about the new album, the band’s influences and what’s next.
Hi guys, thanks for putting up with me this weird and wonderful afternoon, or is it a balmy breakfast time in Nashville?
Josh: Totally, kind of chilly here.
Cool. Cool. More to the point…who are you and what are your roles in Skin Tension?
Josh: I’m Josh Byrd, I play drums Edward: I’m Edward Longo, I do guitar, vox, and keys. Josh: Sometimes all three at once, no joke
Right. To the elephant in the room then. Or something just as big. Why an album with a runtime of 27 hours?
Josh: It’s a bit of a long story, fitting I guess.
We’ve got the time.
I bought a cheap mixer in September of 2020 to try out some no-input mixing and solo noise stuff, just for fun. I started recording it as an archival sort of thing at first, and after one month, I had about 30 hours of noise recorded. Around this…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 18th of 2022. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: February 18th, 2022 –
And So I Watch You From Afar: Jettison
Genre: Post Rock Label: Velocity records
Annihilator: Metal II
Genre: Thrash Metal Label: earMUSIC
Beach House: Once Twice Melody
Genre: Dream Pop Label: Bella Union
Big K.R.I.T.: Digital Roses Don’t Die
Genre: Hip Hop Label: Multi Alumni / BMG
The Birthday Massacre: Fascination
Genre: Alt Rock / Goth Label: Metropolis
Bloodywood: Rakshak
Genre: Rap metal / Folk Label: Self released
The Body & OAA: Enemy of Love
Genre: Devotional Label: Thrill Jockey
Broods: Space Island
Genre: Indie Pop Label: Island Records
Buñuel: Killers Like Us
Genre: Post Punk / Avant Garde Label: Profound Lore
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?).
Hello and welcome back to our ongoing sexification of Staff past and present and hopefully present-and-future by way of deep-diving casual-reading power-lifting interview posi-sharking antics: Sputnik’s very own Meet the Spartans. Steel yourself as impossible questions are posed and the Staffers you wish you’d had the courage or attention span to acknowledge surpass your wildest expectations.
Hide your kimonos and prepare your most shrewd takes, for today we vie for forum dominance with a veritable king of typed discourse, a reformed metalhead, and a bloody cheeky wee jokester to boot: JohnnyoftheWell!
*quickly dons Joe Pesci voice imitation* Hey cutie. How does it feel, huh? Not so easy on the other side of the Google Doc, is it?
Who gave you this number I must relieve myself immediately hello.
Staff Wars is your baby yes and a chance to get to know your fellow co-conspirators and staff writers, but are there any particular colleagues you’d fear would turn this interview back on its maker? Why?
I wouldn’t call this my baby! I was all for anyone else on Staff stepping in, similarly to what we’re seeing with Sowing’s freshly founded singles blog series. Needless to say, no-one (apart from you!) wanted to, and here we are.
If you mean having the interview declined outright, then I had a hunch that Rowan would step further into the Mr. Robot brief and get camera-shy. This technically proved half-correct; he passed it up due to Covid last I asked, but…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 11th of 2022. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: February 11th, 2022 –
Alt-J: The Dream
Genre: Indie Rock Label: Atlantic Records
Amorphis: Halo
Genre: Melodic Metal, Doom Label: Atomic Fire
Arð: Take Up My Bones
Genre: Doom Metal Label: Prophecy Productions
Author and Punisher: Krüller
Genre: Electronic, Doom Metal Label: Relapse Records
Beaumont: Cookies
Genre: Lo-fi Hip Hop, Jazz Label: Vinyl Digital
Big Thief: Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Genre: Alternative Rock Label: 4AD
Cult of Luna: The Long Road North
Genre: Post Metal Label: Metal Blade Records
Dan Andriano & The Bygones: Dear Darkness
Genre: Singer/Songwriter Label: Epitaph Records
Dead American: New Nostalgia
Genre: Rock Label: Velocity Records
The Delines: The Sea Drift
Genre: Country, Soul, Rock Label: Decor Records
Eddie Vedder: Earthling
Genre: Rock Label: Republic
Empath: Visitor
Genre: Croc Rock Label: Fat Possum Records
Fort Romeau: Beings of Light
Genre: Ambient, Electronica Label: Ghostly International
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…
It was only through watching the bland music video to Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new single, “Black Summer”, that I remembered John Frusciante had rejoined the band (again). The results are pretty evident of this reformation as well, because let’s be honest here – the band haven’t written a great song with Frusciante behind the wheel since By the Way. I know, I know, I’m probably sounding a little harsh here, but know that I don’t facetiously parade my sentiment around with no meaning behind it. It might sound like a knee-jerk reaction, but the thing is, when I realised John had returned (again), all of those emotions from Josh Klinghoffer’s firing came flooding back. The thing is, I wouldn’t even say that I’m a fan of the band – I really enjoy some of their albums, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to put one of them on – however, I can affirm one thing with certainty: The Getaway was the best thing the band had done since By the Way, and that was with the help of Josh. Yeah, I’m With You sucks, but I put that down to Josh getting a feel for his surroundings before easing himself into the writing process.
So, it goes without saying that I was a little disappointed Josh had been ripped from the band at a pivotal point in his tenure, as we could have potentially seen an incline in untapped potential within the band post The Getaway,…
Hello and welcome back to KILL or KEEP. It has been a while since we partied – sorry! What you’re about to read put a solid four-month roadblock in our way, for reasons that will make sense shortly. It was what the squares and the stooges call a really stupid idea; we at KILL or KEEP HQ do not typically pay this kind of bogwash any mind, but this time around we were victims of our own bravery. Such has always been our fate. Dare you share it? We believe that the following conversation(s) have significant artistic and that you should read them. Please also enjoy them.
The story of our long story is a short one: on a snivellous November day, JesperL (TMZ: late night) and johnnyoftheWell (TMZ: earlyish morning)were laughing about an obscure Japanese indietronica megalodon uncovered on RYM. The album was none other than Heavenly Punk Adagio by Tavito Nanao, a man who begets no introduction because we still know shit all about him.
The genre tags read Indietronica, Singer/Songwriter, Art Pop, Dream Pop, Psychedelic Pop, IDM, Neo-Psychedelia.
The runtime is 153 minutes over 35 tracks.
It isn’t in the Sputnik database and likely never will be.
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…
Hello and welcome back to our ongoing sexification of Staff past and present and hopefully present-and-future by way of deep-diving casual-reading power-lifting interview posi-sharking antics: Sputnik’s very own Meet the Spartans. Steel yourself as impossible questions are posed and the Staffers you wish you’d had the courage or attention span to acknowledge surpass your wildest expectations.
Today we speak to an old hand, a hand so seasoned and so shrewd that I was frankly at a loss as to where to start with him. How do you attempt to grill an entity for whom your imagination can conceive neither beginning nor end. It’s like interviewing God, but not – for he is no God, just a chill dude who, in his time, has written more reviews than you will ever read and deleted more than you will ever write. His presence still casts a long shadow over the site as we know it today, and so please give a hero’s welcome to: mynameischan!
Channing Freeman. Settle, baby. What’s up, how are you?
Pretty good, thanks for asking. Going through some health issues that are yet to be diagnosed, but we’re getting there.
Yikes, hope that worked out okay! How was your Christmas?
Very quiet and uneventful. We sold our condo and bought a house this year, so presents were light given the amount of money that we’ve been putting into the new property.
What’s the best-received present you’ve ever given?
You’re probably talking about Christmas, but I indulged in the cliche…
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 –…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 4th of 2022. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: February 4th, 2022 –
A Place To Bury Strangers: See Through You
Genre: Noise Rock / Post Punk Label: Dedstrange
Abysmal Dawn: Nightmare Frontier [EP]
Genre: Black Metal / Death metal Label: Season of Mist
Abhoria: Abhoria
Genre: Black Metal / Death metal Label: Prosthetic
Animal Collective: Time Skiffs
Genre: Experimental Pop Label: Domino Recording Co.
