Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 19th, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: March 19, 2021 –
A.A. Williams: Songs From Isolation
Genre: Singer Songwriter / Post Rock
Label: Bella Union
Alice Phoebe Lou: Glow
Genre: Singer Songwriter / Indie Pop Rock
Label: Independent
Bell Orchestre: House Music
Genre: Contemporary Classical / Experimental
Label: Erased Tapes
Black Honey: Written & Directed
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: The Orchard
Chad VanGaalen: World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Sub Pop
Crypts: Coven of the Dead
Genre: Death Metal
Label: This Charming Man Records
Devin Townsend: Acoustically Inclined, Live In Leeds
Genre: Singer Songwriter
Label: InsideOut Music
Depths of Hatred: Inheritance
Genre: Deathcore
Label: Prosthetic Records
Dvne: Etemen Aenka
Genre: Stoner / Sludge
Label: Metal Blade
Erra: Erra
Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: UFND
Fuath: II
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Season of Mist
Gazelle Twin & NYX: Deep England
Genre: Experimental / Drone
Label: NYX Collective…
Garas is the grumpiest contributor on Sputnikmusic and one of the nicest people on the internet. Today, he digs!
Hello, welcome to the Grumpy-Digbox, where you may experience a short and madly niche list containing some of my favourite picks from the very recent times. I’m usually more of an “album-type” instead of a “song-type”, but from time to time my obsession with certain songs breaks my limits. Chances are you might hate these songs, but I really hope at least some of you might enjoy blasting them (with me)!
[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]
Slayer – South Of Heaven
According to last.fm, thrash metal claimed the crown of being the my most listened genre at the end of February – I’m sure you can guess which one is my top listened genre otherwise. And pretty much South Of Heaven had the biggest role in this historical event. The song is not just the perfect choice of being the album’s opener, but this also the greatest Slayer song as well, I daresay. Most sinister mid tempo tunes and neck-breaking heaviness: perfection.
Craft – Again
“Awakening. World Suffering
Twisted things empathise with nothing.”
There is no better way facing daily stress than strangling it with a good amount of black metal, I’d say. Craft’s “anti-everything” philosophy is not easy to digest, but one thing is for sure: these…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 12th, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: March 12, 2021 –
Allie Crow Buckley: Moonlit and Devious
Genre: Americana/Folk
Label: Night Bloom Records
The Anchoress: The Art of Losing
Genre: Pop Rock
Label: Kscope
The Crown: Royal Destroyer
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade
DJ Muggs: Dies Occidendum
Genre: Hip Hop (Beats)
Label: Sacred Bones
Enforced: Kill Grid
Genre: Crossover Thrash
Label: Century Media
Eyehategod: A History of Nomadic Behavior
Genre: Sludge
Label: Century Media
Lovebites: Glory, Glory, To The World
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Label: JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment
Lydmor: Capacity
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: hfn
Marianas Rest: Fata Morgana
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Napalm
Nick Jonas: Spaceman
Genre: Singer songwriter
Label: Island
Nubiyan Twist: Freedom Fables
Genre: Afro-Jazz
Label: Strut
The Paper Kites: Roses
Genre: Indie Folk
Label: Wonderlick Entertainment / Sony
Rob Zombie: The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy
Genre: Industrial Rock
Label: Nuclear Blast
Saga: Symmetry
Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: earMUSIC
Secret Sphere: Lifeblood
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Frontiers
Selena Gomez: Revelación
Genre: Pop
Label: Interscope Records
Sepulcros: Vazio
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Stortregn: Impermanence
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: The Artisan Era
The Underground Youth: The Falling
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Label: Fuzz Club
Valerie June: The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers
Genre: R&B/Soul
Label: Fantasy Records
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By Sowing
Saturday March 6, 2021
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2020: Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4| 2022 | 2021
Sputnikmusic Staff’s 2020 Playlist
It’s been a long year. A long, long year. As we usher out one of the most challenging times in recent memory with the hope that 2021 will bring along better things, this playlist will serve as a time capsule of sorts. These are the sounds of 2020 – the ugly, the bewildering, and the beautiful. Compiled from all four quarters of the year (for each individual installment, see the hyperlinks in the header), this combined playlist affords you the opportunity to jam many of our staff’s favorite tracks all in one place. It’s often through the most difficult times in human history that some of the best art has emerged, and 2020 surely saw its share of amazing music. Press play and sink into this labor of love: 100+ songs born out of adversity, perseverance, and hope. I proudly present to you: the Sputnikmusic Staff’s 2020 Playlist ~
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*protip: Our list contains 107 songs but Spotify only shows 100 songs. For the remaining 7, either click the “next arrow” after the 100th track, or navigate to Q4 and jam them there!*
Ad Nauseam – Imperative Imperceptible Impulse
If Sputnikmusic’s “Album Of The Month” series has taught us anything over the course of last year it’s that not all records are created equal. Fairly, a statement like that could easily be considered hyperbolic if not for the sheer vastness which Imperative Imperceptible Impulse commands, surging out of the realms of disso-death and into the hearts of those fed a full serving of Ulcerate, Gorguts, Deathspell Omega and early 90s Demilich. Yet, Ad Nauseam’s sophomore is a beast, a behemoth of ingenuity – taking the very sequencing that made those groups named above what they are and defining their own individual take. Imperative Imperceptible Impulse crashes through the simple boundaries of what traditional music is, crafting devastating compositions with unique experimentation, something mostly credited to the band’s ‘do it yourself’ approach. It’s this meticulous design that articulates the very essence of Ad Nauseam’s central make-up.
By itself, Imperative Imperceptible Impulse is not an easy listen by any means. In fact, these tracks ‘demand’ attention, repeats and introspection. Whether it’s the tempo breaks, jarred rhythms, breakneck shifts in dissonance…there’s something to enjoy for all fans of extreme music. The unpacking of such a record comes with great reward, you just have to take a deep breath and fall in face first. – Robert Garland
SandwichBubble is one of Sputnik’s soundest denizens and a longstanding hero of the Digbox. Today, he comes to conquer!
How very conceited of me to think anyone wants to hear my lame digs, amiright? Yeah, I know, I’m well aware. But, I actually have a few reasons for wanting to do this. For one, I helped make the new logo for this series, so I feel like I have a small stake in its success. But the main reason was because I wanted to check if some of my recent Bandcamp finds were on Spotify. See, I’ve barely used my Spotify account the last 2-3 years, and I know people that prefer streaming their music, so I thought this would be a good way to introduce you all to some good tunes and finally give me a reason to use my Spotify account. Seriously though, Bandcamp is way better and all of you should be using it to find music. Anyways, strap in, because here we go:
[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]
Cold Meat – Nice Girls
You just can’t beat some good hardcore/garage punk. You just can’t, alright? I recently found this Australian band on one of my Bandcamp digging sessions and was immediately hooked by Cold Meat. Their particular brand of raw punk rock gets me going. I wouldn’t go so far as to call “Nice Girls” anarcho-punk or something, but there’s definitely some 80s influence to the…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 5, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: March 5, 2021 –
A Day To Remember: You’re Welcome
Genre: Alternative
Label: Fueled by Ramen
Alex Bleeker: Heaven On The Faultline
Genre: Country/Folk
Label: Night Bloom Records
Arab Strap: As Days Get Dark
Genre: Indie Rock/Indie Pop
Label: Rough Trade
Barbarossa: Love Here Listen
Genre: Alternative/Electronic
Label: Memphis Industries
Bernice: Eau De Bonjourno
Genre: Experimental/Pop
Label: Telephone Explosion
Chevelle: Niratias
Genre: Alt Metal
Label: Epic
Dreamshade: A Pale Blue Dot
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Horang Music
Elizabeth and the Catapult: sincerely, e
Genre: Indie Pop/Folk
Label: Compass Records
Fruit Bats: The Pet Parade
Genre: Indie Pop/Indie Rock
Label: Merge Records
Guy Blakeslee: Double Vision
Genre: Experimental/Ambient
Label: Entrance Records & Tapes
The Hyena Kill: A Disconnect
Genre: Alt Metal/Progressive
Label: APF Records
Ian Sweet: Show Me How You Disappear
Genre: Indie Rock/Lo-Fi
Label: Polyvinyl Records
Jane Weaver: Flock
Genre: Electronic/Indie Pop
Label: Fire Records
Jay Gonzalez: Back to the Hive
Genre: Power Pop
Label: Independent
Katy Shea: Sorry Ain’t Working
Genre: Country
Label: Red Stitch / Max Bourbon
Kings of Leon: When You See Yourself
Genre: Alternative
Label: RCA Records Label
Leon III: Antlers in Velvet
Genre: Psychedelic/Americana
Label: Monosonic
POSTDATA: Twin Flames
Genre: Alternative
Label: Paper Bag Records
Witherfall: Curse of Autumn
Genre: Progressive Metal/Power Metal
Label: Century Media
Wolfheart: Skull Soldiers
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Napalm Records
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Today we welcome Sputveteran Josh D. to the Digbox. Boy, can he dig!
Over to you, Josh D.. Good luck!
It’s me, the user that’s been on this site for almost half his life. And still, somehow, I can’t seem to remember any site features that really jingled my dingle. But when I saw the birth of Digbox, I thought “cool”. Every other user-posted list is for recs or current digs, so a short but more curated version in blog form is a welcome variation. Especially for me since I write a review every 4 years or so. As for the songs below, I tried to choose things that might be vaguely familiar at best to maximize the amount of unheard music for everyone. This is also the reason I chose people from different eras, surroundings, and styles. Gotta show how eclectic we are while we’re at it. And we’re off:
[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]
Susumu Yokota – “Purple Rose Minuet”
I hype this album every chance I get to obtain that cool “I love this album you’ve never heard of, check it out” cred, assuming the person likes it after listening. Symbol consists of Susumu’s electronic stylings mixed with samples of classical music, and “Purple Rose Minuet” draws in the piano from Debussy’s “Clair De Lune” to underscore the most dreamy orchestral offering from the album. It’s a blend that almost feels out of place here due…
Today we welcome dedex to the Digbox. Hello, dedex! Off you go!
Hello, welcome to the Digbox. This is a [now confirmed] blog(!) series where a person throws down a few epic jams and talks about them a little bit, or a lot. List is digs, and all that. The only rules set by local resident JohnnyoftheW**b are 1) no more than nine songs (what a random choice btw), to keep this succinct for the readergang, 2) this is primarily about songs, not albums or other things(?), and 3) at least most of the songs have to be really, really good for reasons that aren’t ironic. Cool? Cool. Digbox: begin:
[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]
Disclosure – “Watch Your Step”
The biggest mystery of 2020: where were y’all when the last Disclosure album dropped? With an, erm, impressive amount of 46 ratings, it was less hyped than some obscure metalcore album. I get that some specific genres attract many peepz here, but the lack of ass-shaking praise makes me sad. What makes it even sadder is that the average is painfully low, the record being unashamedly tackled for its “genericness”. “Watch Your Step” ain’t no generic mainstream fodder, no! It’s a dangerously infectious banger that bleeds for us all to go tear the clubs up, its catchy refrain only waiting for hundreds of voices to join in unison while dancing feet swaggily stomp the floor. Maybe y’all just weren’t…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 26, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: February 26, 2021 –
Alice Cooper: Detroit Stories
Genre: Rock
Label: Ear Music
Anneke Van Giersbergen: The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest
Genre: Indie Pop/Indie Rock/Folk
Label: Inside Out
Architects: For Those That Wish to Exist
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Epitaph Records
Black Sheep Wall: Songs For the Enamel Queen
Genre: Sludge Metal/Post Rock/Metalcore
Label: Silent Pendulum Records
Blanck Mass: In Ferneaux
Genre: Electronic/Ambient/Industrial
Label: Sacred Bones
Cloud Nothings: The Shadow I Remember
Genre: Indie Rock/Lo-Fi
Label: Carpark Records
Epica: Omega
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Evergrey: Escape of the Phoenix
Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: AFM
Helstar: Clad in Black
Genre: Heavy Metal/Thrash
Label: Massacre Records
Jetty Bones: Push Back
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Rise Records
Julien Baker: Little Oblivions
Genre: Indie Folk
Label: Matador
Karima Walker: Waking the Dreaming Body
Genre: Folk/Ambient
Label: Keeled Scales
Maximo Park: Nature Always Wins
Genre: Post Punk/Indie Pop
Label: Prolifica Inc.
Moonspell: Hermitage
Genre: Goth/Black Metal/Metal
Label: Napalm Records
Nervous Dater: Call in the Mess
Genre: Alternative/Punk
Label: Counter Intuitive Records
NOFX: Single Album
Genre: Punk
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
Sad Night Dynamite: Sad Night Dynamite
Genre: Hip Hop/Jazz/Electronic
Label: Parlophone UK
Spelljammer: Abysssal Trip
Genre: Alternative/Post Rock
Label: Riding Easy Records
Sydney Sprague: Maybe I Will See You At The End of the World
Genre: Alternative/Indie Rock
Label: Rude Records
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Hello, welcome to the Digbox. This is a [potential] blog(!) series where a person throws down a few epic jams and talks about them a little bit, or a lot. List is digs, and all that. The only rules I’m gonna set for it are 1) no more than nine songs, to keep this succinct for the readergang, 2) this is primarily about songs, not albums or other things(?), and 3) at least most of the songs have to be really, really good for reasons that aren’t ironic. Cool: Digbox: begin:
[Digbox – colourised 2021]
Spangle Call Lilli Line – “Mio”
This song is mid-key the catalyst that got me writing this to begin with. Its name is *deep breath* “Mio” (phew) and it’s one of the best and most sophisticated dream pop songs I’ve heard in a long time. I’m obsessed enough not to want to write on it any further. Ugh. Let’s start on the surface: this ultra-clean style of production is something I usually associate with overbaked bilge, but Spangle Call Lilli Line’s veteran songwriting chops, flair for killer melodies, and sensitivity to balancing sparseness and intricacy in a complex arrangement give them the footing to knock this one out of the damn ballpark. Take that, shoddy indie-lounge!
“Mio” is teeming with great melodies and instrumental nuances, but there’s never too much going on at any one time; it has the hooks…
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By Sowing
Tuesday February 9, 2021
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 12, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
A.A.Williams: Songs From Isolation (Post-Rock/Alternative Rock/Gothic)
Ad Nauseam: Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (Death/Black Metal)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: New Fragility (Indie-Pop/Rock)
Django Django: Glowing in the Dark (Indie-Pop/Psychedelic)
Emptiness: Vide (Death/Black/Doom Metal)
Fire!: Defeat (Jazz/Psychedelic)
Florida Georgia Line: Life Rolls On (Country/Pop)
God Is An Astronaut: Ghost Tapes #10 (Post-Rock/Ambient)
JPEGMAFIA: EP2! (Hip-Hop/Lo-Fi)
Love And Death: Perfectly Preserved (Nu-Metal)
Luca Brasi: Everything Is Tenuous (Punk/Emo)
The Obsessives: Monastery (Punk/Emo/Post-Punk)
Pale Waves: Who Am I? (Indie/Dream Pop)
Pentatonix: The Lucky Ones (Pop)
The Pretty Reckless: Death by Rock And Roll (Hard Rock/Grunge)
Robin Thicke: On Earth, and in Heaven (Pop/Soul/R&B)
Sia: Music (Pop)
Sirenia: Riddles, Ruins & Revelations (Gothic/Metal)
slowthai: TYRON (Hip-Hop)
Teenage Wrist: Earth Is A Black Hole (Shoegaze/Alternative Rock)
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By Sowing
Monday February 1, 2021
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 5, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
Black Country, New Road: For the First Time (Post-Rock/Experimental/Post Punk)
Cult of Luna: The Raging River (Post/Sludge/Progressive Metal)
Deiquisitor: Humanoid (Death Metal)
Eyesberg: Claustrophobia (Progressive Rock)
Foo Fighters: Medicine At Midnight (Rock/Grunge)
J. Cole: It’s a Boy (Hip-Hop)
John Carpenter: Lost Themes III: Alive After Death (Rock/Ambient/Soundtrack)
Korpiklaani: Jylhä (Folk/Metal)
Loathe (UK): The Things They Believe (Metalcore/Progressive Metal/Shoegaze)
Octo Octa: She’s Calling EP (House/Electronic)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound (Psychedelic/Stoner Rock/Grunge)
Roy Montgomery: Island of Lost Souls (Psychedelic/Drone/Post-Rock)
The Ruins of Beverast: The Thule Grimoires (Black Metal/Doom Metal/Ambient)
The Staves: Good Woman (Folk/Alt-Rock)
Transatlantic: The Absolute Universe (Progressive/Hard Rock)
The Weeknd: The Highlights (R&B/Electronic/Pop)
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By staff
Monday February 1, 2021
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After years of procrastination, deep into my 2020 lockdown, I decided to turn my love for album artwork into something concrete. Drawing off of my previous quarterly lists, I’ve spent the past year curating a compilation of the 100 most impressive and beautiful album covers of the year. The art is not ranked, but ordered through vague aesthetic similarities from color to framing to iconography. This list is not exhaustive, of course, as there were a plethora of stellar works that made it extremely hard to boil it down to just these albums. Special thanks to the user someone for his huge help in finding some of these hidden gems. Here’s to another year of beautiful artwork!
Click or tap the 10×10 grid to see the high-res image.
For a high-res image with each album listed, click or tap here. –neekafat
Black Thought // Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able
Kesha // High Road
Misery Signals // Ultraviolet
Within Destruction // Yōkai
Invent, Animate // Greyview
Zombi // 2020
The Vamps // Cherry Blossom
upsammy // It Drips
Kairon; IRSE! // Polysomn
Silverstein // A Beautiful Place To Drown
Psychonaut // Unfold the God Man
HHY & The Kampala Unit // Lithium Blast
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By staff
Saturday January 30, 2021
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Yon Interview
Paving a path out of the underground is a difficult achievement to attain. With new domains cropping up across the internet, discovering new music has become an easier task than ever before while simultaneously making the life of an artist all the more challenging; the expansion of the game has caused ‘making it’ to be a distant goal. Adding in the unfortunate circumstances of the past calendar year, the performance sector has certainly had to struggle to get their voices heard. Out of this scene emerged the triumphant debut of German collective Yon. In the midst of a typically slow January, the intrepid quintet quietly introduced their first full length — an effort five years in the making — to whatever audience was lurking around the darker corners of bandcamp. Considering how silent the first month of the year tends to be, as well as the obscure status of the group themselves, a release this powerful and professional was incredibly unexpected at such an early time. It packed emotion, grit, and musicianship into a potent 37-minute package, encapsulating the spirit of a youthful crew.
Desiring to learn more about exactly what Yon is and their mindset behind Order of Violence, I reached out to see if they’d be willing to answer a handful of questions. During a celebratory Zoom call for their latest CD, the German gents collectively responded to a series of inquiries to help paint a better picture. The following is the conversation I…
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