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…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of January 21st of 2022. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: January 21st, 2022 –
40 Watt Sun: Perfect Light
Genre: Slowcore / Doom / Post Rock Label: Cappio Records
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…
Once again, out of sheer obsession and love for visual art, I have compiled my 100 favorite album covers of the year. Keep in mind that this list is not ranked in any way, instead ordered left to right by aesthetics, imagery, and framing, with an emphasis on color this year. There is so much great album artwork that was left on the cutting room floor, and I’m sure there is an even greater number of albums that I didn’t happen to catch. 100 seems like a lot until you have to start cutting it down! I hope you enjoy these covers as much as I do!
Click or tap the 10×10 grid to see 2021’s high-res image. To see 2020’s featurette, click or tap here. –neekafat
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
Here’s a list of major new releases from the week of January 14th of 2022. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases from January 14th, 2022 –
Aethereus: Leiden
Genre: Technical Death Metal Label: The Artisan Era
Anna von Hausswolff: Live at Montreux Jazz Festival
Genre: Classical, Experimental Label: Southern Lord Records
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
When you look at industrial as a genre, I don’t think it has an equal in terms of just how broad, vague and elusive it can be. On the one hand, the sounds pertaining to industrial are tangible, distinct, and inimitable; on the other hand, the genre has fragmented and infected so many other styles of music over the years, it gets to the point now where you wonder what prerequisites are required to even make an “authentic” industrial record anymore – if there is such a thing. I recently gave Skinny Puppy’s magnum opus Last Rights a spin; the jam had such a lasting felicity, it made me want to go through some of my favourite industrial albums again. After all, as some of you may well know, the genre is somewhat of a staple of mine, albeit one I tend to overlook these days – which is a shame, because in recent years, incidental or otherwise, industrial has been getting a resurgence that’s creeping back into the stratosphere (mainstream or otherwise) again. Bands and artists from all walks of life are implementing industrial’s cold, sterile drum snaps and dystopian electronic backdrops into their own styles of music – styles of music as far-reaching as pop, or the deepest crevasses of metal’s underbelly. So, if you’re new to this genre and you want some of my essential recommendations (for whatever they’re worth), grab a coffee and dive into the disparate world of industrial with the Doctor.…
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 embrace the softest boi of all the bois. He is wonderful, we all love him, and I am now going to think deep thoughts about hugging him instead of beefcaking up an uncomely introduction. Pleae make some candid noises of appreciation for…BlushfulHippocrene!
Hello!
Salam.
Who are you, and why does your name begin with Blushful?
My username, BlushfulHippocrene, is a Keats reference (from ‘Ode to a Nightingale’: ‘O for a beaker full of the warm South, / Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene’). Pretty embarrassing, but aptly so I guess. I don’t remember what my thinking was; but I’d been studying Keats in high school literature, I probably thought the phrase was interesting, I forgot the p/w to my old account, I was dying of boredom in Pakistan, and I wanted to 5.0 a Bon Iver album. Hence, the first thing I could come up with: BlushfulHippocrene. I’m glad people started calling me Blush; I wince when I have to read the full thing.
You’re one of the most floaty huggable chillpeople on the interspace. I love this, but I also love bursting balloons: what’s something unexpected that makes you lose your cool,…
Here’s a list of major new releases from January 1st to January 13th of 2022. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: From January 1st to January 13th, 2022 –
Apes: Lullabies For Eternal Sleep [EP]
Genre: Black Metal / Grindcore Label: Self released
Dark Millennium: Acid River
Genre: Death Metal / Doom Label: Schoolkids Records
Deaf Club: Productive Disruption
Genre: Powerviolence / Post Hardcore Label: Three One G
death’s dynamic shroud.wmv: ENDLESSメガタワー III
Genre: Experimental Label: Ghost Diamond
Decoherence: More Is Different [EP]
Genre: Black Metal / Death Metal Label: Self released
Dope Lemon: Rose Pink Cadillac
Genre: Singer Songwriter / Folk Rock Label: BMG Ariola
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…
Not long ago most of us death-nerds found ourselves listening to the new Obscura record. ‘A Valediction’ came out in a particularly busy release week alongside other names such as Adele, Converge and Chelsea Wolfe, Exodus, Swallow The Sun, Pathology and many others. Naturally I thought we’d make the band’s release week just a little busier and singled out Obscura personality, head-honcho and guitarist, Steffen Kummerer.
Here’s how it went.
Hello, Steffen, and welcome to the obscure reaches of the internet we like to call Sputnikmusic[dot]com. We’re home to a myriad of peoples and argue constantly over which albums are the best of their respective years — sometimes we even agree. Maybe you’ve heard of the site before?
There is nothing better than arguing about which band, album or song might be better than anything else with people you don’t even know. Yes, I am aware of the page and especially the well-written reviews on Sputnikmusic.
While the site looks like it hasn’t crawled out of the early-to-mid 2000s we at least try to keep up with as much modern music as we can get our fingertips to. Some of us feel quite spoiled with the quality of music being released during 2021. Are there any releases that have tickled your fancy this year?
Every year, new great albums see the light of day. In 2021, Hypocrisy, Nestor, Unanimated, Archspire, Lucifer and many more released new records I listen to constantly. A while…
How did we get here, to The Killers dropping one of the most conceptually sound, consistently affecting albums of 2021? If the solid-but-safe Imploding the Mirage was a whisper of a shift in their sound towards a revitalised version of their classic-rock worship, Pressure Machine is a whole fucking sea change, a tidal wave reshaping the entire geometry and geography of The Killers’ landscape.
God only knows what Brandon Flowers has been through in the intervening years. It’s hard to believe the man whose lyrics seemed like they were written with fridge magnets is the same one sculpting the journey of Pressure Machine. With a semi-self-aware Springsteenian eye for detail, he shifts his focus to the imperfect lives of damaged people in a small town that resembles the one he was born in, a gambit that pays off in the form of a portrait that will be achingly recognisable to anyone from a similar place. The album wanders along discursive paths, touching on the glamourisation and demonisation of teenage beauty (“the chute opens, bull draws blood, and the gift is accepted by God”), the opioid crisis (anyone who thinks Flowers narrates this album from a remove missed the righteous anger that creeps into his voice singing “somebody’s been keeping secrets, in this quiet town”) and the sacrifice it takes to simply get up day…
My username, BlushfulHippocrene, is a Keats reference (from ‘Ode to a Nightingale’: ‘O for a beaker full of the warm South, / Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene’). Pretty embarrassing, but aptly so I guess. I don’t remember what my thinking was; but I’d been studying Keats in high school literature, I probably thought the phrase was interesting, I forgot the p/w to my old account, I was dying of boredom in Pakistan, and I wanted to 5.0 a Bon Iver album. Hence, the first thing I could come up with: BlushfulHippocrene. I’m glad people started calling me Blush; I wince when I have to read the full thing. 
