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By Sowing
Wednesday April 29, 2020
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 1, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: May 1, 2020 –
An Autumn For Crippled Children: All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet
Genre: Black Metal/Post-Rock/Shoegaze
Label: Prosthetic
Austra: HiRUDiN
Genre: Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Domino Recording Co.
![GLUE [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Yr5vNA1nL._SS500_.jpg)
Boston Manor: Glue
Genre: Pop-Punk/Emo/Post-Hardcore
Label: Pure Noise
![Making a Door Less Open [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Rlaa1t22L._SS500_.jpg)
Car Seat Headrest: Making A Door Less Open
Genre: Indie-Rock/Lo-Fi
Label: Matador
Damien Jurado: What’s New, Tomboy?
Genre: Indie-Rock/Folk/Psychedelic
Label: Mama Bird Recording Co.
![Do You Wonder About Me? [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71gOyyxs0DL._SS500_.jpg)
Diet Cig: Do You Wonder About Me?
Genre: Indie-Rock/Pop-Punk
Label: Frenchkiss
Ghostpoet: I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep
Genre: Hip-Hop/Downtempo
Label: Play It Again Sam
![V [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Q5Klt-NHL._SS500_.jpg)
Havok: V
Genre: Thrash/Heavy Metal
Label: Century Media
Ital Tek: Outland
Genre: Dubstep/Electronic/Techno
Label: Planet Mu
![good to know [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/8115AOC-ICL._SS500_.jpg)
JoJo: Good to Know
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Warner Records
Man Man: Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-Between
Genre: Indie-Rock/Experimental
Label: Sub Pop
Pure X: Pure X
Genre: Lo-Fi/Dream-Pop
Label: Fire Talk
Umbra Vitae: Shadow Of Life
Genre: Death Metal/Metalcore
Label: Deathwish Inc.
![Solitude in Madness [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81kxauoaogL._SS500_.jpg)
Vader: Solitude in Madness
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Witchcraft: Black Metal
Genre: Doom Metal/Stoner Rock
Label: Nuclear Bast
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By Sowing
Tuesday April 21, 2020
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 24, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 24, 2020 –
Anubis Gate: Covered in Colours
Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Label: Nightmare
AWOLNATION: Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders
Genre: Electronic/Indie-Pop
Label: Better Noise Music
Birds of Tokyo: Human Design
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Birds of Tokyo Pty Ltd
Brendan Benson: Dear Life
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Third Man
Cirith Ungol: Forever Black
Genre: Doom/Heavy/Power Metal
Label: Metal Blade
![Afterburner [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91iIVNvqndL._SS500_.jpg)
Dance Gavin Dance: Afterburner
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Progressive Rock/Math Rock
Label: Rise
Danzig: Danzig Sings Elvis
Genre: Doom Metal/Gothic
Label: Cleopatra
Elder: Omens
Genre: Stoner Rock/Progressive Rock/Psychedelic
Label: Armageddon
Elephant Tree: Habits
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Holy Roar
![City Burials [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71uXKHKwrlL._SS500_.jpg)
Katatonia: City Burials
Genre: Doom/Progressive Metal
Label: Peaceville
![Good Souls Better Angels [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81LT9WBgWlL._SS500_.jpg)
Lucinda Williams: Good Souls Better Angels
Genre: Country/Americana/Folk
Label: Highway 20
Other Lives: For Their Love
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: ATO
Pam Tillis: Looking For A Feeling
Genre: Country
Label: Stellar Cat
Trivium: What The Dead Men Say
Genre: Metalcore/Thrash
Label:Roadrunner
Ulcerate: Stare Into Death And Be Still
Genre: Death/Progressive/Post Metal
Label: Debemur Morti Productions
![Heartwork [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81we3hbbkML._SS500_.jpg)
The Used: Heartwork
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Emo
Label: Big Noise Music Group
Warbringer: Weapons of Tomorrow
Genre: Thrash Metal/Punk
Label: Napalm
Wares: Survival
Genre: Alternative/Indie-Rock
Label: Mint
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By Sowing
Monday April 13, 2020
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 17, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 17, 2020 –
Abysmal Dawn: Phylogenesis
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist
![Verminous [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81MLw275zPL._SS500_.jpg)
The Black Dahlia Murder: Verminous
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade
![A Muse In Her Feelings [Clean]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81OMfHzXjyL._SS500_.jpg)
dvsn: A Muse In Her Feelings
Genre: R&B
Label: OVO Sound
![Nothing is True & Everything is Possible [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Wf-x3pvLL._SS500_.jpg)
Enter Shikari: Nothing is True & Everything
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Electronic
Label: So Recordings
![Earth [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Ry91BHjgL._SS500_.jpg)
EOB: Earth
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Capitol
Etherius: Chaos. Order. Renewal.
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Etherius
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Genre: Indie-Pop/Jazz
Label: Epic
Hexvessel: Kindred
Genre: Folk/Psychedelic
Label: Svart
The Howling Hex: Knuckleball Express
Genre: Indie-Rock/Alternative Rock
Label: Fat Possum
Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia
Genre: Indie/Alt Rock
Label: Anti/Epitaph
Oranssi Pazuzu: Mestarin Kynsi
Genre: Black Metal/Psychedelic/Progressive Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
![SAWAYAMA [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GgTF2yPyL._SS500_.jpg)
Rina Sawayama: Sawayama
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Dirty Hit
![The Fun Ones [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71yS-+XIW-L._SS500_.jpg)
RJD2: The Fun Ones
Genre: Hip-Hop/Trip-Hop/Electronic
Label: RJ’s Electrical Connections
Ron Sexsmith: HERMITAGE
Genre: Folk/Pop
Label: Cooking Vinyl Limited
![The Don Of Diamond Dreams [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91U8qs29cGL._SS500_.jpg)
Shabazz Palaces: The Don of Diamond Dreams
Genre: Hip-Hop/Experimental/Electronic
Label: Sub Pop
The Smith Street Band: Don’t Waste Your Anger
Genre: Folk/Punk
Label: Pool House Records
![Hurry up and Wait [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/911f5LwoMqL._SS500_.jpg)
Soul Asylum: Hurry Up and Wait
Genre: Alt-Rock/Punk
Label: Blue Elan Records LLC
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March was jam-packed with great releases, but one album in particular really captivated music lovers on Sputnikmusic. For even those who aren’t privy to country music, there’s no denying that something feels invigorating about Starmaker and the way it presents its music. Despite a broad range of albums being selected for March’s AOTM, Honey Harper’s Starmaker won by a comfortable margin – which certainly speaks volumes about the quality found within this brilliantly executed LP.
March 2020 Album of the Month: Honey Harper – Starmaker
“A challenge for country fans: Take a shot every time you hear, “I listen to pretty much everything. Well, except country. I can’t stand country.” The objective? Survive.
~
Country isn’t the only victim of misconceptions fueled by a disliked mainstream personality. Yet, it seems to be the most popular genre to voice a displeasure of, and it seemingly emerges not from a thorough exploration, but rather a few choice singles that garner airplay. Saying that Honey Harper’s Starmaker is the exception to the rule implies a rule was in place to begin with, and such is not the case; this is the product of evolution in a category that features plenty of hits behind its radio-biased appearance. There are no trucks on this album, nor blue jeans, dime-a-dozen break-up stanzas, beer cans, and so on and so on. Instead, it is something much more genuine and closer to the heart.
However,…
As the days and weeks merge together in what feels like a seemingly eternal self-isolation – caused by a pandemic that has literally put the entire world on an indefinite time-out – I decided to reach out to HEALTH’s bassist, John Famiglietti, for an interview. For those who aren’t well versed in HEALTH’s inimitable sound, the L.A. trio have been cutting out a big name for themselves in recent years. Starting out as a modest, underground noise-rock band with a DIY work ethic in the mid-noughties, they have slowly embraced a mature progression in a way few bands manage to accomplish. HEALTH’s habits transcend making an album every couple of years and touring it: they’ve been using idiosyncratic methods in just about every corner of their work, thus deconstructing a lot of music’s clichés in the process. Without even talking about the body of their work, which constantly changes up their sound with every album, HEALTH oozes creativity that feels both effortlessly organic and fresh. From making soundtracks for big-name video game licences like Grand Theft Auto and Max Payne, to having a phone number that you can actually call or text, where you can have a chat with John himself. There isn’t a stone that goes unturned with these guys, and in this interview, you should get a better understanding of why they’re one of rock’s most important contemporary bands doing the rounds today.
Let’s talk about your most recent releases – the…
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By Sowing
Friday April 10, 2020
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100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1
10. Jenny Hval – Viscera
[Spotify] // [Review]
Can desire best be described as a train running into a tunnel? In popular culture, desire is rarely written with the nuance (or maybe, the trepidation) it deserves, reduced as it is to the slickest surface of its skin and hardly deeper. Sex is a commodity that enforces possession and hierarchy, something to receive or give depending on a narrative. In music production, we can find erotic platitudes that extend the length of an appendage environed by the digital squalor of diamond-studded algorithms. Pop music, great trains, running into tunnels: sex as a deliberate force acted upon us by the external forces we internalize and, by god, in turn, externalize. Art as submissive constructs to societal norms. If not trains, what then?
The answer Jenny Hval offers is immediate, though you’d be forgiven for thinking it the iconic opening gambit: “I arrived in town / with an electric toothbrush / pressed against my clitoris.” Rather, we are drawn inward by the quiet intensity of her arrangements, in the discordant ambiance that slowly envelops the stark percussive elements. There is a timeless quality to the mixture of industrial and folk music, in the glacial way the tracks erode and subside only to build into discomfiting calamity. The songs unspool with seeming spontaneity…
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By Sowing
Thursday April 9, 2020
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100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1
30. Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle
[Spotify] // [Review]
It’s strange that a twenty-year-old has seemingly been through it all. Julien Baker sings and plays with such confidence and writes about such harrowing circumstances that it’s easy to forget she was barely out of her teens when recording Sprained Ankle. Eight guitar songs and one piano track are all it takes to convey Baker’s rock bottom. Sprained Ankle was recommended to me by a dear friend shortly after I had hit rock bottom in my life. It’s hard to even articulate what this album did for me emotionally. It’s like salt into wounds except that’s exactly what you need. Much of the subject matter here is Christian related which normally does nothing for me, but Baker’s blunt lyricism and blunt songwriting have me singing along like I’m in the pews at church. Julien Baker says what she means and says it loudly. Sparse arrangements and forthcoming lyrics allow Baker to get straight to the point and get you completely broken down in just over thirty-three minutes. She could offer an emotional cleansing service with this album. Go ahead and cry the next time you spin Sprained Ankle; it’s all right, everybody does. –Trebor.
29. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
[Spotify]…
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By Sowing
Wednesday April 8, 2020
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100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1
50. Fair to Midland – Arrows and Anchors
[Spotify] // [Review]
One of the graver losses of the 2010s, Fair to Midland outdid themselves with sophomore (and ultimately final) album Arrows and Anchors. While the band have straddled genres from alternative, metal, folk, and prog throughout debut Fables from a Mayfly, Arrows and Anchors managed to tighten up the band’s genre fusion, drive the sound into heavier territory, dial up the catchiness of nearly every track on the LP, and reinvent timeless children’s story Rikki Tikki Tavi into something you can headbang your brains out to. Need I say more?
Darroh Sudderth’s vocals remain as iconic as ever, warbling with passion as he projects clever twists of common sayings over fuzzed out guitars sparkled up by just enough keyboard to transform a dirt foundation into a more respectable pavement. Describing Arrows and Anchors can sound almost formulaic, but each and every track is just so much fun that it’s hard to care. While every track manipulates the ratio of keyboard twinkle to guitar crunch to similar spectacular results, the meat of each is seasoned just appropriately enough to feel freash and fun. There’s an undeniable menagerie of influence and expertise compiled into Arrows and Anchors, but ultimately it’s the the levity of the music and lyrics like “If…
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By Sowing
Tuesday April 7, 2020
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100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1
75. mewithoutYou – [Untitled]
[Spotify] // [Review]
Over the past two decades mewithoutYou have been ever present, but not necessarily in the foreground, in comparison to their peers. However, unlike many of the bands they have played alongside, mewithoutYou are more relevant than ever, even as they plan on disbanding. [Untitled] starts off unrelenting with “9:27a.m., 7/29” until “[Dormouse Sighs]” provides a brooding release from a three song barrage of chaotic harmony. Where mewithoutYou shine is found in their ability to balance emotion and volume. That balance blows past albums away with how seamlessly [Untitled] transitions from song to song. From “2,459 Miles” to “Wendy & Betsy” to “New Wine, New Skins” provide some of most graceful yet ferocious moments. [Untitled] provides a glimpse at how mewithoutYou have learned to adapt and evolve with time, especially coming off their landmark effort in Pale Horses. Look no further than the post-hardcore ballad in “Julia (or, ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses),” where every element feels perfectly placed and timed. As mewithoutYou wind down, they leave a blueprint for the next decade of upstart alternative rock bands to follow. –IsItLuck?
74. Burial – Tunes 2011 to 2019
[Spotify] // [Review]
It’s all there in the name: far from…
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By Sowing
Monday April 6, 2020
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100-76 | 75-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1
100. The Menzingers – On the Impossible Past
[Spotify] // [Review]
The urge to repost lyrics in lieu of a blurb? Strong. (In all caps, obviously.) Maybe italicised, maybe emboldened, undoubtedly justified. That’d require, though, some prior knowledge of the album, its melodies; and as much as I’d like it to be, this isn’t karaoke. (You might as well listen to the album; not a bad idea.) A case regardless:
Despite my unfortunate Australian identity, On the Impossible Past makes me feel American. A weird thing, I imagine; after all, I don’t feel Japanese driving my girlfrend’s Toyota, listening to Kero Kero Bonito. (Make a bounce playlist: start with Iggy, transition into KKB’s ‘Trampoline’. You won’t regret it, I promise.) It’s testament, though, to the impressive songwriting capacity of the band’s two frontmen, Greg Barnett and Tom May — their underwrought narratives, and the ease with which one relates to them. And though it’s far from the album’s best song (fans could debate this forever), nowhere is this better epitomised than on closer ‘Freedom Bridge’, a song that anthemises (with irony, of course) suicide, detailing in vignette-form the short lives of victims of the so-called American dream. It is, as far as I’m concerned, a perfect (pop) punk song, perfect in its capacity to make earnest and powerful a line that would…
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By Sowing
Sunday April 5, 2020
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 10, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 10, 2020 –
Active Child: In Another Life
Genre: Electronic/R&B
Label: Masterworks
Azusa: Loop of Yesterdays
Genre: Progressive/Thrash Metal
Label: Solid State
The Dream Syndicate: The Universe Inside
Genre: Psychedelic/Alt-Rock/Post-Punk
Label: Anti/Epitaph
Hamilton Leithauser: The Loves Of Your Life
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Glassnote
Joe Satriani: Shapeshifting
Genre: Hard Rock/Jazz Fusion
Label: Legacy Recoridngs
Laura Marling: Song For Our Daughter
Genre: Indie Folk
Label: Chrysalis Records
Laurel Halo: Possessed
Genre: Ambient/Techno/Experimental
Label: The Vinyl Factory
![LIFERS [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61PQhsRFgQL._SS500_.jpg)
Local H: Lifers
Genre: Grunge/Alt-Rock
Label: Antifragile Music
Maddie & Tae: The Way It Feels
Genre: Pop/Country
Label: Mercury Nashville
Midwife: Forever
Genre: Ambient/Shoegaze/Indie-Rock
Label: The Flenser
Nightwish: Hvman. :II: Natvre.
Genre: Power Metal/Classical/Gothic
Label: Nuclear Blast
![Trust the River [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71znaAsTYoL._SS500_.jpg)
Sparta: Trust The River
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Alt-Rock
Label: Dine Alone Music Inc.
Squarepusher: Lamental
Genre: IDM/Drum and Bass/Jazz
Label: Warp
The Strokes: The New Abnormal
Genre: Indie-Rock/Post-Punk/Alt-Rock
Label: RCA
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lol owned u guys so hard. April fools! get rekt losers!!
Can’t give y’all the decade list just yet (altho expect it soon!). Instead, here’s the next best thing: the OFFICIAL Sputnikmusic Staff’s ranking of the Top 50 Songs of 2018!
Me and the boys have been working hard on refining this since November of ’18, arguing intently for months on end as to which song belongs where, whether some of us listen to too much K-pop, where robertsona’s blurbs are, and so on. Nonetheless, I assure you that the below ranking is as accurate as we can possibly get it and we hope you guys appreciate the work.
I’d note in advance for you that some of the blurbs may be a little dated at this point (but really, I feel like you guys won’t even notice). Anyway, much love from all of us, and stay safe out there (note: for most of you, “out there” should be inside)!
50. “Baby Pink” – Moe Shop
This one radiates good vibes, and idk I just feel like the next few years are gonna be smooth freakin’ sailing for everyone.
49. “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile
Just a funny song about crackin’ silly jokes with the fellas. This would actually be so fitting for a list published on April Fool’s day, but sadly this list will
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By Sowing
Tuesday March 31, 2020
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I’m not sure what’s made 2020 crazier for me so far: all this coronavirus & social distancing, or the fact that I suddenly really dig both country and R&B. It’s a weird feeling listening to so much Honey Harper and Mac Miller, only to dive into Psychotic Waltz right after. You’ll find all kinds of variety on my Q1 Mixtape, which I hope will help you pass some isolation/self-quarantining time while also – maybe – discovering a new artist. Here’s 100 songs that stuck with me from January to March, in alphabetical order by artist name. I suggest you click ‘shuffle’ and let yourself get sucked into the weird, swirling genre vortex that is my current musical taste. Hope you enjoy.
~~~
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By Sowing
Monday March 30, 2020
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 3, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 3, 2020 –
Ad Infinitum: Chapter I – Monarchy
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Napalm
![Wake Up, Sunshine [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81BlV5SicbL._SS500_.jpg)
All Time Low: Wake Up Sunshine
Genre: Pop Punk
Label: Fueled by Ramen
Anna Burch: If You’re Dreaming
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: Polyvinyl
August Burns Red: Guardians
Genre: Metalcore/Progressive Metal
Label: Fearless
Born Ruffians: JUICE
Genre: Indie-Rock/Post-Punk
Label: Yep Roc
Ellis: Born Again
Genre: Indie-Folk/Pop
Label: Fat Possum
Emancipator: Mountain of Memory
Genre: Trip-Hop/Electronic/Downtempo
Label: Loci
![I'm Your Empress Of [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81IxF0KXMsL._SS500_.jpg)
Empress Of: I’m Your Empress Of
Genre: R&B/Electronic
Label: Terrible Records
Forndom: Faþir
Genre: Folk/Ambient/Drone
Label: Nordvis
James Elkington: Ever-Roving Eye
Genre: Folk
Label: Paradise of Bachelors
M. Ward: Migration Stories
Genre: Indie/Folk
Label: Anti/Epitaph
MAITA: Best Wishes
Genre: Indie-Folk
Label: Kill Rock Stars
Maserati: Enter the Mirror
Genre: Post-Rock/Psychedelic
Label: Temporary Residence Ltd.
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By Sowing
Monday March 23, 2020
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 27, 2020. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: March 27, 2020 –
![CALM [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/719fzJYAujL._SS500_.jpg)
5 Seconds of Summer: Calm
Genre: Pop-Rock
Label: Interscope
Activity: Unmask Whoever
Genre: Electronic
Label: Western Vinyl
Basia Bulat: Are You In Love?
Genre: Indie-Pop/Folk
Label: Secret City Records
The Birthday Massacre: Diamonds
Genre: Alternative Rock/Industrial/Gothic
Label: Metropolis
Brian Fallon: Local Honey
Genre: Folk/Rock
Label: Lesser Known
Candlemass: The Pendulum
Genre: Doom/Heavy Metal
Label: Napalm
Cavetown: Sleepyhead
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock
Label: Sire
Clem Snide: Forever Just Beyond
Genre: Indie-Pop/Folk
Label: Ramseur
Coriky: Coriky
Genre: Alt/Indie Rock
Label: Dischord
Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini: Illusion Of Time
Genre: Electronic
Label: MUTE
FACS: Void Moments
Genre: Post Punk
Label: Trouble In Mind
Half Waif: The Caretaker
Genre: Indie-Pop/Experimental
Label: Anti
Ian William Craig: Red Sun Through Smoke
Genre: Ambient/Drone/Electronic
Label: Fat Cat
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