Site update: There was a large power outage in our server cluster. Although only 0.5% of servers were affected, our main web server + associated backup volumes were destroyed.
Thankfully, all text content was saved in another server, so all reviews, ratings, comments, etc. are fully preserved. We did, however, lose images uploaded to the site over the last 1.5 years. Scraping scripts are hard at work trying to recover most of the album art. However, some album art will be non-recoverable and will need to be re-uploaded by users.
Please accept my apologies for the downtime and for the lost images. In the event of a large hardware failure like this, there is unfortunately nothing that could have prevented data loss other than locally archiving copies of uploaded images. That will be done in the future to prevent any future outages.
Thanks for your patience, and please let us know in the forums if any new bugs beyond missing images have popped up.
Kyle Bates is the primary creative force behind the Portland-based experimental lo-fi project Drowse. I say “primary” because Drowse has taken the form of a collaborative space, with Bates as the singularity in the centre. This year, he released Light Mirror, an album highly influenced by his time spent in residency in Iceland. I decided to reach out to Kyle, since he seems pretty cool for a guy named Kyle; and, when it comes to bedroom recording, his intuitions are almost unmatched.
Tristan: You mentioned, at one point, how your newest album Light Mirror “marks the first time [you’ve] been able to translate [your] intention directly into sound” (and not having to struggle with technical hurdles). I have a couple questions: 1. if you had to describe this intention in writing, what would that look like on paper?, and 2. If I assume that the limited resources you had at your disposal during your Iceland residency forced you to be more resourceful, then it’s interesting that you were able to pull this off and not concede to artistic compromises. How do you think it all worked out?
Kyle: When I wrote that I was addressing sonic intention, in terms of lyrical meaning and songwriting Cold Air conveys my intention as well. While recording I am often pushing towards two seemingly polarized extremes: a warm, lo-fi style perfected by bands like Duster, and this clear, detailed way of sculpting sound found in the work of musicians…
All it took was one line to get Marskid (Mitch) all riled up. A cursory, sweeping statement about the lack of innovation in Mitch’s most-loved genre (that’s my assumption anyway) was enough of a reason to shake his fist angrily at me in a Contributor’s group discussion (off-site). Basically, it got us thinking about what actually defines a genre as “dead”, and more importantly how much life (specifically) metalcore has left in it. Rather than dismissing the thought we took our beloved Marskid down the proverbial rabbit-hole and have hesperus (Dean) expand on the points Marskid brings up.
[Nocte] Let’s start with the main question here. Is metalcore dead? To what degree and what are the challenges that bands face when writing new albums?
[Marskid]
I’m quite comfortable in asserting that metalcore is alive and thriving. Obviously, there still lingers an elements of the mainstream sound and djent-centric groups, but their presence has diminished over time due to a lack of innovation on their end, thus leading to their stagnation. In their place are a slew of collectives, both young and old, that are either 1) bringing new ideas to the table, bringing a fresh perspective on the genre over two decades since its formation, or 2) tightening the category’s original sound, perhaps adding a personal touch to it–basically fine-tuning the heart of the musical type but not necessarily pushing it per se. This has elevated the baseline quality of your typical metalcore release as more and more bands shy…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 30, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
If we’re being realistic, I could probably fill about 10 spots on this decade 100 with Dear Hunter songs that I simply adore. That’s how prevalent they’ve been in the rock scene since 2010, with The Color Spectrum marking my introduction to the band in a grand 9 EP, 36 song fashion. Out of all those EPs, I was always partial to Yellow for its overarching pop aesthetic and summer-like warmth. And within that 4 song shell, “Misplaced Devotion” carved a special place out in my mind.
When I think back to 2011, I can’t not start to hum those massive, Coldplay-like woah-oh-oh’s. The whole track has an urgency that isn’t mirrored anywhere else on Yellow, which otherwise possesses a very laid back, tropical sway. The lyrics depict a forbidden relationship and unbridled confidence – two things I could relate to in my early twenties when this track seemed to strike right when I needed it to. Instrumentally, this is a piece that relies on persistent, energetic percussion; otherwise, it’s very much a vocal-centric effort that lives and dies by the strength of the melody. But just as with many DH songs, the melody is the best part and deserves to be highlighted.
More than anything, “Misplaced Devotion” is just one of those earworms that even after a decade I can’t seem to shake. Whenever I parse these 36 songs into a more manageable playlist for practical reasons, this song is the first…
State Faults is a band that hardly needs any introduction on this site. Coming off of a 6-year hiatus, they’ve received universal acclaim for their newest album, Clairvoyant. Lead singer and guitarist Johnny Calvert-Andrew was kind enough to correspond with me about their comeback. Enjoy, y’all.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 23, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: August 23, 2019 –
Alexander Tucker: Guild of the Asbestos Weaver
Genre: Folk/Psychedelic
Label: Thrill Jockey
“Open” is an anxiety attack in a song. The lush piano notes rise and fall gently, subtly building to a gorgeous but understated chorus: “potentially lovely, perpetually human, suspended and open.” It’s a song about vulnerability; being suspended in time and exposed to all of the wonderful – and terrible – things in life. After a flourishing refrain halfway through, the song starts trending dark rather quickly. Spektor starts gasping as if she’s struggling for air, evoking this deeply unsettling feeling that could only be likened to claustrophobia or drowning. She has the vocal power to rein in her gasps and start singing again seconds later, and – no pun intended – it’s breathtaking. The lyrical content also takes a turn from poetic (“In the night, the snow starts falling / And everybody stares, through their windows at the streetlights / Too beautiful to see”) to descriptions of feeling isolated and trapped: “I am in a room I’ve built myself / Four straight walls / One floor, one ceiling.” The song ends on a note of uncertainty, with verses like “Day after day I wake up feeling, feeling…” and “Open up your eyes, and then…”. The entire track builds up to this release that never occurs, it just leaves you suspended with an uneasy/panicked sensation — it’s not necessarily something I want to feel, but this song brings it out in me like no others can.
Spektor is renowned for her endearing quirks, and while…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 16, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: August 16, 2019 –
Abram Shook: The Neon Machine
Genre: Electronic/Indie-Rock
Label: Western Vinyl
Black Mekon: Destroy Nostalgia
Genre: Blues/Noise Rock
Label: PNKSLM
No feeling in music can match the emotional magnitude of one of your all-time favorite bands, one that you grew up with and connected to your entire life, hanging up the mic. That’s what happened for me with Yellowcard in 2016, and I was fortunate enough not to have to endure one of those ugly breakups – nor a painful-to-watch fade into irrelevancy. For the most part, even if their radio success waned after Ocean Avenue, YC was very much a strong presence in pop-punk until the day they retired. Their farewell self-titled LP, Yellowcard, was the ultimate curtain call, and the lengthy finale to that album, “Fields & Fences”, will go down as one of my favorite songs from the band.
“Fields and Fences” will be remembered as the last thing Yellowcard ever composed as a band, and it is downright jaw-dropping and worthy of the role it plays. Commencing as a simply strummed, country-esque ballad (I want to start living I want to be brave, I want to find where I belong / Because I still remember the reasons I write, things that I’ve dreamed for so long), it slowly evolves into something more. Violins chime in midway through, joined by stunning acoustic picking, and as the track begins to wind and turn – almost like a long retrospective walk through the band’s past – it finally erupts into a crescendo of electric guitars, purposeful and echoing drums, and the band’s emotional…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 9, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: August 9, 2019 –
Ainslie Wills: All You Have Is All You Need
Genre: Indie-Folk
Label: Ainslie Wills
The Contortionist: Our Bones
Genre: Progressive Metal/Metalcore/Death Metal
Label: eOne
Electric Youth: Memory Emotion
Genre: Electronic
Label: Watts Arcade Inc.
The memories I have attached to Hey Rosetta! are fleeting, but very powerful. As such, I wouldn’t consider myself a fan, but I do have a profound appreciation for Seeds, and in particular the tracks “Yer Fall” and “Welcome.” The first time that I actively listened to Hey Rosetta! was in 2011, driving from my apartment in Philadelphia to a friend’s wedding. Not just any friend, but that of my high school crush who I was both fortunate and unfortunate enough to have remained very close friends with for the duration of both high school and college, despite being romantically rejected during my first ever declaration of love. It’s a wound that I’ll never forget, although now I look back at it through a very different lens that both appreciates her honesty and blushes at my own naivety.
Anyway, Seeds soundtracked my drive up the northeast extension of the Pennsylvania turnpike, air conditioner broken while attempting to blast away the sweltering July heat with all four windows down, and “Yer Fall” did what I imagine is the equivalent of reducing a person to tears. I’ve never been able to cry when I’m supposed to – breakups, funerals – much less for the sake of music, but I felt a lump in my throat when Tim Baker burst into the crescendo: “My love, my love is dead I buried it / What a senseless thing! this heart in shreds in the whipping wind!” …
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 2, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: August 2, 2019 –
Bad Omens: Finding God Before God Finds Me
Genre: Metalcore/Nu-Metal
Label: Sumerian
I felt like making a low-effort post to bring attention to 12 songs that I absolutely adore from this year, but that have managed to evade conversation due to inaccessibility or a direct lack of public knowledge. Last year I had an entire blog series dedicated to “under the radar” artists, which this year has been replaced by my decade top 100 songs project. So anyway, if you’ve been laying in bed at night and wondering what beautiful indie gems that Sowing has been secretly hoarding, I’m here to bring you up-to-date. This playlist could be 50 tracks long if I wanted it to be, but because I value your time, I narrowed it down to only the best.
.
(1) Plastic Mermaids – 1996
A psych-pop summer jam about a person who falls in love with a robot.
RIYL: The Flaming Lips, MGMT
(2) Sarah Louise – Chitin Flight
Gorgeous, ambient pop that sounds like it belongs floating in outer space.
RIYL: Julia Holter, Lisel
(3) Big Wild – 6’s to 9s
80’s influenced pop with a massive sing-along chorus.
State Faults is a band that hardly needs any introduction on this site. Coming off of a 6-year hiatus, they’ve received universal acclaim for their newest album, Clairvoyant. Lead singer and guitarist Johnny Calvert-Andrew was kind enough to correspond with me about their comeback. Enjoy, y’all.
![GINGER [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/815mzHS2A-L._SS500_.jpg)
![Television [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A11LM1-evbL._SS500_.jpg)
![Renegades [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A14PTutymdL._SS500_.jpg)
![Nobody's Happy. [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81rovUWvUsL._SS500_.jpg)
![All You Have Is All You Need [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ECPRgNSVL._SS500_.jpg)
![Safer Off [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A11PX4reJ1L._SS500_.jpg)
![The Iliad is Dead and The Odyssey is Over [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/B1-Fmx1QggS._SS500_.jpg)
![How Do You Love? [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81wbQn3RocL._SS500_.jpg)
![Port of Miami 2 [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81um07fFmBL._SS500_.jpg)
![Story's Start or End [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81jHbFRhmWL._SS500_.jpg)
![Finding God Before God Finds Me [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Nuqv78-ML._SS500_.jpg)
![Transcendance [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71jzj3WKmJL._SS500_.jpg)
![Immunity [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71hDgy0GLIL._SS500_.jpg)
![She Won't Make Sense [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81sFJwgk7wL._SS500_.jpg)
![High Expectations [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-Cb6h9mJL._SS500_.jpg)
![Really Well [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NVW9KZP0L._SS500_.jpg)
![The Return of House Music [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81pu60697gL._SS500_.jpg)
![Emergence [The Process of Coming Into Being]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91nkgZ4VWlL._SS500_.jpg)
…
