I’ve been doing this since 2007 and I’ve watched as members have come and gone (some departures way more welcome than others). I’ve also watched as my personal musical tastes have slowly separated from the Sputnik collective (they were never entirely in line to begin with), and that is no where more apparent than on this years’ list. As I created this list I noticed a lot of the albums I really enjoyed this year either garnered very little interest or were straight shit on by the Sput masses. It doesn’t really bother me because I’m always going to enjoy listening to what I’m going to enjoy listening to regardless of public opinion, but this list was just a confirmation that I’m rapidly aging out of the music scene. This was made more obvious by the fact that a vast majority of what did make the list was by bands and genres I grew up on, with only a handful of brand new artists.
In order to confirm this, I went back through previous lists and found an obvious trend where each passing year seemed to feature fewer and fewer new artists on my personal lists (a fact backed up by Last.fm listening statistics). Music was still interesting to me, but I was returning to familiar bands and familiar albums… so, I took a break. I didn’t actually participate on Sputnik Music for a majority of 2019 in any obvious way,…
If you’re excited for the 5th annual SMA’s, you’re not alone.
It’s that time of year again when artists wait with baited breath to hear their name called for the most prestigious award in all of celebrated art. Sure, there are more mainstream ceremonies out there, but this is the one that artists – secretly – take vast pride in. In 2014, Low Roar won the Seriously Cool Shit AOTY trophy [pictured below], for their breathtaking sophomore LP 0. In 2015, it was Sufjan Stevens for his haunting classic folk record, Carrie and Lowell. 2016 yielded us Yellowcard’s tear-jerking finale. Manchester Orchestra swept away the competition in 2017 with A Black Mile to the Surface. 2018 rewarded mewithoutYou for finally topping Brother, Sister with their [Untitled] album. None of them have reached out to me requesting to make an acceptance speech – I find it surprising, if not even a little rude, but I suppose that they’re just so humbled emotionally and spiritually that they can’t muster the words.
The categories are largely the same as they’ve been in previous years, but also a little different. The only EP I enjoyed this year was Mree’s The Middle, so I did away with the EP category (but seriously, if you want to hear an angel sing ambient pop songs, look no further). Gone too is the “best under the radar” category, because it aligned almost precisely with my “best new artist”…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 29, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 29, 2019 –
Anyway Gang: Anyway Gang
Genre: Alternative/Indie Rock
Label: Royal Mountain
Blue October: Live from Manchester
Genre: Alt-Rock
Label: Up Down
Bölzer: Lese Majesty
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: Lightning & Sons
Cattle Decapitation: Death Atlas
Genre: Grind/Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade
clipping.: The Deep
Genre: Hip-Hop/Industrial/Experimental
Label: Sub Pop
CZARFACE: The Odd Czar Against Us
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: Silver Age
September’s vote was in almost unanimous agreement, having Cult of Luna’s seventh album, A Dawn to Fear, as your go-to album for the month. October was a much different kettle of fish, however, and saw a number of albums clawing their way up to the top spot. When the dust settled though, the winner was a well-deserved one. Leprous has always been a strong and creative band, and their shifts into various sonic territories over the years hasn’t gone unnoticed (or praised) within the Sputnik community. 2019’s Pitfalls is no exception. So with that, here’s a small blurb from Toondude, explaining why it’s an obvious winner.
OCTOBER 2019 AOTM: Leprous – Pitfalls
“Drastic change can take many forms, and in this case, it takes the form of Leprous’ Pitfalls – stripping back its heavy guitars and epic instrumentation in favor of an atmospheric production with pop-like songwriting, and vocalist Einar Solberg taking center stage. Einar has almost always been a terrific vocalist (granted his harsh vocals are somewhat of an Acquired Taste *wink*), but it’s easy to call Pitfalls his best performance to date. “Below”, “Observe the Train” and “Distant Bells” are just a few examples that showcase the man’s vocal capabilities. However, it wasn’t until “Alleviate” that I began to truly realize there’s still plenty of moments for the instrumentation – particularly from bassist Simen Børven and drummer Baard Kolstad – to shine through here. In the end, Pitfalls is just another masterpiece in the band’s near-perfect discography.” – Toondude.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 22, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 22, 2019 –
Avatarium: The Fire I Long For
Genre: Doom Metal/Blues
Label: Nuclear Blast
Beck: Hyperspace
Genre: Folk/Experimental Rock
Label: Capitol
Ben Lee: Quarter Century Classix
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: New West
Blood Incantation: Hidden History of the Human Race
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: Century Media
Coldplay: Everyday Life
Genre: Pop Rock
Label: Parlophone UK
Coma: Voyage Voyage
Genre: Electronic
Label: City Slang
Galcher Lustwerk: Information
Genre: Electronic/House/Techno
Label: Ghostly International
Hannah Diamond: Reflections
Genre: Pop/Electronic
Label: PC Music
Harry Nilsson: Losst and Founnd
Genre: Folk/Pop
Label: Omnivore Recordings
Hypno5e: A Distant (Dark) Source
Genre: Progressive Metal/Metalcore/Ambient
Label: Pelagic
Leonard Cohen: Thanks For The Dance
Genre: Folk/Pop/Blues
Label: Legacy
Lindemann: F&M
Genre: Industrial Metal
Label: Craft Recordings
Lord Mantis: Universal Death Church
Genre: Sludge/Black/Doom Metal …
With the recent announcement that My Chemical Romance is reuniting, our staff inhaled a collective breath of nostalgia and revisited the band’s discography. From their rawer beginnings to their epic, glistening concept albums, MCR is a band that is forever tied to the mid-2000s emo punk-rock phase. Whether or not the group aspired to great artistic heights is certainly debatable, but it’s pretty much indisputable that they were a damned ton of fun. So put on your black eyeliner, stick some pins in your backpack, slip on your wristbands, and join us as we revisit one of the most grandiose, over-the-top bands of our era. Here are our top 10 My Chemical Romance songs – let us know what you think in the comments section!
Sputnik Staff Top 10 My Chemical Romance Songs:
#10: “The Sharpest Lives”
During their prime, there was more substance to My Chemical Romance’s output than they were credited for. The songs’ lyrics always peeled layers off loose narratives, but most of them could’ve been easily enjoyed out of context as well. ‘The Sharpest Lives’ is a fine example of an ode to living life at its fullest, indulging in all the vices and excesses without thinking of consequences. Musically, it retained the energy found on Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, yet showcasing a more refined approach to structures. Gerard Way leveled up his delivery too, especially during the catchy, melodic choruses. —…
Narrowing down an entire decade’s worth of music to two or three songs was a tough call, but I can’t think of a more appropriate top pick than this. On the face of it, Saishuu Koen (Last Performance) is a case study of the most beautiful, raw facets of indie folk, spinning a bitter snapshot of dejection into a stunning outpouring of frustration, heartbreak and loneliness. I used to think it would be impossible to recreate this song’s magic beyond the original version, but hearing the almost-as-good rock revamp on Seiko’s Pink Tokarev side project gave me bad ideas and it’s since become the only Japanese song I can cover by heart. Putting aside her incredible songwriting talent, one of the things about Oomori Seiko that has always spoken to me is her knack for turning her distinctly imperfect voice into a dazzling force of personality. Her lyrics and performance are presented in a way that foregrounds her own weaknesses, with a fierceness and boldness that a long way to explaining why her exemplary discography has stolen the show this decade.
The Knife – “Full of Fire”
Finding a worthy runner-up for Saishuu Koen was a tough call. A lot of songs might have held the slot, but I gave myself a load of silly criteria: it shouldn’t be Japanese, it shouldn’t be overrepresented across the rest…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 15, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 15, 2019 –
Abigail Williams: Walk Beyond The Dark
Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Label: Blood Music
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto: TWO
Genre: Ambient/Minimal/Electronic
Label: Noton
I was lucky enough to get in touch with Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga, the creative minds behind Have a Nice Life. Approximately 10 years ago, Dan and Tim quietly released what would become one of Sputnikmusic’s most continuously-praised albums, Deathconsciousness. Regardless of whether that distinction is worth much of a shit, the high praise extends towards many corners of the internet (and beyond, as they’ve recently upped their live show appearances). Initially, the album went mostly unnoticed; it’s through attrition (constant exposure at the hands of devout fans) that Have a Nice Life has garnered much-deserved recognition. Their early work was emblematic of many tireless bedroom producers: low-budget, impassioned, and resourceful. They toyed with aspects of shoegaze, black metal, drone, noise, post-rock, and so on, developing a sound that harkened back to the 80s, but was collectively unique, and emotionally situated in present-day sentiments. Moreover, there is a unique approachability when it comes to Dan and Tim that lends to a reciprocal fan community.
Their newest album is entitled “Sea of Worry”, and we talked about it a bit.
Tristan: I don’t know how deep the allegorical component of Sea of Worry’s title is meant to run, but can you elaborate on the name choice a bit? The promo blurb seems to only scratch the surface. Like, without spilling too many beans, is “Sea of Worry” meant to reference uncertainty about the world in a way that feels more pressing than the themes of nihilism in previous work?…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 8, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 8, 2019 –
Bask: Bask III
Genre: Psychedelic/Jam Rock/Stoner Rock
Label: Season of Mist
Bishop Briggs: CHAMPION
Genre: Indie-Pop/Alt-Rock/Gothic
Label: Island Records
Esoteric: A Pyrrhic Existence
Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist
FKA twigs: Magdalene
Genre: R&B/Electronic/Trip-Hop
Label: Young Turks
Girl Ray: Girl
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Moshi Moshi Records
Have a Nice Life: Sea of Worry
Genre: Shoegaze/Post-Punk/Industrial
Label: The Flenser
Jason Derulo: 2Sides
Genre: R&B/Pop/Hip-Hop
Label: Beluga Heights Records/Warner Records
Je Suis France: Back To The Basics Of Love
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Ernest Jenning Record Co.
Kele: 2042
Genre: Electronic/House
Label: Kola
Land Of Kush: Sand Enigma
Genre: Psychedelic/Experimental/Jazz
Label: Constellation
Low Roar: ross.
Genre: Indie-Folk/Post-Rock/Dream-Pop
Label: Tonequake Records
Moor Mother: Analog Fluids Of Sonic Black Holes
Genre: Hip-Hop/Experimental/Industrial
Label: Don Giovanni Records
Tuesday November 2nd, 1993. This day marks the release of Frank Zappa’s magnum opus – his terminal triumph. I use the word ‘terminal’ delicately here, given the context of which this very album is surrounded by, but for a man of Zappa’s stature, to have him feel like he’d accomplished something that he’d been striving towards his entire life, that should be more than enough to verify the weighty importance of The Yellow Shark: Frank Zappa’s final album. The sheer scale of Zappa’s works goes beyond even the measures of calling it intimidating. His discography alone is an intricate, sprawling, idiosyncratic maze that becomes a colossal nightmare just to work out where to start. Sitting on a massive 62 albums (over one hundred plus if you include the posthumous releases made from archived material), this is a man that explored every walk and style of music available; deconstructing these boxed and linear categories into esoteric compositions that are as perverted and humorous as they are challenging. Starting out in The Mothers of Invention, a psychedelic rock band from the 60s, he soon ventured out into the unknown reaches of sonic creativity on his own, and quickly began his mission to challenge everything popular music stood for. But for anyone who has done a little bit of research on the man, they will know that for all the good he did in the realms of rock music, his propensity…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of November 1, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: November 1, 2019 –
A Winged Victory for the Sullen: The Undivided Five
Genre: Ambient/Classical
Label: Ninja Tune
Anavae: 45
Genre: Alternative Rock/Electronic
Label: A Wolf At Your Door
Angel Witch: Angel of Light
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: Metal Blade
Cannabis Corpse: Nug So Vile
Genre: Death Metal/Grind
Label: Season of Mist
Cold War Kids: New Age Norms 1
Genre: Indie-Rock/Pop
Label: Cwktwo Corp.
Counterparts: Nothing Left To Love
Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore/Emo
Label: Pure Noise
Cradle of Filth: Cruelty and the Beast (Re-Mistressed)
Genre: Black Metal/Gothic/Death Metal
Label: SIN/MFN
Eskimo Callboy: Rehab
Genre: Metalcore/Electronic/Post-Hardcore
Label: Century Media
Gang Starr: One of the Best Yet
Genre: Hip-Hop/Jazz
Label: Gang Starr Enterprises LLC
Half Moon Run: A Blemish In The Great Light
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: Glassnote
Highly Suspect: MCID
Genre: Alternative Rock/Stoner Rock
Label: 300 Entertainment
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 25, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: October 25, 2019 –
Airbourne: Boneshaker
Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Spinefarm
Welcome to the final segment of Sputnikmusic’s Album of the Month – the September 2019 edition. For anyone that missed out and didn’t participate in this thing, every month I’ll be dropping a list where you vote on what you consider to be the best album from that said month. After the votes are in and we have our winner, I’ll be reaching out to the voters to see if they want to give a small blurb on why it’s the month’s best LP. September’s vote was a little late to the party, but going forward I’ll be doing these lists in the first week of every month (typically a Wednesday or Thursday), so keep your eyes peeled and your votes ready!
Getting to the topic at hand here, as voted by you, September’s vote was in almost universal agreement. Cult of Luna’s seventh album, A Dawn to Fear, has been praised and regarded as not only September’s strongest release, but a serious contender for 2019’s Album of the Year. Only time will tell… With that, I’ll pass you over to Robert Garland (Nocte), where he’ll dish out his words of wisdom on why it crushed the competition.
SEPTEMBER 2019 AOTM: Cult of Luna – A Dawn to Fear
“A Dawn To Fear isn’t an album full of comforts, relying on a core of pragmatic, yet highly transferable theology. There’s a complexity that’s both thoughtful and profound…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of October 18, 2019. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: October 18, 2019 –
Ali Barter: Hello, I’m Doing My Best
Genre: Indie/Alternative Rock
Label: Inertia Music
The Almost: Fear Caller
Genre: Pop-Punk/Alternative Rock
Label: Fearless
Alter Bridge: Walk The Sky
Genre: Hard Rock/Metal
Label: Napalm
Battles: Juice B Crypts
Genre: Math Rock/Electronic
Label: Warp
Caroline Polachek: Pang
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Columbia
Clipping: There Existed An Addiction To Blood
Genre: Hip-Hop/Industrial
Label: Sub Pop
Dave Monks: On A Wave
Genre: Indie/Alternative Rock
Label: Dine Alone Music Inc.
Dream State: Primrose Path
Genre: Alternative Rock/Post Hardcore
Label: UNFD
![Live from Manchester [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81rklfL0V5L._SS500_.jpg)
![Death Atlas [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/817mMeOSvoL._SS500_.jpg)
![Prestige Worldwide [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/711Qm8tDCKL._SS500_.jpg)
![Everyday Life [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1XimwGNe9L._SS500_.jpg)
![Information [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1Iff1pC-4L._SS500_.jpg)
![I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91PaJJtJalL._SS500_.jpg)
![Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81aECQlJWwL._SS500_.jpg)
![The Black Parade [Clean]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81o6k0bPesL._SS500_.jpg)
![Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FDUix+WcL._SS500_.jpg)
![Our Pathetic Age [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81vust5OETL._SS500_.jpg)
![CHAMPION [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71txiTI6uSL._SS500_.jpg)
![Rehab (Bonus Tracks Version) [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GeE3Th4zL._SS500_.jpg)
![One Of The Best Yet [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71IcF1Xg7HL._SS500_.jpg)
![MCID [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71qfIPf13AL._SS500_.jpg)
![Boneshaker [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/9113CV5UhSL._SS500_.jpg)
![[USA]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/9106UvxdNaL._SS500_.jpg)
![Odditties Sodomies Vol. 2 [LP]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61vkJVOat6L._SX522_.jpg)
![Balance [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61gnAMj9S+L._SS500_.jpg)
![Cry [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1W4f7qXdiL._SS500_.jpg)
![Fear Caller [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81cxgQRX03L._SS500_.jpg)
![PANG [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81wkb1LJuML._SS500_.jpg)
![There Existed an Addiction to Blood [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71H8kkBTCFL._SS500_.jpg)
![Primrose Path [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81lUYlJarJL._SS500_.jpg)
…
