It’s been a hectic 2018 for everyone’s least favorite mod, and it’s proven to be a rather large undertaking to keep up with everything I’d like to do around here. But because I already tried retiring (twice), I’ve decided to go the opposite route this time and just push my nose even harder against the grindstone and hope that real life/work/marriage makes way for the obvious priority: the Sputnik blog.
My 4 fans here (5, if Irving is reading this) will remember that at the beginning of the year, I vowed to divorce mainstream releases in favor of reviewing exclusively under-the-radar albums. To be fair, I never expected to make 100% good on this promise because the alluring potential of a surprise Taylor Swift Reputation Pt.2 album always looms large — so I’ve compromised. I’m still going to cover as much new obscure material as I can (hence this Hype Machine series), but I’m also still going to review the super popular stuff that brings me joy. Because at the end of the day, who gives a fuck.
It’s been since February since I’ve had time to do something other than train hard at my new real life job, so here we are months removed from Sowing’s Hype Machine #2 — which featured the likes of The Republic of Wolves, Endless Heights, and Lo Moon (all of which…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 11th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the artwork (if we remember…) so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
Beach House – 7
Genre: Dream Pop / Neo-Psychedelica
Label: Sub Pop
The ethereal, sensual nature felt in many of 7‘s tracks is certifiable Beach House, with the darker, moodier tones complementing Victoria Legrand’s ephemeral vocals as she maneuvers in and out of each channel. The record is also masterful in its juxtaposition: black and white, bright and dim, glamour vs. simplicity. Swells of hazy distortion, pulsating percussion, and captivating Aphex Twin-meets-My Bloody Valentine guitars and synths coalesce for a seamless listen from cinematic start to alluring finish. Beach House are renowned for their consistency, and the additional brushstrokes incorporated into 7 help elevate their dream pop sensibilities to even greater heights.
– Sample List of Releases: May 11th, 2018 –
Abraham – Look, Here Comes the Dark!
Genre: Post-Metal
Label: Pelagic
Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
Genre: Psychedelic Pop
Label: Domino
Bad Wolves – Disobey
Genre: Groove Metal / Alternative Metal
Label: Eleven Seven…
Based in Vancouver, B.C., Anchoress are a band who have formulated a unique sound rooted in melodic hardcore and post-hardcore. If I were to describe their distinguishing features, it’d be their reflectiveness and unmatched ability to warm the heart – there’s a perfect combination of fighting spirit and wit going on. Their most recent record, a full-length album called Anchoress is Ruining My Life, was released in 2016 and can be found free on Bandcamp; they also have other albums and singles available on the platform. I talked to Anchoress; singer, Rob Hoover, about a variety of topics, ranging from the band’s ethos to to challenges that they face as a modern-day independent band. —Claire
Claire: Your last album, Anchoress is Ruining My Life, showed a marked stylistic shift: it’s less abrasive, more controlled, than prior releases. For instance, T.E.P.F.K.A.L., released just 5 months before, is noticeably more fiery. How would you describe the process that led to the distinct style of Anchoress is Ruining My Life?
Rob: Yeah, absolutely. It was very intentional on our part that we wanted something a lot more precise when we were working on this record. Our previous record Crime & Compass was written and recorded very quickly to fit into a timetable with a tour we had planned, and as a result it felt kind of hectic and we made some choices for expedience sake that we felt made parts of that album suffer.
May the 4th be with you. As Gandalf said: we hope you live long and prosper or whatever.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 4th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
Frank Turner – Be More Kind
Genre: Folk Punk / Pop Rock
Label: Xtra Mile / Polydor / Interscope
As evidenced by the album art and title, the central theme of Frank Turner’s newest release is one of empathy and compassion in a time of ever-pervasive social and political turmoil. Be More Kind has several tracks that seem tailor-made for radio or your local Target – think more along the lines of “The Way I Tend to Be” from Tape Deck Heart, less anything pre-England Keep My Bones – with the hardest-hitting songs being “1933” and possibly album highlight “Brave Face”. Turner’s pop sensibilities are still strong, though, thanks to his backing band The Sleeping Souls sounding better than ever. In songs like “Little Changes”, “21st Century Survival Blues”, and even “Make America Great Again” (which might otherwise be a throwaway song without the humorous video – see 4:08 for an example), the warmer tones envelop like a blanket, and…
In the spirit of the NFL draft, we’ve asked Boomer to help us out with the news this week.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 27th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
Genre: Art Pop / Contemporary R&B
Label: Bad Boy
Almost five years after the genre-bending The Electric Lady, Ms. Monae continues her marvelous run. In a BBC Radio 1 interview with Annie Mac, Monae disclosed about Prince: “It’s hard for me to talk about him. But I do miss him, and his spirit will never leave me.” Prince’s presence can be heard throughout the record, and sure enough, that delectable synth line in single “Make Me Feel” was allegedly penned by The Purple One, per his DJ, Lenka Paris. Other highlights on the record include “Americans” – arguably the best politically-tinged song since the last American presidential election – along with “I Got the Juice” (featuring Pharrell Williams) and “PYNK” (in collaboration with Grimes).
It’s a sad fact of life that, after two full days and nights of festing and after partying in 90+ degree desert heat and an inordinate amount of substances willingly or unwillingly consumed, I’m not always going to be in tip top shape by the time Sunday of Coachella rolls around. I tell myself every year: it’s a marathon, not a spring. Rarely do I listen. So apologies, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Hannah Wants, Noname, and Japanese Breakfast – I wanted to see you, I really did, but my body had other ideas. It didn’t help that my prediction that Sunday would an easy ride in proved horribly, horribly wrong. For no discernable reason whatsoever, event staff allowed concertgoers to wait in line for over an hour at various parking lots that ended up already being full, thus necessitating subsequent re-routing and even longer waits at other overflow lots. Not sure how this happened given the relative fluidity of previous days, but maybe there’s a lot more Eminem fans than I thought.
Luckily, Sunday’s offerings were fairly sparse compared to the abundance of riches that flowed from noon to midnight Friday and Saturday. After catching a few minutes of raucous LA garage punks FIDLAR (a left-field choice for your average Coachella attendee, but good for some chuckles and some yells), I hurried over to the Outdoor stage to see the entirety of Jessie Ware. Although technical problems delayed the start of her set and Ms.…
Did you leave your milk and cookies out for Willie Nelson?
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 20th, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
A Perfect Circle – Eat the Elephant
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: BMG
[Review]
“Why does Maynard look like he belongs in year 2000 Mudvayne?” –TheSpirit
Almost 15 years since Thirteenth Step (because nobody really wants to talk about eMOTIVe, right?), Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, and the rest of the band return with an appreciably moody offering, where themes of accountability, entitlement, and mortality percolate throughout the record. While Maynard acknowledged in a Rolling Stone interview that musicians might “not want to be too topical, because then you date your art”, his observations in contemporary times might continue to be just as applicable in another 15 years.
Apparently the latest trend for Sputnik darlings in their music videos is to stare at the camera at random intervals, although it’s unclear if “The Doomed” took inspiration of Steven Wilson. /s
I must confess that this is not my idea; having recently come across Tom Breihan’s ‘The Number Ones’ column for Stereogum, and in turn, Tom Ewing’s ‘Popular’ column for Freaky Trigger, I felt inspired to approach the format from my own geographical perspective; that is, review every single to reach number 1 on the ARIA Charts/Kent Report, and assign a numerical grade from 1-10. In the interest of brevity (and some pertinence), the column shall begin from July 1974, the date in which the initial Kent Report was first published commercially, and work forwards from there. Dependent upon time constraints and general interest, publishing of these articles will, similar to Ewing and Breihan’s columns, be daily. And now…
Billy Swan – “I Can Help”
27 January 1975 (1 Week).
Parallel to novelty songs are one-hit wonders; not always novel, yet always desperately grasping at the tendrils of good taste, and always indebted to whatever timeframe birthed them. Consider Billy Swan; a country troubadour who nevertheless saw “I Can Help” succeed as his only hit, better yet a hit that only lasted a week at the top of the charts. At no point does it dwell in the margins of camp, though it nevertheless sounds like a mid-‘70s record, all acoustic jangle and line-stepping waltz.
Compositionally, Swan admits that the whole thing came together in less than an hour; the lyrics are plucked at random, as evidence by the barrage of platitudes and odes to…
Upon closer examination, the Saturday lineup proved to be the most stacked of the day, a result that proved a fortuitous coincidence with another smooth day of sailing through parking, security, and the festival lines to arrive at the fest just in time for Big Thief around 3 p.m. While I’ve always been a fan of their somewhat off-kilter live show, Big Thief’s confessional, contrasting components – their guitarist’s uh, unique style has to been seen to be believed – was always going to be a bit of an odd fit at Coachella. Singer and frontwoman Adrianne Lenker always performs like she’d rather be anywhere else rather than on stage, but the small crowd was thrilled nonetheless.
As great as the lineup was, it presented a series of conundrums that have me seriously trying to finagle a wristband for weekend two just to go again Saturday (see that Missed Connections list *crying emoji*). I’d seen bands like First Aid Kit and Django Django before – in the interest of trying something new, I ventured to the Yuma tent for the first time all weekend to check out former Daft Punk manager and Ed Banger mascot Pedro Winter aka Busy P spin some old fashioned electro house to get out of the rapidly increasing temperatures. The Yuma tent remains the preeminent vibe for people younger than me to get fucked up in, and while I continued to enjoy the air conditioned environs and the relentless grooves, the…
When I first started attending and writing Coachella (way back in 2010 and just a couple weeks before this lovely website took me on as a staff member :0), I camped with the degenerates in the camping grounds and bought my ticket at the door. There was something liberating about being able to simply pack up for the desert a few days before the weekend to watch some of the biggest acts in the alternative scenes play in one of the most beautiful yet inhospitable environments on the planet. Eight years later, Coachella is very much the same: a gorgeous piece of scenery full of beautiful people and artists looking to either make a name for themselves or secure stardom. It’s a one of a kind experience, the only festival in the United States that has such a distinct vibe, sound, and a carefully curated aesthetic – tied up in the art, music, design, interactive experiences, and even food – that I promised myself I would keep coming out so long as my body obeys. At 29, I’m nearing the outer edge of the average Coachella attendee. The last thing you want to be is the old, balding guy busting out the rave shuffle in the Sahara tent. Even still, it would take a lot for me to stop altogether, especially with the sweet, sweet media access Sputnik can deliver.
With the addition of a second weekend in 2012, however, Coachella began to transform into the mainstream…
We’re not superstitious, just a little stitious (hence the delay).
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 13, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
The Damned – Evil Spirits
Genre: Goth-tinged Punk
Label: Search and Destroy, Spinefarm UK
While this UK outfit might not always be mentioned in the same breath as The Clash or Sex Pistols, Evil Spirits is The Damned’s 11th LP and first in over a decade. Joining long-time stalwarts Captain Sensible and Dave Vanian is returning bassist Paul Gray, while the band recruited producer Tony Visconti due to their affinity for his work on David Bowie’s Blackstar. Lead single “Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow” and “Procrastination” are two highlights that showcase The Damned in 2018.
– Sample List of Releases: April 13, 2018 –
A Hawk and a Hacksaw – Forest Bathing
Genre: Eastern-tinged Indie Folk
Label: L.M. Dupli-cation
A Place to Bury Strangers – Pinned
Genre: Noise Rock
Label: Dead Oceans
Alexis Taylor – Beautiful Thing
Genre: Alternative / Indie
Label: Domino
I must confess that this is not my idea; having recently come across Tom Breihan’s ‘The Number Ones’ column for Stereogum, and in turn, Tom Ewing’s ‘Popular’ column for Freaky Trigger, I felt inspired to approach the format from my own geographical perspective; that is, review every single to reach number 1 on the ARIA Charts/Kent Report, and assign a numerical grade from 1-10. In the interest of brevity (and some pertinence), the column shall begin from July 1974, the date in which the initial Kent Report was first published commercially, and work forwards from there. Dependent upon time constraints and general interest, publishing of these articles will, similar to Ewing and Breihan’s columns, be daily. And now…
Daryl Braithwaite – “You’re My World”
6 January – 20 January 1975 (3 Weeks).
Perhaps one of the most underrated delights of exploring a history of Australian pop music is that I can accord some attention to songwriters that have either had a minimal presence in the US and the UK, or just plainly didn’t make much of an international dent to begin with. Daryl Braithwaite is one of those performers; having fronted Sherbet, he produced some of Australia’s biggest anthems including “Summer Love” and “Howzat,” whilst topping the charts in his own right with “One Summer” and “The Horses.” As an inductee to the ARIA Hall of Fame, he’s a national treasure; to those North of the equator, he’s Daryl Braithwaite.
Hello fellow metalheads and welcome to a post that will put the division symbol in m/. Metal music is not unlike a cult or gang, and any self-respecting gang has its own hand sign. For metal, it has been the metal horns. When you point at someone, you point 3 fingers at yourself; but when you do metal horns at someone, you point two to the ground, two to the sky, and your thumb to the side while you flash them with the European-popular symbol for being cuckolded and the hand symbol of about a dozen colleges. When metal fans post online, that symbol looks like this: m/. Or this: \m/. Or, according to wikipedia, this: \../ or /../.
The humble m/ can be taken as an endorsement of the quality or “metalness” of a piece of metal music; how often an m/ is associated with something is as good a proxy as any for this quality. So what if some brave soul counted these m/’s and disseminated this information to the world?
For this post, I went back to the album data from my Top 250 Users app data, and scraped comment data from the flagged reviews of 593 albums which were those that had any metal genre tag, had greater than a 4.0 average rating, and more than 200 ratings (all the data used to select albums was collected around November of 2016, so this sample is missing albums that have come out since, and that might have reached those criteria by now).…
To those of you who actually keep up with this: I thank you. This week’s interview was meant to have a ~secret~ guest, although he was unfortunately unable to make it tonight (therefore, he’ll be making his appearance on a future interview). But more importantly, I sat down with TheLongShot, fellow Beach Boys and Elton John enthusiast and talked for an ungodly amount of time (4hrs, 13mins to be exact). LongShot earned himself a one-way ticket to the frontpage with his stellar review of Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, which can be read here.
Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
So, with every interview, as redundant as it is, how did you discover Sputnik? Was it the rockin’ Web 2.0 layout or the ghost town-esque comment section at 5 A.M. that attracted you to mx’s humble abode?
Amazingly, the aesthetic was not the main draw. I had known of Sputnik for some time, but I hadn’t bothered to check it out further until about a year ago. I’m the head administrator of this other music-related website called The Range Place, and one of the primary contributors on there is a semi-frequent Sputnik poster (he goes by IhateMana on TRP and Jasdevi087 on Sputnik). After hearing him talk it up on the TRP Discord, I decided to check it out, and within one day I had made an account, posted a review for Queen’s Innuendo, and also posted a…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 06, 2018. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors. As our staff post reviews of these albums, links will appear below the art work so that you can read about the release, see how we scored it, and more.
Featured Release
Hypno5e: Alba: Les Ombres ErrantesGenre: Post Metal/Progressive/Acoustic // Label: Pelagic Records
Hypno5e has always been a band that required a bit of effort to fully get into. It wasn’t just that their sprawling post metal/prog/djent sound demanded a listener’s full attention, it was also the extended song lengths and frequent spoken-word monologues. Alba brings post metal structures, progressive tendencies, and even some djent rhythms, but it also gives listeners a new hurdle to overcome… it’s entirely acoustic. Of course, Albra isn’t the first time the band have dabbled in acoustics, but they had previously been brief and buried between more abrasive walls of sound. Surprisingly, the band pull it off really well… even if they still haven’t dropped the damn monologues.
Song Title: Who Wakes Up from this Dream Does Not Bear My Name
– Full List of Releases: April 06, 2018 –
30 Seconds to Mars: America
Genre: Alternative // Label: Interscope
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The Aces: When My Heart Felt Volcanic
Genre: Indie Rock // Label: Red Bull Records
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Alice Merton: No Roots
Genre: Indie Pop // Label: Mom + Pop
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