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By Nocte
Sunday May 14, 2023
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So it’s been *checks notes* a hot minute since we’ve done this but in case it’s your first day here or the first sober moment since those mushrooms turned on you this is where we vaguely cover “how to review an album”. That is to say in this segment we’ll be cross checking different staffers’ approaches to putting words together. Maybe you’re a budding reviewer, on the cusp of greatness, searching for that piece of the puzzle lost on the floor or maybe your mum just logged you on to the household’s singular trusty laptop and you don’t know what to do with your fifteen minute screen allowance before the older sibling demands the computer for…research? Either way, you’ve come to the right place.
First off. Who are you and how did you get here?
Hey, I’m Alex, AKA robertsona, and I’ve been using Sputnikmusic for about 14 years, with about a decade under my belt as Staff. I think I found Sputnikmusic in trying to supplement Pitchfork with other sources of music news and reviews, and evidently the idea of writing my own reviews and putting them out there for consumption was appealing: from May 2009, when I was 13 years old, to August 2013, when I turned 18, I wrote well over 100 reviews for the site. I currently live with fellow Sputnikmusic user ArsMoriendi in Manhattan, and I teach high school English around New York City.
Wait. You’re not Robert? I feel betrayed right now!
To integrate…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 12th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: May 12, 2023 –
The Acacia Strain: Step Into The Light
Genre: Metalcore / Deathcore
Label: Rise
The Acacia Strain: Failure Will Follow
Genre: Metalcore / Deathcore
Label: Rise
Alison Goldfrapp: The Love Invention
Genre: House / Pop
Label: BMG
The Amity Affliction: Not Without My Ghosts
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Pure Noise
Ascended Dead: Evenfall Of The Apocalypse
Genre: Black Metal / Death Metal
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Battle Born: Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: Prosthetic
BC Camplight: The Last Rotation On Earth
Genre: Singer Songwriter / Indie Pop
Label: Bella Union
Cattle Decapitation: Terrasite
Genre: Death Metal / Grindcore
Label: Metal Blade
Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean: Obsession Destruction
Genre: Death Doom
Label: Redscroll
The Dark Side of the Moon: Metamorphosis
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Label: Napalm…
Yune Pinku-Babylon IX
Wow. Another month has come and gone. Which means, of course, it’s time for a blog post. Dare I say 2023 is shaping up to be a very memorable year for music? Spring is in the air, the pandemic is finally over, and everyone is leaving their virtual discos in favor of good ol’ fashioned ragers. Who doesn’t love hearing loud trance music in dark tightly packed spaces? Maybe this year ACL can have a good lineup, who knows. Anyway, May 2023 is off to a weirdly boring start for music. I can think of several reasons why but the most obvious one is that April was just too damn exciting. Now that the Sheeran trial has run its course and musicians are safe again, we can all relax and play the new Zelda game or if you don’t have a Switch, Hyper Light Drifter is recommended on any platform. By the way, have you heard the new Yunè Pinku EP? The new Yunè Pinku EP is Sputnikmusic.com’s album of the month.
Yunè Pinku’s BABYLON IX doesn’t quite have the staying power of new Metallica, nor does it make me cry like the new National, but it kinda rules. Marvelously produced opener “Trinity” continues to amaze and uplift, even when it is boring and rainy outside or in the world of other music: quite a trick. It is not easy to make electronic music sound lush and inviting on first listen without sacrificing some element of…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of May 5th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: May 5, 2023 –
Atmosphere: So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously
Genre: Hip Hop
Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment
The Bomboras: Songs From Beyond!
Genre: Punk
Label: MuSick Recordings
Billy Woods and Kenny Segal: Maps
Genre: Hip Hop
Label: BackwoodzStudioz
Blood Ceremony: The Old Ways Remain
Genre: Hard Rock / Stoner Doom
Label: Nuclear Blast
Bloodgutter: Death Mountain
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Trollzorn
Burning Witches: The Dark Tower
Genre: Power Metal
Label: Napalm
Busdriver: Made In Love
Genre: Hip Hop
Label: Temporary Whatever
Cloth: Secret Measure
Genre: Alt Rock / Indie Rock
Label: Rock Action
Currents: The Death We Seek
Genre: Metalcore
Label: SharpTone
Dave Lombardo: Rites of Percussion
Genre: Drums
Label: Ipecac
Death Goals: A Garden Of Dead Flowers
Genre:…
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By Nocte
Thursday May 4, 2023
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You guys probably get the gist of this by now, right? But just in case you haven’t or you’re new or GetLow this is where we vaguely cover “how to review an album”. That is to say in this segment we’ll be cross checking different staffers’ approaches to putting words together. Maybe you’re a budding reviewer, on the cusp of greatness, searching for that piece of the puzzle lost on the floor or maybe your mum just logged you on to the household’s singular trusty laptop and you don’t know what to do with your fifteen-minute screen allowance before the older sibling demands the computer for…research? Either way, you’ve come to the right place!
I want to chat with the guy who inspired a nutritious breakfast drink (we will take sponsorship if you’re out there Nestle). No? Rude. Anyways… Mr. M. Ruggles. The one and only ladies, man, ladies-man, jellybeans, lo-fi aficionados…
First off. Who are you and how did you get here?
Some bloke shook me awake and said, “This is the last stop.” I wasn’t entirely sure where I was, but once I alighted the bus, I grabbed the nearest man with lapels by his lapels and started screaming about how blackgaze was coming along just fine until Numenorean showed up, and then I thought I was being restrained but everybody was cheering, and they crowd surfed me to wherever this is.
Here’s another version of the truth. Picture a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed lad from a quaint wee…
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By Nocte
Saturday April 29, 2023
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Hopefully by now you’ve figured out what’s going on here. In this segment we’ll be cross checking different staffers’ approaches to putting words together. Maybe you’re a budding reviewer, on the cusp of greatness, searching for that piece of the puzzle lost on the floor or maybe your mum just logged you on to the household’s singular trusty laptop and you don’t know what to do with your fifteen minute screen allowance before the older sibling demands the computer for…research? Either way, close that incognito tab and let’s deep dive into “how to write a review.” More seriously though, I was out hiking the other day and we found a guy stuck down a well. No, not the Batman kid. His name is Johnny and he sweeps legs. We told him we’d help get him out or toss down a roast chicken (just one of these, not both) if he answered a couple silly questions first.
First off. Who are you and how did you get here? If this does not conform; what are you?
I am a tall body in the back of a black van and I am asking many questions with my hands right now.
Is there anyone on this site you share high percentage tastes with? Well, enough to have a signature handshake with?
Are you trying to infiltrate my harem?
Ah, no. Call it a professional curiosity.
Well then, this being a bona fide *music site*, there are loads of people I have enough overlap…
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By Sowing
Thursday April 27, 2023
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 28th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 28, 2023 –
Austere: Corrosion of Hearts
Genre: Black/Doom Metal
Label: Prophecy
Bebe Rexha: Bebe
Genre: Pop/R&B
Label: Warner Records
Belgrado: Intra Apogeum
Genre: Post-Punk/Gothic
Label: La Vida Es Un Mus Discos
Bernice: Cruisin’
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Telephone Explosion Records
Braids: Euphoric Recall
Genre: Electronic/Psychedelic
Label: Secret City
Cradle of Filth: Trouble And Their Double Lives
Genre: Black Metal/Gothic
Label: Napalm
Crown The Empire: DOGMA
Genre: Metalcore/Post-Hardcore
Label: Rise Records
The Damned: Darkadelic
Genre: Punk/Gothic
Label: earMUSIC
Defiled: The Highest Level
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Season of Mist
Enforced: War Remains
Genre: Thrash/Hardcore
Label: Century Media
Fires in the Distance: Air Not Meant For Us
Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Doom
Label: Prosthetic Records
Graveworm: Killing Innocence
Genre: Black Metal/Gothic
Label: AFM
Great Lake Swimmers: Uncertain Country
Genre: Indie-Folk
Label: Great Lake Swimmers
ILLENIUM: ILLENIUM
Genre: Electronic/Dubstep
Label: Illenium, LLC
Indigo De Souza: All of This Will End
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Saddle Creek
Jessie Ware:…
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By Nocte
Tuesday April 25, 2023
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Good morning and thank you for um…setting aside your schedule of busy Sputnikmusic debauchery and endless page refreshes to get to the nitty gritty of “how to review music”, hacks, roms and workarounds. In this segment we’ll be cross checking different staffers’ approaches to putting um… words together. Maybe you’re a budding reviewer, on the cusp of greatness, searching for that piece of the puzzle lost on the floor or maybe your mum just logged you on to the household’s singular trusty laptop and you don’t know what to do with your fifteen-minute screen allowance before the older sibling demands the computer for…research? Either way, you’ve come to the right place!
We hopped on a ship (it might be called Spunik #1) to visit a kid from Mars, the one and only Zapruder defender Mitch Worden. Let’s ambush him with the questions we maybe need some answers to.
First off. Who are you and how did you get here?
landscape on planet Mars, scenic desert scene on the red planet
I ask myself this question staring into the mirror every morning. Still don’t have an answer. Send help.
OK anyways, hello! I am MarsKid, otherwise known as Mitch or the single remaining Persefone fan on this godforsaken corner of the web. I write a lot, much of it pertaining to metal of varying degrees of quality, and I am a proud member of Sputnik’s core-fam.
How many reviews do you have on this site? No, disregard that. How…
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By Nocte
Thursday April 20, 2023
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 21st, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 21st, 2023 –
Alfa Mist: Variables
Genre: Jazz / Hip-Hop
Label: Anti-
As Everything Unfolds: Ultraviolet
Genre: Alt Metal / Post Hardcore
Label: Long Branch Records
Astral Sleep: We Are Already Living in the End of Times
Genre: Doom / Death / Psychedelic
Label: Saarni Records
Atavistia: Cosmic Warfare
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Blood Blast Distro
Bella White: Among Other Things
Genre: Bluegrass / Country
Label: Rounder
Bell Witch: Future Shadow Part 1
Genre: Funeral Doom / Death
Label: Profound Lore Records
Blood Star: First Sighting
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: Shadow Kingdom Records
Brand of Sacrifice: Between Death and Dreams
Genre: Deathcore / Metalcore
Label: Unique Leader Records
Dawn of Ouroboros: Velvet Incandescence
Genre: Black Metal / Post Metal /Progressive
Label: Prosthetic Records
Decipher: Arcane Paths to Resurrection
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Transcending Obscurity
The Eating Cave: The Miscalculation
Genre: Melodic Death Metal / Deathcore
Label: Independent Release
Enter Shikari: A Kiss
…
Tags: electronic, indie pop, Metal, New Releases, Sputnik Music, SputnikMusic
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By Nocte
Tuesday April 18, 2023
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Oh. Hi, and welcome back to yet another installment of “Staffers’ gone Wild!” or um…vague instructions on how to review music. In setting aside your schedule of busy Sputnikmusic comment posting and left click debauchery to get to the nitty gritty of “how to review music”, hacks, roms and workarounds we hope you still enjoy this little left-hand turn from visiting Tool threads. In this segment we’ll be cross checking different staffers’ approaches to putting words together. Maybe you’re a budding reviewer, on the cusp of greatness, searching for that piece of the puzzle lost on the floor or maybe your mum just logged you on to the household’s singular trusty laptop and you don’t know what to do with your fifteen-minute screen allowance before the older sibling demands the computer for…research? Either way, you’ve come to the right place!
I’ll do away with the small talk (or will I?) but you guys all know the power puff diddle of Sputnikmusic. The site’s Mr. Nice Guy. The El Primo himself, pimp-daddy Dewinged!
First off. Who are you and how did you get here?
That depends. In this version of the multiverse I’m the worldwide famous reviewer Dewingus Magnificus, well known for writing embarrassing 5/5 reviews for several hair metal albums, but what really brought me here was the scent of blood in the air. Also Mongi’s review of Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas’ “Mariner”.
Are you really a pimp?
I’ll admit I’ve pimped a couple of dwarves in the past…
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By Nocte
Tuesday April 11, 2023
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Good morning and thank you for um…setting aside your schedule of busy Sputnikmusic comment posting (we all know you’re just wasting time on your loo break) and left click debauchery to get to the nitty gritty of “how to review music”, hacks, roms and workarounds. In this segment we’ll be cross checking different staffers’ approaches to putting words together. Maybe you’re a budding reviewer, on the cusp of greatness, searching for that piece of the puzzle lost on the floor or maybe your mum just logged you on to the household’s singular trusty laptop and you don’t know what to do with your fifteen minute screen allowance before the older sibling demands the computer for…research? In short, thank you for coming to the right place!
Today (or sometime this week more likely) Ben stumbled into the wrong room. The door locked behind him (oh no!) and now he’s stuck to a chair until a rescuer appears at an undisclosed time. You guys can tell creative writing isn’t a strength of mine right? Um…
First off. Who are you and how did you get here? Are you asleep?
Zzz.
In your own words, how does one review a piece of music?
Tl;dr: No idea lol.
Engaging brain … erm … ig there are two uncircumventable goals: (a) engage reader and (b) express self.
Importantly, (a) > (b): the audience must, necessarily, come first. Everything else is secondary. If, as a result of your words, you have convinced someone to listen to…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 14th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 14, 2023 –
1782: Clamor Luciferi
Genre: Doom
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Abraham Alexander: SEA/SONS
Genre: Singer Songwriter / Soul
Label: Dualtone Music Group
Atreyu: The Hope Of A Spark [EP]
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Spinefarm
Baustelle: Elvis
Genre: Indie Rock
Label: BMG
Black Orchid Empire: Tempus Veritas
Genre: Alt Rock
Label: Season of Mist
Chat Pile and Nerver: Brothers in Christ [SPLIT]
Genre: Industrial / Hardcore / Noise Rock / Sludge
Label: Reptilian
Chief Keef: Almighty So 2
Genre: Hip hop
Label: 43B
Death & Legacy: D4rk Prophecies
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Art Gates
Dodheimsgard: Black Medium Current
Genre: Black Metal / Death Metal
Label: Peaceville
Domestic Terminal: The Flooded Basement [EP]
Genre: Midwest Emo / Alternative Rock
Label: Self released
Eloise: Drunk on a Flight
Genre: Indie Pop
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By staff
Monday April 10, 2023
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[Part I] // [Part II]
They say you were something in those formative years…
For many, our love of music begins with the influence of our family and friends. I can remember my mom blasting Hendrix so loud the windows shook and I could feel it through the stool I was sitting on. Or hunched by the kitchen window watching the spread of milky coldness on the glass while my father cooked with Paul Simon singing “Mother and Child Reunion”. Still later, I would remember my brother buying Bon Jovi patches for his denim jacket.
There does come a time when something we hear goes beyond our inheritance. When I consciously chose an artist that no-one else championed, it changed what music did for me — it became an expression of my personality. Musical taste, to me anyway, is sometimes an instinctual compass that unlocks a part of who we are. These are some stories about those moments, as told by our contributor team. –fog
Red Hot Chili Peppers
My first real love in life was skateboarding. From the age of 7 upward, it was all I would do with my time. I’d take my horrible factory-made deck out into the school carpark down the road from my house and spend hours on end trying to slappy curbs and ollie manhole covers. Eventually, when I’d skinned my knees enough or twisted my ankle so badly I…
Darren Hayes @SEC Armadillo, Glasgow 31/3/23
For anyone who read my recent review on Hayes’ latest album, Homosexual, which was released at the end of last year, you’ll know that I didn’t pull any punches. Homosexual is so bad, it’s very likely to be one of my most reviled albums of the decade. The thing is, Hayes’ fifth album being bad isn’t that big an issue, right? He’s been out of the game for eleven years and writes a pretentious, out of touch synthpop stinker, it’s unfortunate but you just don’t have to listen to it again, no big deal. That is until you realise you’re going to see one of his shows. Of course, at the time I bought tickets to see his show, I didn’t even know he was making a new album. Considering how long he’s been out of the game, the tour being proposed, it seemed pretty obvious it was going to be a greatest hits celebration, and since I’d never seen him live and adored most of his recorded output, it seemed like a no brainer. Homosexual’s poor quality was set to threaten that assumption however; what went from elated excitement at the prospect of hearing these classic bangers live, turned into apprehension with the knowledge his abominable 2022 release was going to be smeared all over the setlist.
As it happens, Homosexual was present on the night but there were so many other glaring issues from the performance it diminished this…
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By Sowing
Tuesday April 4, 2023
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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 7th, 2023. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: April 7, 2023 –
Asystole: Siren To Blight
Genre: Death Metal
Label: I, Voidhanger Records
Covet: Catharsis
Genre: Math/Progressive Rock
Label: Triple Crown
Daniel Caesar: Never Enough
Genre: R&B/Soul
Label: Hollace Inc.
Daughter: Stereo Mind Game
Genre: Indie-Rock/Dream Pop
Label: Glassnote Entertainment Group
Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven
Genre: Indie Pop/Electronic
Label: Universal Music
Fire-Toolz: I am upset because I see something that is not there.
Genre: Experimental/Electronic
Label: Fire-Toolz
Frenzal Rhomb: The Cup Of Pestilence
Genre: Hardcore/Punk
Label: Frenzal Rhomb
HMLTD: The Worm
Genre: Post-Punk/Electronic
Label: Lucky Number Music
ISON: Stars & Embers
Genre: Ambient/Drone/Shoegaze
Label: Avantgarde Music
Linkin Park: Meteora 20th Anniversary Edition
Genre: Nu-Metal/Rock
Label: Warner Records
Mudhoney: Plastic Eternity
Genre: Grunge/Punk/Alt-Rock
Label: Sub Pop
NF: Hope
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: NF Real…
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