(මහසෝනා)*
යන්ත්ර.මන්ත්ර.ගුරුකම්!
Virvpi Propaganda (2020)
Given that I’ve put together year-end lists of the strangest albums I heard for the past couple years, I was pointed to this release coming out of Sri Lanka. It’s by a band with no name (the only representation of the group is the image of Sri Lankan demon Mahasona depicted on the album cover), there’s no list of band members, and … Read more
Aesop Rock
Spirit World Field Guide
Rhymesayers (2020)
Spirit World Field Guide is Aesop Rock’s first full-length in a few years. He’s been busy in the meantime, working on Malibu Ken and other projects, but Spirit World Field Guide has been a slow-building project. And it’s just that: a project.At 21 tracks in total, this is a psychedelic hip-hop adventure that takes the listener to new lands. It’s filled with dense imagery, new … Read more
Aidan Baker
An Instance of Rising/Liminoid
Gizeh (2020)
Aidan Baker’s experience as a musician encompasses solo work, collaborations, bands, remixes writing books of poetry, and with this release, composing pieces to be performed by orchestras. His career is defined by experimentation and a willingness to explore new and diverse avenues for his sounds and while he may be best known for his work with Nadja, he is also … Read more
Alex Ross
Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music
Harper Collins (2020)
Richard Wagner and his oeuvre cast a big shadow in every sense of the word.In a time and age where the ostracism of cancel culture and systematic boycotts is prevalent, the question is if artists like Wagner, whose success was in large amounts due to the political relevance from 1933-45 and his anti-Semitism, are more than merely a guilty pleasure? … Read more
Alien Nosejob
Once Again The Present Becomes The Past
Iron Lung (2020)
Alien Nosejob is a one-person project by Jake Robertson. On Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud, released in January, it was heavily influenced by melodic garage-punk. This time around the word was that Once Again The Present Becomes The Past is a hardcore record.So of course it starts with a short song called “Piano Prelude.” Because even when you know what to expect … Read more
Alien Nosejob
Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud
Drunken Sailor (2020)
With a name like Alien Nosejob I was expecting something a little more spacey or out there than what you get on Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud. A one man band of sorts, led by Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants, Hierophants, Drug Sweat, and more), Alien Nosejob is melodic and thoughtful, playing a variety of punk-inspired sounds over 13 songs. The predominant sound is … Read more
All Hits
Men And Their Work
Iron Lung (2020)
Back in the 1980s there were some intriguing new sounds developing. Post-punk was always arty and a bit noisier, but always so serious. New Wave was danceable and synthetic, but sometimes not serious enough. The commonality between the two, tonally, was an exploration of new soundscapes with inhuman tones: finding a balance between a detached dystopian environment and the nuance … Read more
Andrew Paley
Scattered Light
Highwires (2020)
"The world's on fire and I don't feel a thing at all." Sung with a breezy nonchalance, Andrew Paley's prescient lyrics on "Caroline", including the admission "I've been raging at headlines", sound like they were written at the exact moment you're hearing them. On his second album Scattered Light, following 2016's Sirens, the Chicago-based musician looks to the future with … Read more
Aseitas
False Peace
Translation Loss (2020)
Aseitas hail from the wilds of Portland, Oregon and while many bands from that region tend to dabble in the blackened side of the extreme metal spectrum, this group aim to create sonic dissonance via the technical aspects of death metal. Their second full-length, False Peace, is a demanding listen, not least because of three long-form tracks (all over ten minutes) … Read more
Attic Salt
Get Wise
Jump Start (2020)
A big part of why I do this is to discover new music. Attic Salt are a new band to me, and I decided to pick up Get Wise after checking out the first couple singles.The band, based in Springfield, IL, play peppy pop-punk. While that subgenre seems to have a surprising amount of different meanings, this is the crisp, clean and … Read more
Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra
Nova Era
Satelite K Records (2020)
Nova Era is a sweet journey through the olden Balkan ethos that permeates this region, of which I also happen to be a part of. Of course, I have certain biases that will come to light through the course of this review, but do not let that discourage you from delving into these sounds in any way. Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra … Read more
Barren Womb
Lizard Lounge
Loyal Blood Records (2020)
Barren Womb can hardly be accused of stagnation. Lizard Lounge, the fourth album by this hard working two-man band is again an interesting step further down the road. The band once started with a heavy Refused influenced framework on which they added whatever came to mind. The albums that followed showed slightly more focus, but Barren Womb kept writing songs that are all … Read more
Beast of Revelation
The Ancient Ritual of Death
Iron Bonehead (2020)
There is a lot of scholarship devoted to determining which monstrosity in the Book of Revelations is its titular "Beast." Revelation 11:7 introduces us to a creature that rises from the abyss (or the sea… it's somewhat unclear), a mysterious creature, adorned with crowns and proclaiming blasphemy. The second contender emerges from the ground and immediately gets down to business, … Read more
Big Chungus
Big Chungus
Wet Cassettes Records (2020)
You have to appreciate a concept that’s primarily focused on making you uncomfortable; where’s the fun without a healthy dose of shock and awe? Young Philadelphia-based label Wet Cassettes is built on those foundations, describing themselves as torchbearers of “weird dirty music for weird dirty people,” a concept that deserves to be saluted from where I’m sitting. Their latest project … Read more
Biznaga
Gran Pantalla
Slovenly (2020)
Gran Pantalla is the third LP from Spain’s Biznaga. It’s predecessor, Sentido Del Espectáculo, was quite successful in Spain and numero tres comes with the lofty promise in the press material as “If Joe Strummer were actually from Granada, The Clash would have sounded something like this.” It’s also the band’s first record featuring collaborative songwriting, instead of each writer contributing their … Read more
Black Lips
…Sing In a World That’s Falling Apart
Fire Records/Vice Records (2020)
In an era of heart-on-sleeve Americana, the Black Lips are up to something else on …Sing In a World That’s Falling Apart. Black Lips approach Americana in this record in half parody and half serious mode. It embraces the ugly with their tongues sticking out instead of buried in their cheek. The record takes traditional stylings, music-wise, and piles the stereotypes … Read more
Body Count
Carnivore
Century Media (2020)
You couldn't keep them on their leash forever, and now that they're back on the streets, it's either ride or die with Ice-T's and Ernie C's hardcore thrash revival, Body Count, and their seventh album, Carnivore. Body Count are well into the second leg of their career, having jump started the group's black heart with 2014's Manslaughter, following an initial hiatus in 1997 … Read more
Broadway Calls
Meet Me On The Moon
Red Scare Industries (2020)
Meet Me On The Moon is a teaser single for the new LP, Sad In The City, which also happens to be Broadway Calls’ first new full-length in almost a decade (which will release close to the time this review publishes). While I knew of the band, I’d never really spent any time with their records. On this short-player, I like what … Read more
