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BIG|BRAVE

A Gaze Among Them
Southern Lord (2019)

Big | Brave set out on a sonic journey influenced and inspired by diverse forces. For the band, on the one hand there was the elusive pull of their native Montreal post-rock scene, but on the other side there was the inclination towards the heavier post-metal and drone trajectories. It was this dichotomy that fuelled two excellent works in Au … Read more

Evening Standards

World’s End
Lets Pretend (2019)

It’s a dramatic understatement to say that music has changed since I first discovered DIY in the 1990s. But in many ways, one of the first things I discovered about real people making music, is that contacting a label you like usually leads to good things. While you can sample music online nowadays and there are ample bot-driven “recommended if … Read more

Black Dots

Everything Has Gotta Change
Snappy Little Numbers / La Escalera Records (2019)

Some albums just hit you right away. I was vaguely aware of Black Dots – some friends saw them at The Fest last year and said nice things, so I figured I should check it out myself when a lovely one-sided 12” showed up at my door.Everything Has Gotta Change hits immediately. Opener “I’m Already Gone” lays the framework: introducing … Read more

Aaron Rice

Neverfade/For Dusk
Elizabeth Label (2019)

Aaron Rice deftly wades through the debris of a break-up on his debut solo LP Neverfade/For Dusk, where his songs are bolstered by addictive synths that alternately lurk behind percussive bass or envelop the tracks. Rice's voice veers between being sparse and elegiac at points, while at others vocal manipulation makes his voice take on a deep, otherworldly sound over … Read more

Vånna Inget

Utopi
Gaphals Records (2019)

Vånna Inget is a band I almost forgot about. That’s what six year of absence can do. Things have not been completely quiet during those years to be honest. There has been a single and a live-album, but those releases flew under my radar. Seeing the bands name pop-up in the promo-bin re-ignited something for me. I really liked the … Read more

We Never Learned To Live

The Sleepwalk Transmissions
Holy Roar Records (2019)

With the music world transferring more and more to a digital world I sometimes feel that the artwork that acompanies an album has become less and less important. I mean, the transition from LP to CD meant the room for artwork was smaller. The transition to the digital format means there’s even less space for artwork. And then there’s stuff … Read more

The Dead Cvlt

The Cataclyst
PRSPCT Records (2019)

Rotterdam, Netherlands-based supergroup The Dead Cult has release their debut EP The Cataclyst on PRSPCT records. This looks to be one of very few if not the only album on this label which has such strong punk and metal influences. While they are a supergroup, they do not represent just one scene. They are a hybrid of punk, metal, drum … Read more

Orphanage Named Earth

Saudade
Sanctus Propaganda/Phobia Records (2019)

Last year around this time I was reviewing the debut album of Orphanage Named Earth. It was an album I enjoyed but had some remarks on as well. My two main remarks on the album were that the vocals tended to be a bit monotonous and secondly that the songwriting became a little formulaic. Not in a way it hindered … Read more

Howardian

The Silly Shit You Say
Lets Pretend (2019)

While the title of Howardian’s fourth LP, The Silly Shit You Say, imparts a whimsical, spontaneous first impression, the record itself feels complete. This isn’t some spur-of-the-moment side project from Ian Vanek (Japanther), it’s the real deal.Overall I’d say the influence of this record is 1980s new wave mixed with new millennium DIY punk and a dose of lo-fi. Keyboards … Read more

Cherry Glazerr

Stuffed & Ready
Secretly Canadian (2019)

Stuffed & Ready is the third album released by LA band Cherry Glazerr. It’s surprising this is their third album and it’s taken me this long to notice them, but regardless, my timing feels perfect. With an album name like Stuffed & Ready, it’s hard to ignore the boldness of the band. Lead vocalist Clementine Creevy has a dream-like quality … Read more

The Pirate Ship Quintet

Emitter
Denovali (2019)

The Pirate Ship Quintet begun investigating the deep waters of post-rock during the genre’s peak in the ‘00s. Founded in 2007 the band prefers a sparse release output, which provides them the necessary time to properly prepare and mould each album they put out. Minimalist notions, longform narratives, moving soundscapes and a hint of neoclassical and jazz elements comprised the … Read more

Pelican

Nighttime Stories
Southern Lord (2019)

The passage of time signals many changes; life, death, birth – the cycle continues unabatingly, waiting for the next movement and giving no room for change. For Pelican, the six years since their last record, Forever Becoming, has seen many instances of life, death and birth and the passing of former Tusk member (a project also featuring members of Pelican) … Read more

Batshit Crazy

Batshit Crazy
Basement Records (2019)

I didn’t even realize how much I’ve stigmatized horrorcore until Batshit Crazy showed up in my mailbox and made me question my way of thinking. The band embraces the term so I will for the context of this review. To me, the cover art, font and subgenre name make me think of Misfits-meets-rockabilly or, shudder, psychobilly.But Batshit Crazy sets a … Read more

Dead Bars

Regulars
A-F (2019)

Dead Bars are one of those bands that’s somehow both fun and super depressing. The lyricism is what you’ll normally read about with this band – and for good reason – but it’s all around fun-yet-meaningful punk that fits different moods and brings out different emotions depending on when you listen to it.The band released a few 7”s before 2017’s … Read more

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