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Western Settings

Old Pain
La Escalera (2016)

Ever wondered what it would sound like if Off With Their Heads and Iron Chic had a baby? Well, even if you haven't, you need to check out Western Settings. With the help of Chicken (Dead to Me), they've produced a release that builds off the melodic punk rock they premiered last year with their LP, Yes It Is. They're … Read more

Sun Worship

Pale Dawn
Golden Antenna (2016)

Sun Worship made a grand, and quite unexpected, appearance in the black metal scene with their debut full-length, Elder Giants. The album was supposed to be released just in digital format and on a limited tape release, but, the quality of this work saw an additional CD release coming later on through Translation Loss Records. The band's grasp on the … Read more

Perturbator

The Uncanny Valley
Blood Music (2016)

James Kent, known as Perturbator, has been meticulously constructing whole worlds with his dark synthwave music, one album at a time. His love of cyberpunk concepts has been the driving force for all his releases, and coupled with a strong '80s aesthetic, he has been able to breathe life into these feverish visions of futuristic domains. The Uncanny Valley is … Read more

Multiple Authors

Perturbator

The Uncanny Valley
Blood Music (2016)

The Uncanny Valley pulses in high concept waves and the mastermind behind it all, Perturbator (composer James Kent), creates visual magic with naught but a synthesiser and a slick, rain-soaked neon palette. Kent has been making music as his electronic alter-ego since at least 2012, but he started out in black metal and the Frenchman carries over similar aesthetics from … Read more

Sumac

What One Becomes
Thrill Jockey (2016)

The announcement on the newest band from Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom) was one of the most intriguing news in 2014. And things only got more exciting as the line-up of the new band was confirmed to include bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists), as well as the members stating that SUMAC would be a … Read more

Blaqk Audio

Material
BLQNOIS/Kobalt (2016)

Davey Havok and Jade Puget (you may recognize them from AFI) are back this year with a new Blaqk Audio album. Because the duo is constantly putting out music through multiple outlets, you wouldn't believe it's been 4 years since the last one, but here we are. Material is the Electro-duo's third album, and it may be their most accessible … Read more

Dälek

Asphalt For Eden
Profound Lore (2016)

Dalek has long been a group for outsiders. Embracing noise, industrial and ambient genres while still holding a tenuous grip on their New York hip hop roots. There is something strangely prescient about their mix of these genres being their own thing while fully embracing a structured sound that embodies the new york aesthetic at the same time. So after … Read more

The Dandy Warhols

Distortland
Dine Alone (2016)

The Dandy Warhols new release Distortland is a trippy foray into pop that should not only garner new fans but also satisfy their long term fans as well. The band has been putting out great records for 22 years now and this is their ninth release. The band continues to hone their sound and have put out some of their … Read more

Marissa Nadler

Strangers
Sacred Bones (2016)

Marissa Nadler has been releasing albums since 2004, and her meticulous constructions of dream states has been astonishing since the first notes of “Fifty Five Falls.” Through the years, Nadler has shown her aptitude in songwriting, not solely by awakening an emotional response with her music, but also with a sense of certainty that became more and more apparent in … Read more

Music Band

Wake Up Laughing
Infinity Cat (2016)

Music Band, along with JEFF the Brotherhood and Diarrhea Planet, forms the Infinity Cat triad, the latest representatives of the Nashville indie punk scene. I’ll readily admit to being a big DP fan - I’ve seen them four times, once with JEFF and once with Music Band. I knew these were DP’s buds, so I had high expectations. JEFF was … Read more

Explosions in the Sky

The Wilderness
Temporary Residence (2016)

It’s been five years since Texas post-rock outfit Explosions in the Sky released Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, which makes this the longest between-album gap for the band. Not that they’ve been sitting on their hands: They’ve been reliving their Friday Night Lights claim-to-fame years, writing three soundtracks for movies you’d probably only watch because Explosions scored them. There’s … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Corrective Measure

Demo 2015
Independent (2015)

Five song ripper from this quartet out of Maine. If the cover art is any indication these guys wear a lot of Nike. A cartoonish drawing of a baldy wearing both a Nike tee shirt and Nike sneakers adorns the J-card. Anybody who’s seen my recent drawings knows I can get down with that. The artists name is Chris X, … Read more

Lord Mantis

NTW
New Density (2016)

Line-up changes are a scary thought. When it was first announced that vocalist Charlie Fell and guitarist Ken Sorceron were leaving Lord Mantis, it indeed felt like a devastating blow for the band. And the timing was just so depressing, just a little while after the band had released its most complete work in Death Mask? However, Lord Mantis seamlessly … Read more

The Falcon

Gather Up the Chaps
Red Scare Industries (2016)

The Falcon are a curious band: a collection of rogue Chicagoans (now with Dave Hause as well), lead vocalist Brendan Kelly (The Lawrence Arms) seems to get the most attention but teammates Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio), Neil Hennessy (also The Lawrence Arms), and now Hause carry some impressive resumes on their own. It’s a loaded band, one that rips out … Read more

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