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Vow

Kind Eyes
The Native Sound (2016)

LA has been spoiling us lately: Bleached, Deap Valley and Warpaint are just a few of the bands that have been releasing stellar new material. These bands, like so many other musicians, use the fragments of past relationships as a springboard for putting chords and words on record. They all deliver their seething rebukes with the grittiness and determination necessary … Read more

Alcest

Kodama
Prophecy Productions (2016)

Kodama (loosely translating to “tree spirit” in Japanese) is a record that follows Alcest’s path of spirituality in music, and while Shelter (2014) was a lovely, warm, summery album, in retrospect it may not have been one of the best outings for the French duo. Kodama strips back to the basics of Alcest’s sound and lifts the mind into new … Read more

Bleached

Welcome the Worms
Dead Oceans (2016)

Fuelled by intense introspection and the adopting of a more polished sound, Welcome the Worms marries punk rock sensibilities with the radiant bubblegum pop of Southern California. Produced by Joe Chiccarelli (Morrissey, The Strokes, Minus The Bear), Bleached's second album is radio friendly rock with a serrated edge, channelling the likes of Black Flag alongside The Go-Gos. The album's title … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Hussy

The Volar EP
Volar Records (2015)

The Hussy keeps changing on me. That’s cool, though. Bands are like babies: they grow and change and…eventually abandon you in the old folks’ home. Er, whatever. The point is that over the Wisconsin duo’s lifetime they’ve shifted from abrasive noisy garage-punk to more melodic but tonally challenging garage-punk, which comes across really well here, where they take those fuzzed … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Thisquietarmy

The New Testament
Discolexique (2016)

thisquietarmy is an experimental project helmed by Eric Quach from Montreal. His catalogue is extensive (you could spend hours on bandcamp) gut each release has a life of its own, and a story to tell. The New Testament is a commentary on the rise of the smartphone as a foundation for life, with the cover art simplifying that idea down … Read more

Wife

Standard Nature
Profound Lore (2016)

WIFE is the solo electronic project of James Kelly, who is probably best known as the mainman of (unfortunately disbanded) insane, post-black metal band Altar of Plagues. WIFE started out with the release of the Stoic EP, an excellent specimen of the experimental electronic path, which Kelly would follow on his debut full-length, What's Between, released through Tri Angle Records. … Read more

Spokenest

Gone, Gone, Gone
Drunken Sailor (2016)

I have a type, and it’s short and fast. I’m partial to it and probably less picky. It fills a need that my constantly fidgeting digits and bottomless coffee mug cannot. Besides, short and fast is just better. Duh.Spokenest are seemingly built on that same concept, playing finger-bleedingly fast guitar and drum in this husband-wife two-piece from California. On Gone, … Read more

Helen Money

Become Zero
Thrill Jockey (2016)

Alison Chesley (aka Helen Money) is mostly known for her excellent collaborations with a myriad of diverse artists, including Bob Mould, Mono, Russian Circles and Agalloch. A classical cellist herself she has become an experimental music savant, releasing great records on her own, with 2013's Arriving Angels standing out, as did her collaborative album with Jarboe. On her newest album, … Read more

Crobot

Welcome To Fat City
Wind-Up (2016)

I have to admit, I chose to review this album with little knowledge of the band, based solely on the strength of their single, “La Mano De Lucifer,” from their debut album, Something Supernatural. “La Mano De Lucifer” is one of my favorite songs of all time. Listening to it is a semi-religious experience for me, and I am uncomfortably … Read more

Mikey Erg

Tentative Decisions
Don Giovanni (2016)

It took all of three seconds into Tentative Decisions, about 10 seconds before his unmistakable voice, to ID the record as being made by Mikey Erg. Drummer/guitarist/vocalist in bands ranging including but definitely not limited to The Ergs!, The Dopamines, Worriers, The Slow Death, and so many more. Erg’s work has long been built on a pop-punk foundation, emotional indecision … Read more

Angel Olsen

My Woman
Jagjaguwar (2016)

Angel Olsen has been very active since the release of her debut cassette Strange Cacti, revealing a very promising work. Her dark indie folk/rock tone had a haunting effect, which peaked with Half Way Home and the excellent Burn Your Fire For No Witness. The delicate folk tones of Olsen were engulfed by a healthy dose of reverb, ample amount … Read more

All Your Sisters

Uncomfortable Skin
Flenser (2016)

Starting out as the solo project of Jordan Morrison, All Your Sisters turned into an intriguing duo with the addition of Mario Armando Ruiz on bass and synths. The band draws influence from mainly from the '80s new wave scene, paying tribute to the post-punk and noise rock styles of the era, but with an industrial edge and an ambient … Read more

Virus

Memento Collider
Karisma Records (2016)

Carl-Michael Eide (or Czarl) is a legendary figure of Norwegian black metal lore, with his emergence in the scene corresponding with some of its most important bands' first releases. He appeared playing drums in the first Satyricon demo, All Evil, and the first couple demos of Ulver, before initiating some projects of his own.Aura Noir and Inferno with their thrash … Read more

Crybaby

Drag Me Under
Square of Opposition (2016)

Crybaby are one of those punk bands where you could fill a review with subgenre tags and namedrops and every review would pick a different one to highlight. There’s a lot of stylistic variance, a lot of influence, but it comes together as Crybaby instead of some hyphenated slurry of ‘90s and ’00s bands. Instead, I’ll just say it’s DIY … Read more

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