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200 Words Or Less

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Getaway
Warner Bros. (2016)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have seen their fair share of detractors over the years. No need to rehash the descriptives here, but the naysayers should give their mouths and keyboards a rest for a while, as The Getaway is the band's strongest album since Blood, Sugar, Sex Magic. Yes, you heard that right. This is the band's strongest album … Read more

Sex Stains

Sex Stains
Don Giovanni (2016)

Sex Stains put it all out front on the opening “Countdown to…” which is as much a confrontational statement of purpose as it is a song. The speak-sing nature and rambling tone set the stage instead of opening with a thundering riff or singalong hit. The band is equal parts accessible punk, destructive no wave, and art rock. And, yes, … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Radiohead

A Moon Shaped Pool
XL Recordings (2016)

A Radiohead album release has become akin to finding folding money under a seat cushion. It doesn't happen often and when it does, it's usually a surprise.Such was the release of A Moon Shaped Pool. No one expected it, but then...it was just there. More specifically, the announcement of it came only a week before the release and was accompanied … Read more

Drakulas

Raw Wave
Dirtnap (2016)

At this point Riverboat Gamblers have enough side projects that there’s almost an expectation of sound before listening, that unifying factor between all the different bands that have spidered from the source band. Introduce Drakulas, who released an EP on Red Scare Industries last year and now come with a full-length Raw Wave debut on Dirtnap Records. Not only does … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Dissociation
Party Smasher Inc. (2016)

The progression of The Dillinger Escape Plan over the years has truly been a sight to behold. This is taking into consideration that their 1999 debut Calculating Infinity was no mere basic introduction. It was already two spots to the right on the evolutionary chart.Dissociation would appear, if recent interviews are to be believed (and why on earth wouldn't they … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Leonard Cohen

You Want It Darker
Columbia (2016)

David Bowie's passing was a huge blow for most of us. But luckily we had his final release, Blackstar to ease us through the loss.Now, with the passing of Leonard Cohen, we find ourselves assuaged with the same sadness and loss, but thankfully once again a legend was kind enough - while coming to grips with his own mortality, to … Read more

Attention

!Attention!
Tour Van Records (2016)

Do you like long song titles that are loosely related to the subject matter, along with gruff vocal singalong punk? If so, !Attention! is right at home. I haven’t seen the band but it’s easy to picture them playing a Durty Nelly’s set at The Fest as drunkos spill half their PBR cans on the floor after hitting them on … Read more

Brain Tentacles

Brain Tentacles
Relapse (2016)

Three great musicians of the extreme/experimental metal scene meet up to as Brain Tentacles. Bruce Lamont of Yakuza, Dave Witte of Discordance Axis and Aaron Dallison of Keelhaul, do not need much of an introduction, but their new project certainly does. The band's debut album, coming out through Relapse, shows an unconventional take on extreme metal, replacing electric guitars with … Read more

Bullnettle

Bullnettle
Dirt Cult (2016)

I discovered This Is My Fist at the tail end of the band’s run, which was unfortunate in that I didn’t get to experience new material or live shows. Throughout that band’s material, vocalist Annie Saunders was the clear standout in the group, her ability to make a message connect atop of furious music. Well, it’s been a few years … Read more

200 Words Or Less

White Lung

Paradise
Domino (2016)

Since the 1980s, Vancouver, B.C. has always had a thriving punk scene, but the new millennium came in like a reaper and scythe, decimating live music venues until there was virtually nothing left. So, in true DIY fashion, performances began in the underground parking garage of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, that became known as The Emergency … Read more

Shallow Cuts

Empty Beach Town
No Idea Records (2016)

Sometimes I want to add a lot of back story, my own perspective coming into a record. While that certainly shapes the experience, sometimes you have to let it stand for itself. Shallow Cuts tie into a number of other bands: Dan Padilla, Madison Bloodbath, The Gateway District, Dear Landlord, Tiltwheel. Probably the whole of San Diego the way this … Read more

Coathangers

Nosebleed Weekend
Suicide Squeeze (2016)

A lot of the bands I listen to have gotten older and slowed their productivity so it’s nice to realize that The Coathangers are already releasing their fifth album even it’s already been a decade for the Atlanta-formed trio. On Nosebleed Weekend the band takes a bit of a curve toward a cleaner, less challenging sound, even if it’s just … Read more

American Football

LP2
Polyvinyl (2016)

American Football are the sort of band that shouldn't have attracted so much attention. When they first properly emerged in 1999, a copy of their eponymous debut in hand, they were still playing small college bars around the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their album cover was so low-key it should have been unremarkable, depicting the darkened exterior of a … Read more

Esben and the Witch

Older Terrors
Season of Mist (2016)

Taking their name from a well-known Danish fairytale, the trio from Brighton entered with confidence the alternative rock world. A series of EPs and three full-length records, with Violet Cries and Wash The Sins Not Only the Face especially standing out, has led the band down an interesting road, as their alternative rock style took on elements from indie rock … Read more

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