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Underground Railroad To Candyland

The People Are Home
Recess (2015)

I wasn’t sure what to make of Underground Railroad to Candyland when I first saw them. They were a very new band, but the style was off-kilter and different than what I expected of a Todd Congelliere (Toys That Kill,F.Y.P) band. But along the way it’s clicked, both for me and the band. Where they first seemed slogany and weird, … Read more

Prurient

Frozen Niagara Falls
Profound Lore (2015)

There is not much one can say about Prurient, the project of Dominick Fernow. Throughout the years Prurient have produced an extensive discography that sees them creating a cartography of the dark ambient and noise genres with their own experimental mindset. The project has been going on for about twenty years now, but it seems that the focus that Fernow … Read more

Red Dons & TV Smith

A Vote For the Unknown
Deranged (2014)

Red Dons are a band I’ve meant to check out for some time. As a reviewer, perhaps I’m supposed to go check out the whole back catalog, but I often find it equally useful to approach a band tabula rasa, as that gives a better view of where this specific record is at. Past accomplishments, be damned, it’s the A … Read more

Lightning Bolt

Fantasy Empire
Thrill Jockey (2015)

This noise rock duo has been terrifying the music scene for close to two decades now with their unconventional sound and experimental attitude. Throughout their career Lightning Bolt have stuck with the same recipe that seems to be working so marvelously for them: chaotic patterns, schizoid riffs, intense songs and with a fucking razor sharp edge to them. Fantasy Empire … Read more

Multiple Authors

Lightning Bolt

Fantasy Empire
Thrill Jockey (2015)

Though much attention relating to 2015’s Austin Psych Fest (a.k.a. Levitation) was directed towards the reunion of the legendary 13th Floor Elevators, one of the biggest surprises in the lineup for me was the appearance of Rhode Island’s Lightning Bolt. I guess I never really thought of this aggressive and abrasive noise duo (made up of Brian Gibson who plays … Read more

Blind Idiot God

Before Ever After
Indivisible (2015)

Coming back from an extended break seems to be always tricky, for any band. Back in the late '80s and early '90s, Blind Idiot God were releasing great record after great record. Their refreshing style and no boundaries approach to mixing different genres under their unique kaleidoscope resulted in three excellent albums. The band officially went in hiatus in 1996 … Read more

Priscilla Ford

The Blackout Club
Basement (2015)

Priscilla Ford's debut EP, The Blackout Club, is a raging punk rock'n'roll album. It careens with a controlled abandon, much like the Reno, Nevada murder spree after which the band is named. The band is composed of veteran musicians from a variety of punk rock subgenres, but The Blackout Club is a concise and directed effort. The band appears to … Read more

Birthday Suits

Adult Party: Spin the Bottle
Recess (2015)

Birthday Suits always surprise me on record. Live, it’s fierce and reckless; sweaty mayhem and cathartic rock ‘n’ roll. On record, it’s more calculated, with the vocals coming stronger in place of the guitar/drum overload that powers the live show.The Minneapolis two-piece play something in the vein of garage rock, but with a ballsy and crafty “serious” musicianship that’s as … Read more

Hannahband

Retirement
Art As Catharsis (2015)

Calling it folk-punk isn’t right, but I’m not sure I agree with the post-punk tag slapped on their onesheet either. Hannahband, from Sydney, Australia, have a gritty garage element, making them fall somewhere in between folk-punk minimalism and Murder City Devils coarseness, all while wallowing in lo-fi production that makes the songs even harsher (and more beautiful).Those styles pull together … Read more

Andrew Hock

Crystalline Privative Opulence
Union Finale (2015)

Andrew Hock, of Psalm Zero and, until recently, incredible black metal outfit Castevet, has always seemed a very interesting case, as the two before mentioned bands would let on. And the same interest would be transferred over to the debut album that Hock is putting out under his own name, Crystalline Privative Opulence. With an extended pallet of instruments, including … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Barcelona

Extremo Nihilismo En Barcelona
La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk (2015)

Similar to how Sorry State, Vinyl Rites, Lengua Armada, or Katorga Works do here in the US, Hackney, London-based record label La Vida Es Un Mus (subtitled Discos Punk) tend to work with bands that challenge the constraints of traditional hardcore and punk, which in turn sets them apart from the masses. The latest in a long line that includes … Read more

Timeshares

Already Dead
Side One Dummy (2015)

This isn’t what I expected—there’s way more country punk twang than when I caught a short pre-Fest show from Timeshares last year. On Already Dead, the band takes that familiar Fest beard punk thing and mix it up. Using a core of gruff pop punk, they’ve tuned the guitars more clearly and chosen licks over chord progressions for their bridges, … Read more

Minsk

The Crash & The Draw
Relapse (2015)

I was quite surprised when I heard that Minsk were going to release a follow-up full-length to their previous album, With Echoes In The Movement of Stone. Following that album, the band participated in the Hawkwind Triad split alongside US Christmas and Harvestman, before going silent for the next six years. They even officially disbanded in 2011, leaving quite a … Read more

Frog

Kind Of Blah
Audio Antihero (2015)

Frog’s second LP Kind of Blah is one that swings from highs to lows, from poppy pep to slowed down sadness and it encompasses every other emotion within it’s short running time that any of us would know. Opener “All Dogs Go To Heaven” is a guitar led-piece that showcases the duo’s bittersweet indie pop and sets out their intent … Read more

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