Reviews of albums release in 2019

107 total reviews — Page 4 of 6

Loud Love

Self Titled EP
White Russian Records (2019)

Loud Love is a Belgian five piece that released their debut EP on White Russian Records. Everyone in this record has past experience in other bands and you can hear that. If only because this sounds really tight and professional. Loud Love plays the kind of hardcore that reminds me of the melodic hardcore that Reflections Records released in the … Read more

MakeWar

Get It Together
Fat Wreck Chords (2019)

MakeWar aren’t like most of the other punk bands out there. They play what I call midtempo punk. It’s not built on anthems, choruses or super-fast into-the-pit adrenaline. Get It Together isn’t about fist-in-the-air release, it’s about built-up tension. The band is actively calling for people to (ahem) Get. It. Together. The tone is one of frustration and marginalization, but … Read more

Malvina

Hybrid Wars
Morning Wood Records (2019)

Hybrid warfare is a strategy that combines political -, conventional -, irregular - and cyber warfare. Thank you, Wikipedia, for this insight. Malvina uses the term to describe US imperialism. They denounce the rolling coup in their home country Brazil. In other words, this is highly political stuff.Next to politics the lyrics also deal with socio-political issues such as a … Read more

Mamiffer

The Brilliant Tabernacle
Sige (2019)

Mamiffer was born in a field of darkness, a trajectory between the areas of dark ambient, downtempo and minimal music. The first days of Faith Coloccia and Aaron Turner reveled in a drone aesthetic, vividly apparent in their self-titled debut and Mare Decendrii. But then something changed for Mamiffer. Following a series of fantastic collaborations with the likes of Circle, … Read more

Moon Duo

Stars are the Light
Sacred Bones (2019)

This year, Moon Duo released their seventh album, Stars are the Light, on Sarced Bones. Many of their signature spacey psychedelic elements are here: droning saturated guitars, looping synths, dual hypnotic vocals. But Moon Duo have another motive this time around -- getting our bodies moving.As they depart from machine-driven krautrock rhythms, they often slow down the tempo and bring … Read more

Mork

Det Svarte Juv
Peaceville (2019)

Mork encapsulate the sound of True Norwegian Black Metal from the opening strains of “Mørkeleggelse” to the closing punches of “Det Svarte Juv” and this one-person band from the homeland of cold, harsh black metal is paying homage with their music yet dragging it screaming into the modern era of blackened music. The raw elements are swirling chaos, raw vocals, … Read more

Mozes and the Firstborn

Dadcore
Burger Records (2019)

Part parody and part homage to guitar music, Dutch four-piece Mozes and the Firstborn have set a new tone with their American-tinged third album Dadcore. The album's name comes from guitar music apparently becoming the preserve of dads, and no longer being popular with teenagers. How true that is is a matter of opinion, but in any case the album … Read more

Nadir

Collecting Misery
Independent (2019)

From the start of Collecting Misery it’s clear that Nadir is one of those bands fronted by someone who is usually on a different instrument. Sure, the DIY production also influences the sound, but the vocals are just a bit less fluid than in most bands. It’s not a slight against the band, just that it sounds a little less … Read more

New Dialogue

Teach Me How to Feel EP
RED Music (2019)

New Dialogue's Facebook bio states that the Los Angeles-based quintet "speaks for the moment", and with their band name they "assume an important responsibility" -- bold claims from a band who only recently released their debut EP, but it shows that there is no shortage of confidence or ambition among the band members. Ela Kitapci and Taylor Morrow share vocals … Read more

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Ghosteen
Bad Seed LTD. (2019)

There’s nothing more personal than grief. It affects us all in different ways, but the one commonality often tends to be the insular. We retreat into ourselves, finding little comfort in the company of others. It’s selfish, in a way. But it’s also a necessary part of the grieving process.It’s this truism that makes Ghosteen such a remarkable and selfless … Read more

Nightmarathons

Missing Parts
A-F (2019)

Nightmarathons are a tough band to pin down. Sure, they fit somewhere under that ever-widening punk umbrella, but it pulls from different areas without fitting neatly into any single substyle. To make a blanket statement, I’d say its heavily influenced by ‘00s punk across the board, with different singers who take the songs in different directions. There’s some first wave … Read more

No Matter

Excess Baggage EP
Independent (2019)

No Matter is a North Ireland punk band. They have quite a couple of releases under their belt. Excess Baggage being their latest offer. They offer a bit of a time travel experience. This EP reminds me of the nineties very much. And not just the nineties, but the punk demos I heard back in the day to be specific.I … Read more

Oozing Wound

High Anxiety
Thrill Jockey (2019)

Chicago’s Oozing Wound have been riding the thrash train since their inception in 2011, yet this trio are more than just that label, instead they are a band that incorporates many different aspects of the metal world into their music and in doing so create high energy vibrations that enable them to put their points across in a fun and … 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

Pandemix

In Condemnation
Dirt Cult (2019)

Pandemix are new to me, and they’re difficult to sum up in just a few words. That’s a complement. It’s punk by genre, but a few subgenre adjectives aren’t going to capture the band. In Condemnation isn’t exactly complex (we’re talking punk rock here), but it’s diverse in subtle ways that keep the energy level high and fresh as it … 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

Petty Larcenists

Stolen Chords and Lifted Riffs
Rad Girlfriend Records (2019)

You’ve heard of no depression music? I’m coining a new term here: depression punk.Opening song “Loud and Ugly” might be a good description of vocalist Jesse Thorson’s approach in general. His songwriting has always been outspoken and focused on personal flaws, pointing to the uglier elements in life. I always referred to the Pretty Boy Thorson bands as essentially country … Read more

Pkew Pkew Pkew

Optimal Lifestyles
Dine Alone (2019)

There’s a lot I want to say about this album, but I’m torn because I try to keep things more positive. I’ve given it a lot of thought and a lot of listens, and I just don’t like it. At its best, it’s a pop-punk version of The Hold Steady – and that’s not in that oversimplified “recommended if you … Read more