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Neon Shudder

Ghost Process
Independent (2015)

Covering much of the same ground as a group like Perturbator, Philadelphia’s neon shudder makes dark electronic music inspired by the world of cyberpunk – a genre of sci-fi that’s often described as “future noir” and includes works like Blade Runner and Shadowrun. Though I didn’t say as much in my review of it, Áine O'Dwyer’s Music for Church Cleaners … Read more

Rixe

Coupes et Blessures EP
La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk (2015)

Well this was bound to happen. With so many hardcore acts flirting with Oi! for the last few years it’s not surprising that somebody finally came out like, fuck it, we’re just going to be an Oi! band. It’s not the first time by any means—there’s been the PDX crusties’ side project Criminal Damage and the Brendan Radigan-fronted Battle Ruins—but … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Boilerman

Boilerman
86'd records (2015)

It took me 8 minutes to listen, so it should 8 minutes to write it too. Or, something. Really that’s just a bad Futurama reference so I can “cleverly” say that this is a short EP with 5 songs total. The song names are on this EP are “I,” “II,” “Weak Week,” “III,” and “IV.” Speaking of clever.Boilerman are punk … Read more

Coliseum

Anxiety's Kiss
Deathwish Inc. (2015)

On Anxiety’s Kiss, punk veterans Coliseum are back with a heavy, dark, melodic new album. The band’s maturity and experience are evident here even to someone who, like this reviewer, was woefully ignorant of their music until now. If you, like me, have somehow stayed in the dark about Coliseum this long, this album is a fine entry point. Unfortunately, … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Grease Thieves

The World This Hour
Independent (2015)

Newly-formed Vancouver, BC pop-punk trio Grease Thieves boast a vocalist whose snarl makes him sound a bit like vintage Tim Armstrong, and one can almost hear the saliva flinging around on the four songs featured on the group’s 2015 The World This Hour - about as enthusiastic and fun a debut EP as one could hope for. Unfortunate though it … Read more

Vaaska

Todos Contra Todos
Beach Impediment (2015)

I've been meaning to check out this Austin, TX-based band for quite some time now (they’ve been active since 2009) but for whatever reason I’ve never gotten around to it. So much punk, so little time I guess. They have released a string of EPs and splits up until this point, but this record is their first official LP. It … Read more

Matt Skiba and the Sekrets

Kuts
Superball (2015)

Matt Skiba's latest side project sound like they've been born out of the wave of late-90s American indie that brought us the likes of Weezer and Blind Melon, and with Skiba adopting a Bowie-esque aesthetic on the band's album cover it gives the impression of a band fully embracing the indie sensibilities that they couldn't explore in as much depth … Read more

Áine O'Dwyer

Music for Church Cleaners
MIE (2015)

Without doubt one of the more strange albums released in 2015 (or any year for that matter), Irish-born harpist Áine O'Dwyer’s Music for Church Cleaners is a two LP collection that presents ninety minutes of improvisational music made on the pipe organ at St Mark’s Church, Islington, UK. Aside from being, essentially, a live performance album (where the audience was … Read more

Sophie Lillienne

The Fragile Idea
IRMA Records (2015)

Artistically satisfying and incredibly eclectic, 2015’s The Fragile Idea from Italian electronic artist Sophie Lillienne seems designed to lull a listener into a somnambulistic state. Typically lumped into the trip hop genre, Sophie Lillienne’s music is full of unconventional, quietly haunting melodies, scratchy rhythms, and dramatic vocal performances. I would almost say that the dark and gloomy Fragile Idea is … Read more

Feral Kizzy

Slick Little Girl
Eliterecords (2015)

Feral Kizzy’s new album Slick Little Girl was easy for me to like. I am a big fan of new wave, glam rock, and dark ‘80s music, so I was easily seduced by our obviously shared tastes. I immediately caught the Lou Reed reference of the title (lyrics from “Make Up” off the Transformer album). I love me some Lou, … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Blazing Eye

Blazing Eye EP
La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk (2015)

This is some of that rhythmic punk that's making the rounds lately. Kind of like Dawn of Humans (with whom they are currently label mates) but more on the crusty and menacing side than the weird and experimental. Blazing Eye is a quartet out of Los Angeles that share membership with Raw Ponx-affiliated acts like Drapetomania, Tuberculosis, and Sadicos. They … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Nite School Klik

Nite School Klik
Liquid Amber (2015)

Though his own catalog has been hit-or-miss since 1996’s classic Endtroducing, I’d place DJ Shadow among the relatively few who have managed to stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly changing world of electronic music. Shadow’s own label, Liquid Amber, was formed in 2014 to provide an outlet for unique sounds, and a year later, they’ve already put out … Read more

Great Cynics

I Feel Weird
Specialist Subject Records (2015)

Naming a record I Feel Weird is a statement about the psyche of Great Cynics, and an applicable one at that (for the band, not necessarily the members). The band’s third record, it wavers between melodic pop punk with digressions into exploratory indie-alt rock. What that means in real English is that they play punk-ish songs with a lot of … Read more

Mamaleek

Via Dolorosa
Flenser (2015)

The experimental black metal outfit from San Francisco has been able to create a veil of mystery around their existence. The origin of Mamaleek is traced back in 2008, and since then, these guys have been quite active. Their first couple of albums, the self-titled debut and Fever Dream, were released on a very limited amount of copies through (I … Read more

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