1982 (Statik Selektah & Termanology)
2012
Brick\Showoff (2012)
In what makes for a numerically confusing artist/album title (and opening sentence,) 2012 is the new record by 1982—the producer/rapper duo Statik Selektah & Termanology.At just 30 years old, DJ/Producer Statik Selektah has enough projects under the flattened brim of his New Era cap to have earned veteran status—utilizing his turntablism skills and signature Golden Era-influenced boom-bap production, he holds … Read more
230 Divisadero
A Vision Of Lost Unity EP
Milk & Moon (2006)
The year is 1797. You are a sailor. Bound for distant colonies, you awake one morning to find that a storm has driven your ship out to sea. As you rub the sleep from your eyes, stumbling out onto deck, you call out to your crew mates, but your voice is swallowed by the howl of the wind. There is … Read more
27
Let The Light In
Hydra Head (2004)
27 reach beyond simple classification. Combining bits and pieces from indie rock and trip-hop, as well as post-rock and traditional emo, 27 creates their own distinct sound within the teeming indie rock scene. With an EP, full-length, and a notable guest appearance (Isis - Oceanic) under their belts, the band has been together long enough to mold themselves from their … Read more
27 / Twin Zero
27:00
Undergroove (2005)
When quality is superseded by time constrains, one feels a certain degree of relief. If all goes terribly wrong and what you've written stinks, you can always fall back on the old 'It was a rush job' line. Here's my situation: I received the new split CD by 27 and Twin Zero in the post this morning, and I have … Read more
30,000 Monkies
Somewhere Over The Painbow
Consouling Sounds (2013)
Somewhere between rock, stoner, sludge and noise, 30,000 Monkies manage to find a point of equilibrium and they are now unleashing their latest EP, Somewhere Over The Painbow. The malice of the Melvins merges with the spirit of Sonic Youth to bring four songs that will leave you stunned. With their furious sound, heavy riffs and relentless groove, this release … Read more
40 Watt Sun
The Inside Room
Cyclone Empire (2011)
40 Watt Sun were borne from the ashes of English band Warning, a band that ceased to exist after only two full length albums (albums separated by seven years and an extensive hiatus). Their demise was much mourned in doom circles, and then this little gem came along to brighten the day. If slow, down-tempo riffs are the kind of … Read more
40 Watt Sun
Wider than the Sky
Radiance Records (2016)
40 Watt Sun hold a special place in the hearts of those who have heard their music and been affected by the honesty within. 2011s The Inside Room was a stunning debut that still garners regular plays from this writer and Wider than the Sky will do the same in the years to come. Having been many years in the … Read more
5ive
Hesperus
Tortuga (2008)
A two-piece band before the format became de rigueur in hipster circles, 5ive (from Massachusetts not the boy band from the UK) play an instrumental doom-like style that incorporates psych elements to create a true sense of atmosphere and other worldly sounds - an impressive feat coming from just a guitarist and a drummer. Hesperus is the band's third full-length … Read more
7 Horns 7 Eyes
Throes Of Absolution
Century Media (2012)
I love old school death metal as much as the next person, so I'm always on the lookout for some good, old fashioned, long haired death metal. So along comes 7 Horns 7 Eyes, purporting to be just that: good ol' death metal, but with a modern twist. You can trust that, a few hours after this discovery, I held … Read more
86 Mentality
Goin' Nowhere Fast
Grave Mistake (2005)
Washington D.C. is known for putting out some of the best punk/hardcore bands of all time. If you were to simplify their history into Minor Threat and Bad Brains that would already be the type of track record that any respected trainer strives for. More recently though, D.C. hasn't been putting out as many head turners, that is until you … Read more
8MM
Between The Devil and Two Black Hearts
ChelseaGirl (2012)
8MM has been around for a while now and their sound is maturing with every release from their first EP 2004's Opener to the new album Between The Devil and Two Black Hearts they just keep getting better. Lead by multi-instrumentalist / producer Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, No Doubt) the band was able to raise $40K via … Read more
90 Day Men
Panda Park
Southern (2004)
It's hard writing about a band who's been around for a while that you're just hearing for the first time. Describing how they used to sound is crucial in ultimately describing how they sound now. Maybe it's not crucial, but it certainly makes the job a lot easier to have a point of reference through past records. All I know … Read more
9th Wonder & Buckshot
The Solution
Duck Down (2012)
The histories of both Buckshot and 9th Wonder in the rap game are long and storied. Buckshot’s tenure started in the early ‘90s as member of Black Moon, and as the leader of pivotal rap supergroup Boot Camp Clik. He’s continued to contribute to the greater good of the genre as a part-owner of the record label Duck Down. 9th … 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
Æges
The Bridge
The Mylene Sheath (2012)
Los Angeles band Æges are a beautiful combination consisting of equal parts post-hardcore and sludge metal, and you can plainly hear this on their 2012 debut The Bridge. It combines weighty and languid guitar churning with fast-paced and frenetic songwriting to create a stunningly vivid result.You can prominently hear the hardcore facet of Æges's sound on the majority of their … Read more
Ævangelist
Omen Ex Simulacra
Debemur Morti Productions (2013)
Omen Ex Simulacra is a difficult record - one that twists and forms new shapes as it progresses, one that falls into an unfathomable abyss and crawls back out again. It’s dark, overwhelming and grossly pregnant with malevolence and the base duo of Ævangelist are masters of noise control, giving their record a cacophony of sounds to work with and … Read more
Černá
Restoring Life
Domestic Genocide (2013)
It's rapidly becoming clear to me that "post-black metal" just isn't a great name for a genre. In addition to the obvious clunkiness and how little "post-" actually means, a strong argument can be made that the genre doesn't have any legitimate claim to the black metal mantle in the first place. And it's hard to disagree, especially with acts … Read more
Ódú
Conversations EP
Independent (2017)
Ódú, aka Sally Ó Dúnlaing, is an Irish singer songwriter who crafts sonic heartbreak packaged in a glossy sheen of danceable pop. Born in New York and raised in the Irish seaside town of Bray, Ó Dúnlaing's Conversations EP is the singer's first foray into putting her music on record. After a period of time spent questioning whether she was … Read more
