Sun-0-Bathers
Floater EP
Morning Wood Records/Thousand Islands Records/Paper + Plastick (2020)
Two years ago I reviewed Local Warming, the debut EP by Sun-0-Bathers. Two years have passed, but not much has changed for Sun-0-Bathers. I am not going to blame them for it. If you have a winning formula, why change it, right?That winning formula for Sun-0-Bathers is straightforward 90’s skatepunk. Summer is the best time for releases of this type … Read more
Sundown
Keep Moving
Wise Blood Records (2022)
It’s interesting that Sundown calls this record Keep Moving because, in many ways, it feels stuck in 2005. It’s a mix of melodic and chugging hardcore, with dual vocalists and two very different styles to breathe some extra life into it the format. At its best, Keep Moving recalls Avail while, at its worst, I’m brought back to those screamo … Read more
Sundowner
Four One Five Two
Red Scare (2007)
I've always thought of The Lawrence Arms' guitarist Chris McCaughan as a bit of a lyrical genius, being able to ever so eloquently put to those seemingly indescribable feelings of your mid-twenties to words. The real magic of his game is the ability to do all of this over the distorted guitars and colossal drums that are often the foreground … Read more
Sundowner
We Chase the Waves
Asian Man (2010)
We Chase the Waves is the second release from Lawrence Arms singer/guitarist Chris McCaughan. While technically his second solo release, this one is truly an individual effort, with McCaughan handling all the instrumental duties except for a few peripherals. His Lawrence Arms bandmate Neil Hennessy handled the majority of the production. Waves has a more stripped down, personal feel than … Read more
Sundowners
The Larger Half of Wisdom
Dirt Cult (2013)
It’s been a couple years of seeing Sundowners’ name pop up on show listings around town. Still, I’ve missed them every time. Well, the band has now popped up on Dirt Cult Records’ roster too, so I figured I was beyond due to see what the Minneapolis band (not to be confused with Lawrence Arms side project Sundowner) is all … Read more
Sundowning
In The Light Of Defeat, I Cease To Exist
Isolation Records (2022)
At times I get a bit carried away by hypes or trends in the music business. One such trend was the whole sludge trend. I loved it, especially when it was mixed with post-metal influences. At the height of this trend it seemed you could not turn a corner without seeing a new band playing that style. This is when … Read more
Sungazer
Perihelion
676832 Records DK2 (2021)
There aren’t a lot of modern bands that genuinely feel like they’re pushing music forward. One such example comes in the form of Sungazer. Sungazer is the brainchild of Adam Neely and Shawn Crowder. Some of you may know both of them from their respective YouTube channels, but for those of you that don’t, I highly recommend checking them out. … Read more
Sunn 0)))
Black One
Southern Lord (2005)
This is the sound of being stalked by some unnamed horror that you are too afraid to turn around and see. The suspense builds and wanes and builds more to the harrowing climax leaving you with only the droning aftermath to contemplate that anxiety attack that you may have just experienced. What a deliciously terrifying opening to an album. Sunn … Read more
Sunn 0)))
Dømkirke
Southern Lord (2008)
Dømkirke is a live Sunn 0))) album recorded at Bergen Cathedral of Bergen, Norway as part of the Borealis Festival 2007. The twelfth-century cathedral was a perfect setting for the March 2007 performance that also featured Attlia Csihar on vocals, Steve Moore on pipe organ, and Lasse Marhaug on electronics. The double album was a vinyl-only release with absolutely stunning … Read more
Sunn 0)))
La Reh 012
Southern Lord (2014)
Long and arduous journeys can at times be a right of passage or ritual of progression or even metaphors for life in general, and the idea that this release marks my listening to SunnO))) for a mind-blowing almost 15 years (I bought The Grimm Robe demo from Aaron Turner at the Hydra Head table when day 1 of Hellfest 2000 … Read more
Sunn 0)))
Life Metal
Southern Lord (2019)
Experimental drone alchemists Sunn O))) have defined two decades of extreme music with their slow, dark offerings. Starting in the early ‘00s, the duo comprised of Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson proved to be the most talented disciple of Dylan Carlson’s early sonic investigations with Earth. In those early days the music of Sunn O))) was a cataclysmic experience, highlighted … Read more
Sunn 0)))
Monoliths & Dimensions
Southern Lord (2009)
Okay, I must say that Sunn 0))) lost me with Oracle, particularly after some mild disappointment in Altar. My eventual listening of Domkirke came quite a while after its release, but it did revive my interest in the band. Now, finally delivering a new studio album (it has been quite a while since their last studio album Black One), Sunn … Read more
Sunn 0))) & Boris
Altar
Southern Lord (2006)
Have you ever wondered what happens when two heavenly bodies get too close to each other? Usually in the scientific world, if the bodies are of equal size, density, mass, etc, they tear each other apart. If one body is larger than the other, the smaller can be devastated. In lucky situations, the two bodies will (sort of) equalize and … Read more
Sunn O))) and Scott Walker
Soused
4AD (2014)
The moment I heard Scott Walker would be collaborating for a full album with Sunn O))), I assumed I was dreaming. That was just too good to be actually true. In the past Sunn O))) have had great collaborations with bands such as, Boris, Nurse With Wound and Ulver, all of which really fitted their style. But this goes beyond … Read more
Sunny Day Real Estate
Diary / LP2 (Reissues)
Sub Pop (2009)
When it comes to album reissues, it is actually a much more difficult task to write a fair and unbiased review than you might think, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the reviewer - in this case, me - has heard the original recording; therefore there is a pre-conceived opinion of the material. Secondly, the majority of these types of … Read more
Sunny Day Sets Fire
Stranger Remix EP
I Am Sound (2008)
Choosing a band name is a tricky thing. If you choose one that sounds lame, people will write you off before they've even heard you. In this case, if you choose a name that's very close to a band that's already existed, then the listener has to wonder a few things. The listener wonders if Sunny Day Sets Fire just … Read more
Sunset Rubdown
Dragonslayer
Jagjaguwar (2009)
Spencer Krug may be our generation's Robert Pollard. Both seem to excrete music. Both create surreal visions full of vibrant characters and dense metaphor. Like Pollard's best albums, Dragonslayer sweeps us across a landscape replete with broken lovers and ephemeral romance and lonesome dirges. The connections between characters, images, and ideas are easier to spot than on 2007's more elusive … Read more
Superchunk
What a Time to Be Alive
Merge (2018)
The world feels like it’s coming apart at the seams, some new scandal or piece of terrible news hits daily, or sometimes with even more frequency. It takes more effort to simply keep up than it does just to be able to digest the news. The result is mind numbing. Then you look to find respite from these things. There’s … Read more
