Matana Roberts
COIN COIN Chapter Three: River Run Thee
Constellation (2015)
The meaning of the word “personal” does not even begin to describe what the COIN COIN works must signify for Matana Roberts. Through the chapters of COIN COIN, Roberts narrates the story of her family as far back as it can be traced. Roberts herself has said that it would probably take her a dozen albums to finish recounting this … Read more
Mater Suspiria Vision
Antropophagus
Phantasma Disques (2015)
More than five years after the first wave of so-called witch house artists popped up, caused a commotion in the independent music scene, and then soon faded into the ether, Mater Suspiria Vision remains one of the few still actively releasing material. Much of the appeal of witch house came from the fact that the musicians making the material were … 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
Menace Beach
Ratworld
Memphis Industries (2015)
Though many people – even those who weren’t around when the system was - could probably rattle off several of the more popular NES titles of the 8-bit era, there was a whole world of games existing outside the realm of the familiar gray plastic cartridge. Developed by independent publishers, unlicensed NES games appeared in misshapen, strangely colored plastic housing … Read more
Menace Beach
Super Transporterreum
Memphis Industries (2015)
After dropping their debut album Ratworld earlier this year, Leeds-based Menace Beach have wasted no time in producing an energetic but decidedly more focused follow-up. The five songs on the Super Transporterreum EP exist most obviously in the grunge spectrum, imagining what a less depressive and moody Nirvana would have sounded like. What immediately struck me about the EP was … Read more
Mercy Killings
Snuffed Out
Beach Impediment (2015)
This is the second 7” from this new-ish congruence of Richmond, VA old-timers. The band flexes a pedigree that includes Wasted Time, Government Warning, Direct Control and a whole bunch of others. Eight minutes in total of bulldozer USHC in the most straightforward sense. No fucking about whatsoever; just head down, get the fuck out of the way hardcore punk. … 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
Mishka Shubaly
Cowards Path
In Music We Trust Records (2015)
If Nic Cage from Leaving Las Vegas had cut an album, it might sound something like Mishka Shubaly’s Coward’s Path. Dealing with such upbeat subjects as alcoholism, death, alcohol, loneliness, drugs, failure, and alcohol, these tunes were originally written in 2008 during a particularly out-of-control patch in the author’s life, and it doesn’t take a listener long to realize just … Read more
Mittenfields
Optimists
Independent (2015)
Optimists is the debut LP from Washington D.C. emo/indie-rock outfit Mittenfields. The band’s influences are immediately recognizable: Singer Dave Mann obviously listens to Modest Mouse and Arcade Fire, while the band’s three guitarists draw heavily from 1990s indie and emo classics like Mineral, Built To Spill, and Pavement. If you like those bands and want to hear the same sound … Read more
Moñecho
Past Waters/Fever Lives
Self Released (2015)
In a past life – OK, like eight years ago - I found myself working at a furniture factory in small town Pennsylvania. While I've found worse methods of employment from time to time, this job was, to put it mildly, not an ideal use of my time and talents, revolving around strenuous manual labor and a generally mind-numbing work … Read more
Motörhead
Bad Magic
UDR (2015)
It's been 40 years since the world was first introduced to the name of Motörhead. In that 40 years, they have become seemingly invincible. Impervious to the likes of addiction, lineup changes, musical trends and anything else that would have decimated a lesser band. But it would seem that the Motörhead juggernaut may finally be showing signs of slowing. Frontman … Read more
Mount Eerie
Sauna
P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. (2015)
Over the past two decades, Phil Elverum has established himself as one of the most consistently outstanding artists working in the indie rock spectrum, yet I could almost be convinced that he purposely tries to slip under the radar at every opportunity. 2001’s The Glow Pt. 2, recorded under the guise of The Microphones, positioned the singer and multi-instrumentalist as … Read more
Murder By Death
Big Dark Love
Bloodshot (2015)
Making a career in the arts is hard. The job description lands somewhere between self-expression and entertainment and there isn’t a sure fire way to know whether or not what you’re creating is going to be profitable until well after all the art is done and out in the world for public consumption. Complicating things further is the fact that … Read more
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
Night Birds
Mutiny at Muscle Beach
Fat Wreck Chords (2015)
It’s getting tough to find new things to say about Night Birds. They’re as great as ever with third LP Mutiny at Muscle Beach, it’s just that the sound hasn’t changed all that dramatically from day one. Album #3 is supposed to be when they go all avant on us.Their career has filled out nicely, with textural differences and a … Read more
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
Oakeater
Aquarius
Sige (2015)
Oakeater is a Chicago outfit formed in the mid '00s. I must admit I was not familiar with their work before I saw that the band would be releasing their newest album, Aquarius. However, a listen of their cassette, Intrusion, got me interested so I started digging. Apart from a few standalone releases on cassette format, as well as their … Read more
Oneirogen
Plenitude
Denovali (2015)
Diaz de Leon explores the limits of hallucinatory music through his project Oneirogen. Back in 2012, the debut album of Oneirogen, Hypnos, came into existence, combining experimental and heavy music, with the inclusion of big sounding synths, abrupt noise explosions and dark ambient yearnings, all under a veil of distortion and emerging soundscapes. A year later, Kiasma would be released, … Read more
