IIVII
Invasion
Consouling Sounds (2017)
Josh Graham has become something of a Renaissance man here in the past 10 years or so. As founder of Red Sparowes, and A Storm of Light, Graham has taken rock music and gave it an ambient / drone twist. His solo project IIVII, and new record Invasion, has taken Graham’s love of ambient music that much further with haunting … Read more
Impure Wilhelmina
Radiation
Season of Mist (2017)
Why I choose to review Radiation I can’t exactly recall (perhaps sharing members with Rorcal and Vuyvr did the trick, perhaps it was just the description “post-hardcore” that triggered my interest); whatever it was, the album surprised me, let me tell you that. I was expecting post-hardcore from this Swiss band (as the promo said it would deliver just that) … Read more
Iron Chic
You Can't Stay Here
Side One Dummy (2017)
Iron Chic has its own kind of poetry. It’s not quite the Off With Their Heads level of self-hatred, but it’s highly self-deprecating to the point of feeling playful and overblown in its drama. Throughout the entire 11-song You Can’t Stay Here there are dozens of snippets I could grab to express this tone. "I’m a stone, you’re a featherJust … Read more
J. Hunter Bennett
The Prodigal Rogerson: The Tragic, Hilarious, and Possibly Apocryphal Story of Circle Jerks Bassist Roger Rogerson in the Golden Age of LA Punk, 1979-1996
Microcosm Publishing (2017)
After pilfering the band’s vehicle in 1983, the man in charge of the 4-strings, a reprobate by the name of Roger Rogerson, disappeared into the ether. Almost fifteen years after his disappearance, he emerged with the demand for a reunion of the Circle Jerks in a bid to become the biggest rock’n roll band on earth. Shortly after, he died. … Read more
Jack of None
The Tattle Tale Heart
Independent (2017)
Playfully naughty lyrics might have been the first thing I noticed about Jack of None's The Tattle Tale Heart EP, but there's more to this record created by three Filipino-born siblings, A.G., Maxine, and Julian Syjuco. Things change from sultry to sinister on a dime, and the album's combination of murky, atmospheric industrial rock with dark and poetic spoken word … Read more
Japanese Breakfast
Soft Sounds From Another Planet
Dead Oceans (2017)
All the best albums are made for mood. Some for when you’re feeling happy and carefree, and some for when you’re driving around the city in the pouring rain, with the neon lights of seafood restaurants and used car dealerships shimmering through your windshield and your tears. Japanese Breakfast is the latter, and Soft Sounds From Another Planet excels in … Read more
Jarboe & Father Murphy
Jarboe & Father Murphy
Consouling Sounds (2017)
Jarboe has been known for her numerous and diverse collaborations. The former Swans member has gone to perform with an impressive array of musicians, ranging from post-metal legends Neurosis, industrial mastermind Justin Broadrick, to experimental cellist Helen Money, and has also appeared as a guest in the works of Puscifer, Lustmord, A Perfect Circle and Oxbow among many more. For … Read more
Jason Isbell
The Nashville Sound
Southeastern Records (2017)
Had Jason Isbell stopped making music after his run with the Drive-By Truckers, his output would have already been legendary enough. “Outfit,” and “Goddamn Lonely Love,” alone are inches away from being modern standards. After a few promising records in the midst of a drugs-and-booze phase, Isbell got clean and released Southeastern in 2013, a stunning record of recovery and … Read more
Jesse Fink
Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of Bon Scott and AC/DC's Back in Black
Random House Australia (2017)
Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott.Lyrics, the personality and presence – it is not merely because of his vocal range and the band he headed that he is considered to be one of the greatest frontmen and rock’n roll vocalist of all time.His life and untimely death is being revisited in the new biography Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of … Read more
Jessica Moss
Pools of Light
Constellation (2017)
Jessica Moss is a prominent member of the Canadian experimental scene, most known for her participation in the Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra & Tra-La-La-Band collective, as well as being a founding member of Black Ox Orkestar. A performer known for her versatility, she has also appeared as a guest for Frankie Sparo, Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire. In … Read more
Jim and the French Vanilla
Afraid of the House
Dirtnap (2017)
Jim and the French Vanilla is the solo moniker for Jim Blaha, guitarist in The Blind Shake, a band with have several of their own releases, as well as collaborations with notables like Michael Yonkers and John Reis. This is his third “French Vanilla” release, but the first with true distribution and also the first to feature a full band.There … Read more
John Frum
A Stirring in the Noos
Relapse (2017)
Technicality in death metal is a very common treat, and it has been present within the genre since its beginnings. Through time this idea has evolved, moving from the likes of Death and Suffocation to acts like Artificial Brain and Ulcerate. John Frum is a new entry in this tradition, formed by members of some elite bands of the extreme … Read more
Justin Walter
Unseen Forces
Kranky (2017)
Trumpeter Justin Walter is mostly known through his works in experimental jazz/fusion collective NOMO, his collaboration with Brian Case (of Disappears) in Bambi Kino Duo, and his contribution to works of His Name Is Alive and Colin Stetson. What is constant in all these instances, is the depth of his exploratory playing, something that whets the appetite in seeing him … Read more
Katastrof
Katastrof
Beach Impediment (2017)
Oh Jesus Christ fuck yeah! It’s been a minute since I checked in on Scandi-core, a genre that at one time ruled my turntable. These days it has to be top shelf to grab my attention, and, well, when the lead singer of Totalitär teams up with the guitar player from Herätys you’ve got my attention. Drop the needle on … Read more
Keith Morris
My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor
Da Capo Press (2017)
Keith Morris is one of the remaining original punk rock figures that is still going and has never really ceased to have an impact on what is widely perceived to be punk and hardcore at large. With a career spanning over four decades as the frontman of genre coining outfits not Circle Jerks, Black Flag and more recently OFF, he … Read more
Kid You Not
Never A Dull Movement
Deep Elm (2017)
Kid You Not has some pretty clear influences behind their melodic pop-punk sound. With semi-coarse vocals that lead to big sing-along choruses, Iron Chic and Red City Radio shine through. It’s not really shining music though. These are some cynical songs that wallow in an unpleasant world.As a whole, this is a solid record with some flaws. The overall sound … Read more
L.A. Takedown
II (2017)
Ribbon Music (2017)
You don’t need to have been to Los Angeles to best experience L.A. Takedown’s latest album, II. It’s an album that’s evocative of a time and place, though it’s one that may or may not exist. The fact that it’s almost entirely instrumental (save for some lightly sprinkled vocoder in its final moments) doesn’t provide any concrete evidence. It’s an … Read more
Laura Marling
Semper Femina
More Alarming Records (2017)
Laura Marling was routinely described as being precocious when she first started making her own music as a teenager. She emerged as part of London's early '00s nu-folk scene, alongside the likes of Mumford & Sons and Noah and the Whale, but her music still seemed distinctly different from her peers'. Marling dealt with a preoccupation with death when she … Read more
