Moon Duo
Occult Architecture Vol I & II
Sacred Bones (2017)
Based in San Fransisco, Moon Duo is the brainchild of Erik “Ripley” Johnson, known from his work in Wooden Shjips, and Sanae Yamada. Centering around a psychedelic perspective, the band has released a series of works, influenced by garage aesthetics and krautrock, projecting their own trippy themes within an existing framework.Occult Architecture is Moon Duo's latest full-length releases. Split into … Read more
Morrissey
England Is Mine
Cleopatra (2017)
Mark Gill's England Is Mine introduces Morrissey while he's on the cusp of adulthood, an enigma of cocksure arrogance presented in the body of a slightly hunched over, uncomfortable young man. A number of key characters in the Mancunian singer's formative years, including the often overlooked Anji Hardy (Katherine Pearce), who died of leukaemia in 1977 and was a strong … Read more
Mouth of the Architect
Time & Withering Remastered
Translation Loss (2017)
Dayton, Ohio’s Mouth of the Architect was a post-metal lover’s wet dream when they came on the seen. The Midwest quintet fell into the same bucket as Isis, Pelican, and Intronaut but came out swinging with a sound and fury all their own. They managed to merge beautiful, landscaped instrumentals with scalping, scraping weaponry refined to a point on their … Read more
Myrkur
Mareridt
Relapse (2017)
Before dwelling into the extreme metal scene, Amalie Bruun was known from a few indie releases, which merged an alternative pop style with elements of traditional folk music. A self-defined black metal girl at heart, Bruun started moving away from her mellow side, and begun transforming into Myrkur, her black metal alter ego. Her project caused a turmoil in the … Read more
Myteri
Myteri
Alerta Antifascista (2017)
How do you keep up to date with new music? I have the luxury of being a reviewer. I’m informed on a constant basis (and get to cherry pick the releases I wish to review. Seriously, I love this job!), but next to that I keep an eye out for certain labels. There’s a couple of labels that are very … Read more
Myteri
Ruiner
Alerta Antifascista (2017)
Why do I do this? I just reviewed the vinyl release of Myteri’s debut album and now, a couple of weeks later I’m already listening to their second album. How am I going to say something new and inspiring about it? I guess the answer is twofold. First of all I really liked what I heard on that first album. … Read more
Naïve Sense
Self Titled EP (2017)
Independent (2017)
“If I am unable to transform you into a Naïve Sense fan, then I have not done my job.”So begins “Win a Trip to Vegas: Heavy Metal Bikini Contest/Men’s Support Group,” in a sound clip before the EP’s second to last track. It’s a bold proclamation for a bold EP that recalls the best elements of Refused but with a … Read more
Needles//Pins
Goodnight, Tomorrow
Mint/Dirt Cult (2017)
Needles//Pins are one of those hard bands to pin down. They just sound like what rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to be, you know? It’s catchy, gritty, relatable, and working class. It’s to the point without being mindless or jingoistic. Goodnight, Tomorrow is their second LP, the follow-up to Shamebirds (2014). The first record is an enjoyable romp, but it … Read more
Neil Young
Hitchhiker
Warner Bros. (2017)
Neil Young is cool as shit... there I got that out of the way. He has been an inspiration to numerous bands over his 50+ year career working with Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, and his solo work. Young has played with musicians as diverse as Rick James in their first band together in the 60s dubbed The Mynah Birds, to Pearl … Read more
Neil Young and The Promise of the Real
The Visitor
Reprise (2017)
Neil Young releases records at an alarming rate for a septuagenarian. It doesn’t matter, the guy gets a gold pass on whatever he releases. His recent health scare not slowing him down, yet showcasing the mortality we have seen in the recent past with Young’s friends and peers moving on at an alarming rate. Neil Young has walked a frantic … Read more
No Use for a Name
Rarities Vol. 1: The Covers
Fat Wreck Chords (2017)
I harbour a weak spot for No Use for a Name, a band that eventually became a melodic pop-punk band that landed on Fat Wreck records.What not too many contemporary and younger fans devotees would be aware of, is the fact that No Use for a Name evolved from having started as a much rawer hardcore outfit in the late … Read more
NOFX
NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories
Da Capo Press (2017)
NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories is a comprehensive autobiography from one of the world’s most prominent punk bands that worked its way up. New aficionados as well as die-hard long time followers will discover new and interesting facts via the stories of counterfeiting, murder, terminal illness, suicide, addiction, riots, bondage, the Yakuza, and drinking urine and the other … Read more
Nordra
Nordra
Sige (2017)
Hailing from Seattle Washington, Monika Khot produces music under the Nordra moniker and is now releasing her self-titled debut album. Coming out from SIGE records, her record encompass a diverse set of elements, which while at first glance might appear inhumane and mechanical, under the surface contain moving moments and a lot of emotion. The album was initially released last … Read more
Nothington
In the End
Red Scare Industries (2017)
Few things are stable in this topsy-turvy world. One constant has been Nothington. With the release of In the End, the San Francisco band’s fifth full-length, they’ve continued down the road they started with All In. It’s classic chord-driven punk with a working class, heart on its sleeve aesthetic. Early reviews compared them to Social Distortion, which isn’t horribly inaccurate … 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
Otoboke Beaver
Love is Short
Damnably Records (2017)
To put it mildly, Otoboke Beaver's Love is Short doesn't beat around the bush, though that phrase seems wildly inappropriate given the origin of the band's name. Following a churning title track that sets off immediately at breakneck speed and features aggressive foreign-language vocal shouts, shrieks, and howls, even -gasp- a bit of melody, the album transitions to the more … Read more
Oxbow
Thin Black Duke
Hydra Head (2017)
I first saw Oxbow perform live back in 2007. The band has just released their then new album, The Narcotic Story, and the experience was simply beyond words. I was not familiar with their back catalogue and they completely stunned me, apart from the vocalist methodically removing his items of clothing through the show, was their radical take on rock … Read more
P.O.S.
Chill, Dummy
Doomtree (2017)
A new kidney hasn’t made P.O.S soft and introspective. On his return to action album Chill, Dummy, he’s as angry and pointed as ever. The album rages, with moments of reflection that turn outward instead of in.The Minneapolis rapper has had an interesting evolution. He sprung up as a DIY punk-turned rapper, helped found the Doomtree collective, and released records … Read more
