She Spread Sorrow
Mine
Cold Spring (2017)
Alice Kundalini is releasing the second album under the She Spread Sorrow monikier, following the her debut full-length, Rumspringa. Forged in the death industrial heritage of Cold Spring records, she continues to implement fierce power electronics over her bleak ambiance. The form she takes in Mine is a continuation of the sound of Rumspringa. Dark and pensive in its narrative, … Read more
Slowdive
Slowdive
Dead Oceans (2017)
Why do bands or musical partners decide to reconvene to see if the magic can still be conjured? There a slew of bands that have reunited for various reasons (cash grabs, nostalgia trips, etc) over the last five to ten years that range from exciting to shaking one’s head as to why reunions take place, and then, every once in … Read more
Sorority Noise
You’re Not As _____ As You Think
Triple Crown (2017)
What is emo? A classicist view may lend itself to sounds like The Promise Ring’s Nothing Feels Good or Weezer’s Pinkerton, which gave way to second-generation icons like Brand New. While The Promise Ring and especially Weezer never really quite built on the successes of their early records, Brand New began as a yawpy pop-punk band that suddenly transformed into … Read more
Spinifex Gum
Spinifex Gum
My Shore Productions (2017)
Spinifex resin is a gum coating of some species of Spinifex grasses. The resin was traditionally used in tool making by Australian Aborigines. To produce the gum, the spinifex is threshed until the resin particles fall free. These particles are heated until they fuse together to form a moldable black tar, which is worked, while warm. When set, this gum … Read more
Spiritual Cramp
Mass Hysteria
REACT! Records (2017)
Given their name, it's appropriate that San Francisco's Spiritual Cramp have a sound rooted in the punk rock of 40-ish years ago. I don't think debut EP Mass Hysteria would have the same punch had it featured a more aggressive approach. Alienation figures prominently in the lyrics of opener “All MY Friends Are Out Tonight (Alright),” and the somewhat vulnerable, … Read more
STNNNG
Veterans of Pleasure
Modern Radio (2017)
STNNNG have slowed down their output but it doesn’t seem that age is catching up to them. If anything, their anger seems more pronounced than ever. Pronounced “The Stunning,” the band plays aggressive and confrontational rock that punches, kicks and occasionally claws at the listener, with guitar barbs, drum-fronted jabs and bass-driven tumbling. It’s chaotically and meandering, yet artfully crafted … Read more
Succumb
Succumb
Flenser (2017)
Established in 2014 as Cloak, this California-based extreme metal act produced an interesting hybrid take on black/death metal. Changing the name of the band in 2017, after their debut demo as Cloak, and bringing on board drummer Harry Cantwell, known from his work with Slough Feg and Bosse-de-Nage, the quartet left behind its black metal affinity in order to focus … Read more
Svart Crown
Abreaction
Century Media (2017)
Blackened death metal requires a complex formula. It is not a hybrid state between black and death metal, where 50% of each individual component will give you the appropriate result. Svart Crown belongs in the few bands that understand how to get his sound right, and they have been traveling this distance since their debut album, Ages of Decay, came … Read more
Teenage Bottlerocket
Stealing The Covers
Fat Wreck Chords (2017)
Many have commented about loving the idea behind Teenage Bottlerocket's all-covers record Stealing The Covers, and even though cover albums usually have everyone sending the puke emoji as a review, I have to agree with the majority on this one. Bottlerocket aren’t a parody band and they aren’t as disillusioned as people think; this record was a super clever idea … Read more
Teleplasmite
Frequency Is The New Ecstasy
House of Mythology (2017)
Another excellent release coming through the House of Mythology label, Teleplasmite is the brainchild of an unholy alliance between Mark O. Pillington, musician known from his work in Urthona and author publishing interesting countercultural and cryptic literature through Strange Attractor, and Michael J. York, expert in wind instruments and member/collaborator of the Guapo, Cyclobe, The Stargazer's Assistant and of course, … Read more
TenHornedBeast
Death Has No Companion
Cold Spring (2017)
A master of dark ambient, Christopher Walton became first known through his time as one-half of Endvra. The duo released a series of excellent albums, with The Great God Pan standing out, infusing neo-classical perspectives and tribal rhythms into their dark ambient core. Since the end of Endvra, Walton has focused on his solo project TenHornedBeast, which takes a dystopian … Read more
Tex Perkins
Tex
Macmillan Australia (2017)
Pizzazz. Omph. Attitude.Sensibility.A sardonic sense of humour.Charisma.Swagger. If your music depends entirely on that, the dependency is too great. So much for the basics.See, you could claim that Tex Perkins and his incarnations have had a more than profound impact on my ever since I planted a foot on terra australis. Tex Perkins has been in the game for close … Read more
Tex, Don and Charlie
You Don’t Know Lonely
EMI (2017)
Bonafide legends of the Australian music scene, Tex, Don and Charlie are somewhat an Australian super group with gravitas aplomb.Comprised of Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea, Beasts of Bourbon), Don Walker (Cold Chisel) and Charlie Owen, the trio first incarnated in 1993 and has since released an album every 12 years. The formula has not changed much, despite the passing … Read more
Thalassa
Bonds of Prosperity
Sige (2017)
Formless and endless. When dealing with drone music, these are two elements you need to take into consideration. With a deep understanding and experience of the genre and experimental music, Aaron Turner, of SUMAC and a myriad other projects, and William Fowler Collins collaborate in the avant-drone project Thalassa. Taking influence from the Greek mythology, and the primordial personification of … Read more
The Capitalist Kids
Brand Damage
Eccentric Pop Records (2017)
Even with a name like Capitalist Kids, the Austin band has always been more about love songs in the vein of Mr. T Experience and Lookout Records before hitting the political sauce. Well, the Drumpf era has hit us all in undeniable ways. Brand Damage is the band’s fourth full-length and here, relationships fall apart and the rivers of political … Read more
The Dopamines
Tales of Interest
Rad Girlfriend Records (2017)
It’s been a while since Ohio’s The Dopamines released a new record –2012 by the looks of things, and I honestly missed that one, so my most recent reference is 2010’s Expect the Worst. I know they’ve become parents or grown up or something along those lines, leading to more time between records. Does that also bleed into their music … Read more
The Flatliners
Inviting Light
Rise (2017)
Since 2002 Canadian punk band The Flatliners have been making a name for themselves. It’s hard to imagine the same ska/punk band that put out Destroy to Create released an album like Inviting Light. If you couldn’t tell by the album names alone—it’s a departure. Inviting Light is by far the most mature sounding album the band has released, and … Read more
The Great Old Ones
EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy
Season of Mist (2017)
The influence of H.P. Lovecraft in popular culture is undeniable, and its presence in the metal genre is highlighted from classic Metallica tracks, to off-kilter acts like Blind Idiot God. The Great Old Ones, a French post-black metal outfit, proudly embrace this tradition, as their suggests, exploring the themes of cosmicism through the years, starting with their debut album, Al … Read more
