Wizard – Definitely Unfinished

French noise rockers Wizard released an arguably finished EP in early June titled Definitely Unfinished. At three minutes under thirty and five tracks, it’s got enough room to showcase the band’s progression since their 2018 eponymous debut. Wizard the first was already an utterly satisfying experience, but Definitely Unfinished brings an undeniable touch of refinement to the mix. The band’s new sound overflows with drive and energy on unforgettable songs that will spin more than once more, I promise!

Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (Matador)

Mdou Moctar‘s blend of Nigerian-Saharan music and blues-rock has … Read more

Blurr Thrower – Les Voûtes (Les Acteurs de l’ombre)

Let me start this review with two albums that were released some time ago and which I haven’t talked about, but which have consistently come up in my listening queue. The first of which is French atmospheric black metal band Blurr Thrower‘s Les Voûtes. This album is strong on emotions. Their West Coast style suits them very well, and you just feel an immense leap in your chest with every chord change. For this alone, Les Voûtes shines above most other albums, and it’s the reason why, I think, … Read more

Giant Claw – Mirror Guide (Orange Milk)

It’s not the first time I mention Giant Claw here, and that’s for a good reason. Giant Claw is the moniker of Keith Rankin himself playing with keyboard and digital percussion pad. With this very minimalistic yet versatile instrumentation, Keith is able to craft and perform amazing psychedelic journeys. On Mirror Guide, this takes the form of an almost-electroacoustic thematic suite filled with rubato and expression. It’s truly something and you should go in ready to be taken away!

Fucked Up – Year of the Horse (Tank Crimes)

Fucked Up is … Read more

Gian Slater – Grey Is Ground (Biophilia)

The experienced singer-songwriter Gian Slater just released her new opus: Grey Is Ground. On this album, Gian brings complex and atmospheric synth pop songs that hit a certain balance between complexity, with its odd-time grooves, metric modulations, and harmonic progressions, and relatability, thanks to Gian’s soaring melodies and general sense of composition, which turns emotion into music, which is in turn switched back to emotion in our brain. It’s an elegant and brilliantly written album that will appeal to all avant-garde pop fans.

Yautja – The Lurch (Relapse)

You know Yautja. … Read more

Victory over the Sun – Nowherer

While Victory over the Sun‘s previous album was great—read our review for proof—it wasn’t microtonal. That’s one thing Vivian Tylinska wanted to correct with Nowherer, an avant-garde, hectic, and eclectic black metal masterpiece. All written in 17 notes per octave—a relatively popular xeharmonic system—the album stands proud in all its weird glory. Of course, it reminds me of Agonanist—review here!—who also released a 17-tone black metal album recently, but the similarities stop there. VOTS’s album seems to intentionally forgo conventions and expectations, and it works marvellously to … Read more