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!

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Fucked Up – Year of the Horse (Tank Crimes)

Fucked Up is a Canadian experimental punk band that’s got quite a lot of experience under their name. They started in the early 2000s and only got better from there. This month, they released a 94-minute double concept album called Year of the Horse, which is the continuation of their Years series taking inspiration from Chinese astrology. It all started in 2006 with Year of the Dog, followed the Pig, the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Dragon, the Hare, and the Snake. All of these were single-track EPs somewhere between 12 and 25 minutes in length. The Horse, however, is worth four of them, with its runtime divided into four acts each between 19 and 26 minutes long, for a total of over 94 minutes of material. And it’s worth every second of your time! So, hop right in and join Perceval the escaped horse on this awesome Odyssey!

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Oh Yung – Godless (Deathbomb Arc)

I enjoyed Oh Yung‘s previous album quite a lot, but I only heard about it long after its release, so I redeem myself today with the release of Godless. The album showcases the mastery of Oh Yung on their style of hard-hitting, bass-heavy contemporary electro. Most of the rhythm section is Matt Evans’s drums, and it’s stellar all the way through, but shines particularly brightly when it goes off the rails, like the mostly \(\frac{5}{4}\) opener “Keep This”. I also have to mention the song “Fuck Elon Musk”, which absolutely destroys. Superb album!

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Grey Aura – Zwart vierkant

Grey Aura have always been known for being a staple of experimental black metal. On Zwart vierkant they prove that they still got it in them, and perhaps more than ever. The first thing that struck me on it was the inclusion of Spanish language and musical influence. Indeed, there are two tracks with Spanish titles and definite flamenco influence. The other five are more typically Grey Aura-ish, in Dutch and being just straight-out weird black metal with a healthy variety of influences. It’s a strong album for those who like their dose of avant-garde black metal.