Here’s a release from an exciting new band taking a bold step forward within the idiom of math rock! This should be right up the alley of anyone hungry for bit-crushed madness and hyperactive rhythmic phrasing run amok! Stuttering, sputtering guitar melds perfectly with off-kilter drumming as the group embraces their weirdness and … Read more
Consider the metal albums over the last decade or so that have received near-universal acclaim from critics and fans. The names that come to my mind include such releases as Vektor’s Terminal Redux, Mgła’s Exercises in Futility, and Rivers of Nihil’s Where Owls Know My Name. One common thread among these crowd-pleasers is that they tend to be a band’s second or third album; they’ve taken a couple of releases to find their footing and refine their sound, then it all finally comes together a few years into their career. Comparatively, very few bands … Read more
Percussions is my weak spot. There’s something about it that fascinates, entrances me. I guess this goes with me being much more into rhythm than melody. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that I really adore percussionist Claire Rousay‘s works, which I started following with Neuter. On Several Erasures, Claire demonstrates a finer control than ever on the instruments and objects at her disposal, and creates an aural world unique and captivating. It’s a beautiful album!
Portland, Oregon
Australia
Thessaloniki, Greece
On Thirsty Leaves Music
Zürich, Switzerland
On Anuk
Manchester, UK
On Raw Tonk
It seems not so long ago that I reviewed an album by the Richmond-based collective, yet here we are again so soon! Lamentations will be released at the end of April and consists of the same avant-garde free improvisation that made RAIC what it is. On this record, however, the here-nonet band conjures images and sounds from the South of the United States. As always, the result is an outstanding free jazz effort with a punk attitude. It’s an eerie and at times unsettling adventure, and that’s why it’s so great!