Weekly Release Dump #4

by Dæv Tremblay
    Saturday, 23 December

Carcajou – Quelle magnifique fin du monde (post-hardcore)
Käki – Three Pieces for Guitar, Piano and Junk Metal (experimental rock)
Planning for Burial – Below the House (Version) (post-doom/experimental)
The White Tulips and Chinese Football – 双拼 (Shuāng pīn) Half Half #1 (math rock)

    Sunday, 24 December


Morrow – Fallow (progressive blackened hardcore)

    Monday, 25 December

Adhara – Adhara (instrumental progressive metal)
Dialectical Imagination – The Angel and the Brute Sing Songs of Wrath (experimental jazz)
Heavy Blog Is Heavy – Heavy Comp Is Heavy: Volume Five (compilation)
Hyperdeath – No Fear (progressive metal)
Night Tempo – … Read more

Taylor Brook – Virtutes occultae

by Dæv Tremblay

Just in time to close 2017 with a microtonal bang!, composer Taylor Brook released Virtutes occultae: an exploratory double album for piano. Somewhere between procedural, improvised, and strictly composed, the eighteen parts of this magnum opus take you into the world of overtonality. In a nutshell, this album is played by six virtual pianos, each tuned to a different 11-limit just intonation tuning. The details on how Brook’s approach extends Partch’s are scarce and blurry, but, in any case, the result is utterly mesmerizing. The fact that the music is played only by pianos, virtual ones at that, … Read more

The Big Fat Meanies, Date Stuff, Crawl across the Sky, ジズー (Jizue), Andrew McCommons, Excessive Visage, Matt Mitchell, Akakor, and Luna’s Call

by Dæv Tremblay


The Big Fat Meanies – The Time Has Come…
Rarely have I grinned so much while listening to a recent progressive rock album. Thanks to their ska band roots and influences, Pennsylvania’s Big Fat Meanies make energetic and uplifting prog ska music on their most recent album. The Time Has Come… is over one hour long, but never feels like it’s too much. Brenna’s vocals are a perfect blend of power and emotion, and the brass and woodwinds quartet is an uncommon sight in the prog scene that adds a ton to the music. Truly, an album that shouldn’t go … Read more

Making Music: What CD Packaging Is the Best?

by Dæv Tremblay

When making music, choosing to go ahead and make physical copies of your latest release is always an exciting moment. But, it does come with its own problems, questions, and moments of doubt. It’s especially true if it’s your first time taking the plunge; it can be scary! That’s why I decided to write this article. I will provide facts and opinions about some aspects of CD packaging in the hopes of informing you and helping you make a decision. Each option has its pros and cons, and, depending on what you value most, they will affect your ultimate choice.… Read more

Morrow – Fallow

by Dæv Tremblay

This British septet just released their sophomore album, Fallow. The band’s raucity is most apparent in their folk-influenced, blackened hardcore sound, which covers most if not all of the playtime of this album. The most entrancing moments of this forty-five-minute album are present in its opening and closing acts; “Auguries of Menace” and “Crown in Red” respectively. Although all the songs played here reek of a sense of doom and impending destruction, the two aforementioned acts push it one step further and develop this feeling over the course of twelve minutes. Morrow‘s use of violin is genially implemented … Read more