Review: Tigran Hamasyan – Mockroot

by Ben Norton
The rhythm section on Mockroot: (from left to right) Sam Minaie (bass), Tigran Hamasyan, and Arthur Hnatek (drums) CREDIT: Maeve Stam

The rhythm section on Mockroot (from left to right), Sam Minaie (bass), Tigran Hamasyan, and Arthur Hnatek (drums)
CREDIT: Maeve Stam

Being a musical genius is hard. Not in the, “Oh, I’m a musical genius, I’m so oppressed, pity me” sense, but rather in the sense that one must live up to the expectations one has created. This is of course not a problem limited to the realm of music; all artists must ultimately struggle with it. If an artist has released material before, their new work is inevitably, and necessarily, put into a particular context. One must walk a … Read more

Review: The Venus De Melos – NOVO

by Dæv Tremblay

Imagine a more contemplative CHON but with an angel’s voice on top of the music. Doesn’t the mere idea of it give you goosebumps? Well, goosebump no more, because The Venus De Melos is here! A one-man project from Brooklyn, creating beautiful math-rock with a Mars Volta-esque twist on it.

The second Mikhail Kokirtsev began singing, I was under the charm of his voice. At first unsure if it was a dude or a gal singing, because of how natural his high-pitched voice sounds – it doesn’t sound too forced or in falsetto – I was then impressed by … Read more

News: Superzero, making superb glitch/avant-pop

by Dæv Tremblay

A collaboration between the stellar Vishal Singh, Derick Gomes, and Venkatesh Iyer is giving us a really interesting piece of music to forebode their upcoming EP. The avant-pop trio uses to great efficiency glitch techniques into an experimental pop sound that, while retaining its pop qualities: inherently good-sounding, concise and easy to approach, it still provides us with an interesting listen, and a definite breeze of fresh air!

I’m excited for their EP to come out!… Read more

Review: Laksamana – Antagonist

by Dæv Tremblay
Well, that’s something strange as I’ve not seen in a while. Describing itself as a “computer metal” one-man project, Laksamana, from Des Moines, Iowa, sounds like Jute Gyte’s more experimental, barely-even-metal albums, with vocals added on top. And this one truly reflects the spirit of our blog, which you can grasp by reading our name out loud.

The aim of the album was to make it abrasive and unpleasant, as a warning of what could happen if all the world lived in computers. The music was made so that it would be impossible to play without the aid of … Read more

Review: Circuline – Return

by Dæv Tremblay

That’s it. I think I’ve found it. The reason why progressive music is related to being snob, and why you will be named a prog snob from time to time. Circuline might be the most pretentious and “snob” prog rock band out there. And for a so-called “modern” progressive rock band, they’re straight from the 80’s and 90’s prog rock era to me. Stuck in the past, the nose up their ass.

Let me just put all that’s wrong, just with their music video for One Wish. And I’m not even going to talk about the music itself, for … Read more