Backxwash, Adapar, Cydemind, and Horse Lords

Backxwash – His Happiness Shall Come First Even though We Are Suffering


Backxwash—Montréal-based rapper Ashanti Mutinta—just released their new album: His Happiness Shall Come First Even though We Are Suffering, the final part of the trilogy that began with 2020’s God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It. So-called “horror rap”, this is some real heavy hip-hop on the more experimental side of things. I mean, it’s got features from Pupil Slicer (mathcore) and Ghais Guevara (another experimental hip-hop artist I like), so I’m already sold on it! As dmaestaz puts it so brilliantly… Read more

Best of Progressive Rock 2021


Progressive rock is one of my great loves, from Yes (the old Yes) to Spock’s Beard to… today’s contenders, I listen to a lot of prog. And, if you’re here, you’re probably like me!


Number Five: The Ranch – Together to Get Here to Get Here Together


That album is good, and I mean, so good! First off, it’s not every day you get to talk about a band from Malta, that little island in the Mediterranean, and I guess it’s even rarer to talk about such an incredible one! With a perfect blend of prog rock and jazz fusion, … Read more

Best of Indie Rock 2021


Time for some softer music. Is it still good if it’s not constant chaos? Yeah, yeah things are pretty damn good, actually!


Number Five: Zouz – Vertiges


Let me be chauvinistic a little, and start with a homegrown band. Zouz border on post-punk, noise rock, and math rock, but there’s a middle line in that whole mess that intersects with indie rock sensibilities. Vertiges is a fun, varied, and addictive album that you’re sure to put on repeat multiple times!


Number Four: Ventifacts – Ventifacts


Microtonal indie rock still counts, right? Damn right it does! Ventifacts is the project of … Read more

Organ: – Everything Is Pared Down. Minimal Expectations

The Music

The Words

Everything Is Pared Down. Minimal Expectations is the Norwegian-Italian trio Organ:‘s third release, nine years after their 2009 self-titled EP. This album has taunted me for so long, sitting there as a pre-order on Duplicate Records’ Bandcamp page without any official release date… And then, without warning, it came out! Well, to be exact, the album became streamable in full, while the official release date was set to October 30. Let’s see what this beast is made of.

Save for the blast beats and clashing notes, everything reeks of retro prog: the guitar and bass’ … Read more