brit pop that never quite got famous across the pond. i found out about this from a facebook friend whom i've never actually met in real life, jackson from pittsburgh white boy rappers grand buffet. good stuff.
_DJ Vernix
best drummer in heavy metal right now by a landslide. this record stands among their best work. they are like the Yes, Rush, King Krimson type of band for 2016. Steely Dan levels of perfectionism and effort went into this recording. nerd music made by nerds for nerds to listen to while they do nerd things thinking nerd thoughts. dig it.
_pert plus
self-released on her own label. bought this cd when i saw her perform last week with craig taborn. if you know of a better contemporary jazz pianist than this woman, i want to know about him or her. kris davis is godzilla of the blacks and the whites. buy it here.
_alibi
so beautiful, if you like volume 1, grab volume 2 for more goodness.
_alibi
listening to this record while taking a shower the other day made me feel like this is music that feels very 2016 to me. the beats come and go like a thermostat sensing when the heat needs turned up and when you just need to chill out. smart record.
_mink nun
among the best pop music that 2016 has to offer. this record puts out a wavelength that i aspire to be on most days. fun tunes.
_alibi
one of two records put out this year by this young chilean gentleman. this man was one half of the group darkside, who's lp from 2013, called 'psychic', i enjoyed very much. this particular record, 'sirens', i find to be a bit wobbly inso far as it has its ups and downs. it's generally pleasant background 2016 music. could be fitting for a decent movie soundtrack... or could be just as appropriate for a volkswagen commercial.
_mink nun
i can not remember what turned me on to this magical album years and years ago. i have become fanatical about the less conservative realms of choral music, and this record and volume 2 in this series are true precious precious gems in my collection. i went to a friend of a friend's wedding, and the yale slavic choir sang selections from these two records, and it was sublime.
_alibi
this band has a totally boring band name. death fortress? seriously, fellas? i can just imagine the conversation that led up to that name. "guys, the show is on thursday. we seriously need to decide on a name. rick, i already told you, i am not cool with calling the band sacraficial enema, ok? just drop it. wait, what? you told the booker we were called death fortress? are you serious? because my mom's basement is like a death fortress. funny, rick, really, i'm in stitches. look, we're lucky she even lets us practice here. fuck it, you guys don't even care, so why should i?" the cover artwork looks like they asked for something that blends m.c. escher with scooby doo. the count chocula font is certainly a classic look, if that's what you're going for. but guess what guys. guys? this album rips. unlike so many bands who sound so squeaky clean that it feels like their album just got back from a visit to the dentist, this band sounds like they are in the room with you ready to tear you a new one. dig it.
_mink nun
_mink nun
one of my favorite things about being a metalhead in 2016 is trying to identify my own categorical imperatives for my taste in metal, and then seeing if i can't smash them to bits. metal is a supersaturated mode of music. for all its orthodoxy cultishness and pomp, there are exceptions for nearly every single rule. finding those exceptions for one's own personal tastes is where things can get especially fun, i find. pick something to identify as a rule that you would want to stick to hard and fast with regard to your tastes, and the more bands you listen to, the more likely you are to hear a group that shatters your expectations. start a sentence with, "i hate", insert a musical qualifier, end the sentence with, "in metal." you're highly likely to find a band that does that thing that you hate so well that you almost have to hand it to them. i hate triggered drums, but wow, guttural secrete. i hate stuck-pig vocals, but wow, wormed. i hate bands that are complete clones of portal, but wow, altarage. i hate bands who use drums that sound so fake that you're left wondering why they even try to approximate a drum sound and don't just embrace the fake sounding percussion sound all together, but wow, shrine of insanibilis. (a lot of my personal categorical imperatives have to do with drums). i hate bands that sound so over-rehearsed that their recordings seemingly lack any blood sweat and tears on a human level, but wow, meshuggah. i hate bands with such a shitty guitar tone that i wonder if they would have been better off if they just plugged their guitar directly into their computer instead of even bothering to use an amp since they clearly chose such a weak sounding amp sound, but wow, vassafor. i hate bands that take that whole aesthetic of making their recording sound so bad that it seems to be trying to approximate the sound of being recorded in your mom's basement on one microphone straight to an old worn out cassette, but wow, volahn. i hate histrionics and veiled identities and posturing, but wow, batushka. i hate terrible bass guitar tone, but wow, ...almost every metal band. you get the idea. irkallian oracle might just break something inside your mind.
_alibi