SPOOKY MUSIC SERIES: #2

Lustmord is consistently held up as one of the most essential voices in dark ambient, and even though The Place Where the Black Stars Hang isn't a total slam dunk for me, it's easy to see why his name is regularly invoked when people discuss this style. The music on this record is supremely minimal, layering only a few elements in tracks that can span past the 25 minute mark. It's all bass tones, whooshes, static, and the occasional upper-end tone for contrast. The ... read more

SPOOKY MUSIC SERIES: #1

It's October, and I need a bit of a thrill, and/or something to focus my attention on in my free time, so I'm going to devote some energy to exploring music that creates a dark or frightening atmosphere. I'll try to stay within the confines of "dark ambient" music (as opposed to pop-structured music with a creepy edge), as my interest is in records that create a nightmarish aura or mood, rather than those that seek to occupy 100% of the listener's attention ... read more

SPORTS

Seriously, this album came out of nowhere and knocked me on my ass. It honestly edges out the new IDLES album by just a bit to be my favorite punk album of the year. The lyrics are far more obtuse and certainly less impactful in how goofily satirical they can be, but I cannot get enough of these songs. There's the beefy, almost electronic sounding basslines, the angular, funky rhythms, and that fucking saxophone that always pops up at just the perfect time.

And really, while the lyrics ... read more

What's left to say at this point?

Will is one of the most relatable lyricists I've ever heard, and he has the tunes to back it up. Twin Fantasy certainly isn't very boundary pushing musically (you could even call it regressive, in a way), but it's certainly one of the best conceived, developed, and executed rock albums of the decade. Strong proof that you don't always need to break new ground to make important art.

Favorite songs: Beach Life-In-Death, High to Death, Bodys, Famous Prophets ... read more

Travis Scott is a trap genius.

Favortite songs: Sicko Mode, Stargazing, Butterfly Effect, Astrothunder, Carousel

It's like listening to the entire universe disintegrate before you, with angels singing eulogies over top.

Favorite tracks: Disarray, Fly, Rome (Always in the Dark), Poor Sucker, Always Trying to Work It Out

I'm one of those assholes who wasn't a fan of the Saturation trilogy, but I like what the group was going for here overall. The beats knock (at least on the harder tracks), with production that generally sounds unlike that of any other hip hop act out there. I particularly enjoy the grimy feel of bangers like New Orleans and Berlin. I was also pretty impressed by the rapping on at least a few tracks, especially the screamy verse at the start of J'ouvert (sorry I don't know any of the group ... read more

There's a hurricane coming my way this weekend and I can't think of a better soundtrack for when it hits than this tempestuous mix of corroded horn samples, frenetic beats and alt rock vocals/attitude.

Oh, and it's an AOTY contender too.

Favorite tracks: Let the Lioness in You Flow Freely, Noid, Licking an Orchid, Lifetime, Honesty

Fanny's right on the money with this one. These beats are LUSCIOUS. The rapping is quite impressive too, very dense and free associative, but dizzyingly direct when it comes to social commentary. These two are proving the hip hop underground in the US still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Favorite tracks: If He Holla, Black Garlic, Alternate Side Parking, Root Farm (DEVASTATING lyrics on this one), Sweet Mickey

AS A.O.T.Y. (well, a contender, at least)

This is the music your local BDSM torture cult would play at their annual ice cream social. It's some of the dingiest, scuzziest electronic music I've ever heard, and, for me, the rhythms are just undeniable. The slower cuts are a bit less original (a lot of them sound like something 0PN would make), but they make up for it by contributing to the record's excellent pacing.

Favorite tracks: As a.W.O.L. (SOTY contender), AS Chaos, AS Another Life, AS ... read more

This band is from my hometown! It's also the first release of theirs that I've managed to appreciate. The switch to straight black metal suits them, I think. It allows them to become far more ambitious with their compositions while still maintaining their usual focus on energy and performance. The new vocalist is more my speed, too. Skeletonwitch are still a pretty meat and potatoes metal band in a lot of respects, but Devouring Radiant Light is still quite strong for what it is due to its ... read more

EDIT: I still heavily fuck with this album, but the blurb from the TMT review is pretty hilarious, and not entirely inaccurate.

A well composed, surprisingly dark (gothic?) dancehall album. It kind of sounds like Popcaan's evil twin, but with smarter lyrics and a socially conscious edge. Gaika's vocals are a bit Future-ish in how washed out they are in certain songs, but the melodies, the production, and the especially mood really make this a satisfying listen for me.

Favorite tracks: Crown ... read more

Hits on hits on hits with this record. Not every track works, but this is some of the catchiest, most forward-thinking pop rock I've heard in some time. It's also easily one of my alltime favorite things Julian Casablancas has had a hand in. His voice is just so sexy and dynamic across all the songs/genres the band takes on. The lyrics are also worth your attention; they're a little on the nose at times, but they do a pretty solid job of speaking to information age ennui overall. Virtue is ... read more

It took me longer to appreciate Year of the Snitch than any DG release since I first heard the Money Store in 2012, but they've done it again. There are fewer footholds on this album, but, if you're already partial to DG's sound, there are plenty of twisted, grotesque rewards in store if you give this LP your time.

Death Grips has now released 7 (!) great-to-classic full lengths. Long may they reign.

Favorite tracks: Disappointed, Black Paint, Death Grips Is Online, The Fear, Streaky

Deafheaven keep up their fantastic work this decade with another killer, multifaceted lead single from their new album. As always, the lyrics of this song are really worth a read. My favorites are the ending lines:

"My love is a bulging, blue-faced fool
Hung from the throat by sunflower stems
Hung from the throat by sunflower stems
Sunflower stems"

This album is the loopy, psychedelic dance party I didn't know I needed. Thanks, Mr. Koze!

Favorite tracks: Moving in a Liquid, Illumination, Pick Up, Bonfire, Seeing Aliens

I've followed Hookworms ever since I saw Drowned in Sound give their debut a 10/10 back in 2013, and while their noisy, basement-dwelling approach to psych rock has always intrigued me, each of their last two albums has stopped short of placing them in my pantheon of modern psych music. Pearl Mystic came close, but the sound was ultimately too muddy and repetitive for me. The Hum felt like a step back, repeating a lot of Pearl Mystic's ideas but with less energy.

With Microshift, Hookworms ... read more

I'm VERY into the sound Palm create on Rock Island, but they just don't do enough with it to keep me fully engaged over the course of an entire album. With its dizzying polyrhythms and steel drum-esque sounds, Rock Island really does sound like rock music created by the inhabitants of some undiscovered island with an entirely different musical history. Overall, though, the singles were really the only songs that stuck with me. The vocals could definitely stand to be a bit more lively too. ... read more

EDIT: The movie is great, though!

It's not quite as boring as I was expecting, but this is still the worst project Kendrick's name has been attached to for me (I know it's not a solo release, but it seems to me the album is being attributed more to him and TDE than anyone else). In my opinion, soundtrack albums (not scores, of which there are obviously many great ones) literally never work--they just end up being commercial propositions designed to pull in extra money. I can tell Kendrick ... read more

Definitely a solid industrial rock album, especially on the production front. As of now, it feel it's a bit repetitive as it goes on, and I think his vocals could stand to be more dynamic (I wouldn't mind hearing a few screams/harsh vocals over some of these instrumentals, actually), but The Soft Moon is definitely onto something here. I think I'm going to try Criminal out a few more times when I'm feeling particularly moribund over the next few weeks. I can see this one being a grower. (EDIT: ... read more