I've got a real weakness for this kind of stuff. Post-Metal with a Black Metal inflection, this is like last year's excellent Trna album, Earthcult, but more vicious and with vocals (no surprise the two bands share a member, and hail from the same fertile St Petersburg metal scene). Should be catnip for Deafheaven fans who wish OCHL wasn't so soft and filled with cheesy classic metal guitar licks.

Four tracks in 40 minutes that are each distinctly memorable, veering between passages of ... read more

My most listened to album of the year so far.

That may be because I've had a lot of writing to do and there's no better accompaniment than some rousing post-rock, but honestly, this deserves to find a lot of love.

Beautiful, crushing, triumphant and melancholic.

FFO: Explosions in the Sky, Russian Circles, Sannhet

I must have watched my VHS copy of 1994's Vieuphoria dozens of times in my teens. A compilation of live performances (concert and TV), unplugged sessions, and goofy oddities that presented the band as a happy family unit at odds with reports of stifling dysfunction. The companion CD, Earphoria, is just the music minus the visuals. There are some great live performances here, including a guitar heavy rework of Disarm, an extended 'Silverfuck' with an interpolation of 'Somewhere over the ... read more

Fool enough to almost be it
And cool enough to not quite see it
And old enough to always feel this
Always old, I’ll always feel this
No more promise, no more sorrow
No longer will I follow
Can anybody hear me?
I just want to be me
~ Mayonaise
Teenage angst doesn't get more iconic

I'll admit it: my faculties as a music critic are rendered powerless as soon as that drum roll intro to Cherub Rock kicks in. 1993's Siamese Dream is a formative album for me. It's so intrinsically tied in with ... read more