Angel Olsen is set to release her upcoming fourth album All Mirrors on October 4th on “Jagjaguwar” records. Today she released the album’s title track as well as a Gothic-styled music video. “All Mirrors” is a hauntingly gorgeous synth-driven track with beautiful string arrangements that convey a dramatically cinematic tone, which is a noticeable departure from her previous album My Woman. You can watch the music video below:
“When you’re in the middle of writing and recording, it’s very easy to fall into extreme feelings of guilt over procrastination, when you’re already stretched thin,” says Alicia Gaines, bassist and vocalist of Chicago “Post-Punk” band “Ganser,” and that feeling is immensely conveyed on their new single “Bad Form.” It’s a sentiment we can all relate to. The feeling that we’re just going through the motions, the feeling that we should be doing more, the feeling that nothing we do is ever enough, it’s an unfair pressure we put on ourselves, and that can lead to unbearable anxiety. “Ganser” are no strangers to the evocation of anxiety. The band have been creating noisey “Post-Punk” with a sprinkle of “Goth” for awhile now, and following last year’s debut album Odd Talk, it was clear that the band are without a doubt one of the most ambitious bands in Rock right now. Much of their music is loud, anxiety-inducing but not too abrasive to the point of being unlistenable, and their attention to crafting chaotic and unconventional instrumentation topped with poetic lyrical content that looks both outward and inward is vastly enthralling. Each member is pivotal to the band’s sound, they’re all pieces to a puzzle that just wouldn’t be complete if a member were absent. It’s easy to list what genres the band might draw influence from, but categorizing them wouldn’t suffice when describing the myriad of emotions and styles in their music.
So what does their new single “Bad Form” sound like? Well, it sounds like a “Ganser” song, but it’s most definitely next level and completely stands on it’s own. Charlie Landsman’s guitar evokes a frantic feeling that ear-splittingly gives you a sense of urgency, Alicia Gaines’ pummeling bass hits you with a sinister groove, Brian Cundiff’s drums are sharp and piercing, and Nadia Garofalo’s vocals passionately echo the nervous nature of the instrumentation with a sense of catharsis that beautifully expresses the importance of self-therapy when confronting inner demons. “Too many people want too much attention,” sings Garofalo, as if she’s realizing the feeling of getting lost in other people’s needs or trying to balance friendships and relationships with work is taking it’s toll, and the refrain of “I know how it works” can be interpreted as the feeling of unsatisfying repetition or predictability. Sure this song deals with the darker side of the human psyche, but it features positive undertones as the band exorcises their demons together.
“Bad Form” also has a beautifully shot music video directed by Kirsten Miccoli to accompany it. It stars Ganser, Monica Bahr, Liz Harvey, and Benji Morino, and it’s visually stunning with a dark nature that perfectly reflects the track’s sense of agitation and anxiety. The band make it known that visual art is just as important to them as music. Just look at how mindfully crafted their past music videos are with much attention to artistry and cinematography as opposed to just making a video of the band playing their instruments in an empty warehouse (we saw plenty of those videos in the 90’s.) The band want to utilize different aspects of art to express themselves, and that ambition is inspiring. It’s exciting to see where they’ll go next.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Slipknot are set to release their new album We Are Not Your Kind on August 9th, and lead singer Corey Taylor was not kidding when he said it’s some of the darkest material the band have created in years, because their new single “Solway Firth” is sheer brutality. The band have also shared a music video to accompany it featuring footage from the upcoming “Amazon” original series The Boys. You can watch the music video below:
The Losers are all grown up in the new full-length trailer for IT: Chapter 2, and they will face the maniacal Pennywise one last time on September 6th. Following the success of the first film, it’ll be interesting to see if the sequel will live up to IT (see what I did there.) It’s got a talented cast and team behind it, and the trailer looks like this might even be more terrifying than the first. On September 6th, it’ll be time to float again. Watch the trailer below:
Artist: Thom Yorke
Album: ANIMA
Genre: Electronic/Experimental
Label: XL Recordings
Rating: 8/10
Thom Yorke needs no introduction at this point, and saying he needs no introduction goes without saying, so why am I saying it? I don’t know, I just needed an introduction in this review. We all know how influential his band “Radiohead” is. A band that have garnered much acclaim from critics and music fans alike with their eclectic music that strives to innovate and push boundaries. In fact, they’re so acclaimed that they just recently were inducted into the “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame,” and if you’re aware of the “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame,” you know they tend to ignore artists that are truly innovative, but here we are pleasantly surprised. Aside from “Radiohead,” Yorke has embarked on numerous music endeavors, including a decent solo career. Now, I’m not going to lie and say I’ve been the biggest fan of his solo material, (please don’t crucify me) because much of his music tends to be predictable or sound like “Radiohead” b-sides. That isn’t to say his music has been devoid of creativity and meaningful content, but the replay value is hardly there, but upon hearing that he was set to score Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake I was immediately intrigued. My expectations were exceeded with that soundtrack. Yorke beautifully crafted a dark and melancholy contrast to the film’s disturbing visuals. Following that up, Yorke has released his third solo album ANIMA, and this is the Thom Yorke solo album I’ve been waiting for. This album sounds like what I expected it to sound like, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This album has everything we’ve come to expect with Yorke’s solo material. The layers upon layers of synths, off-kilter drum patterns, and reverb-drenched vocal loops and harmonies layered to fall in disarray, but this time around this sound is perfected and truly hypnotic. Inspired by the subject of dreams, Yorke and longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich fully immerse the listener in a world of “Ambient Techno” that’s hypnotic and creates humanity out of the machines at work. The album’s opener “Traffic” hits you with buzzing synth bass and skittering synth arpeggios that build to a subtle climax that doesn’t bombard you with self-indulgence. This sets the tone for the rest of the album quite well, because the rest of the album follows a very similar note, and that’s the point, to hypnotize you and put you in a state that feels like a dream, and sometimes even a nightmare. Much of the album’s content deals heavily with claustrophobia and anxiety, and Yorke uses themes of dystopia to evoke feelings of anxiety, but there’s never a feeling of discomfort. A sense of urgency yes, and even a feeling of discombobulation, but it’s controlled and there is a frequent hopeful tone. The track “Dawn Chorus” is most definitely a standout track where Yorke’s almost spoken word vocals lay out a paranoid string of consciousness, but there is a sense of comfort beneath the madness. This isn’t an album that pummels you with abrasion or tumult, and it’s not trying to unsettle you, but with the darker subject matter, instead of delving further into the rabbit hole, Yorke and Godrich find a way to guide you through a meditative experience amidst the anxiety, as if they know most of their listeners find comfort and beauty in the sadder art, and pulling that off is no easy feat. If you find Thom Yorke to be pretentious or self-indulgent then this album isn’t for you, and the mere idea of Yorke using his own dreams as inspiration might make you cringe, but it’s definitely worth a listen. That’s right, i’m talking to you ya Thom Yorke detractors.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Date: 06/30/19
Tame Impala has returned with a new track titled “Patience,” and patience is what we’ve been forced to have while waiting for new music from Mr. Kevin Parker. This is his first piece of new music since his 2016 album Currents, and it’s looking like a new album is on the horizon considering the project will be active this year with an “SNL” appearance and a tour which will begin with a headlining spot at “Coachella.” With “Patience,” Parker gets his Disco on, and he unsurprisingly does it well. You can listen to the track below:
U.K. band “Sorry” continue their string of impressive singles with a new track titled “Jealous Guy.” The track is a response to John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” and the possessiveness of the song, and it is a dark and catchy number with a goofy music video to accompany it that finds the band having a lot of fun. Hopefully we’ll get a full-length album from the band this year. You can watch the music video for “Jealous Guy” below:
Quentin Tarantino will return with his new film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on July 26th. Today the first trailer for the upcoming film was released. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, the film takes place in 1969 and tells the story of a television actor and his stunt double as they try to get involved in the film industry. You can watch the trailer below:
Artist: Matmos
Album: Plastic Anniversary
Genre: IDM/Experimental/Electronic
Label: Thrill Jockey Records
Rating: 7.5/10
Just about any object can be used as an instrument. Anything that makes a sound can be utilized in a musical composition. ANYTHING. A washing machine, recordings of bovine uteruses, sperm hitting paper, audio of plastic surgeries, you name it, and though these sound like absurd examples, guess what? Someone has sampled all of these things in their music. “Matmos” is their name, a duo and married couple that produce music comprised of field recordings. The duo have been doing this since the late 90’s with a different theme for each album, creating dark and often surprisingly catchy tunes made up of nothing but field recordings. Their unorthodox approach to recording music has garnered acclaim, and considering how this approach to music could easily become a gimmick or novelty, it’s impressive how they’ve kept our attention after all these years. So what’s the next theme for their new album? Plastic. Oh plastic, how would civilization survive without it? Humans love convenience, and though it’s destroying our environment, we just can’t live without it, because the majority of our products are comprised of the plastic, and of course, “Matmos” have utilized a myriad of plastic objects to create their new album Plastic Anniversary. This album isn’t just the two banging on plastic objects creating only a percussive nature in the vain of “Stomp,” the countless plastic objects are sequenced and manipulated to create loops and layers upon layers of sounds that take the roles of rhythm, melody, and atmosphere. Many plastic objects are utilized like the breaking of vinyl on the opening track “Breaking Bread,” the use of pill capsules and the eerie and ominous tones the two get out of them on the track “The Crying Pill,” and the most captivating of all, the primal sounds created using riot shields which are scraped and banged on on the track “Thermoplastic Riot Shield.” Matmos cleverly show us all how anything can be an instrument. Everything from billiard balls to plastic horns, and the two impressively create whole melodic compositions that aren’t just a bunch of noise. That’s their forte. Field recordings have been used far before “Matmos” came along, but no one has ever utilized this recording method quite like them. Their music is incredibly innovative and they always think outside the box, finding new ways to create music using unorthodox instruments. If they can make you dance to a washing machine, then i’d say they’re IDM’s biggest innovators.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Date: 03/20/19
Artist: The Comet is Coming
Album: Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
Genre: Jazz/Nu-Jazz/Electronic/Psychedelic Rock
Label: Impulse! Records
Rating: 7.5/10
Listening to London based trio “The Comet is Coming” is like having an LSD infused spiritual journey that is both meditative and exhausting. The attention to instrumental detail whether it be the spacey “Electronic” inspired keyboards, the crisp drums, or the sharp skittering saxophone which takes front and center, one thing is for sure, something in their music will resonate with you and pummel you with both tumult and melodic beauty. Self-described as “apocalyptic space funk,” the band fully introduced us to their world on their 2016 debut Channel the Spirits, now the band have returned with their follow-up Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery. This album focuses even further on the themes of apocalypse and chaos completely through improvisational instrumentation. It’s darker in tone but no less melodic and immensely jam-filled. However, not much has changed from their previous work. This album is more of the same, but as of right now that’s okay, because the music still captivates and immerses you into their beautifully chaotic world, and to be able to do that with instrumentation alone and only one track that has spoken word vocals is no easy feat. Upon hearing them, it’s inevitable to yearn for a live experience of the band, and they have impressively captured what it must be like to see them live on record. This album is a reminder that “Jazz” infused improvisation is still alive and well, with the genre exploring new territories, and in the wake of this new-found interest in “Jazz,” this album couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Date: 03/19/19
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