It’s really happening! “The Strokes” are back. Set to release their new album The New Abnormal on April 10th, the band have released another track off the upcoming album titled “Bad Decisions,” and it’s sure to satisfy fans and those who weren’t the biggest fans of their previous single “At the Door.” The track has an 80’s influence, even so much that Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself” comes to mind upon hearing it. You can watch the 70’s inspired music video for “Bad Decisions” below:
Artist: Katie Gately
Album: Loom
Genre: Electronic/Avant-garde/Experimental
Label: Houndstooth
Rating: 9/10
Brooklyn-born and now Los Angeles-based musician Katie Gately was almost finished recording her follow-up to her debut album Color when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Returning to her family home in Brooklyn to care for her mother, Gately couldn’t bring herself to finish the album due to the stress and emotional and mental toll this devastating situation was taking on her. After sleepless nights, Gately began work on a brand new album centered around her song “Bracer,” which was her mother’s favorite song of hers. The result is a haunting, incredibly dark, and heartfelt album that finds Gately facing the themes of loss and the realization of mortality. Titled Loom, the album was completed after her mother had passed in 2018, and it’s a vivid, unsettling, and uncompromising glimpse into her headspace at that time. Departing from her previous album’s lighter tone, Loom isn’t without Gately’s talented knack for detailed production consisting of field recordings and effects. This time around the music is darker in tone and features a larger than life and rather cinematic tone that reflects the array of emotions Gately is feeling. A track like “Waltz” takes the usual 3/4 beat of the style and drags it through a haunting reinvention that builds and builds to a satisfying climax. “Bracer” is a 10 minute plus epic that’s vastly unpredictable with new sound effects and vocal refrains added frequently building and building to an eruption of a massive collage of sound consisting mainly of samples that are hard to identify. Gately cleverly utilizes field recordings of an earthquake, shaking pill bottles, screaming peacocks, howling wolves, a closing coffin, and much more throughout the album which showcases her love for samples without sounding gimmicky. Though the “building and building” structure devoid of verse-chorus-verse-chorus can be a bit repetitive, the intensity is undeniably gut-wrenching, eerie, and immensely satisfying if you don’t mind a journey through the dark. Gately is vastly talented at sound design and creating a collage of sound all while evoking various emotions, and her grieving process is full-frontal, leading to an incredible listening experience. This is some of the best music i’ve heard so far this year.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Jehnny Beth released her new single “Flower” last week, a track that will appear on her upcoming album To Love Is To Live which will be released on May 8th, and today she has given us a Valentine’s Day gift, a music video for the song. The video is immensely erotic and definitely not safe for work. It finds Beth exploring her sexuality and it also features Rebeka Adams. The music video perfectly reflects the sexual yet cryptic nature of the song’s content of a stripper Beth may be falling for and wanting to get closer to. The meaning isn’t quite clear, because their are some lyrical curveballs, but I don’t think the song is meant to be completely understood. Like the best poetry, it’s open for interpretation. You can watch the Anthony Byrne directed music video below:
Artist: Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats
Album: UNLOCKED
Genre: Hip Hop
Label: PH Recordings
Rating: 7/10
Some rappers and producers just work very well together. You’ve got Murs and 9th Wonder, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, Killer Mike and El-P, the list goes on and on of matches made in Hip Hop Heaven. Now we can add Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats to that list. Being two well respected artists in contemporary Hip Hop, artists that are about the culture as opposed to exploiting the genre for a quick buck and 15 minutes, it’s no surprise that the two linked up. However, it is a surprise that the two dropped their collaborative album so out of the blue, but their album UNLOCKED is here and it is what you’d probably expect it to be, bars on top of bars over killer beats. This album finds the two having the time of their lives with Kenny Beats providing experimental Boom Bap flavored beats that wouldn’t have sounded out of place backing someone signed to “Definitive Jux” back in the early 2000’s, and Denzel completely flexing his rhyming and free-styling ability while dropping his usual pop culture references, clever wordplay, and odes to his Hop Hop forefathers. On one song he’ll channel DMX, (DIET_) and on another he’ll reference CeeLo Green and Goodie Mob (Pyro leak 2019.) This is the work of two Hip Hop scholars having fun and not caring about a grandiose concept. In the grand scheme of things this album may seem disposable or inessential to some, and that’s completely understandable, it is completely obvious this album was made in 24 hours, but I don’t think the two were shooting for a groundbreaking effort. It was a fun jam session that just so happened to flow cohesively enough to be an album, but if there’s anything we can take from this album besides the fact that Denzel Curry and Kenny beats make that fire is that if the two get together again and take time to fully construct fully fleshed out songs with more direction, then they are a force to be reckoned with. Something tells me this isn’t the last we’ll hear from the duo.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
Artist: Poppy
Album: I Disagree
Genre: Pop/Nu-Metal/Metalcore/Industrial Metal
Label: Sumerian Records
Rating: 10/10
Whenever an artist announces that they’ll release a new album consisting of sounds from a genre they’re not primarily known for, it’s hard not to be skeptical or roll your eyes upon hearing the news. There’s always that chance that the outsider not versed in the genre will regurgitate stereotypes and package it as whatever genre they’re going for. So when word caught on that musician and internet sensation “Poppy” was going to release a heavier and darker album, it unsurprisingly divided the fans that loved her sugary “Alt Pop” and immediately prompted “Metal” elitists to throw a fit, but what seemed like something that would fall into parody turned out to be rather impressive. Fucking incredible to be honest. I’ve been aware of Poppy. Though I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan of her previous work, i’ve always respected the unusual and artistic take on her own brand of “Pop,” and even the strange David Lynch-esque nature of her internet videos. Her new album I Disagree wasn’t necessarily a priority for me and after how stacked this year has already been so far with new releases I honestly and ashamedly had forgotten about it, but after much buzz I finally listened to it, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is the most accomplished fusion of Metal, Pop, and Electronic Music i’ve heard in a very long time. This album works on so many levels. It’s undeniably heavy, drawing influences from “Metalcore” and “Nu-Metal,” it’s immensely polished with pristine yet filthy production that incorporates elements of “Dubstep” and “Industrial,” and Poppy’s “burn shit down” attitude combined with a sense of maturity, optimism, and animated yet lush vocals are a recipe for success. Another reason why this album works is that Poppy doesn’t sound like she’s trying to sound “Metal.” She’s not throwing up devil horns while wearing a pentagram t-shirt. Instead she’s just being Poppy, a darker Poppy yes, but this progression feels genuine. Though lyrically simplistic, Poppy’s intentions are clear. They’re to inspire. To inspire us to be true to ourselves, to question authority, to be free, and to innovate, and not once does it come off as corny. To all the Metalheads that will dismiss her as a “poser” or disingenuous, think of it this way, she never actually said she was making a “Metal” album, she’s just incorporating a darker sound while showcasing her love for all things “Metal,” and by default the album is undeniably “Metal” and drags the genre kicking and screaming out of it’s element. The fact that it takes someone who’s primarily known for “Pop” to do that says a lot about your refusal to evolve. Poppy is going to do Poppy, unafraid of backlash, and that’s utterly inspiring.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
On this day in 1970 “Black Sabbath” released their self-titled debut album. This it it folks, this is the album that pioneered the sound of “Heavy Metal,” and it’s widely acknowledged as the first true blue “Metal” album. It’s easy to see why. Everything about this album paved the way for a lot of common tropes of the genre. The opening track “Black Sabbath” is “Doom Metal” through and through, the lyrical themes of Lucifer and the occult that are commonly affiliated with some of the more dark sub-genres of “Metal” are here, and just look at the cover art, that’s “Black Metal” and “Gothic” imagery if I ever did see it, but what really single-handedly invented the genre is without a doubt Tony Iommi’s guitar style. When Iommi was 17 years old he sliced the tips off two of his fingers while working at a sheet metal factory. Refusing to give up playing guitar, Iommi made prosthetic tips out of melted plastic bottles and detuned his guitar because the looser strings were easier to play, and with much distortion Iommi created the pivotal “Metal” guitar sound that you hear in every “Metal” song today. Albums that are the first of it’s kind are rare, and here is the album that everyone in the genre of “Heavy Metal” music owes a lot to. Happy Anniversary.
Artist: OvO
Album: Miasma
Genre: Extreme Metal/Doom Metal
Label: Artoffact Records
Rating: 8/10
Hailing from Italy, “OvO” aren’t exactly a new band. They’re veterans at this point. They’ve been making music since the early 2000’s, but the band still sound fresh with every release. When hearing their music it’s easy for one to assume that they’re hearing a four-piece band, but the shocking reality is that they’re a duo. As a matter of fact, their drummer Bruno Dorella only uses a floor tom, a snare, and a ride cymbal. This might sound crazy to you complexity obsessed “Metal” aficionados, but even though this band’s setup is minimal, their sound is far from minimal. It’s an intense assault of Hellish and demonic sounding music that never falls into a “Metal” parody, because instead of trying to sound sinister and brooding, the band genuinely sound like they’re exorcising demons and only they can utilize the sound they have created for themselves. Their new album Miasma is no exception. On this album the band do what they have been doing successfully for years, but this time around they sound even more ambitious, adding more reverbed out atmospherics that further build their cold and dark world, and they continue to incorporate electronics similar to what they were doing on their previous album Creatura. Lead singer Stefania Pedretti uses her gruesome vocals as an instrument, a sound that is a pivotal element to the band’s music, and her guitar and bass playing is noisy yet subtle enough to take you on a dark unsettling meditative journey. A journey that will not be for everyone, but it’s a journey nonetheless. The band have found a new way to reinvent themselves while staying true to their unique sound.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
We still have to wait a month until we hear Ultraísta’s long-awaited new album Sister, but today the band have shared another new song off the upcoming album for us to listen to over and over again along with their previous single “Tin King.” The song is titled “Anybody,” and it’s sure to satisfy Ultraísta fans. You can watch the music video for “Anybody” below:
Sister is out March 13th via “Partisan Records”
The rumors have been confirmed. “The Strokes” are returning with a new album on April 10th via “RCA Records” titled The New Abnormal. Today the band have released the album’s first single “At the Door,” a synth-heavy and surprisingly percussionless track that finds lead singer Julian Casablancas delivering one of his most gut-wrenching vocal performances yet. If you’re expecting Is This It, you’re going to be disappointed, because the band are continuing to move forward and adopt new sounds. They’ve never been the nostalgic type. They find new ways to reinvent themselves, and that’s what separates them from the other bands that were in their class in the early 2000’s. That’s why we still pay attention. The New Abnormal will be the band’s first release since their 2016 E.P. Future Present Past, and their first full-length album since 2013’s Comedown Machine. You can watch the music video for “At the Door” below:
Artist: HMLTD
Album: West of Eden
Genre: Art Pop/Synth-Pop/Post-Punk/Electronic/Glam Rock
Label: Lucky Number
Rating: 9/10
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, “HMLTD” have finally released their debut album West of Eden. Following their string of genre-bending singles dating as far back as 2016, it’s impressive to see how much the band have evolved. They once were the band to watch, the band at the top of everyone’s “up and comer” list, garnering a following with their energetic live shows and refusal to stay in one lane as far as genres go. You can hear elements of Synth-Pop, Post-Punk, Electronic, Goth, and their sound is topped off with immense theatricality thanks to lead singer Henry Spychalski’s raucous vocals that are as colorful as they are ear-splitting, and let’s not forget the band’s glamorous look that is equal parts Marilyn Manson and Club Kid. After years and years of anticipation, a large chunk of singles, a Synth-Pop heavy EP, and the unfortunate dropping of the band from “Sony Music,” the band’s debut album had to live up to a high expectation, and my God does it live up to it. Upon first listen, the surprise factor may be absent with some songs due to the fact that we’ve been listening to them for years. “To the Door,” “Satan, Luella, & I,” and “Death Drive,” were all released before we even knew the name of the album, (or if an album was coming out for that matter) but compiled with the album’s newer deep cuts, the songs flow nicely within the context of the album, and they never feel like filler tracks. West of Eden has a consistent “Western” style to it, sounding like a Glammed-out Ennio Morricone, and it’s fitting seeing as how much of the album’s material is a rejection of Western culture and social norms, and the band abrasively yet fabulously tackle these themes. Think “Death Grips” with glitter. As important as these themes are to the band, they never lose their sense of fun or sense of humor. With lyrics like “I sold my soul to The Devil tonight because I was pretty fucking poor” on the track “Loaded” and the graphically absurd telling of the murder of an imaginary friend on “Where’s Joanna?” the band aren’t afraid to confuse you with lush and innovative “Pop” that will make you laugh and sing-along while you question your morals. So what makes this album so important? it’s musically forward-thinking, introducing the “Pop” world to a myriad of experimental ideas, it’s well-produced and cleverly blends genres that don’t normally go together, and it has a Rock star personality that throws out the testosterone-filled, misogynistic, and macho clichés that have poisoned the genre in favor of introducing new ideas of feminism, rejection of tradition, and sentiment. Not to mention, these songs are catchy as Hell.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
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