Split releases of any type can be risky, considering a good chunk of the time before the split is even created, either artist hasn’t heard the others’ tunes going into the work. I’m not sure how this release came into fruition, but the one almost 20-minute tune from Cough and two tunes equally the same playtime come from Windhand. … read more
This is one of the best demos and rarities compilations that I have heard. Usually rarities albums are choppy and inconsistent, with each song being recorded at a different time, and there are usually some pretty shitty songs. This feels like a cohesive album with a central theme, but that isn’t to say there aren’t slight variances. … read more
Listening to this album, I felt like I was high on some sort of Shangri-La vacation, with peach trees in blossom, waterfalls glistening and magical gardens to explore. … read more
Now I don’t want to come across as turning my nose up at this record, but Land of the Low People just goes too far. It seems to be experimental for experiment’s sake—make this Utah boy just don’t get it, but each of these 15 instrumentals has very little to latch on to. Jazz and country elements sound great when they’re played, but then they are bent into something unrecognizable (or, in most cases, enjoyable). The strange fact is that I can tell it took a lot of talent create this record, I just can’t imagine anybody electing to let this thing play for longer than 10 minutes or so. … read more
Brooklyn’s Crystal Stilts are a tough band to pin down. At various times, they’ve used post-punk, psychedelic garage rock and indie pop jangle, often in the same song. … read more
Imagine the grinding din of a metal shop when all the machinery goes haywire, throw in a multicolored spark celebration arcing out of the windows and roof for visual effect, and that’s Midnight Ghost of California. … read more
Hailing from Southern Cali, this still-independent band has an impressive history under their belt, opening for some heavy hitters of metal and placing in competitions at both Coachella and Ozzfest, and now they’ve released this 5-song EP for their hungry fans. … read more
Down on the Farm was originally released on Mr. Spaceman Records in 1985, then it was bundled up with the self titled Cosmic Psychos LP (from 1987) by the legendary Amphetamine Reptile Records in 1991 before seeing another once-over by Goner this year. … read more
Go The Hack was the Cosmic Psychos first album to gain any kind of momentum here in Yankee-land, seeing an initial limited release on Shagpile in 1989 and then Sub Pop in 1990. … read more
P-Orridge’s career has been an ever-unfolding experiment in the evolution and control of personal identity, and Home Aged and other COUM recordings are a fascinating look at the early, embryonic phase of P-Orridge’s artistic genesis. … read more
This album, the first full-length from this Finnish death metal band, is just unrelentingly brutal. Songs travel the gradient between suffocating sludge and insane tempo, with some sporadic keyboard elements that soften certain moments without sacrificing the horrific atmosphere. … read more
It bridges boundaries, and various types of music lovers will find it appealing. I will most certainly be mixing “Fall of the Reptiles (Grendel Remix)” into my set lists at the club—it’s perfect for the transition from synth pop to industrial. … read more
