New Clutch album, does what it has to.
Skee Mask – Compro
From ambient to rhythmic noise to breakbeat.
Miss Red – K.O.
Dubstep bass-and-beats with an MC focus. For the first listen I wasn’t aware that it was produced by The Bug, still I was quite aware. Nice flow, well done words.
Luke Cage – season 2
I liked the first season for the cultural aspect, for telling a lot about Harlem and seemed like something authentic. In that respect, it seemed to tell a lot more about and go much deeper into black culture than the Black Panther ever did, even though this is much more the grim side of the story, but what can you do when it’s there.
And then the second season seemed like starting slow, and after a while I realized that it remained slow, I just got adjusted to the speed. And it took its time (1 hour long episodes? That’s balls.), and went deep into the minds of the characters, and I liked that a lot. It stayed culturally relevant, showed struggle, and when it came to some hit-hard turning points it just did hit hard and I went “wow, I didn’t see that coming” a few times. The Punisher was dark and a slasher but that was still a super hero flick on its own terms. Luke Cage’s season two is a super hero drama with some heavy shit going on. It was not an easy ride at all times, but it was well worth the time and attention.
Transplants – Transplants
I am re-listening this one from 2002. Just as the first track hits me, I can hardly imagine how huge of a smasher this could have been back at the time of release. I was a late arrival to the Transplants but I wish being in that crowd on their album launch tour who are listening to this shit as new and live. They must have gone crazy.
The Interrupters – Fight the Good Fight
It’s one of those instant classic records, which have the real potential to become timeless. Could have happened any time in the past decade and will probably sound the same a decade from now. Huge ska punk-rock summer hit parade all over.
Repetitor – Gde ćeš
Low-fi-alt-garage-rock-indie-post-punk from Belgrade. This is the band in your next door basement that you hear at night and would like to see them in your favorite venue.
Phase Fatale – Reverse Fall
RA writes “Hayden Payne’s records package the lunging ferocity of EBM and industrial into a sound you could loosely describe as techno.” Ex-act-ly what I had in mind, all these three cornerstones just like that. I also like the idea that this came through Ostgut Ton.
Rival Consoles – Persona
I wrote some notes about Howl in 2015 when it made it to my Top 10 albums of the year. Most of those hold true for Persona. Although this one is not that elemental and cosmic but closer to earth and more looking up from here. Same vibes, same sounds, same great music though.
Ghosting Season – The Very Last Of The Saints
Some kind of melancholic electronic music with dark moods and a steady pulse. Like the dark days of Apparat or the electronic version of a post-rock record. Extremely atmospheric, swallows me, chews me, spits me back into the void, a pitch black to love.