Deftones - Koi No Yokan Review
With Koi No Yokan, Deftones refine their fusion of the ethereal and the visceral that has remained consistently effective since their inception, whilst continuing to transcend the boundaries of the reductive and frankly insulting 'nu-metal' label so often applied to them.
The Infinite Jukebox: Your Favourite Song Mixed To Last Forever
Let's be honest, we call our music tastes "diverse;" but there is always that one favourite song that deserves multiple uses of that Repeat button. The Infinite Jukebox takes this concept in a new, algorythmic direction, remixing said song to continue playing forever.
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Cobra Juicy Review
Like BMSR's previous efforts this is a hazy, sedative affair which leaves you feeling like you've received an injection of pure fruit matter.
The tracks have names like 'Dreamsicle Bomb', 'Psychic Love Bomb' and 'Hairspray Heart', and I can't be sure whether this is satirical or not. BMSR are a band I enjoy in short bursts, which is especially relevant here as this album's accessibility renders it repetitive.
MR-808: The Real Life Drum Machine
The 1980s are considered to have given birth to modern electronic music. One of the backbones was (and still is) the Roland TR-808, an early programmable drum machine. This iconic piece of hardware has been mimicked, sampled and synthesized countlessly over the past 30 years since its debut yet now Moritz Simon Geist (aka Sonic Robots) has taken this one step further.
Radioactive Orchestra. Nuclear Musicians Turn Gamma Radiation Into Song
Sweden's Kollektivet Livet began working on Radioactive Orchestra last year, turning isotopes into beats and beeps for all of us to hear in recordings. However, version 2.0 of the project is taking the show on the road, making sweet photonic melodies through a live instrument prototype.
Flatbush Zombies - D.R.U.G.S Review
Flatbush Zombies' debut mixtape is saved from its trite horrorcore lyricism and occasional awkward flows by an unpretentious attitude and excellent production comprised of slick, memorable synth hooks and eclectic samples.
Death Grips - NO LOVE DEEP WEB Review
Well isn't this a nice surprise? Death Grips leaked their second album of the year online for free on Sunday (at midnight, no less) after their label Epic Records wouldn't set a release date until next year. As if this wasn't punk rock enough, there's the fact that the album cover is a photo of an erection. Since MC Ride's existence is essentially an affront to the established order of the universe, I'd bet that it's his.
Cat Power - Sun Review
Chan Marshall's 9th studio release is characterised by a newfound comfort with her own neuroses and the introduction of what sound like default Ableton Live synthesizers. 'Cherokee' starts the album off strongly with a desolate yet soulful piano melody and contrasting vocal registers, but this level of quality isn't totally maintained throughout. Despite some of the opener's more melancholic lines, such as 'Never knew pain like this, everything die', the majority of the album feels happy, albeit in a vague, detached, introspective sort of way. As this is the only kind of happiness I'm comfortable with, I can relate.
David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant Review
'Love This Giant' is, for the most part, even more than you could have expected from a collaboration between artists as accomplished and peculiar as these. Due to the centrality of the brass band its tone never strays too far from the whimsical and jubilant, although it does frequently reintroduce the ethereal elements from St. Vincent's last album 'Strange Mercy', which serve as a great counterpoint.
NOFX - Self-Entitled Review
NOFX are one of those rare bands with whom more of the same is never a bad thing. Although this release eschews some of the more pop orientated elements of 2009's 'Coaster', pretty much everything you've come to expect from them is present here: Mell Yells, El Hefe's copious use of the wah pedal, acerbic lyricism and that stupidly quick bass drum pattern that Erik "Smelly" Sandin always uses.
Flobots - The Circle In The Square Review
This progressive blend of hip hop and groove-fusion hits somewhere between the two marks set by their previous efforts: debut album 'Fight With Tools' and 2010's 'Survival Story.' A hybrid between the popular-ism of the initial and the distinctive nature of the latter. The result is something that both works and doesn't at the same time.
Refused - Manchester Academy 14/08/12 Review
When the doors to the venue open at seven, the eighteen year olds who have been at the front of the queue for a couple of hours get told off by security for sprinting towards the barrier and a guy who looks like Jesus hands me a leaflet for upcoming events around Manchester. I sit down and read through since the band listed as 'the Refused' won't be on until 9:15, but the only thing that stands out to me is that Manchester's Institute for the Deaf puts on gigs. We Are The Ocean and Madina Lake are playing there soon, which makes sense.
Heyward Howkins - Hale & Hearty Review
Think of an finely tuned mix of City and Colour, The Cure, Bon Iver and Nick Drake. Add some very Sgt. Pepper-esque vocal mixing, and combine all of this with minimal song textures. That is essentially what Philadelphia's own Heyward Howkins has created, and the wistfullness and simplicity shown is downright hypnotic from start to finish.
Study Shows Teenagers Listen To Music More On Youtube Than Anywhere Else
A report from Nielson shows that most music consumption amongst young people happens on Youtube.
Research Shows Modern Music Is Getting Louder And All Sounds The Same
Elders who complain that "all new music sounds the same" have been proven right. The Artificial Intelligence Research Institute in Barcelona have released findings from their analysis, concluding that modern popular music has gradually become louder and monotonous.
HEALTH - Max Payne 3 OST Review
Californian noise-rock outfit and capitalisation enthusiasts HEALTH dabble with cinematic electronica in their soundtrack for Max Payne 3 - the latest in the acclaimed and much loved videogame series - while still paying tribute to their experimental roots.
Japandroids - Celebration Rock review
Japandroids' sophomore LP 'Celebration Rock' starts the way it finishes: with the sound of fireworks. As the title suggests, this album is a celebration -- of youth, energy and aimless defiance that often evokes a sense of pensive longing for either the future or the past, depending on your age.
Athura - A Hand In Death's Design Review
Raw and powerful, yet orchestrated and structured. A contradiction of musical textures, which has been brought before us by Plymouth 6-piece Metal act Athura. Bringing an untamed anger, while feeling meticulous in their utilisations of groove, complex harmonics and powerful melody.
Death Grips: The Money Store Review
The Money Store is the first of two albums to be released this year by Death Grips, the Sacramento-based hip-hop trio comprised of vocalist Stefan Burnett (a.k.a. MC Ride) and producers Andy Morin (a.k.a Flatlander) & Zach Hill (of Hella/Team Sleep fame). The group released their debut mix-tape 'Exmilitary' online for free in April 2011, which generated a decent amount of buzz owing to its experimental, aggressive and idiosyncratic sound defined by eclectic sampling, Ride's borderline rabid vocal delivery and glitchy, complex beats.
Architects - Daybreaker Review
Completely remove any misguided pre-conceptions that this takes them back to their days of Hollow Crown. The melodic ferocity has very much returned; but with subtle hints towards the rather polarising The Here and Now and a sense of maturity in song construction, you have is a wildly different and, at times, melodically beautiful album to experience.