ALBUM REVIEW: Mario Lalli and The Rubber Snake Charmers – Folklore From The Other Desert Cities


Mario Lalli is a legend in the Desert Rock scene whose career started in the mid-eighties with a short-lived outfit, Across the River. From there, he’d form Yawning Man and then Fatso Jetson, (the latter with brother Larry and who’d put out their first couple of releases on the legendary SST Records label). Other bands such as

 would come and go over the years, not to mention a never-ending raft of guest appearances. Continue reading


Conny Ochs Shares a New Single and Video for “Hickhack” – New All-German Sung Album Incoming


 

German singer/songwriter has dropped a new single and video for the song “Hickhack.” The selection is the new preview of the artist’s impending German-sung Wahn Und Sinn LP and poetry book, nearing release through Exile On Mainstream on October 13th, 2023.

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INTERVIEW: Vivian Tylinska of Victory Over the Sun


 

Coming off the buzzed about ‘Nowherer’, it was interesting to speculate where Portland’s Victory Over the Sun would go next. Vivian Tylinska may have just “a girl who makes noise” on her Bandcamp bio, but that deeply undersells the scope of her enthralling work as a composer, thinker, and multi-instrumentalist. 

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EP REVIEW: Jamie Lenman – IknowyouknowIknow


 

Not even a year on from his last full-length album, The Atheist and Jamie Lenman is back with yet more music. Acting as a companion EP to the aforementioned album, IKnowYouKnowIKnow (Big Scary Monsters) features some of the tracks that didn’t fit in with the theme and sound of The Atheist, allowing Lenman to truly showcase some of the varieties of influences that went into the sound of this phase of his career. What can this additional release add to the package that was his previous album?

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ALBUM REVIEW: boygenius – the record


 

How often can it be said when speaking of supergroups that its individual members are at the peak of their powers? The only reason it perhaps cannot be said of the members of boygenius is simply that it feels like the trio is on the ascent if anything. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Dystopian Future Movies – War of the Ether


 

Metal in its various forms has a reasonably long-standing practice of making concept albums based on historical events, and the latest album from Dystopian Future Movies, War of the Ether (Septaphonic Records) continues that trend with what is almost certainly the most intense musical experience I have ever had.  

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ALBUM REVIEW: Porcupine Tree – Closure – Continuation


“Progressive rock” is a term that can encompass a wide variety of sounds. At one point or another in their 35-year history, Porcupine Tree — the brainchild of Steven Wilson — have probably touched upon most of these. Having put out several albums of electronica-infused psychedelic space rock since their formation in 1987, the band reached a peak of critical and commercial success in the 2000s with the metal-influenced experimental songcraft exemplified by In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet. By the start of 2011, however, Porcupine Tree appeared to be no more, with Wilson announcing a hiatus to focus on his solo career; he stated as recently as 2018 that getting the band back together “would seem like a terribly backward step”. 

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GHOST CULT PODCAST: Episode #163: Jarboe – The Ghost Cult Interview


We had the honor of chatting with world-class artist Jaboe to discuss her recently re-imagined album of classics and rareities Skin Blood Women Roses, released via Consouling Sounds / Sonic Rendezvous for Record Store Day. Jarboe discussed this new album, and highlighted points from her entire career, her feelings about Roadburn Festival, and her time featuring with Swans on their best-known and loved material. She also discussed her other artistic disciplines, upcoming world tour, and much more!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Ibaraki – Rashomon


Ibaraki is the new solo project from Trivium’s Matt Heafy, and Rashomon is released through Nuclear Blast, having been over a decade in the making. The name translates as “Wild Trees”, but is also taken from a terrifying Japanese demon of feudal legend, and the concept is a profound affirmation of Heafy’s Japanese-American heritage, incorporating a number of different musical styles. Although the main inspiration clearly sits within the black etal genre, taking influence from the experience of Emperor’s Ihsahn, who co-produced, and whose quirkier ideas from his solo work are peppered throughout the release. Continue reading