Yet another great month for music! I feel that I’m just being spoiled at this point.
This is going to be another short-ish post as I’m traveling at the moment and haven’t had much time to write up a long post but brevity is a positive thing, isn’t it?
Anyway, here’s some amazing music for you.
Oh Hiroshima
Myriad
When you’re looking for shoegaze probably the last place you’d ever look is Napalm Records. Yet here are Oh Hiroshima nestled comfortably amongst all metal bands, just minding their own business and making great music.
Oh H play a rich fuzzy alt rock version of shoegaze (as opposed to the jangly indie version), so maybe that record label isn’t so far out of left field after all.
At this point there are so many shoegaze bands that it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. What sets Oh apart, apart from some great song writing, is the use of brass. I mean, they’re not the first band to do this but they do it well and it gives their songs an incredible lift.
Humane was the first song on the album to catch my attention, it reminds me of the God Machine and that’s some very high praise around these parts. It’s also the first song I’ve heard in a long time that uses a trombone.
This is an exceptional album and if you’re looking for some fuzzed out guitar music this is the best I’ve heard in a long time.
John Tejada
Sleepwalker
This is a fantastic, moody album of electronica. The opening track, Shattered, is a slightly disconcerting album opener, built from tough beats and digital fuzz.
What follows is an album of intense dance music for night time drives and moods that need brooding, insistent beats to get you through the day. The last two tracks are more chilled out but don’t let up on this atmospheric gem of an album.
julia-sophie
it feels like thunder
When I was writing up my eps of the year, I had a complete brain fart when trying to explain just what I loved about j-s’ heartbroken </3 ep. Happily, I’ve found my words again because it feels like thunder is another fantastic release.
This ep is steeped in heartbreak, the opener, dial your number, is pretty much a textbook sad banger. It’s a slow build, with juila’s soft voice explaining that “I know that I love you but I know it’s over” with percussion that reminds me of The Knife. The mood keeps building tension without giving you the release that it teases.
The next two tracks don’t get any more upbeat but ease into a perfect, fragile melancholy. This is such a delicate and amazing piece of work. I can’t wait for the next two eps she has lined up for us this year.
Placebo
Never Let Me Go
There’s a lot that’s been surprising about 2022 but one of the biggest is that Placebo are making an appearance on this list.
I stopped listening at Black Market Music and never bothered to go back to them, b was a good buzz about the lead singles, so I decided to check the album out. I’m very glad I did. It’s an odd thing to go back to a band after twenty years, it’s kinda like catching up with old friends that you didn’t realize that you’ve missed.
While Never Let Me Go doesn’t have the pace or excitement of the first two albums it doesn’t need to. What it has in spades is catchy songs, great riffs and electronic flourishes that really fill out these tracks.That’s not to say the album isn’t without its flaws. At 13 songs and a run time of nearly an hour, the album could do with a trim. A 10 song, 40 minute album would have been much punchier.
But I’m not going to quibble, this brings me back to sticky floored indie clubs and that’s my happy place. It’s been a long time lads, it’s great to see you again.
Worriedaboutsatan
Bloodsport
This is a bit of a departure from Worried, normally he makes a more ambient, chilled sound, Bloodsport, as the name suggests, is an angrier album.
Now, that’s not to say that Worried has made a Breakcore album but there is a definite edge here. It takes a while for the album to show its teeth though, the opening track is a disorientating beatless track that leaves you wondering what you’ve let yourself in for.
It’s only 4 minutes into the second track before this pretty chilled out number switches with a bass pulse that quickly makes way for a totally unexpected drum and bass break. I think it’s probably one of the hardest tracks Worried has made and it’s one of his best.
Sigourney Weaver Fanclub President brings the dread back and sounds like the soundtrack to a film that will probably upset me a lot (This is a positive thing, just in case that wasn’t clear.) An Absolute Living Hell needs as much volume and bass as you can give it to get the full oppressive mood that it’s carrying.
I think I might be making this out to be more challenging than it is, it is an intense album but it’s never a struggle or a chore. Just turn it up and sink into the atmosphere.
Tracing Xircles
Xenolith
This is a tough ep, built on a bedrock of clattering breaks and huge beats. Oddly though the opening track, Xenolith, has some keyboards that remind me of Children by Robert Miles. It’s an odd mix but certainly makes the track stand out.
Track two, Surface Level is a much harder techno number, but the ep highlight is the closer. Closed Circuit is a DnB / Acid banger that reminds me of a more melodic Squarepusher. It’s a facemelter of a track and is an incredible finisher on a great ep.
The ways of exile 