Review: Phantomimea arrives through Loma Vista Recordings and is a brilliant new five-track cover EP from Ghost. Each and every tune is epic in its own way with material by Television, Genesis, The Stranglers, Iron Maiden and Tina Turner all chewed up and sat out in their own inimitable way. Though some of these sources are rather unlikely given Ghost's style they are all reworked with great respect. Ghost is in a great run of form having just won Best Rock Album of the Year at the iHeart Radio Music Awards, which itself came off last year's international chart-topping success Impera.
Review: A fresh, rare EP by Swedish rock band Ghost; Phantomime is an impressive side-stint for the band, its gimmick being five covers of standards by other prominent groups throughout the rock continuum. Flaunting their impressive and eclectic tastes, the EP contains covers of Television's 'See No Evil', Genesis' 'Jesus He Knows Me', The Stranglers' 'Hanging Around', Maiden's 'Phantom Of The Opera' and, yes, Tina Turner's 'We Don't Need Another Hero'. A fan service for the band's devilishly cultish followers, we're sure this'll successfully function as both a history lesson and fan initiation ritual.
Review: Texan shoegaze arrivistes, Glare, share 'Heavenly'; the band's first proper EP-length release, it hotly follows their two drumroller single releases 'Into You' and 'Void In Blue', both released earlier in the year (yet they do not feature here). The EP hears Heavenly hone the best qualities of their sound so far, delivering a fiver of cataleptic overloads, and bottling a normally immiscible range of emotions - "love, loneliness, and anger" - where only the sonic medium of heavy-set rock gushes, and the act of averting one's gaze to the trodden, spirit-sodden floor, can succeed in integrating them. The EP's momentous shreds and viscid vocals are at times too much to muster for us sensitive types; we note the contrast of 'Bloom', 'Floating', 'Soft', 'Heavenly' with the closer 'Ghastly', a shocking tonal shift compared to the first four songs, its amped discordancy and snarled pickup grrs making it the standout of the bunch, yet also the most horrific; a well and truly drowned sorrow.
Review: Omena once again calls on the superb sounds of Golden Retriever for this adventurous new EP that very much takes you away from the here and now and deposits you somewhere warmer. 'Part Lake' opens up with the joys of a spring day - acoustic strings rippling out as sun beams down. 'Andro Dunos' slows to a crawl and has a more star-gazing feel while 'Digambara' is a gentle rhythm that casts you out to sea. Two variations of 'Modulations' allows you to get lost in some lush synth tapestries and 'Kizuna Encounter' then ends with another lovely sonic day dream that empties your mind.
Review: The DFA debut of longstanding member Jayson Green also signals the revival of the classic DFA twelve-inch format, so you might playfully suggest it stands for Dying Formats Always. Jay has lent his vocals to various bands such as Panthers, Violent Bullshit, Cheeseburger, and the renowned hardcore group Orchid, always showcasing his wit and humor without veering into cynicism. Assuming a bandleader role, he presents a classic A-side here with the low slung funk of 'Local Jerk,' which was recorded during a lively party. It has tight disco drums, resounding claps and a groove-inducing bassline with big horns. On the B-side, 'I Need Love' unfolds as a darkly humorous nightlife satire.
Review: Cocteau Twins' musical mastermind Robin Guthrie has produced some terrific solo records over the course of his career, frequently delivering material that joins the dots between ambient, ethereal soundscapes, shoegaze and the more immersive end of the soundtrack spectrum. 'Astoria' is the latest volume in the Scottish multi-instrumentalist and producer's ongoing EP series (its predecessor, 'Mountain', dropped in September). It's another typically gorgeous and enveloping affair in which effects-laden guitar motifs, gaseous ambient chords, gentle rhythms, ghostly aural textures and slowly shifting melodies combine to create instrumental sound worlds of rare beauty (if not sonic clarity - Guthrie's use of reverb and delay is liberal, which adds to its atmospheric nature but adds extra layers of attractively wide-eyed haziness).
Review: Outtakes, B-sides, rarities and previously unheard tracks from the proto-shoegaze heroes on what is the most comprehensive archival release from the band, spanning their earliest studio recordings to their final sessions. The double CD includes never-before-heard tracks like 'Shout You Down' from the Today sessions and 'I Wanna Live' from the On Fire sessions. Drummer Damon Krukowski remarked on the nostalgic experience of revisiting these recordings, likening it to opening an old journal. Bassist Naomi Yang reflected on the developmental journey captured in the tracks, highlighting the evolution of their collective sound and her own bass playing. Galaxie 500's three seminal albums, Today (1988), On Fire (1989), and This Is Our Music (1990), were all recorded with producer Kramer at Noise New York. This compilation completes the band's recorded output from those pivotal years, offering fans a deeper dive into their creative process.
Review: Uncollected Noise New York '88-'90 marks Galaxie 500's first new archival release in nearly three decades, presenting the most extensive collection of unreleased and rare material from the band. Spanning 24 tracks, this compilation includes the complete Noise New York studio recordings, outtakes and non-album tracks. The band meticulously compiled this collection, tracing their journey from their earliest studio moments to their final recordings. Featuring eight previously unheard tracks and rare, long-out-of-print studio material, Uncollected Noise New York '88-'90 offers a hidden history of the band's evolution from beginning to end. Produced and engineered by Kramer at Noise New York from 1988 to 1990, the album's packaging includes archival images and historical liner notes by the band. Galaxie 500's three studio albums include 'Today' (1988), 'On Fire' (1989), and 'This Is Our Music' (1990). 'Shout You Down' and 'I Wanna Live' are two standout tracks from this release with the band's raw and evolving sound on full display
Review: Elliot Galvin is a leading figure in UK jazz with four solo albums that have topped year-end lists in respected media outlets. He is also a member of the Mercury-nominated Dinosaur and has collaborated with key jazz cats such as Shabaka Hutchings, Emma-Jean Thackray and Norma Winstone. Known for his improvisational prowess, his latest solo album taps into that skill once more and is an entirely improvised record that takes in quiet beauty like the opener, more theatric drama on 'Still Under Storms' and world jazz sounds on 'High & Wide'.
Review: Gastr del Sol might have gone their separate ways some 25 years ago, but they have recently taken the time to dig back into their fine archives. As a result they now serve up an alternate view of their superb, boundary breaking and genre busting run between 1993 and 1998 with a title box set, We Have Dozens Of Titles, on Drag City. Returning like a reverberating bolt from the blue, this album reignites the essence of the group and immerses listeners back into the whirlwind of their transformative era. It comprises previously uncaptured studio recordings and meticulously preserved unreleased live performances that all offer a captivating glimpse into the band's journey.
Review: We Have Dozens of Titles by Gastr Del Sol is a treasure trove for fans, offering a glimpse into the experimental post-rock pioneers' journey from their Bastro roots to their groundbreaking work as Gastr Del Sol. This collection, curated from their 1993-1998 recordings, shows their evolution into sonic explorers, pushing the boundaries of post-rock with influences from musique concrete and free improv. The unearthed CBC recording from Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in 1997 is a highlight, featuring ethereal versions of familiar tracks like 'The Seasons Reverse' and 'Blues Subtitled No Sense of Wonder.''The live rendition of "Onion Orange' is a revelation, with Jim O'Rourke's kosmische synth waves intertwining seamlessly with David Grubbs' intricate guitar work. Additionally, the inclusion of rarities like 'The Harp Factory On Lake Street' and tracks from various compilations adds depth to the collection. Each track, whether a live performance or a studio recording, has been meticulously mastered or remastered by O'Rourke, enhancing the listening experience. We Have Dozens of Titles not only fills in gaps in Gastr Del Sol's discography but also exemplifies their innovative approach to music-making.
Review: Phoenix, Arizona based modern death metal brutalists Gatecreeper return with their highly anticipated third full-length Dark Superstition. The first album from the band since 2019's Deserted showcases an embracing of both the hyper-violent grindcore-indebted cuts from their 2021 mini-LP/EP An Unexpected Reality, as well as the brooding doom-metal opus 'Emptiness' that bookended the project. Recorded at God City Studios with Converge guitarist and iconic producer Kurt Ballou, while citing influences from melodic death and gothic metal acts such as In Flames, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema, the long gestation period has resulted in the band's most sonically sprawling work to date. Newly signed to Nuclear Blast, the decrepit stage appears to be set for Gatecreeper to finally seize all of their bubbling potential by the horns and throat. Mark our words when we say Dark Superstition will be one of the definitive extreme metal contributions of 2024.
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