Written by:	RaduP, musclassia, ScreamingSteelUS, nikarg, F3ynman, X-Ray Rod, omne metallum
Published:	November 12, 2022

Wait A Minute! This Isn't Metal! - October 2022
Metal Storm's outlet for nonmetal album reviews





We here at Metal Storm pride ourselves on our thousands of metal reviews and interviews and article; metal is our collective soul and passion, which is why we bother with this junk. That being said, we'd be lying if we stuck to our trve-kvlt guns and claimed that metal is the only thing we ever listen to. Whether we want to admit it or not, we do check out some other stuff from time to time; some of us are more poptimistic than others, but there's a whole world out there aside from Satan-worshiping black metal and dragon-slaying power metal. We do already feature some nonmetal artists on our website and have a few reviews to back them up, but we prefer to limit that aspect of the site to those artists who have been a strong influence on the metal scene or who are in some way connected to it. This article series is the place for those artists who don't matter to metal in the slightest but still warrant some conversation - after all, good music, is good music, and we all know metal isn't the only thing on this planet for any of us.

Down below, you might find some obscure Bandcamp bedroom projects or some Billboard-topping superstar; as long as it ain't metal and the album itself isn't a best-of compilation, it fits. Obviously, we're certain that not everything will be for everybody (you guys can be viciously territorial even when metal is the only thing on the menu, and we're all supposed to like the same things), but we do hope you find at least one thing that you can enjoy, instead of just pointing and screaming in horror "Not metal!" as if that would be an insult.

Here are our previous features:

September 2022
August 2022
July 2022

And now to the music...

---

It is a bit embarrassing to admit that I've first heard of OFF! from their cover of Metallica's "Holier Than Thou" from that massive tribute album. Then Free LSD came out and the title and presentation seemed interesting enough, and it's very late in my experience with OFF! that I find out that they're fronted by none other than Keith Morris, Black Flag's vocalist between 1976 and 1979, and also of Circle Jerks fame. OFF! is by no means an old band, especially not considering how far back Morris' other bands go, but having released their debut EPs in 2010, that's quite some time.

Strangely enough, this is the first OFF! album in eight years, and they're the kinda band you could kinda see as being featured here, with how much hardcore punk we feature. But Free LSD is a bit of an oddity. Most of the album is true-blooded hardcore punk, but with a bit more of a post-hardcore twist this time around. The half-the-lineup change that happened since in OFF! also seems to have pushed them further creatively, with a lot of the injections, particularly in between tracks, experimenting with free jazz, krautrock, noise rock. Combine those with the jazzier drums, the meatier production, the thunderous riffs, and you have yourself some of the best punk you're gonna hear this year.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





More of a stumble, really. This EP takes after Eat and Flux, pulling away from extraterrestrial bubblegum pop for a faster, edgier kind of noise. Stagger offers a few tracks of buzzy, fuzzy hardcore punk inflected with that noisy alt-rock grind: just a few angry hooks attached to mechanical beats and the occasional chorus crescendo. Unfortunately, it never convincingly sells its aggression; only the final track, a sober, shuffly synthpop piece, is worth the replay (and that it is, but barely). The first three tracks pass by in eight minutes of monotonous filler punk that wouldn’t sound out of place in the background of an ad for a pickup truck or something. Poppy herself sounds dispassionate and detached, usually filtered through some kind of distortion and sounding equally removed from the songs emotionally. I warned in my review of Flux that decreasing emphasis on Poppy’s outlandish persona and eclecticism is going to require proportional effort toward making the songs themselves more impactful, but Stagger does not reach the benchmark for serious consideration. It’s a lean and forgettable 11 minutes of bland alt-griping without a solid foothold, and while it may be only an EP, taken in conjunction with her entire trajectory, it doesn’t inspire confidence in Poppy’s future output.

Apple Music | Spotify

by SSUS







It had been a whole half-year since the last King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard album, so one was certainly due, and so it came in the mouthful that is Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava. In contrast to the aptly named Omnium Gatherum, which featured a wild tour of a myriad of different musical styles, KG have entered a more consistent musical mindset here, perhaps arising from the writing approach applied to the album; inspired by the seven Greek modes, the group jammed for a number of hours across 7 days, before frontman Stu Mackenzie assembled these jams into songs, with the end product described as their most collaborative album yet.

Perhaps unsurprisingly as an album inspired by extensive jamming, the songs here are generally on the longer side, each representing different approaches to a very retro-sounding psychedelic/progressive rock base. “Mycelium” revels in the tranquil, a very unhurried composition with vocal, flute, guitar and other features dropping in and out; “Ice V” is slightly more energetic, drawing a lot from funk music and containing a number of very extended guitar solos. The rest of the record generally veers more towards the livelier nature of “Ice V”, with a number of high-octane instrumental jamfests even amidst otherwise gentler compositions (“Lava”). Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava is a perfect record for anyone who most enjoys King Gizzard at their jammiest, and it’s perhaps their strongest album of this decade so far.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





It had been a whole 5 days since the last King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard album, so one was certainly due... wait a minute. Yes, even by King Gizzard standards, this is a fast turnaround time; I’m not sure they’ve ever released two records within less than a week of one another. Laminated Demin, which is both an anagram of and spiritual successor to March’s Made In Timeland, was actually recorded before Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava, and it was in fact the positive experience of jamming out this album that inspired the writing process on Ice, Death, Planets.... Comprised of two songs, both clocking in at exactly 15 minutes, Laminated Denim is a smaller scale affair than its immediate predecessor, but it is still an ambitious recording.

As a jam-based record, it’s perhaps unsurprising to hear that Laminated Denim is again more musically consistent than the eclectic Omnium Gatherum; this album is a mellow retro-psych/prog rock record with instrumental features sedately approached on a mellow base of measured drumming, gentle guitar and soothing singing. There’s something of a swell musically towards its climax, but “The Land Before Timeland” isn’t a song that ever really lets loose; “Hypertension” is livelier than the entirely of “The Land Before Timeland” pretty much straightaway, with slightly brasher guitar tones and rocking tempos, but even it never goes off the rails. Less off a magnum opus-style record than Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava, Laminated Denim is understated but makes for very easy listening.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





I’m not taking the piss; King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard really did release 3 albums in October 2022. Even by their standards, this was a glut of activity; however, while the other two albums were only conceived in recent months as a result of jamming, Changes has been in the pipeline for far longer, and is a much more deliberately composed album. Frontman Stu Mackenzie states that the songs had been meticulously composed and produced, with each track featuring a variation on a central chord progression, each chord progression taken from one found in opening track “Change”. Releases so close to two very naturally composed albums, how does this more intentionally crafted concoction measure up in comparison?

Like the other two, there’s plenty of retro appreciation on Changes; however, it’s more than just a walk down the psych rock memory lane; the 13 minutes of “Change” are influenced by classic R&B, particularly on the keyboard front. It’s a very convoluted song, one that is frequently moving between passages, whether jumping into solos or temporarily dwelling in bluesy singalongs. These different passages are the springboards of the following songs, so whichever sequences in “Change” you click strongest with, you’ll find more in a similar vein later on. It’s a very clever way of approaching an album, and unsurprisingly King Gizzard deliver on the concept with the utmost competence. I’m sure it won’t be long until we’ve got yet more King Gizzard to experience, but until that time comes, they’ve left fans with a whole lot of music to get stuck into, and each of the trio has its own virtues.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Half Gramme Of Soma have been around for about a decade, and Slip Through The Cracks is their fourth full-length album. They take their name from Aldus Haxley’s famous book, Brave New World. The band is part of the ever-growing stoner scene of Greece, and has a rocking, underground sound that works better in a live setting rather than listened through headphones. The production of Slip Through The Cracks accentuates this aspect of the music, being very dynamic and giving the impression that the band recorded the whole thing live in one take. It was mastered by Brad Boatright, which explains why it sounds amazing.

The album relies very much on music influenced from bands that had their best releases in the ‘90s. You can hear Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains, Monster Magnet, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, blended in a very appealing way and without sounding dated or plagiarized. The songs are full of hooks; there are memorable choruses, catchy guitar parts, and a rhythm section that lifts the groove up to 11. What is very impressive on this album is the equilibrium among all the instruments and the vocals; with every listen, you appreciate that every member of the band is given enough space to shine, and the aforementioned on-point production is doing justice to each member’s performance. If you listen to the album, I guarantee that you are going to have a good time at the very least. In any case, don’t miss the stop-motion animation video of “Magnetar”.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by nikarg





Music speaks when words cannot. In this case, you have the pleasure of listening to six purely instrumental songs of the highest stoner/doom/desert-rock quality from Argentina's Black Sky Giant. After exploring sci-fi themes with their previous releases Orbiter, Planet Terror, and Falling Mothership, the band venture into the a desert with heat as oppressive as the crushing waves of riffs.

Throughout End Of Days Pilgrimage, the guitars provide fuzzy, catchy, and mesmerizing riffs interlaced with slower, somber psychedelic phases, thus transporting the listener to a mysterious realm of goblins, ghosts, desert cults, and, well, whatever your mind can conjure! That's the beauty of instrumental music - you can let your mind freely wander along the groovy soundscapes, letting your imagination roam to distant planets, explore ancient ruins, and take a pilgrimage across a barren land. The cover art and the song titles set up a framework for the world, but the listener's dreams are what give the music meaning, purpose, and life.

Bandcamp

by F3ynman2000





Palm, not to be mistaken for a singular version of Palms (who really should come back btw), is an experimental rock band that started making music about ten years ago, and this is their fourth album. They traversed a lot of genres, so each of their albums has a bit of a different vibe, and not all of them fall just as neatly under the "experimental rock" umbrella. Nicks And Grazes, though very clearly an experimental album, isn't really really rock. It is weird calling it "pop" considering how truly unconventional it is, but the melodies and vocals clearly convey that more than rock music.

Though Palm has done something close to popish neo-psychedelia on their previous record, 2018's Rock Island, that felt a bit closer to progressive pop whereas this pushes the psychedelic factor a bit further. Sounding like a mix of Animal Collective, tricot, and 80s King Crimson, Nicks And Grazes moves through noisy uncommon time signatures in an intentionally messy and offbeat way, while maintaining a hypnotic wall of melodies on top of it, and it is that juxtaposition that makes it both a frustrating and an interesting listen, depending on how much you can accommodate to it.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





A musical sin of mine is that I have a bad grasp on music from my home country, Chile. I’m even worse when it comes to the modern, non-metal stuff. Some names from the indie scene do find themselves in my shelf though. Like Niño Cohete, Ases Falsos and Dënver (which are all projects I warmly recommend). I’m so happy to add Niños Del Cerro to this short list. I was taken aback by their name. I’m pretty sure their name (“Children From The Hill”) references one of the most notorious mummies found in South America (near Chile’s capital, Santiago). An Incan child who was the victim of a human sacrifice. A grim background for an otherwise sweet-sounding name. This is the perfect way to present their music as well.

Suave Pendiente (“Soft Slope/Descent”) is the project’s third opus. It is a most soothing and rich release that combines elements of indie rock and shoegaze with a deep sense of melody and melancholy. The album’s length of almost 70 minutes might feel intimidating at first glance but it is easy to get sucked in by the gorgeous, tranquil atmosphere. Even the most distorted moments feel like a warm breeze. There are so many fascinating textures in Suave Pendiente. The catchy guitar melodies that give off a vibe of a more optimistic The Cure. It is easy to get lost in the melodies and odd sound effects here and there. There is a creeping psychedelia in effect here. The drumming is exceptional as it is highly varied and dynamic as it pounds with passion during the more upbeat moments but slows down to a calm beat ever so often. If I have to describe the vocals in a most simple manner I would say “sweet and innocent”. They carry such a careless and free tone that I can’t help but smile and hum at the melodies. But that’s the music though. The lyrics are very bleak most of the time.

“Come to see me. In Between the debris sleeps the desire to get lost”
“Party at the garden, a happy place. Where I live, dust and oblivion”
“If this is your pain, look after it. Come, let us swim to its depths”
“Cover my eyes and sing to me something beautiful. For I am already departing”

Unfortunately everything is in Spanish but if you are interested in the language then I recommend them to you as they serve as a powerful contrast to the music. Their use of rich textures will keep you invested even though the actual color palette is somewhat limited.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by X-Ray Rod







Alvvays were arguably one of the most significant of the 2010s indie bands, shifting the sound from the mellow-ish alt rock or post-punk revival of the 2000s into something more colorful, full of jangle and twee pop, creating a very warm dreamlike melodious mix of sounds over the course of two albums, the latter of which, 2017's Antisocialites], is definitely their best. It is a bit surprising that the band took this long to come up with a follow-up, and what's even more surprising is how much they shifted the sound palette even further this time around.

Blue Rev still retains a warm dreamlike atmosphere, but there's something more intense and noisy about the whole affair. Taking more from the noise pop branch of shoegaze, infusing their indie pop with more walls of guitar feedback and dense production, Alvvays manage to make the passionate emotions, even the ones that feel more understated and intimate feel playful and surreal. There's obviously immense emotional appeal from this approach, making the noise feel strangely more comforting than the silence.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Two albums totalling over two hours of music in 2022, if it was any other band I'd call it coincidence, but knowing RHCP this symmetry was intentional. With the reunion of Frusciante into the fold, the band seem to have been rejuvenated and inspired to write. This unfortunately seems to have taken the form of 'record everything, even the jam sessions', which, as you can imagine, produces a glut of material, but not necessarily a glut of quality material. Return Of The Dream Canteen is a mixed bag owing to its length, featuring some understated gems and some tracks that should have been left in the jam room.

For every "Peace And Love", "Eddie" (a great tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen from Frusciante) and "Fake As Fu@k" there is a "My Cigarette" or "Reach Out", the former three being some of the best work from RHCP since By The Way, while the latter two will remind you why Stadium Arcadium could be a chore to get through.

One thing RHCP can be counted on for however is that the musicianship is always top quality, even if its not always the most interesting. Much of the music on here leans into the band's funk roots mixed with a mellow, ethereal sound, as opposed to their rock stylings; giving proceedings a subdued, but no less interesting, sound.

Overall Return Of The Dream Canteen is probably my favourite effort from the band for the last twenty years, not a high bar admittedly, but one that the album sails over with ease; even with the deadweight that results from such a long runtime.

Apple Music | Spotify

by omne metallum





Out of all the britpop bands of the 90s, very few of them are still actively making music, either because of brotherly rivalry or because of more successful side-projects, but one of those that still somehow managed to stay consistent both in their release schedule and release quality are Suede. Though they obviously have some duds and their first couple of records are still their best, , their run since the 2010s has been pretty good, so Autofiction comes off the heels of a good run. Having seen the band live this year, including some of the songs from this album, and now hearing them in full form, I can personally confirm that they still got it.

Autofiction is obviously a more mature album than something like Dog Man Star, but still contains their fiery sinister vibe of glammed up alt rock. Autofiction leans more towards the alt rock sound than the glam rock or britpop of their youth, while also upping the post-punk influences, and the more restrained songwriting does polish up some of their idiosyncrasies that I had trouble getting over. From the passionate opener to the very darkly mellow "Drive Myself Home" to the very post-punky "Shadow Self", Autofiction finds just the right balance between the replication of the sound that made them successful with adapting it for the current state that they're in. I'd argue that this is their best album since their reunion, or at least the one that gives me the most reasons to return to it.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Yeah Yeah Yeahs, aside from having a pretty memorable band name, also had one of the best runs that a rock bands could have in the 2000s, with their three albums being landmarks especially of the garage rock revival sound. Karen O's punkish vocals could be wild as hell, while also showcasing the restraint needed for the indier cuts. And then turning it around for a dance record for 2009's It's Blitz!. The streak was broken by 2013's Mosquito, a pretty bland record even beyond its horrible cover art, which was for the longest time the note that Yeah Yeah Yeahs ended on.

Now with nearly ten years since their last record and nearly twenty since their first, Cool It Down does come with sort of a necessity of capturing where Yeah Yeah Yeahs want to be now. With most of the punk sounds stripped away leaving the indie rock to delve into more dream pop and neo-psychedelia, this is a pretty mellow record for a band who started out so explosive. The synths and synths often stay on the dronier side of things (by indie rock standards anyway), but they do build a sense of bittersweet atmosphere. The Perfume Genius feature on the opener is a nice touch, and the rest of the album feels like it tries to recapture the energy of that showstopper, to moderate success.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Pixies, the band who embodied the 90s before the 90s, are now at a point in their career where they have as many post-reunion records are pre-reunion classic records. I don't think I need to tell you which of the two are the most worthwhile, or about how definitive albums like Surfer Rosa or Doolittle are. Pixies' material since their reunion, while not outright terrible, didn't really stick much of a landing, and it wasn't until the previous one, 2019's Beneath the Eyrie, that it felt like they were doing something actually worthwhile.

While Beneath the Eyrie did set itself apart for leaning a bit towards something a bit more gothic, Doggerel takes a step back into the band's usual brand of alt rock, weird and quirky, sans the edge that they had as youngsters. It's that lack of edge that is going against Doggerel, which is a bit understandable since they're not youngsters anymore, but they haven't really replaced that appeal with something that doesn't feel as limp as Doggerel does. I appreciate the noisier parts of the music, I can't expect most people getting much out of this more than "Oh, Pixies are still making music?".

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Already lingering on the metallic boundaries of noise rock at many times on their debut record The Live Long After, Sugar Horse have further flirted with the heavier side of the music spectrum by recruiting some very notable names in the UK underground for their new EP, Waterloo Teeth. Featuring members from Heriot (“Disco Loadout”), Black Peaks (“Waterloo Teeth”), Pupil Slicer and Conjurer (“Gutted”), and Idles and Vennart (“Super Army Soldiers”), it should not be surprising to hear that this EP dives into some fairly intense musical waters, but there’s also lighter regions of the rock spectrum that are explored as well.

Those harsher sounds are given initial priority, however, as “Disco Loadout” offers a brief burst of heavily distorted, hardcore-tinged noise rock to kick things off. The title track initially provides a stark change of pace by bringing tranquil cleanliness and soulful saxophone to the plate, only to descend gradually into anarchy. “Gutted” mostly goes in the opposite direction, as a typically abrasive opening (considering this features most of Conjurer) ultimately results in a shockingly clean chamber arrangement, during which additional guest Nuala Honan enters. The use of a beautiful female sung vocal as an uplifting contrast is carried into the closing song; “Super Army Soldiers” does still employ a range of dynamics, but eschews harsh vocals and aggression, instead opting for the more standard builds in volumes customary to post-rock and shoegaze. Sugar Horse touch upon quite a few sounds in a relatively brief period of time, utilizing their myriad guests to good effect as they make their intent to be unbound by genre plainly clear.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





It was a bit weird seeing the name Gilla Band attached to a no wave band, especially since there aren't a lot of those and they seemed strangely familiar, before realizing that they're actually a renamed Girl Band. They must've realized how misleading that band name was, since there aren't actually any girls in the band (to my knowledge). Girl Band's The Talkies, an album I praised for not only having an album title fitting of a band name, but also for how it blended post-punk with noise rock and no wave.

Most Normal, which is definitely not normal, takes the noise rock and no wave sounds of The Talkies and pushes them even further, to the point where the post-punk core feels more like just another element in the experimental rock soup. The band's repetitive and angular melodies are borderline danceable, betraying some sort of dance-punk influence, sounding like the early Swans version of LCD Soundsystem, all made even noisier and with even more vicious vocals, as if that was possible.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP







Out of all the 2010s emerging post-punk acts, Preoccupations is actually the one I got into first, back when they were titled Viet Cong, and even more ironically is that I got to know them from a recommendation of someone from this website. Returning back here to recommend another one of their albums, even if under a different name, even if after seven years, does seem like quite the good closure. This is the third album by the band since their name change, and great as those have been, the band haven't had quite the same impact that their Viet Cong debut did.

Obviously that would be impossible simply because I will never be in the same position of discovering post-punk as I was back then, nor any type of music for that matter. So, to their credit, this might actually be my favorite of the Preoccupation albums. The more noisy industrial aspects of 2018's New Material were toned down and better integrated, alongside more shoegaze-y goth rock, to create something that, while not reinventing the wheel, does make some great sounding and fairly diverse post-punk.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Colorful leaves fall to the ground and you feel the bite of chilling winds. Autumn is slowly transitioning to winter, and it’s time to embrace the bleak nature with mournful music, right? Wrong! It’s never too late to relive the spicy, light-hearted tunes of summer. And that’s why I’m happy to share the June release Paper Thin by the Minneapolis duo Green/Blue.

Despite the title, their music is anything but thin. Not only does the record provide a cunning layering of dream-like vocals, fast rhythm strumming, and melodic guitar passages, but there’s a variety of feelings presented across the tracklist. Enjoy the somber vocals of ”Blank Stairs”, the catchy energy of ”Last One”, the eerie shrieking sounds on ”In Time”, the trippy stoner ambience of ”Gold”, the groovy riffs of ”Moving On”, the slow melancholy of ”Floating Eye”, and much more! Each of the ten songs clocks in at less than three minutes, leading to a full runtime of barely 25 minutes. As a result, this fun mix of mellow post-punk, addictive garage pop, and sprinkling of dreamy stoner ambience flows naturally, never outstaying its welcome. So, close your eyes, put Paper Thin on repeat, and find yourself relaxing in cool waters on a warm summer evening.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by F3ynman2000





Every so often, there’s a post-rock record I talk about in these articles that does something noteworthy to stand out; Ikigai is not really one of those albums. It has a metallic edge to it in its louder moments that distinguishes it from many crescendocore artists, but this is instrumental post- that follows the usual rules, so why am I discussing it here? Mainly just because it’s rather good.

That intensity does give it some benefits; the volume that kicks in midway through “The Mirror” is a bit of a surprise, and those metal influences do come forth in a couple of other ways, such as the more complex, technical riffing late in “The Frame” and the pounding percussion during the final minutes of “The Hourglass” (and thus, Ikigai as whole). Still, it’s the all-round ability of Girih that makes this an album worth exploring out of the multitude in the post-rock scene; they can nail ethereal string-laden crescendocore on “The Door”, but also can deliver early violence and then pull backwards effectively during “The Key”, as they slide into a lovely slick groove. It’s an album that’s pretty satisfying throughout, but special praise should be reserved for the deeply evocative “The Sand”, on which drummer Jeremy really gets to flex his skills.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia







Every so often, there’s a post-rock record I talk about in these articles that does something noteworthy to stand out; Emka is one of those albums. It’s not as if My Education have reinvented the wheel here, but from the prominent use of string instruments (principally a viola) through to the more classic rock structures and rhythms of tracks such as “U-48” and “Viaducts And Quarters”, it’s an album that feels fresh and invigorating.

The strings are a defining element of Emka, whether working in conjunction with the guitars on the likes of “U-48” or getting moments to shine alone, like on “Triple Nickels On The Dime”. There’s other occasional features that add in their own way, though, whether it be bouncy piano and subtle ethereal vocals during “Time For Schleep” or an electronic hip-hop beat out of nowhere midway through the title track. However, while Emka is varied, traversing upbeat (“Emka”), more stately (“Sister Norwood”) or outright eerie soundscapes (“Vod”), it’s not eclectic, and it has a strong core of satisfying melodies, rhythms and riffs around which this strong roster of tracks is built. Extra points as well for the bold decision to let the album fade into oblivion due to the dark ambient droning of closing track “Khorovod Fountain”.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





Muse have been on a downward trajectory for some time now, the increased focus on electronic elements over left field guitar and bass work has seen the band's strengths minimized, which has also been coupled with a general decline in songwriting quality; Will Of The People is the latest example of this.

Case in point is the opening title track, an unnecessary re-write of Marylin Manson's "The Beautiful People" which ruins the powerful minimalism of the original with bloated experimentation. Exhibit B is "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" borrowing the hook from Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me"; Muse somehow manage to fail the test when tracing the answer sheet.

Muse do at least manage to produce a few bright spots in "Ghosts (How Can I Move On)", a powerful, haunting (no pun intended) track thanks to Bellamy's soaring vocals, as well as "Kill Or Be Killed" and "Euphoria"; though these bright spots are far dimmer than their previous highlights.

An album you can skip and not feel like you are missing out on much, for fans of the band only.

Apple Music | Spotify

by omne metallum





Polyphia, although very much grouped together with the likes of Plini in their earlier years, were never the most orthodox instrumental prog rock/metal band; their appreciation for styles outside the worlds of rock and metal was evident even on an album clearly tethered to the metal and math rock worlds as Renaissance. Come 2022, and any ties to the metal world have been pretty much severed; Remember That You Will Die is effectively a math rock album with added hip hop, trap and pop. It’s a record that is experimental, although I expect that many of these experiments will be more warmly received by others than by myself.

Things get off to a good enough start with “Genesis”, which is dominated by funk rhythms and loud brass arrangements while still featuring signs of the band’s lineage in some of the guitar intricacies. Beyond that, the troupe’s musical prowess is clear for all to hear on the trap-laden acoustic math rock display of virtuosity that is “Playing God”, while Steve Vai appears on album closer “Ego Death”, which probably veers closest to their past material while still very much reflecting their current progression. Those trap beats and hip hop/electronic influences do work well alongside the math rock on tracks such as “The Audacity”, “Reverie” and “Neurotica”; for me, it’s the other tracks featuring guests that lose me, with the autotuned rap cuts “Fuck Around And Find Out” and “Chimera” grating, while I find myself undecided over the clash of bubblegum pop and vibrant complexity on “ABC” (featuring Sophia Black). Deftones fans will appreciate one vocal feature at least, with Chino Moreno searching for synchrony with the off-kilter “Bloodbath”. It’s a bold trajectory that Polyphia find themselves on, and an admirable one, even if I must admit this is not an album I will remember too fondly.

Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia




Arctic Monkeys have always been about experimentation. From their earliest days, frontman Alex Turner hasn't been afraid to mess with a variety of styles and unconventional songwriting: from punky garage rock on Favourite Worst Nightmare to psychedelic weirdness on Humbug and catchy indie rock on AM. Their 2018 release Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (TBH&C) saw the biggest shift in their sound, opting for a piano-oriented pop instead of a guitar-driven rock style. This proved to polarize the fanbase, and even I believed that Arctic Monkeys had gone too far with their experimentation and were now unrecognizable.

Now, four years later, they've released The Car, an album that hasn't veered at all from the course set by TBH&C. I guess it's time to accept that the band have utterly left their fun, wild, adolescent energy behind and have committed to this new metamorphosis. So what does this matured Arctic Monkeys sound like? Well, while there are only few catchy, foot-tapping moments, it isn't necessarily bad - it's just meant for a different listening mood. It's very easy-going, slow, elevator/hotel-lounge music, ideal for sitting back lazily and staring through the windows on a rainy day. They've still got their mysterious, convoluted lyrics and their quirky song titles, and Alex's voice is as seductive and honey-sweet as ever. The songs are filled with pleasant funky moods and elegantly played tunes that create an air of calm and display virtuosity in a variety of instruments, but lack the certain intriguing flair characteristic of Arctic Monkeys. I personally would have prefered to hear more instances of the style shown on "Sculptures Of Anything Goes", in which the psychedelics are tinted with an unnerving, captivating element - reminiscent of the eerie extravagances on Humbug.

Fans of their older material will sorely miss the band's past energy and gripping melodies, while fans of their new TBH&C-style will enjoy some more lounge pop songs to listen and relax to.

Apple Music | Spotify

by F3ynman2000





I like the title of this record, partly because a lot of my activity on this website is trying to be funny in a foreign language. Overly long and somewhat pretentious titles have been The 1975's schtick ever since they realized they can only do one self-titled album, and it was preferable to just titling them "The 1975 2", since that would've looked awkward. What The 1975's albums since their self-titled also had in common was being longer and inconsistent, so what attracted to me about Being Funny In A Foreign Language was its briefer 40ish minutes runtime promised a bit more consistency.

Well, I got that. Being Funny In A Foreign Language feels a lot more focused, and part of it might be due to the production of Bleacher's Jack Antonoff, which does at least make things slicker. While a lot of it still sounds like a safer and cleaner version of LCD Soundsystem, it plays to The 1975's strengths. Some cringeworthy lyrics aside, this is a pretty fun reinterpretation of the pop rock sound that permeated the 70s and 80s, and a bit of a reminded of why that sound was such a force back then. The surprisingly shoegaze-y "About You" is still the highlight though.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Brian Eno is one of the most prolific and influential artists out there, especially in the ambient field. Though his career started even before delving into ambient, from work with Roxy Music and his early art rock albums, there always was a sense of otherness and a foreboding focus on ambiance. His ambient work ranges from the inspiring to the ominous to the ethereal, often with a lot of common ground. Despite his prolific output, I don't think I got to cover any of his releases, collaborative or otherwise, but covering one with such a strong finality theme is a bit weird.

Darkness has been part of a lot of Eno's releases, but I don't think any of them handled finality and especially the apocalypse so headfirst before. There's a sea of releases to compare to, but Foreverandevernomore also differentiates itself by the presence of vocals, giving the pieces just enough structure to work as ambient pop while still being very sparse. The ambient backdrop is strong enough to have worked on its own, combining the gorgeous tranquility with the ominous. Strangely enough, the entire thing reminds me of an even more ambient Dead Can Dance.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP







One of my best discoveries as part of writing for Wait A Minute! This Isn’t Metal!, Rival Consoles have released two of my favourite electronic records of the past couple of years in Articulation and Overflow, two albums that were very distinct in their compositional processes. In contrast to the self-described darkness of Overflow, new album Now Is was an attempt by Rival Consoles (Ryan Lee West) to create something more colourful and euphoric. I’m not sure I would describe it as euphoric, but there is a gentle mellowness to Now Is that works really nicely, as Rival Consoles is once again bang on the money.

Now Is sonically falls somewhere near IDM, except I think it would be a challenge to dance to much of this; there’s subtle beats, insidious pulses and eerie sounds that are almost hypnotic in their subdued nature and fluid interweaving. The record does dabble in louder brighter sounds, such as the climactic build of synths during “Vision Of Self”, but there equally is an ambient touch to several of these tracks. I feel perhaps the album works best somewhere in the middle; the lively title track and “World Turns” offer gratifying rhythms and hooks, injecting energy to an otherwise calm experience. Now Is perhaps lacks the standout moments that Overflow featured, but it does make for a more natural album experience, and continues a hot streak for this producer.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





I first stumbled upon Makaya McCraven in his reimaginings of Gil Scott-Heron's work, later flexing his remixing muscles even more with last year's Deciphering The Message, where he was given access to legendary jazz label Blue Note's library for material. I wasn't as familiar with his solo output, but given how 2018's massive Universal Beings is pretty much the Makaya McCraven album, starting out was pretty-straightforward. Now we get another solo outing, this time in a more straightforward and restrained form.

Even within a pretty short span of releases, Makaya McCraven has shown himself to be versatile in his jazz palettes. In These Times takes a bit of a stripped back fusion direction, while also having bits that take more of an avant-garde direction, as well as some hip-hop inspired nu jazz, but for the most part this is very direct and somewhat "background music"-ish. Uncommon time signatures aside, the palette and the laid back vibe create something really pleasant to listen to, and the drum performance being a highlight comes pretty clearly as a result of Makaya being a drummer primarily.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Jazz and rap blending together is really something that goes way back, with jazz samples being among the favorites of the more abstract and conscious style of hip-hop, along with stuff like soul or funk. But that always feels more like hip-hop using jazz as a backdrop rather than a blend of styles. One of the exceptions to the rule was Avantdale Bowling Club's debut, the project of New Zealand rapper Tom Scott, which used a backing band to actually create an actual livid jazz element to blend with his rapping.

Four years later, now we have two albums in this style, and while Trees is a bit more focused on the hip-hop side than Avantdale Bowling Club was, with Tom showing that his conscious lyricism is a pretty good match for the jazzy vibe. His demeanor is a bit more lowkey and restrained than what I'd usually expect without necessarily tapping into abstract hip-hop, so I think he would've benefited from having more of other people's vocal presence on the record. Versatile as he is, even injecting some neo-soul in the mix, I'm not sure how much I'd be loving this if it was a purely hip-hop record.

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





Billy Woods is a rapper who I've talked about time and time again, and will continue to do so given the man's release frequency and consistent quality, whether as a solo artist or as half of the Armand Hammer duo. Just this year he also released Aethiopes, an album I picked among my favorites from that edition, so hearing another album this soon was a bit of a surprise, and even interesting was that it is a rapper x producer collab, with Messiah Musik being a frequent Armand Hammer collaborator. It's clear that the two have some history and chemistry together, something that becomes even more apparent in the two tracks where Woods' Armand Hammer colleague, Elucid, guests, making this probably the closest I've heard a solo Woods album sound to an AH one.

Part of me feels like Church maybe should've been refactored to an Armand Hammer album, as there's something that feels missing here to really take it to the next level, which might be due to its more skittish nature and coming right after the amazing Aethiopes. Diminishing returns can only do so much to drag from what is another amazing installment of deadpan abstract hip-hop, and the nauseatingly dreamlike production creates such an ominous atmosphere, especially in its unexpected beat switches. Plus, how many other hip-hop albums that reference Ceausescu do you know?

Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





First up, that's such a horrible cover art from every point of view. How someone with as big of a name as Freddie Gibbs could greenlight it is beyond me. That said, it is quite interesting hearing Freddie Gibbs on a solo again, after some rapper x producer collabs with some of the best producers out there, namely Madlib and The Alchemist. Both of them also appear here, but they share the production credits with names such as Kaytranada and James Blake, along with a bunch of guest rappers like Scarface, Raekwon, and Pusha-T.

So, a bunch of people involved, but this also quite the conceptual record, in the sense that a lot of the interludes are structured like automatic messages or voicemail messages, though honestly the album could've done away with the conceptual side entirely and be better off for it. On a song-by-song basis, a lot of the songs here are top-notch, with Freddie's boastful flow and lyricism finding ways to make each beat and feature its own, some better than others, but the whole thing doesn't gel as well as a complete package, and it's not just due to the cover art, but I guess this kinda shows why the rapper x producer matchups worked so well for him.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





As a solo artist, Scarlxrd has shown how harsh trap music can be, with screamed raps and thickly distorted production on DeadRising. Kordhell’s explorations of hip hop and electronica (I have seen the genre ‘phonk’ used in relation to his music) have been decidedly less abrasive, as the hugely catchy “Murder In My Mind” displays. The duo join forces on Psychx, a brief (23 minutes) but impactful release that contrasts intense vocals with hooky synthwave production.

Psychx leads with its best foot forward with “Miss Me?”, an irresistible cut that sees Scarlxrd’s rampaging rhymes matched in energy by the pounding bass. More in the same vein comes later with “I Feel Alive”, “Madeinhell, Pt. 1” and “I’m The Devil”; there are some striking similarities between these songs, but given the blink-and-you-miss-it nature of the album, there’s not enough time for any repetition to become overly concerning. Variety is injected in the form of the slower “Killing The Surface”, as well as detours into drum n’ bass (“This Is My Life”) and R&B (“Jekyll & Hyde”), although Scarlxrd is perhaps too intense in his delivery to appeal to R&B purists. The one credited cameo is internet personality Corpse, whose dramatic deep narration spices up closing song “Like Yxu Wxuld Knxw” (which is an even more annoying name to write than some of Behemoth’s v-isms). A collaboration that is definitely at its best at its fastest and bounciest, Psychx is a very entertaining clash of sounds that ultimately works out well.

Apple Music | Spotify

by musclassia





M.I.A. definitely deserves a lot of recognition for how ahead of the curve she was back when she entered the scene. Not only for her identity, but also because of how she incorporated glitchy industrial and deconstructed club and internet ascetics into hip-hop while still maintaining a mainstream presence with hits like that one "Paper Planes" song that everyone knows, while the themes of empowering and freedom taken to more distinct heights. Her early run up until 2010 was pretty flawless, but some cracks were starting to show as far back as 2013's Matangi. And that was nearly ten years ago.

It is a bit weird that there have only been two M.I.A. records since Matangi, with 2016's Aim already feeling like a distant disappointing memory. MATA, which is a funny title to me since it roughly translates to "Yer ma" in Romanian, does fix some of the issues with it, bringing a lot of world music influences in, anything from reggaetón to Tamil folk finding some spot within it. But the execution's still kinda lacking, especially when comparing it to M.I.A. previous work, with most of the interesting stuff happening on the production side. With its short runtime and despite its long waiting time, MATA feels undercooked.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





It is a bit of a flex being into pop artists who are not mainstream popular, even if pop is technically still the most popular genre in the world, so even if someone like Rina Sawayama has a shitload of popularity in music spheres, there's nothing in terms of traditional pop stardom. But those kinds of popularities can somewhat align, at least it seems like Hold The Girl is leaning somewhat closer to that pop stardom side of the equation, not exactly in result but in execution. While her first EP and LP had a pretty strong alternative edge to their approach to pop, that is really subdued this time around.

That's not entirely a bad thing. I have gotten more of a spot for that early 2000s pop that Hold The Girl emulates, and it often can retrospectively pick apart some of its best qualities for a redo, but the album as a whole is pretty frustrating. Not only because not even its best songs have the replay value of stuff from her debut, but because the production here is not only simpler but also needlessly compressed. There's still interesting stuff production-wise going on (especially in the midsection), at least by pop standards, and you can tell that Rina has a knack for commercially ready pop, but a lot of this, especially in its more pop rock sections, really doesn't have much replay value.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





I'm pretty sure Carly Rae Jepsen is my favorite of the current pop singers, as much as a lot of the mainstream is just fixated on that one song. I already covered her previous record, as well as the B-sides that followed it, and it's a bit of a shock that we're already in the next album cycle, like where did all that time go?? The Loneliest Time is pretty bulky if you take into account the bonus tracks, but is pretty bite sized if you don't, so I wouldn't be surprised if this would get followed by a B-sides follow-up. And as much as I was anticipating The Loneliest Time, I was pretty let down by the premiere singles, but was sure the album itself would work better.

Now, having heard the thing in its entirety a couple of times, I'm a bit puzzled. I loved my first listen, but I wasn't paying very much attention during it. My second one, I found it breezing by without that much impact. And then, I loved the familiarity I had with some of the tracks, but a lot of the album still feels like it lacks the punch I came to expect. It does seem like she took some risks here by either going a bit more mellow, which works on some songs and not on others, and with having some guests, which also works well on "The Loneliest Time" and awfully on "Beach House". In the end, it feels pretty inconsistent, and even the highlights I don't see making the same impact that highlights from previous albums did, though that may be just me the bitter taste of the entire package rather than me coming back to each song individually.

Apple Music | Spotify

by RaduP





It should be acknowledged that an artist like Taylor Swift cannot possibly do anything “low-key.” If the number of sales records that Midnights has sent clattering to the pavement isn’t proof enough, let’s recall the so-called “cottagecore” sound of her previous two efforts, Folklore and Evermore: while subdued and intimate, it was still a conspicuously produced pop variant, not quite the true provincial indie that it masqueraded as. Midnights splits the difference in an unexpectedly conversant adoption of dreampop chic: no longer enforcing any pretension of minimalism in the midst of a heavily layered bedroom rave, yet drowsy and soothing enough that the ethereality of Swift’s preceding roots retreat appears more achievable.

Midnights sees Swift shift once again from acoustics to electronics, trading guitars and piano for synthesized beats characterized by muffled, rumbling vibrations and soft, blurry backing vocal lines; true to its name, the album is much more a mood piece than Swift’s previous ventures into electronically defined music (or any genre). Low-tempo, low-energy, gently orchestrated, and full of airy, lilting vocal lines with feathery banks of harmony, Midnights often achieves a successfully spectral atmosphere. At its best, the approach results in convincing chill-out dreampop tracks, such as the spacey “Maroon,” the dark buzz of “Vigilante Shit,” and the nocturnal flow of “Lavender Haze.” Under the surface, however, Midnights still entertains the same tension as ever between a full genre dive and Swift’s inescapable pop star centrality; the pure electro vibe is undercut to some extent by clearer, bolder lead vocal lines and an array of synthesized instrumentals that add excessive volume and energy. “Bejeweled” exemplifies the worst tendencies of the album: a bit too upbeat, chimey, and plasticky for the mood-heavy concept, reflective of the unerring pull of arena pop that contravenes the bedroom calm of the style. I continue to be unenthused with Swift as a lyricist and storyteller, and the shadow of her cultural footprint seems to get in the way of becoming fully lost in a dreampop soundscape, which is what I would really like – when she gets there, and she does on several songs, she’s a very compelling practitioner. Overall, Midnights is a welcome experiment, likely the one Taylor Swift album I’m ever likely to revisit outside review purposes; I just wish it were more consistent, more surreal, and less conscious of its own legend.

Apple Music | Spotify

by SSUS

---

And that was it. You've made it through still alive. Congrats. See ya next month. Here's a Spotify playlist we compiled out of stuff featured here: