Sometimes, having nothing to lose offers the biggest gains. This sentiment is true for Liverpudlian guitarist Matthew McPartlan, whose debut album of wandering solo acoustic guitar work, Summer Nights and Still Water, manifested after an 18-month hiatus from music. According to the artist, this resulted from “a number of failedContinue Reading
A raw intensity permeates DIOMEDES, the sophomore album from London-based three-piece ectropunk outfit The Diomedes. This intensity manifests in high-octane drum patterns, expansive guitars, wide-ranging synths, and soaring vocal performances, demonstrating the band’s celestial ambitions. Comprised of members Mark Champion on vocals, guitars, and synths; David Myers on drums; andContinue Reading
Photo by Ivan Mani Hannah Lev – Palm to Palm experimental London-based electronic producer Hannah Lev casts a woozy spell on “Palm to Palm,” a consummate single full of anxious synth swells, sharp hip-hop beats, and angelic vocals. Scratch that. The vocals are angelic, but like an angel that fellContinue Reading
“Bifurcate” is a word that means to divide into two branches or forks, like a river splitting and flowing in different directions. Separation is a theme that resonates with New Jersey prog artist Nat Rusciani, who experienced the dissolution of her band shortly before starting The War Yaks with co-writerContinue Reading
Leixlip-based musician Ogenblik’s experiments in retrofuturistic production culminate in his debut album This Used To Be The Sound of The Future. Employing a range of outdated recording techniques, from dictaphones to the ill-fated MiniDisc, Ogenblik splices everything together with environmental acuteness, Frankensteining innocuous acoustic guitar melodies into more pressing statementsContinue Reading
What makes the human spirit so indomitable? Despite social injustices and economic disparities, people continue to wake up and live their lives every day, clutching onto shards of hope. This question lies at the heart of Dreams! The Dead! Ghost! Future, the third album from Californian folk duo The SingerContinue Reading
What is America? This question has been posed by sociologists and comedians with varying degrees of seriousness and sarcasm for decades. With such a large, diverse population, it can be hard to see a unifying concept beyond the English language. However, music and culture often bridge these gaps. South CarolinaContinue Reading
Photo by Junpire Nguyen AM sin – Silver Lining electronic London-based duo AM sin crafts a meticulously roaming synthetic piece with “Silver Lining.” Soft sounds turn to harder territory across the six minutes of this track, but the sense of melody is never lost, even if it’s never explicitly expressed.Continue Reading
Australian artist Bradley Murray has been releasing sprawling instrumental music under the moniker The Finch Cycle since 2020. Having released two EPs, Murray has taken the leap to a full-length debut, collaborating with drummer Michael Evans-Barker and trombonist Brendan Bartlett on Mt. Pilot. The album leans into a shady, atmosphericContinue Reading
Photo by Samura Silva Manatee Commune – Simultaneity Soft and luscious sounds abound on “Love Tone”, the opening track on Simultaneity, the recent album from Seattleite Manatee Commune. This beatless introduction is not without rhythm but is mainly a layering of vocalises and ambient synths. It sets off an album ofContinue Reading