VAR are going to get some Sigur Ros comparisons. They’ll resist of course- at this point every Icelandic band is probably duty-bound to declare just how different they are than their homeland’s most famous rock export- but the quartet share plenty of similarities beyond a postcode. They also employ icy cool ambience, volcanic crescendos, lush strings, plaintive piano, and sweet […]
Read moreJoseph D’Agostino has been through hell. And of course that doesn’t just mean the injustice of his former band, the terrific but terribly-named Cymbals Eat Guitars, never getting the credit they deserved. In between that outfit’s slow demise and the rise of his solo project, Empty Country, he’s also faced mental health challenges, the suicide of a friend and mentor, […]
Read moreIn their own words, ‘Mustard Coloured Years’ is something of a P.S. for Wild Cat Strike, an addendum to the wistful wonder of their 2018 debut full-length. The first lyrics here even echo the final words of that album. But this shouldn’t be considered an afterthought. In fact, opening track ‘Mustard’ instantly ranks as one of the best things the […]
Read moreIf the debut album from Modern Rituals saw them stand out in a crowd, the London-via-Bristol quartet’s follow-up finds them stand virtually on their own. They still play what is essentially four-dudes-in-a-room rock music but there’s a palpable sense throughout ‘This Is the History’ of the band’s natural urge to zig when most others would zag. Here there is acoustic […]
Read more‘High Line’ is barely there at times. This is a record of distant guitars, soft synthesisers, sparse percussion, and no vocals. The loudest sound over its twelve tracks and 40 minutes is probably a few strong plucks of baritone guitar. That doesn’t make it a meek or thinly drawn piece though. No, this is music dug out of the ground, […]
Read moreShimmerance have been waiting for this. The Moscow outfit formed in 2016 with a dreamy, clean approach to shoegaze, but artistic differences and member turnover delayed delivery of a debut album. Now their self-released self-titled effort is here and, initially, it feels like the band might be too eager to make up for lost time. ‘Scryscraper’ clatters and rushes along, […]
Read moreYou can know that Insect Ark’s third album is the product of erstwhile members of Swans, SubRosa, and Angels of Light, released through experimental metal label Profound Lore, and inspired by a recurring nightmare, and it still won’t properly prepare you for ‘The Vanishing’. This is sonic gloom, this is a far-off ominous storm cloud given up-close sound, this is sunlight-free […]
Read moreIt will surprise no one that a band named after a simian spaceman, with song titles like ‘Bandage of Scat’ and ‘Put Your Hands Up If You Like Sloths’, haven’t always taken things seriously. And Parachute for Gordo undoubtedly delight in the improvised, the unconventional, and the downright silly. But that doesn’t mean the Aldershot trio lack dedication- a band […]
Read moreVasa’s debut album was a shot of adrenaline- a much-welcome flash of movement and colour into the sometimes stoic and sepia-toned world of post-rock. It was punk rock, really. So the news that their sophomore effort would be an ambitious concept album, “a sonic exploration of coming to terms with the pains of ageing by reconnecting with our own individual […]
Read moreThe first EP from this slightly-supergroup was a writhing nest of riffs, rage, heat and light. Erstwhile members of Bastions, Sleep Beggar, Zoax and Good Tiger combined to create organic hardcore that immediately felt established and essential. Five years later and follow-up ‘Young, Grieven’ isn’t so explosive but is gifted with the same gritty, immediate energy and new sludgy textures. […]
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