Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory : Self-Titled

I think Sharon Van Etten has always had a Goth queen inside of her just waiting to come out. Even from the very beginning her albums ached with the kind of doomed romanticism that Siouxsie Sioux, Kate Bush, and Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser trademarked back in the heyday of early 80s alternative. Van Etten leaned […]

Kathryn Mohr : Waiting Room

Kathryn Mohr was not put on this earth to make fun, bubbly party albums. The Oakland-based experimental musician keeps her dissonant, Gothic folk music firmly planted in the moss-covered forest floor. A place where the sun never penetrates, leaving the ground forever damp and the air thick with the scent of fungi, wet tree bark, […]

Delta IV : Radium Arc

If you’ve been following along with Seattle’s electronic synth duo Delta IV for the last few years, you’d notice a steady progression. They’re following in the footsteps of legends like Zombi, Tangerine Dream, post-Gabriel Genesis, and The Secret Machines; forging thoughtful, expansive sound worlds through big drums and steely synths. And while the retro-futuristic, chromed-out […]

Mogwai : The Bad Fire

Scottish post-rock OGs Mogwai have been blowing minds and ear drums for closing in on 30 years. They’ve expanded their monolithic guitar-heavy sound over the years to include synthesizers, electronics, and have even gotten into film scoring. And on a personal note, I saw Mogwai back in 2004 open for The Curiosa Festival and can […]

Futuropaco Returns with The Groovy “Crollo Capitalista”; ‘Fortezza di Vetro, Vol. 2’ Coming Soon

Drum maestro and all around musical wizard Justin Pinkerton dropped his first record as Futuropaco back in 2018 on El Paraiso Records. Futuropaco’s debut was a mix of late 60s grooves and Italian countryside psychedelia. Fuzzy guitar lines intermingled with tight, groove-heavy drums and lean into the musical spirit of cats like Ennio Morricone, Fabio […]

Elephant9 & Terje Rydpal : Catching Fire

I’ve been listening to Elephant9 & Terje Rydpal’s live album Catching Fire for a couple months now. Letting the immense 80 minute concert recorded in 2017 soak into my brain just to try and put words together to describe it. Putting this into some narrative has eluded me, but I figured what the heck. Elephant9 […]

Ethel Cain : Perverts

Going in to Ethel Cain’s sophomore release Perverts(following 2022s Preacher’s Daughter) I really had no idea what to expect. I know that she came from a very religious family in Florida, and that she was homeschooled. And her dad was a deacon at their Baptist church. When you grow up in a highly religious household […]

Alone 1980 : Blood From The Black Gate

As soon as the opening salvo “The Night The Screaming Began” on Alone 1980s brand new LP Blood From The Black Gate starts up you know what you’re getting into. From the buzzsaw synths to the banshee howl to the menacing rhythmic pull the ride has begun, and there’s no refunds. Touches of Pentagram Home […]

Franz Ferdinand : The Human Fear

Scottish post-punkers Franz Ferdinand hit at just the right time back in the early 2000s. They emerged out of the early 2000s post-punk/dance punk revival which included The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, Interpol, LCD Soundsystem, and a slew of other bands that dissipated into a cloud of unrealized dreams. Franz Ferdinand stood out […]

Chris Alexander : Body Double

The latest to drop from the great Library of the Occult is a sweet treat for all you lovers of 80s slashers, sleaze, and sweaty exploitative art. Canadian filmmaker and composer Chris Alexander has offered up Body Double, a sweat-drenched slab of sleazy 80s film score work. While not a re-imagining of DePalma’s great 80s […]