The Smile : Wall Of Eyes

The Smile emerged in 2022 six years after the last full-length Radiohead album A Moon Shaped Pool. Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and drummer Tom Skinner got together to make pared down rock and roll, with Yorke and Greenwood switching back and forth between bass, guitar , and electronics. The result was the excellent A Light […]

Paul Riedl : Quintessence

Quintessence quite simply means “the purest form of something”. It’s the essence that gives something its magic. The essential center that holds those secrets that only the universe whispers when you need to hear them the most. It’s that hum in your head that calms the static when it encroaches too close to your being. […]

Jake Schrock : Temporal Visions EP

Jake Schrock builds very specific sound worlds. They feel familiar yet wholly singular to the Texas-based analog electronic composer. His 2018 Holodeck Records debut Tropical Depression was this island vibe-heavy record. Schrock painted visions of steely shores and sinking suns with vintage synths and drum machines, giving us an album that was equally Caribbean and […]

“She Hunts At Night” : Digging Into Pye Corner Audio’s ‘Prowler’

I didn’t discover Pye Corner Audio until 2016. I was in the midst of healing from back surgery(herniated disc) and I was obsessively searching the Mondo/Death Waltz Recording Company’s website to see if I could snag any soundtracks(for therapeutic purposes, of course.) During that time I’d found the amazing Pentagram Home Video’s Who’s Out There?, […]

zakè & Benoît Pioulard : eve

There’s something magical about the silence of a snow-covered winter’s eve. That moment you step out from a warm, conversation-filled family room into a snow-covered neighborhood can be overwhelming. There’s a deafening hush, as if stepping into your own head space; snow falling from darkness above, soundless and impervious to the everyday static and aural […]

Kurt Vile : Back To Moon Beach

Leave it to Kurt Vile to release a 52-minute album and call it an EP. Vile never seems to be in a hurry to get to the end of a song. He rambles and sways through 7 or 8 minutes of jangly guitar riffs, slow motion vocals, and richly-layered compositions that live and die by […]

Harp : Albion

It’s been 13 years since Midlake’s former singer/songwriter Tim Smith has released any new music. Midlake’s 2010 release The Courage of Others was a dark, somber record built on acoustic-driven tracks with touches of flute and overcast moods. Nothing as driving and 70s rock-driven as their previous effort – the excellent The Trials of Van […]

Xander Harris : Malediction

The return of Justin Sweatt’s nom de plume Xander Harris is always something to celebrate. I’ve been following the musical world of Xander Harris for some time. At least six years, ever since hearing the amazing Termination Dust and realizing I’d been missing out on something special. The following year Villains of Romance dropped and […]

forestlike : forestlike

forestlike is the music duo of Jared Myers and Joshua Wayne Hensley. Meeting in the Michiana music scene of the late 90s, the two built a musical rapport playing on porches, dive bars, and DIY shows in various projects. While still remaining friends, Hensley went off to form The Rutabega, while Myers did his own […]

Aesop Rock : Integrated Tech Solutions

I’m probably the last guy to be talking about hip hop and rap music. I feel gravely underqualified to discuss beat making, rap producers, rap styles, and flow. In high school I was intimidated by rap music. I felt like you had to possess a certain amount of confidence and bravado to be able to […]