Articles

INSTRUMENTAL/POST-ROCK. Perhaps the most immediately apparent characteristic of the 5th RUSSIAN CIRCLES album, "memorial" is its wide range of emotion. As such, "memorial" almost feels like stages of grief. That notion might be aided by the album's clever structuring, in which it ends in the same place as it starts, and special guest vocalist CHELSEA WOLFE lending her hauntingly somber vocals to the album closing title track. RUSSIAN CIRCLES wisely and deftly sidestep the trappings of genre amalgamation. This record simultaneously channels influences from newer NEUROSIS, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, GODFLESH and CHELSEA WOLFE. Vinyl is housed in a gatefold-cover and includes a digital download card.

PUNK-ROCK. RUSSIAN ROULETTES is an allstar bands which features members of DIGGER & THE PUSSYCATS, MOTORSPORT, THE SPECIMENS, KAMIKAZE TRIO, THE ACTIONEERS and SWEARJAR. What do these bands all have in common? Agostino Soldati bangs his vintage drum kit with a fury rarely seen in this town. Sam Agostino screams and scratches his guitar like a possessed demon and Tim Wold pounds his bass guitar into submission! "r'n'r" is limited to 500 copies!

STREET-PUNK. Australia's veteran street-punk rock 'n' rollers RUST is back with yet another amazing 7". Formed way back in 2005 and featuring members of some of Australia's most prominent past and present punk-rock bands ensures that this band has no shortage of talent, aggression, passion and experience. If you dont like your music hard, fast and rough around the edges, then this ain't for you. Vinyl includes a digital download card.

MELODIC-HARDCORE. With members of DEAD HEARTS, DAGGERMOUTH and GET BACK UP in tow, Buffalo's RUST BELT LIGHTS follow the path of melodic, poppy hardcore blazed by SET YOUR GOALS, POLAR BEAR CLUB, LIFETIME and NEW FOUND GLORY on this debut 7". Limited to 500 copies ever all on color vinyl.

PROGRESSIVE-METAL. Arkansas backwoods doomsayers RWAKE awaken from their slumber and unleash their long-awaited 2011 album "rest". Their 1st new material in over 4 years, "rest" is less a set of songs than a perpetually evolving, deeply emotional set of missives heralding the end of times. "rest" is nothing short of epic, and one of 2011's most crushing progressive/doom/sludge releases.

HARDCORE-PUNK. The RYTMIHÄIRIÖ debut album turned 20 this year, so it's high time to reissue it on vinyl! The Svart edition features all the original artwork, but it's not a facsimile reproduction - instead, they're expanded it to a gatefold version and added a big 8 page booklet with unseen photos, all the lyrics plus liner notes.

FOLK/INDIE-ROCK. The debut album from SEAN CAREY "all we grow", is the result of a young lifetime spent immersed in music. As a band member of BON IVER from the very beginning, SEAN CAREY witnessed a flip of his formal training to step firmly into a worldwide-touring rock band. "all we grow" is a convergence of Carey's WALTZ FOR DEBBY-era, and traditional rock band experience, taking leads from TALK TALK. "all we grow" is a classic album born without expectation and met with adoration - a cathartic result of CAREY's extraordinary and vibrant life experiences. Vinyl includes a digital download card.

FOLK/INDIE-ROCK. S. CAREY is the side project of the mulit-instrumentalist and back up singer of BOB IVER. You will find the familiar S. CAREY modern classical repetition pushed into the vernacular of electronic music and beat making. This is the warmest electronic music you'll ever meet. The beats swing, stutter and pulse while each instrument retains a heightened awareness of its form and function within the larger family of voices. Each of "Hoyas' songs has its own personality. These songs are about the ambient sides of life. Vinyl includes a digital download card.

FOLK/INDIE-ROCK. S. CAREY is the project of Sean Carey of BON IVER. S. CAREY's work is hugely beatific, restorative panorama or beauty - perfect given how landscape and the wonder of nature inspire much of CAREY's imagery. His new album "range of light" follows suit with a dazzling array of musical light and shade, drawn from CAREY's love of jazz, modern classical and americana. Like a weathered mountain range changing shadow form and color, or the ebb and flow of a river's current, S. CAREY's music is simultaneously restful and rhythmic, complex and simple, and always evolving. Vinyl includes a digital download card.

FOLK/INDIE-ROCK. S. CAREY is the project of Sean Carey of BON IVER. Recorded primarily during the perigee-syzygy (also known as the super moon) of August 2014, the "supermoon" MLP is a study in scale, space, and proximity. These songs are a new and closer look into existing works from both S. CAREY's renowned full-lengths. With "supermoon", Carey has broken these songs down to their essential, acoustic parts with his forever humming vocals laid over top, lilting yet percussive piano, and a subtle swath of harmonic strings. Vinyl includes a digital download card.

HARDCORE. S.B.V. (SILENT BUT VIOLENT) a name that somewhat contradicts the music and message of the band it's used to describe. "raw nerve" their debut on Mankind Records, is 14 tracks of hardcore that musically echoes the anger and rage of early '80s acts such as 7 SECONDS and UNIFORM CHOICE, making them anything but "silent." And with intelligent and thought-provoking lyrcis, S.B.V. are also the furthest thing from "violent", as the topics they cover lend themselves towards a thematic whole that is ultimately paranoid, fightened and critical of the world around us.

HARDCORE. San Diego's S.B.V. deliver the goods on their debut 7", taking the best of old Southern California bands like UNIFORM CHOICE, but leaving out the Hallmark card lyrics and poetry intros. Sick artwork by Jeff Gaither, who has worked with everyone from the The Accüsed and Annihilation Time.

HARDCORE-PUNK. This band channels BLACK FLAG, MDC, CIRCLE JERKS with throaty vocals like CAUSTIC CHRIST to deliver a fresh tribute to the '80s american hardcore sound. Everything is loud, mean, fast, to the point and is a perfect vehicle for expressing rage, anger and indignation that actually does capture something about '80s bands that many retro groups miss. The 8 songs for this studio-only project were written and recorded in 24-hours by 3 veterans of the Alabama hardcore-punk scene. Vinyl includes a digital download card.

POWER-VIOLENCE-HARDCORE. This is the final release of Wisconsin brutality unit SxFxN, which includes 6 final tracks and re-mastered songs from the "fouled nest" demo, "itching" 7", split with IN DISGUST, and the "terminal sedation" recording. SxFxN was one of the few bands that took up the speed and fury of power-violence, but did it with an originality and ferocity that was unmatched. Not unlike HATRED SURGE or IRON LUNG. Totally brutal and honest fast hardcore. One-time pressing is limited to 400 copies, comes with poster and includes a digital download card.

POWER-VIOLENCE/GRINDCORE. Two good things have come from Stoughton, Wisconsin: the coffee break and S.F.N.. After mysteriously dissolving in the last few years, they still seem to pop up every now and then with a new release. S.F.N. moves like a glacier; slow, cold and powerful. S.F.N. submit their 1st and only studio recording of "terminal sedation". Chicago’s most elusive grindcore band has finally returned with 6 songs that barely crack the 5min. mark. The sonic assault is over almost as quickly as it begins but not before it absolutely pummels you into dust and tries to snort you like an eight ball of grindcore cocaine.