Sunn O))) have for a long time been at the forefront of drone metal. As contemporaries such as Earth have veered towards more doom and traditional styles of metal, Sunn O))) have stuck to their guns, and their new record 

 is no exception, delivering just over an hour of music over four tracks.

 features vocals, the opening track “Between Sleipnir’s Breaths” provided by Hildur Guonadottir, who also provided the cello drones on the closing track “Novae”. The rest of the album is the slow, drawn out, hypnotic riffs that we are familiar with from Sunn O))), a sound that they are known to have brought to both their solo and collaborative projects throughout the years. These sounds are given new life by Steve Albini’s production. The deep, syrupy textures are just as entrancing as ever.

The group also wanted to take a brighter approach to their songwriting on this record, thus the tongue in cheek album title serving as a contrast to the genre tag death metal. This comes across in the cleaner more defined production, which dispels some of the doom and gloom associated with their groundbreaking breakthrough records like 2009’s 

. However, minimal, heavy chord progressions with little embellishment and no percussion are still an acquired taste, and while I do see 

 appeasing fans of the band and genre, I don’t see it becoming an album that brings many new fans into the genre.

As a fan of other more traditional styles of extreme metal, particularly doom (we play slow but not quite that slow), there were parts where I could see someone unfamiliar with the genre beginning to lose interest. Not that this is a critique of the record, you can’t criticize an album for not doing something that it wasn’t going for in the first place. It’s just to say that Sunn O))) were clear in their audience for this record and created a record to appease those people, without looking to bring in others.

Sunn O))) releases ‘Life Metal’

Urinal Cake Records · Reissued May 10, 2019 · Released October 12, 2012


Hearing this record after their most recent release shows how far the band has come.

Protomartyr, the Detroit post-punk band who has gained a lot of attention in recent years, have recently reissued their debut record, 

, via Domino Records. Originally released in 2012, but since rendered hard to find, this record gives context to fans to show how far the band has come but ultimately has less of a distinct personality than their later work.

, was one of my favorite records of 2017. The band’s fourth album in five years seemed that the band had fully come into their own, mixing a dark, brooding post-punk sound with mystical and political lyrics. The guitar parts were more varied than they were previously, bring different layers and textures to their sound. They had, at least in my eyes, made themselves into one of a handful of bands that stand out amongst their post-punk peers this decade.

Hearing this record after their most recent release shows how far the band has come. While still a solid post-punk record, the sound is less distinct and exciting. The band wears their influences on their sleeve more so than they do now. The lyrics are less pointed and effective in their messages and imagery, establishing more of a vague atmosphere than a narrative. However, the intense energy they bring to this day, as well as hints of what was to come is still present.

Protomartyr’s frontman Joe Casey, who had no prior musical experience before starting the band in his early 30s to try to escape a job he hated, is still all over the place on this record. Yelling, barking, and mumbling his way through tracks, he has always been a captivating voice. The tracks are shorter than the ones they’d go on to write, blowing through one idea after the next with a fervor. The production is rawer which gives the band more of a classic post-punk sound, almost comparable to a band like the Minutemen. This gives them more of an edge, but less diversity in texture than they have now. Above all though the record brings what most promising rock debuts tend to have. Through the mess and struggle to find an identity there are hungry new artists eager to impress. As the years have gone on and the band has matured, we’ve found that Protomartyr is more than capable of impressing, and this record serves as a reminder of where it all started.

Protomartyr reissues 2012’s ‘No Passion All Technique’

Much like Goths before it, this record finds the band looking to expand their instrumental palette.

To add a slight disclaimer to anything I say in this review, The Mountain Goats are one of if not my favorite band. Across seventeen official records, there are none that I would consider bad, and this latest release is no exception.

 is another great release in this latest episode of the Mountain Goats discography. Way back in the beginning, John Darnielle, the band’s lyricist, and only consistent member gained attention by releasing albums recorded on his boombox. This pulled listeners in with stories of characters in a wide variety of situations from many walks of life, classic releases from this era including 

 (2002). This era of his career was sent off with the band’s first studio record 

 (2002), a full record dedicated to the story of the Alpha Couple, one of his most iconic recurring set of characters. John then began to write about his own life and experiences rather than separate characters, producing the iconic 

 (2009), saw Darnielle grappling with the concepts of spirituality. This most recent era has seen John turning back to telling the stories of others, each album dedicated to a specific group that he takes interest in. 

 (2015) discussed the wrestlers he would go to see as a kid, while 

 (2017) detailed the rise and fall of goth music and its audience. 

, makes connections between the mystical story of an aging wizard and the lives of aging rock stars, athletes, and other more everyday folk heroes.

 before it, this record finds the band looking to expand their instrumental palette. What was once one man playing acoustic guitar into a boombox, has slowly evolved over these seventeen studio albums to now feature fully fleshed out arrangements including synths, piano, drums, strings, and electric guitar. This album makes full use of this expansion, with woodwinds, organs, finger-picked guitars, and even a country flavor on some of the songs. While these songs benefit from this instrumental variety, they are, as always, about the lyrics, and the characters and stories they portray.

When I went to see the Mountain Goats at the Wilbur, two days after the release of this record, I was reminded of why I love them so much. The audience saw people who were united by no other traits besides their interest in this band. This is due to the fact that across such an expansive discography, one that only gets larger when you begin to include EPs, unreleased content, and early cassettes, there is a character, story, or theme there for almost anyone to find identify with. 

 does its part in adding to this cast. We see an aging wizard, Ozzy Osborne, Doc Gooden, and even a possum confront themes of aging, lost skills, and fading relevance. Darnielle has always had a skill for applying these universal human themes to larger than life characters, something that is on full display when he gets me to identify with the worries of an old wizard. While it’s hard to say immediately where this album stands in such a long discography, it is safe to say that the Mountain Goats haven’t lost their magic.

The Mountain Goats release full-length ‘In League With Dragons’

The early 2000s was a time before Kanye West was the controversial, absurd character we know him as today. The year 2004 was a full year before Kanye’s first high-profile outburst, the unexpected but ultimately somewhat sympathetic speech that culminated in declaring, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” on live charity television following Hurricane Katrina. It was also five years before the famous VMA incident that would cause the Taylor Swift beef that continues to this day, and well over a full decade before all of the horribly misinformed political ramblings of the past year that found Kanye allying himself with far-right figureheads and alienating a large part of his fanbase. Before all of this, Kanye was known almost exclusively as a producer affiliated with Jay-Z, and people were skeptical about his ability to make it as a rapper in his own right.

, found Kanye expanding on the chipmunked soul sample production style he was known for already and contained some of the best beats from that era in his career. Samples like Chaka Khan on “Through the Wire” and the choir on “Jesus Walks” have become iconic and instantly recognizable in the years since the album’s release. Production was, and still is, the most consistent aspect of Kanye’s discography.

This album also finds Kanye as a still personable and likable character. The ego that would eclipse all other aspects of his personality is there, but not yet overwhelming. The immature sense of humor seems more appropriate and witty coming from the young, new artist that Kanye was. Mostly we find a young artist desperate for success, culminating in the tale of his career so far that he tells on the over-12-minute closing track “Last Call.”

This record sets the stage for Kanye’s ability to push pop music forward as a trendsetter over the next decade. We see this record and the follow-up

 perfecting his original soul sampling sound.

 sees Kanye becoming a pop star, adding bombastic stadium elements to his sound. 

, a record that was divisive upon release, would spawn the emotional rap that has been dominant this decade. All of these elements came together on what many would consider Kanye’s magnum opus, 2011’s 

. This is a grand, indulgent record with immaculate production that combines aspects from all of his previous records.

 today, we find an entirely different character than the one we now know, but also present are the beginnings of aspects of Kanye that would become apparent over his long discography and public life.

Kanye West’s ‘The College Dropout’ Turns 15

Girlpool Music / ANTI- Records · February 1, 2019

What continues to hold this record back is Girlpool’s refusal to entirely distinguish themselves from their peers.

 is a landmark, important project. It is their first record since Cleo Tucker came out as transgender and began taking testosterone, causing their vocal register to lower into a tenor range. Not only is this a massive step for Cleo personally, but this is also a life event not often documented in music or any other media.

Girlpool began releasing music as a duo in 2014. Their music was minimal, featuring bass, guitar, and vocal harmonies. In 2015, they released a full-length record, 

 saw the group departing from their previous dynamic with the addition of a drummer, Miles Wintner, who helped build their sound.

This new record is yet another departure from their original and evolved styles. Not only do Cleo and Harmony’s voices now serve very different roles in the harmonies, but whereas 

 allowed them to write louder and more aggressive tracks, 

 takes a step back and introduces a wider instrumental palette, featuring synth pads and drum machines. The more straightforward indie rock and punk aesthetics are still very much present, but a lot of the songs are given more space. These instrumental changes suit the album’s lyrics that often deal in confusion and coming to terms with the past. And apart for some growing pains, most of these changes go over well.

What continues to hold this record back is Girlpool’s refusal to entirely distinguish themselves from their peers. While they certainly bring sharper songwriting and vocal harmonies this time around, most of the songs on this record blend with the sea of effects-filled, reverb-washed indie rock records that we hear regularly. Like their previous records, very few of the songs stick with me enough to recall them once the record ends. That being said, it’s still an enjoyable listen. With each new record, Girlpool hints towards improvement, almost always bringing something entirely different and exciting to the table. But they still have room to improve.

Girlpool step out of their comfort zone on ‘What Chaos Is Imaginary’

The crowd showed up slowly to Brighton Music Hall on Sunday January 20, nobody loving the prospect of waiting outside in 18 degrees and snow. There was no line outside when the doors opened at seven, and those that filed in mostly gathered around the TV’s showing the Patriots’ AFC Championship game, not too concerned about saving themselves a spot in front of the stage. Most of the audience were fans of Mineral from their original run in the 90s. Many of them approached my friend and I, who were clearly too young to be original fans, to tell us about their experience seeing the band in a bar, or basement, with a very small crowd.

The venue was mostly full by the time opener Tancred took the stage. They performed a tight, short set of soft-loud dynamic punk tunes that won the audience over. Mineral took the stage shortly after. This being their 25th anniversary tour, and only their second tour since breaking up in 1998 (the other being a reunion tour in 2014), I was nervous that they would show some rust on stage. However, the band dispelled those fears by immediately blazing through the first three songs on their debut record 

. The debut record that fits snugly into the straightforward and hard hitting 90’s emo pioneered by bands like Sunny Day Real Estate. While their second record, 

 and later B-sides, dip into slow and building post-rock influence. The performance captured the feeling of the original recording, bringing the same layers of distorted guitars and punky energy.

The set went on to include B-sides and songs from 

, including fan favorites such as “February” and “&Serenading.” The performances were consistently tight and emotive, displaying why their project earned them a cult following after they originally disbanded. The band also performed both of their songs from late last year, “Aurora” and “Your Body is the World,” the latter of which might’ve been the setlist’s only lull. The band did show some rust in their stage presence. Between songs and when addressing the audience the band seemed anxious, and a bit awkward, but luckily none of that came across in the sound.

The encore consisted of the opening two tracks to 

, “LoveLetterTypewriter” (known recently for being sampled on a Lil Peep track) and “Palisades,” two medley-style tracks that build into one another. They closed with “Parking Lot,” their most popular song and a great example of their appeal. As one of the original fans told us after, they played as well today in front of hundreds as they had twenty years ago in front of four people.

Ryan Busse