Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Cut by Nadja

For fans of Boris, Sunn O))), Yoo Doo Right, doom metal, and the overwhelming weight of our darkest accumulated experiences, Cut by Nadja treks with us as our legs buckle under a lifetime of trauma.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

A Dream Unearthly by Vexations

For fans of Idles, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, college rock, and the bleak doom of an ancient civilizational collapse, A Dream Unearthly by Vexations tells unsettling stories of an archaic world in decline with the help of a deeply unnerving noise rock sound.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Rites & Revelations by Laura Jurd

For fans of Cisnienie, The New Eves, Natural Snow Buildings, free jazz, and that eerie feeling that you’re living through the opening shot of a horror movie, Rites & Revelations by Laura Jurd captures all the inherent darkness of traditional European folk music with a style steeped in contemporary jazz.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Rhizome by Cistern

For fans of Talking Heads, Devo, The Smiths, garage rock revival, and the non-heirarchical organization of information, Rhizome by Cistern crowns the peak of the current post punk trend with their boundary-breaking approach and impactful storytelling.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Anything Can Be a Hammer by Bloodsports

For fans of Chat Pile, Unwound, Have a Nice Life, the heavier elements of slowcore, and the monumental task of accepting the flaws and limitations of the world you’re inhabiting, Anything Can Be a Hammer by Bloodsports anchors us in our fragile bodies and flawed contexts with a dissonant, dynamic approach to indie rock songwriting.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Hostile Design by Black Eyes

For fans of Rage Against the Machine, Fugazi, Gang of Four, youth crew hardcore, and the rude awakening to a world seemingly designed to perpetuate suffering above all else, Hostile Design by Black Eyes gives us cause to dance in spite of and in response to the abundant pain of crumbling institutions.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

You Left Us in the Spring by Vangas

For fans of Dazzling Killmen, Swans, Shearling, post rock, and emotional explosion that detonates as shock turns to grief, You Left Us in the Spring by Vangas speaks in a breathtakingly subtle, relentlessly tense aesthetic voice to shout tales of deep, dark, empty loss.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Deseo, Carne y Voluntad by Candelabro

For fans of the brave little abacus, The Orchestra (For Now), Soft Machine, the internet diy scene, and the sort of dramatization of everyday life that feels equal parts vibrant and realistic, Deseo, Carne y Voluntad by Candelabro sends us on a narrative roller coaster that only a progressive rock album could provide.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Motocrossed by Motocrossed

For fans of Shallowater, Slowdive, contemporary post rock, and the molding of kitchy Americana into shapes beautiful and tragic, Motocrossed by Motocrossed marks a peak in the emotional strength of the current wave of shoegaze with their cozy environments and dark undertones.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Diamond Grove by Weirs

What does “The South” mean to you? This corner of the United States inspires so much passion for so many people in so many directions, and Diamond Grove by Weirs captures that ambiguity perfectly with its experimental take on old time music.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Taking Umbrage by Yowie

For fans of Drive like Jehu, Black Midi, Glenn Branca, progressive rock, and the type of deep, dark beauty which rewards diligent, detailed attention, Taking Umbrage by Yowie carefully orchestrates our path through a maximalist funhouse of some of the most extreme possible fringes of rock music.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

The Spiritual Sound by Agriculture

For fans of Liturgy, Deafheaven, Sigur Ros, post metal, and the persistence of the human spirit in spite of the encroaching artificial intelligence armageddon, The Spiritual Sound by Agriculture implores us to remain present in the world around us, staring the blossoming horrors of the future directly in the eyes and boldly marching on.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

[angry noises] by Ciśnienie

For fans of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Maruja, contemporary experimental jazz, and the processing of childhood trauma into something stunningly beautiful, [angry noises] by Ciśnienie unleashes an explosive onslaught of post rock magic to rival the greatness of any traditional symphony.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Overpass by Scott Hardware

For fans of Sufjan Stevens, Olivia Tremor Control, Asher White, experimental Americana, and the romanticization of the little victories that we achieve when we take the off ramp from the great rat race, Overpass by Scott Hardware soothes our deepest social anxieties with a varied singer-songwriter approach.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Songs and Bodies by Piotr Kurek

For fans of Bark Psychosis, Tara Jane O’Neil, King Crimson, and the refusal to let our humanity go gentle into that good night, Songs and Bodies by Piotr Kurek uses a kraut-influenced post rock form to subvert the conventions of canned music.

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Album Reviews Michael Scharf Album Reviews Michael Scharf

Veilfall by Emily Yacina

For fans of The Last Dinner Party, Big Thief, trip hop, and that feeling in the back of your mind that everything you’re doing right now will come back to bite you, Veilfall by Emily Yacina tells the story of a romantic collapse with all the twee joy of classic indie folk.

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