Yob

Heavy metal has been in a bit of a Renaissance period of late, with a whole slew of releases coming out these last couple of years from new bands and old bands alike the reshape, redefine, revive, and all around revitalize every genre and sub-genre to blast into our ear holes.  Doom, stoner, sludge, black, and on and on have seen bombastic and shredding new albums added to the pool of noise.  It's been pretty damn cool.  "Clearing the Path to Ascend" is the latest album from the three-piece doom-purveyors of Yob, and it's a loud and crunchy monster, a perfect representation of everything that doom metal is supposed to be.  Take a listen to the sprawling wail of "Unmask the Spectre" below and get excited.  Then get the album via Neurot next week.  Hooray!

Misun

With Labor Day weekend right around the corner, LA band Misun send out the summer in style with their very girl-group inspired "Goodbye Summer."  Some nice throwback pop for your Monday.  Listen and download below and be on the lookout for a proper release sometime in the future.

Pallbearer

I've been jamming "Foundations of Burden," the sophomore album from Arkansas doom metal band Pallbearer on almost constant repeat this weekend.  It's amazing.  The band takes everything awesome about their first album, "Sorrow and Extinction," which itself was a monster, and just ups it.  The songwriting is better.  The production is more solid, and the vocals more confident and glorious.  The riffs are heavy and maddening, the drums bombastic.  This bad boy just jumped its way into one of the top spots for my favorite albums of the year.  Get it on Profound Lore and listen to "The Ghost I Used to Be" below.

TOPS

Montreal synth-pop band TOPS have been kicking it around for awhile, and their latest single from their upcoming "Picture of You Staring" LP has been burning through my brain of late.  "Outside" is a smooth and flowing piece of sultry pop that sounds like score to an 80's movie love scene.  It's nice.  Listen below and grab the album in a couple of weeks from Arbutus.

Sonic Youth - Creepers and Climbers

Don't get excited.  This is not a new Sonic Youth song.  That ship has sailed for the long foreseeable future.  But, this is a track we've never heard before.  "Creepers and Climbers" was recorded a few years ago, and comes from artist Peter Coffin's "Music for Plants" series that he began in 2002.  This is music meant to be enjoyed by plants.  Yeah.  The tune is pretty avant garde, and certainly not ranked among the band's best, but it sure does make me miss them.  Listen below.

The Knife are breaking up...

Evidently, Swedish experimental electronic duo The Knife are disbanding once they conclude their European tour this November.  I'm really bummed out about this, as i never had the opportunity to see one of their live shows, but they leave behind a fascinating body of work.

Deafheaven - From the Kettle onto the Coil

I seem to be touting Adult Swim's summer singles series on an almost daily basis, but the output thus far this summer has been fantastic.  The latest, which will be available for free download next week, comes from San Francisco metal band Deafheaven.  "From the Kettle onto the Coil" continues the band's blend of black metal, shoegaze, post-rock, and pop that they perfected on last year's "Sunbather" LP.  Listen to the track below.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

For the last few weeks, the awesome folks over at Death Waltz Records, purveyors of horror scores galore, have been teasing an upcoming release of something they have been calling Death Waltz Originals.  Well, the announcement was made yesterday that said original release is a brand new and original score to Tobe Hooper's classic 1974 film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" performed by horror score enthusiasts/revivalists Umberto and Antoni Maiovvi.  Even better, next month at Mondo-Con here in Austin, they will be screening the film with an accompanying live performance of the new score.  Even better still, the LP will be available to ticket holders.  I'm stoked.  Word on the street is that they've only pressed 800 of these, and that they'll only be available at the Mondo-Con screening and then later on at Beyond Fest in LA.  I want.  I want.  I want.  Listen to "Meathook" below.

King Tuff - Black Moon Spell

Here's another new jam from the upcoming new album, "Black Moon Spell," by garage rocker King Tuff.  This title track is a sun drenched, riff-heavy piece of psych-pop bliss, and it gets me even more excited for the album coming out later next month on Sub Pop.  Listen below.

Run The Jewels

The ridiculously good Run The Jewels, the hip-hop duo comprised of El-P and Killer Mike have a new album on the horizon, the aptly titled "RTJ2" which will be available as a free download as well as other physical formats in October on Mass Appeal.  Listen to the blistering back and forth assault of "Blockbuster Night Part 1" below and get adequately pumped.  This album is going to be a monster.