Pentagram Home Video

UK synth artist Pentagram Home Video is back this week with a new album, a sequel, "Walpurgisnacht II."  An imaginary film score of sorts, described by the artist as, "a soundtrack to a night when the barriers between our world and The Parallel Realm are down."  The album is full of drones and tones, eerie sounds of a dark night.  Listen to the title track below and snag the cassette here.

Pallbearer - Dropout

"Dropout" premiered a couple weeks ago on Adult Swim as part of their weekly singles thing, but now Arkansas doom metal band Pallbearer have put the track up for purchase.  It feels more instantly accessible than anything they've done prior.  Listen below and get it here.

Cold Cave

Cold Cave's "You & Me & Infinity" EP won't be out in physical form until this summer, but the band has it up for stream/download here right now.  Cold, foreboding, and bouncy darkwave synth pop for the masses.  Listen to "My Heart Is Immortal" below.

Medistation

Forging through the sounds of modern psychedelica, pulling from forebears like Spiritualized, Galaxie 500, and more, Swedish artist Eric Strand's (The Orange Revival) new solo project Medistation has all the trademarks of psych-cool, but veers more towards a pleasant comedown kind of vibe, without the shakes and bitter aftertaste.  The self-titled EP is out now (get it here from Fuzz Club Records), and warm up with album opener "Pool of Blood" below.

Friday Horror Trailer - Final Exam

Oneohtrix Point Never

June sees new music from Daniel Lopatin's ever-mind expanding Oneohtrix Point Never.  "Age Of" looks to continue the artist's foray into all manner of electronic sound, pushing and pulling things into strange and fascinating sonic shapes.  "Black Snow" is our first real taste of the record and skews poppier than much of Lopatin's previous output.  It's also got some interesting visuals to go along with it.  Watch the video below and snag the record in June on Warp.

Omni

Here's some new The Fall-indebted post punk from Atlanta band Omni.  Listen to the angular, pulsing "Sunset Preacher" below and cop the new 7" here from Chunklet Industries.

Numb.er

Apparently LA bands are just killing it today with the moody pop jams.  Dreamy post punk band Numb.er are readying their new album "Goodbye" for the ever-dependable Felte Records next month.  Listen to "A Memory Stained" below and pre-order here.

VOWWS

If you refer to the music you make as deathpop, i'm probably going to roll my eyes, but i'm also very likely to give you a listen, and thus here we are with LA duo VOWWS.  The band make a kind gothy, fuzzy new wave that just drills itself into your eardrums.  New album "Under the World" is out now via Anti-Language Records, but you should listen to "ESSEFF" below, then order the record here.

Tess Roby

We first heard Tess Roby's particular brand of synth pop last year on her "Ballad 5" single last year, and now she has a full-length LP, "Beacon," out now on Italians Do It Better.  Watch the video for the wistful "Catalyst" below and get the record here.

Ash Code

Don't get me wrong, synthy cold wave post punk is more than likely going to end up on my shelf regardless of its nation of origin, but there's just something about it coming from Europe that makes it feel right.  Italian band Ash Code have a new album of just that heading our way next month on the SwissDarkNights label.  Listen to the aptly named "Icy Cold" below and pre-order the "Perspektive" LP here.

Blanck Mass

The wonderful noises made by Blanck Mass have evolved from soothing, hypnotic electronica to cinematic synth wave to full blown chaotic thunder, and the artist's latest EP/single keeps the momentum going with a foray into hardcore punk.  The elements of that particular genre pair well with the artist's more noisy and frenetic offerings, and i'm curious where he heads next.  Released last Saturday for the UK's version of Record Store Day, and thus unavailable for many of us to pick up, we'll all just have to settle for the download/stream which you can get here.  THOUGH, it was also just announced today that copies are available from Sacred Bones.  Hooray!  Get that here and listen to "Odd Scene" below.

Father John Misty

Father John Misty continues to make fantastic singer/songwriter pop music, simultaneously calling back to decades of material that came before while pushing ever forward.  The upcoming "God's Favorite Customer" LP, due in June on Sub Pop, feels a little scaled back from last year's epic, and arguably overstuffed, "Pure Comedy," but just as vital.  Listen to "Just Dumb Enough to Try" below and pre-order here.

Moderator

Evidently, trip-hop is still alive and well, and from the chilled and smoky vibes of Moderator's new "Sinner's Syndrome" LP, it's still quite awesome too.  Layering old spy movie riffs, roadhouse grooves, and desert sun glare along stoned hip-hop beats, the record feels like one of those future timeless LPs that could have come out anytime over the last 3 decades.  Listen to "Burning Bridges" below and get it here from Melting Records.

Friday Horror Trailer - Of Unknown Origin

Prince - Nothing Compares 2 U

It's crazy to think that it's been 2 years since Prince passed away, but with that mythic and legendary vault of materials the man kept of his art, it seems we'll at least be getting unheard music for a long while.  Today, the Prince estate released a 1984 rendition of "Nothing Compares 2 U," the tune made famous by Sinead O'Connor...and it's outstanding.  Watch the equally fascinating video for the song below, compiled of old rehearsal footage from around the same time.  What a pleasant surprise for today.

Minami Deutsch

Japanese krautrock...far out.  Psychedelic fuzz, bursts of stormy noise, and a motorik beat to tie it all together, the sophomore record from Minami Deutsch is equal parts brain melting and meditation.  Listen to "I've Seen a U.F.O." below and get the "With Dim Light" LP here via Guruguru Brain.

Some Record Store Day Recommendations

So, this Saturday is the day.  And while i don't get nearly as stupid as i used to, i still take the day off of work so i can go wait in line outside of a record store at the ass crack of dawn.  So i guess i'm still kind of stupid.  That being said, here are 5 releases slated for this year's Record Store Day that are on my "must procure" list, that should be on yours too.

1. Lulu - "Heaven and Earth and the Star" LP
This cool reissue of the Scottish singer's 1976 album features her "Man with the Golden Gun" Bond theme and a couple of David Bowie covers, of which Bowie himself produced and appeared on as instrumentalist and backing vocalist.

2 Demon Fuzz - "I Put a Spell on You" 7"
British afro-rock band Demon Fuzz only released a couple of albums and a single in the '70s, all of which are amazing and expensive, so i'm pretty stoked to be able to finally afford one, and it's a Screamin' Jay Hawkins cover to boot.

3. Ennio Morricone - "Autopsy" OST LP
So, the fantastic Arrow Films also releases records, and this one is for a weirdo horror movie scored by the legendary Ennio Morricone.  Sold.

4. King Black Acid - "Sunlit" 2LP
Originally released in 1996, Portland artist King Black Acid's second album features 3 epic tracks of sprawling, psychedelic '90s space rock, and this is its vinyl debut.  Hooray!

5. The Black Lips and The Khan Family - "Play Safe" 12"
Some collaborative garage rock from The Black Lips and The Khan Family, so you know King Khan will be there, and his daughter Saba Lou too.  This record should be killer.



So there you go.  Be sure to check out releases from The Flaming Lips, Brian Eno and Kevin Shields, Tom Waits, S U R V I V E, and more, more, more...

Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John

I've been posting nothing but dark and foreboding works this morning, so we definitely need to lighten things up a little, and lo and behold, here comes ever awesome Juliana Hatfield with a whole album of Olivia Newton-John covers.  I'm not gonna lie, i have a soft spot in my heart for ONJ, most likely the result of repeated viewings of "Grease" and repeated listenings of the "Xanadu" soundtrack with my older sister when i was a kid way, way back in the '80s.  And Juliana Hatfield has always been effortlessly cool, so this whole project is pretty much a home run.  Listen to the aforementioned "Xanadu" below, and then be sure to go download the album here and pick it up on vinyl here via American Laundromat Records.

Leila Abdul-Rauf

Here's some creeping, ambient, neo-classical music with a little bit of a Gothic sheen from experimental composer Leila Abdul-Rauf to darken up your skies today.  New album "Diminution" is a ghostly, ethereal work, the sound of walking through a foggy grave yard at midnight.  Listen to "Wayward" below and get the album here.

Lebanon Hanover

I feel like i've glossed over the band Lebanon Hanover for a long time now, their name popping up here and there on my radar for the last few years, but a blip that i never investigated.  That was stupid.  Bury me in regret.  Because after listening to the German duo's new album "Let Them Be Alien," i think i've probably missed out on a whole slew of dark and minimal coldwave post punk.  And that's a shame.  Anyway, don't do what i did.  Listen to "Alien" below, download the album here, and snag a physical copy here from Fabrika Records.

Black Dresses

When i was in high school, i got way, way into industrial music.  And thanks to bands like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, i searched and listened to all manner of artist that made music in a similar vein, be it the Wax Trax back catalog, originators like Throbbing Gristle, plenty of German stuff, and the unifyingly awful run of mid-'90s torch carriers.  Then the style seemed to subside for a while, only to keep popping up more and more of late.  And i dig this new run of bands and artists, from the traditional to the strange.  Somewhere in the middle of those two descriptors lies Toronto duo Black Dresses, and their scorching, sneering debut "WASTEISOLATION."  It's noisy and abrasive with occasional grooves and a distinct feminine voice that hits all the doom and gloom notes in just the right way.  Listen to "Wiggle" below and get the album from band here.

Yob

June sees new music from doom metal band Yob, and we should all be super stoked about it.  The band has always tread in heavy and heady material, pairing Buddhist philosophy with crushing riffs and a kind of metal version of psychedelia.  It's awesome, and new record "Our Raw Heart" adds a dose of near death self reflection into the mix, the result of band front man Mike Scheidt's emergency surgery for acute diverticulitis last year and his ongoing recovery.  Listen to first taste "The Screen" below and pre-order the album here from Relapse.

Deafheaven - Honeycomb

I wasn't expecting new music from Deafheaven today, but here we go.  "Honeycomb" is the first single from the band's upcoming "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love" LP, due in July on Anti-, and it certainly sounds like Deafheaven.  Watch the video below.

Ganser

Digging on some sardonic, eye-rolling rock from Chicago's Ganser, and making me believe that "the dream of the '90s is still alive," a pulsing and noisy slab of post punk, served icy and sneering...with butter.  Listen to boom bap bap of "Satsuma" below and order the "Odd Talk" LP here from No Trend Records.

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

The long running, mind bending, Japanese psych rock collective Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. are back again with a new record consciousness smooshing sonic mayhem.  A part of me believes these guys will be dolling out new and improvised guitar freakouts until the end of time.  New album "Electric Dream Ecstasy" is out now via Essence Music (get it here), so listen to album opener "From Planet Orb with Love Pt. 1" below.

Chrome Sparks

New York electronic artist Chrome Sparks bounces back and forth between retro sounding synth wave and all out club dance music, both to exuberant effect.  His new, self-title album is out now on Counter Records (get it here), and you can listen to album opener "Rocket" below.

Shadows and Mirrors

Illinois electronic artist Shadows and Mirrors splits the difference between movie score aping synth wave and new romantic new wave to create something sleek and bumping that could have been blaring from tape decks 30 years ago.  New album "The Wild Life" takes on '80s excess and the inevitable plummet back to Earth when the bubble bursts.  Listen to "Video Tapes" below and pre-order the digital album here for a dollar.

Honey Radar

Philly lo-fi psych pop band Honey Radar are back with another short slab of smokey, scratchy nuggets to get your head in the right place.  "Psychic Cruise" is out now on Chunklet Industries (get it here), and listen to the whole thing below.  Hooray!

Hollywood Burns

Horror scores and techno just mix okay!  I don't know why they do, but they do.  Anyway, here's some new horror movie inspired synth wave techno music from Paris artist Hollywood Burns.  Listen to "Carnal Encounters of the Third Kind" below and get "Invaders" here or here from Blood Music.

Friday Horror Trailer - The Grim Reaper (aka Anthropophagous)

Echo Ladies

When you're an artist combining elements and sounds of dreampop, shoegaze, and post punk, you've pretty much already got me eating from the palm of your hand.  And so we have Swedish trio Echo Ladies and their upcoming "Pink Noise" LP.  Listen to the swirl and reverb of "Bedroom" below and hear me swoon.  Then pre-order the album here from Sonic Cathedral or look for it in June.

Black Polygons

Here's some gorgeous and cinematic ambient electronic music from Parisian artist Black Polygons to help get you through this Thursday.  "Aricie" is the opening track to new album "Naïade," a short collection of swelling, haunting melancholy.  It's wonderful.  Listen below and get it here.

Michael Rault

I've seen Toronto's Michael Rault perform a couple of times in the past at SXSW, but unfortunately missed him this last go around.  And that's a real bummer too, because the new jams i've heard from the artist from his forthcoming "It's a New Day Tonight" LP are all excellent '60s/'70s inspired soft psych gems.  The latest is the AM radio indebted "Dream Song."  Listen below and get the LP from Wick Records/Daptone.

Jenny Hval

Norwegian artist Jenny Hval has been making interesting, avant garde pop for a few years now, and she's a got new EP headed our way next month on Sacred Bones.  "The Long Sleep" looks to be a shortened continuation of the experimental artist's explorations of sound and theme, a notion i'm all for after 2016's brilliant "Blood Bitch."  Listen to "Spells" below, a quasi-electro pop tune with flourishes of jazz and dreampop, and pre-order the record here.

Cold Cave

Thought it's been awhile since we last got a full-length LP from gothic synth pop band Cold Cave, and seemingly will be for awhile longer, the band has still released a fairly constant string of singles and such.  And i'll admit that this single format really works for them, each 3-5 minute burst of dark pop like an injection of oxytocin straight into my brain.  The band will be releasing the "You & Me & Infinity" EP in June, featuring last year's fantastic "Glory," as well as the equally fantastic title track.  Listen to it below and be sure to look for the record on Heartworm Press.

Gang Gang Dance

It's been seven years since we last heard from Gang Gang Dance, their "Eye Contact" LP being one of my favorite records of 2011.  Well, a lot of shit has happened since then, but judging by "Lotus," the airy, new wavey first single from upcoming album "Kazuashita," they haven't lost a step.  Listen to the song below snag the record in June on 4AD.

Henry Saiz & Band

Spanish artist Henry Saiz and his band spent the last two years travelling the world, writing and recording across the globe, taking influence from the all of the different places they visited and all of the different cultures they encountered in an attempt to create a kind of world pop album.  The result is new album "Human," out this week via Natura Sonoris.  It's a pretty ambitious project, and one that pulls its sound from several eras, genres, and styles, an eclectic musical opus.  Listen to "The Golden Cage (Dubai)" below and pre-order here.

Eels - Bone Dry

I haven't really paid much attention to long running alt-rock band Eels since 2005's sprawling "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations," though i still believe the group was responsible for two of the very best albums of the '90s and have made consistently good stuff ever since.  So i was a little surprised to find myself really digging on new song "Bone Dry" from the group's (or maybe just Mark "E" Everett's) new album "The Deconstruction."  The song grooves, and the accompanying animated video is fantastic.  Watch it below and get the album here.

The Caretaker

Beginning almost 20 years ago, Leyland Kirby's The Caretaker project was originally a sonic homage and riff on the haunted ballroom from "The Shining," bits and pieces of music from old 78RPM records cut with static and spooky ambience to make a kind of otherworldly sound.  Since then, it has evolved into an exploration of dementia and memory loss, most notably with the artist's continuing 6-part album "Everywhere at the end of time."  Stage 4 is out now, as is Kirby's description thereof:

Post-Awareness Stage 4 is where serenity and the ability to recall singular memories gives way to confusions and horror. It's the beginning of an eventual process where all memories begin to become more fluid through entanglements, repetition and rupture.

Whereas Stages 1-3 had much of its musical samples and manipulations still somewhat intact, everything now begins to fall to pieces and vanish.  It can be a hard listen, but it's also achingly and devastatingly beautiful.  Listen to "Stage 4 Post Awareness Confusions" below and download the whole project so far here from History Always Favours the Winners.

Flowers Must Die

Noisy, Swedish psych rock weirdos Flowers Must Die have a new record coming out later this month, the follow up to last year's excellent "Kompost" LP.  "Där Blommor Dör" takes things even further, a trippy mix of noise and drone, hypnotic sounds and guitar freakouts, an inner head trip that ends in implosion.  Listen to "Oroa Dig Inte" below and order the record here.

Thousand Foot Whale Claw

Austin based experimental synth band Thousand Foot Whale Claw, a collective featuring members of S U R V I V E, Troller, Single Lash, and Future Museums, have a new album heading our way in June on Holodeck Records.  New age-y, electronic interstellar explorations to expand the mind with.  Pre-order "Black Hole Party" here and listen to the title track below.

Friday Horror Trailer - Razorback

Marissa Nadler - True Love Will Find You in The End

Folk singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler just put up a new album of various covers she's recorded over the years.  On "covers 2" she touches on everything from The Cure to Leonard Cohen to The Beegees.  Listen to her take on Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You in The End" below, then get the album here.  Oh, and it's probably worth your time to check out the first installment as well, featuring the artist's stripped and haunted versions of songs by Radiohead, Duran Duran, The Magnetic Fields, and a whole lot more.

Mesarthim

Mesarthim is very easily my favorite Australian black metal band that works plenty of synthesizers into their sound, along with references to astrophysics.  Don't let the fact that they're probably the only band that does this dissuade you from giving them a listen.  They kill it on every release.  New album "The Density Parameter" is out now, and you can get it here from the band for a dollar.  Listen to "Recombination" below in the meantime.