It’s no secret that the lines demarcating metal have blurred as of late. From Alcest and Deafheaven‘s fascination with shoegaze and post rock to Zeal and Ardor’s melding of black metal and black spirituals, the sonics of heavy metal have never been less sacred.
It’s a tough time to be a metal purist. Luckily, I am not—at all. And good thing too, because if I were, I would have likely put up my noise at the brilliant genre-bending catharsis from Belgium power trio Brutus.
For an artist, growth is a funny thing.
On the one hand, no one wants to hear the same record released year after year. On the other, what happens when an artist grows into something unrecognizable?
Such is the plague of pop-punk demigods The Ataris’ fifth full-length, which was such a sharp left turn that the Wikipedia page says that “the group abandoned the pop-punk label.”
And while this record might seem like a huge curveball to anyone looking for So Long Astoria, Pt. 2, the sonic legacy of this record can be traced all the way back to their earliest records.
From the moment For Emma, Forever Ago thrusted him into the public eye, Justin Vernon has been a glutton for collaboration. He’s spent the next decade rushing from the avant-garde Volcano Choir to the drugged up soft rock collective Gayngs to the blues rock Shouting Matches to multiple collaborations with Kanye West, James Blake, and many more.
And while previous Bon Iver releases have brought this genre hopping under the umbrella of his solo project, i,i (pronounced “I comma I”) fully captures that collaborative spirit.
For an interesting look at the sexual politics of the 1960s, take a look at the conversation between Nancy Sinatra and her producer in the liner notes of this record.
“How should I sing this?”
“Like a 16 year old girl who’s been dating a 40 year old, but it’s all over now.”
It’s a bit of a shock to 2019 eyes. But in a strange way, it perfectly encapsulates the venom-tongued ingenue on display on that iconic track.
These days, I generally treat my record budget with a level of judiciousness. Every dollar is precious, so I typically don’t make any purchases without thoroughly vetting each album in my wantlist, listening and relistening until I feel confident enough to pull the trigger.
But every once in a great while, I’ll take a risk, such as the 5-for-$25 random bundle from Topshelf Records that landed me this record and Mock Orange (among others). But if this were the only worthwhile record in the bunch, it still might have been worth it.
The second installment of My Epic’s two-EP project finds the group unleashing the catharsis that they spent Ultraviolet holding back. And once they let go, they don’t stop.
While Ultraviolet found the group restraining themselves, Violent finds them as heavy and unhinged as they’ve ever been.
After hearing My Epic’s name in the periphery of my awareness for years, the project that finally drew my attention was Ultraviolet, one half of a pair of EPs.
While their M.O. has always drawn heavily on experimentation, the Ultraviolet/Violence project finds them restricting themselves to specific elements of their palette.
Ultraviolet, the softer of the two, leans heavy into dream pop, electronica, and ambient post rock, without losing any of their edge.
A debut record is an awkward thing. A debut record might sound absolutely nothing like what the band becomes—awkward, fumbling outings like Sigur Ros’ Von or Radiohead’s Pablo Honey that arrive aimless and formless.
But every once in a while, a debut record comes around that, as it is said, “arrives fully formed.” It presents the group’s intentions with laser focus, introducing a clear picture of their artistic mission.
Having seen My Epic a handful of times in the last year, I can assure you that I Am Undone is one of those debuts.
For a little bit in the late 2000s, it seemed like “chamber pop by a classically trained female multi-instrumentalist that used to be in Sufjan Stevens’ touring band” was posed to become its own genre.
And while St. Vincent’s Annie Clark has found the most enduring success out of that crowd, I’m not sure anyone has topped My Brightest Diamond’s stunning second record.
Let me tell you about my friend Joe.
Joe and I met at our small Christian college over a decade ago (Facebook actually reminds me that today is our ten-year friendiversary. Since then, he has made a reputation for himself as an impeccable stop-motion animator, making music videos for bands like Caveman, Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, and the Roots.
On top of working with such esteemed artists, he’s an incredible musician himself.