Over the past 4 years, Alien Nosejob has proved to be one of the most dynamic artists across Australia’s expansive DIY punk scene. After exploring two very different sides of the genre last year, the one man band returns with a focus in synth-driven power-pop. Paint it Clear is both a shift and evolution for Alien Nosejob, proving that the multi instrumentalist has a reach that continues to extend far beyond one style.
Los Angeles trio, Coto and the Plagues, initially united around a passion for lo-fi horror films. While the band’s eleven track debut rarely makes direct reference to any element of cinematic history, their music parallels the dark mood of horror culture’s massive timeline. Coto and the Plagues recalls the peak of goth rock and new-wave as though it were straight out of a 1980’s slasher film.
Jazz saxophonist, Patrick Shiroishi, has created a career exploring the history of Asian-American oppression. On his latest album, Hidemi, Shiroishi delivers one of his most personal albums to date, with a focus on his grandparents and their time spent in a Japanese internment camp circa World War II. Hidemi incorporates the healing power of spiritual jazz as Shiroishi travels through his family’s resilient history.
Over the past five years, the Cowboy have gradually tightened their musicianship as they refine their formula for fast-paced post-punk. On Riddles from the Universe, the band’s consistency is their strongest trait, with their most compelling songs to date.
For fifteen years, Nat Brower has gradually created an eclectic catalog of solo tunes, ranging from lo-fi garage rock to his more recent glam rock revival ballads. On Live & Contagious, Brower takes his recent years to a “live” setting, and delivers a career-spanning forty minute set.
On German quintet Lassie’s latest compilation, the post-punk group take the increasing popularity of ‘Devocore’ to Leipzig and add a layer of technicality to the eclectic microgenre. The Golden Age of… collects fifteen of the band’s previously released recordings and refurbishes them with a new name, new album art, and freshly pressed physical cassette tapes.
Doom metal trio Sign of the Sorcerer have released two lo-fi EP’s. On their third release, Obsessions of the Vile, the band finds their comfort zone and deliver a horror-themed psychedelic doom project with heavy influences from late ‘70s southern Rock ‘n Roll.
Erykah Badu’s stature in contemporary R&B has been overwhelmingly powerful for over twenty years. In that time, her creativity has evolved in numerous ways, with her second opus arriving through the futuristic magnificence of New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010). Her fifth record is a glorious homage to her soulful hip-hop roots, and effortlessly ties together all of the most rewarding elements of her iconic legacy.
After years of one-off collaborations, vocalist Trenttruce & multi-instrumentalist Coto Loco team up for their darkwave debut as Black Magick Chocolate Tears. Black Magick Chocolate Tears showcases the intense vocal range of Truce & subtly complex production skills of Coto Loco. Across twelve tracks, the two artists balance out each other’s strengths to a forge a sound that crosses pop music with an ominous after hours disposition.
After years of developing a reputation as a powerful live act, LYSOL deliver their first full-length album, Soup for My Family. The Seattle-based punk band tear through eleven tracks on their debut, and even when they shift their stylistic approach, their sound never loses its overall focus. Soup for My Family feels long overdue, but proves LYSOL’S presence in DIY music extends far beyond your local punk house’s basement.
