ALBUM REVIEW: Polymath – Melencolia

There’s a fine line between being pretentious and being clever. For a lot of math rock, so much of the genre can be built up upon desiccate riffs of repeatedly used mumbo-jumbo; of an astoundingly absurd amount of notes and rhythmic changes. It’s easy for a band’s intelligence to simply come across showy, with no purpose suited to whatever technical wizardry the pedalboard-mad guitarist may throw at you. However, Melencolia separate’s itself from all of math rock’s superfluous ways, and results in something so much more.

ALBUM REVIEW: BRITNEY – BRITN3Y

Originally posted on BrokenAmp: http://brokenamp.com/britney-britn3y/

If you tread back to the 60s early noise scene, you might stumble across an album by the lesser-known avant-garde and improvisational artist AMM entitled Ammusic. It was an early glimmer into the world of experimental sound suited to a rock environment – of exploring sounds and timbres outside of what people defined as ‘music’. Anti-music was the apt name given, and despite the band’s relatively underground voice, the album itself was highly influential. Inspiring the likes of minimalist composer Michael Nyman, who defined their works as “ground-breaking”, [1] the album caught unexpected success throughout the years, in turn influencing countless composers and artists to experiment with noise in a rock-setup.

ALBUM REVIEW: Classically Handsome Brutes – Proglomena

Originally posted on BrokenAmp: http://brokenamp.com/classically-handsome-brutes-prolegomena-ep/

It’s been nearly six years since Mancunians Blakfish called it a day, and their mix of almost-nonsensical song structures colliding with pop harmony and hooks was something not many bands have been able to live up to.

ALBUM REVIEW: Ellipse – A Nos Traîtes

[Originally posted on Toxiconline: http://toxiconline.co.uk/reviews-ellipse-nos-traites/]

When Code Orange released their sophomore LP “I Am King” last year, they basically blew up the hardcore world. Touring the world and playing venue upon venue, their cathartic and in-your-face second effort was as intense as hardcore gets; brutal breakdowns and sludgy, dissonant riffs galore. And with French act Ellipse, their debut full-length A Nos Traîtes (translated to “At Our Traitors”), seems to prove that mathy, sludgy, intense (yet counterpointed) hardcore music is continually on the rise.

Josh’s Top 30 (+1) Albums of 2015

2015 has been an odd year for music. Unlike last year, where huge releases such as St. Vincent’s self-titled seemed to dominate 90% of all album-of-the-year lists (mine included), Swans’ To Be Kind tended to be showing its (child-like) face everywhere, and artist upon artist made stunningly fantastic comebacks (Shellac and Damien Rice I’m looking at you), this year just seemed to be a splash of different styles and genres, ultimately coming out as a year with no real musical-clarity.

ALBUM REVIEW: Mutoid Man – Bleeder

Originally posted on Brokenamp on August 15th, 2015 [http://brokenamp.com/mutoid-man-bleeder/]

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Supergroups can often be hit-and-miss; the hype of a convergence (pun intended) of musical mastery can often lead to either an underwhelming band whose chemistry is non-existent, or can alternatively be mind-exploding examples of musicianship and skill. So when drummer Ben Koller (Converge) and vocalist/guitarist Steve Brodsky (Cave In) unexpectedly formed Mutoid Man as a two-piece back in 2013, releasing an EP entitled Helium Head that – despite its lack of bass-grounding – sounded as huge as the duo’s respective bands, the addition of low-ender Nick Cageo from Brooklyn-based power thrash group Brohammer to work on new album Bleeder certainly appealed to many.

ALBUM REVIEW: Arcane Roots – Blood & Chemistry

Originally posted on sputnikmusic on May 7th, 2013 [http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/56676/Arcane-Roots-Blood–Chemistry/]

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Review Summary: Your God Is Not Enough.

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Enter three men- Andrew Groves (Vocals, Guitar), Adam Burton (Bass) and Daryl Atkins (Drums) who have quite likely produced one of the most refreshing albums you will hear this year. Songs delve between screeching vocals, dissonant guitar lines and odd meters, infusing technical proficiency with catchy, melodic hooks. Then the trio combine this by throwing you into an abyss of lush guitar sections and warming vocals. The sheer complexity of such songs, such as the song ‘Slow’, demonstrate just how much effort these boys must have gone to to create such intricate but fascinating music.