Albums we missed - January 2023

VV - Neon Noir (Heartagram)

You probably remember HIM, the Finnish “Love Metal” band that put the Heartagram on the map. Ten years from the final HIM album and six years from their final show thor vocalist, Vile Valo, has released his debut record as VV. On Neon Noir Valo actually summons his old self by creating even more of those classic HIM-brand songs. I wouldn’t consider this an album of the year contender to be honest. But in terms of novelty it’s nice to hear something new from a band I grew up listening to. I haven’t touched a HIM record in years but I can’t deny how important they were to me in middle school coming up as a music fan in my own right, so I didn’t want to just overlook this one.

Support VV

Cicada - Seeking the Sources of Streams (WINDIE Music)

I switched day jobs this year from subs to coffee, (exciting I know) and as such I have to get up really early some days. So usually when I’m walking to my bus stop at five or six AM it helps to have something peaceful playing in my ear. I had never heard of Cicada before being turned onto them from a podcast. Seeking the Sources of Streams quite literally sounds like its title. This record has the sonics and atmosphere of a walk along a river in the woods and for that it really fit a niche I need this year. There are a few of these records cropping up on my radar lately because I’m letting them in more. It’s hard to write totally fleshed out reviews of these, but expect for me to shout them out as the year goes along.


Support Cicada


Climb - Keep Me from What I Want

It’s funny how, now that I don’t live on the east coast anymore, I’m becoming even more aware of the bands in its scene. I heard of Climb via a tweet, and now I don’t remember where it came from and don’t have much to go off for information on them. I know they’re from Massachusetts. I know they are not a full time band. That’s about it. Most importantly, however, is that they’re a fun not-quite-thrash, not-quite-punk band that released this very short, (under ten minutes, what have you got to lose?) very good EP.


Support Climb

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The BRAT review

Image
Oh my gosh, Claudia AsterTracks got a review out less than four months after the album is out! In all seriousness, I’ve been sitting on this review for a bit. It always feels weird to post long reviews about huge pop albums being an indie blog. Sometimes they’re just too long for MusicBoard though, so this one fit here. In spite of being gay, formerly terminally online and generally a fan of modern-day pop, I have actually never liked an entire Charli xcx project. I remember a very awkward conversation with an ex once after she found out I find it very hard to get to the end of even the twelve and a half minutes of Vroom Vroom. In spite of all of this I still want to stay current and know what albums are coming out, so I gave BRAT a try and I’m sort of blown away, I absolutely love this one. Something I noticed just minutes into BRAT is how the production is so bare and yet also feels so club ready . Opening track “360’ s ” beat is only about seven notes total with barely a drum...
Read more

Review: Get Off the Internet by Eliminate released via Create Music Group

Image
Sometimes you’re just here for the features. After a bit of a dry spell for me album wise, it was the debut album by dubstep artist Nathan Merrill, better known as Eliminate, which finally got me out of my seat. I’ll be honest, I came here solely because I saw Frost Children and I Set My Friends on Fire on the track list but was pleasantly surprised by the entire record. I had no perception of genre or who this artist was going into it. While I’m not usually a rave girl this is presented in a way where you don’t really have to be to appreciate what’s going on. There are a lot of nice, thought-out moments of downplay which don’t feel overblown or like they’re using cheap shots to make them memorable. It’s all just very real and expressive and most of the time it conveys this without words. The progression and sequencing is all very natural as well, pretty much all of these songs could be used as singles, but they also go hand in hand cohesively. I know I likely sound a little cynical to...
Read more

Review: analysis/paralysis by Four Year Strong released via Pure Noise

Image
Four Year Strong is a band who has always meant a lot to me growing up in New England. While I Specifically spent my adolescence in RI, Worcester was only a forty-minute ride and most of the shows I attended were out there. I'm less online now, but I have a feeling I know the consensus on this record isn't very hot. Being an over twenty-year-old easycore band in a time where scene bands are nostalgic acts can't be easy. But to be honest I quite enjoyed this one. Analysis paralysis as a record has a lot harder an edge than 2020's Brain Pain . The hardcore elements were never really missing from the Four Year Strong formula, but on this record songs like "aftermath/afterthought" are actual moshable moments, complete with a full breakdown, a lot of intensity and a guitar pedal like a buzzsaw. A part of me wonders if a band like this needs to be put on an indie music blog. I know lately we've shied away from this, but there's talks behind the scenes to ...
Read more