Aster Tracks

Ever heard of Sara Henya? Yea, I know, she’s criminally underrated right now at fifty monthly listeners on streaming. Who she is is a dream and folk pop artist and harp player from Philadelphia, PA who seems to have gotten her start on her YouTube channel and went from there. I personally was drawn to this record by the cover art alone but what I found was so much more. Henya’s music is atmospheric in a way that the scenery she’s singing about in her bard-like presentation is a place she can just about transport you to. I can see myself at the pond on the first track and it isn’t just because of the sound of dripping water or bubbles popping, though I’d be lying if I said that didn’t help. There also seems to be some sort of narrative being told through these tracks but it’s fairly thin and hard to transcribe. All of the fairytale aspects aside, Henya is just a general talent in both her harp playing and vocals; “Walk Through the Woods” is one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard ...

Seattle, WA’s metalcore act Designer Disguise has released their second full length record; Elswaer . My relationship with Designer Disguise has been a bit outside-looking-in up until this point as while this is my first exposure to their music I’ve been hearing about them for quite awhile via the New Noise Podcast, which I personally use to find new records myself. So with the release of a new album and it being regularly advertised to me I thought it was finally time to give this one a listen hoping to find a new metalcore band to champion in a genre I’ve kind of grown weary of over the years. Unfortunately I walk away from this record ultimately unimpressed. Now, to start on a positive note I will say my experience isn’t totally negative. A lot of the electronic aspects of this record, while a bit cheesy once in a while, actually do really grab me and draw attention to highlights of certain songs. Designer Disguise is also exceptional at tension and build up to the heavier sections ...

Ada Rook, one half of Black Dresses, has teamed up with singer, songwriter and pianist Ash Nerve to form new group; Angel Electronics. The band self-describes as “brutal euphoria wave” and, to me, bears resemblance to certain pockets of MySpace bands; see I Set My Friends on Fire, see EATMEWHILEIMHOT!, those types of bands that had this euphoric sensibility that could erupt into a circle pit at any moment with no warning. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I came into this record as a Black Dresses fan wanting to hear more from Rook and she definitely didn’t disappoint. The guitar and bass she provides on this record often offer more than just a cool performance as they help form a constant contrast between fun pop rock songs and then dipping your toes into some hardcore. In spite of why I showed up, however, Ash Nerve really proved themselves to me here. Vocally they keep up with Rook incredibly well and have this beautiful, angelic energy to them. That and I can talk all day about ...

In 2021 I started to really hyper fixate on i.h., the singles to their upcoming Let Me Do One More record as well as the FREE i.h. release from the year before in anticipation of the new record. That record ended up being my number three at year's end, which was kind of surprising to me especially given my first spin of the album. At first, I was disappointed with the mostly slow numbers but as I grew with it I saw them for the emotion they were giving off. In contrast to Free's fun tender punk vibe it wasn't what I was looking for right away. Maybe that's why the first time I listened to Kiss I put it away for almost two years before seeing the band live. In all honesty, Kiss feels like the prototype of LMDOM with its mix of fun songs with big hooks like "Paying off the Happiness" or "Pressed 2 Death," as well as the tender, in tracks like "For Cheez." There are even some odd similarities between the two like the short, to the point ...

Every year I’m always surprised at what my top five records are but never number one. This year I knew Vaxis II as well as Emotional Creature would be the two records that stood above all else. These two not only encapsulated my year, they challenged two of my favorite records of all time; Honeymoon and of course NWFT. When I listened to this to relisten to all of them, this was the only record that gave me goosebumps. I know you aren’t here for Beach Bunny, you’re here for Coheed. I’ve covered half of the Coheed and Cambria records on this blog now, will probably get to the rest and consider all of them integral to my collection. Yes, even the bad one. They say records are a snapshot into the life of who writes them but the thing is they are also that for us, who listen to them. While I wasn’t aware of the band when the first three records dropped I can still remember discovering them through Rock Band and scrambling to download all of their material on LimeWire and listen to all thos...

I knew I was a girl when I was six years old. I can remember living in the first house I have real memories of and a nice woman mowing our grass and picking our weeds every month or so. My father told me she used to be a boy and when I asked him to confirm if “people could really do that” he said they “can but shouldn’t” a sentiment he would also use on changing your name a few years later. I asked my mother too, only this time it was worded as “can a boy grow up to be a girl and a girl grow up to be a boy.” She looked very confused at this and just shook her head with a no. Then I got a little older. I had recurring dreams of being a girl. The most normal things happened in these dreams, just living my day-to-day being comfortable in my own skin. When I had my own computer I tried to find out for myself if it was a possibility for me. This led me down a horrible road, one that had me stalked by a pedophile-chaser hybrid from ages fifteen to twenty-six, one that had me believe the only...

I don’t really do artist of the year as a category but if I did this year it would absolutely go to Pollyanna. My relationship with this band is well documented but as a refresher; I found out about Pollyanna through the livestreamed Good Noise Festival in 2020, where I watched them put on a set that has stuck with me two years later. From there I was hooked on their Sugar Coat EP and included its deluxe version on my top EPs list the year after it truly came out. (This was due to its December release, though I might be reworking my year end rules for next year.) After that I was hungry for more. I tried hard to get my local promoter to notice Pollyanna so that they would come over to PVD. I’m not sure I had a hand in it but they did. I got to see them alongside shallow pools, Fox Teeth and more in my hometown. At that show I was just a few feet away from a band that had become a fast favorite and I chickened out of saying hello. But let me explain! This was before I came out as trans ...