Electro-doom specialists The Bastard Noise hearken back to their ties to Man is the Bastard this week in a progressive noise-sludge split with The Endless Blockade.

Freeway & Jake One offer a funky, malleable hip-hop disc that leans on Freeway’s fiery delivery; The Souljazz Orchestra twirl through funk, Latin, African, down-tempo jazz, and big-band bits.

Meanwhile, Chicago trio Mako Sica reflects a Native American influence via a brooding combination of jangly guitars, reverberated vociferation, and instrumental dynamics, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops blur new and old while beholden to the traditions of Americana and early African-American folk. (more…)