Delivering what should be one of the year’s best hip-hop albums, rapper B. Dolan teams with Alias for a sociopolitical disc that stays fresh from track to track.
As Mortemia, Norwegian one-man band Morten Veland issues an epic fusion of black metal and classical, with vocals that alternate between growls and grandiose choirs.
And German electro artist Architect drops hard-hitting breakbeats and synthesized industrial with plenty of dance and groove elements. (more…)
Norway, Iceland, and Italy: it’s an all-international edition of This Week’s Best Albums.
Having transitioned from acoustic jazz to a prog-jazz-fusion outfit, Shining now delivers a gargantuan rock release, capturing a progressive industrial sound unlike anything else.
Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason presents a debut that is sorrowful, forceful, harmonic, and delicate — an album that undoubtedly will make year-end lists in classical circles.
Lastly, Italian cutup artist Økapi pays homage to a potentially fake Krygyz composer with a soothing glitch-lounge effort. (more…)
Bob Log III: My Shit is Perfect
After more than a week of springtime, we get great releases with the crazy one-man blues of Bob Log III, the buzz-saw synths and beats of Gouseion, and the down-tuned improv rock of Bushman’s Revenge.
This week also brings outstanding discs via the despairing hardcore of Pulling Teeth, the oud virtuosity of Rahim AlHaj, and the stoner prog of Stinking Lizaveta. (more…)
Hella returns as a duo; Converge posts a studio preview of a new song; Busdriver, Shining (Norway), Om, Russian Circles and Aphex Twin all have new albums on the way. (more…)
Shining (Norway)
CMJ in New York, Voodoo Experience in New Orleans, four great nights at Chicago’s Hideout, — this weekend is packed. Shudder to Think, Shining, Coliseum, Fucked Up, The Eternals, sBACH, Deacon John, and Pillars and Tongues are all among our recommendations to catch live.
The latest album by Norwegian post-prog madmen Shining is a claustrophobic, exciting, and ingenious amalgamation. That album, Grindstone (Rune Grammofon), encompasses elements of bop, funk, and metal. It’s so diverse and accomplished that it has begun winning major Norwegian awards, including the Alarm Award (no relation) for album of the year. (more…)
