Ms. John Soda: Loom
After such a long hiatus we hoped for more zeal from Ms. John Soda, but Loom does not sound like a band rested, refreshed, and ready for action.
Benjamin Hedge Olson
Myrkur: M
M is a black metal album at heart, haunting and evocative.
Ghost: Meliora (take 2)
The songs on Meliora are triumphant hymns to the Morning Star that will stick in your head from now until Armageddon.
Evan Caminiti: Meridian
At its best, this type of music should evoke half-forgotten childhood memories of snowstorms or high fevers.
Nozinja: Nozinja Lodge
A listener with an open mind, a tolerance for video game music, and a great deal of energy for dancing will find in Nozinja Lodge a unique, carnivalesque sound.
Flying Saucer Attack: Instrumentals
Instrumentals balances simplicity and depth, abrasiveness and beauty, with rare skill, reminding anyone who does not already know that Flying Saucer Attack are masters of this type of music.
RP Boo: Fingers, Bank Pads, and Shoe Prints
If listeners can immerse themselves in the repetition, let go, and stop fighting it. The results can be transcendent.
Drudkh: A Furrow Cut Short
Drudkh seem content to offer us another predicable yet satisfying slab of black metal.
Coliseum: Anxiety’s Kiss
This is hard rock music in 2015 at its most fun, relevant, and genre-crossing.
Lightning Bolt: Fantasy Empire
In the end, this is exactly what we have come to expect from Lightning Bolt; a set list of fuzzy, overwhelming, noise rock that keeps it simple while never missing its target.
William S. Burroughs’ Ugly Spirit, Resurrected
Barry Miles' work depicts a complicated human being and visionary artist who has too often been dehumanized and made one-dimensional.
The Balkan Clarinet Summit: Many Languages, One Soul
The Balkan Clarinet Summit has produced one of the most soulful, enjoyable, and diverse collaborative albums in some time.