Inside Noise 6/16
If you're a fan of beatdown hardcore, you're probably already familiar with Bay Area up-and-comers Sunami. They just dropped a surprise release with their debut self-titled LP. Blending elements of toughguy hardcore, metalcore, and powerviolence, any fan of heavy music will like this record. And while Sunami comes out swinging with nasty riffs right out the gate, this album only gets progressively heavier and more aggressive. I preferred the second, more intense half of this record, but at under 20 minutes for the entire album, I'll be spinning this entire release on repeat. I wouldn't describe this record as "experimental" or "reinventing the genre", but it's worth a listen! 8/10. - Kalen
For those of you who want to stay on top of new emo releases, I highly recommend this next one. Home Is Where had clearly done their homework; the vocals here crackle and break in a way that draws clear parallels to their skrams forbearers. This new record The Whaler even brings in visual aesthetics from the pre-capn-jazz emo scene to the point where I almost didn't expect them to name their songs. Unlike bands from that time, however, Home Is Where seems not to be so heavily addicted to heroin as to render their music completely impenetrable, and their skillful pop song writing enables the band to cling to the emo spirit while still cashing in on the post-mom-jeans world. Solid job, hope to see more good things from this band. 7/10. - Michael
Legendary Icelandic post-rock outfit Sigur Ros released Atta today. This band is incredibly unique for those who aren't aware; they even invented their own language in order to use vocals without fans trying to interpret their lyrics. Like anything this band does, Atta sends the listener soaring through a shimmery symphonic landscape, propelled by rich strings, heartfelt pianos, and the distinctive Hopelandic vocals. With this record, however, the band steps away from their past as a rock group and sails headfirst into the waters of neoclassicalism, which leaves me as a fan wondering why I'm listening to Sigur Ros and not my local symphony. I still enjoy this one, and I don't hate this direction that the band is going in, but I generally see their work becoming a bit less distinctive over time. 6/10 - Michael
When I first heard teejayx6, I didn't think he was the future of hip hop, but it's starting to look like he may have been. RXKNephew uses the same deadpan tone and goofy lyrics as the great teejay on this new record called The ONEderful Nephew. However, unlike teejay, much of Nephew's material demands to be taken seriously, and in these cases the deadpan delivery actually works surprisingly well. DJ Rude One provides some minimal dark beats common to this style of hip hop, but I generally see this record as harder-hitting and more bass-heavy than most others in the subgenre. Overall, this is yet another surprisingly good release in a consistently surprising ascendent sound in hip hop. 6/10. -Michael
