Aseethe "Throes (Thrill Jockey)"
If’n you are in the mood for some doom-y, gloom-y, riff-fueled metal sounds-then look no further than Aseethe. Throes (Thrill Jockey) is exactly what you want (assuming you want I said you might want). The trio is in sharp form here, with the drums leading the squelchy guitars and inhuman howls forward (but in a good way, not in like a teen’s first band way). Check out the powerful “No Realm.”
Dommengang "No Keys (Thrill Jockey)"
Oh man, do I like this new Dommengang record! No Keys (Thrill Jockey) is full of some jammy, throwback psych rock that wouldn’t be out of place on a comp of unknown psych bands from the ‘70s (if it wasn’t for the sonic fidelity that the future can afford a band). Recorded live in studio with minimal overdubs, this is the one baby. Groovy! Right on! Peace, man! Um… you get the idea. So dust off your love beads (how did they get so dirty anyway?) and polish your mood ring, because you are gonna need it. Bliss out to the righteous jam that is “Kudzu.”
Maps "Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss. (Mute)"
Wow. I’m not being colorful here or anything when I say this new Maps record is GORGEOUS! Lush, emotive, full of builds and drop-offs. Its got big moments and intimate moments, beautiful melodies, big orchestral production mixed with Maps’ electronic sounds he’s known for. Seriously. This one is a big winner. Its a little like Spirituality meets M83 mixed with Van Dyke Parks. Check out “Just Reflecting” and get ready to fall in with the whole damn thing.
She Keeps Bees "Kinship (Ba Da Bing!)"
Meditative. Contemplative. Hypnotic. These are all words that came to mind when listening to the new LP from She Keeps Bees (they are also words that come to mind when I watch a baseball game, but that is a story for another blurb). Kinship (Ba Da Bing!) leaves behind the distorted guitars of past albums and replaces them with oodles of strings, synths, organs, and groovy drum beats. Obviously, in touch with the surroundings of their upstate New York home, the band sings about nature, animals, love, loss, and everything in between. Howl along with “Coyote.”