Savak "Cut-Ups (EJRC)"
Everytime someone says “guitar rock is dead” a band like Savak jumps up and say – “HEY WE ARE HERE!” And thank the gods that they are – mixing ever record i loved when i was in my ’20s (ok… and my ‘30s… ’40s and–sigh–50’s), Savak love the crap out of such bands as WIRE, The Saints and R.E.M. If you like any of those bands or at least one of them (and i assume you do?) Cut-Ups is the record for you. Plus who doesn’t like horns and rock? I mean i’m not talking about late Chicago (early I’ll give ya for sure), but tracks like “Natural Light” and “Loma Prieta” will actually make you happy when the horn guys step on stage (a first for everything). Check out the aforementioned “Natural Light.”
Werewolf Diskdrive "Werewolf Diskdrive"
Look, the more you know about Werewolf Diskdrive, the more you are gonna love Werewolf Diskdrive. His origin is steeped in mystery (though you can learn more about it at http://werewolfdiskdrive.bigcartel.com/faq). But suffice it to say, Werewolf Diskdrive is a consciousness living in a disk drive at a store called Werewolf Diskdrive that recorded an album called Werewolf Diskdrive (with more than a little help from Eric Elbogen, of the now defunct band Say Hi). Most of the songs are about food or obsolete technology, and are a little bit rap, a little bit lo-fi pop, and a lot of fun. Imagine if Brother JT recorded a hip-hop album, and you are approaching the strange, strange world of Werewolf Diskdrive. Check out the ode to the basest of human desires, “Hamburgers & Hotdogs.”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor "Luciferian Towers (Constellation)"
It’s not easy to be a political, revolutionary band while also being an instrumental post-rock orchestra. Somehow, Godspeed You! Black Emperor have figured out how to do just that with their latest, Luciferian Towers (Constellation). Full of their “most melodic and powerfully positive-sounding music to date” (Pitchfork) LT also includes political screeds via liner notes and press releases demanding “An end to foreign invasions. An end to borders. The total dismantling of the prison-industrial complex. Healthcare, housing, food and water acknowledged as an inalienable human right.” Not an easy trick to be hauntingly beautiful and mad as hell, is it? Well GY!BE certainly pull it off here on their latest majestic, atmospheric release. Check out the first single from the album, the sprawling “Undoing A Luciferian Towers.”
Emptyset "Skin (Thrill Jockey)"
For a duo that “stand at the vanguard of electronic music” (Thrill Jockey’s words, not mine) the fact that Emptyset’s newest release, the EP Skin, was created entirely with acoustic production methods is fascinating. At least, until you start listening to it. By then you’ll completely forget about the production of the music as you are quickly hypnotized by their take on ritual and non-Western music. Drones, texture, rhythm, and structure are focused on here as created by custom stringed instruments, as well as drums and vocals being modulated in real-time. Equal parts sinister and ambient, this mystery of an EP could just as easily signify doom or rebirth to the listener, depending on their headspace. Try to figure out what your headspace is as you check out “Eye II.”