Marriages: Kitsuné (Sargent House)
“Ride in My Place”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Marriages_Ride_in_My_Place.mp3|titles=Marriages: “Ride in My Place”]Though their union is new, the members of Marriages are veterans of post-rock experimentation, and their self-titled debut challenges the very notion of the sub-genre.
“Wiped Out”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Off_Wiped_Out.mp3|titles=Off!: “Wiped Out”]Sixteen tracks, sixteen minutes, and zero apologies — the first full-length album from Off! is exactly as one would expect. Led by Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris and Burning Brides guitarist Dimitri Coats, the side-project-turned-top-priority is an exercise in punk aesthetics, from the über-short running times to the incensed attitude.
Tombs: Path of Totality (Relapse, 6/7/11)
Brooklyn metal trio Tombs has released three full-length albums via Relapse Records, all to critical acclaim. Currently at the tail end of a European / North American tour promoting the most recent Path of Totality, the band is known for its dynamic, disparate influences that range from heartrendingly melodic to dense and chaotic.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy: Now Here’s My Plan (Drag City, 7/24/12)
Under the Palace name or his popular moniker Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Will Oldham — rarely letting a year pass without releasing a record — has been a monumental voice in folk music for nearly two decades. His staggering repertoire fuses a punk-esque aesthetic and classic Americana style with authenticity that is as thoughtful and honest as it is off-beat.
Sleep: Dopesmoker (reissue) (Southern Lord)
“Dopesmoker” (excerpt)
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Sleep_Dopesmoker_excerpt.mp3|titles=Sleep: “Dopesmoker” (excerpt)]Since its adulterated release and subsequent reissue in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Sleep’s Dopesmoker (also released as Jerusalem) has stood as a monolith of metal. With its weighty, repetitive, hour-long opus, the stoner/doom-metal trio played a pivotal role in the evolution of metal by pushing conventions, well, higher. But under the weight of contractual issues pertaining to its epically lethargic piece, the band broke up before seeing a complete version of Dopesmoker available to the public.
Off!