The Bronx: IV (ATO / White Drugs, 2/5/13)
What better way to rock out than with the down-‘n’-dirty moves of a few muscle-bound beefcakes? The Bronx’s “Youth Wasted” video needs little more introduction. Enjoy.
Stop-motion stick-figure killing spree: Black Pus and the “1000 Years” video
Black Pus: All My Relations (Thrill Jockey, 3/19/13)
Lightning Bolt drummer/vocalist Brian Chippendale has released solo material as Black Pus since 2006, first via self-released CDs (with a foundation in experimental jazz) and then via Load Records and now Thrill Jockey (with a poppier formula).
His video for “1000 Years” isn’t of the hyper-colored variety of his and Lightning Bolt’s album art, but it’s entertaining in an entirely different way, with more than 1000 pages of digitized flip-book sketches from Chippendale’s childhood. Watch as our protagonist fights through hordes of bad guys with little more than a trusty sword and a million arrows.
Interview: Pig Destroyer on channeling humanity’s dark side
Pig Destroyer: Book Burner (Relapse, 10/23/12)
“The Diplomat”
In a particularly furious burst of grindcore, Book Burner, Pig Destroyer’s first album since 2007, opens with “Sis,” a densely compacted tune about a woman escaping from a mental institution. Fleeing the scene in her brother’s car, she “grins from ear to ear like a death’s head” as the volatile effects of refusing her medication overtake her mind. Front-man/lyricist J
“Sis” introduces the notions of escape and resilience that recur throughout Book Burner’s lyrical landscape. But the song also functions as a fitting analogy for the band’s entire body of work, which delves unflinchingly into realms of psychosis and sexually charged violence.
Riddim and soul: AM & Shawn Lee return with bass-heavy “Two Times”
Sadly, there’s no Wyclef here…but don’t let that stop you from enjoying “Two Times,” a new single from singer-songwriter AM and funky multi-culturalist Shawn Lee.
Nose-picking couch-rapping: Dark Time Sunshine, Aesop Rock & Swamburger in “Take My Hand” video
Dark Time Sunshine: ANX (Fake Four, 7/24/12)
Consisting of Grayskul’s Onry Ozzborn and producer Zavala, Dark Time Sunshine is a lesser-known gem in underground hip hop. The duo’s newest album, ANX, is a diverse offering with quite a few standout guests, including P.O.S, Aesop Rock, Busdriver, and more — one worth exploring.
Here’s the new video for “Take My Hand,” featuring Swamburger and Aesop (who spends most of it picking his nose).
Interview: Ambient-rock super-group Jodis on embracing life
Jodis: Black Curtain (Hydra Head, 10/2/13)
“Silent Temple”
With its second album of dense and melodic noise-scapes, Jodis — the long-distance collaboration between Isis’s Aaron Turner (vocals, effects) and Khanate’s James Plotkin (guitar, effects) and Tim Wyskida (drums) — drives home the idea that what you don’t hear is just as important as what you do.
Nearly devoid of traditional percussion and song structure, Jodis is as “normal” as it gets for Plotkin, whose myriad musical endeavors also have included the sonically similar Lotus Eaters (with Turner) and the pioneering art doom of Khanate. For Turner, however, Black Curtain and its sibling Secret House represent a distinct turn away from what fans of Isis might expect.
“We wanted to take a minimal approach to all the instrumentation,” Turner says. “Space, breath, and atmosphere were always the focal points.”
MP3 Premiere: Balance and Composure’s “You Can’t Fix Me” and “Say”
Braid / Balance and Composure split EP (No Sleep, 2/26/13)
“You Can’t Fix Me”
Balance and Composure: “You Can’t Fix Me”
“Say”
Next week No Sleep Records is releasing a split EP that pairs the old and new guards of indie rock. Each with a couple of brand-new tracks, the recently reactivated Braid and the up-and-coming Balance and Composure both are following an extended player with another quick dose of pretty and emotional rock tunes.