Grayceon: Pearl and the End of Days EP (Flenser, 2/12/13)
“Pearl”
As the art of the full-length grows weaker with the rise of the digital era, 30 minutes of music practically qualifies as a double album for some artists. Not so for cello-metal trio Grayceon, whose upcoming EP Pearl and the End of Days nearly hits a half-hour in just two epic tracks.
Brokeback: Brokeback and the Black Rock (Thrill Jockey, 1/22/13)
With more than a little reverb, a sense of wide-open space, and a strong kinship with Americana, Brokeback and Black Rock is what instrumental albums should be. There is no struggle with absent vocals; these are complete compositions, finished and evocative.
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Marriages: Kitsuné (Sargent House, 5/1/12)
“Ride in My Place”
Emma Ruth Rundle has a belated Christmas gift for you. While most of us braved awkward reunions with relatives last winter, the guitarist/singer and her new band Marriages were cooped up in a studio, challenging the very notion of what it means to be “post-rock.”
Subscription-style releases have boomed lately, with the popularity of websites like Kickstarter and Quarterly Co. acting as convenient tools. In 2013, Joyful Noise Recordings joins the action with a yearlong slate of flexi-disc releases from kick-ass bands.
Hopewell: Another Music EP (Tee Pee, 9/11/12)
Before you hit play, the video for psych-rock quintet Hopewell’s cover of Brian Eno’s “Needle in the Camel’s Eye” seems firmly rooted in the 1970s. It’s a ’70s song, inspired by two performance–art pieces from the ’70s…this should be a throwback, right? Watch it and prepare for a wild juxtaposition.
French metalcore quartet Vera Cruz makes its mosh-inducing US debut next week, and with it comes “Black Walls,” the album’s most unexpected twist.
This content appears in the iPad-exclusive ALARM 39. Download it for free and subscribe to our new print edition.
[Photo by Matthew Williams taken at Hotel Americano, New York.]
The Magnetic Fields: Love at the Bottom of the Sea (Merge, 3/6/12)
“Andrew in Drag”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/The_Magnetic_Fields_Andrew_in_Drag.mp3|titles=The Magnetic Fields: “Andrew in Drag”]Stephin Merritt must have sonar. Whether helming The Magnetic Fields or penning songs for films and musicals, he finds depth in even the shallowest of topics and creates meaning by exploring meaninglessness. The title of his new, self-produced album, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, hints at this process as it summons daydreams about mermaids, pirates, and amorous octopi.