Blood Bright Star The Silver Head King of the Monsters Records Released: 7.14 Blood Bright Star is the work of Reuben Sawyer , a visual artist who apparently has a thing for darkly shaped hypnotic motion.  Sawyer's newest LP, The Silver Head , is rich with bass-driven loops and floating guitar textures, sort of a Bauhaus/Joy Division bleakness met with the propulsive and lengthily composed nature of Neu! .  He refers to this as "Death Motorik," and this categorization makes perfect sense. Comprised of four tracks, The Silver Head is a solid and isolated metronome enveloped by fuzzy guitar sounds and low end.  While Sawyer's vocal is shrouded by effects, it fits naturally within the framework he's constructed, his words obscured declarations that seem more poetic than musical.  "I am the body/shrouded in stone..." he says in the album's opening track, "Ash Through the Aethyr," his musings somewhat existential, theologically subj

Daniel Lanois : "Opera" (via Big Mouth Publicity/ The Wall Street Journal /Anti-/YouTube) Karl J. Paloucek : "Sail" (via Latest Flame Records/YouTube) Full Of Hell/Merzbow : "Gordion Knot" (via Rarely Unable/Soundcloud) Baptists : "Calling" (via Rarely Unable/Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Shellac Dude Incredible Touch and Go Records Released: 9.16.14 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Reissue label extraordinaire, Superior Viaduct, is prepping some more out-of-print and/or obscure excellence to be released this November from proto-punk crazies electric eels , No Wave figurehead Glenn Branca and composer Alain Goraguer .  I'm especially excited about the Branca reissue, which is his solo debut, The Ascension .  I've had this album on my wishlist for many years, so I'm glad I waited on picking it up since a proper 12" edition will be available in the coming months. All info is provided courtesy of Howlin' Wuelf Media.  Superior Viaduct releasing archival albums from electric eels, Glenn Branca and Alain Goraguer in November The highly ambitious and ever-so-discerning re-issue label Superior Viaduct label will be releasing their next batch of releases on November 25. Cleveland's electric eels (all lower case in homage to poet e.e. cummings ) is America's quintessential proto-punk band. Formed in 1972 by singer Dave E. McManus

Aperiodic / Mala In Se / Joe 4 / Knife The Symphony Double-Split 7" Phratry Records Released: 5.14 If you'd like to know what Phratry Records is about, this isn't a bad place to start. The label's 42nd release, this 4-song double-split 7" features the bands Aperiodic , Mala In Se , Joe 4 and Knife The Symphony , a selection of bands that range from artful shapeless oddities to quick-and-to-the-point riff-motive noise rock.  And, since we are living in a digital world, an additional four songs are available with the accompanying download. If you need a quick and solid recommendation, I bought this after listening to it via Bandcamp .  Otherwise, here's what you'll find: Aperiodic — Synthesizers lather the unsteady arrhythmia of "Something That Satisfies Me," Aperiodic's queasy lack of symmetry presented like a drunk's litany of complaints complete with the irregular rattling in his head.  "Scene Crush" follows as s

Last month, I posted "New Dark Ages" from A World Lit Only By Fire , the upcoming new LP from industrial metal pioneers, Godflesh . Today, another track from the album surfaced called, "Imperator."  I think a listen is in order.  Check below.  A World Lit Only By Fire will be out October 6th.  You can check out information on the release below, which was provided courtesy of Rarely Unable.  GODFLESH RELEASE NEW SONG "IMPERATOR" FROM A WORLD LIT ONLY BY FIRE, THEIR FIRST ALBUM IN 13 YEARS   RELEASE DATE: 6 OCTOBER Godflesh have released a new track off their upcoming full-length A World Lit Only By Fire to be released on October 6th via Avalanche Recordings. Titled after the ancient Roman translation for commander, "Imperator" is a tempestuous and tyrannical spew of industrial sounds, battered out by down-tuned eight-string guitar, scuzzed-up bass-lines and rapid-fire double pedal kicks, all driven forward at a marching pace by the

It was announced months ago that Dischord Recors would be releasing Fugazi 's First Demo , the earliest recordings of tracks that would later comprise the band's eponymous debut EP, the 3 Songs EP and Repeater .  Though never officially released, most of these tracks were recorded onto cassette and distributed at shows.  First Demo will include "Turn Off Your Guns," which had been left off the original cassette. (Cover photo by Andy Perseponko) Dischord has been issuing a lot of demo releases over the last few years, having issued S.O.A. 's First Demo 12/29/80 earlier this year, Rites Of Spring 's Six Song Demo in 2012, Faith 's Subject To Change plus First Demo and Void 's Sessions 1981-83 which were both released in 2011 and Complete Session, Nov '81 by Artificial Peace .  Minor Threat 's First Demo Tape was released in 2003.   With this kind of legacy, there's obviously a wealth of unreleased material to delve into and pu

Sleep "The Clarity" 12 " (no label) Released: 9.14 *Mesmerizing. **Trippy. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Stephon Alexander & Rioux : "Running From The Cosmos" (via Friend Of Friends/ THUMP /YouTube) Grouper : "Call Across Rooms" (via Rarely Unable/Soundcloud) Pyrrhon : "Sleeper Agent" (via Earsplit PR/ Metal Sucks /YouTube) Split Red : "Un Poco Foco" (via Fully Altered Media/ Noisey /YouTube) Doomsday Student : "Lifeboat Blues" (via Us-Them Group/ Three.One.G /Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Yesterday, I took a drive over to Siren Records to investigate the stock and maybe pick up an album or two.  Of my list, only one new release that I wanted was available (which I'll discuss later in one my of "Bought of 2014" articles), though I was contemplating picking up the new Merchandise LP.  They had a couple copies and I keep hearing that it's great, so I may try and sample a track or two and pick it up during a return trip.  I was also looking for the new Blonde Redhead album, but had apparently come a little early.  Vinyl editions are supposed to be out this week according to one of the clerks and the CD wasn't in stock.  I also searched for the Freddie Gibbs/Madlib album, Piñata , which I've been wanting to pick up for a while now.  I may have to just buy that one directly from Stones Throw.  Some beautiful editions of Mastodon 's Remission reissue were available, though no Once More 'Round The Sun on vinyl or CD, which was also disap

Pretty excited about this one:  Atriarch will be releasing a new album this Fall called An Unending Pathway .  This will be Atriarch's first LP for Relapse Records.  The teaser single from the album, "Collapse," was released a couple days ago and it's a strong and enticing preview into the album, dark and chaotic at points, battered rhythm and chunky low end.  There's a ritualistic bent to it as well, the vocals somewhat ceremonial and the soundscape dense as if filling out a spacious hall or temple. You can check out the track below and I would recommend reading the info I've posted, which was provided by Earsplit PR.  There are pre-order links as well. ATRIARCH: Ritualistic Death/Doom Collective To Release An Unending Pathway Via Relapse Records This Fall  Teaser Track Posted + Preorders Available   Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, ATRIARCH is a mesmerizing death/doom metal force encompassing haunting atmospheres and droning avalanches of

Tera Melos : "Sunburn" (via Us-Them Group/YouTube) TV On The Radio : "Happy Idiot" (via TV On The Radio/YouTube) Sinoia Caves : "Forever Dilating Eye" (via Jagjaguwar/YouTube) Obake : "M" (via Rarely Unable/Soundcloud) il sogno del marinaio : "Skinny Cat" (via Howlin' Wuelf Media/YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehea d