Sludge metal beasts and sons of Baton Rouge, Thou , have, with the aid of Thrill Jockey Records, pulled together a compilation release to help benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank following the floods that devastated the area in 2016 .  Featured are, of course, Thou along with The Body & Full of Hell , SUMAC , Yob 's Mike Scheidt and Old Man Gloom to name a few.  You can find a compilation trailer, some sample tracks, and information on the compilation below, all courtesy of Thrill Jockey Records.  Many Waters : Baton Rouge Flood Relief 2017 by Various Artists Thrill Jockey & Thou present: Many Waters: Baton Rouge Flood Relief 2017 - Out now Featuring exclusive singles and live tracks from: The Body & Full of Hell, Thou, SUMAC, Aseethe, Old Man Gloom, Mike Scheidt of Yob and many more All proceeds to benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Watch trailer by Chariot of Black Moth here: https://youtu.be/frnmB4WynrY Many Waters: Ba...

Rebecca Foon : "I Only Wish This For You" (via Rarely Unable/ Constellation Records /Soundcloud) King Champion Sounds : "Fool Throttle" (via mutante inc./ KCS Press /Bandcamp) Hauschka : "Familiar Things Disappear" (Terrorbird/ Temporary Residence Ltd. /YouTube) Oozepus : "CYN" (via Earsplit PR/ Malignant Records /Soundcloud) Joy : "Cut to the Nerve" ( Blood & Ink Records / Decibel Magazine /YouTube) No Joy : "Califone" (via Forcefield PR/ Grey Market / NPR /YouTube) Sunless : "Urraca" (via Earsplit PR/ Bandcamp ) Urraca by Sunless Parlor Walls : "Play Opposites" (via Northern Spy Records/Bandcamp) Opposites by Parlor Walls Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Uniform Wake in Fright Sacred Bones Records Released: 1.20.17 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Channels released a new two-song single on Inauguration Day called "Backpfeifengesicht" b/w "Airstrip One", which timely documents the band's thoughts on the new commander-in-chief and the problems of xenophobia.  If you need some idea as to how the band aligns politically, "backpfeifengesicht" roughly translates to "a face in search of a lead pipe."   So, that should clear up any questions. You can give it a listen below.  The single can purchased at Dischord Records .  If you like what you hear, please support the band.   "Backpfeifengesicht" b/w "Airstrip One" by Channels Found at Bandcamp Daily . Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

"Yes I know this is politically correct But it comes to you spiritually direct An attempt to thoughtfully affect Your way of thinking That is if you believe in race Or that you were born in the right time or place This is a thought about face Your way of thinking Your way of... And the same could be said For all the people lying dead For them to die was a distraction And what they found out a bit too late Got covered up with all that hate And now its nothing but reaction If you have to carry a gun To keep your fragile seat at number one This is a bullet you can't outrun Your way of thinking So wait and see it's coming round Conscripted through the lost and found And still we find so tightly wound Your way of thinking Your way of... And the same could be said For all the people lying dead For them to die was a distraction And what they found out a bit too late Got covered up with all that hate And now it's nothing but reaction Action, Reaction, Action, Reaction." ...

Guy Blakeslee of Entrance has released a new protest track called, "Not Gonna Say Your Name," a folk-blues penned as indictment of our President-elect, Donald Trump .  Blakeslee is offering the track for $1 with all proceeds being funneled directly to Planned Parenthood , an organization currently under threat of having its funding cut by the incoming administration.  You can check out the track here: Not Gonna Say Your Name by ENTRANCE From Thrill Jockey Records: With the Presidential inauguration almost upon us, ENTRANCE releases brand new protest song 'Not Gonna Say Your Name' All proceeds donated to Planned Parenthood Buy it here now ENTRANCE's warming new album Book of Changes out February 24th on Thrill Jockey  Today Los Angeles based musician Guy Blakeslee (aka ENTRANCE ), releases a new track, 'Not Gonna Say Your Name,' in advance of the President-elect’s impending inauguration. Blakeslee says of the song, “I really wanted to...

thisquietarmy Métamorphose Grains of Sand Released: 2.13.17 For those relatively familiar with the often unsettling nature of thisquietarmy 's ambient output, Métamorphose , the project's latest release, may sound a tad relaxed.  While molding tonal environs that do much to lull ones conscious self into sedate levels of being with the opening track, " Tu aimerais parfois te retirer de ta matière," t he array of echoing signals in "En y glissant ton esprit comme dans un gant neuf " brings to mind some of Cluster 's earliest sounds motifs, fields of sonic grit arriving slowly in an effort to swallow up the expanse.  It's an immersive listen to say the least and once the 11+ minutes of "Tu manierais ta peau afin de l’attendrir" begin to take shape, the rather somber pluck of reverberating strings calling out against its hazy backdrop, you're thankful to have an excuse for the moment of contemplation or personal reflection this track...

Pissed Jeans : "Ignorecam"  (via Sub Pop /YouTube) Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble : "Undying Love for Humanity" (via mutante-inc./ Drag City /Soundcloud) Unearthly Trance : "Famine" (Earsplit PR/ Cvlt Nation / Relapse Records /Soundcloud) David Bowie : "No Plan" (via YouTube) Monolord : "Lord of Suffering" (Us-Them Group/ Metal Injection / RidingEasy Records /YouTube) Pharmakon : "Trasmission" (via Rarely Unable/ Sacred Bones Records /Soundcloud) Equinox : "Goodbye (feat. Dementio13 )" (via Shameless Promotion/Soundcloud) Ummagma : "Winter Tale" (via Shameless Promotion/Bandcamp) Winter Tale by Ummagma Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

'Twas the season...  Wire Nocturnal Koreans Pinkflag Released: Caught Wire 's Nocturnal Koreans mini-LP just before 2016 elapsed thanks to my wife who has, interestingly, managed to gift me one Wire album over the last (now) three Christmases.  I think I got the Document & Eyewitnesses compilation in 2014 and Wire's s/t LP last year.  I wouldn't call this a bad tradition. While I really liked the title track when the album came out, I'll admit this isn't my favorite of the band's recent output.  I may need to give it a few more listens.  I would never accuse the band of phoning it in so to speak, but maybe plateauing a bit.  Either way, I'm always happy to be expanding my collection of Wire LPs. Flying Lotus You're Dead Warp Released: 10.6.14 You're Dead by Flying Lotus slipped by me in 2014 and has been on the "I'll get to it someday" wishlist for the past couple of years.  I should've jumped on ...

Obviously, I have my copy.  And now you can have a copy, too, without paying any jacked-up, opportunistic prices online.   Sleep 's "The Clarity" 12" is finally being put out officially by Southern Lord Records on February 10th in editions of either black, white, or orange vinyl.  There are some t-shirt/hoodie combo offers as well.    You can click here to pre-order. All info comes courtesy of Earsplit PR. SLEEP's "The Clarity" 12" Receives Official Pressing Via Southern Lord; Preorders Now Live This February, Southern Lord will re-release SLEEP's "The Clarity," a special 12" containing the first new song from the band in over two decades. Initially released digitally as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program in 2014, "The Clarity" is the first new SLEEP track the band has released since their critically-adored, life-changing, 1998-issued Dopesmoker album. Afterward, the band issued a very limited...

E : "Great Light"  (via Thrill Jockey Records /YouTube) Uniform : "The Killing Of America" (via Rarely Unable/ Sacred Bones /Soundcloud) Droughts : "Welcome Back" ( Skeletal Lightning / Invisible Oranges /YouTube) Dan Deacon : "Opal Toad Segement" from the upcoming compilation, I Said No Doctors! (via Us-Them Group/ Dymaxion Groove / Stereogum /Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

This was another very quiet year from me.  Regrettable as that is, it was an unfortunate aspect of my current professional situation, which I'm hoping levels off in the next couple of weeks.  I'm going to make the same promises I made last year, which was to be more visible, more active, and more engaging.  In the meantime, even though I didn't get to write much about it, I still heard a lot of great music in 2016.  So, I was at least able to come up with a list of my favorites that I hope you all enjoy.  I also hope that, if you disagree, you can comment or hit me up via email.  I'd be happy to debate or discuss. 2016 began without much time to absorb the death of Lemmy Kilmister before the world lost David Bowie .  As if to set a precedent for how the year was going to play out, Bowie's death seemed the starting point for a ridiculous streak of musical losses that I just grew numb to after a while:  Glenn Frey , Phife Dawg , Prince , Sharon Jo...

Missed this one in 2016: Our Birth is but a Sleep and a Forgetting by IT's NOT NIGHT: IT'S SPACE came out mid-June via Small Stone Records and found its way to my ears thanks to a series of shows the band will be playing this month starting tonight in Boston.   And there is a Philly stop at the Kung Fu Necktie.  I'd recommend giving this album a listen because it's better than watching the news.  Well, that and you're likely to be on board if you're into Hawkwind , Grails , and Om .  It looks like vinyl copies of the album are out of stock, but CDs and downloads are still available if you want to own this after giving it the virtual spin via the embedded Bandcamp player below.  Our Birth is but a Sleep and a Forgetting by It’s Not Night: It’s Space All links and tour info are brought to you courtesy of Earsplit PR. IT'S NOT NIGHT: IT'S SPACE: Psychedelic Space Rock Instrumentalists Kick Off New Year Mini-Tour Tonight "There are ce...

I agonize over these fucking things. About midway through November, I started pulling tracks for this year's 2016 mix with a few must-haves in place before building each of them out with good lead-ins and bridge tracks.  And then, editing, filling gaps, fades...etc.  I'm mostly happy with how this year's selections worked out, but truthfully I could probably start all over again and assemble an entirely new mix at this point. The only must-have I later reconsidered was David Bowie 's "Lazarus."  It just didn't fit with the rest of the comp and it was too much of a bummer.  I thought "Anthrocene" from Nick Cave 's Skeleton Tree and "String Reprise/Treaty" from Leonard Cohen 's You Want It Darker LP provided enough of a sad bastard treatment, not to mention "False Readings On" from the Eluvium album of the same name, which I used as more of a melancholy transition track.  Bowie's "Sue (Or In A Season of ...