Do we like the sound of desperate hardcore? Numero Group just issued "Everysong" by The Hated, which isn't too far removed from the Hüsker-branded throat-tearing and raw emotional investment the Mould/Grant/Norton combo could generate. The track is audibly honest. Speed pushes the sincerity of the harsh instrumentation forward, but the vocal almost smothers everything beneath. The recording sounds like it was handled live. If Numero Group is planning to reissue this track in a physical format, I hope the mastering doesn't clean up the audio.  Track costs a buck at Bandcamp.  Everysong by The Hated Notes from the Bandcamp page: After the departure of original Hated rhythm section Colin Meeder and Mike Bonner, a new version of the group cropped up in former Spastic Rats drummer Kenny Hill’s basement in late ’86. The Hated had been on ice for a year with Dan Littleton expelled from school and Erik Fisher in college, but returned to Annapolis in with a youthful politic...

Due to the current pandemic, and following a successful campaign in March, Bandcamp is again waiving its fee to help fund the artists that utilize its platform in an effort to minimize the loss of revenue many of them are experiencing thanks to tour cancellations . Starting May 1st, Bandcamp will be repeating this fundraising effort for the first Friday of every month, the next two being June 5th and July 3rd. So, here are some Bandcamp links you should check out: 20 Buck Spin —  https://listen.20buckspin.com/ 577 Records —  https://577records.bandcamp.com/ Brave Mysteries —  https://bravemysteries.bandcamp.com/ Castle Face Records —  https://castlefacerecords.bandcamp.com/ Dark Operative —  https://darkoperative.bandcamp.com/ Deathbomb Arc —  https://deathbombarc.bandcamp.com/ DFA Records —  https://dfarecords.bandcamp.com/ Drag City —  https://dragcity.bandcamp.com/ Erased Tapes —  https://erasedtapes.bandcamp.com/ Exp...

In an effort to help raise money for the World Health Organization (WHO), the good people at VeniVersus have compiled a benefit release called Love In The Time Of Covid. The compilation is available to purchase at the label's Bandcamp  and features previously unreleased material. All proceeds will help fund the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund . You can sample the release below. Love In The Time Of Covid by Various Artists Roster:  Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Luna), Idaho, Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), Mark Rolfe (Lorna), Lycia, Matt Christensen (Zelienople), Jessica Bailiff, Barzin, Jon DeRosa (Aarktica), Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Come), Remora, Yellow6, Shores, Lullabier, Thorn1, If Thousands, and Coastal. Via VeniVerses: All proceeds will go to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund ( covid19responsefund.org ), supporting WHO’s work to track and understand the spread of the virus, to ensure patients get the care they need and frontline worke...

An album both despairing and lovely, I’ve been listening to Saltland ’s second LP, A Common Truth , over the last week or so. The solo moniker of Rebecca Foon , co-founder of Esmerine and member of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra , Saltland’s latest LP is a composed reflection on climate change and its environmental and social impact. With a fascinating marriage of electronic/ambient elements and rich, textural string arrangements, plus instrumental assistance from Warren Ellis of The Dirty Three and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds , Foon’s commanding presence, both instrumentally and vocally, moves through this piece with a captivating blend of emotion and warmth. I find her vocal in “I Only Wish This For You,” particularly haunting, her inflection breathy and kind of devastating. On the instrumental track “Forward Eyes I,” it’s as if you can hear the promise of a new day being slowly eradicated as time elapses, opportunity fading into the ether as daylight fades. A C...

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...

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

For today, I have an avant/ambient treat directly from Constellation Records . In anticipation of three new debut releases from Jason Sharpe , Off World , and Automatisme , the good people at Constellation saw fit to compile and share two tracks from each release.  I gave the tracks a listen earlier today and very much enjoyed the lengthy, dystopian chill of Automatisme's "Simultanéité 1," and the infestation of plucked strings that carry Jason Sharpe's "A Boat Upon Its Blood (Part 1)."  I was also taken by the very loose "Wonder Farm" from Off World, its frontier-ist twang strange against the seesaw tumble of artificial swats of percussion.   You can sample the tracks below: Release information and links were provided by Rarely Unable.  If you like what you hear, please head over to Constellation and spend a couple bucks. CONSTELLATION SHARE NEW MUSIC FROM THREE DEBUT ALBUMS; INCLUDING NEW RELEASES FROM OFF WORLD, AUTOMATISME & JASO...

For twenty years, Brian John Mitchell of Silber Records has been independently releasing ambient and drone projects from numerous performers and bands while publishing zines and comic books and holding down paid gigs in the real world.  While I have written about some of Silber's releases in the past, I thought I'd take the opportunity to throw a spotlight on the label by posting about three new releases for June.  If you like what you hear, I encourage you to head over to the site and spend a couple bucks.   Yellow6 Springsun/Conrad#2 Silber Records Released: 5.30.16 See that cover?  That's exactly what Yellow6 's two-track Springsun/Conrad#2 release sounds like.  Gorgeous and vast, it's the type of lush and ambient arrangement you want to hear as dawn transitions into morning.  You can purchase the album digitally here . springsun by Yellow6    Chvad SB Phenomenalism, Cartesian Doubt and Bomb #20 Silber Records Released: 5.3...

Cetus "Bowhead" single Dullest Records Released: 4.10.16 Following last year's excellent album, The Remnant Mass , the loud 'n' local metallurgists Cetus have released a new single, "Bowhead." Exciting and nuanced, I'll let the track speak for itself. Listen below: Bowhead Single by Cetus The Remnant Mass is available for purchase digitally or on CD at Dullest Records .  If you like the single, I urge you to pick up a copy of the album. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Signor Benedick The Moor Maiden Voyage Suite EP Released: 1.4.16 Signor Benedick The Moor ’s 11-plus minute “Maiden Voyage Suite” is a multi-tiered protest song, its topical stanzas and overall tone enhanced heavily by some venturesome instrumentation and production decisions.  As a virtual A-side of a two-track digital EP, Benedick’s efforts are comparable at times to the more creatively aspirational selections of Outkast ’s discography, his flow syllabically urgent overtop wiry guitar sounds and zippy synthesizer arpeggiation.  The rhythmically schizophrenic “12:00AM” features Jonathan Snipes and Daveed Diggs of clipping. , the track itself a prog-centric smattering of tonal and compositional liberty.  While the generative mood of the song is dark overall, the changes enable its performers to play a little with their delivery, showcasing well their versatility.  It also doesn’t hurt that they threw in a nice little Curtis Mayfield reference. You can s...

In the interest of rock n' roll, I'm sharing this mixtape curated by the good people at RidingEasy Records.  Details and tracklist have been provided by Us/Them Group. Enjoy. Southern California label RidingEasy Records celebrates the end of a massive year and gives a peek at more ass-kickery to come in 2016 with the RidingEasy Winter 2016 Mixtape. Presented by KR3W , the mix features new, unreleased tracks from forthcoming albums by Electric Citizen and Mondo Drag . Hear & share HERE . FREE download HERE .   The 14-song set also includes tracks from many RidingEasy bands with releases in 2015, like Monolord , Sons of Huns , Slow Season , Spelljammer , Holy Serpent and more. Please see complete track listing below.   Limited edition CDs will be available FREE with orders at the top of 2016 while supplies last via ridingeasyrecords.com and distributed at skate shops throughout the USA, Japan, Europe and Australia. Available for free download now! TRACKLI...

In conjunction with I Heart Noise and Boston Becomes Eclectic , the Boston Not LA compilation series has released its fourth installment featuring some oddsound selections from performers like Anda Volley , Skyjelly and Clown .  And then a song like "College Radio" by The Prefab Messiahs provides some straight-forward garage sounds to balance out the sequence. You can give it a listen here.  It's worth checking out. Boston Not LA 4 by I Heart Noise Hearing this does make me think that there should be a Philly Not New York series out there, like the world would be a better place if such a platform were available for our often overlooked city and the myriad talents it's likely to hold.  Would there be any interest? Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Justin Broadrick ( Godflesh, Jesu ) is releasing a new EP from his JK Flesh project called Nothing Is Free , which will be available for purchase via the "pay what you like" model.  I guess one could shoot for irony and try and pay nothing for the release so as to simply challenge what the title states rather plainly, but that would be really corny and you'd be ripping off the artist.  So far this is a digital only release and you can purchase via the link below.  I myself haven't listened to this yet but, being a fan of Broadrick's other work, I figured this would be worth acknowledgment.  If it sucks, I apologize. Links and info were provided by Rarely Unable PR. JK FLESH RELEASES NEW EP, NOTHING IS FREE , AVAILABLE NOW VIA BANDCAMP, PAY-AS-YOU-LIKE    JK Flesh, the alter-ego of dark industrial pioneer Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, Final, Techo-Animal), has just released a new nine-track EP entitled Nothing Is Free via Broadrick's own Aval...

Can Can Heads Can Can Heads is Ruining the Classics (self-released) Released: 2.14.15 Can Can Heads is a Finnish noise rock band that recently decided to take recognizable hit songs and reinterpret them in a manner less style conscious and reverentially accurate than sloppily aggro and fit to mock in the spirit of fun.  Targeted for inspiration are Survivor , Michael Jackson , Van Halen and The MC5 , the songs retitled for humor's sake, ("Peel It" for instance instead of "Beat It.") Released digitally on Valentine's Day, Can Can Heads is Ruining the Classics is available to purchase through Bandcamp along with one of the best album summations I've ever read: "Planning this 'release' took as long as it took to record them. Recorded in mono with one track tape recorder PA-Pak 07/02/2015." Can Can Heads is Ruining the Classics by Can Can Heads Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I received an email from Controlled Burn Records Monday afternoon detailing the new release from ex-Hydra Head noise punkers The Austerity Program , Beyond Calculation , along with permission to embed the album here for anyone who would like to check it out.  If you're looking for bass-prominent, pseudo-industrial stomp and circumstance in the vein of Pure -era Jesus Lizard or Big Black , (which is apparently a "fumbling comparison" as noted by the band's press release), this will be worth a listen.  I spent some time with this today and I enjoyed it.  All info comes courtesy of Controlled Burn Records. Drum machine vs. the over-educated: drum machine usually wins. "Everything the band does seems to be an exercise in discipline, and the belt has been tightened an extra notch for their new LP, Beyond Calculation . …(T)he album finds Foley and Calabrese streamlining their sound even further … into concise parcels of tightly wound maliciousness." ...

On June 3rd, the wonderful people at Sargent House will be doing us all a solid and a half by releasing an excellent new split 12" from Helms Alee and Young Widows .  I accessed the stream earlier today and mentally added yet another "MUST OWN" to the wishlist, along with Helms Alee's full-length, Sleepwalking Sailors , which came out in February.   You can listen to the release at Noisey or, since you're already here, I've embedded the Soundcloud link below.  All info and links were provided by Us/Them Group.  Helms Alee & Young Widows split 12" streaming in full via Noisey Listen to Helms Alee / Young Widows HERE . Seattle trio Helms Alee wrapped up their tour with Young Widows this past weekend, and the split 12" exclusively available at shows will soon be available in stores and by download on June 3rd. To preview the release, Noisey is sharing a full stream to hear/share HERE . Helms Alee make their way back home with a ...

At the request of the BBC, Sunn O))) mastermind, Stephen O'Malley , assembled a 37-track sampler of artists who've released music through his label, Ideologic Organ.  It's free to download and can be accessed through the link below along with information on the actual releases.  All info and links were provided by Rarely Unable.  (pic via Estelle Hanania great tumblr) LISTEN TO FREE 37 TRACK IDEOLOGIC ORGAN LABEL SAMPLER   IDEOLOGIC ORGAN, the music label curated and art directed by Stephen O'Malley - manufactured and distributed in partnership with the non-funded, independent label EDITIONS MEGO - have put together a label sampler to celebrate the distinguished musicians who they have collaborated with to date. About the origins of the sampler, Stephen O'Malley comments "in February, the BBC asked us for some tracks from my EDITIONS MEGO imprint IDEOLOGIC ORGAN to play on the air, I’ve now extended this sampler mix to include tracks from all of ...

Hey, everyone.  We're talking labels today.  In 2012, I reviewed the Fatherland EP by Mr. Dream and Weird Wild World by Sleepies , both of which were released by the Godmode label.  Specializing in post-punk and some of the more avant variations of R&B and EDM I've heard, Godmode, which is owned and run by former Pitchfork editor and current Mr. Dream drummer Nick Sylvester and Capitol Records A&R rep Talya Elitzer , recently released a new cassette compilation called, Common Interests Were Not Enough To Keep Us Together. Featuring new music from the label (plus a couple new tracks from Mr. Dream and Sleepies which were a plus for me), the comp provides a varied selection of sounds that range from club ( Shamir ) to vocal ( Soft Lit ) to experimental ( Yvette ), which ultimately affirms Godmode's place as a home for both very inviting to likely alienating performers. You can check out the comp here: Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

This past Record Store Day , I saw a beautiful (still sealed, sharp corners, nary a fingerprint) copy of SunnO))) 's Black One on the shelves at Double Decker Records .  It was not so modestly priced at $50.  If I've never made it very clear as to the level of individual I am from a financial standpoint, it's a modest one to say the least.  That being said, $50 is a lot of money to spend on any singular item, even if I have in the past given in to impulse buys that were met with both immediate elation and remorse. But, as SunnO))) has now opened up an online store and reissued Black One , I can have the album for a better price (which will happen soon).  This store will apparently serve separately from Southern Lord, meant to provide SunnO))) specific albums, merchandise and reissues.  Information is provided by Earsplit PR. SUNN O))) Initiates Online Store; Black One 2xLP Reissue Set For Release European Shows Confirmed Today, SUNN O))) has...

As more and more good music becomes available digitally it grows ever difficult to dissuade music consumers from spending their green on files.  While I know it's important for record labels, (indies especially), to remain current and competitive, which makes providing a digital option essential, the control employed by the likes of iTunes removes much of the ownership of music legally purchased and the product is normally substandard anyway.  But, that's the purist in me talking.  In all honesty, considering the list of albums and singles that Sub Pop will now be making available through iTunes, at least the digital library is becoming a better stocked and more varied resource.  Recognizing 25 years of Sub Pop, here's the lable's remarkable discography, some of which is available after years of being out of print. All info comes courtesy of Sub Pop (naturally). Sub Pop Classic Albums Mastered For iTunes Out Of Print Singles Available For The First Time Digit...