To whom it may interest, Apologies for the absence. If you're reading this, I'm coming off of a series of 60-70 hour work weeks which haven't left much time for things like making dinner, washing dishes, being a present father and husband, or writing about music. This blog is always in the back of my mind, sort of whimpering pitifully in that "we don't talk anymore" manner of pleading. And when I do have those moments when I want to type a few words, run through my email and see what's new, dig for new sounds that might either brighten my hour or pique what little interest I may be able to conjure after a 14- or 16-hour work day, I'm too drained to come up with anything worth typing and my patience is worn too thinly to keep trying. All I can do is sit and maybe staring zombie-like into my phone while I await paralyzing exhaustion to envelope me so I can sleep.  Plus, I'm still working from home. As convenient as it's been to not have a commute...

"Welcome to the new creations…" works as both a lyric and as a promotional pitch for Mutator , the first entry LP to launch a series featuring unearthed material by Alan Vega, pioneering artist and co-member of the seminal and necessary electro-art duo Suicide. Vega, who unfortunately left us in 2016, was a prolific being to say the least and had apparently left behind a significant amount of material. Mutator had originally been recorded between 1995-1996 with Liz Lamere, Vega's wife and creative partner. Introduced today after years of collecting dust, the ominous and coldly factorial "Nike Soldier" is the first aural peek into this unknown work, Vega's eerie vocal radiating with the tone of "prophesied doomsday".  Mutator is up for pre-order via Sacred Bones with the actual release scheduled for 4/23. The "Deluxe Dark Red" is already sold out. I just pulled the trigger on the "Limited Clear and Dark Red Smoke" variant. If...

Another visual entry from METZ's excellent Atlas Vending release surfaced today for the track, "Sugar Pill," the welcome mix of aggro-clatter and amplified noise appropriately bolstered by clips of neighborhood skaters undeterred by weather conditions that would typically postpone their plans to shred. There was a point in time when I wanted every video I watched to look like this: an unsettled, (i.e. performed restlessness channeled through decibels), soundtrack backing up skate culture's continual repurposing of any concrete environment(s), forcing those surroundings to accommodate four-wheels and a shot of adrenaline. At present, to be worthless and old watching invigorated youth rebelling against the elements is refreshing. Bottom line: I hate nostalgia, but I dig this. And the song's cool, too. Atlas Vending is available for purchase via Sub Pop . Or, be like me and wait till the next Bandcamp Friday to pick it up. The video, pertinent info and links are ...

Good evening, The three-day weekend has ended, promises of a four-day stretch of hellscape await. But, not yet. I've compiled some singles and videos to check out, so give a look, hit up some links, and maybe buy some records. Enjoy your week and thanks for reading.  ______________________________________________________________________ Chelsea Wolfe & Emma Ruth Rundle:  "Anhedonia" (via Rarely Unable / Sargent House) Bandcamp —  https://chelseawolfe.bandcamp.com/track/anhedonia-feat-emma-ruth-rundle Website —  https://chelseawolfe.net Via Rarely Unable: Chelsea Wolfe has shared new video for her latest single, “ Anhedonia ” which features vocals and guitar by labelmate Emma Ruth Rundle. Wolfe joined efforts with stop motion editor and video producer Cressa Beer for a moving creation that reflects grief and loneliness, yet brings hope that with time and support, healing is possible. Cressa explains, “The core idea of the video came from an artist and mutu...

The Body I’ve Seen All I Need To See Thrill Jockey Released: 1/29/21 No Ripcord review:  http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/body/i%E2%80%99ve-seen-all-i-need-see I’ve Seen All I Need To See can be purchased:  Bandcamp —  https://thebody.bandcamp.com/album/ive-seen-all-i-need-to-see Thrill Jockey —  http://thrilljockey.com/products/i-ve-seen-all-i-need-to-see A review of  You, Whom I've Always Hated , The Body's 2015 collaborative effort with Thou, can also be found at No Ripcord . If you're interested, some additional coverage of The Body: The Body live w/ Assembly of Light Choir (Video) — http://www.letters-from-a-tapehead.com/2011/07/body-live-with-assembly-of-light-choir.html The Body & Braveyoung: "Song One" (Track) — http://www.letters-from-a-tapehead.com/2011/09/body-braveyoung-song-one.html The Body & Thou: Released From Love EP — http://www.letters-from-a-tapehead.com/2014/04/the-bodythou-released-from-love-ep.html The Body & Thou: "...

Bleach Everything's two-song single, "Bound/Cured", has been pressed into a 7" "X-Ray" Flexi and is available from Dark Operative .  This takes no time to sit through. The kidney-stone similar inner workings of my Keurig could wheeze and leak a diluted stream of coffee into an 8oz. cup in the time it takes to complete one listen of this single. That said, Bleach Everything manage to inject an inoffensive level of melody into breakneck'd hooks and densely kitchen-sink all the aggro they got into a little more than a minute for each track. The performances are tight, which is probably why these songs sound complete. If you have two minutes to spare…  Bound/Cured by Bleach Everything Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

First video round up of 2021 to cap off a ridiculous week. Hope you're all staying safe. Cults are bad. MF DOOM: "Gazillion ( Ron Gallo Tribute remix)" (via Tell All Your Friends / New West Records ) Ron Gallo's upcoming album  PEACEMEAL is scheduled to release March 3rd.  Website —  http://rongallomusic.com/ Note from Ron Gallo: "To date, I don't think an artists death has hit me as much as MF DOOM and I did not expect that until it happened. That feels like the DOOM way - he's like a shadow lurking genius, a humble kung fu master - grounded, calm but could kill you in ten seconds, in this case left the body on halloween of the most fucked up year in memory and no one found out until New Years eve. This remix I did just kind of fell into place as a tribute, I had made the music track a few weeks ago and then realized his vocal from "Gazillion Ear" fit perfectly on top. I love the way it turned out. It feels like a whole new world than the ...