New Music Report – July 10, 2020
New Music – 7/10
Well, I was so proud of being on time last week, so naturally I have to be very, very late this week to balance out the universe. With that, I’ll get straight to it.
Sharptooth – This. Album. Is. A. Banger. Good lord. I can’t think of another album that’s come out this year except for END that has hit this hard. And that’s just the beginning; of course, there is much more to a good record than meaty caveman breakdowns. First off, this is a big step up from their raw and unrefined yet still incredibly charming debut album. Everything feels like it’s been taken to the next level: the composition, the vocal range and delivery, the instrumentation, the lyrics, everything feels a bit sharper, and a bit more mature, yet still just as angry and aggressive as ever. The thoughtful lyrics take a strong and loud stance against not only the typical evils called out by the metal and hardcore scene, but against the latent toxicity of the music industry itself; highlighting the political, social, and feminist issues that have been plaguing the nation for far too long. The causes are real, and the stance is incredibly genuine, and you can feel it in every lyric. This is a direct, in your face record from start to finish, lacking any subtlety whatsoever. Which is fucking perfect, honestly. I love it.
El Ten Eleven – These guys are super weird. Like, really, really weird. They’re an experimental post rock duo that do a wonderful job playing with the boundaries of what can be accomplished with music. And if that all sounds a little mechanical it’s because it is, intentionally so. They don’t play with great flourishes of emotion and wonder like bands like This Will Destroy You. Instead, they create music that makes you think critically about what you’re listening to, utilizing captivating applications of repetition, subtle builds, and interesting synth-driven textures. You have to contemplate it more than you feel it. Which isn’t to say it’s devoid of feeling, instead they approach it from a very Avant Garde perspective that makes you question what those emotions really mean. This particular release is the second part in a three part concept series that’s proving to be incredibly interesting so far. El Ten Eleven certainly isn’t for everybody, but if you want something rather challenging, check it out.
O’Brother – Alright so this is another weird COVID one. This album technically came out this week, but they also released it very suddenly on BandCamp back in May as a pay-what-you-want type deal. So yes, this album has been available for months now, but as of now it’s technically officially released. These guys are a really cool band though, they’ve been described as a bit of everything from post hardcore, to post rock, sludge, grunge, indie, experimental, etc. They kinda just fall in wherever they fit with their newest release. Traditionally, I’d say they’re somewhere between post hardcore and post rock, sort of along the lines of mid-career Thrice and Moving Mountains. But this new album is really just a straight up alternative album. I’m not sure if that’s because it’s more mainstream or if it’s because it really just defies all other conventions and that’s the best way to describe it. But either way, it still utilizes a lot of the complexities you expect from O’Brother with strong dynamic shifts and beautiful atmospherics, but overall this feels different. That isn’t a bad thing, it takes the foundation they built incredibly well and adds new, perhaps softened elements to it to create a whole new sound. This was an excellent progression in the band’s sound, and I can’t wait to see where it takes them next.