The Last of the Month (9/23)

 

I told myself I would stay away from mass posts, but then again, it's a cool way of talking about records I wouldn't have otherwise. So here's a revival of an old series: "The Last of the Month":

BEDTIMEMAGIC - "Sleep Together" (EP)
I enjoyed their last album, and I can't say that "Sleep Together" does nothing for me. The two-piece is loud and noisy and busy. It's amazing how much they can do with four hands only! "Turn Down Service" is the center-piece of the EP. They turn it into an awesome crescendo two-and-a-half-minutes in and just run with it to make it beautifully epic. The other tracks aren't as spectacular, but will satisfy you if you're into hyper-nervous, noisy, chaotic, yet somehow danceable (?!) Punkrock. (Stream)

BROKEN VOW - "Anthropocene"
I liked BROKEN VOW's Demo as well as their EP on New Morality Zine/Sunday Drive, but their debut album on Triple-B doesn't do it for me. It's solid Moshcore, but it's getting very repetitive and doesn't stand out compared to similar stuff that was being released the last few months. (Stream)

BUDS. - "Stop" (EP)
Already posted their fun video to "Slide", and the rest of the EP is fun too if you're into Pop-Punk with bones. I'd recommend BUDS. to anyone into stuff like THE MOVIELIFE, BONE IDL and HEART ATTACK MAN. (Stream)

CAPTAIN PLANET - "Come on, Cat"
Good to have these legends back, as to me they're the most important german singing Punk-band ever. While I think they're past their prime ("Inselwissen", "Treibeis"), "Come on Cat" is easily on the same level as "Am Ende". There's a handful of songs there, to make it into the CP-playlist, especially "Am Wald" is pretty neat. 

FEVERCHILD - "Altering a Memory" (EP)
If these gentlemen aren't into TEXAS IS THE REASON, then I don't know what. Though you can also hear bits of "Diary"-era SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE or early THE GET UP KIDS in this. With the faster rhythms and the moshy guitars they also call early acts like SPLIT LIP or EVERGREEN to mind. The cool thing is, how close FEVERCHILD get to those classic acts, without sounding totally insincere. I especially appreciate the passionate vocals. Damn, this is pure candy for anyone into this kind of stuff... (Stream)

GREAT FALLS - "Objects without Pain"
Damn, how many epic closers can you write for a record? Honestly, literally every song on this has the potential to be the last one. "Funny what survives" still is one of my favourite EPs of the year, so I had high hopes going into their new album. But, this doesn't do it for me. While there's definitely some good musicianship and some chill moments here and there, the tracks are way too long and there's too much repetition going on. Hats off for their intensity, especially for a band in their 14th year, and I'm sure anyone into this kind of Math-/Noisecore will dig, but for me personally something like this definitely works better in small doses... (Stream)

HOPESFALL - "The Satellite Years 2.0"
Ah, HOPESFALL's masterpiece! This is the kind of remaster I'll never get. It's the standard stuff with a cleaner sound and more playful details added. From an objective standpoint, everything sounds "better", yet the details take a toll on the whole album, at least if you're used to the original. I can't imagine any life-long-fan going nuts for something like this. With that being said, there's not one remaster like EVER I prefer over the original. Why in the hell should you turn against the record you've listened to a hundred or even two-hundred times? Two good things still: First and foremost, the record gets some recognition by the new generation. And secondly, I was reminded how awesome "The Satellite Years" is. It was the bomb when it dropped, just getting into this kind of stuff with THURSDAY, POISON THE WELL and FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES, I drooled all over it. And the original still holds up! The original!! (Stream)

MπΤΜΚ (MPTMK) - "karma? no i think it was a bullet" (EP)
This is a solo project by -I guess- Alex from SOASTASPHRENAS, even when he is only credited as the producer. Anyway, it's really good Screamo, just the way I like it. Frenetic, "blast-y", with overfloating and chaotic vocals and some moody melodies mixed in. Originally released in March, it flew under my radar, but thankfully BSDJ put it out on Tape. Some of the best stuff the genre had to offer in 2023... (Stream)

NAS - "Magic 3"
The 6th album in 3 years. Normally anyone should get tired of NAS and HIT-BOY, yet they still feed and we still eat. They definitely saved something for their last run together, as this has some of HIT-BOY's sickest beats. The mood is darker and more serious than on some of their other projects and there are lots of great tracks on this, with "Based on True Events, Pt. 2" probably being my favourite cut of the two. While it's probably too early to speak facts, as of now it's my personal favourite NAS/HIT-BOY-collab, though I'm definitely more of a "Magic"- than a "King's Disease"-guy. A 50-year-old MC is dominating the decade in Hip-Hop thus far. The genre probably is in danger, eh?! (Stream)

PISSKOP - "This Time Last Year"
I got to know PISSKOP on the Skramzmas-Comp from 2022, where he covered one of my all-time-favorite-hate-songs "Last Christmas". Even behind all the massive bullshit of that song, you could detect a lot of talent. I checked out the solo artist's debut EP "No one likes a Downer, Debbie" and liked it. And I like the sophomore release "This Time Last Year" even better. This is really good, screamy Emo-music with outstanding melodicism and a lot of feeling. On top of that, the recording quality is well above the last EP. (Stream)

SON OF DENI - "Sporty" (EP)
After their Single from earlier this year, the east-european Skramz-outfit is back with a 5-Song-EP. And they continue where they left off, with their Math-Rock-heavy Screamo/Emo-formula, and lots of clean, Post-Rock-ish guitars. They would've made a perfect fit to the 2000s, though in the 2020s they sound even fresher. (Stream)