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The Haxan Cloak – Excavation

The Haxan Cloak’s new, sophomore album is possibly one of the scariest sonic experiences you’ll have all year.

WATCH THE REVIEW

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Wreck And Reference – “Absurdities And Echoes”

Metal experimentalists Wreck And Reference have a new 7″ on the way titled No Content, and the project has seen fit to drop one of the tracks from it via music video. “Absurdities And Echoes” doesn’t have the strong black metal vibes that came through on last year’s No Youth, but the song is incredibly textured and atmospheric. There are loads of noisy, sharp textures that pierce the spacious synths and drums the band sets against these vocals that sound too tortured for words. Enjoy!

Check a review of Wreck And Reference’s No Youth here:

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Birth of Flower – “They”

Connecticut rock trio Birth of Flower drops a new track from their forthcoming EP, and the song shows and impressive change of pace in their style. Over the handful of years the band has been active, they’ve essentially evolved from a speedy, Minutemen-influenced post-punk band to something that feels much more influenced by drone and psychedelic rock. The band’s punk energy is still there in the playing and sound on “They,” but the track feels something much more adventurous and experimental is guiding things through its 7-minute run time. Give a listen, enjoy!

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The Black Heart Rebellion – Har Nevo

The Belgian experimental rock outfit The Black Heart Procession has a pretty impressive sophomore record on their hands.

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Kylesa – “Quicksand”

Stream: Kylesa – “Quicksand”

The buzz around this new track is the it is very reminiscent of some old Smashing Pumpkins songs, this is true to the point that I could easily confuse it for one.

The most notable feature of this is the guitar groove which lives and breathes Pumpkins, and it really feels like they are wearing the influence on their shoulders with it. The main difference of course is the vocals, this is where Kylesa makes it their own with haunting and echoed drone meshing in with that riff for one nostalgic acid trip of a song.

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Black Polygons – Accalmie

Combine a cute pop sensibility with rough, ambient textures, and you’ll begin to approach some semblance of what Black Polygons is going for on Accalmie. The twelve tracks on this relatively brief albums are difficult to sum up in a couple genre names, but their appeal feels so obvious.

These tracks are essentially little, heartwarming melodies for those who like hearing musical notes suspended in a dreamlike state. While there’s an incredible amount of layers and effects going into this mini-LP, BP prefers to keep songs short and melodies straightforward. Enjoy!

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Saltland – “ICA”

Stream: Saltland – “ICA”

A mournful and desolate track from the forthcoming Saltland album, I Thought It Was Us But It Was All Of Us, which is dropping on Constellation Records this May.

Saltland is basically spearheaded by Montreal cellist Rebecca Foon, which is a name Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Set Fire To Flames might be familiar with. While the concept of the track streaming above might not be entirely novel, Foon has the undeniable talent to make layers of cello and soft vocals an enchanting experience.

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Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat

On her latest installment of tracks–which were formulated at the time of 2008′s Dragging a Dead Dear Up a Hill–multi-instrumentalist Liz Harris brings another collection of ambient-style folk tracks that are opaque, shadowy, and extremely emotive.

WATCH THE REVIEW

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New Bongripper / Hate Split

Chicago doom metal experimentalists Bongripper team up with the fast and furious hate for a quick split 45 that’s available on Bandcamp right freakin’ now! Stream it via the widget above, and enjoy!

Check out a review for Bongripper’s Satan Worshipping Doom right here.

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Pete Swanson – “Life Ends At 30″

I first heard of Pete Swanson a few years ago when he blended the worlds of techno, noise, and drone together on the album Man With Potential. While the end product didn’t really move me, I did find the dude’s concept to be pretty interesting.

Swanson is now back with a new release on the way via Mexican Summer / Software, and he’s back at the same ol’ grind; distorting dance beats until they become an eye-widening and mind-numbing wall of hip-shaking pain. That’s a lotta hypens, eh?

The track streaming above comes from the soon-to-be-released Punk Authority. Look for it in March.