Band: Doom Gong | Album: Megagong | Genre: Psychedelic rock | Bandcamp
Doom Gong’s latest record is by turns exhilarating and idyllic. The band nimbly alternates between speedy instrumental antics and moments of lush abstraction. In general, the tempo is upbeat, and the easiest stylistic comparison here would be King Gizzard. These guys have a bit more fuzz to them, often channeling Ty Segall and Ty Segall-adjacent acts, like Wand or Fuzz. The sound is maximal, often bordering on suffocating, but Doom Gong makes it work.
Score: 82/100
Band: Eyes Twitch | Album: … | Genre: Progressive metal | Bandcamp
The debut record from this instrumental duo is an engaging excursion. Riffs are speedy and complex, and song structures are often surprising. The synth inclusions are a lot of fun, and the band demonstrates a good knack for knowing when to take their foot off the gas for a moment.
Score: 80/100
Artist: Hannah Frances | Album: Nested in Tangles | Genre: Progressive folk, Americana | Bandcamp
The latest album from Hannah Frances is a charming blend of experimental and traditional flavors. Wistful folk, country, and Americana elements calmly but confidently mingle with weirder jazz and experimental touches. Some of the songs–especially slower ones–can feel a hair long, but in general, Frances does a great job at structuring her compositions. This album’s title is quite fitting, as her vocals are often found within tangled layers of acoustic and electric guitars, as well as an assortment of wind and string instruments.
Score: 79/100
Band: Giöbia | Album: X-ÆON | Genre: Heavy psych, Space rock | Bandcamp
The latest release from this Milanese quartet (the title of which sounds like something Elon Musk would name one of children) sees them lay down some groovy, fuzzy, psyched-out tracks. It can serve as some decent background music, but it doesn’t exactly hold up under closer listening, at least for me. The songs often feel padded or dragged out, and none of this is really all that original. And the narration on “1976” is just tedious and distracting.
Score: 58/100
Band: Pareidolon | Album: The Unattainable Shore | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp
Pareidolon’s sophomore album is mostly pretty solid. Their sound is lush, with synths usually dominating the sonic landscape. There are plenty of fun, inventive passages, and the vocals are always strong. The only place where this record stumbles for me is when the band tries to incorporate some poppier sounds. Those moments can often come off as saccharine or schmaltzy, with “Ghost Ship” being the worst offender. Thankfully, bits like that make up only a small portion of the record.
Score: 76/100
Band: Sterbus | Album: Black and Gold | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp
Sterbus’s new album is a fairly laid-back affair. Guitars often jangle and echo, and much of the record has an easygoing pace. The compositions demonstrate a lot of clever tendencies, with unusual chord progressions and left-field influences cropping up throughout. Overall, though, this record draws a bit too much from indie rock to really stand out much. There are some decent ideas here, and the songwriters are clearly quite skilled. But the sound palette doesn’t do much to hold my attention.
Score: 69/100
The Elite Extremophile 