Kevin McGuire

Karen Peris – A Song is Way Above the Lawn

genres: chamber pop + indie folk This short, piano driven album is well outside what I’ve typically written about. It’s not exactly unusual for me to listen to something quiet and calm like this, but it is quite rare that a whole record in this genre can captivate my attention quite like this. Don’t mistakeContinue reading “Karen Peris – A Song is Way Above the Lawn”

Eyes Set To Kill – DAMNA

genres: post-hardcore + modern rock Eyes Set To Kill are one of the bigger ‘what if’ bands in the 2000/10s metalcore scene. They never quite had the breakout in popularity they should’ve, yet nearly everyone aware of the scene at the time knew who they were. They certainly had successful, well received songs and moments,Continue reading “Eyes Set To Kill – DAMNA”

Technopagan – Electromancy

genres: black metal + experimental electronic Disclaimer: this album is not really for me. Everything that makes traditional black metal hard for me to get into – rough production and vocals, repetitive music – is present here. BUT. It’s worth talking about for a couple reasons. First, those elements of black metal are intentionally deployed,Continue reading “Technopagan – Electromancy”

2021 Best Of: Top 20 Albums

Adjy – The Idyll Opus (I-VI) An absolute genius album of progressive folk rock. Both wildly complex and immediately catchy both lyrically and musically, this is easily an all time great album for me. Holding Absence – The Greatest Mistake of My Life While there’s nothing too adventurous or new that this album brings, it’sContinue reading “2021 Best Of: Top 20 Albums”

2021 Best Of: Pop/Rock/Indie

Rock Lifehouse – Goodbye Kanan: Rivals – Sad Looks Pretty on Me: Gold Necklace – Gold Necklace: The Fuzzy Robes – Night Prayers: The Aerovons – A Little More: Sleep Token – This Place Will Become Your Tomb: Rap Ka – A Martyr’s Reward: Lecrae | 1K Phew – No Church In A While: AkintoyeContinue reading “2021 Best Of: Pop/Rock/Indie”

ourfathers. – Movements II

genres: indie rock + post-hardcore + experimental While the slow release of music around the holidays can sometimes be a bit of a drag, it gives a good opportunity to go back through the previous year’s releases and see what I missed – which is how I came across this one. I completely missed thisContinue reading “ourfathers. – Movements II”

Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal 2021 Round Up

I try to write about as many of the releases I find personally noteworthy as possible, and as I was looking over my favorite albums from 2021 as the year ends, there’s a handful of really really good releases that slipped through the cracks. So I’ll be catching up on those over the next weekContinue reading “Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal 2021 Round Up”

Blueshift – Voyager

genres: progressive metalcore + psychedelic Progressive metalcore is quickly becoming a crowded genre, and it’s possibly one of the toughest subgenres to make an impact in. Even the biggest bands in the scene sometimes struggle to set themselves apart from earlier work, yet this relatively new band have done nothing short of spectacular with thisContinue reading “Blueshift – Voyager”

Der Weg einer Freiheit – Noktvrn

genres: post-black metal If you like atmospheric metal, you’ll love this album. If not, it probably won’t change your mind. The tones Noktvrn plays with are atmospheric/post-black metal through and through, but there’s a total commitment to the album as a piece of art that elevates it into the pantheon of greats alongside Sunbather (Deafhaven)Continue reading “Der Weg einer Freiheit – Noktvrn”

Stephen Day – The Shapes I’m In

genres: indie + jazz pop Stephen Day’s “It’s Been a Year” has been one of my favorite original Christmas songs for several years. Until a week ago, I hadn’t bothered to check out anything else from him. In the course of updating my Christmas playlist, I figured I’d see if he had any more seasonalContinue reading “Stephen Day – The Shapes I’m In”