Tuesday, 29 April 2025

*** PODCAST #180 Dan Riehl (Satsuma, The Reptilian, etc.) ***


    10 years in the making, I finally sat down with my good friend Dan Riehl of Satsuma, Suck City, Seventeen Again, and The Reptilian. His new band Satsuma just released their debut EP in late March of 2025 to a lot of positivity. We discussed lots of stuff including: Weird Al and UHF discussion (again), marching band, Dreamtheater is awful, The Mars Volta/At The Drive In door, Olin props and the last Yusuke show, goddamn you Hamilton, how to get the "pop", Count Your Lucky Stars, the best The Reptilian song, Dave and Dan's origin story, 'End Paths' and blazin' in the basement, twinkly emo overkill, Seventeen Again love and the 2014 screamo downturn, transition to wrestler, Satsuma formation, facebook sucks, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Blue Youth, Cloud Mouth, Colossal, Innards, Osceola, and Prize The Doubt. Listen to podcast #180 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.


only 3 tapes left!!!


SATSUMA
Bandcamp


THE REPTILIAN
Bandcamp


SUCK CITY
Bandcamp


1 Talkin' Shit
CLOUD MOUTH "Quiet" (Dan)
OSCEOLA "Smile" (Dave)

2 The Reptilian
COLOSSAL "Table Setting" (Dan)
PRIZE THE DOUBT "People Magazine" (Dave)

3 Satsuma
INNARDS "S1mple Decisions" (Dan)
BLUE YOUTH "Patient Patient" (Dave)


~Dave

____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Saturday, 26 April 2025

BOON

BandBOON
For fans ofBlue Noise, September 22nd, Old Soul, Heaven In Her Arms, Nidare, Respire, Orphaned, Hope Drone, Love/Less, Nionde Plagan, and Envy.
GenresPunk / Post-Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Metal / Metallic Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Black Metal
Related artistsNanette, Wolf Fang Fist, Slewfoot, and Guided Lily.
CountryToronto/Barrie, Ontario CANADA
Years Active2023-present
Label(s): Lion's Jawbone

     My friend Van sent me his new band's debut EP a few weeks back and after two listens I was flabbergasted. Definitely the most "up my alley" band that he's been in, this gorgeously dark hardcore/black metal band shows insane signs of maturity and songwriting chops that lead to one of the best EPs of 2025 thus far. With just five tracks in 16 minutes, things are both condensed and interesting, leading to an addictive flow of heavy but restrained catharsis.

     Opener "Stay in the Car" begins wonderfully with a quick stab at atmospheric black metal which seems to called blackened screamo nowadays. It's beautiful and evil simultaneously. "November Something" sounds like a condensed Respire without the additional instrumentation but instills all the feels and brightness nonetheless. The melodic undertones in "Rifle Company" are awesome, and paired with the speedy yet atmospheric blackened screamo it's just a recipe for fuck yes, more please. "Minor Arcana" relies on chunky riffs with more bright guitars layered overtop, as this song nearly takes a few strides into metalcore territory but ends up being more of a post-hardcore/black metal crossover, and is also my pick for the best track. Closer "Supermodel" nears five minutes (while the others hover around three) and allows for more breathing during an expansive intro that feels like I'm taking a trip through Saturn's rings and getting a closeup of the majestic but prodigious swirling ice cliffs before a biting guitar riff throws the song into a controlled frenzy.

     I do believe the band is trying to work on a full length which I would throw my hat in to release without a second thought. Unreal debut EP and one of the best of 2025 in my opinion.

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY

2025 - Thief digital EP (stream/donate/download here)

________________________________________

(2025) BOON - "Minor Arcana" (from 'Thief')

(2025) BOON - "Stay in the Car" (from 'Thief')

(2025) BOON - "Rifle Company" (from 'Thief')

________________________________________

Sunday, 20 April 2025

*** PODCAST #179 Avery Friedman ***


    In late March I received an email from Audio Anti-hero, who had recently introduced to me to Magana through said PR company/label. It was about AVERY FRIEDMAN. Having never heard the artist but trusting the label, I checked out the advance copy of 'New Thing' and was flabbergasted at 1) how incredible it was and 2) how quickly and firmly it latched itself onto me. There hasn't been a day since that I haven't rocked at least one of the tracks - if not all 8. Her gentle yet dark songwriting style is right up my alley, and the ability to wind her vocals around each verse and chorus in such memorable and precise ways still leaves me staggering on every listen. The instrumentation is great to boot, with some songs using them aggressively to push the vocals further, some song use them as a solid foundation, while others recede into the corner and let the light shine fully on Avery's voice. Needless to say, I loved it so much I asked if I could do a small vinyl run /125 on my label Softseed Music, to which they agreed (and I couldn't be more honored). I also asked if Avery wanted to chat with me for this 179th podcast and as you've noticed, she said yes. So here we are discussing lots of stuff such as: 4th grade choir and Celine Dion, life-altering concerts on shrooms, being robbed at knifepoint, cheese factor fears, yoga classes with Eartheater, Ciao Malz and Audio Anti-Hero props, labels falling through, May 15th record release show, twangin' that shit up, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Beabadoobee, Biig Piig, Eartheater, Perfume Genius, Smush, and Squirrel Flower. Listen to podcast #179 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.


AVERY FRIEDMAN
Bandcamp

"Flowers Fell" music video

1 You're gonna unlock this shit
BIIG PIIG "American Beauty" (Avery)
BEABADOOBEE "Bobby" (Dave)

Nervous Playing Nervous
SQUIRREL FLOWER "Almost Pulled Away" (Avery)
EARTHEATER "How to Fight" (Dave)

New Thing Discussion
PERFUME GENIUS "It's a Mirror" (Avery) [official music video]
SMUSH "Sweetheart" (Dave)


~Dave


____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Thursday, 17 April 2025

*** FOGGY MUNITIONS full EP exclusive premiere ***

FOGGY MUNITIONS
'Strategic Life Decision Making'
exclusive album premiere
For fans ofMamaleekShiverboard and GreenBlueGrey


     Well good goddamn are you ready to drop your brain in a blender? Take a listen to the new EP from FOGGY MUNITIONS titled 'Strategic Life Decision Making'. Zac Dehlbom (Rocco and his Bones, BOZ, and Act Normal) wields the guitar & bass while Hunter Johnson (Terror Cell, Charger Port, and Thin) lays down the percussion as well as additional noise, with both of them splitting vocal duties. The pair had assistance from local musical accomplices, Brayden Edwards (Mean Sweetie) and Brandon Jolly (Rocco and His Bones), allowing them a full collaborative roster to capture these barn jams via Voice Memo, ultimately resulting in these four new tracks. Cassettes release via Soft Grit Recordings, Ossein, and Fisher King Records tomorrow, April 18th. The tape has a reversable j-card. Side A is the new EP, side B houses two songs from 2021. J-card front is for the new EP, inside is for side B.

(2025) FOGGY MUNITIONS "Strategic Life Decision Making" (full stream)

     Whether it's the manic beginning of opener "Being The Best Friend At My Man's Wedding" with back and forth dual vocals or the panic inducing "The Floor Knife", you'll be both mesmerized and pulverized simultaneously. And that's just the first two songs! Things get a bit more digestable on the third track "No One Wants To Be Crashed Into A Wreck" but once all that screaming comes in you know it's all gonna unravel eventually, and so it does on closer "Mitamins And Vinerals" which is literally an aural nightmare and I fucking love it, as it dips between screamy grind and sassy noise rock.

Friday, 4 April 2025

DELEOMETER

BandDELEOMETER
For fans ofFrancis Brady, In Loving MemoryKill Sadie, Drei Affen, She Notes The Chariots, Tristan Tzara, Nuvolascura, Eaves and Ashen Hands.
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence
Related artistsFrancis Brady, Eaves, Katyn, Seven Bowls Of Wrath, Schrein, Sun Worship, and I.G..
CountryBerlin GERMANY
Years Active2004-2010
Label(s): Self Released / Asymmetrie

     I must have seen somewhere online that the vocalist of Francis Brady (or one of them, at least) ended up in a band called DELEOMETER. Eventually stumbling onto their 2007 album 'Rotation Um Die Ich Achse'...I couldn't fucking believe my luck when I found out they are even better than their predecessor. I've actually been putting this review off for years because the online songs are ripped from a turntable and it's a kinda noisy turntable, and knew I was getting the 12" from a friend in Europe I was simply going to make a new version to put online. But by the time it arrived my record player began playing records slightly fast so said new version wouldn't be a better quality version, it'd just be slightly faster than it should be. So I've abandoned the idea of doing that, but come to the conclusion I need to write this review. Time is short. Let's go.

     Luckily for us there is a Youtube channel that just uploaded the band's two demo cds, the first of which has a different vocalist and the second is two demos from the band's final output aka said 12"LP. I won't waste time discussing them here because it's the LP that's worth your time more than anything else, but I've embedded them below and made mp3s so you can download the entire discography.

     Opener "Fachgerecht Planebnen" is off-kilter and driven by chaos on jagged edges, pretty Kill Sadie meets the intensity of Drei Affen. Title track "Rotation Um Die Ich-Achse" is very chaotic and shrieky, almost like Orchid and The Death Of Anna Karina...and Francis Brady...obviously. "DIN 100101" is fast, menacing, and chaotic with a slight peppering of obvious melodies and hooks. Despite the short length (1:23) of "When it Comes Down To It", this little ditty still packs a punch but definitely crosses a few genre lines and the result is the band's most accessible tune. "Ideal Individual" begins with a jazzy intro that could have wounded up on a Mustaphammond release, but the subsequent waves of electrified screamo are fucking incredible, making this the standout track on the record. I would liken it to a mixture of Tristan Tzara and Yage. So fucking good! "Die Augen Können Sie Schliessen, Die Ohren Nicht" brings the Orchid and early Death Of Anna Karina vibes back, but there's a crazy breakdown palpitation at the one-minute mark that floors me every time. Closer "In Line" is a weird one with some peculiar guitar riffs, but with most of the song retaining the standard DELEOMETER sound it still works, it's just not my favorite, just a bit quirky and sometimes "metal" likes it's a Black Sabbath cover.

    And there ya go, one of history's best and rarely discussed screamo albums. I've done the extra work for you and separated the single album mp3 (which is available online) by breaking it down into the seven track mp3s. You can find all those links below.

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY

2004 - Demo '04 cdr (download it here)

2006 - Demo 2006 cdr (download it here)


________________________________________

(2007) DELEOMETER - "Ideal Individual" (from 'Rotation Um Die Ich Achse')

(2007) DELEOMETER - "When It Comes Down To It" (from 'Rotation Um Die Ich Achse')

(2007) DELEOMETER - "Fachgerecht Planebnen" (from 'Rotation Um Die Ich Achse')

(2006) DELEOMETER - 'Demo '06' (full demo)

(2004) DELEOMETER - 'Demo '04' (full demo)
________________________________________