Antlers: Familiars (ANTI)
In seven years together, Brooklyn's The Antlers have created a quiet revolution in thought and sound with their harrowing and often haunted tales of love unmoored, human frailty and emotional evisceration. On Familiars, their fifth album, The Antlers - vocalist / guitarist Peter Silberman, multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci, and drummer Michael Lerner - have resumed the journey they began with 2009’s Hospice and continued over the next two albums Burst Apart and Undersea, which found the trio picking their way through a labyrinth of fear, doubt, love and loss against a backdrop of layered textural songs that were as deeply atmospheric as they were anthemic.
Cerebral Ballzy: Jaded & Faded (CULT)
“...probably the coolest band in the world at the moment, a truly legit modern hardcore/punk band, and by far my favorite. It’s beyond exciting to try and help them in any and all ways we can and we’re honored to put their deliriously great new record [Jaded & Faded] out on Cult Records.” - Julian Casablancas
The Clientele: Suburban Light (Merge)
Suburban Light was meant to be a complicated, high-production affair rendered in a major studio. From 1997 until 2000, The Clientele had released a sterling string of 7” singles on several labels - Pointy and Fierce Panda, Elefant and Johnny Kane. These songs were demos, preparations for the smash they knew they’d doubtlessly make. When it finally came time to record that debut, the four post-graduate friends entered expensive studios during off hours. Instead of finding their sound, though, they only found frustration. They went, then, with the demos, relatively primitive but especially intimate recordings they made wherever they lived and whenever they wanted. Perhaps that was all for the best: though The Clientele would later add more flourishes and finesse to their records, Suburban Light establishes the unwavering, minimal core of the band.
Greys: If Anything (Carpark)
If Anything, the first full-length by Greys, is the young quartet’s own warped update of vintage post-punk; frenetic guitars running against walls of noise, held together by sharp strands of melody. Emerging from the vibrant Toronto punk scene,Greys are economical in their swift punches of noise, anchoring short bursts of mania with huge choruses. “Each song exists in its own space and represents different aspects of the things we like about noisy, dissonant music,” says singer/guitarist Shehzaad Jiwani. “But instead of being built solely around riffs, they were built with hooks in mind, too.” The 35-minute LP pulses with a manic urgency, as drummer Braeden Craig and bassist Colin Gillespie’s syncopated rhythms punctuate guitarist Cam Graham’s smothering dissonance. Through exasperated shouts, Jiwani lets loose the fury that splits open his songwriting. “The lyrics went from outward frustration to inward,” Jiwani adds. “A lot of it takes place from within my own head.” Swinging between hard-driving punk and ‘90s indie riffing, the respites on If Anything only underscore Greys’ brute force and anthemic inclinations. Written over the summer of 2013 and recorded in ten days at Toronto’s Candle Recording studio, If Anything is a fulfilling aftershock of noise rock, immediately arresting and bursting with confidence. (Editor's note: totally sweet dudes also.)
Hieroglyphics: The Kitchen (Hieroglyphics Imperium)
Founded in 1997 in Oakland, CA, Hiero Imperium Records is Del The Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, Domino, and the Souls of Mischief. Coming off waves of success from earlier releases like Souls' '93 Til Infinity, the Hiero crew firmly established themselves as a name in underground hip-hop with their first two collective releases Third Eye Vision (1998) and Full Circle (2003). Since then the Hiero team has been thriving in the hip-hop world, releasing a number of projects within the label as well as branching out for collaborations with the likes of Jurassic 5, George Clinton, Dilated Peoples, Q-Tip, Xzibit and Gorillaz. Hieroglyphics has been simmering for days upon days with the scent of sonic sustenance emanating from that place where hip hop warms the heart and stimulates the mind. The Kitchen LP is an album that brings the ingredients of archival audio, new music and collaboration between turntablism, beat chopping and lyricism together to form an original authentic entree for your ears to devour and digest. For this special project Hiero has enlisted the skills and support of Sacramento, CA based DJ and beat chopping crew The Sleeprockers. They bring the skills of master chefs dealing with quality ingredients to create a concoction of seamless yet eclectic flavors for the rare hip hop palate.
White Lung: Deep Fantasy (Domino)
Resilient and hard hitting rock n’ roll outfit, White Lung are set to release their third album Deep Fantasy via Domino Recording Co. The band is every bit as confrontational as before, but they've managed to open their sound up just enough to draw listeners in before kicking them in the face. In a good way of course.
