I’m gonna cry like the old man I am for a minute: for the last few days, we had way over 30°C here, and I don’t handle heat well. So it melted me into my sofa and immobilized me even more than I already do myself. Staying at home, avoiding the sun, and getting more intimate with our ventilator is probably not the best way to spend your time, but it is what it is. Luckily, June provided me with healthy bunch of great albums, so in tradional The Noise Of fashion (you can check all the episodes right here), let’s get right into it.
Druids – Shadow Work
June 3 // Pelagic Records
Pelagic Records are obviously a favorite of ours, so we check out every release pretty closely. With Druids‘ new album Shadow Work, they added a fantastic and slightly psychedelic doom/post-metal record, which may not turn too many heads, but satisfy those who are looking for a solid, well-made, and fun entry into the genre.
Angel Olsen – Big Time
June 3 // Jagjaguwar
When Angel Olsen tells me everything will be alright, I believe her. Because when she starts to sing, I really listen, even when parts of her sound (especially those that are country through and through) usually don’t vibe with me. Angel is different, though. I’ll continue to listen.
The Shenandoah Electric Company – LP1
June 3 // Pax Aeternum
I wasn’t expecting this to be so good. The Shenandoah Electric Company is a new project featuring two members from Pianos Become The Teeth, and you probably would box it as a post-rock album. Thing is, this sounds nothing like your usual post-rock, which I appreciate a lot. A cool little gem.
Horsegirl – Versions of Modern Performance
June 3 // Matador Records
This band sounds like they’ve been around for years, and somehow this is their debut album. I think I listened to one of their singles and marked them as ‘yeah, that’s nice‘, but I obviously forgot about them down the way. Nevertheless, this album sounds familiar, cozy, and compelling, with a contemporary slacker sound full of details.
Johannes Wallmann – Precarious Towers
June 3 // Shifting Paradigm Records
This flows so well! Johannes Wallmann and his quintet work together fantastically, creating a warm and comforting jazz experience. Not necessarily challenging or unique, but well-crafted and with some real love.
Angry Son – Pranks for the Memories
June 5 // Independent
SHUT/EYE – Unnatural Disasters
June 7 // Independent
When I put on this little release from this LA-based band, I didn’t know shit about them, and honestly didn’t expect much of this EP. But when I clicked play, their sound and energy immediately sucked me in. Unnatural Disasters is something really, really special – entertaining through and through, with an authentic sound and punching songs.
Benny Bock – Vanishing Act
June 10 // Colorfield Records
I’m a sucker for great sound design. It’s an incredibly interesting aspect when creating music, and once you fall into the rabbit hole, you tend to notice how flat and boring a lot of music sounds in that regard. What Benny Bock did on Vanishing Act is fascinating and utterly mesmerizing, creating a warm and cozy sound that feels vibrant and alive.
Moodring – Stargazer
June 10 // UNFD
Moodring doing Deftones better than actual Deftones. I just love the vibes of that heavy ’90s alt-rock, and Moodring are one of the very best at doing it. I was eager for Stargazer, and it didn’t disappoint.
Inanimate Existence – The Masquerade
June 10 // The Artisan Era
Inanimate Existence are one of the best tech-death bands around. They consistently release great albums, with great balance between technicality, accessibility, and artistic vision. Each song is full of great riffs and clever melodies – The Masquerade continues their streak. Maybe not the most original band in the genre, but easily one of the most enjoyable ones.
Kardashev – Liminal Rite
June 10 // Metal Blade Records
Way back when Kardashev were involved with now-defunct underground label Subliminal Groove Records, they were already a promising band that couldn’t really realize their lofty ambitions for various reasons, most remarkable their poor productions. Nevertheless, the band kept pushing, and with Liminal Rite, after all those years, they unfolded their true potential and grew into the band they were always meant to be – forward-thinking and artistically compelling.
La Jungle – Ephemeral Feast
June 10 // Black Basset Records/A Tant Rêver Du Roi/Others
It’s kinda hard to sell La Jungle. They are somewhere between noise rock and math rock, but it’s also party music. But the party is kind of weird, because you don’t know anybody, people are dancing to strange music, taking strange drugs, and eating strange food. Your parents raised you well, so you try to be open-minded and just go with it. And then, it hits you.
Anteloper – Pink Dolphins
June 17 // International Anthem
Anteloper is the love child of prolific artists Jaimie Branch and Jason Nazary – for Pink Dolphins, they also teamed up with Jeff Parker and a bunch of other musicians. These are all the hard facts I wanna give you about this album. The rest is just pure, abstract bliss. This is a rush through color-splattering canyons and pulsating skies, and I simply can’t get enough.
Vexes – Imagine What We Could Destroy /// If Only Given Time
June 17 // Indepedent
Vexes took such a huge step forward with this album. They still sound a lot like Deftones, which isn’t a bad thing at all. They really went for that sound and developed it as much as they probably could. IWWCD///IOGT is a lot to digest, it being a double album, but it’s really worth if you’re into that mid-tempo, hard-hitting alt-rock sound.
Nastyjoe – Deep Side Of Happiness
June 17 // A Tant Rêver Du Roi
Some weeks ago, we premiered the video for “Resign”, and I fell in love with this little release while listening to that song. There is nothing particularly outstanding about Nastyjoe‘s Deep Side Of Happiness, it’s just a handful of really tasteful songs with great atmosphere and good, interesting vibes.
Robocobra Quartet – Living Isn’t Easy
June 17 // First Taste Records
At this point, I’m basically way over post-punk. A lot of bands try to capitalize on the ongoing revival of the genre, only rarely coming up with interesting takes on that particular style past your usualy tropes. It’s even more rare to encounter a band that takes post-punk and actually breathes new life into it. So thanks, Robocobra Quartet, for being jazzy.
Perfume Genius – Ugly Season
June 17 // Matador Records
Binker Golding – Dream Like A Dogwood Wild Boy
June 17 // Gearbox Records
As one half of the amazing jazz duo Binker & Moses (who released their amazing new album Feeding The Machine earlier this year), Binker Golding‘s new album was on my radar immediately. Unsurprisingly, Dream Like A Dogwood Wild Boy didn’t disappoint with its fresh and engaging jazz vibes.
Krallice – Psychagogue
June 17 // Independent
When a project tends to release two albums per year, I usually lose interest in following it, because the quality suffers under the quantity. A shining example against that are Krallice. This one-of-a-kind black metal project, featuring busy bee Colin Marston, already released an outstanding album earlier this year, but knocked it out of the park for me with Psychagogue.
Pollyanna – Slime
June 17 // I Surrender Records
NerVer – Smile
June 17 // The Ghost Is Clear Records/Knife Hits Records
From start to beginning, this album is relentless. It’s not overly heavy, though. In German, you would call this ‘rotzig’, and the only translation I found which at least partly conveys the meaning of that is the British term ‘bolshy’. Words, amirite? Nevertheless, if you love gritty noise rock, this is a must-listen.
Angles – A Muted Reality
June 17 // Clean Feed
Light Dweller – Lucid Offering
June 21 // Total Dissonance Worship
Akusmi – Fleeting Future
June 24 // Total Union
There is a mesmerizing timelessness going on with Fleeting Future. This is jazz with great pinches of minimalism, but there is a joy for experiments that you can hear in every idea. Don’t miss this fantastic album by Akusmi.
Hatis Noit – Aura
June 24 // Erased Tapes
Porcupine Tree – Closure / Continuation
June 24 // Music For Nations
I never would have thought that we would get another Porcupine Tree. And after more than 10 years of waiting, I’m even more surprised that Closure / Continuation lives up to the massive anticipation its announcement stirred. It’s definitely not the best album the band has ever released, but it’s amazing enough to scratch that special itch.
Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
June 24 // Loma Vista Recordings
I’m a bit sad that Sometimes, Forever seems to get a bit overlooked, especially if you compare it to the buzz Soccer Mommy‘s previous record, Colour Theory, received when it dropped. Her newest album isn’t as catchy and accessible as its predecessor was, but with the production by Oneohtrix Point Never, it’s way more bold and open-minded. For me, this is a match made heaven, and more people should give this phenomenal piece of art a listen!
Zola Jesus – Arkhon
June 24 // Sacred Bones Records
Lupe Fiasco – Drill Music in Zion
June 24 // 1st & 15th Too/Thirty Tigers
This is an amazing year for hip hop. It just keeps giving. The newest gift is this fantastic new Lupe Fiasco album, created in roughly 72 hours from scratch with a 100$ microphone – at least accoding ot Lupe himself. No matter if this is true or not, this album is absolutely phenomenal. Not enough great hip hop this year? This will fulfill your needs.
Fresh Pepper – Fresh Pepper
June 24 // telephone explosion records
Similar to Robocobra Quartet, there is quite nothing out there that sounds like Fresh Pepper. This time, the project is also rooted in jazz, but adds super interesting sprinkles of dream pop to their music. It’s a fantastic experience, and I will nurture from it the whole year through.
Dumb Waiter – Gauche Gists
June 24 // Independent
Mico – Zigurat
June 29 // Independent
Thanks for scrolling!
