Browsing Tag

Sludge Rock

Master Splinter – A Caustic Version: Mike Patton Spawned a Stoner-Rock Monster

Posted on 2 November 2023

If the Alice in Chains discography hit a little bit harder and attacked their song crafting with an infectious sense of facetiousness, their grungy tracks would roll with the same vitriolically zany punches as Master Splinter’s latest single, A Caustic Version, which also runs in the same Machiavellian vein as some of Mike Patton’s most maniacally unhinged tracks.

With the vocals taking on swathes of different guises to amplify the unpredictability of the hard rock hit, your speakers will be smoking the wildfire ignited by the Portland, Oregon-based outfit’s determination not to take themselves too seriously.

If you’re sick of the brooding narcissists who proliferate rock and metal scenes across the globe and want a taste of eccentrically elemental stoner rock ingenuity, sink your teeth into A Caustic Version

A Caustic Version was officially released on October 17th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The lo-fi sludgy rock raconteur Reel Boy’s sophomore hit Julissa is just like honey

Posted on 30 July 2023

After making himself well known on the Utah touring circuit in the outfits My Dad the Astronaut, MoonSugar, Doll and A 1/2, and Indie Seoul, Jayson HaslamBrock took to the centre stage and went solo in his new alt indie rock project, Reel Boy.

With authentic and intentionally imperfect vocals that will be a hit with Teenage Fanclub and Dinosaur Jr. fans and simple yet hooky pop choruses that transpire after the minimalist chord progressions, his sophomore release, Julissa, is just like honey – literally. The same sweetly sombre textural distortion that made The Jesus and Mary Chain hit so indulgently unforgettable becomes the central gravity in Julissa.

It isn’t your average earworm, but it will stick with you long beyond the outro all the same for Reel Boy’s tenaciously songwriting chops that are sharp enough to seal his illustrious fate in the industry.

Julissa is now available to stream via Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

djamesk13 has released his sludgy stargazing alt-indie hit, Then We See Our Stars

Posted on 21 February 2022

Then We See Our Stars is the latest lo-fi feat of alt-indie from the London-based experimentalist, djamesk13, which will instantly instil alt-90s nostalgia in any self-respecting no-wave fan.

The hooky grungy track may be too harsh and discordant to be everyone’s cup of tea, but for anyone who wants to revel in cathartic sludge fed through plenty of wobbly and echoey tape delay; Then We See Our Stars will hit the sludgy spot. Its Half-Man Half-Biscuit meets Pavement meets Swans. What more could you possibly ask for?

Then We See Our Stars is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Julian Fulco Perron lays the sludgy despondent psychedelia on thick with “Swamp Stomp”

Posted on 13 September 2020

If your playlists are lacking in swampy bluesy despondent psychedelia, and let’s face it, they probably are, hit play on the gorgeously sludgy latest single Swamp Stomp by Julian Fulco Perron.

There’s a Mike Patton-level of experimentalism on offer, and Julian Fulco Perron’s vocals may just be as versatile. From sinister snarls which could rival Marilyn Manson’s to endearing playfulness which gives the track a Frank Zappa feel, it’s all on offer. Even more impressively, Julian Fulco Perron was boundless with their creativity and eccentricity and still orchestrated a stylistic feat of Alt-Rock that even the snobbiest of musos couldn’t turn their noses up at.

It’s practically a polyphonic wet dream mid-way through as the eccentric synth lines ensure that Swamp Stomp is a track you’ll never forget.

You can check out the official video to Swamp Stomp by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lo-Fi Sludgy Shoegaze and Post Punk, converge in Nikolai Parker’s latest despondently sweet single “June”

Posted on 25 June 2020
https://nikolaiparker.bandcamp.com/track/june

Boston, Massachusetts-based Alternative artist Nikolai Parker dropped their latest single “June” on June 16th, we’re already hooked on the sludgy immersive aural despondency.

The progressive soundscape starts with chorally absorbing guitar notes floating high above the steady rattle of the drumbeats, but as June progresses, the momentum picks up and discord starts to bleed through.

In true Shoegaze style, Nikolai Parker’ vocals bleed slightly into the mix. Yet not so much so that the lyrics are lost in the melancholically-tinged soundscape.

If you could imagine what it would sound like if Nirvana and Slowdive collaborated on a record, you’d be able to get a good idea of what is in store when you hit play on June. Aptly. the track is as dark and stormy as the month of June in 2020. Admittedly, after hearing Nikolai Parker’s release, it felt increasingly harder to feel morose.

You’d be hard-pressed finding a more indulgent infusion Shoegaze, Post Punk, Grunge and Lo-Fi Rock from a contemporary artist.

You can stream and download June for yourselves via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast