The genre of Plankton Wat’s Spirits? Who cares.

When not sharing the stage with Nick Bindeman in Eternal Tapestry, Dewey Mahood creates his own sonic adventures as Plankton Wat. The arrival of fresh sounds from Plankton Wat is always cause for anticipation. Typically a Plankton Wat album is delivered on cassette, or sometimes CD-R, so having an LP release is even more special.

Plankton Wat rides […]

White Hills’ Frying on this Rock is space-rock at its finest

The heavy freight train that is White Hills seems to stop for no man. It’s not even been a full year since the release of the classic H-p1 and we now have a new epic space-rock document in the form of Frying on this Rock. This record is much more raw and blunt […]

Wooden Shjips’ Remixes 12” makes me curious

I will confess that I’m usually not a fan of remixes. I find that remixes usually just end up sucking the life out of a song by adding a lot of drum machines and loops, thereby creating a new version that tends to be a shadow of the original. This is the stuff […]

Notable Album Release: Pontiak – Echo Ono

Clear your calendar, folks! February 21, 2012 brings the release of Pontiak’s new LP, Echo Ono, on Thrill Jockey. The first track from the album is called “Lions of Least” and demands to be heard. It steps away from the more psychedelic sounds of this summer’s Comecrudos and veers more toward the rock […]

The Skull Defekts’ 2013-3012 is complex and gripping

When former Lungfish front man Daniel Higgs joined Swedish noise-rock juggernaut The Skull Defekts on their Peer Amid album earlier this year, it seemed like a natural fit that played to the strengths of both parties. Now, taking things one step further, The Skull Defekts teamed up with Zomes, the solo moniker of […]

High Places are confident, mature on Original Colors

At some point in a band’s career there is a noticeable shift from a sort of musical adolescence to the comfort and confidence of maturity. High Places have clearly reached their maturity with their latest record, Original Colors. Please note that this level of maturity in no way translates to boring or tired. […]

Future Islands use sounds of 25 years ago for On The Water

On the Water, the latest album from Baltimore’s Future Islands, is the most interesting indie-dance record released this year. Wait, it’s not really a dance record, maybe I meant indie-rock record. Well, it’s not really rock either. Is it chill-wave? I’m thinking not. Honestly, On the Water doesn’t deserve to be shoved into […]

Wooden Shjips make best record to date with West

San Francisco has a long history with psychedelic music, but no band epitomizes the new psychedelic sound of San Francisco like Wooden Shjips. After releasing some great records on Holy Mountain, Wooden Shjips unleash West, their first record for Thrill Jockey. West finds the band in a proper studio for the first time […]

Glenn Jones’ The Wanting fills us with satisfaction

The Wanting is an intriguing title for Glenn Jones’ fourth solo record, and first for the Thrill Jockey label. You expect to feel a deep yearning of sense of loss pouring from each song; instead, each track is completely satisfying and exudes feelings of contentment.

Jones comes from the John Fahey and Robbie […]

Barn Owl’s psych-doom-folk is hypnotic on Lost in the Glare

Do you remember that forgotten space station marooned in some remote corner of the universe populated by two half-insane astronauts? You’ve probably seen it in a late night movie that blurred in your mind years ago. It seems impossible, but at some point our two lonely and mostly-out-of-their-minds astronauts get it together and […]