It’s been a little over a year since we last heard from Friendship Commanders. They last released their Junebug 7″ back in April of 2017 and have, apparently, been hard at work since then on a new album. That album, entitled Bill, is slated for release on Oct 5th, 2018. It’s very worth noting that the album was produced by Steve Albini. So, if you weren’t intrigued already, now you should be.

The first single from said album, “Horrify”, is now available to stream wherever but I highly recommend steering yourself over to YouTube to watch the video that accompanies it. The performance / short film offering is an excellent introduction to the band as it showcases their high energy live performance and their enjoyment of the macabre. I assume as much given that the video depicts singer B. Arson being lethally poisoned and.. well.. I won’t spoil it. Just watch it.

You can pre-order the entire record over on their Bandcamp and even pick up a combo pack that includes a specially designed tie. A tie! That wins some sort of prize for most surprising apparel item to go with a hard rock album that I’ve seen in some time.

The bio for Panda Park reads “Songs are better out in the world than on hard drives.” This should be a rallying cry for artists everywhere. While not always easy to feel that your creation is complete, there’s something liberating and satisfying about actually letting people hear your hard work and interpret it on their own.

There’s no insight available as to what Panda Park was contemplating when the duo put together this EP of songs but there’s clearly something dark permeating what they do. Lead track “Down Down” has a Portishead-esque march to it, while “Vignette” has the kind of sweet sneer you might find in a Metric song. Comparisons to previous works from other bands may be a cheap technique for framing these original works but the touchstones aren’t inaccurate.

On the whole, the EP is a strong offering of interesting instrumentation, loops, sinister guitar and a lead vocal with attitude that feels sincere in its menace. The band’s Instagram only has five posts at the time of this publishing and I can only hope that means there’s much more to come from the outfit. Let’s hope they continue to get more songs off their hard drives and into the world.

I feel like I heard the title track off of Basic Printer’s forthcoming Good Weird album some time ago and it didn’t stick. I liked it but I wasn’t struck by it. Upon relistening now, I’m captivated. Maybe something changed in the production or maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace. Whatever it was, I’m overjoyed to be immersing myself in it now.

The album won’t be released until August 31st, 2018 but there are three tracks up on Bandcamp that set the stage for expectations. There’s a lot of keyboards, wet bass tracks, dance-able grooves and sing-along choruses. It’s certainly got a weird vibe to it – as the title suggests – but it really is a Good Weird. It’s different than what you expect from our scene but different in the absolute best way.

This is another release from Banana Tapes, a label that I can’t stress enough we all need to be paying more attention to.

Back in April, Charlie Abbott released an album entitled Nirvana that has unceremoniously flown under my radar until just a few days ago. It’d be difficult to discuss this album without lightly touching on the title. While “nirvana” (lowercase) has its own meaning, it’s impossible not to see the word and not immediately conjure thoughts of Cobain and crew. Not surprisingly, there’s a good deal of that influence at play here – particular some of the earlier, messier style can be heard seeping through in “I’m Dead” – but it’s never a direct nod or exhausting play on style, it’s just the state of the world where Nirvana was a popular band twenty-five years ago.

But enough about that. The title has very little to do with the record but it must be mentioned just to get it out of the way. Overall, the album is a solid offering of strong rock songs with no gimmicks. That’s a tough sell these days as there’s a limitless grab bag that it could pull from. But there’s no vocal style to adjust to, there’s no secret metal influence underlying the riffs or, really, any pretense whatsoever (not there’s anything wrong with any of those other things).

That’s not to say there isn’t a unique voice at work here. The songs are big, emphatic and filled with flourishes that take it from being just Riff Rock to being something altogether special. There’s even an eight-minute instrumental smack in the middle of the album that takes a deep dive into some post-rock Quiet/Loud explosions.

It’s hard to be memorable in the world of Rock Music these days but Nirvana is an album that rewards on additional listens. It’s not breaking the mold but it’s an exemplary offering of how the style should be done.

When making “dark” music, there’s a fine line to walk between impressively brooding and hilarious parody. Thomas Mayo manages to stay on the right side of the execution with his three song EP, The Man Who Damns Gods. Admittedly, there’s a heavy vocal fry throughout the lyrics that feels almost painful at times but that stretch and strain works especially well on tracks like “The Fall” where the guitars provide a brighter contrast.

If I had to make a comparison, I’d say if you ever enjoyed the likes of White Zombie and Interpol and the lyrical content of The Cure or New Order, you’ll find something to enjoy here.

There’s a deceiving simplicity to the handful of tracks from Dancers available over on their Bandcamp. For instance, “Well Rested” consists of a simple drum machine beat, a gently strumming guitar and a floating vocal but the entire song is augmented by subtle keyboard flourishes that race through the background and vocal harmonies that hit at just the right moments. It’s fair to call it dreamy.

There’s two other tracks available with the same kind of rewards available upon multiple listens. Looking forward to a full EP or album from them.

There’s only two tracks currently available from Patzy but there’s an enchanting allure to both. “Black Bangs” slowly rolls along with a very subtle tension mounting throughout the verse until the track finally releases into a full wall-of-sound of guitars and layered vocals.

The lyrical content seems to be about a lost love but since there’s a darkness to the presentation that undercuts the entire thing, you can’t help but wonder if something more sinister is going on.

Two tracks isn’t a lot to go on but it’s looking good for Patzy. I’m ready for more.

Ron Gallo is nothing if not diverse. His previous EP, Really Nice Guys, goes from breakneck punk blasts to floating musings to psych-rock explosion in the span of three songs. It’s not unpleasant but it’s definitely hard to pin down.

Now he’s released “It’s All Gonna Be OK, the first single from his forthcoming full-length, Stardust Birthday Party. It’s an upbeat rocker with a mouthful of lyrics about the political times we live in. The message may or may not be nihilistic, depending on how you look at it. The thing is, the majority of the song sounds like an Oh Sees style rocker with the back third changing entirely into a DIY sounding jazz trail off. This kind of stylistic gymnastics is not a new thing for Gallo but it makes it difficult to forecast exactly what the full album will sound like.

You can pre-order the digital, CD or vinyl over on Bandcamp and start taking bets on what the record will sound like when it’s released on October 5th.