Back in April of 2023, Molly Parden starting rolling out a handful of new songs. At the time, there was very little context provided that they may be part of a larger body of work. The first, “Cigarette,” is a minimal composition teeming with subtle arrangements – a keyboard hum, an ethereal background vocal, a whimsical swirl followed by a mysterious growl – all in support of Parden’s introspective and delicate admissions. Five more singles followed suit, each wonderfully personal and rewarding upon revisitation.

The now available full-length Sacramented is Parden’s third long player and she’s clearly matured into a new state of being. The record is articulate and nuanced; both musically and lyrically. Listening through top to bottom on cursory listen, you may foolishly think the record is sparse. However, each song is filled with flourishes and elements that are worth appreciating. These arrangements are beautiful but can’t be fully appreciated without truly listening. Parden’s voice is delicate but not broken, her delivery confident even when it’s quiet. In a word, it’s intentioned – never without purpose and keen thoughtfulness.

Parden is a deft enough songwriter that there’s no way to know if the lyrical content throughout Sacramented are stories being woven from thin air or highly personal experiences. Regardless of their source, they weave a powerful tale of exhuming a great weight. Reading the proverbial tea leaves just a little bit, the past tense state of the title insinuates a journey that is now complete. A sacrament is ritual of acknowledgement and, in this case, maybe that ritual has now passed. Letting go is always the hardest part.

Finding the balance of truly emotional subject matter mixed with arrangements that reward relistening and a performance that is empowered but thoughtful is a nearly impossible combination. Fortunately, Sacramented is not your average record.

A catchy love song is a treat for the ears but a catchy apology song is much rarer delight. Levi J. Miller must have gotten the memo because “Seventh Chance” is an earworm and a half; an absolute joy to bop along to and sing along with despite the lyrics being drenched in regret and pleading for another chance.. a seventh one at that! The b-side, “Medieval Names,” is a similar sentiment of regret and hope for winning back a lover. Let’s hope that these aren’t autobiographical and Miller is hanging in there just fine, otherwise his heartache is our benefit.

Back in early 2021, electronic musicians Eve Maret and Adrienne Franke released the track “Space Freeway,” an immersive track that evoked dance music, krautrock and some intensely feel good vibes. Individually, both artists have created wonderfully enjoyable compositions themselves. If you’ve not heard Maret’s Stars Aligned or Franke’s Falling Leaves, add those to your queue now. With “Space Freeway,” it seemed the two would be working together on even more music and that was an incredibly exciting proposition.

That possibility is now a reality, as their self-titled collaboration, Eardrummer, is now available. Two years of anticipation can be a devastating force of disappointment but Maret and Franke have managed to concoct a blend of influences mixed with their own personal styles that makes for a riveting listen. The aforementioned “Space Freeway” and “Ultra” kick off the record with rock solid krautrock intonations but the record really starts to show itself with “Planet Orange” – a swirl of glitched out beats, synth overtures and thick bass. The duo invites Julia Meredith and Proteins of Magic to contribute saxophone and flute on “Hibiscus” and “Ode” respectively; welcome additions to the already delightful tracks.

Collaboration can be tough. Often the results are a bifurcated divide of each individuals distinct styles. Maret and Franke manage avoid this trap as no one track feels like it belongs to only one of the contributors. That is to say, you can’t call one track “A Maret track” and another “A Franke track” – even if you do hear some of their familiar synth sounds mixed in. Eardrummer is enjoyably danceable and teeming with optimism in parts, while being atmospheric and a little dark at other times. It’s an immersive journey and I’m happy to take it on repeat.

Depending on who you ask Boo Dudes have been releasing Halloween inspired music since 2014 or 1983 when they were known as Paranormal Punx but all of the members died from “smoking marijuana to death.” There’s really no way to know which is true. What we do know is that there’s a new batch of offerings emerging from their collective graves entitled The Horrible Sounds of Boo Dudes.

As with every Boo Dudes release, the best enticement to listen is to simply read the tracklist. If you get at least one good chuckle from any of these titles, you’ll inevitably enjoy the music within:

1. Ghost Janitor
2. An American Werewolf in Debt
3. Livin’ Ain’t Easy (When You’re Dead)
4. Post-Mortem Boredom
5. Plan 9 from Delta 8
6. Son, Bloody Son
7. Little Mama Mia
8. Dracula Needs a Ride to the Store (feat. Gary Da Gillperson x Merlin Mansons)
9. Do (or Don’t Do) The Indigenous Peoples’ Burial Ground
10. Are You Afraid of the Narc?
11. De-Hemption Song
12. Hackety Axe

For my money, “Plan 9 from Delta 8” and “Dracula Needs a Ride to the Store” are instant reasons to hit play. There’s a bit of irreverance throughout the record, more genres and styles than you can shake a stick at and a genuine commitment to each and every absurd track. It’s not high art but it’s high art, if you get my drift. A welcome treat every year.

Without any context, the latest full-length from Pulsatile Tinnitus, The Finer Art of Heartwork, is a masterful composition of immersive ambient soundscapes that ebb and flow into states of entropy, unfurling with static and noise. The apex of the record, a track called “Itch”, unleashes a feeling of buoyant, joyful, dance. It’s an experience that invites meditation and loud playback to let it really drag you in.

However, context is everything. In this case, it’s fascinating to consider the intention of the record and the performer creating it. The intention is clear from the writeup included on Bandcamp:

Doing the work of your heart is a continual mending of soul wounds; heartwork is an act of re-membering; it is a ceremony that allows us to learn from woundings to re-member, put ourselves back together, and transform beyond the spiritual scars that try to keep us bound in darkness. Heartwork brings us back to that original breath of life and light of spirit.

The album itself is that ceremony, an ebb and flow of hardships and release. A soundtrack to allow you to feel those pains and take something away from them.

The performer behind it all is Kayla Phillips, whom is likely best known for her work in grindcore band Bleed The Pigs – an absolutely brutal onslaught of impassioned screams and guttural vocal work. Pulsatile Tinnitus, Phillip’s pseudonym for her solo work, is not the same undertaking aurally but there’s a compelling overlap in cathartic emotional release between the two endeavors.

The Pulsatile Tinnitus catalog of works reaches back to 2015; including a bounty of EPs, singles, live performances and albums. The Finer Art of Heartwork did not suddenly emerge from nothing, it’s the result of years of practice, of refinement and of listening to one’s self. It’s not ironic that the name of the band is also the name of a “debilitating condition of noise in the ear or head that is audible only to the sufferer.” Your own pains and conditions are felt only by yourself. Hopefully The Finer Art of Heartwork can provide a conduit to hearing them.

If you’re unfamiliar, Lunar is an incredibly prolific hip-hop artist fueled by beats and samples derived from a diverse range of sources: anime, Hasbro cartoons, and yacht rock to name a few. Verses spit out lyrical content covering everything from gentrification, life’s brevity and fish sandwiches. There are sixty-eight releases on Bandcamp at the time of this publishing but that’s only going back five years. I’d venture a guess that if you plotted those dates out, the quantity has been releasing dramatically over time.

Quantity does not equal quality but in LUNAR’s case, there’s an undeniable improvement over time across the board; beats, rhymes, content, production, collaborations, artwork, sampling. A great example of this is the June 2023 collaborative EP with Clayhead entitled Eternal Engine. It’s overflowing with clever pop culture references, perfectly timed flourishing samples and some real “Fuck Yea” energy in the back half. For my money, “Italian Supercars / Jefferson St.” is a killer entry point to not just this release but the massive LUNAR catalog as a whole. The energy is captivating, the lyrics are entertaining while being poignant and there’s enough tucked away in there musically that you gotta hear it at least twice.

Every LUNAR release is a quality starting point – see also: Expendables 3: The Dark Lord, Floydberg, Immortal Phoenix, et al. It can be a lot to keep up with but the rewards are well worth it.