2018 is really gearing up to be a great year of new releases. Here’s some more evidence of that factual statement: Rales just released the first track off their forthcoming album, Air Lift. We’ll have to wait until January 12th of next year to hear the whole thing but if “Windsor Pl” is any indication of what’s in store, it’s going to be a good one.

Woodsplitter, the genre hopping side project of All Them Witches Ben McLeod, has another new instrumental album to indulge in. Like the previously released Journey Into Krautrock and Egyptian Overlord before that, McLeod picks a flavor and dives in deep, embracing the tropes of a particular style but always with his own enjoyable twist. May All Your Post Rock Dreams Come True is, obviously, his version of quiet-to-loud arrangements the likes of Explosions in the Sky, 65daysofstatic and Mogwai (of which there is even a cover). The songs build with tension until releasing into some overtly epic onslaught of sound, best listened to at the highest of volumes.

It’s refreshing for a project to give itself such particular boundaries and still find such successful execution.

Start your weekend off right with the blazing new track “Eye Sinks” from one of Murfreesboro’s finest psych rock bands, Mouth Reader. I can only hope this means a full-length lies in wait for us in 2018.

Great to see Tristen keeping with her holiday tradition of releasing a new song in December. This years offering, “Crying on Christmas Day”, is a somber number but well suited for a time of year where we reflect. This pushes melancholy to its limits, in the most pleasingly moving of ways.

All purchases of the track go to Doctors Without Borders, so you can do some good this Christmas with very little effort.

Contemporary Tapes is a Nashville based label focused on highlighting releases from the experimental and vaporwave electronic genres. They’ve released albums from locals such as Palm Spring and Strange Æons but their latest release compiles songs from artists across the country to create a surprisingly pleasing, far-out Christmas album.

Typically,  Vaporwave and Christmas would seem to be two ideas that would never work well together but this comp proves that theory 100% incorrect. Listening to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or “The Scut Farkis Affair” it’s clear that there’s room for plenty of new styles in the Christmas genre. 

While many of these artists are not Nashville based, Contemporary Tapes is from our fine city and serves as the mastermind behind bringing this all together. I applaud them for pulling it off.

As everyone reflects on the Best of 2017, there’s plenty of good news about the future – particularly in regards to 2018 releases. Tape Deck Mountain just announced their next full-length, Echo Chamber Blues, will be released February 23rd and they’re taking pre-orders for the limited edition vinyl now.

If you aren’t familiar with the Nashville by way of New York by way of San Diego outfit, you may be missing out on some of the best shoegaze out there. I’ll save the full review for when the album is officially released but if you like big, reverb-y guitars, thick bass lines, foreboding samples and plenty of atmosphere, this will absolutely not disappoint.

One of my favorite releases of 2016 was the oft-overlooked debut from Lionlimb, Shoo. The Elliott Smith-esque vocals and sublime production was always enjoyable. So, I’m excited to see that 2018 will see the second official release from the band in the form of the Tape Recorder EP. From the sound of the first available track, “Maria”, the band is continuing with their previous sound but layering in a lot more instrumentation and even some strings to accent where necessary. Definitely one for the wishlist.

The debut EP from Peachtea is a collection of quiet pop diddies led with melancholy vocals. Overall, it’s a somber feeling and pairs well with these colder months, reflecting on the previous year. Be sure to hit up “Pt. 1″ and “Rio Bravo” – certainly the standout tracks in my meager opinion.