As promised from last month, here are 20 short-form reviews for this month’s Capsule Reviews! As a bit of an update, I might keep the series a bit more brief by eschewing the date of when the album has been released. I’m sure you are able to find it mostly through the shared links. Additionally, I have decided to not include in the highlighted picks for similar reasons with the additional one being that there are likely going to be some tracks that other listeners might find to be the best that’s different from me. At least for this one.
KRINJI – Town Beat
KRINJI is a J-pop band that’s been around since 1996 as the main avenue for singer-guitarist Takaki Horigome and his brother Yasuyuki prior to the latter’s departure in 2013 to focus on his solo career. Takaki himself would since undergo different iterations with himself being at the helm of the songwriting and musical style. Town Beat is the latest album from the current incarnation which makes for what could be best described as an ideal time for a blast to the past – the main genre more specifically is that of city pop from the 1980s. Expect there to be jazzy instrumentation and suave production that’s comparable to sophisti-pop, numerous vocal harmonies, and a bit of retro-synths. The listening experience as a whole is most certainly pleasant, but it’s admittedly nothing out of the ordinary. You neither gain a whole new perspective from listening to it nor do you lose out on much by skipping it. It’s serviceable and that’s all you could simply ask for these days. 3.1/5
Bill Callahan – My Days of 58
Singer-songwriter veteran Bill Callahan has developed a solid reputation over the course of his career thanks to the cult acclaim of his albums such as his former stage name of Smog with 1999’s Knock Knock. His more lyrical focus ages well like first-grown wine as his older age adds more depth to his baritone singing and it’s on display in My Days of 58. His typical emphasis on simple chord progression, which remains the heart of many of his songs, remains here as he ruminates on his friendships, mortality, and making music. It’s not completely out of the box from the usual type and those who are hoping for sophisticated literature in the writing will find this to lean mostly towards the humble pastorality of the Romantic poets in the 1800s. This shouldn’t ultimately dissuade listeners so much as to caution them that this isn’t in demand for the modern canon. It simply works as a more poetic flair of folk music. 3.4/5
Gumshoes – Happy New Years
If there’s an indie project that could be described as being among the most underrated right now, Gumshoes might take the cake for it. In my first review of them regarding their album from last year’s Bugs Forever, I especially love the quirky kind of chamber pop that the musical brain Sam Sparks uses to bring his songwriting to life. Happy New Year spices up the upbeatness with that of lyrical dissonance; many of the themes surrounding the album link loneliness to varying feelings of regret and bitterness. Yet, Sparks continue onward with the whimsicality with anecdotes surrounding self-marrying aces, political assassinations as an act of social initiation, careers gone wrong, hallucinatory experiences, and even an empathetic wolf. The instrumentation remains as joyfully symphonic as it is subdued and the record itself is worth a check even if it’s as subdued in its vision. 4/5
Teen Suicide – “Nude descending staircase, headless”
You couldn’t get a more hardcore name for a hardcore band than Teen Suicide. The now-two-piece battle tank of married couple guitarist Sam Ray and keyboardist Kathryn-Leigh “Kitty Pryde” Beckwith drew some bits of attention over nearly 15 years with positive reviews from Pitchfork. “Nude descending staircase, headless” marks their sixth studio album which highlights a kind of sludgy noisiness that tackles the theme of depression, mortality, gender dysphoria/body dysmorphia, aimlessness, and the desire for connecting with others. There’s a clear edginess in how the reverbs of the guitars echo the nihilism that looms from missing out on renewed bonds or relapsing into bad habits. It’s a record that is eclectic without being unique while its lyricism reads as gritty without an evocative emotional payoff. 2.7/5
Manderley – You Come in Seasons and Depart Through Windy Gusts and Blowing Leaves
Manderley is an American Midwest Emo band more specifically based in Orlando, Florida. They have released a few albums before although they have received little traction for their work even if there’s a clear sign of talent shining through – you can get where the thesis is going to be. You Come in Seasons and Depart Through Windy Gusts and Blowing Leaves comes crashing through with its thematic focus on the feeling of being stuck on where you are at now which is typical if not for one small twist. You are stuck with your dreams as a music artist even if your muse soon moves on without you as you find yourself making little progress. The ways these are represented through the more awkward vocal cracks, the denser multi-sectional song structure in the last few songs, and the amateurish playing and mixing makes the whole endeavour feel authentic. Rawness might have overstepped its welcome from time to time, but it could not have found a better stage to lend out its frustrations than here. 3.7/5
Hiroki Tanaka – Isan
Canada-residing Hiroki Tanaka has a fascinating relationship with both his Japanese ancestry and his music. A handful of fans might recognise him best as a member of Yamantaka // Sonic Titan which specialise in prog-rock that’s heavily inspired by their Asian background. Over the past years, he’s distanced himself from the band in favour of etching out a more psychedelic focus for his solo career. Isan is a romanisation of a Japanese word which means “inheritance” and it’s also based more specifically on Tanaka’s specific descendancy from Christian missionaries. The album itself is fascinating for both the good and the bad. The use of synths and krautrock-like conventions make for a more hypnotic experience where the representations of the subject matter don’t add too much to cheesy cliches. The direction however lends more opportunities for a miss where the instrumentation as a whole overstays its welcome and falls deep into obnoxiousness. 2.9/5
GEZAN – I KNOW HOW NOW
GEZAN has always been a peculiar band to me. I have last reviewed their last album ANOCHI which marks their collaboration with Million Wish Collective which is actually good although I do wonder whether the latter band is more of an extension based on a short bit of research. I KNOW HOW NOW marks the seventh studio album (ignoring the 2024 soundtrack i ai) and it marks a surprisingly accessible record for the most part. The tribalistic kind of performance still lingers as does the high-pitched vocals which can be a make-or-break deal for new listeners. The instrumentation does feel more restrained however and the production, even as it makes a good deal out of ensuring that the spontaneity remains, leans more towards “selling” the technicality rather than hammering home its artistic chaos if that makes sense. This means that the record is missing a bit of its seeming allure although once you do stick around for a bit, you can see why fans might love GEZAN in the first place. 3.5/5
Various artists – Latinameric anfútbol
Latinameric anfútbol sticks out to me as a noteworthy mention even though it’s a compilation album consisting of different bands and artists. As the title suggests, the album largely sought to imitate the iconic style that leaves American Football as the trailblazer for Midwest Emo through South American representation. Names like Kidchen from Colombia, Argentina’s kurí, Chile’s Matar a GraX, and others expressed their takes through screaming, arpeggiated riffs, and more complex song structures to both exemplify the best of their main genre’s appeal and to present nuanced evolutions from their cultural milieu. It’s a noteworthy shoutout that fans of the genre in general should consider keeping some tabs on due to its subtle varieties in style. 3.9/5
The Notwist – News from Planet Zombie
The Notwist is a German band more specifically from Weilheim in Oberbayern who has been around since 1989. While their roots lie in indie rock, fans are more likely to recognise them best for their indietronic output in their best-known work Neon Golden from 2005. Their newest album distances itself from the electro-incorporated sound in favour of the more overt rock elements from their earliest days. News from Planet Zombie is at times feelsy in its use of acoustic guitar and conscious musings. Its contemplations can be a bit much with how it wants to come off as thoughtful with little else to go for it. Nevertheless, the album offers a pleasant experience for listeners who are willing to welcome a new turn of leaf from an old band. 3/5
Lip Critic – Theft World
Lip Critic is a punk band from New York with a notable emphasis on synth instrumentation. Their debut back in 2024 with Hex Dealer realises how well-gelled the execution is with how the bouncy synths compliment with the sprechgesang that lead singer Bret Kaser tends to use. Only two years later, Theft World comes along to further polish up the antics with satirical coverage of poverty and gambling. The vocal delivery is reminiscent of Death Grips which is abetted by the sharpness of the post-industrial programmed beats and the layering of the percussion always seeks to drill itself into you. Does it get overwhelming at times? Yes, but that’s one part of the fun. 3.6/5
Tokyo Shoegazer – Remains
Tokyo Shoegazer is about as self-explanatory the name of a band as you can get. They’re from Japan and they specialise in shoegaze as their main genre. They have released 5 original studio albums at the time of writing and 1 remake over the course of their career to which they accrue some support among fans who want a more international portrayal of the genre. Remains is their latest one and while it contains the characteristics that are typical like the whirlwind of guitar feedback and dissonances, it feels too plain for my liking. Compared to the recent excellence that YEONSOO or Parannoul has shown, the grittiness portrayed by Have a New Life, Ride’s jangly chillness, or the maximalism that Candy Claws employs, Tokyo Shoegazer flails in its flanging. There’s little that makes it stand out on its own. And with its lack of distinction it collapses onto itself. 1.7/5
Jesca Hoops – Long Wave Home
Jesca Hoops stands out as an American who remains wholly flexible in what she’s able to do. A progeny of Tom Waits whom she first met by being a nanny for his children, she’s able to release 6 albums at the time of writing along with many collaborations with names like Iron and Wine, Shearwater, and Andrew Bird. Long Wave Home marks her latest release and there are several compliments worth throwing in. The vocals are quaint, the production twinkles, and the instrumentation makes for a palette that diversifies the record. There is an itching problem in that it reminds me of the Weather Station or even Greta Van Fleet. The textures at the glance look nice, but there’s the feeling that it doesn’t have the bite to make its highs leave a mark on you. 2.2/5
Antropoceno – No Ritmo da Terra
Antropoceno is the album project of Lua Viana, a Brazilian DJ and musician who envisions in her work “a dialogue between ancestrality and futurism.” She has written an essay in anticipation of the album’s release that explains in depth the colonial pervasiveness of capitalism that rots within modern technology and how it spreads into both environmental harm and indigenous culture that’s been slowly replaced by Western influences. No Ritmo da Terra imbues this view into itself. Viana combines what is on paper Western avant-garde music like neo-psychedelia or heavy metal into her native continent’s local music scene. The likes of Afoxé and Samba are key influences in enriching the album to allow it to stand as the borderline between the traditional and the novelty. The final product, or rather art draft, is a fascinating piece that flirts with what many of us in North America, Europe, Australia, or New Zealand would consider conventional all the while asserting its heritage each and every single time. The Portuguese language is simply another layer of puzzle to unravel for full context. 4.3/5
Friko – Something Worth Waiting For
The sophomore album of Friko might not have diverged all that much from their debut which is the punchy Where We’ve Been, Where We Go from Here. Then again, it would have to take an exceptional amount of work to go beyond the array of impactful anthems that need to be belted out in the stadium. As the saying goes by the Go-Go’s drummer Gina Schock, “The first record is your whole life and then after that you have a couple of months to write stuff and get it for the next record.” Something Worth Waiting For still carries the gravitas that make the band magnetic on their own while it’s missing a bit of substance that gets to tug your heart out. The drums and guitars can punch upward all it can, but it can come just about short of its most sentimental. You might not get a masterclass in ‘Get Numb to It!’ in this record, but there’s a decent substitute to be had in the title track. 3.8/5
Social Distortion – Born to Kill
Social Distortion has been kicking since 1978 and they’re among one of the first punk bands to have gone well into the mainstream in the United States. Their 1990 self-titled breakthrough allowed them to enter serious commercial territory as they sold millions of physical copies around the world in total. All that being said, there might be a fair bit of reason why you don’t hear their names as often as Television, Fugazi, the Stooges, the Clash, or Wire as major inspirations. Born to Kill is the kind of name that jeerers would respond unkindly with the deprecative “born to die”. The production at least has a shine that makes everything sounds clear and sparkly as well as a mixing that proves translucent in making all the musical components audible. Outside of that, zilch. It’s not much different from the rock n’ roll records from the late 1950s without so much of the ironic zinger to keep itself hip. 1.7/5
Edward Skeletrix – Body of Work
The last time I listened to Edward Skeletrix, I found his willingness to push the very boundary of what rap means more respectable than the execution of it as pretentious as my wording is (excepting that Grand Theft Auto sample). He’s never the kind of music artist who’s willing to turn to just alien beats or flows to make his style of hip-hop come off as weird as is the case with JPEGMAFIA, the Dealers of God, Danny Brown, clipping., Shabazz Palaces, and many, many others. Body of Work acts as the very proof of his defiance which might well rank with By Storm in its eccentricity. The album at times feels less like a truly cohesive record as it is an abstract collection of sound collage that layers on top of each other to conjure a feeling that is indescribable. It’s at times grating and also at times beautiful from the choppiness of the vocals and the samples used and the result is one that’s impossible to say if it’s a must-listen. All I can say at least is that a handful of experimental hip hop fans will imitate the erratic production in the future. 2.6/5
Iguana Death Cult – Guns Out
Iguana Death Cult is a post-punk band from Rotterham, Netherlands whose trajectory flips toward garage rock every now and then. Their previous album Echo Palace marks their most out-there release with experimentations with differing time signatures and more jazzy kind of instrumental playing. Guns Out marks their latest release which marks the return back to the building blocks. Their production is gritty, the guitarwork energetic, and the vocals are hollering. All these characteristics make for a fun album at first hearing. Yet, this ultimately offers little to help carry itself throughout its entirety without a more overt detraction from the usual style. I’m not asking for a flip in genre for just a track so much as I’m hoping for a more dynamic kind of structure that relies little on the inclusion of loud abrasive noises. And you might find the latter to be void in a lot of the tracks here. 1.6/5
tsubi club – trinket
tsubi club is the anonymous music artist whose style has derived well from the wellsprings of hyperpop. His infectious songwriting is inspired by the 2000s with how rife it is with electropop formulae being pushed to the max. trinket is his debut album following years of releasing several singles as well as appearances made on some compilations and it’s an especially punchy record. The blending of the acoustic guitar, fizzy synthetic basslines, androgynous vocalisation, and Porter Robinson-esque smidge of sentimentality makes for an uppercut of a record. It’s by no means a 100 gecs masterwork but you can sense the vibrancy from a good mile away. 4.3/5
Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury
A veteran among veterans, Joe Jackson has been involved in making music since 1970 when he’s only a teenager. He’s released many records with some of the most beloved including his 1979 debut Look Sharp and he worked on many different styles like a Grammy-winning instrumental Symphony No. 1 in 1999. Hope and Fury marks his latest record which is admittedly not the best work in the world to say the least. The composition feels appropriated with the ways it feels as if it never renews its source from the 1980s and thus age worse and worse with each subsequent listen. The vocals might be nice but the lyricism has an air of unfitting childishness that doesn’t reckon with the very context surrounding the singer. It’s like listening to a new Eric Clapton record or Ringo Starr’s or whoever else. They never quite outgrow the limitations of pop music past the 1960s or 70s. 1.2/5
Beautiful Hotnes – Tastes Like Filth
Beautiful Hotnes is the side project of Canadian band Elita’s frontwoman Emma “Elita Harkov” Harvey”. While Elita itself has been around for a while with their debut album coming out last year, Beautiful Hotnes is a much more recent outlet although the two do share a clear similarity in being rooted in electro-industrial stylistics. Tastes Like Filth is a viscerally dissonant piece of work that makes sexual pleasure feel disgusting. And I mean that in a complimentary way. There will be a lot of moments where you need to do a double-take and wonder what kind of intercourse the theme of the track is about and the repetition only hammers home the guilt that’s awfully hidden way since the days of the #MeToo movement. Catchy, subversive sensuality sits uncomfortable in the album as it never departs from how easy it is for one to exploit it to their advantage. 3.8/5
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