Godspeed You! Black Emperor once again prove to be greater than the sum of their succinct parts on Luciferian Towers

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Godspeed You! Black Emperor once again prove to be greater than the sum of their succinct parts on Luciferian Towers

If you pay close enough attention, you can see the underserved masses finally defenestrating that which Godspeed have been sonically dueling for the past two decades. Even naming the band member by member doesn’t complete the puzzle of intention, since Godspeed You! Black Emperor are much more than the sum of their succinct parts. It’s almost a picture we can hang on the wall of our living room to help remind us of the beauty that can be found in humanity; and how much it’s at stake in the era the band operate in.

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Chad VanGaalen pulls off another wonderfully bizarre set of songs on sixth album Light Information

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Chad VanGaalen pulls off another wonderfully bizarre set of songs on sixth album Light Information

Light Information is much more direct and less impressionistic than what we’ve heard before, and the rabbit hole of ideas isn’t as deep. However, Chad has certainly retained his sense of humor: “Should I take the advice of the graffiti on the wall telling me to go suck it?” he asks on “Broken Bell”, almost giving in to defeatism. But, Chad has a wife, daughters, and way too much ingenuity to acquiesce to anyone else’s mantras. “Try to remember as much as I can/and try to keep faith in my fellow man”, he decides cheerfully on closer “Static Shape.”

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Anthology Records reissues Vietnam-era gem FJ McMahon, whose sole album Spirit Of The Golden Juice is eerily prescient 50 years later

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Anthology Records reissues Vietnam-era gem FJ McMahon, whose sole album Spirit Of The Golden Juice is eerily prescient 50 years later

McMahon doesn’t use fire and brimstone to convey his ideas. He’s got rough drum takes, glaring equalization problems in the guitars, and a tired-sounding voice. These are all he needs. If it weren’t for the loose production, the record would lose much of its charm; and if McMahon was screaming his rhetoric from the pulpit, Golden Juice wouldn’t be as relatable and moving. Any element you could perceive as negative is also a strength.

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With a touch of apocalyptic themes, Avey Tare makes another picturesque addition to the Animal Collective canon with Eucalyptus

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With a touch of apocalyptic themes, Avey Tare makes another picturesque addition to the Animal Collective canon with Eucalyptus

What’s new about this particular Avey Tare is that the overflow of ideas, lyrics, and themes doesn’t turn spastic and blurry like it has on records past. Eucalyptus, though adventurous, is down to earth and focused. It’s by far the most spiritual Avey Tare has ever sounded (except for the transcendent love on AnCo staple ‘Fireworks’). The pieces of the record are spread out all over the cutting room floor. As you pick them up, they’ll shapeshift and tell their stories whether apocalyptic or teeming with life.

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Beach House's career-spanning B-Sides and Rarities compilation is a long-awaited treat for hardcore fans

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Beach House's career-spanning B-Sides and Rarities compilation is a long-awaited treat for hardcore fans

When Beach House’s Thank Your Lucky Stars - the band’s second record of 2015 - dropped, many fans thought it was a b-side compilation. Together with the track ‘She’s So Lovely’ and the pearls spelling out the title, it was a throwback to their debut. Other songs like ‘All Your Yeahs’ sounded distinctly like 2015 Beach House, focusing more on long buildups instead of the rhythmic payoffs like 2010’s Teen Dream.

Over time it became clear that this was not the case – that Lucky Stars was a separate work, and that an argument could be made for its being the superior 2015 Beach House album. ‘Majorette’ and ‘Elegy to the Void’ now seem indispensable, and the band proved that “inessential” isn’t a word in their vocabulary. Funnily, a lot of songs on the new B-Sides and Rarities seem to span the whole career of the band, just like Lucky Stars. Sadly, this is more a record for hardcore fans than casual ones, though there are some distinct highlights.

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