THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Factory Floor _ "25 25"
Factory Floor find themselves on "25 25" endlessly devoted to electronic's retro roots and pushing their minimalist aesthetic to unbelievable new extremes. Each of the album's eight tracks sits over five minutes long _ half of them over seven _ and the majority of them maintain their foundational drum beats and bass lines the entire time. The movement of the songs, rather than coming from big dynamic beat switches and mawkish pop vocals, comes from the slow progression of increasingly intensifying modulation. _ Colin Fitzgerald
Myrkur _ "Mausoleum"
Denmark's undeservedly controversial Myrkur is the oft-debated baby of Amalie Bruun, a figure who is only really polarizing to misogynists in the black metal scene. Norway's Sylvaine also mines ethereal, dark post-rock and flirts with black metal territory (excellent new track "In the Wake of Moments Passed By" is a particular highlight of her recent "Wistful" release). Bruun's rapid rise to popularity, however, seemed to deeply threaten yet titillate a large swath of self-loathing black metal purists who actually love writhing in torment at perceived slights worse than any "SJW" that right-wingers tend to protest. _ Morgan Y. Evans
The Chills _ "Kaleidoscope World"
You may know New Zealand's the Chills from their handful of minor 1980s hits such as "Pink Frost" and "I Love My Leather Jacket." You may have heard "Heavenly Pop Hit," their aptly titled 1990 single which made a respectable showing on the U.S. charts. Just as likely, you've never heard them at all. Because, the Chills always seemed to be just on the cusp of international recognition, never quite breaking through like their countrymen Split Enz, or even as much as the Church or the Go-Betweens, their Australian neighbors and, at times, musical brethren. _ Rob Caldwell
OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES
Blood Orange _ "Freetown Sound"
Peter Broderick _ "Partners"
Carl Broemel _ "4th of July"
Crystal Castles _ "AMNESTY (I)"
Gonjasufi _ "Callus"
Ed Harcourt _ "Furnaces"
Lydia Loveless _ "Real"
Momus _ "Pubic Intellectual: An Anthology, 1986-2016"
Dolly Parton _ "Pure & Simple"
The Scientists _ "A Place Called Bad"
Tobacco _ "Sweatbox Dynasty"
Ryley Walker _ "Golden Sings That Have Been Sung"
Josh White _ "Josh at Midnight"
NOW HEAR THIS
Darkher _ "Moths"
It may still be August, but Darkher's "Moths" is ice-cold. It's frigidly minimalist in an oppressive way, lilting acoustic guitar growing into a monstrosity of down-tuned guitars and crushing cymbals. It starts pitched downwards and slides even further, gothic folk that plunges headlong into doom territory. Darkher does a lot with a little _ there's not much more here than a couple guitars, some strings, and soft drums _ and the result is magnificent in its bleakness. _ Will Rivitz
(https://youtu.be/mhufwhILZSE)
Josh Farrow _ "Who's Gonna Love You When I'm Gone"
"Who's Gonna Love You When I'm Gone" carries itself with an aura of impermeable coolness, suave organ and killer bassline as smooth as silk. Its looseness belies the expert skill of the musicians behind it, a relaxed piece, which achieves that laxness through a tight arrangement, and a band that gels incredibly well. Farrow's cocksure drawl is accentuated by the world-class vocals of Ruby Amanfu _ if there's anything wrong with this song, it's that she's relegated to backup vocals, but even those she kills. This one's a good'un. _ WR
(http://popm.at/2b3CYVg)
WATCH THIS
Clipping. _ "Baby Don't Sleep"
Daveed Diggs has rightfully established himself as an eclectic powerhouse thanks to his Grammy- and Tony-winning performance in "Hamilton," and returning to his experimental hip-hop outfit Clipping. is a reassuring sign that he's not content resting on his laurels. From their upcoming album "Splendor and Misery," "Baby Don't Sleep" is full of restless sonic experiments like static, distortion and myriad sound effects, but it's Diggs' rapid-fire rhymes that tie the whole thing together. For anyone who thinks hip-hop is getting stale, listen to this refreshing revelation. _ Chris Ingalls
(https://youtu.be/jkVIRXPG7oY)
PIG _ "The Diamond Sinners"
PIG's "The Diamond Sinners" has got everything a classic industrial song should have. Guitars splinter and crash, accessories instead of the backbone of the piece. Chugging synth bass props everything up, lifted into place by a sluggish beat. The anti-religious lyrics correspond with a found-footage-heavy video, unsettling images syncing with Raymond Watts' unsettling lyrics. In short, "The Diamond Sinners" is exactly what you might expect from a man who's been making industrial for 30 years, and that's a very good thing. _ WR
(https://youtu.be/A2irDx78HL4)
