You Need to Hear: Samothrace

Pop-punk this ain’t kids

Samothrace may have just released their sophomore record Reverence to Stone. Yet this dispatch from Monkey Towers, while Samothracian in subject, will barely mention that.

Instead, my thoughts about that record’s 2008 predecessor, Life’s Trade – hands down one of the best records I have heard this year – have finally coagulated.

So, in the absence of my having got my arse in gear to properly digest the new one, you can read Sawtooth Wave‘s take on it, if that’s what you are after.

Otherwise, let’s see if we can get a handle on an album that takes 47 minutes to unravel  four songs.

Hydra Head Records Closing Down: RIP

RIP a great record label

What utterly bastardly shitty news: Hydra Head will shut its doors in December.

Label head and Isis legend Aaron Turner emailed his customers tonight to break the bad news. They can simply no longer afford to run the label.

Love or loathe Hydra Head, there’s no denying they have released some pretty important records since that first Vent 7″ in 1995.

On My Turntable: Witch Mountain, The Smashing Pumpkins, El-P and Decoder Ring…

Spot the hilarious joke….

Don’t be fooled, while there’s not much metal on this list, I’m not going soft. I’ve been hammering MDG favourites Book of Black Earth and Balaclava this past week.

*Masculinity assured, he stops swinging it around and slips back where it belongs*

Yet there’s been plenty of time for non d-beat at MDG Towers. I know. Shit’s craycray, huh?

I have also created a Spotify playlist so you bastards can have a listen. Not that you’ll bother, you James Blunts (that’s cockney rhyming slang my beloved American readers… you work it out).

Weekly Round-up: Alela Diane, Atmosphere, Explosions in the Sky.

Atmosphere - Not your average hip-hop crew

Alela Diane, Atmosphere, Explosions in the Sky?

“That’s not very metal! What kind of pussy are you Monkey?” I hear you asking yourself before deleting this blog forever from your bookmarks, never to grace these pages with your presence again.

Well, hold your horses, cowboy.