He is Legend–few
Genre: Hard Rock, Stoner Rock
FFO: Alice in Chains, Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss
It may seem strange seeing He is Legend on this list considering I Am Hollywood is regarded as a staple record in the Post Hardcore movement of the early/mid 2000s.
However, most of my music-loving peers are completely unaware these guys are still making music. It Hates You found the band abandoning the Tooth and Nail/Solid State “Alternative Youth Group Scene” and stripping their sound down to a more linear take on poppy Stoner Rock.
They were now free to use curse words and thus their Christian following largely diminished (which was a big deal in the mid 2000s in my opinion).
Despite this unfortunate setback and a brief hiatus, He is Legend is now in complete control of their sound and are still pumping out great records. Be sure to check this out especially if you are a fan of Alice in Chains, Queens of the Stone Age, and He is Legend’s earlier material. There is some fantastic guitar-work on this LP and Croom’s vocals are as powerful and melodic as ever before.
Night Sins–Dancing Chrome
Genre: Post Punk, Goth Rock
FFO: Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Cold Cave
LP#3 from Philadelphia Goth Rock/Post Punk outfit Night Sins is not necessarily groundbreaking or genre-bending, but they still remain damn good at what they do and Dancing Chrome illustrates their mastery of the craft.
They remain pone of the better modern acts recapturing the magic of Eldritch and their usage of synthesized layers on this record and overall darker yet upbeat tones make this record a somber yet fun listen.
If you like bands like Sisters of Mercy, Type O Negative, or Bauhaus you would be an absolutely fool to not give these young musicians your attention.
Ulver–The Assassination of Julius Caesar
Genre: Experimental Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Synthpop
FFO: Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran
Ulver is a heavily underrated project here in the states, but the legendary Norwegian Experimental act has undoubtedly reached a point in their career where they can do virtually whatever they want.
The group started their career in the early ‘90s with an ambitious trilogy of LPs channeling Black Metal, Folk, and Shoegazing (long before Deafheaven was ever blasted for cultural appropriation and the term “Blackgaze” became a staple to Pitchfork hipsters pretending to occasionally like Metal).
As their career progressed they began messing with all different sorts of genres including Classical, Drone, Electronic, Trip Hop, Jazz, and so on. Last year’s LP, ATGCLVLSSCAP, was actually a collection of multi-track recordings from various improv jams the band performed live.
2017 brings us a theatrical concept album regarding the death of Julius Caesar sonically similar to the dark yet upbeat Synthpop of stylings of Depeche Mode mixed with the atmospheric prog of Pink Floyd.
Alright, Ulver. You do you. I’ll take it.