The term “Americana Metal” might seem outlandish, but Chicago’s Huntsmen find the middle ground between alt-country and stoner rock through the two genres’ common ground in storytelling. On this 85-minute double album, the band pushes itself as musicians and narrators. Driven by a musical conflation of prog, sludge and stoner…

Like any supergroup, it’s impossible to mention Human Impact without also mentioning its members’ credentials. With Unsane’s Chris Spencer on vocals and guitar, Chris Pravdica of Xiu Xiu and Swans on bass, Jim Coleman of Cop Shoot Cop handling electronics and Phil Puleo of Swans and Cop Shoot Cop…

At the very least, no one can say Pennsylvania’s Code Orange hasn’t earned its success. Since forming 12 years ago as Code Orange Kids, the band rose from basement shows to Grammy nominations, which has coincided with daring stylistic shifts. I Am King (2014) brutalized the band’s sound for the This Is Hardcore crowd,…

After a decade of translating his deep sadness into a diverse array of sound and the desire to constantly reinvent himself, Aaron Maine became of the most inventive and hardest-working producers as Porches. From raw and rigid indie rock to hooky synth-pop and unashamed house music, Porches has evolved into…

The morning after Donald Trump was elected president, I cried in my car like many others with a knowledge of history and a functioning ability to empathize, listening to The Flaming Lips “Waiting for Superman.” I was sad and, looking back, probably a little naive, wondering how the political…

As rock clichés go, the phase when the aging rock star begins experimenting with exotic instruments in the studio must be one of the most scoff-inducing. When the rock star in question is Stephen Malkmus, the listener can assume the artist is in on the joke. As the golden…

After helping pioneer death-doom and gothic metal alongside Anathema and Paradise Lost during the ’90s, England’s My Dying Bride has remained much more loyal to its seminal approach. The band’s compelling consistency has guided its 30-year career of crushing melancholy. The journey almost ended over the past few years,…

Since releasing her 2011 self-titled debut album, Anna Calvi, as an artist, has resided within liminal spaces. Liminal spaces are transitional in nature, where the veil is very thin between worlds seen and unseen. Through her atmospheric music and evocative lyrics, Calvi has become our guide into these unknown…

As emo bands stick around and their members get older, they hit a fork in the road. There are two ways their careers can evolve. A Beautiful Place to Drown Silverstein UNFD, March 6 The easier path is to stick to well-worn paths. Emo is what made the band…

Swamp Dogg is one of the best soul singers most Americans have never heard of. The aging vocalist is a little like those quaint little diners you discover on a road trip: someplace that smells like bacon and coffee, with waitresses who call you “sweetie.” The native Virginian (born…