SOUND BITES

I was looking forward to an Incubus album for the first time in over a decade. After the blatantly star-reaching Light Grenades , the lifeless If Not Now, When? and the tentative EP Trust Fall , a pair of singles had me cautiously optimistic for 8 , Incubus' first full-length in about six years. Nimble Bastard and Glitterbomb were energetic, vibrant singles and, while they posed no threat to the band's artistic peak, I was at least assured that they intended on following through on Trust Fall 's momentum. A funny thing happened on the way to this album's release, though; as the story goes, Skrillex was brought to the studio while Incubus was well into the sessions for 8 , and proceeded to try his hand at mixing one of the tunes. The band liked what they heard, and subsequently commissioned mixes for the songs they'd already completed. This included Nimble Bastard (which had already been serviced to radio and streaming), the song that got me excited for the re...

Twenty years ago, an album was released that was destined for greatness. Hailed as an instant classic, it was a dark vision of our modern times, a reflection of the nervousness and fear rising within ourselves and a harbinger of a menacing, uncertain future. Its songs were things of absolute beauty, crushing sadness and faint hope, songs that were unique yet felt timeless and familiar. It was predicted then that this album would be revered for decades to come; true enough, many (myself included) believe that it stands among the best records of all time. That record, you may have guessed, was OK Computer by Radiohead, their undisputed masterpiece and a record that transformed the band from up and coming Britrock hit makers to one of the world's most vital artistic entities. If you're wondering why I'm bringing up Radiohead in a Father John Misty review, it's because there are parallels to be drawn here. Pure Comedy is Josh Tillman's third record under the Fat...

Two years to the day after releasing their breakthrough Crooked Doors , Royal Thunder returns with their third full-length LP (and first for Spinefarm). That previous album saw the group distancing themselves from their doom-laden roots and incorporating more psychedelic, proggy and classic rock tendencies into their sound. The tradition continues on WICK , which finds them pretty much abandoning any stereotypical metal leanings they may have held in the beginning in favour of more of an experimental hard rock approach. The thing is, listening to WICK , it's clear that this is a sound that suits them to a tee. Vocalist/bassist Mlny Parsons is even more of a powerhouse here than on Crooked Doors , which is nearly unfathomable but absolutely true; her voice was always strong, but here she really turns in a memorable performance, and should rightly be considered one of rock's most powerful voices thanks to her work here. One listen to the emotional pummeling that is Plans tell...

Having taken a two album detour from their highly lauded, highly conceptual early career to make somewhat more accessible material (though not so much a dumbing down of their sound as a maturing of it), plus a host of side projects, 2017 sees the return of Mastodon in more ways than one. Emperor of Sand , their seventh album, isn't just the follow-up to 2014's relatively stripped down Once More 'Round the Sun , it's also their first concept piece since 2009's mammoth Crack the Skye ; in fact, to fans who were left a bit cold by the band's foray into more standard hard rock territory, Emperor of Sand will likely feel like the proper successor to Crack the Skye they didn't get in 2011. It's an idea made all the more credible considering the band has Brendan O'Brien producing for the first time since Crack the Skye . Indeed, this album tells a story centered around death (much like Crack the Skye ), and does so with a complex, metaphor-filled narr...