SOUND BITES

  After setting the stage with a pair of relentless, pulverizing noise rock records in 2012 and 2015 respectively, Metz opened up on their third album; 2017's Strange Peace broadened the band's palette somewhat, offering a less claustrophobic and more expansive element into songs that helped the album pummel emotionally as well as sonically. Atlas Vending is decidedly less friendly than Strange Peace , with Alex Edkins snarling and spitting his way through gnarled and noisy songs that hit with a varying degree of damage. It's also more musically adventurous, with savage and haunted album opener Pulse leading the charge into 40 minutes of unadulterated chaos. That's not to say Atlas Vending is strictly a throwback to the first two albums, not in the least; while some of that old, familiar crunch is there, there are also evolutions weaving through the track list. Some of the changes are subtle (such as the backing vocals on standout Blind Youth Industrial Park ), and s...

Following a pair of visceral, deliciously noisy platters that proved the Ottawa trio to be a powerful and exciting unit, Metz's third album finds them pulling slightly away from their established core; the cover design aesthetic is different from the first two, the songcraft has opened up somewhat, and they've eschewed the self-producing route in favor of recording with engineer Steve Albini at his Electric Audio studio in Chicago. So as to say, they're ready to take a step forward, which is always a risky proposition for a punk-leaning noise rock band; even the slightest deviance can raise the ire of the fickle fan, and Metz is careful not to put too much distance between their opening act and what comes next. To wit, Strange Peace is indeed a very noisy affair, all pile driving drums and wild, slashing guitars (made the more pummeling thanks to Albini's involvement); as I mentioned, though, the craft is sharper, and by times a pesky melody threatens the status qu...

Spring 2015 saw some big albums released that were kind of disappointing (isn't that right, Mumford & Sons?), but it also saw some really good work by bands that typically fly under the radar. Some of this batch of nominees have been around for a long time, some are relative newcomers, and a couple of them made welcome returns from very long absences. The next group of Song of the Year nominees are:

  What to do when your debut album blows the blogosphere's collective mind, and you're heralded as one of the most exciting new bands to come along in recent memory? While some bands would run screaming from the pressure and/or let the attention go to their heads, Metz follows up their acclaimed 2012 debut with more of the same. Just like their debut record,  Metz II  is an crushing mix of noisy punk and menacing mid-tempo cuts. There is a little cautious advancement here, and some songs benefit from the few years' added experience; hard charging rocker  Zzyzx  wouldn't have been this tight in 2012, and their younger selves probably wouldn't have given lead single  Spit You Out  the same room to breathe that they do here. That said, you won't notice the changes unless you're looking for them; these are very subtle changes for a band whose sound is anything but. By and large, this isn't a stylistic leap you can accurately measure except in baby steps, b...