TranscendNoise

10. Sumac – The Task (Love In Shadow) After becoming a holistic entity on their previous album and laying the groundwork of a threshold to be passed in Love In Shadow , Sumac learned to evolve into a breathing body, a dynamic entity that not only allows for each part of the trio to work meticulously in unison with each other and play more complex forms of hide and seek, but to push even further, allow space and substance beyond rational musicianship. Surely, The Deal was far from being a melodious or even easy to digest album, but the sense of a band finding grooves to carry was still audible enough, the abstraction and deconstruction the cream between the cake of song structure. In accordance with Sumac linking up with experimental overlord Keiji Haino, “The Task” is the continuation of the collaboration, even if it may have preceded the recording of American Dollar Bill by a few months. Turner and his mates go from a razor-sharp onslaught in the first six minutes to silence ...

60. James Ginzburg – Above Water, Inside (Six Correlations) As on half of emptyset, the modus operandi of Ginzburg on Six Correlations might sound familiar if you listened to their last album Borders in 2017. Here Ginzburg tones down the distortion and emphasis on colliding organic and synthetic for a different relation of these two parts. There is no dichotomy between them, yet Six Correlations was born as part of a performance that deals with the disappearance of an analog and natural world in favor of the digital and networked. Maybe it is the intrinsic failure of this theme that sets "Above Water, Inside" and Six Correlations in motion in the first place. Build from a simple drum pattern, clear drone, and white noise weave and breathe around to convey an effect of overtaking the organic sounds. Still, as in Borders and Ginzburg and Paurgas concept of overriding electronic sound made through acoustic means of triggering sounds, there is no part overtaking the other,...

70. Cavern – Sunday (Eater) Instrumental Rock is a tricky thing. Following the great explosion of many many post-rock bands, the most apparent evolution as a listener might be, that you grow colder and are harder to wow the more you know. The deep satisfaction and wonderment of listening to my first tracks of Explosions in The Sky or Jakob might never return and many new bands that emerge do not bring anything greatly different to the table. Yet, if it is clear, that there is no wheel to reinvent, you better learn to use it very well. Cavern´s Eater as a whole is a rare gem of two instruments working in unison and creating some of the best post-rock this year. While there are hints of Long Distance Calling or a general affection for post-metal sounds on the record, "Sunday" is a track closer to something Jakob might have delivered in the past. The clear-eyed outlook of the simple guitar chords, the layers that build and play with each other convey triumph and grandeur. H...

100. Childish Gambino – This Is America There is a scene in Atlanta´s second season that has rapper Paperboi walking through his neighborhood until he gets stopped by a few young men that recognize him and approach him in the unusual sight of a known rapper taking a walk. In a matter of seconds, a comical scene turns uncanny, silences are traded, glances turn menacing and with the shove off a drink the men start beating on Paperboi and after a (still somehow comical) exchange of jabs our protagonist runs off into the woods for a surreal and anxiety filled “lost in the woods” psychosis. In the same way, Murai and Glover created this scene brimming with stark reality and a keen eye for cramming fame, violence and vulgarity into one, Childish Gambino graced us with “This Is America” before the start of summer. The song is as much a visual essay as it is a collection of sonic cultures that represent as a snap-shot of current politics and discussions. And it is all done by the weirdn...