Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Land of Sleeper - Feb 17, 2023
British doom-metal and stoner-rock outfit Pigs x7 have arrived with their fourth album, and their first in 3 years. Loaded with heavy fuzz, pounding bass, and Matthew Baty vocals that could be likened to Oxbow's Eugene Robinson (minus the barking), this 8 track record is as fun as it is loud. With an undeniable Electric Wizard influence, Land of Sleeper sees the group taking a melodic approach to hard metal, oscillating between sludgy slacker rock and classic psychedelia, with the overdrive cranked to 11. The charm in this album lies in its subtleties, however, with tracks like "Big Rig" featuring keys, synths, and reverb under the thick molasses of guitar and vocals. Certainly one of my favorite metal records of the year thus far.
Favorite Tracks: "Ultimate Hammer" ; "Big Rig" ; "Atlas Stone"
Mirek Coutigny - Through Empty Landscapes and New Beginnings - Feb 15, 2023
Composer, pianist, and producer Mirek Coutigny has spent the last 10 years honing his craft and building a name for himself, and his big day has finally come. Through Empty Landscapes and New Beginnings is the artist's first full length album, and by all means did it deliver. Utilizing mostly ambient soundscapes varying from post-rock to IDM, Coutigny uses his skills to put the listener in a post-apocalyptic setting, but with a more positive twist. As the title may suggest, Coutigny thrusts us into a barren, desolate place, but one brimming with potential, analogous to his own career in a way. Being a mostly unknown artist, Coutigny looks to get some recognition for this latest work, and he arrived with one of the most masterfully produced and performed records I have come across this year. Ranging from Godspeed You! Black Emperor-esque cello builds and crescendos, to more electronic rhythm cuts evoking imagery of early Boards of Canada, there isn't much this record doesn't do in the way of instrumentation. Clearly influenced by the "end times" feel of the past couple years, Mirek Coutigny truly painted a marvelously accurate yet hopeful picture of how many of us may feel about the world at the moment. As abandoned as it may seem, there is an endless amount of beauty right in front of us, just waiting to be observed, and in Coutigny's case, put into song.
Favorite Tracks: "The Road" ; "No More" ; "Survival Is Insufficient"
