Two Inch Astronaut, "Can You Please Not Help"
Prolific post-punk act Two Inch Astronaut are keeping the Dischord sound alive. It's interesting to me how subgenres of rock splinter off and just keep going forward once established. All it takes is a band or two to set the template, and we've got an entire new set of bands to keep track of. Anyway, I like this album, it sits squarely in my interests.
Crimpshrine, "Can You Feel That?"
One of the very early Lookout bands, and one that helped redefine what pop punk might sound like, Crimpshrine is largely forgotten these days. If anybody remembers them, it's for being Jesse Michaels's (Operation Ivy) first band. But it's a shame, as their frantic take on hardcore merged with a bit of pop sensibility still sounds pretty good today. Even if it sounds like it was recorded underwater.
Danny Weinkauf, "Hey!"
Another track from Danny Weinkauf's kids' record.
Metallica, "Atlas, Rise!"
Everybody made a really big deal about how 2016's Hardwired...To Self-Destruct was a return to form for the legendary thrash band. But, honestly, I think I might like Death Magnetic better, if we're looking at post-peak Metallica records. Hardwired just seems a little more padded out, a little less focused. They're both solid records, if clearly not up to the legendary standard set by their first four records, and worth trying if you tuned the band out after their lackluster run through the late 90s and early 00s.
Nobukazu Takemura, "Meteor"
Sitting somewhere between glitchy electronic music and the post-rock scene, Takemura came to my attention through some long forgotten review, and I gave him a whirl. I do like the glitchy stuff, but this album (Sign) never really grabbed me that much.