Pustostany- 2012 (2012)

Another great album I somehow missed last year.  Sitting at 8 tracks and under 20 minutes. Pustostany's 2012 is an album by a Polish band who really really love Gang of Four but thought it needed some synthesizer breaks.  I really don't need to do any further description.  If you like Gang of Four, like Poland in general, or were a fan of BNNT and want to hear a band they associate with I suggest you check this out.

Check out the album and buy it on cassette Here.

Zebras- S/T (2012)

I hated how this album opens, because chugging guitars have never really done it for me. 

Now that we have all my complaints out of the way, lets talk about this album, why it is great, and why it would have made my top 50 albums of last year had I heard anything about it in 2012.

Zebras self titled combines the vocal ferocity and high energy of Mclusky with the occasional prog rock riff.  Some of the songs, like 'A Turd By Any Other Name', sound like a better achieved Xaddax-Counterclockwork, even having the occasional synth blast.  Other tracks, like 'Diablo Blanco', have riffs which remind me of cKy.   

While I quickly warmed up to this album as a whole after only a couple listens, two tracks that immediately stood out were 'Black Cancer' and 'Field/Noise'.  Coming in back to back, the first is a great example of noise rock and the opening reminds me of At the Drive In.  Then, 'Field/Noise' comes in with heavy riffs, funky sound, and an almost danceable beat.  After this section of songs, every other song just fell into place. 

One reason this album was so good is the fact that it casually hits so many genres and jumps between them seamlessly. 

I just bought one of the three remaining damaged copies of the new record for 7 bucks.  If you arent cheap like me, buy it for 15.

Listen to the whole album/ buy Here.

NAH- Difficult (2013)

NAH is a drummer who drums over samples and tape loops.  Early in 2012 NAH released TAPEFUCK, a short album filled with abrasive saxophone loops, synthesizer, and the occasional vocal sample.  Later that year, he followed up with his sophomore release, END.  Both of these albums ended up making my year end list last year, so I was pleased when I found out NAH had quitely released a new album only weeks ago.

With NAH’s third LP, Difficult, one immediately notices that the drumming has improved.  While I was a fan of both of his previous entries, I felt at times the drums fell into similar patterns.  With the first track, ‘neighbours below’, NAH displays more drumfills in his beats. 

Continuing more with the style found on END, the accompanying music has continued to shift away from samples and more towards programed synths.  While I did prefer the more cut-and-paste samples of TAPEFUCK, the synths do make the album sound less ‘choppy’.  The one track which felt the most like something from TAPEFUCK, ‘mr tension III’, actually stuck out and felt out of place.

One of the strengths of this album is its brevity.  Many of the tracks seem not fully realized because of their shortness when standing alone, but together they create a listening experience that embodies the succinctness of J Dilla’s Donuts.