Written by: The Administrator
I joke about the ineffectiveness of publishing a standalone review for every track on an album. However, at this point I will have reviewed--on an individual basis--every track from the forthcoming Am I in Trouble? debut album. We covered "Red" here this spring, and more recently premiered "White" alongside the album announcement for Spectrum. Needless to say, I am A. a big fan of this project, and B. invested in doing whatever I can to hype up what will inevitably be one of the best albums released in January 2025. In that spirit, we're excited to premiere the third single, "Black," a few days ahead of release! "Black" features Alex Loach (of Ashenheart) on vocals, continuing the established Am I in Trouble? trend of incorporating a variety of guests. As you may recall, "White" features Ember Belladonna on flute, which helped give the song as a whole a lighter vibe. In stark contrast, Alex's guest spot lends a pointed viciousness that otherwise has yet to rear its head at this point in the album's runtime. This is a track that works so well because it embraces high-contrast juxtapositions, and ends up pushing and pulling the listener through a surprising array of tonal shifts. Before I get too far ahead of myself, I encourage you to give "Black" a listen below! When it comes to discussion, fear not: we slumbering scribes shall be waiting on the other side. As, y'know, we so often do.
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Written by: The Administrator
Another year, another batch of outstanding EPs! I personally have a strong affinity for releases of the short, concise, and otherwise succinct persuasion, and so my weekly listening is often informed by what new EPs have dropped. The following includes those that made a significant impact and stuck around in my rotation. This list--although perhaps a term such as "loose collection" or "heap" would be a better choice--has not been trimmed or edited to meet a specific quantity. I just kept adding stuff until I hit 23 entries, which felt like an appropriate number, and so here we are. Like last year's extravaganza, this list features a bunch of different genres but is not sorted by genre. My year is defined by eclectic listening habits, and while my albums lists will be divided into hip hop and metal for sake of reading convenience, no such editorial courtesy is reflected here. And lastly, this is utterly unranked. If something appears here, please know that it comes highly, highly recommended. Without further ado, let's dive in! 
Written by: The Administrator
Despite bolstering a catalog that is notably minimal in scope, Scotland's Order Of The Wolf is one of my very favorite black metal bands. I was initially quite impressed with 2020's split with Pessimista, and my admiration of Order Of The Wolf's half has only grown of the past few years--when looking for a little blackened fury, these tracks are first on the menu every damn time. As such, word of a new track was cause for much excitement. Originally released on the excellent Black Metal Rainbows charity compilation, this single--"A Plague On Conservative Houses"--was most certainly worth the wait. Over the past few days I've listened to this song fairly incessantly, and I don't anticipate slowing down anytime soon.
Guest Post by: Ria Wigley
1. Old Nick
If there’s one thing that defines the microgenre of Vampyric Black Metal other than lyrics and imagery about vampires, it is flamboyant, dare I say CAMP riffs, a big focus on atmospheric synths, and absurd song titles. No band exemplifies this better than Old Nick. In fact, the 16-bit inspired keyboard sounds were almost too silly for me to really enjoy this band upon first listen, but after giving it more time I quickly grew to love it. There is an inherent silliness to the obsessive adherence to a particular aesthetic that most vampire media portray, even when it still manages to be coldly sinister and atmospheric at the same time, and Old Nick is the perfect musical representation of that. If you were hoping for second wave worship with some more gothic elements...well this isn’t that, it’s much better. Plus, who doesn’t love song titles like "Blood, Blood, Blood, Blood, Blood" or "Spooky Wicker Basket 1994 (Yes, a witch!)" Recommended album: A New Generation of Vampiric Conspiracies FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: June 17th, 2022 Feat. Void Witch, Trocar, Valley of the Sun, and Inexorum6/17/2022
Every Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance. Today is the day we must offload all this new music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some of our choice picks from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so!
This Friday, Bandcamp is holding their third annual Juneteenth fundraiser, where they donate 100% of their cut of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Win/win! On the docket for today, June 17th, 2022: Void Witch, Trocar, Valley of the Sun, and Inexorum
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