Malatese are a four-piece group by way of Harrisonburg, Virginia who realized years ago that their attempt at being a “volume based band” no longer propelled their artistry forward in a meaningful way. I’m Just Gonna Get in This Fucking Helicopter showcases their continued evolution and growth as a cerebral and experimental unit.
While the main "Year in Review" feature was picked entirely by Post-Trash editors, we wanted to give all of our contributors a chance to pick their favorite releases, regardless if the records would be something covered here on our site or not. Every contributor was able to pick their personal top 20 records of the year and points were assigned based on rank. Our contributors' tastes range a bit wider than that of our editors, but the connection to this particular site becomes abundantly clear as the numbers unfold. We're happy to present the Post-Trash "Top 30 Albums of 2015: Staff Picks", as voted by the entire team
Welcome to the first annual Post-Trash "Year In Review" a look back at the year that was and all of our favorite music that was released during it. We've only been a website for about four months, but it's been a great start and luckily, we've been listening to music all year long. Let this be your guide (it's bookmark-able) to not only reconnect with your personal favorites but more importantly to discover something new.
What really sets Infinity Girl apart with Harm is the way they synthesize the stylistic variety within the genre. Harm feels like it exists at the nexus of shoegaze, punk, dream pop, and noise rock (there are even some twinkly synth hooks here and there)—the vocals are often soft and buried, and the guitars range from gauzy to jangly to acerbic.
Bilge Rat's sound is a dark and winding blend of outsider indie rock with the twisted post-punk unpredictability of the New England scene we're so fond of here at Post-Trash. There's a great deal of dissonance, both in the music and their song-structures, as alternatively tuned guitars and interesting chord changes create the perfect texture for Michael Kusek's dejected but vibrant vocals.
The second song from the band's upcoming Kyle Gilbride (Swearin') produced, Of Wandering. A jangly blast of sardonic pop music about appealing to the masses, the song offers the age ol' chestnust, "you're not my market anyway". The duel vocals of Madeline Meyer and Dan Colanduno harmonize beautifully in the song's verses, sputtering wonderfully out of control during the hooks.
"Hội An," a grinding industrial influenced drone song that moves with monolithic intensity as Pantaleo is joined by Bueno's Mike DiBenedetto. Pantaleo's dense rhythm barrels forward with a sense of purpose over top DiBenedetto's ominous soundscapes, intensifying as the song unfolds and the rhythm expands from the locked in polyrhythmic trance.
From the beginning of opening track on DC 4-piece Big Hush’s new tape ‘Who’s Smoking Your Spirit?” it is evident that the band is possessed with a new frenetic energy and a harder, faster style, a major shift in tone from their past releases. Around a year ago in November 2014, they released Wholes, a tape that guitarist/vocalist Owen Wuerker refers to as having ‘mellow, pretty songs,’ and “Who’s Smoking Your Spirit?” is a departure almost entirely from the feelings Wholes creates.
Dream All Over, gives off a deep sense of place, but the place is rarely the same. Sometimes their songs exude a folksy pastoral vibe you'd expect of an Appalachian-based band, complete with twang and slide guitars. A well-placed sprinkling of twirling sitar riffs in "Matters of the Head" creates a decidedly Eastern vibe. "Worldly Way" spits out psychedelic dissonance reminiscent of New Yorker royalty the Velvet Underground in their trippiest, noisiest freak outs. In more ways than one, the entire album feels like a road trip.
Post-Trash.com is thrilled to present Post-Trash Vol. I, the first of in our expansive promotional compilation series. Highlighting the best of independent rock music, Post-Trash Vol. I pulls from a wide range of sounds and styles, presenting everything from lo-fi bedroom pop and anti-folk to blistering hardcore and experimental punk.
Dead Ass brings in a sonic blend of post-hardcore and indie-punk. Mark Fletcher, Max Kagan and J Boxer all share equal songwriting duties, trading off lead vocals in a style that takes a hint from the early days of the Beastie Boys. The 15-minute run time of Dead Ass is greatly used to exemplify the diverse range of songwriting influences that have inspired Stringer, with each track providing its own variant of modern punk rock
“Grave Digger” finds Ellis at a relaxed moment, hitting a point somewhere between Iji-esque yacht rock and Pavement-like expansion of ideas; the most remarkable moments are those when Ellis’ vocals come in, pushed high above the instrumentation, his clearly being the literal and figurative voice to focus on.
Buzzsaw guitars mingle with electronic and organic drum beats and heavy bass, all amidst a downpour of boy/girl harmonies that bring to mind a more ethereal version of Velocity Girl’s Sarah Shannon and Archie Moore. There’s a perfect marriage of punk grit with their pillowy sounds, and just when you think they’ve gone full Enya (really it’s more Lilys or Lush on mellow opener “Dream Again”), they reach back into the buzz-bin and pull out metallic riffage (heard on the Sabbathy-y second track “Heavy Metal Suicide”) or full-on guitar heroics (like on the swaying, Pumpkins-like “Guilt”).
