In 2010 Extra Life released their second full-length Made Flesh, a concept album about weightlifting, spirituality and death. Earning many new devout fans and a few impassioned detractors, Extra Life toured both the U.S. and Europe again. This was immediately followed by the release of Splayed Flesh (Sockets), an EP of remixes including Justin Broadrick and Tyondai Braxton.
On Ripped Heart, Extra Life continue in their spirit of dramatic intensity and experimentalism, while also exploring their more accessible side. Amidst the gothic harmonies, lurching rhythms and noise there are infectious melodies, hypnotic repetition, and lush synth textures, making the compositions closer to pop songs than anything Extra Life has made yet. One can still feel the influence of classic crushing New York bands such as Swans and Unsane and composers such as Phillip Glass and Glenn Branca. This EP however, touches more than ever on the synthetic pop beauty of later Cocteau Twins and Depeche Mode.
Stark, slightly spooky songs from this Asheville musician, with guitars as bare as winter trees and eerie, distant vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 16, 2021
Grizzly Bear’s classic debut gets a 15th anniversary vinyl reissue, with a digital companion featuring a bevy of remixes. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 12, 2020
Big, clanging psych-rock from this Arizona outfit fuses monk-like vocals with slow-winding guitars for songs that feel like strange hymns. Bandcamp New & Notable May 2, 2016
At first glance, the landscape on the cover of Martin John Henry’s The Other Half of Everything is a scene of complete isolation. This is Scotland. An archetypal rugged landscape of hills and lochs, as far as the eye can see. On closer inspection, there are some signs of habitation: buildings, roads, farms… but they … Continue reading Album of the Week: The Other Half of Everything → Bandcamp Album of the Day Nov 21, 2011