Best Music of September 2021
Playing catch up before I send you an AOTY list
Here’s some great albums from September. I’ll be bombarding you with the remaining two months after this shortly. I know that there has been… intermittent interruptions in the publishing schedule and I’ll be clarifying a new, more manageable schedule for 2022, but for now let’s get you familiar with the best albums from September of this year.
Alien Weaponry - Tangaroa
Unless you’ve been spending the past decade under a rock you’re probably at least somewhat familiar with the Māori dance, which involves chants and slapping specific parts of your body like a drum. Alien Weaponry, a metal band out of New Zealand comprised of Māori members, incorporates the chanting elements and percussive rhythms of these dances into metal music and I can’t believe that this is the first time I’ve heard it. The sounds of multi-person chants over the chugging, doomy guitars leads to some of the most thrilling music to come out in 2021. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard, and I hope to hear plenty more of it in the coming years.
Spiritbox - Eternal Blue
Metalcore is back in a big way. But even with all the stellar metalcore that has come out in the past five years, Eternal Blue is a standout. The riffs are as heavy as anything that Knocked Loose would play, the instruments and sampling are just as thrilling as those by Vein or Code Orange, and the clean vocals are better than all of those bands. It’s hard to think of any reason that someone would dislike this album, aside from it being metal, so make sure to slap this one into your headphones soon.
Carnifex - Graveside Confessions
Death metal has always been known for its extremity. But if you told the bands that invented death metal back in the early 80s what it would evolve into, I don’t know that even they would have expected things to get quite so extreme. Graveside Confessions is easily more intense than anything released in those early days of the genre, and honestly more intense than most things that come out today. A tech death masterpiece at its most brutal, Graveside Confessions pummels listeners with a bevy of growled vocals and overwhelming guitars. By the end of the record, you’re left battered and bruised, but begging for another turn on the ride.
LLNN - Unmaker
Within the past year I’ve discovered a certain type of tone in metal music that just sets my heart on fire, and LLNN has that exact tone. It’s a huge sound, as if normal metal were being played by 700 guitars instead of just two or three and no matter what else a band has going on, if this is there, I’m interested. Thankfully, LLNN has more going for them than just a massive sound. Their compositions are nicely varied and routinely interesting. They know exactly when to let the guitar tones sing for themselves and when to speed things up to grab the listener’s attention. Don’t let this one slip through your fingers.
Sol Kia - Zos Ethos
Y’all know I love me some good doom metal, and Sol Kia is some great doom metal mixed with a solid helping of black metal. By mixing elements of the two genres, Sol Kia creates a compelling soundtrack to the end of the world. Every single second of this record exists to overwhelm the listener with a wave of undulating sound that seems as if it is always about to break into a crescendo, but just builds and builds until you are swallowed whole in its swell. This one is not for the faint of heart, so I know that y’all will love it.
Vulvodynia - Praenuntius Infiniti
Once again some completely absurd tech death metal has captured my heart. From the ridiculously violent album cover to the contributions of Archspire’s lead singer Oliver Rae Aleron this album is self-indulgent to the point of parody. The whole thing reads a bit campy, which is actually a wonderful place for metal to exist. Thankfully, the campiness is kept aloft by stellar instrumentation that flashes when it needs to and stays quiet when someone else needs to take center stage. As maximalist as the record is, it always gives itself space to breathe, which a lot of metal bands still don’t know how to do.
Dos Monos - Larderello
Longtime readers know that it’s not exactly uncommon for me to pump up an artist that sings in a language other than English, but given that this is a metal-focused newsletter, lyrics are rarely top of mind for me and probably for you. Hip-hop, however, tends to be a little more lyrically demanding given that you can actually… well, hear the lyrics. So if you weren’t expecting me to hype a Japanese hip-hop album, which would have been a very reasonable expectation, then I’m sorry but it’s happening right now. If you’ve found the modern hip-hop landscape to be a bit dull, or at least predictable, then Dos Monos’ Larderello needs to hit your rotation ASAP. Sure, you probably won’t understand the lyrics, unless one of you speaks Japanese, but you will be thrilled by the impressive vocal performances, unorthodox beats and regularly off-kilter flows that the group brings to this excellent EP.
Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation
Kero Kero Bonito has long been one of the most intriguing artists to come across my desk. She incorporates elements of traditional pop, synth pop, and noise music to create an experimental melange not dissimilar to contemporaries like Grimes or Poppy. At the same time, KKB seems to be more willing to push boundaries in both directions. You never know when you’re going to get some straight across the plate pop or something completely unhinged. For the most part Civilisation sticks to the former, but the knowledge that a few of those tracks are resting, covered like land mines, makes the whole experience more thrilling.
Art School Girlfriend - Is It Light Where You Are
We. Love. Sad. Indie. Pop. Art School Girlfriend is a new-to-me artist that I wish had been in my ears longer. Her excellent album Is It Light Where You Are, is smooth and soul-crushing in all the ways I wanted. In particular, the track “In the Middle” blends sadness with the noisy, broken up pop mania that you’d get from the likes of FKA Twigs. Her ability to keep the pop exciting while still considering the potential of bolder musical modes makes this record a must hear.