REST IN PEACE: The Athens heavy metal and hard rock scene was dealt a substantial blow with the sudden death of guitarist Tiler Kuykendall the week before last. For years Tiler was an active participant, composer and band member in the Athens music scene, and gathered scores of friends along the way. At the time of his death he had just celebrated his birthday. This is not an exhaustive list of projects he was involved with over the years, but Tiler was a member of A Bitter Fight Against Nothing, Kill LeBaron, Sholfrost, Devour The Corpse, The Sundering Seas, Korrothia and Maha Pralaya. A show honoring Tiler’s memory is scheduled for Mar. 29 at Flicker Theatre & Bar with Nihilus, Sacred Bull, Jet Engine Dragons and The Flesh That Binds. Tiler was 37 years old.
THE CHECK’S IN THE MAIL: Pre-orders are open now for the hotly anticipated upcoming album by Drive By Truckers’ frontman Patterson Hood. Arriving courtesy of ATO Records, this new album, Hood’s fourth solo outing, is named Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams. The second single from the album, “Pool House,” is out now, with its video directed by visual artist Frances Thrasher. She delivered a stunning accompaniment to the song, which, according to a press release, was “originally inspired by a night [Hood] spent at a creepy rental… A literal pool house for an apartment complex that [Hood] rented cheap for the night during a solo tour.” Thrasher also contributed the shockingly violent cover art for the album as well. The album is released officially on Feb. 21, and you can place your orders over at atorecords.com. For all other information, please see pattersonhood.com.
FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER: New on the hardcore scene is Spoil, and it has just released a debut calling card in the form of the new six-song EP Rotten To The Core. Heavily influenced by metal-hardcore crossover, not to mention straight-up metal-hardcore hybrid, as well as the late ‘90s/early 2000s screamo scene, these songs navigate a path between the comfortably familiar and clever twists on old themes. Specifically strong tracks here are “Swallow,” “Smart Tips (for the Successful Submachine Gun Shooter)” and “Nostalgia Tour ’99-’00.” The lyrics of the last of these are particularly poignant and deliver just the right amount of comeuppance (“They tried to sell you a culture/ They tried to sell you a T-shirt/ They tried to sell you back/ Your youth before everything hurt”). Spoil still has a little way to go as it develops its personality, but you can hear all this over at spoilhc.bandcamp.com.
LAST YEAR’S MODEL: I’ve kept this next record in my back pocket for far too long and for no real compelling reason. Anyway, a handful of months ago the inscrutable and mysterious Guatemalan Iguana Models released the 12-track album $lump Barrette, and everything here sounds like a springboard to something else, something imagined. Generally speaking, the album is full of solid dance beats, electronic manipulations, samples, etc. It flows, but in a way that almost feels accidental. Also, while digitally released, the album notes that tracks 1–7 are “Side A” and 8–12 are “Side B,” so take note if that’s meaningful to you. I enjoyed this thoroughly, which has been the case with most everything from label Blunk Value so far. Find it at blunkvalue.bandcamp.com.
SUMMER’S COMING UP: The first new music from Astral Summer in nearly a year and half came out a week before last. The duo, musician Dave Martin and vocalist David Ferguson, have crafted a track named “The Bigger Person” that’s lyrically pointed with appropriate levels of both pettiness and justification that I’ll let you explore on your own. The tune itself is raw and demo-level, but is a nicely written mid-1980s melody that wouldn’t sound out of place on any number of adult contemporary albums of that era. All that said, the superstar here—and no big surprise at that—is Ferguson’s vocals. I have loved this man’s voice for decades, and could probably listen to him sing the phone book. Find this song and a whole lot more over at astralsummer.bandcamp.com.
ARRIVE WITHOUT TRAVELING: The irrepressibly creative Zeke Sayer (Gypsy Farm Records, The Ice Creams, The Humms, et al) has entered the chat where we all talk about experimental/ambient music and contributed his first foray into such. He’s just released a single-track album titled Amusement Machines, and its sole item is the nearly 26-minute long “AM AB 011825.” Sayer specifically intends for this music to be in your background and notes that “it does not demand nor require your attention.” That’s all true and good, but a little attention wouldn’t hurt either, as there’s some real special moments here. Enjoy it at your leisure over at gypsyfarmrecords.bandcamp.com.
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