Felte Indierock | Alternative 21 Items

The Detroit trio's fifth album is eight tracks of what we've come to expect from the always in form group - a cinematic blend of twangy industrial rock, metal, noise, baritone vocals, and macabre lyrics -but with an immediate urgency not yet seen from the band on past albums. It's their most focused album to date.

In 2015, with urgency, the Los Angeles based project Sextile quickly completed A Thousand Hands (released on the felte label), a primitive form of rock n roll, melding surf punk, early industrial, ambient and post-punk. Menacing guitars blend into dark, rumbling synths as driving militaristic drumming leads the focused charge into a yet, unknown danger. While their journey has moments of bleakness, the band express their will to live, to confront their demons and forge on in search of better days.

The relatively short life of San Francisco's Aluminum has sofar yielded a single (Spinning Backwards, 2020) and an EP(Windowpane, 2022), but their debut LP, Fully Beat,overflows with tenured confidence and a singular style thatdeftly comprises shoegaze, big beat, and jangle pop. Withinfluences ranging from Orbital, to Wipers, to TheAvalanches and Sly and the Family Stone, theirs is amultifaceted take on established forms, fed through fuzz andled by honeyed, male-female vocal harmonies from Bay Areapost-punk veterans Marc Leyda (of Wild Moth) and RyannGonsalves (of Torrey)."Smile" begins with deceptive sparseness, adding neon swirlsof stacked tremolo over a mesmerizing lyrical refrain, andhinting at the dynamism to come with understated grace andgrit. "Always Here, Never There" is Fully Beat's first pure hitof melodic pop: its liquid bass groove winds beneath amelancholy-sweet synth hook and Leyda's plaintive vocals,while drummer Chris Natividad's deep, pillowy snare andpropulsive style maintain a driving pace.Lead single, "Behind My Mouth", shifts gears into a big beatshuffle and howl of overdriven guitars, which relent toGonsalves' rolling bassline and playful, snarky vocal.Composed across several weeks of experimentation, it is aprime iteration of Aluminum's meticulous world of sound, whichnevertheless carries an air of wry nonchalance. Asking, "Doyou ever see behind my mouth?", Gonsalves notes that thesong "comes from a place of wanting to be understoodauthentically, and to communicate intentionally."This approach speaks to the album's broader theme ofexhaustion amid the demands of the modern grind: workingunfulfilling jobs to pay exorbitant rent, feeling society break atthe seams, and trying to maintain a meaningful personal lifewith the remaining scraps of morale. The response, then, mustbe to find joy. These songs were crafted over a half-dozenmonths in basements and practice spaces, creating anabundance of authentic passion and cathar...

Colin McCann didn't pick up a guitar for nearly ten years. The Northern-California-based songwriter, previously performing under Long Dog Bird, had been creating music with longtime friend and collaborator Brian Gossman for much of their adult lives with early-00s Baltimore-based band Wilderness. So what would cause such a stagnant period? And how could McCann find his way back to the joy that music had once so easily conjured? The answer was to go back to the very beginning, where the kinetic forces that urged McCann to make music in the first place could emerge once again. But first, he had to make space in his internal world; a kind of silence where he could hear the exhale of his past, and the blossoming of a new song. That blossoming would soon become the first songs for McCann's latest project Vulture Feather. The band's debut album Liminal Fields exists on an intangible plane: a crack in the concrete, a gauze between worlds. For as long as McCann can recall, he's been using music as a vehicle to try and connect with an underlying, indescribable nature that only the sonic world seems to be able to reach. "There's a feeling of ecstasy that comes when one merges with music," he says. "It's what calls us all back again and again to listen, to sing, and to play." McCann had been striving to reach this outlying environment throughout his career, often stretching in ways that eventually came to negatively impact his life, and his health. The wake up call came when McCann suffered a near-death experience, eerily predicted by a friend through a dream she had had almost a year earlier. Newly awoken to the beauty of being alive, McCann strove to slow down, to listen to the inherent nature in all living things, and to rediscover our mutual connectivity. He stopped playing and listening to music, and instead soaked himself in the cacophony of silence. Then without any epiphany or grand catalyst, something urged McCann to pick up a guitar again. Ideas flowed more naturally than ever, and he soon realized that the liminal space he had been searching for was there all along--he only had to listen. McCann tentatively reached out to Gossman to collaborate and the friends found themselves once again jamming together, in an off-grid quonset hut where they now practice. "It was like no time had passed," McCann says. "That feeling of ecstatic joy, of forgetting your own name, came flooding back." They were soon joined by another old friend, Eric Fiscus, who completed Vulture Feather on drums.

Detroit three piece Ritual Howls album Turkish Leather tells stories fit for Poe or Lovecraft. On their debut full length for felte, titled Turkish Leather, they incorporate a variety of styles into an ominously self-assured statement of intent, Ben Saginaw and Chris Samuels' sounds providing an imposing form for Paul Bancell's darkly alive lyrics to inhabit. Their influences range from English post-punk to Nick Cave to the industrial sounds of Skinny Puppy, and the band melds them expertly. Combining field recordings with electronics, this music is sound design turned pop. Many tracks here feel cinematic - whether it's th...

Felte Records presents `Glimpse Of Heaven' - a stunning new album by the Hawaii-born, LA-based musician, singer, producer and professional mastering engineer Jess Labrador, AKA Chasms. Labrador's deeply personal work as Chasms has always felt like an unveiling. Following 2019's `The Mirage,' which was a dark, dubby meditation on grief and loss, this new album is both familiar and different. The third full-length under the Chasms name, `Glimpse of Heaven' trades in washes of reverb for starker moments of closeness and intimacy. An exploration of the personal inventory and reckoning necessary to move forward in life, the LP considers not only how we relate to the world, but more importantly how we relate to ourselves. While always distinct, you could previously detect post-punk, shoegaze, and dub sensibilities in the music. Dreamy drift tethered by skittered beats, airy vocals, and melancholic melodies are here like previous efforts too. However, at the same time, Labrador steps into new territory with an expanse of vaporous synths and samples, adding to the project's ethereal electronic pop and dubwise pulse. Lush guitars glisten throughout the album, but this time only in sparse, disciplined embellishments. `Glimpse of Heaven' is a fully realised version of Chasms beyond its influences; to say that this is a seamless evocation of such disparate sounds as Massive Attack, Basic Chanel, Sade, Seefeel and Dif Juz is to say it is wholly unique. While she continues to unfurl her thoughts, there is a shift from opening up to the listener toward allowing the listener to witness her opening to herself. Where the last Chasms record was about various kinds of collapse, `Glimpse of Heaven' is about trying to develop as a whole person. It seems to ultimately be asking whether what we want and what we need align in ways that will get us where we want to be. Can we let go of the comfort of bad habits and steer ourselves toward a less easily obtained but maybe more enduring happiness? `Glimpse of Heaven' is a Chasms record, but really it's a Jess Labrador record. This is the first release operating on her own, and it feels like that's the only way this could have been made. It finds itself in the rare company of those few records that exist within themselves; it's a complete environment. You don't need to know anything to tune in and enjoy the world that she's created. It's a record that feels indebted to itself. It offers premonitions but not directions. It gives us honesty, but doesn't claim to know exactly where that will lead.

Since 2016, Public Memory has been crafting lo-fi electronica from the darker corners of the psychic landscape. Gritty atmospherics, damaged synthesizers, and unearthly vocals blend with a mixture of electronic and organic percussion, creating a sense of forceful unease. This, when combined with the shadowy production and emotive singing of Robert Toher, creates a singular contrast between power and vulnerability.

The story of Ritual Howls begins in a southwest Detroit basement in the early winter of 2012. Singer/guitarist Paul Bancell had been writing and performing solo as well as in several bands and was looking for collaborators for a new project. Ben Saginaw (bass) and Chris Samuels (synths, drums, drum machines) were acquatances that became natural fits. With the help of a friend (Jeff Navarre), they recorded their first full-length in Ben's art studio using a laptop. Paul tracked vocals at home in his bedroom and, not wanting to relinquish control, mixed and mastered the album himself. A formidable introduction to the band's haunting, cinematic blend of twangy industrial rock, their self-titled album established the band as a unique force in the landscape of dark music, both past and present. Separated by a decade, four LPs, two EPs later, Ritual Howls is an impressively cohesive first effort and testament to the band's vision that, even in its infancy, forged a distinct sound that has only matured with perfection over time.

Mint Field creates a unique blend of avant pop that explores the nostalgia and melancholy of daily life with complex rhythms, loud, shimmering guitars, and softly sighing vocals. Emerging from the two most exciting destinations for art and music in Mexico, the band originally formed in Tijuana before relocating to Mexico City where they are now based.

Ashley Shadow winks at darkness, but she won't lead you towards it. It's easy to fall under the spell of Ashley's haunting voice. The Vancouver, B.C. based songwriter forged her own identity as a songwriter with 2016's eponymous self-titled debut. Her sophomore effort, Only the End, maintains the moody introspection that is ingrained in Pacific Northwest life, but now comes armed with a palpable hope complementing her signature melancholy. Ashley explains, "I wanted to make a more upbeat album, something you could play with some friends over. Some of the songs I wrote were initially bummers, but when we went to record them, we lightened them up." Balancing a couple of jobs and navigating life and love in increasingly unstable times, the album was written over two years by Ashley at her apartment. Her confident vibrato above lightly, distorted guitars mirrors the album's theme of resilience, if not triumph, over adversity. There is comfort in these warm songs that endorse the realism of contented acceptance, rather than the naïve search for non-existent utopias. While the songs were conceived in contemplative solitude, Ashley invited some very capable collaborators for their journey into the studio. Ashley's first album saw her take center stage after more than a decade of gracing friends' projects in a supporting role. The move to the front was a cautious one. "First record was, can I do a solo album? This time, I know what I'm doing. It's way more clear." "Don't Slow Me Down" reunites Ashley with Bonnie "Prince" Billy for the first time on record when she sang vocals on Bonnie's Lie Down In Light album in 2018. The album also includes contributions from Paul Rigby (Neko Case), Colin Cowan (Elastic Stars), Joshua Wells (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust) and Ryan Beattie (Himalayan Bear). It's clear to anyone listening. It's Only the End. If only all endings were so glorious.

Ritual Howls Create A Cinematic Blend Of Twangy Industrial Rock That Could Fuel A Post Apocalyptic Dance Floor. A Collaboration Between Paul Bancell (Vocals, Guitar), Chris Samuels (Synth, Samples, Drum Machine), And Ben Saginaw (Bass), The Detroit Trio's Fourth Full Length 'Rendered Armor' Follows The 'Their Body' Ep Of 2018 With Expansive Arrangements Sculpted With Masterful Production. Throughout 'Rendered Armor' Familiar Influences Reveal Themselves, But The Band Doesn't Rely On Derivative Imitation. Instead, Ritual Howls Forge Haunting Atmospheres That Are All Their Own, Reaching Into Unexpected Sonic Domain. Each Track Unfolds With Unnerving Anticipation, As If Sound Tracking A Chase Scene In A Surrealist Western Film. Bancell Delivers His Baritone Above A Jangling Guitar Like An Incantation, Evoking Macabre, Religious Imagery Laden With Futuristic Undertones. Propelled By Saginaw's Often Fuzzed Out Bass And Samuels' Dance Club Friendly Rhythms, It's No Surprise That The Band Hails From The Techno Capital Of The Us. Ritual Howls' Most Mature Offering To Date, 'Rendered Armor' Finds The Band Further Carving Out Their Own Eclectic Mix Of Organic Instrumentation And Pulsing Electronics, Distinguishing Them As A Unique Force In The Current Landscape Of Underground Music.

Since 2016, Public Memory Has Been Crafting Lo-Fi Electronica From The Darker Corners Of The Psychic Landscape. Gritty Atmospherics, Damaged Synthesizers, And Unearthly Vocals Blend With A Mixture Of Electronic And Organic Percussion, Creating A Sense Of Forceful Unease. This, When Combined With The Shadowy Production And Emotive Singing Of Robert Toher, Creates A Singular Contrast Between Power And Vulnerability.

Merge Now in Friendship is about death and impermanence. Itis a wilting flower beheld from a passing vehicle. It is neither lament nor declaration. The three songs that comprise this EP share a kindred thread - All arising events and phenomena; people, dreams, songs, even worlds, are all transitory in nature. We are all going to die. Someday there will be no record of any of this. It is this very truth that allows for beauty. The impermanent nature of all that arises is the apparent aspect of the essence of being. It is this essence that lends infinite openness to our experience. It is ultimately all we are about. Music is the language of this inscrutable, sublime essence. This record is a joyful attempt at music. Vulture Feather is an unconventional three-piece from the mountains of Northern California, featuring members of the Baltimore band, Wilderness and the early post-hardcore group, Don Martin Three. Merge Now In Friendship follows up the 2023 debut album, Liminal Fields.

In Rumi's poem A Great Wagonhe writes of a place of totalacceptance. " Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,there is a field. I'll meet you there," It is a boundless, liminal space where we can release the judgments we make and carry of ourselves, and the comparisons to others. When we think of this field,there is a sense of tranquility that only comes whenwe are undisturbed by the shadow self and see existence asneither bright nor dim, white nor black. But as lead singer Greg Bertens explains, arriving there is a whole different story. "This is a poem I've returned to over the years, and I love the idea ofthis place, but getting there is life's journey." Bertens adds "I think the longing for and elusiveness of this field is a recurring theme in our music."Field is enveloped by themes of regret,disconnection and frustration but with the space to understandthat these feelings are a natural part of the struggle betweenreconciling the inner and outer self.The Los Angeles/San Francisco-based group have been indieshoegaze stalwarts since their formation in 2001. After twodecades and a handful of line-up changes, their extensivediscography presents a dynamically textural, lush psychedelicrock that has featured guest appearances by members ofPavement, My Bloody Valentine, and Snow Patrol, amongothers. 2021's LPWe Weren't Here (Sonic Ritual) was hailedfor its dense instrumental blanket, where unrelenting hi-hatsand heavy kicks exist alongside dreamy drone guitar.This propulsive nature permeatesField, as members Bertens,Noël Brydebell (vocals), Nyles Lannon (guitar), Jason Ruck(synths), Justin LaBo (bass), and Adam Wade (drums) producea kaleidoscopic sonic landscape. Patient, sprawlinginstrumentation builds a foundation in which Bertens' themes ofendurance, perseverance and clarity can bloom with aconsidered poise. As a lyricist who writes in response to theinstrumental arrangements, rather than a focus on a specifictheme or person,Fieldis a te...

Mission to the Sun synthesizes ambient, post-industrial landscapes with expansive arrangements and haunting vocals. The project consists of Ritual Howls' Christopher Samuels (synths, samples, programming) and Kirill Slavin (vocals). Their sophomore album, Sophia Oscillations, is an immersive journey through the dark corners of post-industrial music. The Detroit based duo continues the sonic exploration started on their debut album Cleansed by Fire, while delving deeper into themes of isolation and lost communication. Christopher Samuels' synths, samples and rhythmic programming is accented by Kirill Slavin's haunting vocal delivery as the listener receives intersperse audio recordings from the outer reaches of inner space.

Odonis Odonis have proven time and time again that they're not interested in doing the same thing twice. Since their beginnings, the Toronto outfit led by core duo Constantin Tzenos andDenholm Whale, have put out five full-length albums, and played countless shows and festivals across North America and Europe, all while following their musical instincts. In the past eleven years, they've thrillingly explored genres including post-punk, EBM, industrial, shoegaze, pop, and surf rock. For their next evolution, Odonis Odonis are shifting from the grind of the traditional music industry with its unsustainable physical and psychological demands, to strictly focus on meaningful creative endeavors. These include releasing music, album production, and event production, and draw on Tzenos and Whale's collective talents and experience. From producing, scoring, and mastering at Tzenos's new studio After Hours, to countless curated shows through Whale's co-run concert company Transmit Presents, these past and forth coming projects were chosen selectively, and with the intention of working with individuals they respect and admire. The duo describe their forthcoming collaborative EPICONas a "calling card," and it perfectly encapsulates the new iteration of Odonis Odonis. Following their 2021 album Spectrums, they started working on this collection of five songs, writing them geared towards some of their favorite veteran and up-and-coming artists. "We wanted to bring out what we admire in them and prove that we can do a variety of styles," explains Whale. Some like New York noise rock mainstays A Place to Bury Strangers, Pittsburgh experimentalist TOBACCO, and Vancouver post-punks ACTORS, they've previously shared stages and tour vans with, while others like Vancouver dark wave singer and pianist Terror Bird and Los Angeles industrial pop project Patriarchy, are more recent discoveries. The striking artwork comes courtesy of New York-based noise artist Dream crusher, another act who shares Whale and Tzenos' community-minded ethos. Somewhat ironically, by shedding their skin as a band, the duo have embraced the individual spotlight more, and ICON marks the first chapter (with further collaborations to come) of this new Odonis Odonis era. - Max Mertens