The theme of mclusky’s first foray into recorded music has remained intact ever since My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours’ initial release. It established that, right out of the gate, drummer Mat Harding, guitarist/vocalist Andrew Falkous and bassist/vocalist Jon Chapple were so sardonic that they must’ve had their tongues pressing against their cheeks throughout the entire record (whether that be of the demos or the studio versions of the songs). To ask whether mclusky were more devoted to late ’90s/early ‘00s sarcasm or social commentary would be the equivalent of calling heads or tails before a soccer game.
Continue readingArchive for the Album Reviews Category
Mclusky’s ‘My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours (2026 Remaster)’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Andrew Falkous, Jon Chapple, Mat Harding, Mclusky on 08/26/2026 by Kurt OrzeckUntitled With Drums’ ‘Made Flesh’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Untitled With Drums on 08/24/2026 by Kurt OrzeckWith Made Flesh, it’s as if Untitled With Drums managed to turn their much weaker last album inside-out. This is not a raging album from start to finish. But the band has managed to make their songs’ quieter moments beatific instead of morose, and the loud passages replete with exaltation instead of cumbersome. (For the record, while some critics have pointed to other ‘90s bands as comparable to Untitled With Drums, it’s really the loud/quiet dichotomy that most closely aligns them with that era.)
Continue readingUltra Lights’ ‘Pleasure’s All Yours’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Chunklet, Henry Owings, Ultra Lights on 08/21/2026 by Kurt OrzeckPleasure’s All Yours was crafted by a band from Atlanta that either doesn’t give a shit or is three sheets to the wind; the jury’s still out on that one. Either way, Ultra Lights are the real deal; we dare you to deny that claim after giving this, their first record, a full spin. Fans of Superchunk, Les Savy Fav and Sparta, take note.
Continue readingWild Pink’s ‘Still Coming Down’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Wild Pink' on 08/20/2026 by Kurt OrzeckAfter documenting his recovery from cancer on 2024’s Dulling the Horns, Wild Pink’s John Ross returns with an album that reassures us that healing is always within our grasp.
Continue readingHulder’s ‘Verbolgen’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Hulder on 08/19/2026 by Kurt OrzeckWhatever hang-up Hulder homes in on throughout Verbolgen, her response is an unwavering middle finger throughout seven of the record’s songs (the other two are instrumentals). “I stand unbowed” is her refrain over the course of “In Blood and in Earth,” which explicitly lays out two options in the face of adversity: “fall upon your knees” or “face the dawn as it glows.” Similar sentiments are located in the last album track with vocals, “View from Nemeton,” in which the Belgian-born artist evokes Prometheus Bound—knowingly or not—when she screams: “The eagle’s beak has ripped my corpse/ Here I shall remain.”
Continue readingAlienator’s ‘Brutal Occupation’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Alienator on 08/19/2026 by Kurt OrzeckIt’s not a negative that Brutal Occupation is another Alienator EP with four strong songs. It’s actually the highest compliment that can be paid to a band that has been unwaveringly devoted to hardcore since day one — and, for our money, will probably adhere to that philosophy until their final day as a band. The word “authenticity” gets bandied about way too often these days, because it’s misused nine times out of ten. Alienator’s Brutal Occupation is what authenticity really sounds like. Read my full review on Post-Trash.
Castiel’s ‘All Returns to Hollow and Silence’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Castiel on 08/17/2026 by Kurt OrzeckDespite a scattered presence in Europe, even those intimately familiar with the violent genre would be hard-pressed to name a deathcore band from Austria. Well, here’s one for ya: Castiel, who hails from Klagenfurt and started gnashing their teeth and every other part of their bodies since 2014. Dudes have flown under the radar since then, not even getting an entry on heavy metal’s Wikipedia equivalent, Encyclopaedia Metallum.
Read my full review on AllMusic.
Creem’s ‘A Taste of Cherry’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Islands, Mike Stroud, Nick Thorburn, Ratatat, The Creem on 07/27/2026 by Kurt OrzeckOn their collaborative debut, Islands’ Nick Thorburn and Ratatat’s Mike Stroud mostly adhere to a conventional pop format and rarely deviate into either artist’s inherent weirdness. Read my full review of The Creem’s A Taste of Cherry at FLOOD.
Black Drumset’s ‘Friends in Dark Places’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Brian Wiley, The Black Drumset on 07/27/2026 by Kurt OrzeckIn my second review for Bandcamp Daily, I argue that Brian Wiley (a.k.a. The Black Drumset) proves on Friends in Dark Places that he’s the rare generous solo musician/composer who is careful never to spiral too deep into his own mind and abilities—tempting though it must be—and lose the listener in the process. Instead, he welcomes all to join him for the ride.
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