Riala - Suis La Lune (Topshelf, 2012)
Sweden's Suis La Lune play melodic, emotional hardcore, or screamo (shudder), if you will. Not your local mall's screamo, though. These vocals sound almost tortured, certainly not whiny. On their latest LP, Riala, the band does dynamics excellently, transitioning back and forth between sections with chimey, clean channel guitars and those with heavier distortion, gnarly lead guitar parts and bombastic rhythms. While I appreciate the intensity, the band's knack for melody is key. And Riala is yet another album that brings on that high school and early college nostalgia for me. It's been really fun getting back into heavy music this year.
Among the Leaves - Sun Kil Moon (Caldo Verde, 2012)
Mark Kozelek can continue to make records like this into forever, and I'd continue to be content with that. Among the Leaves is his fifth LP under his Sun Kil Moon moniker, and it's more of the same stuff: Elaborately picked acoustic guitar, strings, and Kozelek's rich baritone. I'm not complaining, because these songs are gorgeous, and some how more enjoyable than those on 2010's Admiral Fell Promises, though they are equally as sparse. Regardless, Kozelek is the master of fall tunes, and I'm glad he's still putting out records.
True - Violens (Slumberland, 2012)
Big surprise, another post-punk/new wave/indie pop band on Slumberland Records! On Violens' sophomore LP, True, comparisons can certainly be made to Slumberland labelmates Big Troubles and all those Captured Tracks bands. There are a couple of stand out elements to the record, though. While the band's sound is certainly of the 80s, the production sounds much more modern and polished than the more lo-fi recordings of a lot of the bands playing this similar style. The synths are definitely there, but there's more emphasis on guitars and drums, which is cool by me. This especially comes in handy on the bizarro couplet "Unfolding Black Wings" and "All Night Low," where there are gnarly distorted guitars and straight up punk drum beats. Still, the highlight is closer "So Hard to See," which is a dance-pop gem. True is a surprising, good addition to the list of quality 2012 albums.
Mourning Glow 7" - Wild Moth (Asian Man, 2012)
Wild Moth are a new Asian Man Records band that seem to be a bit heavier and messier than the label is typically known far. Sure, there are still pop punk and even emo elements to these four songs, but essentially, Wild Moth play dark and noisy post-punk with plenty of melodic elements that somehow help the band to fit in with the label's roster. The production on this 7" is appropriate: bright but messy. The vocals, guitars, bass and drums all sound pretty gnarly, but like I mentioned earlier, these songs are still melodic. Nothing mindblowing here, but on Mourning Glow, Wild Moth show a considerable amount of potential.
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