Chris Hart

I can

I can

Ooh, the Acoustasonic Telecaster. Do like the look of it. The early models had horrendous reliability issues, hopefully that's been ironed out since

We Salute You, You and You! Portals Festivals 2025: A fond farewell and Sunday review

A belated review of, and farewell to, Portals Festival: postmusic.substack.com/p/portals-fe...

The whole "he's secretly metal" thing might have me biased, but is there anyone more thrillingly creative in jazz right now than Tigran Hamasyan? His live show just blew the lid off the Barbican - stunning piano chops, insane polyrhythmic creativity, and shattering djent breakdowns. Astounding.

I need more sad electronic / math rock / Midwest emo vibe bands to listen to, hit me up with any recommendations!

The Receiving End Of Sirens - Weightless Underwater Listen to Weightless Underwater on your streaming service

For the first time in nearly two decades - a new song from The Receiving End Of Sirens, one of my all-time favourite bands tidal.com/track/419012...

acloudyskye - This Won't Be The Last Time Listen to This Won't Be The Last Time on your streaming service

I'm mildly obsessed with the new @acloudyskye.com record This Won't Be The Last Time - math emo meets Porter Robinson sad vibes, glorious tidal.com/album/416522...

I played MindMaze at a friend's house and immediately asked my dad if I could get Encarta for my birthday. Encarta was not released for the Amiga and we didn't have a home PC until 18 months later, so he got me a different encyclopedia software package that did not have a surrealist educational maze

Nineteen Labyrinths Journeys Through the Maze

Relaunched my two-years dormant Substack to talk about spooky mazes

open.substack.com/pub/calumnm/...

I didn't dislike it! It just didn't quite make the cut, I liked bits of it but felt very little compulsion to revisit it

December 2024: The Shape of AOTY To Come The big 2024 Album of the Year list is here, and it damn near killed me

It's here at last - the Top 50 Albums of the Year edition of Post-. Some incredible stuff out this year. Get stuck in. postmusic.substack.com/p/december-2...

The Yacht Club - I Don't Think That I Am Ready To Be Without You

Plenty of good math rock/Midwest emo EPs out this year, but none is quite as intricate or attuned to the heartstring tug as this offering from The Yacht Club. Absolutely their best work to date. 11/end

@weareunpeople.bsky.social - unpeople

From the ashes of Press To Meco come unpeople - anthemic heavy pop-punk but with a more sophisticated edge and plenty of blistering hooks and harmonies. This band deserves to become huge. 10/11

Sithu Aye - Kindness

The masterful Scottish guitarist returns, this time dialing back the heavy themes of recent releases to just focus on good songs and a bit of jazz fusion amidst the metal. It's a mature and effective record. 9/11

@merex.bsky.social - Smilodon

Myles McCabe is back with his clever songwriting shtick helming ME REX. This time around - more earworms, some experimental short pieces, and a song (Canada Water) which alternates words beginning with C and W throughout. 8/11

@lysmorke.bsky.social - Knife Therapy

I raved about Lys Morke after their opening slot for Bossk and Maybeshewill earlier this year. The subsequent EP doesn't disappoint - dark electronica summoned from the ether, anchored by a strong vocal performance. 7/11

Kaonashi - A Second Chance At Forever

Missed them at ArcTanGent this year (curse these clashing bands) - but this record seems tailor made for 20 year old me. Burnout 3 soundtrack vibes injected with some old school Saosin? Sign me up. 6/11

Richard Henshall - Mu Vol. 1

The Haken guitarist is off doing his solo thing again - lots of weird time signature intricacy, impossible eight-string Strandberg guitar runs doubled with saxophone. My kind of shit. 5/11

Graywave - Dancing in the Dusk

Shoegaze has yet to reach a saturation point (obvious joke is obvious), no doubt helped by the quality of bands like Graywave. For fans of dark walls of reverb, heaviness and catchy tunes. 4/11

@benquadok.bsky.social - Ephemera

Look, there's screams and hooks and frantic tapping on guitars and this is everything I want and need from Ben Quad. Hits hard and fast and deserves to be left on repeat. 3/11

@baalbanduk.bsky.social - Soft Eyes

I didn't have "gets strongly into black metal" on my personal predictions for 2024, but Ba'al (among others) pushed the needle with some terrific stuff this year. Their label Ripcord Records has had a vintage year. 2/11

TEN EPS I GREATLY ENJOYED IN 2024

Look, the AOTY list was way too long and I'm exhausted from sorting things into ordered lists, so here's ten (alphabetical) EPs that went hard for me this year.

(That AOTY list will be on the Substack later this week!) 1/11

Max lemon, teaspoon of honey. Fight me (when you're less ill)

Easily one of my favourite bands consistently for the last 15-20 years, the mighty Jimmy Eat World were fantastic at Ally Pally tonight

November 2024: Here's One I Programmed Earlier Pre-recorded live performance, computer metal from Master Boot Record, and Geordie Greep

November's newsletter: In which I dive into the backing track debate, a wheelie bin goes on a crowdsurfing adventure, and I moan about the Joker movies. Reviews of Master Boot Record and Geordie Greep as well. Check it out here: postmusic.substack.com/p/november-2...

August 2024: Genre / Tropes Part Two Manifesting new musical categories, Plini live, and blackgaze beauty from Alcest

I wrote about hit em, the new genre manifested from subconscious, sweeping through X. Also reviews of Plini, Alcest, and a playlist of the latest post-rock and metal bangers. postmusic.substack.com/p/august-202... #MathRock #PostRock #HitEm

June 2024: The Mighty River Lea Portals Festival 2024: Non-stop Bank Holiday post-rock

Slightly delayed but here's the big Portals Festival 2024 review - 2 days, 21 bands, 200+ floors climbed (cheers Fitbit) and more than 2000 words on an excellent festival experience showcasing top international post-rock postmusic.substack.com/p/portals-fe... #PostRock #MathRock #PortalsFestival

May 2024: You can't kill the Metal... #NotMyStadiumMetal controversy, plus reviews of Maybeshewill, Bossk, Sithu Aye and Ba'al

Stadium metal may be declining, but we'll always have post-metal. This month's blog out now, also featuring reviews of Maybeshewill, Bossk, Sithu Aye and Ba'al postmusic.substack.com/p/may-2024-y... #MathRock #PostRock

April 2024: Everything Everything All At Once Reviews of Everything Everything, Polinski and Jaguwar

Back after a brief hiatus with a new edition of Post- with reviews of Everything Everything, @polinski.bsky.social & Jaguwar, and a playlist featuring Alcest, Yard Act, Jacob Collier, Blanket, Rich Henshall, Bossk and many more open.substack.com/pub/postmusi... #MathRock #PostRock

February 2024: Post- Is Not A Genre Keeping that low end tight... with Periphery, Casey and Plini

February edition of Post- out now - we've got Periphery, Casey and Plini reviews, we've got Standards, Bipolar Architecture, Frost Children, Sugar Horse and more on a playlist, and a shiny new logo!
postmusic.substack.com/p/february-2...