When it comes to chosen names, ‘Box’ feels rather cheeky. This one man band’s work refuses to be kept tidy, or easily placed within a genre. Or any kind of box. Beyond “cold, arty rock”, the songs on ‘Born To Crawl’ refuse to conform to any label, and certainly don’t fit any pre-conceived ideas you may have about a musician who has previously been associated with US punks Poison Idea. There are moments that, perhaps, fall a little further in line with multi-instrumentalist Andrew Stromstad’s work with blackened doom band Atriarch but, again, at its best, the Box sound feels very different. It’s certainly less heavy and although it feels more experimental, it’s actually more accessible than some of his past works. The heart of Box definitely shares like a fresh sound for Stromstad, making it the perfect side project.
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HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT’S ADEQUATE – The Uncertainty Principle
In April 2024, prog band Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate returned to the spotlight with a two track release helmed by the rather thoughtful ‘One Word That Means The World (Arkhipov)’. The first new tracks to appear in over a year, the digital pairing re-acquainted fans with the Gentlemen’s rather quirky and adventurous musical style.
LOOKING GLASS WAR – Saints Of The Lost And Found EP
Post punk fans paying close attention to the US underground in 2024 might have encountered Looking Glass War. The band – featuring Boston scene regulars Mike Ackley and Pete Ziegler – released a couple of impressive tracks which took their hybrid of post punk and goth sounds, as laid out on their 2023 EP ‘Where Neon Meets The Rain’ EP, and very much improved on them. These recordings demonstrated a much tighter command of a riff, but more importantly, captured frontman Goddamn Glen singing in a way that seemed more sympathetic to Looking Glass War’s needs.
HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT’S ADEQUATE – Between Two Worlds EP
This three track release from British art/prog rockers Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate is the follow up to their 2014 single ‘One Word That Means The World (Arkhipov)’ – an excellent, complex number – and a precursor to their planned full length release ‘The Uncertainty Principle’. It should not be considered a mere stop-gap, however, since the three tracks play very well as a stand-alone listen, and each one showcases a different aspect of the Hats Off sound, making it feel very much like a legitimate project in its own right.
MAGANA – Bad News EP
Released during the first quarter of 2024, Magana’s ‘Break Free’ single shared some very interesting musical ideas. Billed as “witchy rock”, the track managed to convey a hard edge, but retain a sense of the atmospheric. With the aid of droning keys and percussive rhythms, the performance conveyed a spooky vibe, but was also unafraid to take detours into harder edged sounds. Like a strange hybrid of 90s goth, classic Cocteau Twins and a deep dive into middle period Lush, it wasn’t for everyone, but for those with a love of various 90s and 00’s alternative sounds, it brought a welcome new slant to genre-specific sounds that often felt familiar.