Dysrhythmia: Psychic Maps (Relapse)
As the members of Dysrhythmia have taken time away from their assorted outside responsibilities, these tech instrumentalists grace us with another disc of melodic yet discordant and frenzied yet soothing songs.
Though fans have had to wait another three years for this full-length, they've been tided over in the meantime by guitarist Kevin Hufnagel's outstanding acoustic debut and a Dysrhythmia split EP with Rothko in 2007. On Psychic Maps, per usual, each song is a powerhouse journey, often pushing into mind-bending territory.
Dysrhythmia: "Festival of Popular Delusions"
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Cage: Depart from Me (Definitive Jux)
Now as well known for having a Shia LaBeouf biopic in the works as for penning hip-hop narratives of personal destruction, Chris Palko returns with the long-anticipated successor to Hell's Winter, the 2005 album that marked a departure from his early lyrical focus.
Depart From Me is a compelling hip-hop/rock/electro fusion with production by El-P, Aesop Rock, Blockhead, Sean Martin of Hatebreed, and the late Camu Tao. Cage's vocals do detract at moments — particularly some of the quasi-sung passages — but there's no denying that Palko is a talented MC who is making unique arrangements over fat beats.
Cage: "Look at What You Did"
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Zs: Music of the Modern White 12" EP (The Social Registry)
Brooklyn avant-garde trio Zs plunges head first into the murky, amorphous waters where rock, experimental, free jazz, noise, and ambient music meet. The lineup — Sam Hillmer on tenor sax, Ben Greenberg on electric guitar, and Ian Antonio on drums — isn't a new configuration of instruments, but you'd be hard pressed to find another group that sounds just like this.
A vinyl (and MP3) release, Music of the Modern White splits the group's wild and diverse sounds into two halves, which are each split into three parts. The music barely cracks 20 minutes, but the depth of style achieved here is remarkable.
Oneida: Rated O (Jagjaguwar)
Arriving as a massive triple-disc (/triple-LP) release, Rated O continues the aural triptych that Oneida began with Preteen Weaponry.
The group has since expanded to five members, and its music is as electronic and experimental as it's ever been. To give you an idea of how epic these tracks are, three of them clock in at more than 10 minutes, and another tops 20.
But as "Bobby Matador" explains on the Jagjaguwar page for Rated O, these are far from extended jams that lean on loops and samples. To the contrary, the album is constructed in a very traditional sense, and fans of Oneida are sure to hail Rated O as the group's finest effort to date.
Oneida: "Saturday"
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