Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

104411

Column

Left Of The Dial #001
Left Of The Dial #001
Ryan_De_Freitas by Ryan De Freitas January 30th, 2017

Hello everyone. Welcome to the first edition of Left Of The Dial, the new DiS column where I’ll be keeping you up to date with the best new releases in rock music.

In future, this will probably act as a quarterly recap where I force you, by the power of the written word, to listen to some records that I think are great. I’ll be covering punk, metal, hardcore, emo and loads more in an effort to highlight the best of everything that comes under that looming umbrella of ‘rock’. Oh, and I’ll be mostly avoiding things that DiS have already covered and instead focusing on things that might’ve gone under the radar here and elsewhere.

To get us started – think of this as a pilot episode - here are some of the best releases from last year that, in my humble opinion, just weren’t shouted about enough.

---

Pinegrove – Cardinal

On Cardinal, Pinegrove managed to tinge their heartfelt indie-rock with a distinct country twang and make it work brilliantly. Trust me, it’s better than that sounds like it would be. Thanks to its porch-dwelling haze, this might be a record that’ll have a bigger impact on you when spring eventually rolls back around, but this is an essential listen for anyone with a soft spot for Americana.





Oathbreaker – Rheia

Haunting, visceral and overbearingly claustrophobic, this isn’t an easy listen in the slightest. With that challenge, though, comes great reward as the album takes you on a twisting, turning journey that’ll stay with you long after your first listen. At its core, this is black metal being played by a hardcore band and as a result there’s a perfect balance struck between explorative, progressive tendencies and vital immediacy.





AJJ – The Bible 2

Cards on the table, I never really ‘got’ AJJ (or Andrew Jackson Jihad as they were once known) until this album. The folk-y weirdness of their lyrical strands and the skittish hyperactivity of their approach is something of an acquired taste, but on The Bible 2, they’ve managed to rein it in just enough to create an accessible and brilliant album while still retaining their character. It’s the perfect place to start with this band.





Camp Cope – Camp Cope

That this is only the debut album from Melbourne trio Camp Cope is frankly ridiculous, such is the quality of the songwriting on show. Combining their at times minimalist indie-punk approach to instrumentation with some of the most starkly honest lyrics you’ll hear results in one of the most intimate listens of 2016. Whether the topic is enraged rebellion, disaffected resignation or something in between, vocalist/guitarist Georgia Maq has a knack for drawing you in and making it all your problem too.





Super Unison – Auto

With Super Unison featuring members of hardcore cult-legends Punch and emo icons Snowing, I went into Auto with super high expectations. And they smashed them. Frantic and aggressive, this album sinks its manic claws in right out of the gate, and doesn’t let go for a second of its twelve tracks. Vocalist Meghan O’Neil Pennie is the star of the show here with a performance that is sarcastic, cutting, and furious in equal measure.





Jeff Rosenstock – Worry.

If the entire point of this column is to shine a light on albums I think deserve it – and it is – then Worry. is an essential inclusion. Jeff Rosenstock’s trademark dark humour is channeled through a filter of complete and utter defeatism as he takes bemused stock of the world around him on both a personal and global level. Aside from the subject matter, the sheer variety of songs on show here is incredible and sees Rosenstock evolving from DIY cult hero to all-time great. This album deserves to go down as a modern punk classic, and I implore you to give it 35 minutes of your time.






Photo credit: Erica Lauren

![104411](http://dis.resized.images.s3.amazonaws.com/540x310/104411.jpeg)


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees

Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


Left-arrow

The Friday Fangasm: Turn On The Brigh...

Mobback
104430
104417

The Dears Track By Track Guide to Tim...

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE
Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND