Black Map - & We Explode - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The trio Metal Hammer described as a Inchprogressive supergroup,Inch delivers a defining work. Ben Flanagan (The Torch Fire), Mark Engles (dredg) and Chris Robyn (Far) sound captivatingly explosive and meditative in equal measure, widening sonic horizons with boundless urgency and fearless determination. Melodoria is ambitious, expansive, and altogether mesmerizing.Produced by Black Map with Zach Ohren (Machine Head, The Ghost Inside, Set Your Goals), mixed by Beau Burchell (Saosin, Senses Fail, The Bronx), and recorded at various studios in the band's native Bay Area, Melodoria is a rich offering that's heavy in both sound and spirit.

Elements collide, split, multiply, and generate energy. In similar fashion, the trio of vocalist and bassist Ben Flanagan, guitarist Mark Engles, and drummer Chris Robyn convene, congregate, and commune to power up Black Map. Their union teems with emotion and electricity-which the musicians in turn harness to craft hypnotically heavy anthems underscored by unpredictable musicality and undeniable hooks. Pivoting around a nimble balance of post-hardcore, alternative, and hard rock, they incite a reaction rooted in their longstanding chemistry on Hex. The guys have been on the same page since day one. The players had respectively come up in celebrated alternative bands with Mark in Dredg, Chris in Far, and Ben in The Trophy Fire, however, they unlocked a distinct sound upon forming Black Map during 2014. They captivated with... And We Explode [2014], In Droves [2017], and Melodoria [2022]. Along the way, the Northern California group tallied tens of millions of streams fueled by favorites such as InchRun Rabbit Run,Inch InchGold,Inch and InchNo ColorInch. At the top of 2024, they retreated to Southern California to record Hex with Saosin guitarist Beau Burchell behind the board as producer. Everyone locked into a clear and collective cohesive vision and in the end, Black Map's energy proves uncontainable.

On Mountain Spring Clear color vinyl. Over the last several years, the critically acclaimed composer and adventurous multi-instrumentalist Kishi Bashi has travelled frequently to Montana and Wyoming to work on Omoiyari, a Inchsong filmInch about Japanese internment during WWII. The experience was potent for Kishi Bashi, who conducted research for the film (and 2019 album of the same name) by speaking to internment camp incarcerees and descendents. These conversations led to him reflecting on his own identity as a Japanese-American while laying the foundation of his forthcoming 'Emigrant EP'.Along with the brutal history and harsh climate of the American West, Kishi Bashi also sensed a hope and potential, compassion, and resilience. In Emigrant EP, he celebrates these qualities. Arranged and recorded over the last year, the six tracks serve as a time capsule of the 2020 condition and a continuation of the concepts explored in Omoiyari. What's more, they find Kishi Bashi rewriting musical tradition in the image of his own experience, further embracing his love for roots music and violin fiddling.Meditating on the anxieties of the COVID-19 pandemic, the comforts of nature, the pains of resource-fueled conflicts, and the resiliency that emerges from struggle, Emigrant EP is steeped in the past while it looks to the future. InchI want to understand the history, but also dive in and really try to humanize it,Inch he says. InchI'm trying to show how we're all the same type of human being. We have the same desires and needs, to protect our loved ones and also to celebrate the everyday.Inch