Diamond Terrifier

Diamond Terrifier's (Sam Hillmer of ZS) Himalayan Appalachia was released on Sockets Records on limited-edition cassette tape on Sept. 17. This first full release under the Diamond Terrifier moniker features two 20-minute solo tenor sax workouts. Side A of Himalayan Appalachia sees Hillmer moving between long waves of stretched notes to fluttering and back again. Side B transitions to an echoey soundscape complete with hand percussion and noisier sax-pedal crescendos.

Himalayan Appalachia was recorded on July 10^th, Hillmer’s 33^rd birthday. “We had the idea to record on my birthday like 5 days ahead of time.  Ben Greenberg (ZS) let us use the space, Rich Zerbo got out his mobile, analog tape machine, and Laura Paris (Trouble) got the projections and the videos ready to go.  Lastly, my buddy Nate came through and took pictures.  It was an awesome thing to do for a birthday, and I recommend it to anyone who makes records.”

For Hillmer, the point with this record, and with everything that Diamond Terrifier does, “is to make music on the saxophone that is outside the spirit of the available niche the instrument has cultivated to date.  From the self important catharsis of free jazz and the urban angularity of bop, to the vague sexuality of adult contemporary, there is really no place to call home as a saxophonist with a certain aesthetic sensibility.  So it’s trying to make the world I want to live in.  Imagining the saxophone as an instrument that never fell into the hands of monster technicians and unctuous stylists.  Like, an instrument with the profile of, say, some random flute you pick up somewhere.  But then you just really go for it!”

Sam Hillmer (aka Diamond Terrifier) has been active in New York City since 1996.  Hillmer has lead several ensembles under his own name and co-founded the chamber ensemble/band "ZS".  He is also a founding member of Wet Ink, a not-for-profit new music presenting organization, Representing NYC, a Hip Hop based youth development group, and the art duo Trouble.  Hillmer appears regularly in and around New York, across North America, in Europe, and in Japan.

Diamond Terrifier
Himalayan Appalachia
SCKTS028
$5 + shipping

SIDE A:
1. Two Witnesses
2. Three Things

SIDE B:
1. One Point
2. Five Dark Ages

This release is also available digitally via Bandcamp:

Deleted Scenes

Deleted Scenes, a four-piece band from DC, released its first self-entitled EP in 2007, twelve years after meeting in grade school. In 2009, the band released a full-length, Birdseed Shirt, which was recorded mostly in group houses across the east coast over the course of a year with producer L. Skell (the Rude Staircase). It was met with critical acclaim from Pitchfork, which praised its “thoughtful existentialism and strange, drowsy downers” (8.0 score), and NPR, which called it “playfully unpredictable and totally infectious.”

Deleted Scenes is based in Washington, DC. They are Daniel Scheuerman (guitar, vocals), Matt Dowling (bass, keyboards), Dominic Campanaro (guitar, keyboards, samples), and Brian Hospital (drums), with guitar playing by Chris Scheffey on tracks 1, 6, and 11. They have shared the stage with Cursive, Wild Nothing, Abe Vigoda, Black Kids, The Antlers, Medications, Matt and Kim, and others. They have played SXSW, CMJ, and Pop Montreal.

Deleted Scenes
Young People's Church of the Air LP
SCKTS033
$13 + shipping

1. A Litany for Mrs. T
2. The Days of Adderall
3. Bedbedbedbedbed
4. A Bunch of People Who Love You Like Crazy
5. Nassau
6. Burglarizing the Deaf
7. Baltika 9
8. English as a Second Language
9. Ordination Day
10. The Demon & the Hurricane
11. What an Awesome Backhanded Compliment

Deleted Scenes will release Young People’s Church of the Air on Sockets Records on CD (Sept. 6) and LP (Sept. 20). This second album builds on the “thoughtful existentialism and strange, drowsy downers“ of their 2009 debut, Birdseed Shirt (Pitchfork, 8.0), pushing the band’s formidable rhythm section further, and exploring the possibility of hope.

Grabbing rhythmic feels from 80s pop, R&B, surf rock, dark funk, and Go-Go, Young People’s Church of the Air showcases Deleted Scenes discovering what it can do. Drummer Brian Hospital introduces the double-kick pedal to art rock with thoughtful drum arrangements. The lyrics find Daniel Scheuerman taking risks to explore themes of family, love, death and joy in a self-devouring poetic style. The album’s production is fuzzy and warped, inspired by the cassette warble of Southeast Asian psych-pop and the detuned stew of Elliott Smith’s final album, From a Basement on the Hill.

The songs began as fruity loops-based jams in Scheuerman’s basement studio, the Crab’s Claw, which were then introduced into the band environment, taking on a live identity over the course of 300 shows on tour. The album was finally recorded at the Garden Center in Hockessin, DE, with Nick Krill (the Spinto Band) and Birdseed Shirt producer L. Skell. It contains a mixture of studio sounds and home-recorded lo-fi noise.

The album title comes from a 1930s radio-church hymnal Scheuerman found in an old piano bench, and evokes the elusive and sometimes illusory nature of hope.

The first single from the album, indie club anthem “Bedbedbedbedbed“ was released on July 5 in 12“ 45 RPM format.

-----

Deleted Scenes
Bedbedbedbedbed 12" EP
SCKTS027
$12 + shipping 

Deleted Scenes new single "Bedbedbedbedbed" premiered on SPIN Magazine's website in June 2011. This limited edition (only 300!), hand assembled vinyl record also contains an amazing Smiths cover, an acoustic version of the single and a non-album track entitled "Challenge Club". A full-length record, Young People’s Church of the Air, is set to be released in September 20, 2011.
 

Side A:
1. Bedbedbedbedbed
2. Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (Smiths cover)
 

Side B:
1. Challenge Club
2. Bedbedbedbedbed (cover) 

AMERICA HEARTS

America Hearts play short, quirky guitar pop. Lead singer/songwriter, Jess Matthews, writes songs that embody a a sense of economy and humor. Stream the lead single, "White Socks", from the band's most recent 7", out on Sockets Records:

The 7" is a split with Cotton Candy (Teenbeat, ex-Unrest, ex-Blast Off Country Style)

Cotton Candy & America Hearts
Split 7"
SCKTS020
$5 + shipping 

Side A - AMERICA HEARTS:
1. White Socks
2. When You Dodge a Bullet

Side B - COTTON CANDY:
1. Strudel Zum Toast-It
2. Compulsory & Auditory
3. Water Country
4. Pregnant Beekeeper
5. Cosmetic Center
6. Gulden Draak Mock

COTTON CANDY

Cotton Candy is the duo of Mark Robinson (Teenbeat, Unrest, Air Miami) and Evelyn Hurley (from the Blast Off Country Style). As well as intepreting old ads and jingles, the band writes original tunes that are bubbly and disjointed. The band is featured on the newest Sockets Records 7", which is split with DC's own America Hearts.

Cotton Candy & America Hearts
Split 7"
SCKTS020
$5 + shipping 

Side A - AMERICA HEARTS:
1. White Socks
2. When You Dodge a Bullet

Side B - COTTON CANDY:
1. Strudel Zum Toast-It
2. Compulsory & Auditory
3. Water Country
4. Pregnant Beekeeper
5. Cosmetic Center
6. Gulden Draak Mock

Sockets Records T-Shirt and Tote Bag

It's getting warmer outside and spring time in Washington, DC is one of the best seasons anywhere!

So, Sockets Records, after 6+ years, finally had some label t-shirts and tote bags printed up just in time for your seasonal sartorial needs. But, these aren't just regular shirts/totes with a logo, text, or something boring emblazoned on the front. Instead, we hooked up with Chloé (Sockets super intern) and her amazing friends, Flannery and Kelly, on a much better, collaborative project.

The concept, design, and creation of the shirt was all done by Chloe Maratta. As you can see from the pictures above (taken by Kelly McNutt!), these shirts are art pieces. In fact, they are extremely limited edition and have their own Sockets catalog number. The t is a first in a series of hand-made shirts we'll be "releasing" on the label.

In the spirit of this new shirt/tote bag, we asked for a short film based on the project. Along with shirts, tote bags, and photos, Flannery Silva (!) created an amazing short film to accompany the project:

 Order the t-shirt below for $15 postage paid:

Sockets Records T-SHIRT (designed and created by Chloe Maratta)
SCKTS032
$15 Postage Paid

SIZES

Small Medium Large Extra Large

And, the tote bag for $10 postage paid!

Sockets Records TOTE BAG (designed and created by Chloe Maratta)
$10 Postage Paid
SCKTS032-A
Limted edition of 25!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLUEBRAIN

Bluebrain is the Washington, DC duo consisting of brothers Hays and Ryan Holladay. As Bluebrain, these brothers have brought an unrivaled energy and innovation to site-specific sound experiments, interactive concerts, and, recently, documentary film scoring. The band also opened for the newly reunited Dismemberment Plan in January 2011.

Bluebrain is set to release a limited edition, special Record Store Day 7" on Sockets Records. The single, entitled "The Pull / The Push", features lush electronic production with some of the danciest beats from the brothers to date. Also, one very special aspect of the 7" is how the two tracks can be combined. Each side of the 7" can be considered a stand alone track or Side A and Side B can be played simulataneously to form one song.

To order the 7" for $5 including postage, click the paypal link below:

Quantity

1 $5.00 2 $10.00 3 $15.00 4 $20.00

BLUEBRAIN
'The Pull' 7"
A - 'The Pull'
B - 'The Push'
SCKTS031
Limited Edition of 300
$5 postage paid

EDIE SEDGWICK & AK

Drag-punker Justin Moyer, a.k.a. Edie Sedgwick, used to fear children and loathe their wretched music. Then he had a daughter.

"Music is the key to keeping new babies and new parents sane," says Moyer. "Children's songs are part of who we are. What's had more impact on society -- 'Purple Haze' or 'Itsy Bitsy Spider?'"

After watching his new baby get pumped to listen to "The Wheels on the Bus" 27 times in a row, Moyer and his songwriting partner -- the mysterious A.K. -- decided to write a full-length album for the pre-K set.. "Songs for Isadora," the first release of Sockets Records Tape Club, is the result. Songs like the rockabilly-informed "Boom Boom Baby" and the svelte bossnova "Who's that Baby in the Mirror?" are bizarre enough to keep parents interested, but catchy enough  to keep their infants' delicate, wispy-haired heads nodding. Meanwhile, quieter songs like "Sleep Tight Little Angel" could probably be proven to improve a sleeping child's intelligence if Sockets would only spring for scientific, peer-reviewed testing.

Buy the cassette below or digitally at www.ediesedgwick.biz and www.dischord.com

Edie Sedgwick and A.K.
Songs for Isadora (cassette)
SCKTS024-02
$6ppd (International orders add $3)

Side A - Para Jugar
1. Boom Boom Baby
2. Wiggle & Jiggle
3. Who's That Baby in the Mirror?
4. You Gotta Crawl
5. Baby Talk
6. The Ocean

Side B - Para Dormir
1. Hello
2. Sigh
3. Yes
4. Sleep Tight Little Angel

Nine-11 Thesaurus

Sockets Records is more than excited to annouce the latest release in our series of youth hip-hop records: Ground Zero Generals by Nine-11 Thesaurus. The first edition of the series, of course, was the enigmatic Fly Girlz Da'Brats from Da'Ville. Available on April 26th, the album features an unlikely pairing between MCs (including Shasty, God’sun, P-dot, Riddic.C, and Hollywood) and producers, namely Matt Mehlan (of Skeletons) and Tim Dewit (Gang Gang Dance). Sockets is joining the amazing Social Registry label to bring you this release:

Thesaurus are named after the tragedy of September 11th 2001, when some of the MCs lost family members, thus spawning their oft recited tag “when the towers fell we rose”. After years of writing rhymes,
spitting, free-styling and battling, the current, and lasting line up met and got organized at the Beacon Center for Arts and Leadership in Bushwick Brooklyn. It was there that the young MCs linked with Representing NYC founder (and member of Brooklyn band Zs) Sam Hillmer, beginning conversations, meetings, and later rehearsals, performances, and recording sessions, that would lead to the release
of Ground Zero Generals.

Press for Nine-11 Thesaurus:

"...East New York teenagers ignoring the subjugating fantasies of mainstream rap and collaborating with outsider Brooklyn noisemakers..."
- Village Voice

"As performers they keep the hype level at a constant boil as only the truly young and alive can, and in an era of tidal mainstream vapidity, intelligent, militant teenagers are definitely something to be
celebrated." - New York Post

"Nine 11 remind me of the early days of the Cold Crush Borthers, the way their energy just flows off one another..." - Charlie Ahearn, Director of Wild Style

Nine-11 Thesaurus
Ground Zero Generals CD
SCKTS010

OUT APRIL 26th

 1. Intro
 2. The End Of The World
 3. Police Sirens
 4. Rookie Of The Year
 5. Stressin'
 6. Lost Memories
 7. 16 Bars
 8. Woo Ha!
 9. Metal

Skeletons

Skeletons is the brainchild of Ohio-bred/Brooklyn-based Matt Mehlan who also runs the amazing Shinkoyo Records. First signed to dance-label extraodinaire, Ghostly International, in 2005, Skeletons' released a set of avant-pop classics, inlcuding Git and Lucas. Employing sinewy guitar melodies, thoughtful composition, and complex rhythms, the band shares an equal love of lush beauty and experimental exploration.

“People”, their new album, co-mixed by Rusty Santos (also known for his work with Owen Pallett and Animal Collective/Panda Bear)is the first released in exciting union between Shinkoyo and Crammed Discs, with a limited vinyl edition via Sockets Records. It brilliantly boils down all the band’s thrilling sonic excursions into a collection of concise, fluid and emotive songs: rich, subtly dramatic musical atmospheres envelope Matt Mehlan’s compelling lyrical tales, inhabited by unlikely real-life characters (Jimmy Damour, Tania Head, Lil’ Rich and others) whose stories are told from a viewpoint which is both human and social/political.

Skeletons
'People' LP
SCKTS023
SOLD OUT

TRACKLIST:

1. L’il Rich
2. Grandma
3. More Than the One Thing
4. Walmart and the Ghost of Jimmy Damour
5. No
6. Tania Head
7. Barack Obama Blues
8. People

Macaw

Macaw’s sole member is Wilson Kemp – an artist, art teacher, and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Washington, DC. With Macaw, Kemp soaks layers of synths with his dream-drenched vocals and a mid-tempo throb shared equally by machine and human drumming. Kemp is a member of the band Hume and recently opened an exhibit of new murals and large-scale prints entitled Out of the Lull at 410 Goodbuddy Gallery in DC.

A beautiful document of Wilson Kemp's synth, percussion and vocal improvisations, Macaw's debut LP, Celadon unveils layer after layer of radiant, wandering bliss.  The record features stunning three-layer silk screened illustrations by the artist, translucent blue-green vinyl and a choice between tan or black recycled cardstock jackets. The sprawling nature of the soundscapes mix well with the propulsive beats and a wide range of timbre and sources from Moogs to mallets present an interesting dialog between the organic and electronic.  Celadon is a fully realized, beautiful first release and is available online or at shows.

Macaw
Celadon LP
SCKTS021
$15ppd (International orders add $4)

Side A:
1. In Search of Spacetunnel
2. What Circle
3. Five Minutes at the Rainforest Cafe
4. A Zone of Our Own

Side B:
5. Caxixi
6. Prismatic Spring
7. Seas of Bees (Rifle Recoil Cover)

----------

Macaw's “Five Minutes at the Rainforest Café” is featured in The Wire magazine's Fall 2010 Tapper compilation. For information on how to order the October 2010 edition of The Wire, head over to the magazine's website. Here's a pic of the magazine:

Also, stream "Five Minutes at the Rainforest Cafe" on SoundCloud:

Macaw - "Five Minutes at the Rainforest Cafe" by Sockets Records

Big Gold Belt

If you're a white girl raised on En Vogue and Wu-Tang in D.C.'s hardscrabble northeast suburbs, it ain't easy fitting in when, at age 13, you move to cushy, Pearl Jam-lovin' Bethesda, Md. Still, in 1993, that's what Christina "Xstina" Harper did, clandestinely cultivating a love for Whodini and Pebbles and making hip-hop beats on her four track while singing big band tunes in her mother's swing band. Even while pledging a mean-girl sorority at Syracuse, Xstina kept true to the R&B diva deep inside, writing rhymes, singing backup for Dischord Records' freakout drag artist Edie Sedgwick, and waiting for the moment to express her inner Left-Eye.

With Big Gold Belt, that moment is here.

Born in the winter of 2008 when Xstina won a, well, big gold belt at a Williamsburg dance contest, BGB fuses Hot97 circa 1987 with cool-as-ice art-rock. Enlisting her boyfriend Luke Wyatt who’s Vernon Reid-ish prog guitar centers BGB in the studio and as much as his post-Miami Vice video editing shape the duo’s stunning live performances – Xstina’s produced a 12” that’s equal parts TLC, BBD, and ELO. Songs like “Wait” and “Ice Cream” sound like early Madonna – not in the lame way that lazy rock critics mistakenly think Lady Gaga sounds like early Madonna, but in the fucked-up way that Sonic Youth’s forgotten “Ciccone Youth” masterpiece sounds like early Madonna. Only Xstina’s got better legs.

Big Gold Belt's debut 12" was released by Sockets Records/Mud Memory Records. You will be able to find it in fine record stores by November or purchase below:

Big Gold Belt
Self-titled 12"
SCKTS012
$12ppd (International orders add $4)

A Side:
1. Wait
2. Night Vision
3. Eyepatch & A Boombox

B Side:
4. Ice Cream
5. Do Not Disturb

Big Gold Belt's video for the single "Wait":

Laughing Man

Laughing Man is a Washington DC based trio comprised of Michael Andrew Harris (drums), Luke Stewart (bass, saxophone) and Brandon Moses (vocals, guitar). During the last year they’ve been quietly garnering attention for their artsy, yet uniquely soulful live performance. The band successfully encompasses a folk-soul-blues-jazz sound, and blends it with elements of indie rock, calypso, and garage punk. The band is set to release their debut album, entitled The Lovings ('63-'69), this fall on Sockets Records.

Laughing Man
The Lovings ('63-'69)
SCKTS013
$11ppd (International orders add $3)

1. Blueberry Bee's
2. Bees Part 2
3. Already Always
4. Being There
5. Love Language
6. Abington
7. Mood & Dress

Last year All Our Noise posted a video of Laughing Man with the South African band BLK JKS:

Hume

Hume's video for the latest single "Inverse Fireworks":

Hume kicked off five years ago, the constantly metamorphosing product of guitarist/bassist/composer Britton Powell’s high school philosophy class daydreams and basement-recording sessions.

In these early days, Hume was hard to pin down. One minute it was a solo-project, the next it was a group of free-form improvisers, then a string quartet, and finally a full-fledged band performing expansive prog-rock in a giant octopus-shaped sculpture. Whatever was going on, it was always interesting. The last touring line-up of the group featured two drummers, two basses, and three saxophones performing a single 30-minute composition that Powell wrote during a six-month trip to India.

But somewhere during the last two years, Powell decided that the constant line-up changes were not getting him where he wanted to go.

Inspired in equal parts by James Brown’s touring band and the prog-rock titans of yesteryear, Powell decided that it was time to buckle-down and get tight. He rallied the heads together--recruiting drummer and long time collaborator Wilson Kemp (Macaw), bassist/multi-instrumentalist Joey Doubek (Mass Movement of the Moth) and guitarist, Peter Tran . Months of rehearsals followed. The group dug in deep, cloistering themselves in a group house basement for rigorous practice sessions—trying to find the balance between composition and spontaneity, to figure out how to ride knotty prog-riffs into deep trasnplendent bliss-outs.

The band just released a new 7" with two tracks, 'Inverse Fireworks' and 'One Drug'. A follow up to last year's enigmatic EP, Penumbra, the 7" finds the band refining its sprawling sound with economy and focus. Info for purchasing the new 'Inverse Fireworks' 7" below:

Hume
'Inverse Fireworks' 7"
SCKTS025
$6.50ppd (International orders add $4)

Side A - 'Inverse Fireworks'

Side B - 'One Drug'

--------------

Info for Hume's Penumbra EP below:

Hume
Penumbra EP
SCKTS017
$13ppd (International orders add $4)

1. Golden Hour
2. Jefferson
3. Injera
4. Grip (LISTEN)
5. Tollteller

Stream Penumbra via SoundCloud:

-----------------------

Hume
The Phat Daughter String Quartet LP
SCKTS006
$12ppd (International orders add $4)

Hume’s Phat Daughter String Quartet, collects four unique string-based compositions on the a-side backed by massive dub versions of those same pieces on the b-side. Hume’s Britton Powell is one of the most exciting Washington, DC based songwriters and Sockets is pleased to share this release with Hugh McElroy's Ruffian Records imprint. As the DC City Paper writes, Hume "deftly splices the quartet into some heavy reggae riddims, sounds kind of like Arvo Part paying a visit to Black Ark."

Extra Life

Extra Life is a Brooklyn-based band led by Charlie Looker, who spent six years in ZS and a short stint in the Dirty Projectors. With Extra Life, Looker explores the depths of experimental music, mixing various chamber, prog, and post-hardcore styles. The bands first album, Secular Works, was released in 2008 by Planaria Recordings and garnered some attention from Stereogum’s Bands to Watch column. Their second album, entitled Made Flesh, is out now on LOAF Recordings.

Sockets Records released an Extra Life remix EP, entitled Splayed Flesh, in June 2010. The remix EP features re-works by Tyondai Braxton (of Battles), Caley Monahon-Ward, JG Thirlwell (of Foetus!), and Justin K. Broadrick (of Godflesh!!!).

Purchase Splayed Flesh below:

Extra Life
Splayed Flesh
SCKTS015
$10ppd Buy Here (International orders add $3)

1. "Head Shrinker" - album version
2. "Head Shrinker" - Tyondai Braxton remix (LISTEN)
3. "Head Shrinker" - Caley Monahon-Ward remix
4. "Made Flesh" - album version
5. "The Body is True" - album version
6. "Made Flesh / The Body is True" - JG Thirlwell remix
7. "Made Flesh" - Justin K. Broadrick remix

Imperial China

 

Imperial China is experimental post-punk trio based in Washington, DC. The band has honed its live show into a tight thrash with sample-based experimentation as an equal ingredient to its sound. The trio, made up of Brian Porter (voice, guitar, electronics), Matthew Johnson (bass, guitar) and Patrick Gough (drums) released its first full-length album, Phosphenes, on Sockets in February 2010. In January 2012, the band will release its second full-length album, How We Connect, on the label. Order How We Connect below:

Imperial China
Phosphenes
SCKTS034
$13 + shipping (International orders add $3)

1. Limbs
2. In a House in a Head
3. Revolter
4. Creative License
5. Redux
6. 1ST11LST
7. Edulretni
8. Rookie Cop
9. Bird Calls
10. Ljos

Imperial China's third record, How We Connect, out on Sockets Records, is released on limited-edition white vinyl LP (Jan. 28). Recorded by Devin Ocampo (Medications, Faraquet, Mary Timony Band, Beauty Pill) in the summer of 2011, How We Connect is the culmination of an 8-month hiatus from live shows – a big break for one of DC’s most active live bands – as well as a sharper focus on songwriting.  On How We Connect, the band forced itself to rethink its musical process and lyrical themes. The goal: create a cohesive album instead of just a collection of songs.

----

Buy Phosphenes below: 

Imperial China
Phosphenes
SCKTS011
$12ppd Buy Here (International orders add $3)

Reviews of Phosphenes:

"These days, the indie field is oversaturated with derivative groups trying to resuscitate a bygone era or mirror a sonic fad note for note. Rather than merely exhume the past or copy the present, Imperial China engages alternative music’s storied history as a whole on Phosphenes... The group’s determination to push certain aesthetic boundaries has resulted in a record that’s endearing and complex, aggressive yet skillfully composed." – Washington City Paper, February 2010.

"These three dudes capture the feel and the spirit of the 'DC sound'... but rarely rehash the ideas of their predecessors... Phosphenes is one of the best records we’ve heard this year." -Buddyhead, February 2010.

"Phosphenes is one of those rare albums that melds instruments and styles into a concoction that defies easy categorization and still succeeds at what it attempts. From the driving, headlong rush of 'Mortal Wombat' to the contemplative soundscape of 'Go Where Airplanes Go,' Imperial China continually hits the mark on this debut album... It’s a rare treat to come across an album so full of surprises that flow organically from one to the next." - Delusions of Adequacy, February 2010.

For more info on the band, including shows, tours, pictures, and audio visit the band's website www.impchin.com.

1. All That Is Solid
2. Mortal Wombat
3. Bananamite
4. A Modern Life
5. Corrupting the Integrity of the Grid
6. Invincible
7. Go Where Airplanes Go (LISTEN)
8. The Last Starfighter
9. Letter of a General

Imperial China's debut full-length Phosphenes balances a mixture of wiry post rock, atmospheric experimentation, and tense vocal outbursts. Creating something new from the frenetic and varied touchstones, Phosphenes manages to adeptly document one of Washington, DC's best live bands.