I’ve been a fan of The Black Heart Procession as far back as I can remember. That was probably the easy part; it was easy to fall in love with the music, coming off as a fan of Three Mile Pilot, the group that preceded it. The band of Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel haven’t released new material since 2010’s Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit single, so the clouds surrounding Hearts And Tanks EP (Solid Brass Records) come as a welcome surprise, although it’s not actually new material. The music was originally released in the UK back in 2003, but damn it if it’s not a welcome addition on these shores. Some of the four songs compiled here do sound like sound explorations or ideas that might be unfinished works but man, it’s still good to hear. “Radio” explores a world around synths & keys with percussive undertones. It’s spacey, wrapped in a bit of psychedelia. It’s repetitive but not repetitious, that’s what’s important. It moves on into “The News,” which sounds like it has some looped percussion with a Spanish-narrated sample voiced over it, and guitars filter in and out. The band does have a recognizable song that embodies the band in “Weakness,” a dark, brooding number that takes its time and slowly builds around a drone and haunting vocals. Yeah, for this song alone, I’d say it was worth it.

Oh, these guys. It’s Baltimore’s Ousted coming with its proper debut release after sharing its demo back in 2023. The band is relentless with its new How Do You Cope? EP (Ashtray Monument Records). This isn’t your typical hardcore outfit churning out track after track simply tethered in distortion and angry vocals, no, this is somewhat different. Throughout the seven tracks that fill the release, the band doesn’t eschew melody for a simple sonic assault, littering songs with catchy riffs within song structures as the crunchy assault envelops listeners with those melodies strewn within. The five-man crew of vocalist Sean Reilly, guitarists Mitch Roemer & Will Teague, drummer Jon John Michaud, and bassist Frank Oldewurtel make one hell of a racket but the swelling wave of “Reflection” is chaos that isn’t disheveled but quite controlled. Ousted holds on tightly together never relinquishing its mastery over the song itself. The quick frantic pace of “Good Grief (Hair of the dog)” doesn’t allow for a moment’s rest with a brutal attack as soon as it starts. Guitars never side-step the rhythm with Reilly screams into his microphone. Even when the song slows down, darkness surrounds it all. Yes, we can all dig into it.

Yeah, what the actual fuck? The Toronto, Ontario duo of Arkanum and NPNP as Fantasy Academy confound and confuse with its new We Dance And Spin (Tygr Rawwk Rcrds). Songs are sometimes brief and don’t move in any direction that easily anticipated but damn, there’s something distinctly magical here. Self-professed metaphysical free-jazz Hip-Hop, I think Fantasy Academy is limiting itself there, as it trips out with psychedelic rawness. By the time the synapses in one’s brain finds solace on a melody and the quick-tongued delivery of “Weak End,” the temperature changes, shifting and/or stretching its variables into different expanses. The song leads directly into “Time Mutable,” with its piano keys drenched across the landscape. It’s soothing and completely blankets the track although we’re able to hear those few bass notes underneath. A but when the beat hits on the muddy “Crude Apparatus,” yeah, that’s the moment. This right here, is the standout track. It’s littered with lyricism just like all the other tracks but the loose horns blaring, yeah, it’s that free-flowing mind state. It’s difficult to describe Fantasy Academy within just a paragraph of words because the group literally defies classification no matter what the members might believe. This is grown folk music.

ATMOSPHERE – JESTURES

Well, it’s funny when people say, “Oh, they fell off,” and you see an artist ignoring everyone and consistently releasing album after album. With decades into a career as well, one that’s been able to put so many other artists on, literally using its power for the good of not only Hip Hop, but music itself. That’s not even discussing the catalog of influential albums created throughout the years.

It’s Atmosphere, the duo of Slug and Ant, who just dropped their 14^th album. Yeah, it’s easy to discuss the successes of some while many toss barbs at accomplishments, but let’s take the cleverly titled Jestures (Rhymesayers) for what it is. We sometimes stumble, but at other moments, casually return with a fervor and an album stacked with music that could have filled more than one record. With 26 tracks, Atmosphere moves into musical exploration, and we hear Ant taking things to another level, allowing Slug the ability to flow freely across a plethora of sounds. The mid-tempo of “Asshole” opens the album with a soulful backdrop and Slug’s “observations” with eyes wide open. But he probably isn’t the best judge of character saying, “I don’t pretend that I’m an expert on the subject or try to enforce judgement with my broken moral compass,” and “I’ve got a couple questions about the standards / I’m guessing I don’t really want the answers / ‘cause you can take a trip around your yard and come back to find another farmer digging out your garden.” It’s almost self-reflective and probably is, but he kills it with the perspective from a few different angles, and Ant? Well, the ambience around the track is controlled but vibrant.

There’s so much to take in throughout the album, like “Baby,” which might border on toxicity with its push and pull, but we’ll move on. As far as Atmosphere is concerned, there’s no one direction it has to go and flow in. The slow and aggressive “Kilowatts” is a clear example of that, with the beat always hitting hard as Slug trades vocals with Kurious, but it’s the backing, gruff harmonies that echo in the distance that challenge the emcees. Kurious brings an interesting contrast to Slug’s own voice, and the entire track explodes into Boom Bap glory. But it’s on “Jester,” with Ant’s bouncy rhythm strapped with catchy loops, that gets the attention. Slug lets it go, allowing self-introspection to lead the way. He covers spaces with metaphors as only he can deliver, and we hear the uniqueness of his prose and delivery. If that’s not enough, with “XXX” he covers a lot, but you have to pay attention as he touches on the trouble we’ll all soon see, all the while as he moves stealthily around people. It’s the drum pattern here that gets my attention. It sounds raw and distant, as it allows the instrumentation around it to control the climate and feel. With so many tracks, not everything is going to hit with a fervor, and “Effortless,” for me, is a moment like that. This somber moment pulls away like a sad 80s song with Slug and Evidence volleying bars. You may feel differently, but no.

Atmosphere isn’t bound by style or genre; it’s the one group that can move within different spaces and no one will question ‘em. There are more quest appearances throughout, like Mike The Martyr, Musab, Muja Messiah, Yoni Wolf, and more. One thing is for certain though, Jestures is a dense album, but there are great moments throughout it, and I’ve only scratched the surface.

KENNYHOOPLA – CONDITIONS OF AN ORPHAN//

How is it that so many people have yet to hear the sound(s) created by this Cleveland, Ohio native son? Back in 2021, KennyHoopla released his Survivors Guilt: The Mixtape, but I’ll spare you his collaborator, who’s a drummer for Blink 182. Fast-forward to the present, and we’re hit with his new Conditions Of An Orphan// (The Orchard), a 5-track EP that’s sure to entice everyone and anyone who listens to it. It’s a far and quick reach we understand, but this young man, a product of his influences, creates a variety of emotions with his new release. Accordingly, his influences, raw 2000s indie rock, aren’t the only thing that leads the charge on this E.P. Those influences, of course, had their own influences, and the lineage could be traced back further than what you might think. But we’ll only touch on it, and I won’t go into a conspiracy of styles and genres.

Yes, KennyHoopla seriously gets down here, and you probably wouldn’t have expected it because I didn’t. He opens the release with “charity//,” delving deep into his own past without the need to offer more detail than anyone should require. He does this over bed of drums, keys, and guitars, blurring the lines between pop and post-punk. The melody is infectious and he blends his vocals together, front and back, harmonizing with one another. It’s sweet, gooey, and sticky, getting stuck in your teeth. Then there’s “too many jocks turned rockstar//” and this is where it gets tricky. Musically, it’s similar to post-punk stalwarts like Gang of Four and Radio 4 but just in structure because Kenny isn’t trying to be a doppelganger. It has that thick bass we’re comfortable with listening to in front of a stage or on a dance floor. It makes moves, it finesses, and it’s fucking mind-blowing. Well, this is his appeal; something new with a sense of urgency and slight nostalgia.

KennyHoopla can hold his own with the best of them, and “naysayers” tows the line with fervent guitars, as he changes the dynamics ever so cleverly, allowing the song’s melody to bounce and run circles around the rhythm. “orphan” is the best of both worlds, capturing that same energy along with that post-punk classic-ism. It’s the melody in the rhythm that grabs hold; the bottom-end never giving up its fight for space as guitar revolves around it with Kenny’s perfectly placed “Oohs.” He takes charge and never relinquishes control from start to finish. This is the charm in his music, in his songwriting.

With Conditions Of An Orphan//, KennyHoopla is only scratching the surface of his own capabilities. Sure, he could fall flat on his face with his next release but no, I don’t see that ever happening because he’s a masterful songwriter and there’s only one direction for him to go. We’ll all be the better for it.