Welcome back to the Disposable Underground newsletter, with a roundup of what’s new at the blog since last time and some music news bites from around the web.
New at the Blog
A poll about the band Testament: the band’s drummer left this month and the metal scene is wondering who will be the replacement. I’ve got a poll going where you can put in your two cents.
Cast your vote here.
Amorphis, the Finnish metal band, has a new record coming out and I posted about that and the first single, “The Moon.” The band has since released a second single, “On the Dark Waters”:
Josh Caterer (ex-Smoking Popes) has released a live-during-Covid album called The SPACE Sessions. It’s a cool rock record so I wrote a little about it and included the video for the track “At Last.”
Here’s the info on the record.
Swans is working on a new record called Is There Really A Mind? and started a fundraiser to get it a proper release. I’m not as big a fan of or as knowledgeable about Swans as some people I know, but I know enough to say that the band is great and hugely influential.
Read more about the new Swans record.
Music News
Four Tet sued his label in the U.K. in order to force a change in the percentages he receives for streaming services. It’s possible that the case’s outcome will have reverberations in the music industry. Chloe Lula has the story at Resident Advisor.
Don Zientara of the famous and culturally significant Inner Ear Studios
posted an update this month after closing his studio: he’s back in business!
Bandcamp Fridays, where the platform waived its revenue share to benefit artists one Friday a month, is coming back from February to May this year.
Rest In Peace
Fredrik Johansson, the ex-guitarist for Swedish metal band Dark Tranquility, died in January. The band shared their thoughts about him.
Will Corcoran passed away in January. He played drums in the old-school American underground band Revenant. The band told his story.
Burke Shelley, the frontman for the classic British band Budgie, died in January as well, one of his children announced.
Don Wilson was the guitarist for rock and roll legends The Ventures. The band announced that he “left the stage” last week.
Thanks for reading and see you next month!
