As promised, here’s a list of some of the other releases we picked up this week:

Host – Heavy Clouds 7 inch
Hubris – Base Desire 7 inch
War on Women – Improvised Weapons
Des Ark – WXDU Vol. 3

For more information on each release, read on …

Host – Heavy Clouds 7 inch
This is a four-song 7 inch on white vinyl, released by Cricket Cemetery. I’m not gonna lie to you … it seems that this record exists as the very definition of the word “heavy.” Doesn’t get much heavier than this. Honest. If I had to guess, it sounds like these guys tune down to C, or maybe B, to play these jams. Side A is appropriately titled “Heavy,” and the lyrics for the first song have a bit of a Jack London vibe. Seriously, go blow the dust off of your copy of “To Build a Fire” and tell me I’m wrong. This band is super fast, super tight, and their drummer is bangin’ it out. If you like your music fast and intense, this is the way to go.

Hubris – Base Desire 7 inch
This is another four-song 7 inch from Cricket Cemetery, and I know I just mentioned that Host was the definition of “Heavy” … well … okay, we should probably go ahead and add Hubris to the list. The sound of this record is tough to describe. Let’s just say that everything’s very deliberately in the red. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything quite like it. Other bands have certainly recorded to tape and pushed those pesky meters ‘til they no longer move to the right, but not quite like this. If I had to select a favorite jam, it would be the last song, “Dejected.” Something about the guitars in that song made it the standout track. Again, this is a record for folks who like their music fast and intense.

War on Women – Improvised Weapons
War on Women is a band from Baltimore, and this is a new release from Exotic Fever Records. It’s a 6-song ten inch, and the recording is top-notch (shout-out to Brooks Harlan who recorded and mixed this at The Magpie Cage). War on Women have been described as co-ed feminist hardcore-punk, and after listening, I suppose that’s a pretty accurate description. The scorchers from this record are “Effemimania” and “I like Science.”

Des Ark – WXDU Vol. 3
For everyone who has ever seen Des Ark live, you know already (before even hearing it) that this record is worth picking up. For all those out-of-the-loop, Des Ark is something to obsess over. To say Aimée Argote is a prolific songwriter is a complete understatement. She’s constantly creating and constantly touring, and you shouldn’t ever miss an opportunity to see her perform live. The 9 songs on this twelve-inch were recorded live on WXDU 88.7 by Ross Grady back in January of 2010. The vinyl itself is sort of an orange marbled color, and the cover art features a beautiful two-color screen-print; if you were to open up the gatefold and throw this album cover behind a frame, you’d have one seriously dynamite print to display in your house.

As always, thanks for reading.

-Ryan