Kill Craft

In an age where playlists and singles are often preferred more than albums, Ciscandra Nostalghia (a native of both California and Tehran) takes the time to craft a full-length album that demands to be heard from start to finish. The goth-style rock of her band Nostalghia could draw comparisons to Tori Amos and Kate Bush on the gentler piano-based tunes, while the industrial/indie rock suggests a spiritual connection to the epic concept rock of Marilyn Manson and Swans. The beauty and dramatic power climaxes on “Cool for Chaos,” “Meek," and “The End,” where cofounder Roy Gnan assists with the sense of apocalypse. Ciscandra brings a definite feminine touch, a velvet glove to obscure the fists of steel.

Merge continues its 20th anniversary festivities with a comp of non-label artists– Bright Eyes, Shins, New Pornos– covering songs from its catalog.
Merge Records doesn't look its age. Originally formed as an outlet for Superchunk material, the Durham, N.C.-based label has grown into an indie institution, but only gradually– year by year, release by release. It never allied itself with a scene or a sound, so the mind doesn't automatically tether it to a specific place or time, the way Sub Pop, despite its strong roster this decade, will be most closely associated with Seattle in the late 1980s and early 90s. So it's hard to believe Merge is already 20 years old, an occasion the label is marking with a big birthday bash– the five-day XX Merge fest in July– and a subscription-only series of commemorative retrospectives and remixes. Perhaps the most intriguing party favor is Score! Twenty Years of Merge Records: The Covers, a choppy but oddly endearing compilation that enlists 20 non-Merge acts to cover Merge songs.

Since her 2016 breakthrough single "Alaska," Maggie Rogers has continued to hone her craft as both a singer and a relater of the hazards of love. On her sparkling third full-length, Don't Forget Me—recorded with engineers John Rooney, Carl Bespolka and Konrad Snyder at New York City's storied Electric Lady Studios—Rogers keeps the production values real, resisting efforts to glam up her sound or develop into a bigger pop presence. She and her talented collaborator Ian Fitchuk are a group of two here: Rogers on vocals and Fitchuk playing most of the instruments; it's a situation that lends itself to restraint. Nothing in this collection gets too big or overproduced to the point where her heady lyrics and strong melodies disappear in layers of blinding fluff. The sonic decisions are all exactly right in "All The Same," her voice close-miked and the strings on an acoustic guitar clear and detailed.

Since her 2016 breakthrough single "Alaska," Maggie Rogers has continued to hone her craft as both a singer and a relater of the hazards of love. On her sparkling third full-length, Don't Forget Me—recorded with engineers John Rooney, Carl Bespolka and Konrad Snyder at New York City's storied Electric Lady Studios—Rogers keeps the production values real, resisting efforts to glam up her sound or develop into a bigger pop presence. She and her talented collaborator Ian Fitchuk are a group of two here: Rogers on vocals and Fitchuk playing most of the instruments; it's a situation that lends itself to restraint. Nothing in this collection gets too big or overproduced to the point where her heady lyrics and strong melodies disappear in layers of blinding fluff. The sonic decisions are all exactly right in "All The Same," her voice close-miked and the strings on an acoustic guitar clear and detailed.

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"Herd is Coming" is a survival RPG set in a post apocalyptic world filled with zombies. It's the story of Mike who's survived for 10 years since the outbreak.