The latest from Portrayal of Guilt is divided into two parts: the first, five originals performed, with customary heaviness, by their typical band setup; the second, those same songs reimagined for orchestra. The Texan group waded into sludgier songwriting, evinced on side B with tortured strings, warmongering brass, and choral vocals. A folk-horror short film preceded the LP.
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Superviolet: Infinite Spring [Lame-O]
With Infinite Spring, Steven Ciolek debuts the Superviolet solo project he formed after his band the Sidekicks split in 2020. Across 10 freewheeling tracks, Ciolek swaps the Ohio outfit’s wily pop punk for Donovan-esque fingerpicking, restorative folk harmonies, and sweeping arrangements that dramatize his understated lyrics. As well as enlisting Saintseneca’s Zac Little for compositional and recording input, he reunited with the Sidekicks’ Matty Sanders, who drums across the album. Read Pitchfork’s review of the Superviolet song “Big Songbirds Don’t Cry.”
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Mark Barrott: Jōhatsu (蒸発) [Reflections]
In Japanese culture, jōhatsu—which translates as “evaporation”—refers to people who disappear from society without a trace, often forging a new identity to escape a past perceived as shameful. The Balearic master Mark Barrott (formerly known as Future Loop Foundation) composed his latest album of hurried but peaceful electronic music to soundtrack a documentary on jōhatsu. The record abounds with organic harmonies and latticed digital melodies, designed to complement shots of rural Japan and Kyoto at night.
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