Author: Justin Patrick Moore

Ben Pedroche :: Independent As F***: Underground Hip-Hop From 1995-2005 (Velocity Press)

Hip-hop was never my main musical obsession, but it pulsed through the background of my youth—skate sessions, cheap forties, porch-side blunts—quietly shaping the soundtrack of growing up. Ben Pedroche’s Independent as F*** a vibrant history of indie rap from 1995–2005, taps straight into that world, revealing how artists built their own freedom and infrastructure far from the grip of major labels.

Alessandro “Asso” Stefana :: Self-Titled (Ipecac)

As the crisp Autumn air settles over the Ohio Valley, Alessandro “Asso” Stefana’s self-titled new album on Ipecac perfectly captures the season’s shifting moods with its experimental, folk-infused soundscapes. Blending minimalist arrangements, evocative Americana, and haunting archival vocals from Roscoe Holcomb, this record weaves a deeply emotional journey that feels both timeless and vividly rooted in place.

OSMIUM :: OSMIUM (Invada)

Osmium is a feral collision of tribal, guttural, thrash, industrial, and grindcore elements—chaotic, hypnotic, and unrelenting. Featuring Hildur Guðnadóttir, Rully Shbara, James Ginzburg, and Sam Slater, it’s a global sonic ritual that feels like a Dionysian descent into madness. Fourth World music for the damned: raw, electrifying, and anything but safe.

Ryan Pinkard :: Shoegaze (Bloomsbury / 33 1/3 Genre Series)

Shoegaze has always been a genre shaped as much by distortion as by definition. Coined—and complicated—by the British music press, the term has been embraced, rejected, and debated by the very bands it aimed to describe. In Shoegaze, music writer Ryan Pinkard explores this hazy history with clarity and curiosity, tracing the genre’s roots through its sounds, scenes, and stories. As a longtime fan, I found his account both illuminating and rewarding—a vital look at a style often heard but rarely explained.