November is the month of the dead, scares, monsters, ghouls, and the like; which is precisely why I recommend Loyola, and I invite you to enter the real underground, a darkness without theatrics and costumes. Loyola is one of those bands that have a dark sound without being goth. They are clearly not the cash cow of a major record label, expected to produce music that’s consumable for all the masses. Rather, its music for the individual who enjoys crashing into their bed and hearing a good album. Each track is threaded with the intensity of a perfect rhythm; I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say they are not reinventing the wheel, they have the typical pop line-up and they’re not doing anything new, but their music conquers from the start and its some of this year’s best. It’s the ideal dosage of pop to wig-out on. Hopefully you can get this album, and you keep it on the down-low, because its better that way, as the dark ones always sound better and shine brighter without pretensions, and that’s why they’re ideal for a day of the dead.

The Blood Brothers return to the battle loaded with grindcore-style fast tracks and several less than 3-minute cuts with the classic aggressive and chaotic touch they are known for. They have a loyal fan base thirsty for nourishing noise, and over their last few albums they’ve managed to bewitch a growing public, which will surely grow as Young Machetes now has the backing of a multi-national corporation. It’s impossible to overlook the album cover, which is striking, and its colors don’t allow us to know, much like their rhythmus, if they play metal, hardcore, punk, rock or wtf... What is palpable is that they do it loud and go all out, and one discovers that they are quite listenable after all. If it’s about trying to unravel the voice and understand what they are singing, they are the perfect option. And should the speakers demand more, they can be scandalous, and ideal for the neighbors to evict us. Young Machetes is without a doubt a very provocative and apropos title.

Due to this bands trajectory, they can do whatever they damn well please, for they are the same great musicians that have given birth to albums containing the most dizzying sounds from a London nightclub to glam rock. Lights, loops, electronica passing through funk and always with their characteristic depth charge of rock, they are constantly looking to reinvent themselves as a band. One more time experimenting with the pretty side of their sound, ladies and germs, they’ve done it once again. They’ve handed us an album with a notorious inclination towards country, western rock, blues and folk. Its one of their friendliest and most unassuming works, and they still manage to convince us, despite the fact that the majority of their followers were expecting nightclub music. In Riot City Blues it’s evident that these boys prefer their guitars. And beyond that, it’s a fun album.

This year Spanish record label Acuarela Records harbors one of the projects that will have those that enjoy the characteristic sound of fine electroncia speaking very highly of it. We find several heavy caliber musical names attached to Many Fingers, which is sponsored by none other than the maestro Matt Elliott, who accompanies the multi-instrumentalist Chris Cole, the brains behind Many Fingers on this, their first LP. With a very English sound, drums, pianos, guitars, exquisite loops and delicate voices that sometimes remain whispers, they manage to transmit us the love and delicateness of each song. Gradually, the sound traps and exhilarates you, each song smoothly merging with the next in tactful precision, until we finally reach the glorious “A Remark”, this last track perfectly defining Our Worn Shadow as an album to be reckoned with.

Back in the days when Primus was at their height it was very clear that Les Claypool was a bass virtuoso; he was a badass at playing and singing at the same time with rhythmus capable of confounding anyone. The fastest metronome in the business has transformed into an extension of his body. Once again bass and vocals are in accelerated duet, and now without the worries of media attention, one feels that he’s all about playing and exploring, and since he does it very well, he’ll make legions of fans very happy. He’s prepared an album that I would describe as sounds for psychedelic spaces and lunatics. Its evident that he enjoys being accompanied by distinct instruments, such as marimbas, trumpets and sitars, which make the results sound more interesting. He integrates several textures and much detail into the sounds that make the backdrop for a dark voice, such as on the welcoming track “Back Off Turkey”. Don’t stop listening to it, as a soloist Les Claypool demonstrates why Primus was such a hit years ago.