Solitary Friends is a Los Angeles dark pop band composed of three individually outstanding musicians, including songwriter and lyricist Ken Lamere, who also plays guitar for the band. Nick Liberatore, the band's fantastic drummer who has previously been on places like Comedy Central, and Michelle McGregor, the leader of Solitary Friends, an MFA acting graduate, have experience in numerous bands around Los Angeles. Solitary...

North Star Union has released "Echoes of decay", a slice of melodic heavy metal that feels less like a standard studio tracking and more like something dug out of the permafrost. There is a curious quality to Icelandic composer Myrmann’s work here; because he handles all the instrumentation and composition himself at Midgard Studio, the track possesses a singular, frighteningly cohesive nervous system. It...