Netherlands

'Severance' is the ninth release from multi-instrumentalist, compulsive creator, and unrepentant volume addict Timo Ellis (Cibo Matto, Spacehog, Yoko Ono) under the Netherlands moniker. The album features all the hallmarks of Ellis' work, including blistering post-shred guitar heroics, primal drumming, and soulful, yet searing caterwauls. But as with every release, Ellis has inexplicably found a way to ratchet up the intensity, render the dynamic shifts more extreme, and hone his menacing melange of melody and rhythm into a uniquely weaponized form of rock'n'roll that reaches towards high art.