The year’s end looms near, and consequently all the music nerds are compiling their Best of 2012 lists. I’m still making some adjustments to my list while simultaneously holding out for the new Switchblade album that comes out on December 15. Note to Switchblade: who the fuck puts out an album in December? Anyhow, the most frustrating part of the list-making process is narrowing things down to a top ten. Some great records inevitably wind up getting dropped. It pains me to say that one album that won’t be making the cut is the self-titled debut by Seattle instrumental outfit Scriptures. Sorry guys, it was a tough call to make on such a fine album, but there were simply too many contenders for the top spots.

But Scriptures’ LP definitely deserves far more recognition than it received this year. Navigating between the dusty starkness of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ soundtracks for The Assassination of Jesse James and The Proposition, the icy expanse of Growing’s The Sky’s Run Into The Sea, the lurching crunch of early Pelican, and hypnotic propulsion of Pharaoh Overlord, the eponymous album shifts gears between various moods and dynamics with a fluid, haunting grace. Maybe I need to expand my list into a top 11.

Scriptures play at the Comet on December 13th.

Australia has a penchant for tortured music, and the geographical factors that harbor such bleakness—isolation, the barren landscape, shady history—are all too prominent in Drowning Horse’s ultra-remote hometown of Perth. On stage, they’ll ride one low rumbling sustained note like there’s no point in moving on, as if time has ceased to have any meaning, as is moving on to the next riff is just moving one step closer to death. They’ll ride that droning note for an eternity, past the point where it ceases to be exhilarating, becomes tedious, turns downright painful, starts to become so ridiculous it’s almost comical, and then comes out the other side to some kind of grand epiphany. If you live in Perth, what else do you have to do other than melt under the unending throb of a wall of Celestion speakers pulsing out a drop-tuned A?

It may not be for everyone. Actually, it’s probably not for most people. Which is why Drowning Horse rarely leaves Perth and only pressed 250 copies of their debut LP. But the people that “get it” are in for a treat.

Since acquiring the recent Hardly Art release Deep Time by the band Deep Time, nary an hour has passed since it hasn't been played in my household. The songs are well arranged, interesting, inventive, and pretty. They've been in town recently and they're back tonight with the Mynabirds*. I'd suggest seeing them for the first time if you haven't already, or again if you already have. Here's the video for "Clouds" which was filmed in Olympia, it's a delight.

• Angel Ceballos

How do you feel about Seattle? What are your favorite things to do here?

We both really enjoy playing in Seattle, but never been there long enough to explore. Our favorite place to play is at the shop, Cairo.

I noticed that your band is named for "the concept that the Geologic time scale is vast because the Earth is very old." Are you familiar with with Gene Ray's TIME CUBE concept?

No, tell us about it.

Time Cube's Gene Ray suggests that all of modern physics is wrong, that religion (specifically Christianity) is evil, and that the idea of family is poisoning children. The model proposes that each day is really four separate days occurring simultaneously. Here's a direct quote from TimeCube.com, "When the Sun shines upon Earth, 2 – major Time points are created on opposite sides of Earth – known as Midday and Midnight. Where the 2 major Time forces join, synergy creates 2 new minor Time points we recognize as Sunup and Sundown. The 4-equidistant Time points can be considered as Time Square imprinted upon the circle of Earth. In a single rotation of the Earth sphere, each Time corner point rotates through the other 3-corner Time points, thus creating 16 corners, 96 hours and 4-simultaneous 24 hour Days within a single rotation of Earth – equated to a Higher Order of Life Time Cube."

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

When on tour, do y'all argue in the van?

Nah, we try to be good to each other on tour and in general.

How many of you are on tour? (aside from Adam & Jennifer).

We usually travel with just the two of us, but for this leg of the tour are lucky to be joined by our pal, Katy, who is helping out with the van and merch and jokes.

Are the vocals in Deep Time sung under an invented accent, or are the words purposely spoken in an unconventional way? I only ask because it seems there is an accent or they're being used a more of an instrument rather than conventional singing.

There's no accent. That's just how I sing which is not the same as the way I talk. When you sing you choose how shape vowels. It's like painting or playing guitar.

Is there good food in Seattle? If so, what is it?

I'm sure there is. We usually cook beans and kale on the camping stove in the parking lot. We haven't done a lot of the Seattle hanging necessary to seek out good food spots.

What is your worst injury? How did it happen?

Adam was walking barefoot through a construction site as a kid and stepped on a nail. His foot swelled to double it's size and he was forced to wear one moccasin and one shoe.

Jennifer was cut off by an SUV riding her bike in April. She flew over her handle bars and broke her elbow.

We're relatively lucky.

Where are you right now, as you're answering these questions?

In a coffee shop in San Francisco waiting for our van to be repaired.

*It seems that tonight's show has been cancelled due to the van not being repaired in time. Ultimately, if each day is really four separate days occurring simultaneously, this may have been a different outcome.

Today is a good day! Seattle's own punk rock with the emphasis on the rock band Police Teeth have posted a new song from their upcoming album. The song's called "Bellingham Media Blackout"—at times it sounds wonderfully Fugazi-like, other times it sounds like cocky and snotty bar rock (in a good way, not in a "We're not a cover band—we're a tribute band!" way). I dig it.

Here, hear:

Police Teeth will play Black Lodge September 22. The album release show is at the Sunset, November 9.