The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week:
Laughing Hyenas, Post-Ford, Houdïnï CHïN, Matt Jones & The Reconstruction, Deniz Tek, The Saturations, BigPlanet, and Prhyme Rhyme Boss.

Laughing Hyenas
That Girl: Live Recordings 1986-1994
Genre: punk blues
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: These are 19 tracks of musical mayhem—not only because of the way Laughing Hyenas would explode their songs in concert, but also because this compilation is comprised mostly of lo-fi bootleg recordings, made in the audience, with crowd noise and tape hiss being the fifth and sixth band members added to the core quartet. (The four-song WNYU radio session has the best fidelity by far.) The comp is named after the Hyenas song and also as a tribute to the late guitarist Larissa Strickland (d. 2006), whose slashing style surfed over the deep grooves of bassist Kevin Strickland and drummer Jim Kimball, who died last year. (Ron Sakowski and Todd Swalla took over the bass and drums, respectively, in the band's latter stages.) But it's the menacing roar of singer John Brannon, whose vocals evoke guitar feedback running through a cheap CB radio microphone, that will haunt your dreams. If you're new to the Hyenas, That Girl is not the place to start; the first two records of the band's studio discography are where it's at for noobs. But if you're a longtime fan who misses the terrifying atomic fire that the Hyenas brought to live performances—and this double LP includes six jams recorded in Ann Arbor (four at Hyena House; two at the defunct Performance Network)—then That Girl will be a sweet reminder of the band's incredible sonic pandemonium.
Links: thirdmanrecords.com

Post-Ford
Cannibal Delicacy
Everything Always Changes EP
Always Leaving EP
Genre: post-rock
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: There is so much to listen to in Post-Ford's music. These new releases conjure everything from literate indie/folk rock and art-punk to musique concrète and experimental works for string sections. Each of the two EPs has two songs recorded at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in residency at California Institute of the Arts; the album has one song from that place, and the other eight tracks were documented in Post-Ford's home studio. The band is led by a fella named Ben, who seems capable of writing compelling music in any genre, as you can hear across these three releases.
Links: post-ford.bandcamp.com

Houdïnï CHïN
Hellish Mindstate
"Jump in (Playa, Playa)"
Genre: hip-hop
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: Houdïnï CHïN (née Chinedum Wejinya) writes introspective raps that he places over haunted funk and off-kilter beats. His voice vacillates between mellow and tightly wound, which accentuates the tension found in his darkly ambient music.
Links: chinedumwejinya.com

Matt Jones & The Reconstruction
The Good Life
Genre: orchestral folk-pop
Location: Ypsilanti
Notes: Matt Jones and co. recorded this album at Willis Sound pre-COVID, but the pandemic made him not care about music. After stepping away from the record for many years, Jones rekindled The Good Life. The album's 10 tracks are rooted in folk and indie music, but the elaborate arrangements lift the songs into something grander. There are plentiful banjos and strings, along with more backing vocalists than the Ann Arbor Civic Chorus, and together they make a lush, full sound. (Jones is also the person behind The River Street Anthology.)
Links: mattjones.bandcamp.com

Deniz Tek
"Going Home"
Genre: rock 'n' roll
Location: Australia via Ann Arbor
Notes: First single from upcoming album, The Beat, from the Ann Arbor-raised Tek, who left Tree Town for Australia, where he formed the seminal punk 'n' roll band Radio Birdman. "In 2015, guitarist and songwriter Deniz Tek recorded a series of loose jam sessions with drummer Ric Parnell, known for his work with Atomic Rooster and as the drummer in Spinal Tap. The tapes were shelved and forgotten. After Ric’s passing in 2022, they resurfaced—and his drum performances felt complete, focused, alive. Deniz built new songs around them, adding guitars, vocals, and arrangements while keeping Ric’s playing at the core. The result is The Beat: a record moving between hard rock drive, blues tension, and open space, shaped by the chemistry between the two musicians."
Links: deniztek.com

The Saturations
The Saturations
Genre: electronic
Location: Detroit (formerly Ann Arbor) and Bay City
Notes: Community High grad Zachary "Shigeto" Saginaw teams up with Bay City, Michigan's John Talaga (from Fashion Flesh) for seven tracks of DIY electronica under The Saturations handle. Talaga makes homemade synths and drum machines, and Saginaw is a wiz in the studio (and as a drummer). Together, they've created a vibes-filled album that touches on post-punk, dub, and modular-synth freakouts.
Links: instagram.com/portagegaragesounds

BigPlanet
Life Is Boring
Genre: hip-hop
Location: Ann Arbor
Notes: This recent Community High grad cranks out blown-out hip-hop that borrows from hyperpop, grime, and trap. This 11-song album follows last fall's Sonic & Knuckles LP.
Links: instagram.com/bigplanet_kingn

Prhyme Rhyme Boss
God's Formula
Genre: hip-hop
Location: Tempe, Arizona; formerly Ann Arbor
Notes: After a near-fatal shooting in 2023, A2 native Prhyme Rhyme Boss didn't pour his energy into making music; he focused on survival. But a spiritual revival led him back to the mic, and across the 10 tracks on God's Formula—including "Lone Wolf," which alludes to the night of the gun—the Boss showcases his verbal dexterity and densely written rhymes over trap-influenced beats.
Links: instagram.com/prhymeboss734

Send your music to pulp@aadl.org if you're an artist or label with Washtenaw County associations. Check out more local music coverage here and in the Friday Five archives.