Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Daïtro - Y


Daïtro's third release is a fantastic mixture of post-rock and energetic screamo. the post-rock elements combined with the vocalist singing in french make this a beautiful yet ferocious album and probably one of the best screamo albums released in 2009.

MP3 V2

Monday, September 27, 2010

Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz


as someone who had never listened to Sufjan prior to this album and was not expecting much from the descriptions i was surprised to find that it is actually pretty good... it's somewhat orchestral indie 'pop' with some electronic elements thrown in (apparently one of the first times he's used them, and they work well). there are some moments on this album which really impress me (most of the 25 minute final track) and some moments which annoy me (the 5 or so minutes of autotuned vocals on the final track) but this is worth listening for anyone who likes 'indie' music.

MP3 V0

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Cloudkicker - Beacons


Cloudkicker is a very impresive one-man metal project that mainly takes influences from technical and progressive metal. unlike many 'technical metal' projects, Cloudkicker isn't just mindless guitar wankery and shows restraint and emotion which brings freshness into what could be considered a stale genre.

get it in lots of formats (buy it if you want, or leave the price box at 0)

Friday, September 24, 2010

Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern


Marnie Stern's 2010 self-titled is, as to be expected, full of incredibly technical guitarwork that was present in her previous releases. it's pretty obvious that one of her main influences is Hella - and with Zach Hill drumming it's easy to make comparisons. i felt that on her 2007 release Marnie's vocals - which can get a little annoying after repeated listens - were far too prominent, and this release tones them down more, so for me this is definitely preferable.

MP3 320

Rome - Flowers From Exile


Flowers From Exile is my personal favourite album by neofolk artist Rome. on this album he drifts away from his earlier work which focused more on martial industrial and focuses on the neofolk elements. the result is an emotional, passionate and touching album that, in my opinion, any lover of folk (or good music in general) should listen to.

MP3 V0

Thursday, September 23, 2010

A Silver Mt. Zion - Kollaps Tradixionales


ASMZ's 2010 release, Kollaps Tradixionales, again proves to be a far cry from their early works, both with ASMZ themselves and Godspeed. this release sees them expand more on the almost punk-influenced post-rock (for the most part it defies classification) that was present on 13 Moons For Thirteen Blues with Efrim's wailing vocals being a main source of the passion that, while not sounding traditionally 'good' certainly add to the music's atmosphere.

MP3 V0

Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno - Starless And Bible Black Sabbath


most fans of experimental / psychedelic rock have heard of the Acid Mothers Temple, or at least one of the five hundred names they go by. Starless And Bible Black Sabbath features a 35 minute long track (as well as a shorter 7 minute long track) of constantly changing and evolving psychedelic rock that makes its way through a myriad of guitar riffs and solos.

MP3 V2

Monday, September 20, 2010

Envy - Recitation


new Envy!!! it is really good and every bit as beautiful and crushing as their previous albums, as is to be expected. personally i'm definitely not disappointed with this.

MP3 256

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica


yeah, it's this album... it's not unlistenable, though! while this would be considered incredibly weird back when it was released, it's mostly just out-of-tune experimental folkish rock music with some spoken word tracks and all manner of bizarre vocals. very fun and silly music.

MP3 320

Afraid! - Megaloklift


Afraid! is... not sure what to call them. psychedelic post-hardcore, i guess? this release, Megaloklift, is less about heavy or violent music and more about bizarre sounding guitarwork. whenever i listen to this, i want to listen to it about 3 more times just to understand what the hell it is.

(been very lazy with posting. didn't help that the power went out last night. will get more links up soon... maybe)

MP3 V2

Friday, September 17, 2010

DJ Scotch Egg - Drumized


DJ Scotch Egg remains as experimental as ever on this 2008 release, Drumized. on this album, DJ Scotch Egg ventures into a multitude of genres including grind and jazz using only chiptune sounds (and the occasional drum / guitar cameo), along with the regular fare of noisy and creative IDM / breakcore madness.

MP3 V2

Monday, September 13, 2010

Hangedup - Hangedup


unlike Hangedup's other two albums, their self-titled (and their first release) is not overly powerful. the duo is still impressive in terms of technical skill yet this is more subdued than their later, more experimental releases (though it does have a couple of songs that showcase their later energy) and as such is probably their easiest album to get into. not a bad thing by any means though!

MP3 V0

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Irepress - Samus Octology


Samus Octology is the debut album by post-rock band Irepress. they play instrumental (unlike their second album) post-rock that occasionally mixes with sludge metal. pretty similar to bands like Pelican who also mix post-rock/metal yet remain progressive and interesting enough (saxophone makes an entry on a song or two, and works its way into the songs perfectly) to differ from the masses of "crescendocore" clones.

MP3 V0

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Experimental Dental School - Jane Doe Loves Me


"experimental" sure is right... this is a mixture of math rock / noise rock, punctuated by strange sing-along vocals and all kinds of electronics that work together with odd, dissonant guitar riffs to create music that sounds like it's been thrown together yet remains strangely coherent.

MP3 V0

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Body - All The Waters Of The Earth Shall Turn To Blood


2010 has seen some especially creative releases that range from brilliant (Zs - New Slaves) to absolute rubbish (Sleigh Bells). All The Waters is yet another interesting album by a virtually unknown band who fuse dark, droning sludge metal with neoclassical elements, specifically bizarre chants. this is quite a difficult listen yet anyone who thinks they would enjoy this type of music will probably find this very rewarding.

MP3 V2

Hot Cross - Fair Trades and Farewells


Fair Trades and Farwells is an EP by post-hardcore / screamo band Hot Cross. while there isn't any full blown screaming on this album, Billy Werner's passionate, shouted vocals fit perfectly. this EP also features some incredibly technical and impressive guitarwork that is reminiscent of Drive Like Jehu (except not quite as harsh).

MP3 V0

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Foetus - Thaw


Thaw is a much heavier release than the other two Foetus albums i've posted here, and the jazzy instrumentation takes a back seat (though there are two tracks that resemble some sort of demented classical music). one particular standout track is English Faggot / Nothin Man, which features a barrage of drums along with Thirlwell's trademark gritty vocals pushed to the extreme. though really, the whole album is solid.

(link removed as per request. if you want it, buy it here)

Monday, September 6, 2010

Mi Ami - Steal Your Face


Steal Your Face, Mi Ami's 2nd album released this year, is even more of an oddity than their 2009 effort Watersports. a tribal influence is once again prominent, mainly in the form of percussion, and the screeching guitarwork plays a larger part. the vocalist, whose voice is very high pitched (at first listen you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a woman) somehow manages to be more insane and demented than on their previous album, with lyrics often incomprehensible due to his screaming and wailing.

MP3 320

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Limited Express (has gone?) - Feeds You!


this album is kind of like Melt-Banana without as much noise... trust me, it sounds better than you'd think it would. it's still sort of noisy but the guitars aren't quite as ear-splitting, there aren't any blast beats and it plays at a slower pace. to be honest when describing this band it makes them sound boring but it's a pretty fun listen.

MP3 V0

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock


Laughing Stock is fairly well known and considered a classic by many, and for good reasons. on Laughing Stock, Talk Talk left their synthpop roots behind and created what is widely considered one of the first post-rock albums, alongside their other masterpiece Spirit of Eden. and what an album it is. melancholy yet uplifting and carried by Mark Hollis' brilliant vocal delivery and lyrics, this is an emotionally charged album that everyone should listen to (and love).

MP3 320

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Peter Brötzmann - The Complete Machine Gun Sessions


'fast, continuous firing' describes this unhinged jazz album perfectly. screeching saxophones play a large part in the 'music' and almost never give your ears a rest, along with some just as technical and spastic piano and drum work supported by two bassists, though none of this is quite as jarring and powerful as the saxophones.

it might not be a good idea to listen to this at a high volume.

MP3 V2