Some people say thank electronic music cannot bring emotions, but this is something I definitely disagree with. Venetian Snares has very many albums focused on dark themes. This song right here comes off his album "Rossz Csillag Alatt Szueletett", which is a huge mixture of breakcore, classical, and drill n' bass. The glitchy sounds over strings during the climax of this song are dark, frantic, and intense. I would have to say this an album that opens people more to electronic music and helps them really get a glimpse of what music really can be. Many people could never think that classical could go together so well with this type of music, but here it does.

On another one of the Venetian Snares release, "My Downfall", you'll get a larger undertaking into this music. The album isn't as heavy, but it's definitely darker, slower, and even at times depressing.

Just wanted to throw some albums out there for you guys. Check them out sometime if you're interested.

The Well Tuned Piano by La Monte Young

I haven't updated in a while, but today I'm going to talk about a piece of music that spawned most minimal music. La Monte Young's masterpiece, "The Well Tuned Piano" is over three hours long of nothing but slow piano that comes back and forth with beauty and intensity and holds some of the first characteristics to drone music. It can be a challenging listen to some, but for me I don't see how people could think of it that way. This piece to me is very easy listening and perfect to play when you need something to help you focus.

Lately when I've been working on some of my art I've played this and notice how this piece really helps inspire atmosphere and helps me paint out what I'm wanting, but in some way I can also see the music piece itself inside of the paintings.

This album is a journey through space and places you haven't ventured yet. Let it take you there.

This is only a fifth of the piece by the way.

d|p 1.1 by Basinski

"Disintegration Loop 1.1 consists of one static shot of lower Manhattan billowing smoke during the last hour of daylight on September 11th, 2001, set to the decaying pastoral tape loop Basinski had recorded in August, 2001. Shot from Basinski's roof in Williamsburg Brooklyn, this is an actual documentary of how he and his neighbors witnessed the end of that fateful day. It is a tragically beautiful cinema verite elegy dedicated to those who perished in the atrocities of September 11th, 2001" - Off the youtube video.




Now I don't know about you, but I find the idea of this pretty brilliant. William Basinski is an experimental ambient artist who releases tons of albums that are all unique in their own way, but it's his collection of albums entitled "The Disintegration Loops" that stand out most for its unique concept and story behind it. The song above has also been the cure to my insomnia for a while now. Slowly, this piece falls apart more and more towards the end and it almost feels hypnotic in a way, just as if a part of you is being destroyed while listening to it. This is not only a relaxing and beautiful work of art, but also very mourning and somber. 


Try it out sometime. I recommend just lying down in your bed with this playing. It'll take you places if you let it.

Dead To A Dying World - S/T

I don't know how the audience here that looks at my blog will react to this, but I'm going to take a chance and talk about this group anyways.

Dead To A Dying World is crust metal band that's unique in its own way. Unlike most bands that play this heavy, they use a cello and switch between male and female vocals. The two tracks on this album that go over ten minutes are the ones I would describe atmospheric, which bring this sense of complete bleak chaos to you. The other track I would describe is more like punches to the face.

This is definitely the heaviest album I've heard all year. Not only that, but the best debut album that's came out in 2011 too. Maybe even the best metal debut in the past two years. If you're into heavy and experimental music than this is for you.

P.O.S

P.O.S is a conscious rap group fronted by Stefon Alexander. He's released three albums so far and is also part of the rap group Doomtree. His style is confrontational, at times in your face, but can also be sort of nice just to chill to. Also, the beats man. His beats are creative, abstract, and different. There's a huge combination of things that makes him unique from other rap artists. Below is a song of his which definitely proves how creative he is lyrically and with his beats.

Hope you enjoy. Check out his latest album "Never Better" whenever you can! You don't want to miss it.

Boris (2011)

Boris has released a total of three albums this year; two which go in a completely new direction of their music and one that goes back to the heaviness of their old albums. Now, I'm not that big of a fan of their experimental pop electronic stuff, but I do like the idea that they've been able to play so many different genre's now. They can range from heavy stoner metal, doom drone, noise rock, sludge, psychedelic, to even J-pop.

What I really like is the new album they've done called Heavy Rocks. They've already had one album with the same name that was released a while back, but this isn't a remake or anything, but more of a follow up to the previous album that was released back in 2002. It has it's heavy moments, but I wouldn't call it any more extreme than it's 'prequel'.

You can hear the entire album below on NPR.

Click here.

And now for something completely different

The First Vienna Vegetable Orchestra is exactly what you think it is. They make all of their instruments hand made with vegetables and sometimes improvise with tools like screwdrivers. I've always been interested in bizarre music and I think this goes beyond that. It's sort of hard to keep a straight face watching this video, because just the idea of what they're doing is too funny for me to handle.

I have one of their albums that was released last year entitled 'Onionoise', which if I may say, is a very organic album. Literally. This music is extremely out there and I recommend it for anyone who's looking for something that will blow their mind.






It's also good music to play when stoned. 

Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording - John Coltrane

You might know Coltrane as one of the most prolific jazz artists to have lived on this world. His music went from hard bop, avant garde, and free jazz. Slowly, his albums got more experimental and the sound become louder. This is the album that contains his last live recordings and the surprise is that this is no ordinary album.

Although the record itself isn't in the best quality, I believe that's what helps bring this noisy aspect to life with the record. He plays only two songs on this, "Ogunde" and "My Favorite Things". What's really funny about this is that the two songs barely sound like the previous versions of the songs because of how destructive the sound is on this music. Each song being over twenty five minutes of pure violent free jazz like nothing else every created in music before.

John Coltrane plays his saxophone as if he was giving this music his last dying breath and trying to play out for the world one last time. In a way, that's sort of what he did. He was known to be a spiritual man who was able to play concerts that were over three hours because he felt like the music itself was some sort of holy figure making him play (So it as what I've heard about him). Maybe he tied up all of that energy from those three hour shows and compacted it into these two songs, which is a little over an hour.

Once you've actually listened to this album your view of jazz will change dramatically. Nobody could ever expect jazz to be so brutal, loud, and extreme, but here it is.

The madness begins seven minutes in. You'll know what I'm talking about when it begins.

Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version - Earth

Well, where do I start off with this album? It's very hard to understand if someone doesn't know much about minimalism and/or drone first of all. This came out in 1993 and pioneered the entire doom drone genre, so obviously this record has had a gigantic impact on music today, but when I recommend it to some people they don't really get it, so this review will also be an explanation of the pieces and my interpretations.

You have a guitar, bass, some drums in track three, and feedback. Tons of feedback. The guitar hits off on some fuzzy sludge-like riffs that repeat over until the riff itself feels like it's become one with the feedback, which not only creates this atmosphere, but a hypnotic feeling of being literally sucked into the music violently. The bass goes other places and is what's really helping that feedback grow throughout the piece. I have to say you can't really experience this album unless you can turn the bass up on your speakers as loud as possible, then put your face right next to it.

It's the noisy feedback that is mainly creating the atmosphere, not the guitar or bass. This sound evolves and explodes through out and helps branch off the two different experiences you can have listening to this album; (1) Having this to be a loud, heavy, and evil ride of destruction hypnotise your mind (2) Create a relaxing and soothing current, while it can also strangely become a nice album to fall asleep to. So not only can this album be extremily heavy, but it can also be just the opposite and still give off a positive response.

It's important to know what minimalism is even though this piece isn't fully minimal; only the last two tracks. Think of Philip Glass, Arvo Part, or Gavin Bryers. These are all minimalistic composers, but who would ever think distortion out of all things could be so minimal? Something that seems small but is incredibly so large, a few colors that make the colors themselves stand out in front of your eyes giving light to something beautiful, and also something that looks so simple, but tends to be such a complicated subject and/or method to present.

This is exactly that. A piece played with only so few riffs, but like i said earlier, these riffs become something else the more you grow into the piece. The bass and feedback are like husband and wife in the second track, but you barely even notice that unless you're really focusing on this music itself. And the cymbals and drums on the third track? They help grow this somnolent quality of drone to make this album unique then any other drone record out there. When I'm listening to this I'm receiving only few colors, red, orange, and yellow. These colors resemble fire and this fire sparks, whistles, and screams throughout the the three tracks.

Maybe this album just isn't for everyone, but it's an experience needed for any open minded listener and definitely for anyone interesting in drone. I hope this will give a better explanation to this record for you and maybe incite you to the doom drone genre. If I have failed I guess it was worth the try.

Below is the first ten minutes of the first track with footage of a movie entitled Eraserhead. Watch and enjoy.

No Bird Sing

No Bird Sing is a conscious rap group I found out about a couple days ago. They're really underrated, which confuses me because they're so good. They just came out with a new album called "Theft Of The Commons" if you want to check out some of their new material, but their first album is pretty good too. Overrall, I recommend these guys because they go against the typical hip-hop standards and bring something new to the table.

Sorry I haven't updated much, but I've been busy with school, so after that is all over I'll be back to making daily posts hopefully.

GOBLIN

The new Tyler, The Creator album comes out in the United States in four days, but it's already released in other places. I've already heard the new album and I've had it on repeat for the past two days, so I can gladly say it doesn't disappoint. The song above, "Nightmare", is just one song off this album. Just think about how dark this album must be if you've only heard one piece of it.

Tyler goes from sarcastic, brutal, depressing, to full out rage in some tracks and it's hard to just play this song from start to finish. I feel like it's the only way to journey into his head to where you can fully understand what he's saying. Also, this is concept album. Like the previous album the 'Therapist' is back, but the story also concludes too. Another thing is the production on the album has gotten better than the first album, which is probably because this is OFWGKTA's first album signed to a label.

Pick the album up or you'll regret it. This is not something you want to miss out on.

The Secret Eye Of L.A.Y.L.A.H. might seem like a typical dark ambient album, but it really isn't. What makes it so different is that every instrument on this album is made with human bones. Does that make you feel a little bit more freaked out by the music? At first listening to this I thought it was alright, but after learning that this album definitely makes me feel more freaked out.

The Secret Eye Of L.A.Y.L.A.H. might seem like a typical dark ambient album, but it really isn't. What makes it so different is that every instrument on this album is made with human bones. Does that make you feel a little bit more freaked out by the music? At first listening to this I thought it was alright, but after learning that this album definitely makes me feel more freaked out. 

Nil Recurring by Porcupine Tree

Nil Recurring is an EP by the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree released back in 2007. The four songs on this album were meant to be put on the previous album Fear Of A Blank Planet, but taken off for some strange reason, thus making this release. What makes it funny is that this is possibly their best release yet.

The album starts off with the self titled Nil Recurring, which is an instrumental settling out the mood for the rest of the songs. The next song, "Normal" is the longer and better version of another one of their songs. Amazing fucking guitar work from start to finish. The band around this time was basing their songs off the modern middle class teenagers living boring and depressing lives. This song says it all very well (Here is my car, my phone, and my TV, I've got it all, but you can see through me).

"Cheating The Polygraph" is an alright track, but the solo midway in the song is what really keeps me going with it and what makes me give it that replay value. Then we move on to the final song on the EP, "What Happens Now?" This could be the best song Steven Wilson has ever made in his entire career in my opinion. The lyrics are simple, nihilistic, and even funny to an extent. I love the way the piece progresses from start to finish; being this really nice soft song, moving on into some more of a relaxing piece, then busts into heaviness ending with an incredible solo and tons of tension.

Overall, I'd say you should give it a try. It's less than thirty minutes long and only four songs, so why not?

Valley Of The Giants

Valley Of The Giants is a post rock group that's released only one album. Although, this is not a typical post rock release. It contains long spoken word tracks, ambient made with violins, soft vocals, and even extremely epic climaxes too. All the songs on the self titled album go different places and personally, I think each song explores all types of post rock; first, second, and third generation. There's parts that are melancholic and others that are bright. This album doesn't stick to one single mood throughout and I think that's what attracts me to it so much.

Well, enjoy.

The Band's Website.

Morton Feldman

"My music sometimes seems mysterious. Part of the mystery comes from the fact that I wait, receptively, then I welcome, I accept... Listen, there are two kinds of people: the type that is only interested in what they understand, and the type that wants at all costs the hermetic mystery, enigmas. The first gets bored when they don't understand, the second is bored when they do understand. Me, I accept poetry, the inexplicable. Things are born in this waiting." 

- Morton Feldman

Morton Feldman is one of my favorite classical artists. Most of his work is very minimal and creates a certain atmosphere of mystery, curiosity, and darkness. This piece is about an hour long in full. Every time I listen to it the music takes me places; somewhere new each time.

Enjoy.

Albums To Look Forward To

I've made a list of albums coming out this year to look forward to, so here it is.


Heavy Rocks, Attention Please - Boris (June 20)
Deconstruction, Ghost - The Devin Townsend Project (June 20)
Deltron Event II - Deltron 3030
Air Museum - Mountains (May 10)
Amenra - Mass V
Ascension - Jesu (May 10)
You Can Leave But You'll Never Make It Home Again - Dakota Suite

Portishead (No album name or date yet)
Aphex Twin (Rumors)
Queens Of The Stone age
Tom Waits
Mastodon
Marilyn Manson
Steven Wilson/Mikael Akerfeldt
The Mars Volta
Hymns Of Oblivion - William Basinski
Thin Black Duke - Oxbow


------------------------------------

If you have any recommendations or know of any upcoming albums that sound interesting to you, tell me!

So I like having these types of posts where I'm not just reviewing, but asking a question. Mine for right now is - what song or album means something personal to you? You don't have to explain why, but I'm curious.

For me it's "Bottle Dreams" by Eyedea. Eyedea, also known as Michael Larsen (RIP), was a conscious rapper who's lyrics go from philosophical to hitting home. I've mentioned him a few times here on my blog, but I'll just straight up say he's my favorite rapper. In this song he tells the story of a talented woman who was sexually abused by her father and she ends up giving up on everything she was good at and kills herself. I knew a girl who I used to be closed to who went through similar things, so every time this song plays I think of her.

I know that's a little extreme, but it is what it is. Here's the song:

Lyrics here.

In terms of album, I'd go for Sunset Mission by Bohren & Der Club Of Gore, which is a very dark jazz album that I used to play every night for about a year about two years ago. The reason it was personal to me? I really don't know, but I feel some strange certain connection listening to it that I can't explain here.

Addicts and Drunks by Ghosts and Vodka

Ghosts and Vodka was a math rock band that only had three releases, but all of them are essential listening for the genre; mostly the album Addicts and Drunks. This record goes from soothing guitar rhythms, dynamic time signatures, and crazy finger tapping. Of course all the instrumentation on this is great, but I feel the guitars to be what I love most in here. There's tons of nice grooves and lay back sounds, but then it falls back into the tradition of spastic madness on other songs. Check this out if you don't know much about math rock. It's a good introduction album.

So I got the new Atmosphere album and have to say it's worth the purchase. Slug, the rapper behind the group, is a conscious rapper and I have to say this is his most mature album to date. This moves exactly onto what the albums title suggests, "The Family Sign." An album album what many people go through having families and I find this to also be his most accessible to people.

Now when people come up to you and say that rap is all about smoking crack and beating bitches, you tell them about this guy and rappers like him. Prove those idiots wrong.

Here's a song from his new album. Sort of funny video. Enjoy!

We all listen to music when we're in an angry or bad mood, so my question to you is what as in genre and which artists are you generally listening to in those moods? You don't have to answer my question, but I'm interested in what you have to say.

If I want to just relax to something because I'm stressed out I usually go for some ambient (ex. Stars Of The Lid) or modern classical (ex. Peter Broderick, Dustin O'Halloran). Now if I'm just really pissed off and I want to listen to some pissed off music I go for noise rock like Big Black, Jesus Lizard, Shellac, and Lightning Bolt. Below is a song that I think is a pretty nice pissed off song.

The Calcination Of Scout Niblett by Scout Niblett

First of all - How can you turn down an album with a cover like that? There's something strangely appealing to me seeing the woman behind the project smiling and waving at whoever is taking the picture while holding some flame thrower thing-a-ma-jig. You already know this album has to be pretty interesting with an album cover like that.

The Calcination Of Scout Niblett is a minimally charged album that goes from beautiful vocals, fuzzy guitar riffs, and drumming all created by Scout Niblett. Yes, she makes all the music herself. In this album she really shows off the noise rock influences from Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, and even some grunge artists like Nirvana.

What I love about this album so much is that it seems calm and you can still hear the folk side of her from previous albums, but then she comes in with these random bursts of intense energy out of nowhere. There's allot of parts on this album I didn't expect and I love surprises.

Ascension by Jesu

Justin Broadrick will release his third album under the band, "Jesu" on May 10. If you aren't familiar of Jesu or Broadrick's other projects (Goflesh, Final, & Pale Sketcher) then you should definitely check him out. Jesu is post-metal band that also mixes in heavy droning and shoegaze vocals. It's hard to describe, but in my best words I can say that it's the only type of loud as fuck metal i know of that can also be relaxing.

You can listen to two songs off the album and/or pre-order it here. Anyhow, here's a song off his album, "Conquerer". Enjoy!

Blueprint

Blueprint is an underground conscious rapper off of TheRealRhymeSayers label. He just dropped a new album entitled, "Adventures in Counter-Culture". I've given it one listen so far and I'll give it a few more listens before having a final decision on how I feel about it, but right now I'm digging the lyrics, but the beats not so much. Personally, his best album is still "1998" and the past few EP's he's dropped lately.


If you're interested in the hip hop scene that's not about gucci and sounds like complete shit, then this is for you. 


I'll also mention that Atmosphere and Grieves, two other underground rappers, are also planning on releasing new albums this year, so keep your eyes on them too. 


Edit: Did I forget to mention that Tyler The Creator is also dropping his next album, "Goblin" next month on the tenth? I'm pretty sure it'll be my favorite rap album of the year. If you don't know about Odd Future you should definitely look them up. 

Jandek

Jandek is a project by a man with no name, or may I say an artist who won't reveal his name. He's an outsider artist who's made over thirty five albums now which consist of weird folkiness and avant trash from the psychedelic gardens of a schizophrenic's mind. Allot of the albums consist of him playing in out of tune guitars singing with his ghost-like vocals and random drum banging. It's nowhere near easy listening music or pleasent, but that's the exciting thing about it. This is music made to bring an uncomfortable feeling to the listener.

The man behind Jandek says himself that he really doesn't know what he's doing, so everything he creates is more of a vision. All the songs are recorded in a lo-fi manner so the music feels like it's coming from a garage or echoing out from a dark tunnel, which fits perfect with the style of the music. One minute he goes from being completely melodic and the next he brings in a noisy electric guitar over completely strange lyrics.

Allot of people kind of just say, "Well, I could make this type of music. Hand me an acoustic guitar and I'll sing some creepy shit over the microphone". The thing is that you probably wouldn't be able to match his level of creepiness. I really feel like this guy knows how to turn something that others would sound ugly and trashy into something beautiful or disturbing.

There's only a few times he's actually played live. The first time I think was about eight years ago. He's been making music for more than twenty years, so you can guess that he's not someone that likes to be seen much. When listening to his music, you would guess that he probably isn't that type of social person. There's allot of his albums that I could call some of the most depressing albums I've ever heard (Put My Dream On This Planet for example), so I'm guessing he's got some forms of issues.

If you're looking for something really strange keeps the neighbors away, then this is teh perfect music for you. This is the soundtrack to a madman in the corner of a small white room of a mental hospital.

Recommended albums to start with: Chair Beside A Window, Glad To Get Away, Modern Dances (Really strange), and Graven Image.

Richard Skelton

Richard Skelton is an amazing artist who combines ambient and modern classical music together with the specialty of beautiful drone pieces too. I'm surprised how little of listeners he really has, because this guy is sure talented. He creates vivid soundscapes and takes you to a place when you listen to his music that goes where you haven't gone before.

Go pick up his album "Landings". If you're looking for similar artists I recommend Kreng, Nils Frahm, *AR, and Ólafur Arnalds.

Short review.

Waterworld by Leak Bros


Chris Palko and Tame One collaborate to make an album about smoking PCP that's not only disturbing, but easily one of the best rap albums I've ever heard. The album is produced by many well known and praised artists like El-P and RJD2. If you're a fan of conscious rap, this is definitely for you.

Monmyth by Fin Fang Foom

Monomyth released back in '09 as FFF's third album. The other two releases weren't really anything too spectacular and there's a six year gap between this and the second album, so I'm guessing this is where they decided to try and develop an album that would drive people nuts. Quite frankly, this album does that to me - in a good way.

Fin Fang Foom is a post rock band that features vocals, which is something not that typical in the genre. This album is melodic in some ways, but still has this amazing progressive heaviness throughout that sucks you in. The song, "Lonely Waves" is an amazing example of this where you can hear both sides of the album in one. 

There's nothing I can really say negatively about this album and I think it's an underrated masterpiece that more people should look at. Post rock essential? Maybe. It's definitely worth the listen though. 

Sepulcros De Miel by Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quartet

You might know Omar Rodriguez Lopez from The Mars Volta. He's released tons of solo records over the past few years and I find this one to be one of my favorites of his. It's a nice psychedilic jam-fest of intense drumming, crazy guitar solos and smooth bass lines.

The album's only flaws are that it has an intro and outro, which always seem kind of annoying to me. Although, I can't complain much sense Lopez put this album out for free. The album starts off with this strange electronic noise and moves into a nice relaxing jam that progresses into a heavier notion that keeps you nodding the whole time to the song.

Later on the album it goes into these really expiremental guitar drones and strange sounds, then kicks into more groves and back into heavy jamming. There's many parts of this album that say to me this is allot like something you'd see out of most psychedlic bands from the 70's, but I think it's the droning and soundscapes that Omar makes in this album that makes this album so much more unique.

Of course some people might not be turned on by how the album goes back in forth from calm to intense, but I find that to make this album a more exciting acid trip. Not only is this an album for any mood you're in, but it's an album you could just put on a repeat a few times and not get old from a single part of it.

Edit: this album isn't free anymore, but it's at a really low price of only five bucks. You can buy the album below.

http://omardigital.rodriguezlopezproductions.com/album/sepulcros-de-miel

10 Most Ridiculous Black Metal Music Videos

Before I do another review in the near future I feel the need to post this. I laughed my ass off.

Favorite Rapper?

Who's your favorite rapper?

Mine would be Eyedea (RIP)

Choirs Of The Eye by Kayo Dot

Choirs Of The Eye is an undescriptive album for open minded listeners. This band consists of five multi-instrumentalists. The reason why you should be cautious listening to it is because it's very "artsy", complicatedly recorded, and something you'll probably never here come from anyone else  except by the band that made this album, Kayo Dot.

Each song has it's own type of style. You'll here melodic classical parts that spiral into destructive grindcore vocals. The first song, "Marathon" is a huge mind fuck. If you know what post rock is, you know that is usually starts soft then goes into a climax. This song is the opposite. It's a reverse post rock song. You get to really hear that trumpet ring in this track. Toby Driver's vocals are soft, beautiful and don't seem harsh in this track. This song just seems so spooky to me every time I listen to it. but once you get about four minutes into the song, you get to hear the other side of Driver's dark, hard vocals.

"Pitcher Of Summer" is the second track and keeps it's softness for a reason. It's preparing you for the third track. Many reviewers call this track weak compared to the rest, but I call bullshit.

Then you reach the fourteen minute progressive epic song that rips you to fucking shreds, "The Manifold Curiosity". You can't ask for any more when you hear flutes and clarinets solo together at the five minute peak. Then you get a peaceful side to the song that only climaxes into the guitar tearing your ears to pieces when every member of the group starts soloing at the same time and it sounds like complete fucking chaos. It's hard to describe how fucking crazy the last four minutes are other then that it's the best outro of a song ever.

"Wayfarer" contains an amazing buildup with amazing vocals. The violin is scary and peaceful at the same time. This song is kind of like a slower and saddening version of Manifold Curiosity. The lyrics are poetic and sensational. This song can't go wrong in any way possible.

"The Antique" sums up all tracks in one and you get a charm off each instrument played. It also contains a pretty epic ending (not as epic as Manifold Curiosity). Although I find this track to be the most chaotic by how slowly the guitar riffs go. The last four minutes are pretty fucking good too. I gotta love the trumpet at the end also.

All in all it's a fistfuck awesome album.

What's your favorite album at the moment?

Doesn't have to be just one. I'm just wondering what you've been playing heavily lately.

Right now I've been playing the hell out of "Grandeur Of Hair" by The Goslings. It's a really heavy and loud noise rock album with female vocals.

Totem Two by Master Musicians Of Bukakke

Totem Two is one of my favorite albums of 2010. Master Musicians Of Bukakke is an amazing instrumental folk band using ceromonial and ritual influences. The album is complicated, but also a very relaxing, apocalyptic tune.

"Bardo Chonyid/Master Of All Visible Shapes" is a long ambient track with horns and strange noises that sound like they come from some jungle from hell. The flute is fucking brilliant on "Perde Kaldirma". The looped guitar and drum beats playing with the nice flute solo make the track strangely relaxing. I think this gives you a new feel to apocalyptic folk and psychedelic folk also.

"The Heresy Of Origen" makes me think of a folk version of combining Sunn O))) just without the guitars. It's pretty much everything a long epic drone song should be. The church choir fits in perfectly. This track progresses into the symphonic "Coincidential Oppositorum", which also has a foggy and clear doomsday sound.

We reach "Patmos", the final and probably best track on the album. You do get to here some vocals and a little bit of everything from the previous track. Although, I find this one a tad bit more uplifting and less dark and eerie. It's still atmospheric and wraps the album up into one of the best instrumental folk albums ever created.

Beileid by Bohren & Der Club Of Gore

Ah, my favorite jazz group has just released a new album entitled, "Beileid" and I can say I'm not disappointed. I spent most of last night playing it on repeat and I'm probably going to have this playing every night now before I go to bed. Bohren & Der Club Of Gore spawned the genre "doomjazz". The self titled track on this album feels like a mix of of their last two albums before this one, but that's not necessarily a bad thing sense they did it in a way that doesn't just make me say, "Oh, they're playing the same shit again". No, I'm still liking everything they put out.

What's most noticeable about this album is the song "Catch My Heart", which features vocals from Mike Patton. I'm pretty sure this is a cover song with just a Bohren twist on it. This being an instrumental ensemble I was worried vocals would kill it all, but instead, the vocals were perfect. Who better not do vocals for Bohren other than Mike Patton?

Obviously, there's the opener track which is just beautiful and atmospheric in all ways, but I'm not really caring for the background synth. Other than that, the three songs on this album are great and I'm glad to see this added to the collection.

P.S This album is perfect when played with rainymood.com

P.S.S  I am buying the album, so don't bug me about how evil I am for getting the leak.

Amputechture by The Mars Volta

The Mars Volta is a badass band created by Omar Rodriguez Lopez and his brother Marcel Rodriguez Lopez. They combine funk into progressive rock which creates fast paced catchy music. The album, “Amputechture” takes their music to another level.

The first song, “Vicarious Atonement” is simple and to the point. It’s not like any of the other songs on the album, this one is softer. But when “Tetragrammation” begins, you’ll know that whole idea for the first track was to keep the progressive flow. Tetragrammation is an almost seventeen minute track taking the concept the album – possessed nuns and other crazy shit. The track is pure magic – Amazing guitar solos, jazzy parts, and random exploding parts. The vocals are another thing in this track I love. They’re so wacky and powerful, going up to really high notes that men are not supposed to sing, but it’s ok because it just adds onto the craziness to the song and makes it sound better.

“Vermicide” is the shortest track on the album, but it’s still catchy. This track isn’t as jumpy as the rest, but the vocals are what are focused in the track obviously.

“Meccamputechture” is a track that only gets better each time you listen to it. Holy fuck, the introduction should be enough to get you into the band. This song is really an out of body experience. The intensity just blows my eardrums and this track has nonstop surprises. The lyrics are another thing I love. The whole song continues onto this possessed nun story by explaining the life of Jesus, the resurrection and in my opinion, this song depicts how the religion has used this story to make people join it (“Using humans as ornaments”).

“Asilos Magdalena” is an acoustic track all sung in Spanish. The vocals add onto this haunting feeling that the lyrics represent. Many people have debated if the song is about asylums set up in the 19th century in catholic churches, the devil’s plan to kill god, or a man who wants to kill god himself (“Carried the blade to God”).

“Viscera Eyes” is really a kick ass song. Half of the song is sung in Spanish and the other is in English. This song is about someone debating their faith and then turning into this zombie like Satan creature. I think this song is also making many references that make fun of Jesus(“Your convalescent thorns are but a crown of maggots. They rot the shakes inside that third glass eye. Come on and die”).

“Day of the Baphoments” is groovy and has an amazing bass solo. The saxophone and guitar, insane drumming – I mean, you could put twelve sticks of dynamite in my mouth and my mind would explode so high it would reach the sky. “El Ciervo Vulnerado” is the final track and ends just like how the album starts. I really like the guitar soloing over the saxophone going off every once in a while. When you get about eight minutes into the song try not to shit bricks with those vocals.

Amazing album. If you like progressive rock or not, listen to it. The concept is strange and interesting. It has some of the best guitar work I’ve heard. Just put this on while in your car, turn the volume up, windows down,  and let people driving by go, “What the fuck is that person listening to?”

2011

What albums are you looking forward to being released this year?

Saurian Exorcisms by Karl Sanders

Karl Sanders is well known for his heavy metal band Nile, but he also is known for his heavy self titled project. It holds onto many Egyptian, Tibetan, and Indian themes. Unlike his first album, this one, Saurian Exorcisms, this heavier and includes a wide range of different vocals.

The first track, “Preliminary Purification before the Calling of Inanna” doesn’t really represent the project, but the drumming is really nice so the track is still pretty good. If I was going to try and get someone into Karl Sanders, I would choose the song, “Rapture of the Empty Spaces”. The Egyptian feel of it really sticks out and the vocals make it sound allot more exotic. What really interests me about this is how Karl Sanders is able to play all of the instruments in the whole album (Beglama Saz, Acoustic Guitars, Glissentar, Guitar Synth, Keyboards, Drums, Percussion, and vocals), so it really defines what a fucking solo project is.

“Contemplate this on the Tree of Woe” is more ambient and softer than the other tracks. Sanders was inspired allot by Brian Eno’s music and his style of ambience, which really shines here.

“A Most Effective Excorcism Against Azagthoth And His Emissaries” is like a tribal from the deserts of hell. The 11 string guitar solo blows my mind when I listen to it. The chantings give the song a very atmospheric creepy effect also.

Many tracks like “Slavery Unto Nitokris” and “Shira Gula Pazu” keep a very post folk intensity. The album itself is just really good for any mood you’re in. It can share anger and relaxation all in one. Get this album if you’re into tribal and like atmospheric music.

They don't have any songs from this album on youtube, so I'll post one from his previous release...

Of Natural History by Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

It's hard to say what genre Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is. It's avant garde style of mixing theatre and metal together creates this spark of an imaginary carnival ride through hell. The album, "Of Natural History" is a philosophical journey through the madness of humanity.

The first track, "A Hymn To The Morning Star" is a ballad with xylophone on how ironic the Christian religion really is. It's also a introduction to the madness yet to come on the album. 

"The Donkey-Headed Anniversary Of Humanity Opens The Discussion", is the chaotic song that takes the listener by surprise and makes you say, 'What the fuck am I even listening to?' The lyrics speak about how mankind would be better destroyed for the better good of the world. 

"Pththisis" is when you finally get to here Carla Kihlstedt's sensual vocals with an apocalyptic setting of head banging drums and teeth shattering guitars. This track is an easy favorite due to it not being that long of a song on the album and still representing the style of the band.

"Bring Back The Apocalypse" is a self explanatory song which gives a very exploding atmosphere to the album. It's strange and almost sounds like what would come out of a schizophrenics brain if recorded on tape.

The ear grabbing track of the album for me is "FC: The Freedom Club". It's an epic about Ted Kaczynski, the man who caused mail bombings and represents the nihilist who declared war on humanity. Such as in the lyrics, "To blow off the hands of the strong with wooden boxes" talks about the bombs he made. Not only is the message of the strong strong, but the instruments are precise at the right timing and the vocals increase the extreme anger that song was made to show. This track is the must listen and one of my favorite songs ever created.

The Disturbing track, "Gunday's Child" is not something you want to listen to in the dark. The seducing vocals and exotic hand made instruments of the band just seem so spooky and make you really feel like the whole fucking world is ready to explode. It follows into the track, "The 17-Year Cicada", a short instrumental to keep you relaxed before another bang.

"The Creature" and "What Shall We Do With Us?" are strange and mysterious. It keeps you feeling like, "Ok, I know there's going to be some crazy metal randomly popping in", although it never happens. I can't really explain this one.

"Babydoctor" is the longest track on the album and the most aggressive track on it. I've researched and tried to find what the hell it's about, but I really don't know. For some reason they talk about the dental products, "Pelton & Crane". I'd feel very strange if this song was really about brushing your teeth and how being a dentist can be stressful. Just thinking of it makes me laugh. I love this song so much because it makes no fucking sense at all and seems so insane and violent.

And of course, there's the track, "Cockroach". The cockroach is us, and the song is about our extermination. I fell in love with song on first listen. 

The album is a mysterious ride that will show you a different side of music that mainstream music would never be able to show you. Listen to it and let it change you.

Ravedeath, 1972 by Tim Hecker

There's no joking around in the concept of this album. The first word of the title, 'Ravedeath' can go in many ways, but I like to think of it as a way of saying this album is a funeral for electronic music in general, not just rave. On the album cover you can clearly see a bunch of men tossing a piano off a building. There's tracks entitled "Hatred For Music", "Studio Suicide", and "No Drums". I'm seeing a very bleak image painted from this album, but nothing that's depressing, but more in terms of destruction.

Tim Hecker specializes in making ambient music that scrape out beautiful soundscapes. His previous album, 'An Imaginary Country' isn't as dark as this one, but I can still hear allot of the destruction I described on this too. He's easily up there with the best in latest drone artists like Stars Of The Lid, William Basinski, and Fennesz. In my opinion, this album itself counts as one of the most essential ambient albums of all times.

The album was recorded inside of a church, which can pretty much explain some of the influences in the music such as the first track, 'The Piano Drop' which uses a pipe organ. That glitchy sound from his album 'Harmony in Ultraviolet' is still alive in the track 'In The Fog', which progresses into a powerful clastrophobic bleak atmosphere, which is later cleared up by the bueatiful 'No Drums'. Of course, that darkness does come back in 'Hatred For Music'. 

After what seems like a lay-back year for music last year, I do believe 2011 will pull through to be a great year for music.  If you're a fan of electronic music or wanting explore ambient and drone, this is a must listen to for you.

The Mantle by Agalloch

The Mantle by Agalloch is an atmospheric folk metal album with the concepts of winter. The album was favored by many critics for it's experimentation of the metal genre and having a blend of many other subgenre's with it. It's a magical album that flows perfectly to the last track.

It starts off with the intro, "A Celebration For The Death Of Man..." and moves right into one of my favorite songs of all time, "In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion". This song is a fourteen minute long epic of apocalyptic texture through the atmosphere and coldness you get from the tracks. Haughm's vocals are strong and pierce ears, in a good way. The lyrics also fit the atmosphere and colors it paints the story perfectly. In an interview with the band I saw on youtube, they describe the music as of being in this forest of snow and trying to find this cave or something through this journey of questioning life while freezing in the cold. As complicated as it sounds, it actually isn't. There's two climaxes to the song that are perfectly timed and although this song could of went on for fifty hours i'm sure, i'm OK that ended at fourteen minutes.

"Odal" is an instrumental that fits in with the winter storm feel also. The song has beautiful abstract images of the forests full of snow in my head listening to it. I just love how the music really puts pictures in your head. "I Am The Wooden Doors" is one of the more heavier songs on the album and has this battle feel to it. It's a good track, but probably my least favorite on it. 

"The Lodge" is another instrumental and atmospheric track. You can hear someone walking through snow in the background at the beginning actually. The acoustic guitar just brings this settle feeling of plain darkness to the song and it's ear capturing in a strange way. 

"You Were But A Ghost In My Arms" is my favorite song by Agalloch lyrically. It really fits with all the band wants to stand for with the winter feeling. The song does have a progressive feel to it, but what really captures me is the ending of it.

"The Hawthorne Passage" is my favorite instrumental on the album. It's more alike "Odal" and fast paced. It does stick up to the folk metal title that was given to the band on their first album. 

"...And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth" is the catchiest song on the album and overall fits all the tracks in this one. It sums up what the whole album has pretty much lead to and I'd call this track the climax. The song also contains that epicness of Shadow Of Our Pale Companion. The album ends with "A Desolation song" in which Haughm's vocals just breeze into the song with the guitar and harmonica. Definitely an amazing way to end this epic album.

Torture Garden by Naked City

Torture Garden by Naked City is easily the most brutal album ever created. All these tracks that last from around 13 to 50 seconds are fast paced curb stomps on your face. This music makes Cannibal Corpse look like a six year old girl wearing a tutu dress. Nothing can ever compare to how insane this music is. Even Jeffrey Dahmer listened to half of the album, took off the headphones and said, “This is too much for me.”

But what the fuck is it? That’s what you think when you first listen to it. WHAT IN THE FUCK AM I LISTENING TO? Many people like to call this, jazzgrind – A mixture of jazz and grindcore. Each instrument plays a special part to each miniature track. 

The most obvious instrument to make Torture City sound so fucking strange and insane is John Zorn’s Saxophone. He’ll play these randomly high notes or have a small jazz solo that seems all happy, and then bursts into fucking PCP murder sprees. 

Yamatsuka Eye’s vocals are the other key pointer to the music. He has these awful, sometimes hilarious screaming’s. He always thinks of new ways to make his voice sound weird too, like in some tracks you can hear him making choking and vomiting noises. Let me also say, there is no lyrics. He is literally saying gibberish. That’s what makes it a fuckload better.

Joey Baron has these unnecessary random drum solos and stick tapings that really add to a nice humor to the tracks. Of course the bass player, Fred Frith is pretty funny too when you get to hear those small jazz parts before the chaos where he just does some random solo. Bill Frisell beats his distorted guitar and randomly switches to a nice melodic sound. Wayne Horvitz on keyboards really adds to the funny jazz layers when things get soft.

Each track is just so violent, chaotic, and almost too much. Allot of people will ask, is this even music? How could this be good? 

The answer is that this album is going to either piss you off or make you piss your pants laughing. It’s an amazing experience and I love the album. Your eyes are wide open the hole time and you’ll be going, “WHAT THE FUCK” nonstop. It’s the music made for nobody, but I think you should try it. You might just shit yourself.