Unreleased Earl: Dat Ass (2009)

Possibly his best verse yet. Sick beat too.

Free download

Dreams of the Drowned - Thanatotropic Principle (2008)

I was a bit mislead here. Sometimes claimed to be nearly direct descendants of Ved Buens Ende (and that a cover of Coiled in Wings appears on here is another clue), but that's not necessarily it. For example, the first track is relatively straight, especially considering the twisted manifestations of Ved Buens Ende. Something lying in the vein of one of the "hipster black metal" bands of the current, although some horrifyingly demented vocals buried in the tremolos (a croon that is admittedly close to Czral does sound briefly); not something that you'd mistake for Written in Waters, at least. And the next song... is this hardcore punk? A riff from deep in the gut and grunting vocals lead to it and then there's even a rapid solo. hm... I guess, for those looking for a direct rip-off of Ved Buens Ende, it's not here.

But don't skip this, don't even think about it. The first song I mentioned? It's brilliant. Intense, moody and throughly engaging. The second? Wholly entertaining for anyone who's even had a feigning interest in the sort of chug-heavy hardcore/stonerish rock stuff. And my denouncement of the Ved Buens Ende sound isn't entirely accurate. They don't appear to be directly in line with one of the new "neocrust" bands (Vestiges, Fall of Efrafa) (which they do occasionally sound like), they, at the very least, have the same sort of spirit of Ved Buens Ende.

Enough with parallels, they don't share enough (or they share too many). At any given moment you could probably try to relate this to another band: this point has a little of the second wave black metal sound, this one like hardcore punk, this... what is that sound? At the most basic, they do seem to teeter between all sorts of tropes typically considered black metal, mostly keeping everything at a ferocious rate, a key on pummeling drum lines. In fact, that cover of Coiled in Wings I mentioned? The original is 7 minutes of a fairly laid back scene. This one is just under 4 and hardly intelligible. Only the replication of Czral's brand of croons seems to relate.

But, again, I must remind myself to stop comparisons, there are so few! Walls of sounds so intriguing I can't even collect myself to find anything that sounds like it. It's sonically expansive and somewhat of an aural abuse. But even as it's stretched to extremes it breaks itself from monotony with underlying sounds and structures that are just plain weird. If Ved Buens Ende is a bad trip, it's only one that creeps deep within you and leaves a lasting memory. This is the scare that leads you to a mental breakdown. In Mulholland Drive, if Ved Buens Ende relates the moody journey out of Winkie's, Dreams of the Drowned is the moment at the dumpster.

Download (also, free for download on last.fm)
Buy (I don't know, but I haven't looked at the moment of writing this. Plan to, though)

miRthkon - Vehicle (2009)

If you listened the Fun Machine album I posted a few months back, expect something in the same vein. If you haven't, expect the complexity of an early RIO band, the "brutal-prog" approach of Ron Anderson projects, the playfulness of Samla Mammas Manna (or Mr. Bungle, perhaps), and the slight bit of heaviness also seen in Doctor Nerve. Good cheeky "Avant-Prog"

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Tomáš Dvořák - Machinarium (2009)

Machinarium is an unusual indie game brought into the gaming world by a small recently established Czech independent studio called Amanita Design. Machinarium is a triumph of an outstanding game design, a retro universe full of complicated mechanical constructions. The fact that it has no dialogue at all makes the soundtrack to the game all that much more important.

At its heart the Machinarium soundtrack is an electronic album, creating an enveloping environment of sound that conjures up images of very simple, decaying machines. But it runs the gamut from beautiful, lush ambient arrangements with simple instrumentation, to catchy electro dance music, to childlike melodies.

Download

Buy (game included)

Black Vomit - Jungle Death (2009)

It starts with a premonition. A Premonition of Inevitable Doom; the title track as well as a literary signal. It's enough to clue you in to what's going on, and listening to it makes it more apparent. A thick fuzz, a synthy drone submerged within and mystical sounding samples echo in and out of the foreground. And as soon as premonition sounds, it blends right into the doom. That deep bass fuzz turns into an incredibly sharp guitar and madness spews from the constant clang of symbols and snares with incredibly tense blasts.

But even if you don't start the album, there are plenty of signals from even the album cover alone. Much like the Amocoma cover, a black border contains all. Seemingly a gesture at that same fuzz and atmosphere that permeates nearly all contained with the album. It's a dirty beast within. The font, remeniscent of Bathory, cues a medieval feel. Deep in the dungeons and that. And beyond those the few keywords we get do their own.

"Black" is an easy one. Fuzz is everywhere, pounding drums are everywhere, much of this album is a bleak nightmare. "Vomit" comes at a much more abstract view, however. It comes as one of the trademarks of this sound, though, the "True Sheffield Black Psychedelia" scene. Vomit, as an amalgamation of what has come to one before, does work somewhat well in regards to this sound. Despite what I have said before, this isn't all black. Thrown in with those long dungeon walks, are small shafts of light. Dispersed with the fuzz are bright synthy passages, reminiscent of something the "Aguirre" soundtrack. But even in the blackness cues some amalgamation. The drums aren't always typical blasts, sometimes they reveal more as tribal war drums, sometimes revealing more as wild, somewhat linear assaults, coming off as more of a "man-made" breakcore. And within even that, sampling is prevalent. In context it sounds more of the inner ramblings of a schizophrenic. Ramblings of preachers, doctors, and lovers, perhaps whirling through a distraught mind, cutting in and out and constantly warped it some manner.

"Jungle Death" as well seems to have some meaning through all this. Death should be as obvious as "black" by now. There's a menacing demeanor behind much of this. The jungle is obscure, though. Possibly read in terms of the drumming, going into it's breakcore, DnB sort of flair, recalling the genre of music called "jungle". Or perhaps it's a part of the atmosphere itself. An uninviting den with beasts roaming.

Lastly the picture. DMT crystals. Not only a heavy psychedelic, but also speculated to be the cause of the Near-Death Experience phenomena, it's a perfect compliment to the music themselves. Even in just the three songs set from Repositioning Chrome to Dark Beloved Cloud, you get an almost rockish psychedelic sound, leading to a strings and choral arrangement in "Konna Yume Wo Mite (Such Dreams I Have Dreamed)", which falls into a pure aural assault of flailing drums, thick fuzz and an assortment of mutated samples. This album is certainly a trip.

Buy (also, I think you can buy it here, which also has a small sample from Dark Beloved Cloud... you might want to turn your speakers down)

Download

Nicolay - City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya (2009)

Your favorite producer may no longer be your favorite producer, folks.

Nicolay is a Dutch producer with a large body of very enjoyable work. In addition to his many solo projects, he's one half of the hip-hop/R&B group The Foreign Exchange with Phonte of Little Brother. In 2008 he released the album Time: Line with Kay of the foundation. His instrumentals are very laid-back and mellow. Live instrumentation is also often used as opposed to samples.

This is a mostly instrumental album except for occasional vocals delivered beautifully by Carlita Durand. The concept is that you are on a vacation to Shibuya, Japan and this is the music of the city. There are some beautiful sounds used to create a very relaxing album. Teetering on the edge of must-listen territory.


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Dert - Talk Strange (2009)

Whenever I make a 2009 list, I always forget this tape. I guess that's to be expected since it was released on New Years and I still had a "2008" mindstate, but I can't believe I keep forgetting this since it's probably one of my favorite releases this year.

Dert is best known in the underground hip-hop circuit for his mash up tapes made of samples from various artists. On this one he decided to use primarily Bjork samples throughout the entire album, which basically sounds heavenly. It has a nice cool feel which like a lot of Bjork's music too. So since I love Bjork so much, naturally I thought this album was great, not to mention it's free so all you reading this have no reason not to pick this one up.


Last.fm | Download | Myspace (If people still use that)

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young (2009)

If you’re expecting this to sound like The Strokes, you’re in for a surprise. Frontman Julian Casablancas’ solo debut, Phrazes for the Young, has none of the lo-fi, riff-driven classic rock characteristics that his band is well known for. What Julian does retain is that recipe he has for making simple, catchy pop music. Phrazes for the Young makes use of heavier bass, keyboards and synthesizers, combined with hints of Strokes-like guitar licks and basic drum beats, while also experimenting with slower, more mellow music using more instruments and sound-techniques. If First Impressions of Earth was an expansion of The Strokes’ sound, then Julian’s done the right thing by making his solo album something different altogether.

The 40-minute, 8-track album kicks off with the 2 most Stroke-esque songs on the album, , ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘Left & Right in the Dark’, a couple of happy-sounding songs with catchy backbeats, faint guitar-licks and lyrics about women troubles. They’re enjoyable songs for what they are, enjoyable enough not to skip past anyway. The album starts to hit its stride with the lead single ‘11^th dimension’, a song about accepting your identity with a central theme of isolation. Julian tries to get a bit deeper with the lyrics on this song, but it coincides nicely with the song’s uplifting nature. Phrazes also does well to add some more expansive and slower elements to the album towards the end, with tracks like ‘Glass’ and ‘Tourist’ incorporating multi-instrumentation into some rather beautiful segments of music.

Phrazes for the Young is a very well balanced album, with an even split of catchy pop songs and mellow undertones. Julian has done well to vary up the sound and tone of the album while preventing it from dragging on too long. The album is nothing amazing or unique, but it’s a solid first effort for a solo record and he’s made a fair effort to establish his range as a songwriter.

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The Static Age- I/O (2009)

The Static Age are a post-punk band from Burlington, Vermont consisting primarily of Andrew Paley and Adam Meilleur. they got their name from a Misfits album. I/O starts with Damages and it's nice from beginning to end. It has an 80's feel to it from the synthesizer to the electronic beats and dripping effects. The repeating of the words "they will keep you safe" could send chills down your spine. We then transits to Already Dead, an almost Phil Collins reject song, the vocals and lyrics are soft and the style it has, it made me think of Phil Collins. Now if that's a good thing or bad thing is up for interpretation. Overall I really enjoyed this album but it's almost more of an EP with only 6 songs on the album roughly over 4 mins each equaling out to about 25 mins.

Going forward Daughters and Sons takes a new direction, the guitar sounds change and we lose some of that electronic feeling but the vocals are still soft and echoing. The chorus is the real strength of this song. it just brings the song together. These Days is next up and is another solid song. It has more of an old school rock meets new school alt rock feel. I really liked this song as well and it sticks with the 80's vibe of the album as well. Closing of the Year is probably one of the best songs of the album. It's just a mellow delicate song, Andrew Paley really brings this song together with his vocals. Rorschach, the albums closer is another Phil Collins esque song in it's style and execution, it's the perfect closer for this album. The Static Age are a very good band and I really enjoyed reviewing this album. Whatever they're doing, it's working for them. I/O is a great example of what post punk should be. I look forward to what the Static Age has for future endeavors.

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Current 93 - Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain (2009)

Through his musical project, Current 93, David Tibet has become known over the years for his visionary songs of the apocalypse. Perhaps inspired by his split-EP with Om, Tibet has embraced a much heavier sound than his previous work, echoing both the genres of doom metal and stoner metal. This new direction that Tibet has taken his band in has also created their most unique, unpredictable, and powerful release yet. Tibet sings of Aleph (an Adam-like character), murder, and destruction as a huge cast of musicians and vocalists create a backdrop worthy of his vision.

The lineup for this album proves to be one of the best yet for the band . Layers and layers of guitars, feedback, and distorted vocals play while Bill Breeze’s viola and John Contreras’ cello sound almost regal amidst the grinding fuzz that the rest of the group are pouring out. Doom metal riffs and face-melting blasts of guitar solos take center stage later in the album. This is probably the first time I've felt like air guitaring to a Current 93 song. Intense, exhausting, and filled with emotion, Tibet proves his genius once again with Aleph.

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Beautiful Swimmers - Swimmers Groove (2009)/Big Coast (2010)

There's not a lot known about Beautiful Swimmers, a group that creates slick electro-funk/disco type releases, which I'd also consider tropical. Their big claim to fame so far is making a video for their song "Big Coast" which has set the blogosphere ablaze.

They don't stop there, though. In the five songs included on the two releases, you'll hear sweet sounds on "Swimmers Groove" that remind me of early mornings on Saturday for whatever reason. "Big Coast" is the obvious standout here; however, don't just stop there.

"Big Coast"

Big Coast and Swimmers Groove
Buy Big Coast (Swimmers Groove out of print?)
MySpace

Fun Machine - Sonnenhuhn (2009)

2009 ended up being a smash year for the Avant-prog/RIO(post-RIO?) scene. Releases from Univers Zero, Magma, Alamaailman Vasarat, Present and even some previously-unreleased music from leg-ends Henry Cow dotted the year, as well as some lesser-knowns scoring hits (Jono El Grande, Aranis, Runaway Totem), but even among those, Fun Machine's debut Sonnenhuhn stands out as, at least, one of the more interesting.

We could poke and prod at what makes it avant-prog, because there is enough of it there. Complex rhythms, linear drumming, looping guitar passages, start-and-stop melodies that are now more known for their place within math rock than anything else, as well as the obvious strings, organs, synths and horns will quickly relate this band to the classics. However, even with those common styles, this is without doubt, different.

But it takes a while. The first several minutes of the album mostly involve them noodling through passages with great efficiency, conveying what comes off as an inorganic form of what previously-mentioned bands had worked with. As the album goes along however, things change. The band has more fun and mischief with the music, and things become nearly satirical. Much like Samla Mammas Manna, or Cardiacs, they throw in these somewhat pop-ish passages, with vocal patterns very similar to Cardaics' own Tim Smith. Continuing throughout this happens even more frequently, switching between the rock and "progressive" aspects of their sound faster than one can realize. Couple these wild connections with cheep midis straight from a 16-bit RPG and you have a wild album that without a doubt deserves a mention with some of the heavyweights.

For fans of all progressive rock, or even a fan of a band like Mr. Bungle looking to get closer to the style that they were certainly influenced by.

Well... I guess it's for anyone. This is a fantastic record.

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myspace

Real Estate - s/t (2009)

It's too hot, too sunny, and too July 4th weekend to not post this.

Pitchfork:

"Real Estate were born in the depths of one New Jersey summer. Frontman Martin Courtney had just returned home to his native Ridgewood from college in Washington State, a few fresh songs in his pockets. He'd been playing music with bassist Alex Bleeker and guitarist Matthew Mondanile since high school in various forms, even covering Weezer and the Strokes records from tip to tail. But during the summer of 2008, Real Estate didn't get nostalgic for just their specific suburban nights, crushes, or favorite bands as teens-- they fashioned a tin can-and-string to memories more universal. Their self-titled debut LP is a collection of those first underwater pop songs and onward, 7" cuts and mpfrees that have been backstroking their way across the Web and into lo-fi nerdpiles. Over the past year, many of these songs have soundtracked a time when it feels like every kid in or just out of college seems to be handcrafting/clamoring for music that shuttles us back to a time before career choices, adult responsibility, and this recession.

And while the Jersey Shore has clearly become the beating heart of their current aesthetic, Real Estate captures a rock band several lengths ahead of the fuzzy beach bums with which they pine. Real Estate share tones with North Jersey indie rock titans Yo La Tengo and the Feelies, pouring those influences through warm impressions of oldies radio. Riffs are cyclical and massaged, harmonies familiar. Each song is dunked in reverb and delay, though always with serious restraint. Most importantly, all boast architecture that still allows for swaths of jamming, the feeling that every measure's unfolding as easily as life ought to."

"Beach Comber"
"Fake Blues"

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Wiki

---

It's July 5th. Did you enjoy your hangover this morning? Go out and have some fun tonight.

Small Black - Despicable Dogs

Oneohtrix Point Never - Zones Without People (2009)

It seems to me like Daniel Lopatin, the one-man force behind Oneohtrix Point Never (pronounced: own-e-oh-tricks), would be an excellent poster boy for hypnosis. The first track on Zones Without People, "Computer Vision", pulls you into an excellent lull of arpeggiated chords over its two-minute span. The next track, "Format and Journey North", sets into a nine-minute long drone-type song, using (what I believe to be) more arpeggiation throughout the song.

The entire album is very good, and it's a short and sweet album, clocking in at just 31 minutes. Lopatin released this album on a compilation entitled Rifts, which has this album, Russian Mind, and Betrayed in the Octagon; some parts of the compilation has tracks dating back as far as 2003. Lopatin has quickly been gaining attention in the music world with his latest album, Returnal. To me, though, this is probably his best pre-Returnal work. Worth repeated listens.

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Not available to buy as of right now; check out the distributors listed
MySpace
Official website