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Sam Amidon debut album is a real quirky & tuneful treat for the heart and soul- mixing together folk, bluegrass, country, and pop, avant rock- all in a touching and sometimes awkward manner.
Black wing Over the sand finds Wolf Eyes at their most eerier,doom laden, primal and atmospheric. Following on from the evil and sinister air of their last full length ‘proper’ album Human Animal- but stretching that vibe way out into an emotional battering and unforgiving one long 35 minute track.
In my recent review of Deerhunter's Fluorescent Grey EP, I made note of the fact that most EP's consist of about half worthy material, half filler. This EP, which really isn't an EP (it's over 60 minutes long!) in my mind, has a quality ratio of approximately 20% listenable to 80%, well, let's be generous, not so listenable.
Omns manages to mix deeply spiritual air with psychedelics, ambience and powerful emotionally tinged rocking guitar scapes. Pulling the whole thing off in epic and soaring fashion, never becoming contrived or indulgent – this is truly music to loose ones self in
Deerhunter are being touted as a part of the crop of latest "buzz" bands. I have to admit to you, dear reader, that I tend to be put off by the hype to a degree, although, I could, in fact, be contributing to it in some ways (however minor). When a band is trumpeted as the next big thing on a wide scale, more often than not I'm underwhelmed by the music because the set-up is unrealistic. Secondly, buzz bands frequently are simply competent genre bands offerring accessible music which lacks distinction or originality. So maybe I'm part cynic, part realist, but that does not mean I won't give a band a shot. After the hype dies down, and my expectations die somewhat as well, I can offer a realistic, objective opinion of the music these bands create.
There’s something rather haunting yet calming about the sound of wind, I guess you could almost call it’s natures music or often rtyhmic breath. With Wind even Keeps dust away soundartist Tarab( aka Eamon Sprod) manipulations and layers wind sounds to such an captivating and very musical effect giving them an almost mystical quality.
Sex/death is a rather nasty and nihilistic take on noise. For most of it’s playing time it feels like your head has been forced in a furnace, your whole being engulfed by bellowing and ripping sound with little rhyme or reason, or anything approaching easy on the ears - this just cooks and cooks you until your eyes feel like they’ll pop.
Sadly this collaboration between the usually wonderful Nina Nastasia & Jim White is a rather lacklustre affair of passable to by-numbers song writing, thats a mix of often random rhythms and folk strum.
This album is by one of most respected figures in American minimalism, original released in 1982 in a small pressing & has been out of print for some time, now Important give it it’s first cd releasers. The album consists of two long earthy, spiritual and mediative drone piece produced by of course accordion and Ms Oliveros voice.
Into Sleep’s title is very apt title as you’re lowered into a subtle electronic/noise sound world that seems to exists between realities of dreamscapes and real life. Sound elements and half heard melodies dance by but nothing is ever 100 per clear- giving the whole album a hazy slightly blurred feeling, almost making you feel like you want pinch your self to see if your asleep or awake.
With Antichrist Akercocke have found the perfect balance between brutality,atmosphere and progressive/experimental elements to make an album that’s enjoyable and surprising from start to finish.
Perpetuum Mobile is full to its quirky, bizarre and sometimes tiring brim with kids show like looped brass tunes, strummed Hawaiian guitar waltz’s, stuck cracking piano loops and all manner of snatched easy listing audio chesse. With all manner rhythmic elements, plundetronics and surreal advert or stage show singing over the top.
The American trio Zonder (Dutch for 'without') presents a version of heavy rock that needs a few spins to grab you. The music is dense with all kinds of influences, performed with a raw energy.
I previously reviewed an EP by this Korean/Japanese project by the same name, but this is a full album called UFO. Things haven't changed much since then, but that doesn't mean this isn't worth a listen.
Rock is serious business. Well, not really, but by getting it out the sweaty clubs or screaming stadiums this so-called 'chamber rock' has acquired the more serious air of classical and contemporary composed music. Yet, while listening to Endangered you'll find a serious amount of fun as well.
Coma Berenices finds Merzbow mining father into rock like elements to make an album that takes in a droning rock like air, that’s heavy with a doomy and sleek blackness, making the simple white on black cover seem very apt indeed.
This is a collaboration between one half of the Boredoms Yoshimi and Swedish sax and noise improviser Mats Gustafsson, and it's a real treat managing to be equally haunted, alien,beautiful and jagged. It’s 45 minute play time,a trip in the best sense of the word.
Erection is a wonderful jarring, disorientating noise meets bizarre sampling escapade from this Italian sound artists. That’s alive with Perverted, humorous & macabre intentions.
Amrita The Quintsessence offers up on it's audio alter a mix of dark ritual ambience and black electroncia. It’s goes from building sacrificial air, to looped sinister, to darkly psychodelic beatscapes.
This is a wonderfully morose mix of dark electric guitar, come folk, come synth hover and downtrodden pop craft. With Nick Greys voice bringing to mind a more mournful take David Gahan of Depeche Mode dark crooning.
Haunt sinks its drone come psychedelic rock teeth into you deep- coming off like if upbeat Popol Vuh, early Pink Floyd and The Doors jamming together on some great acid. With the odd avant-garde edges and traces of modern ambient guitar harmonics throw in here and there along the way.
Imagine a talky teen drop out psychotherapy student come outside artist take on motivational spoken word recordings, then add in a lo-fi vague musical backing that hovers over a few different musical genres and you’ll have Barr’s Summary.
This CD with peculiar artwork is a presentation of the artists on the label going by the peculiar name of Record Label Records. The 'sampling' of a picture on the sleeve may well be a hint to the music herein.
Electric Dress represents a live collaboration/ improvised set between the trio recorded live into Tokyo 2006, then edited and mastered by Mr O’Rourke. All to make a Rolla coaster almost freefall 50 mintue noise ride, with a lovely analogue feel about it.