I COULD BE JAMES DEAN

blog is dead

2010-12-05T17:35:00.001-08:00

Go here:
http://looserthanloose.blogspot.com/

Anathema - Hindsight

2010-06-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yo Anathema

But like

Acoustic

GET IT NAU

Tchaikovsky

2010-06-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

Dude rules. Here's the Nutcracker. Fuck you this is good shit plus nostalgia.

Part 1
Part 2

Zahrim - La Zagasthenu

2010-06-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

Solid EP by some Danish black metal band
check it out
or don't and be a fag

40 Winks - The Lucid Effect

2010-06-03T23:51:00.001-07:00

yo it's all dreamy and shit
but it's like
instrumental trip hop
ya dig?

you should

Eric Whitacre - The Complete A Cappella Works

2010-06-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

Omfg so pretty

THE OTHER...MIIIIILK

Airlock - Drystar

2010-05-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

get yo trip hop on yo

yo

Flipper - Generic

2010-05-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

i say mr punk you certainly are noisy today

Vali - Forlatt

2010-05-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

hey this is some new folkzxzxs

try it out

here you go neoing and folking

Benga - Diary Of An Afro Warrior

2010-05-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

awesome dubstep get it now its sexy

Brutality - Screams of Anguish

2010-05-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

genre: DEATH METAL probably idk
so adam yourmomas thinks this is cool and practically bought me 2 hookers to post it here

so here it is

please get off my cock you ugly whores

that means you too thomas

and i guess the pic is knda cool i gess idk

Index For Potential Suicide - Sex, Violence, Whatever (Discography)

2010-05-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

This is awesome. More screamo/hardcore goodness. A lot more. heaps of interesting stuff in this discog, definitely a must for fans of the genre.

get

In First Person - Lost Between Hands Held Tight

2010-05-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Screamo/Hardcorey goodness get it now or later i dont mind actually no get it now

Opeth - Still Life

2010-05-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

hey dom you're a fag

js'

post more, dick

in the meantime more opeths

Opeth - Blackwater Park

2010-05-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

hahaha half of you are going to be like wtf he posted this?

it's opeth
haven't heard?
you're dumb idk

Neurosis and Tribes of Neurot - Times of Grace/Grace

2010-05-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

I basically have a hard on for Neurosis. They're probably one of the only bands I know that not only have no bad music in their discography, but flawless side-projects as well. Tribes of Neurot is an ambient/folk/whatever Neurosis-related side-project. A lot of their releases coincide with those of Neurosis. A good example of this is the album Grace, which is good as a standalone album but can also be played simultaneously with Neurosis' brilliant Times of Grace, creating a huge sound. Here though, you won't need two media players or whatever because the tracks have been mixed already. Enjoy. It's a fucking incredible listening experience. Better at a higher bitrate though.

Get

Alasdair Roberts - Spoils

2010-05-09T07:27:00.001-07:00

Guy folks so hard.

www.mediafire.com/?byyqmwdgzlm

Falkenbach - Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty

2010-05-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

folk metal that's nt al gay and purple
if you listn to it you myt slay a dragon
or want to
but if yr a real man yl slay a real dragon m kay?

giant sword of awesome

Ampere - All Our Tomorrows End Today

2010-05-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

Genre: Screamo/Hardcore

Album is 10 mins long. 11 songs. Fucking owns.

End ur tmws

Richard Youngs - Sapphie

2010-05-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

Genre: Lo-Fi Folk

Aw man now im all sad :(

this rules

get

War - We Are War (1999)

2010-04-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

raw crusty black metal but apparently not kriegish enough to rasputin but he's a woman so no one cares

get ittttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttQ@

Built to Spill - Keep It Like A Secret

2010-04-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU WAIT FOR THE SIDEWAAAAAALK

can it wait for youu

Pantha Du Prince - Black Noise

2010-04-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

DANCE when im talking to you fgt

www.mediafire.com/?ywkztynmwiz

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works I and II

2010-04-27T22:24:00.000-07:00

yo qwe whats with this slow bullshit

Mclusky - Mclusky Do Dallas

2010-04-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Genre: Noise Rock

Noise rock band from Wales plays a catchy blend of alt rock, classic rock, punk and FUZZZ.

haven't listened to this enough to write at great length about it, but i'm definitely going to be listening to it a lot more because it rules.

trustme

Merciless - Unbound (1994)

2010-04-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Genre: Deathrash
Old school death with some thrash thrown in,
get

also whoever thinks it's hilarious to post in the shoutbox as one of us, please find better ways to waste your time, because the only person laughing is you (Kris :/)

Insect Warfare/Hatred Surge - Split

2010-04-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

Genres: Grind and Powerviolence

Two brutal, kickass bands. One split. I don't even need to convince you to get this.

but get it.

fgt.

Knut - Challenger (2002)

2010-04-23T10:49:00.001-07:00

Genre: Metalcore

I hate metalcore.

This is metalcore I don't hate. Be excited.

Kaamos - Lucifer Rising

2010-04-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Genre: Death Metal

Yeah this will be my fourth post in about 10 hours but I don't really care. I owe it to y'all.
Anyways the last three posts have been variants of hardcore so I thought I'd mix it up and throw in some death.
Kaamos is a Swedish death metal band that formed around 1998. This is their best work, Lucifer Rising. If you're into death metal that has an old school sound but has a slightly technical edge which, if you're a death metal fan, should be you, get it fucking now. It's bootiful.

Get

Portrait - Discography

2010-04-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Genre: Screamo

Essential screamo release. I've only been listening to it a short while and I already know that this is something special. Short amount of writing because this shouldn't need any.

get

Extortion - Loose Screws

2010-04-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Genre: Hardcore

2010 hardcore is looking good. Short sweet 20 mins of music. I hired a secretary just so I could slap her after listening to this.
You should too.
slap what now bitch

Judge - What It Meant: The Complete Discography

2010-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

Genre: Hardcore

Judge was a straight edge hardcore band from New York formed in 1987. They ruled. This is their complete works in one album.

sorry bout posting so slowly. got a lotta essays

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada (1999)

2010-04-09T09:12:00.001-07:00

Epic post rocks, and in celebration of their return to the land of the living, here's an excellent EP by them. Haunting melodies, floating vocals, and of course, the ominous BBF3 and his poem and rants.
Get Here

Deftones - Around the Fur (1997)

2010-04-07T19:10:00.001-07:00

Genre: Nu Metal

Well, I just got back from Seattle. Now, before you quote statistics (apparently it’s only the THIRTEENTH rainiest city in America. That sure would mean something if there were only 20 cities here), let me say this: I am not surprised Kurt Cobain killed himself. If I had to wake up to rain every fucking day, and look out the window, and go “I’m married to Courteney Love and millions of College Kids love me”, I woulda gone and off’d myself right then and there. Seems ole Kurt had the same train of thought. That, or “huh, I wonder what this fancy metal lever does”.

On to music: what sucks as much as Seattle? Nu-Metal. It’s consistently boring (frankly, Dom put up the only other quality band a few weeks ago: SOAD. I, however, would argue that they are not Nu-Metal) and fascinatingly disappointing. Generally speaking, rap has the potential to be one of the most energetic of genres, and likewise metal is (personally speaking) the most energetic of genres. This is where the end result is not greater than its individual constituents (like Canada): almost everything that has ever been labeled Nu-Metal is unlistenable garbage, with nasally vocals, stale riffs and amateur lyrics (to name a few flaws). RATM, SOAD, and, the men of the hour, Deftones, are the three bands who have ever dabbled in the genre and come away safe. RATM, however, is more hard rock, so we’ll save them the trouble of being associated strongly with the genre. Deftones, I can confidently admit, was a band somewhat foreign to me until recently.

They are, as are their brethren bands SOAD and RATM, capable of being classified as hard rock. Melodic riffs and dreamy, fluid verses float over a driving backbone of a rhythm section. Now, me, I’m not much of a lyrics memorizer (a natural born flaw/talent), but I can still recognize when a band has worthy lyrical value. Deftones are one such band, and Around the Fur is their 1997 release, before band member Chino was hospitalized following a traffic collision. The album is more what you would consider “chill” metal; it’s something you can sit back and enjoy (though, not in a post-metal-y sense), though it’s not without its energetic moments.

Get here!

Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough

2010-03-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

Genre: Trip Hop

For some reason there is a dearth of shitty trip hop in the world. Seriously every trip hop release I listen to is good. Emancipator is no exception. His beats and melodies are up there with some of my favourite electronic releases in recent memory.
This release is insanely pretty and catchy, but also has immense replay value.

In particular, the last few songs from "Lionheart" onwards just rule so hard.

Phones you should def check this one out.

Get

Unveiled - Anti-God Behavior (2002)

2010-03-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Genre: black metal
Kriegish black metal with icy cold riffs and..

just kidding I don't think I could keep talking like that. Solid black metal from some country. I don't remember which one. Just pick a country. Estonia. Why not? Magnus needs something to be proud of anyway. Solid riffs and standard vox, what's there to complain about?

Nothing. It was a hypothetical question, jackass.

Get.

System of a Down - Steal This Toxicity of a Down!

2010-03-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

Genre: Nu-Metal

So these guys are the best ever nu-metal band. The quirky, dark and sometimes very astute lyrical content is delivered by one of the best vocalists I've ever heard in Serj Tankian. His voice is often operatic and epic, but he also snarls, screams, raps and squeals lyrics.
The music ranges from brooding and atmospheric, to nonsensical and hilarious, to political and so on. The point is that you'll find so much awesome and different shit on these three releases that it's impossible to not like anything. Trust qwe.

trust qwe Selftitled. Their best. Totally crazy and intense. Vocals aren't as powerful, neither is the production, but the music is perfect. "Circus Thrash"

trUSTqwe Toxicity. Their most popular and an excellent album. Not as interesting as their debut but it has some better individual songs.

TRUST QWE!!! Steal This Album! Awesome collection of great songs. People call this a "b-sides" collection but I personally enjoy this more than Toxicity for its sheer variety and entertainment value.

Bone Awl - Meaningless Leaning Mess

2010-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Genre: Black Metal

You want black metal? That's cool dude, good choice. Great genre for this time of night. Kick back with those icy cold riffs and chilling vocals and the shitty production that gives the music its fucking edge.

WHAT?

You want good production? You astronomical failure. I can't believe you're able to look such a hopeless piece of muck in the eye every morning when you brush your teeth. Just go. Get the fuck out.

Hey man. Hey.
Hey. I'm sorry. I got worked up. Stop cry-

look

Stop crying. Chill. I overreacted. I'm sorry, ok?

Here maybe this will change your mind about production in black metal. This is edgier than Keira Knightley in a dodecahedron factory.

She's still hot though.

The National - Alligator (2005)

2010-03-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

Genre: Indie

This band will put hair on your chest and it might give you those balls you've desperately been needing. Fuck Extenze and Rogaine and all that other shit; this band will do it just fine. Only for those who wish to be manly. Or enjoy good tunes.

Grow a pair.

Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst

2010-03-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

Genre: Hip-Hop

Fans of Deltron look no further.

This is one of the most hilariously weird rap albums ever. Dr. Octagon is one of rapper Kool Keith's (née Keith Thornton) many pseudonyms. Dr. Octagon is a time-travelling alien gynecologist/surgeon, whose history is described throughout the album through abstract lyrics complete with non-sequiturs and borderline pornographic content. He ain't such a great surgeon though, as most of his patients die. He's a pretty shit gynecologist too, and one of his favourite pastimes is pretending to be a female gynecologist then screwing his patients/nurses.

The beats and music itself is an amalgamation of electronica, trip-hop, psychadelic music and hip-hop

As weird as these lyrics and the concept may be, the album is pulled off with such a degree of flair that it doesn't matter. Who cares about how weird the lyrics are when they're this fucking good? I don't, which means you shouldn't either. Get this if you enjoy good music.

Which is here.

Amanda Woodward - La Decadence De La Decadence

2010-03-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

Genre: Screamo

Blog needs more skramz. Euroskramz, that is. Pick it up, enjoy it. Or else. These guys were incredibly influential, and you can't call yourself a screamo fan if you haven't heard this. Well you can, but then I'd be forced to call you a phallus. And you don't want that. Have you ever been called a phallus? It hurts.

Get

Daughters - Hell Songs

2010-03-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Genre: I have no fucking idea. Something metal.

Daughters are a grind/noise/whatever/something/idon'treallyknow metal band that play a spastic, energetic form of metal with a weird catch: the vocalist sings almost entirely in a sort of weird spoken-word drawl. Oh, and the bass sounds like it's going to end your existence. Really. It's that awesome. Hell Songs is their sophomore release; they just released a new album which you can find a stream for a couple of days (though, that link will die).

Get!

Broadcast & The Focus Group - Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

2010-03-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Genre: Experimental

Weirdest music ever. This is like the Dirty Projectors, but not annoying as fuck.
I have no idea how to classify this music, so I'll describe it as eclectic freak-folk/electronica with liberal shades of psychadelic stirred in.

All the songs (bar one) are short too so they don't get boring. This be a COOOL album.

GET

Kickass qwEPs and qwEMOs

2010-02-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some awesome EPs and demos for y'all to boogie down to. Except, some of this isn't really boogie material. Nonetheless these all rule and you need them. Extra music in this post to make up for my horrible lack of postage over the past week. Titles are the download links.

Agalloch - Of Stone, Wind and Pillor

EP; Genre: Black Metal, Folk, Post Rock

It's Agalloch, need I say more? Basically imagine taking a cold shower but you're dry. This music makes you shiver and squirm, but leaves you wanting more. Catchy buzzy black metal riffs surround beautiful folk interludes, and shades of post rock can be distinguished among the tracks. Texture is the focus of the EP, the band's affinity for such evident in their use of acoustic guitar over walls of distorted riffs and their complementing of strings with horns and resonating bass vocal drones.

Summer isn't coming; Arise, Arise
- Kneel To The Cross

Mayhem - Deathcrush

EP; Genre: Black Metal

Mayhem isn't the best black metal act around, but their releases are all varied and worth a listen in any case. Deathcrush is a short and sweet burst of intense, raw black metal and is probably the band's second best release after the classic De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Plus it has a song called Chainsaw Gutsfuck. Worth it just for that.

Cruciamentum - Convocation of Crawling Chaos

Demo; Genre: Blackened Death Metal

Cruciamentum means "torture" in latin. Fuck yeah. This is an awesome slab of old school death metal with some black metal aesthetics. The drumming is absolutely mind-blowing and the production is murky and claustrophobic. Three bestial songs. 18 minutes. No bad parts at all.

Immolation - Hope and Horror

EP; Genre: Death Metal

Immolation proved this year that they were still one of the world's greatest death metal bands with the stellar Majesty and Decay, and fans applaud liberally the classic Close to a World Below but there is an oft-forgotten EP from 2007 which is very listenable indeed. Although the record it preceded was, by the band's standards, nothing special, this extended play is unexpectedly good. However it does lack the massive production from Close to a World Below, tending to come off as more tinny sounding.

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is A Dead Scene

EP; Genre: Mathcore

Best Dillinger release ever. Seriously. Vocals kick ass (Mike Patton), instrumentation kicks ass, music doesn't ever bore. Quirky, insane, jazz-influenced mathcore. Fucking yes.

Solar Fields, Lisa Miskovsky - Mirror's Edge Original Videogame Score (2009)

2010-02-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

In late 2008, a little game was released known as Mirror's Edge. A lot of critics found the story lack and the gameplay somewhat forced; others found the parkour inspired first person action and responsive, intuitive controls refreshing and rewarding. I happen to be one of the people who fall into the second category; I absolutely loved this game for reasons that are beyond me, though my best guess is that it's the first game that makes me feel like the character I'm playing isn't retarded (think of how in a lot of games, you can't swim, or like... in Guild Wars, you can't jump). Basically, given any situation in the game, I always felt like I had the necessary abilities to do it. I loved the game for it's unique visual style, which had a mostly white palette with a heavy emphasis on primary colors for direction.

In addition to all this, however, Mirror's Edge had an absolutely fantastic soundtrack. Ambient and Low-Fi composed by the one man group Solar Fields (with the last two tracks composed by Lisa Miskovsky). The last song, Still Alive, is completely unrelated to the similarly named infamous song from Portal. All in all, the tracks combine city evocative ambience to pulse-
pounding techno, all wrapped up in a crisp, clean production.

Getttttttttt (it's big).

Also, you should play the game.

Smog - Knock Knock

2010-02-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

Genre - Indie, Experimental

Bill Callahan is brilliant. Starting out as an artist whose music had a very experimental aspect to it, he recorded a lo-fi brand of mostly intstrumental music. After about 1993 his music increased significantly in sound quality. He is also now much more lyrically focused and possesses a baritone voice, singing without emotion. The lack of emotion in his voice is not a detriment to the music, rather it enhances the sense of singularity his music already has. His lyrics are also fantastic. Callahan utilizes repetition of simple melodies, chord progressions and so forth in his songs, tending to avoid the typical verse-chorus-verse structure. The tracks are quite sparse, but you'll hear occasional bursts of lushness, which helps keep the music from becoming uninteresting. The song "No Dancing" is a good example of this, laced with guitar fuzz, horns and violins.

Basically this rules and you should get it.

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

2010-02-21T03:59:00.000-08:00

Genre: Indie, Post Punk

There are lots of good singers in the world. Beyonce has a good voice, as does Chris Cornell. Jesse Lacey and Justin Vernon are also individuals to which this label applies (in my superior opinion).

To me, it's pretty special when a vocalist comes along who is truly great. Morrissey is one of them. Blessed with a voice possessing a sort of creamy quality and phrasing to match, his brilliant lyrics soar over the catchy and ingenious jangly guitar lines of Johnny Marr in a songwriting partnership that is extraordinarily hard to find fault with. It manages to s ound deliciously raw, but polished at the same time. People say that The Queen is Dead is The Smith's best. I agree. Everyone needs to hear this album. It's as close as you can get to post punk/indie rock perfection. The atmospheres and melodies contained within this are just beautiful, and you cannot help but be immersed in this record. Seriously man.

Seriously.

Hot Chip - The Warning (2006)

2010-02-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

Genre: Indie

Hot chip are an dance-y indie alt-rock band that have been making some waves for the past few years with their lovable melodic songs. A fuzzy tone gives them a dreamy, smooth sound that goes down easy, Infectious melodies and catchy lyrics give them an amicable sound that's easy to like but sometimes can be rather hard to take seriously. Lots of fun and rather relaxing, worth a listen over their allegedly average new material.

Get me nau!

Darkthrone - The Cult is Alive

2010-02-19T05:15:00.000-08:00

Genre: Black Metal, Crust

Darkthrone are one of the pioneering bands of the second wave of black metal. With three incredibly good albums (Transilvanian Hunger, A Blaze In The Northern Sky and Under a Funeral Moon) they helped shape the face of black metal to come. Wait why the hell am I telling you this. If you follow this blog of course you know who Darkthrone are.
Their later catalogue is sadly nowhere near as good as those three albums, however there are a few gems buried among the relative crap. A worthy ambassador of these oft-ignored records is The Cult Is Alive. At this time the band was combining black metal with liberal amounts of crust punk, which was always a fun listen. If you're not looking for anything deep or inaccessible, try this out. It's a great, catchy crusty black metal album because fuck you black metal elitists. Seriously this is such a cool combination. Black Metal-flavoured punk music with typical Darkthrone vocals is an imperious blend. If you thought black metal was already tongue-in-cheek in general, just check this out.

Also, lyrics are hilariously shit:

All right!
(I) first saw you at the graveyard
nice rack n' all
Creepy & lost in a fucked up head
aftershock dark woods and blurry lights
-"Graveyard Slut"
THRONE OF DARK

Mew - Frengers (2003)

2010-02-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Genre: Indie, Progressive

Mew have quickly become one of my favorite bands, and Frengers my favorite album by them. Shorter and more concise than the last album I posted (No More Stories), Frengers is basically happiness embodied in sound. It's just that awesome. I care about everything just a little bit less when listening to Frengers, it just takes me away.

Give it a shot.

The Island - Orakel (2007) + Black Metal = Klabautamann - Merkur (2009)

2010-02-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

Genre: Progressive Death Metal

The Island is an awesome, awesome death metal band with progressive tendencies. They have this incredible guitar tone with groovy, melodic riffs that make you want to smash kittens. Or whatever. Anyway, knowing this, I figured: if their guitarists are so awesome, then other things they're involved with must be awesome. While this logic is somewhat faulty (correlation is not causation), I happened to be right this time: black metal band Klabautamann features one of Island's guitarists.

In the same vein as Island, this band is progressive, but KBMNN (lol) is black metal and has the soft-quiet dynamic utilized by tons of progressive bands. A word of warning, on the first track, the progression from loud to soft is awkward, but for some reason, every other one on the album is seamless and follows with what they had going. In addition, the quiet sections are more folk and ambient influenced than standard quiet acoustic sections. The riffs are just as retardedly awesome as they are in Island, with bearable black metal vox on top.

Get.

Because I love you, the fans, I will also include a link to Orakel, Island's devastating collection of several years of their work. It slays slays slays. Some of my favorite modern death metal, and it should be some of your favorite too.

Also Get.

Phonz teaches you to House: Deadmau5 - Random Album Title

2010-02-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Genre: Electro House

You know what Canadia is great for? Nothing. I mean, sure, they gave us Cryptopsy (look how that turned out), they gave us Venetian Snares (except, Aaron Funk hates Canadia too), and apparently they gave us Deadmau5. You also have to remember, though, that they gave us Celine Dion, and that outweighs anything good they'll ever do for anyone, ever. That, and they can't even think of a good way to name themselves (come on, if you're from Canada, you're Canadan, or you're a Canadian from Canadia).

However, Deadmau5 is pretty awesome, despite that whole ear-shreddingly bad pop fiasco that was mentioned. Crisp production and smooth beats produce a strong backbone for the band's long song times. Personally, I think the first song is the absolute weakest on the album; all of the others are incredibly solid, and some of them dabble in Aphex Twin atmospheres and ambiance. In fact, why Deadmau5 chose to include the first song at all slightly baffles me. Definitely worth checking out if you like dancing or if you just want a cool album to chill to.

Also, Canadians are awesome.

Qwe Teaches You To Metalcore: Deadguy - Fixation on a Co-Worker

2010-02-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

Genre: Metalcore

You want some awesome metalcore without the boringness? You got it bros.
Deadguy will show you the way. This is the best metalcore you'll hear today unless you listen to Converge or Botch afterwards.

CORE YO METAL

Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! (2007)

2010-02-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

Genre: Ska

I saw this obscure Indie movie called "Wristcutters: A Love Story" this weekend. It was pretty good; rom com with an unusual twist: all the characters have committed suicide and it's set in purgatory/the afterlife. Despite lacking a ton of information, it was good and had a sweet ending, and Phones is a sucker for a sweet ending. However, one of the characters, named Eugene, was styled after Eugene Hutz, frontman of Polka-Gypsy-Ska-Punk-Whatever band, Gogol Bordello. A few of their songs were played in the movie and sparked my interest.

Suffice to say, this is some of the most energetic, delightful and crazy music I have ever heard. Hutz carries the music with his lovable european accented swagger and catchy lyrics, as well as occasionally lapsing into just going blabalbalba (it's really funny every time, you'll know what I'm talking about when you hear it). Lively ska riffs and evident basslines form the backbone of the music, with eastern folk influenced violin and accordion lines adding a unique vibe to the core of their sound. Always upbeat and always incredibly fun, it's a blast and an absolute must listen.

Gypsy Punk.

Hate Forest - Battlefields

2010-02-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

This is a strange release compared to Purity; instead of straight up oppressive, crushing black metal, there is a more atmospheric tinge to Battlefields. While Purity is more focused on crushing you with speedy black metal insanity, Battlefields is almost all slower-paced, doomy black metal. Of special note are tracks 3-6 that that cause the black metal tracks to bookend the album. All four are folk pieces, all sung, and as they progress, they get more urgent and depressing. By the third and fourth folk song, it sounds like a crying child singing. It probably is. It's really unnerving.

Get.

Refused - The Shape of Punk To Come

2010-02-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

Genre: Post Hardcore

Heavy like a train falling on you, catchier than heavy music should be and completely emotionally heartfelt, Refused released this album and punk was changed forever. Or so they say. Incredibly seminal, incredibly awesome, worth the mounds of hyperbolic claims it receives, bla de bler, get now.

Timeghoul - Tumultuous Travelings and Panaramic Twilight demos

2010-02-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

Genre: Death Metal

Timeghoul play pretty techy, thrashy death metal. So dirty. So good. Here's two demos for ya, in one file. Because of the new Immolation I've just generally been on a death metal kick, so expect to see a lot of death from me for a bit, with the occasional odd one thrown in.

If you don't like this you probably don't have ears or something. I dunno.

OBTAIN

Disma - The Vault Of Membros

2010-02-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

Genre: Death Metal (gonna start doing this since labels don't show at the bottom of posts.

When I stumbled upon Disma I almost shat myself. Reading the band's description, I saw that the band's members were from two of my favourite death metal bands: Incantation and Funebrarum. Naturally this demo rules harder than the lovechild of Stalin and Franco. Seriously if you're even a little into death metal this should be a priority for you. The drumming is superb, the riffs are inhuman and the vocals...well...the vocals are courtesy of Craig Pillard (Incantation, Disciples of Mockery) i.e. they destroy. I haven't enjoyed a demo this much in ages.

Die

And one more time, to really drive it home: Nokturnal Mortum - Goat Horns (1997)

2010-02-09T23:41:00.000-08:00

All symphonic black metal sucks a lot.
Except Goat Horns.
Get it.

In a similar vein... Primordial - To The Nameless Dead (2007)

2010-02-09T12:19:00.001-08:00

Folk metal is gay. (except Falkenbach)
Primordial isn't.
Get TTND.

Coalesce - Ox (2009)

2010-02-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Metalcore sucks.
Coalesce don't.
Get Ox.

Defeater, Ceremony and Cursed. Need I say more?

2010-02-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

Defeater

Ceremony

Cursed

Basically don't feel like writing a whole lot tonight, but where these three albums are concerned I'm lucky because I am not required to say much. This is because the albums I have here are so good they need no one ranting on about how good and listen-worthy they are. I mean if you're a hardcore nut you'll have them already.

Simple: If you want some INSANELY good hardcore here you go. And you're welcome.

Signed
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Qwe

Defeater - Travels
Ceremony - Ruined
Cursed - II

Black Sabbath - Self-Titled and Paranoid

2010-02-08T04:21:00.000-08:00

Do you consider yourself a heavy metal fan? Have you listened to Black Sabbath? No? THEN STOP FUCKING LYING. Anyone who hasn't listened to these guys cannot consider themselves a metal fan. This was the band that started it all. Formed in Birmingham in the late 60s, they started as a heavy blues-rock band but became something more. The world's first "heavy metal" band.

Owing their newer, heavier sound to guitarist Tony Iommi's change in technique following a hand injury and also a change in publicity tactics (To quote Ozzy Osbourne: "We saw people coming out of the movie theatres after watching horror movies and we thought 'Why don't we do that, scare people?'") they released their first album, Black Sabbath in February, 1970, on Friday the 13th. Paranoid was released in October of the same year.

It's pretty laughable to think of Black Sabbath as a demon-summoning, blood-drinking bunch of incredibly evil necromancers when we now have Portal, Suffocation and the like, but just imagine what this must have sounded like back then. The down-tuned guitars and violent, creepy lyrical content combined with crushing riffs would have been awesome to behold. This was THE FIRST heavy metal band. I wish I'd been there.

Black Sabbath

Paranoid

Portishead - Third (2008)

2010-02-07T01:54:00.000-08:00

Portishead, along with Massive Attack and a few others, are one of the pioneers of the little known genre "trip-hop". Truth be told, I don't know all that much about the genre, except that it's incredible when done right. Third is Portishead's third (get it?) album, and their first in 14 years. Combining precision instrumental work, gripping atmospheres and incredibly beautiful (but haunting) vocals. The lyrics focus a lot on relationships and despondent emotions (Neon Smile is my favorite track, listen to the vox). This album makes the top 5 of Phones' 08 albums quite easily. Definitely an album to sit back and chill to, and we can always use another one of those.

Album here.

On a side note, me and qwe will try our hardest to post regularly, but as mentioned, many things have come up (women, school, work, women), so sorry for the lack of posting.

Sorry Guys

2010-02-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

Been away for awhile, posting sporadically. Both of us actually. We have our reasons, a lot going on etc. Hopefully posting will pick up in a couple of weeks when Phones and I have sorted everything out.

Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth

2010-02-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

I hate power metal. It's a genre full of boring, contrived acts repeating age-old melodies and harmonic ideas, not to mention the insanely stale lyrical content. It's always "PREVAIIIILLLL" and "FIIIIIIIIRE" and "HEAAAAAAAART" over perfect fourths, fifths or rising sixths. Basically power metal can go fuck itself.

This then, is a rare album. A bona fide good power metal album. And the best part is, this isn't just good. It's bloody INCREDIBLE. The vocals are passionate and soaring, but the production gives them a certain rawness that keeps them from entering "massive pussy" territory.
The music itself is stirring and catchy as hell, standout tracks being "Into the Storm" "Nightfall" and "Thorn" The album has a concept to it, which is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion."

Seriously this blog is so elite it will only post one power metal album ever. And it's this one. That means you should get it.

Trust me.

Japanische Kampfhörspiele - Luxusvernichtung

2010-02-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Oh man oh man is this album awesome. What exactly "this" is is a healthy dose of German grind. Thrashy and fast enough to kill your whole family, but enough fun that you'll keep listening. 55 songs. 38 minutes. The drumming is insane and the riffs are deadly. If you're a grind fan this is a must.

Also everything's in German, which is pretty funny if you want it to be.

GET

Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki - Symphony No. 3

2010-02-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

To be completely honest, my knowledge of the classics, musically speaking, is not very thorough. Truly, the only thing that leads me to post this is that I believe no matter who you are, no matter what you listen to, you must be able to enjoy music like this if you are going to call yourself a fan of music at all. Admittedly, I don't listen to classical music often, but it has always been one of, if not my favorite, genres to appreciate and listen to. A well written metal song might take a few days, a few weeks, maybe a year. A concerto, a symphony... these are years in the making, pieces of art reserved for people who have patience, who can enjoy effort. So, indulge yourself in this moving, beautiful artwork. Where it will take you is up to you and your willingness to give in to the passion of the music. This is where music came from; we are blind to the future if we are deaf to the past.

Indulge.

GZA & DJ Muggs - Grandmasters

2010-01-31T19:11:00.000-08:00

This blog is lacking some hip hop (and actual recent posts, my bad people), so being the generous old rag that I am, I thought to supply you all with an awesome SLAB of the stuff right here right now. And you WILL download it because it's sick as fook.

GZA was the most talented and lyrically interesting of all the Wu-Tang members, known for his inventive comparisons and clever rhymes. Grandmasters is a chess-themed collaboration between him and DJ Muggs, the producer for Cypress Hill.
The beats are brilliant and GZA's unique flow and lyricism will keep you listening all the way through. I love this album so so so much. If you liked Liquid Swords but didn't like the beats then I have two things to say to you: 1) You're a colossal failure and 2) Try this out because it's likely these beats will appeal to you more.

Trust me mang get it.

20 minutes of black intensity (sorry,it's not a crash segment) Deathspell Omega - Mass Grave Aesthetics (2008)

2010-01-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

20 minutes; that's all it takes for this little band to show that they are some of the best around and some of the best that will be.
20 minutes of incredibly well done black metal, of refreshingly bearable vocals, grim leads and stunning pauses.
20 minutes is the time it takes this little band to segue between blazing intensity and quiet insistence more skillfully than most black metal bands can segue between albums.
20 minutes is how long it takes to listen to this album; 20 minutes is not very long at all.
20 minutes later, you will want more.

20 minutes later, you still won't have it.

20 minutes of awesome.

The Bloody Beetroots - Romborama

2010-01-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

Get your bottom moving and boogie and jive and whatever else the kiddies are doing these days.

Here's a sampler for y'all to get a taste

And here's the album

Fugazi -13 Songs

2010-01-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

I occasionally make mixtapes of my music for people I know. These people invariably have inferior music taste to myself and are initially perplexed by the kinds of music present on the discs I burn for them. For example, my girlfriend didn't like Darkthrone or Converge, nor did my sister like The Microphones. My brother liked Summoning though, so that's a point for Qwe.
The problem is that lot of the music I listen to could be percieved as "inaccessible." Sometimes that label pisses me off because inaccessible implies the music having a totally unlistenable nature. However, I will admit that some of my music may take some getting used to. This shits me, because it's hard to show someone who hasn't the listening patience I have music that will take them time to get into.

They all like one band though: Fugazi.

Blending energy and passion with musicality, swagger, catchiness and breathtaking songwriting chops, these guys have crafted a brilliant slab of post-hardcore that basically everyone in the world would like, given half a chance. My mother, father, sister and brother all like Fugazi. From the anthemic "Waiting Room" with its killer opening bassline, to the awesome lyrical phrasing on "Burning," this is seriously a release not to be missed.

Although if you're a huge music elitist like we are, you've probably heard this album already. Aw screw it, even if you have heard it before, GET IT AGAIN MAN

Dangers - Messy, Isn't It (2010)

2010-01-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

2010 has had some pretty shitty releases so far if you listen to shitty music. If you listen to good music, however, then you've already got a golden gem on your hands. Dangers' new album is a 19 song long, 36 minute journey of pure unadulterated hate. Lyrical content ranges from political injustice, social strife and personal struggle, all shouted and screamed in a painful, heartfelt manner. Not only that, but the lyrics are, for the most part, completely discernible, which lends itself to the credibility of the band; not only do they have good writing, they can show it, too. You might be wondering, though; hardcore doesn't survive without the riffs. What about the riffs? The riffs are amazing. Don't worry. Catchy, heavy, creative and more, spread across 19 songs to give all of them life, Messy Isn't It will not dssappoint unless you're ready to disappoint yourself.

Get it here RIGHT NOW.

Gavin Castleton - Home

2010-01-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wow this was a great find. I'd seen this album floating around various locations but had never bothered to check it out. Reading reviews and looking in a few places, I deemed this album as one that merited a listen. I'm glad I did. This is a phenomenal album filled with quirky instrumental turns and insanely funky bass lines. The opening song has an almost broadway-esque vocal delivery and some songs have a definite element of hip hop in them. I say element because there's still room in the music for progressive rock, funk, salsa and electronica. SALSA and ELECTRONICA and PROG ROCK. I mean come ON. The music is all at once catchy as hell, danceable, musically virtuosic and sonically rich. You can keep coming back to the music and each time you'll feel the same rewarding feeling. This album is fantastic and comes highly recommended. Even more highly recommended than normal. Just get it.

Genghis Tron - Cloak of Love

2010-01-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

You know what's awesome? Good grindcore. Y'know what else is? Groovy electronica. But hey, just because both are good doesn't mean they'll be good when combined right? I mean, that's like scooping ice cream on top of a steak. Actually hang on.

Ok so ice cream and steak rules. Gonna call it Steak Cream. Aw man that sounds appetizing as HELL. Anyways back to this band. Their music is a mix of electronic ambiance/groove and grind, the best example of which is the track "Arms" which you can see here:

It's the Steak Cream of the music world and despite seeming like it'll be worth less than the sum of its parts, is a glorious listen, one that is catchy, rewarding, and face melting all at once. This is the coolest extreme music I've heard in awhile, and if you trust me, it'll be the same for you.

STEAKCREAMCORE

While being used for fixtures is nice, The Flashbulb - Kirlian Selections (2004) is also a wonderful ambient/electronic listen.

2010-01-10T01:06:00.000-08:00

All right folks, sorry for being silent for so long. A lot of shit came up and it had to be dealt with... personally. Needless to say, a few less people are making deathcore now, and a few thousand less people are being deluded into believing they are hearing good music. Anyway, excessively candid murder admissions aside, I would like to present you with an amalgamation of musical styles: The Flashbulb. An electronic outfit by prolific musical prodigy Benn Jordan, who plays or programs all instruments on all of his releaes. Kirlian Selections is his 2004 release and is a more laid back and focused effort than his most recent work, Soundtrack to a Vacant Life. Benn Jordan is also an extremely generous man: he offers all of music for free on his website. On Kirlian Selections you will find a 28 song collection of various music styles, ranging from breakbeat to ambient to techno to dance and more. They are all routed in an electronic base, so if you don't like electronic music, you're a terrible person. For convenience, get it right here: click meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Post Rock Times Three (a.k.a. You Listen To Shit Music Let Me Help You)

2009-12-25T05:30:00.001-08:00

Post Rock bands either rule or suck ass. There's no middle ground. I think the reason for this is that There's a very fine line between being boring as shit and being entertaining when it comes to the minimalistic nature of the genre (it becomes immediately apparent when a band is unoriginal in post rock), as well as the general copycat nature of new post rock bands. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is an example of a band that does not bore. Here's a group that is well known for its 20+ minute-long tracks filled with ambiance and dark string arrangements, yet despite the extended passages of silence or ambient noises the music is never boring and always gripping. The atmosphere and mood created by the Montreal 9-piece is such that it draws the listener in without lulling them into a deep slumber.

Too often is the opposite true. Bands such as If These Trees Could Talk, Canyonsofstatic, This Will Destroy You and Russian Circles perpetuate the idea held by many that post rock is the most boring genre of music imaginable, or at least that it is degenerating into said boredom. The reason the genre is essentially turning to shit is because there is very little innovation left, new bands preferring to copy the styles of Sigur Ros or Explosions In The Sky or whatever instead of creating something faintly original.

So boring is most post rock, that bands such as Mono are considered gods of the genre just for keeping one awake whilst listening to their music. This pisses me off. Mono are good, don't get me wrong, but anyone who thinks that their latest album is a classic of the genre needs to listen to more music.

In this post, I've included three albums, all amazing, all interesting, all post rock. Download links are the album names.

Do Make Say Think - Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn

This album is fantastic. It has a jazzy, rustic feel to it and doesn't swear by the old "quietly played theme progressing to earth shatteringly loud version of original theme" unwritten law followed religiously by most bands of the genre. Instead, Do Make Say Think prefer to add layers and textures to the sound, not just increase volume and distortion levels. I cannot recommend this enough.

God Is An Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright

An Irish post rock band focusing more on catchy piano and guitar melodies than buildups and climaxes. That's not to say that there are no typical post rock elements in their music, but they're going for a much more accessible, catchy feel than Godspeed or Tortoise. The music has this icy cold quality to it which manages to sound alternately eerie and extraordinarily groovy. For instant satisfaction this is essential. Oh yeah and it never gets old, did I mention that? Get it now.

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock

One of the first (if not the first) post rock records. Jazzy and ambient, with vocals, this is nothing like Sigur Ros or Mogwai. The transition between "Ascension Day" and "After the Flood" is breathtaking.

Black Metal Krieg Ist oh dammit i messed up Schattenheer - Schattenheer (2005)

2009-12-23T02:37:00.001-08:00

Did you know every time a black metal band plays a bad song, god kills a kitten (or a puppy, if you're partial to them)? Well, that's not exactly true; if it was, there would be no cats, puppies, or tragic inter-breeds left all throughout the world. Black metal is so famous for being consistently bad it's actually SURPRISING when someone does it right. Of course, doing it "right" is, in every sense of the term, purely subjective, which is a long, nonsensical and inevitably pointless debate that I won't get into here. Suffice to say, it is much easier to define what should NOT be done rather than what SHOULD.

For instance, if your vocalist sounds like someone is choking a frog and then recording it...
Please, please, find a new vocalist.
If your vocalist sounds like Jerry the mouse being shin-cracked, you're Cradle of Filth and you know what you did you filthy (get it?), dirty whore (credit goes to my alter-ego-self on Sputnik for that comparison).

Then there's keyboards, which I touched on earlier. Symphonics and metal aren't inherently bad chemistry, but it would not be exaggerating to say almost no one gets that business correct. Guys, you've got to understand, if you're trying to sound evil, juxtaposing your tremolo picked riffs with a purple-ass keyboard is pretty much the first thing on a list of crap you could do to make your record sound less evil.

Other black metal problems include redundancy and repetitiveness, which is to say, every goddamn song sounding exactly the same. Curiously enough, I discovered a band the other day by looking at some side projects of the most repetitive black metal band I've ever heard, Asmodeus. That band sounds like someone recorded one song and then changed the verse length 9 times (the drummer is incredibly talented, however, and deserves a better band). Sometimes black metal bands have the tendency to "rely", you could say, on atmosphere; that is, they play slow, plodding, fuzzy black metal that is, quite boring. Now, you might wonder why it ook a 700 word segue to get here, but as it is, Schattenheer has an extremely excellent atmosphere, complete without retarded keyboards. Once that first riff hits, you know you're in for a ride. 41 minutes of non-stop evil black metal. So, what's the catch?

Well.. the vocalist is only okay. I mean, he does not sound terrible, per se. There's this strange interlude on song one where he alters his voice with an electronic effect and it's kind of out of place (you'll know what I'm talking about). After track 1, though, his voice goes back to normal and you're ready to enjoy some toe-tappingly (irony points) good black metal. If you can look past that, you're in for a grand old time. Get it here, folks: right here click me plz.

...

Seriously, LOOK AT THIS FUCKING CLOWN. STOP IT.

Merry Christmas Everyone From ICBJD

2009-12-21T20:44:00.000-08:00

Now it's time to relax and listen to the beautiful and iconic "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" by brilliant Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto

Panopticon/Lake of Blood - Split

2009-12-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

This is a split release by American one man project Panopticon and relative unknowns Lake of Blood. Seriously this is worth it just for the Panopticon side of the split. I mean Lake of Blood is a pretty good band; they're not atmospheric like Panopticon and play a pretty melodic brand of black metal, but their side pales in comparison to their split-mate's. You know what's awesome about Panopticon? He DOESN'T SUCK. Happy Joey? You better fucking be.

I prefer the other split Panopticon is involved with (the It's Later Than You Think split with Wheels Within Wheels), but if you're hankering for some quality black metal then this is, my friend, is your answer.

Fuck Wolves in the Throne Room, this guy is the best ABM around right now. You don't believe me? Listen to this or I'll take a dump on your chest, Cleveland Steamer style.

Dies Ater - Odiums Spring (2007)

2009-12-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

I hate to make another general post about music, but I'm afraid there's a problem with the black metal of today, too: it sucks. It sounds like a bunch of pussies wanking on their guitars, making themselves feel special inside because, LOOK MOMMA, I can play a tremolo picked riff REALLY FAST.

Good for you.

For the rest of us, it takes more than hyperspeed riffs and "epic" keyboard "compositions" to satiate our man-sized balls (take that any way you want to). To be honest, most of the times I hear a keyboard in music, it makes me want to punch a piano. Fortunately for my hand and for pianos everywhere, I don't own a piano, so I usually just punch a pianist. Either way, every once in awhile, I hear music where the keyboards aren't the most aggrivating thing I've ever heard; those rare records where the keyboards aren't an "element", they're a factor. They play a part in the greater whole and don't COMPLETELY, ANNOYINGLY DETRACT from it. If you've ever heard Nokturnal Mortum, and since we're talking about real men, I'm assuming you have, they are pretty much the best symphonic black metal band ever. Some of you might be screaming at your keyboards, going NO NO NO EMPEROR IS THE BEST.

Nah.

Nokturnal Mortum, aside from kicking ass and taking names and taking kick-ass names, looked at keyboards, and went "you know what, we need TWO of those". Then, as no one else has ever done successfully before or after them, they made it work.

Now, not every band can do two keyboards; Germany's Dies Ater is such a band, with just one keyboardist. But you know why Dies Ater kick ass? Because they rock. Odium's Spring is their latest release, and with the soon-to-be-official crumbling of the band, it will also be their last. On it, however, they are a metal band to the bone; they're not trying to be epic (okay, they are a little bit, but forgive them; they're german, like me; we don't take shit lightly), they are just playing balls-to-the-wall black metal, heavy as hell and absolutely uncomprising. And those keyboards? They're in the background, where they belong, adding to the atmosphere but never detracting from or overpowering it. Not to mention the band are incredibly talented at their instruments and, thank everything holy or unholy or whatever shit you believe in, that the singer is NOT fucking terrible, another problem with black metal today (every little dickwad thinks he can do a black metal scream; I'm looking at you Xasthur). He screams in the native tongue of angry, crazy people, a people I'm proud to be part of: the germans. There isn't an angrier language, and it translates perfectly to the music.

So go on, hit this shit up. If you inherently hate keyboards in music, even more so than me, then you probably won't like this. If you do, however, like heavy, brutal black metal, then go on and try some of what Germany has to offer; you won't be disappointed.

7th Nemesis - Violentia Imperatrix Mundi

2009-12-15T00:25:00.001-08:00

Death metal is awesome, aint it?
Well... Not really. MOST death metal is terrible, derivative trash, just like most music. Awesome death metal is awesome. Semantics, I know, but as it happens, I can tell you two main reasons death metal of today sucks:

Technicality = Quality
Nope. No it doesn't.
Brutality = Quality
Nope. No it doesn't. Fuck off.

Those are often cited by people; I have generalized them and paraphrased them, of course, but their strength is undeniable. I would like to add one more reason, however, that the death metal of today sucks, and it's not metalcore. No, it's production. Because, for some reason, today's generation seems to think that:
More Low End = Heavier = Quality
NO. NO IT DOESN'T.

With that in mind, try to listen to 7th Nemesis knowing that somehow, somewhere, they had this knowledge and decided to squander, crush, torture and execute it. Their debut LP, Violentia Imperatrix Mundi, is a solid serving of slightly progressive modern death metal with a somewhat technical edge. It's mixed pretty well with a chunky low-end that gives it more of a huge sound than an earache. It was released in 2006, and has almost everything you could ask for from death metal: headbangable groovy sections, furious drum-work, solid technical fretwork that is refined and restrained and a heavy-as-fuck breakdown or two (spread amongst 9 songs, there's only two of them).

So why the big rant at the start? Well, 7th Nemesis decided to RErecord Violentia and rename it some bullshit name I don't feel like remembering correctly, something like Archetype of Violent Shitty Production. Yeah. That was probably it. Either way, they decided, fuck the deep end, they are going to take that low-end and drill for the center of the earth. It's loud, it's obnoxious, and it sounds fucking awful.

Stop it death metal. More gain does not equal more fun.

Get the original solid slab of death metal right here: not-shittily-produced-death-metal

Face Crushathon: Time to Burn - Is.Land (2007)

2009-12-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

What's that, boys and girls? You want your faces crushed? Well, step right up, it's time to make a pancake out of that abortion you call a visage (for those of you who are now offended, please click the back button on your browser to a place more suitable for pansies). I can hear you now; quiveringly, you would plead:
"but why, Mr. Phones, why did you crush my face so hard?"

Well it's my job, and since I pride myself on doing my job well, I present this monolith of existence ending, earth-moving sludge/grind. Clocking in at my favorite album of 2007, Time To Burn's Sludgeariffic release Is.Land is one of the heaviest things you will ever hear. I could stop there and tell you to get the fucking album, but to do so would be a great disservice to this band. The vocalist sounds like he is ready to punch the microphone with his face, which makes no sense but does anyway, the guitars sound like dropping a train on your ear and the bass is ever-present and has a muddy mind of its own. A dark, brooding atmosphere is peppered with moments of unimaginable heaviness and clean, tranquil ambient and acoustic sections, just to keep you on your feet. GET IT NOW.

Rudimentary Peni - Death Church

2009-12-14T00:22:00.000-08:00

These guys rule seriously. This release is more accessible than Cacophony. A fantastic listen for those who enjoyed Cacophony or for those who found it a little too weird. In fact just get it. I dare you. Whether you listen to Wu-Tang, Opeth, Converge or Black Flag you need this.

Get

Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury

2009-12-12T06:29:00.001-08:00

Another delicious offering from the dirty south's Clipse, a rap duo from Virginia Beach. Theirs is an accessible yet substantial offering of southern hip hop, with interesting beats, brilliant flow and superb (but not necessarily intricate) lyrics. If you like hip hop then get this. It's pretty simple.

Get

And now Some Crust! The Swarm - Parasitic Skies (1999)

2009-12-11T23:04:00.001-08:00

Some punk is awesome. In fact, most punk is awesome. There are very few types of punk, sub-genres of punk, that are not, in fact, awesome. Do you know these genres? They are third-wave hardcore, a wave I just invented. Third-wave hardcore is DWEEDLE-JUN breakdown repeated 4 times a song. This one time, I was at a concert, and this local "hardcore" band played 13 breakdowns in 3 songs. I almost cried.

Thankfully, other genres of punk make up for this kind of ridiculous derivative pussy bullshit. Crust is just one of those genres, actually sharing more with metal than with punk itself, but still forming out of hardcore and thus identifying with punk. With Cursed's Chris Colohan and members of other infamous 90s hardcore bands (including a member of Left For Dead), you'd be pretty safe assuming this slays the fuck out of the girly sing-breakdown-scream crap they put out today. Well, you'd be right; this release is 8 songs of unstoppable brutality and then a (decently) disturbing outro track which is more or less skippable after the first time you hear it. Either way, get it right now because, just like Cursed, it destroys. Hard.

Alda - Demo Spring 09

2009-12-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Pretty sweet Atmospheric Black Metal from Tacoma, Washington along the lines of Drudkh, Ash Borer and Hate Forest. Short quarter hour of music. Definitely something to watch.

Watch it here. and by watch I mean listen.

Eucalypt - NZ Tour CD

2009-12-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

I've been on a Post-Rock Screamo kick lately. Bands like Envy, Mesa Verde, City of Caterpillar etc have dominated my ears for months. It's time for a change of scene, albeit slightly. I mean I still want my skramz. Don't worry, I have a solution.

Eucalypt was a brilliant screamo band from New South Wales, Australia. They were one of the most emotionally charged groups I've ever heard; they played extraordinarily fast music with incredibly passionate vocals. One feature that distinguishes Eucalypt from many other bands in the genre is the guitarists' tendency to play without distortion. It really works and gives the music a more cutting, edgy feel, especially if you've been listening to distortion and atmosphere for ages (such as moi). This release is pretty rare but is a hard hitting 17 minutes of incredible music.

Get

And on the opposite spectrum: Helios - Eingya (2006)

2009-12-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

So, you got some of the grimmest metal around (You did, didn't you? What? You didn't? Get the fuck out of here). For those of you left, you might want a soothing, ambient piece with which you can reflect on the metal you just indulged upon. Enter Helios (most likely named after the Greek representation of the sun by the same name), an ambient, nature influenced band from Portland, Oregon. Focusing less on post-rock tension building and release and more on enveloping, soothing soundscapes, Eingya's sound also focuses more on electronic sounds and city-like white-noise ambience. A slight electronic edge, strangely, does nothing to deprive the record of a completely organic feel. Eingya is a fantastic release that will get you in the mood for sitting around and doing nothing. In this hectic world, sometimes there's just nothing better than sloth-like relaxation, and Eingya is a perfect, moving piece that stands as a testament to that idea. Get it here.

Ultra Elite: Hate Forest - Purity (2003)

2009-12-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

Drudkh are, without question, some of the best black metal being made today. With albums like Autumn Aurora and their latest Microcosmos, their nature inspired take on atmospheric black metal is both alluring and consistently satisfying. Saying they're some of the best isn't hyperbole; it's just fact. If you take that band apart, however, what do you get?

Well, as it turns out, you get some of the grimmest, heaviest, evilest black metal you can find. With a hilariously ridiculous name and a sound to match, Hate Forest give bands like Anaal Nathrakh a run for their money in intensity. There's just one catch: this band isn't some grindy bullshit, just straight-up, balls to the wall black metal. The vocals might not be for everybody, but the people they're not for are pussies. Get your blacker than black metal right here and enjoy another classy treat from the boys in Ukraine.

New Contrib. - Phones

2009-12-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

we're going ultra elite bitches

Rudimentary Peni - Cacophony

2009-12-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is a weird album. Wonderfully weird in fact. Cacophony is a deathrock/post punk album that is immensely atmospheric and contains strange spoken word passages, many of them (from what I can work out, some are sped up or altered in some way to the point of being indecipherable) excerpts from Lovecraft works. Though very atmospheric, the album does contain many very catchy riffs. The and lyrics are very strong and effective, and as I noted before, pertain to the writing of H.P. Lovecraft. The gloomy, tortured and chaotic nature of the music really does strengthen the subject matter brilliantly. The vocals range from a tortured sneer to screams and yells, and are extremely well done. The album artwork was drawn in pen-and-ink by frontman Nick Blinko. This is an album that is not to be missed. Mindblowingly good.

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Maybeshewill - Sing The World Hope In Four-Part Harmony

2009-12-05T03:02:00.000-08:00

I'm a little slow in my listening, but this is one of the best instrumental records I've heard this year. It kicks Mono's ass and might even give Do Make Say Think a run for their money. The music is alternately aggressive riffs, beautiful piano passages, glitchy drum machine driven electronica and noodly guitar ostinatos. It is an album that is immediately accessible but does not wear off. You will find yourself listening to this much more than you had anticipated because it is just so addictive. If you don't get anything else from 2009 I don't care, as long as you get this.

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Awesome Arty-Rock Special

2009-11-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

So I've been listening to a lot of artsy stuff lately, predominantly Pink Floyd (which is one of the best bands ever), Queen (which is THE best band ever) and The Who (who just rule hard).

Here is some awesome shit for you to sink your teeth into:

Pink Floyd - Meddle

My favourite Floyd album. I love how every transition between each track is quirky yet fits so well. This was the first of their "big" albums: the start of that glorious run of amazing record after amazing record. This was the "hardest" and most edgy of these. Plus it has "Echoes", which has to be one of the best prog epics ever recorded. Only Animals rivals this as their best album.

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Queen - A Night At The Opera

The bombastic, the flamboyant, the catchy, and the musically impeccable Queen has been my favourite band for ages. This album is widely regarded as the apex of their creative output. I agree. This album is fun and catchy as hell but in a good way; a way you don't get bored of. Ever. Plus it has "Bohemian Rhapsody", which has to be one of the best rock epics ever recorded.

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The Who - Who's Next

So yeah these guys were just awesome. They made hard, heavy, loud, anthemic rock tunes that KILLED. Daltrey's voice suited the music like no one else's voice could. The rhythm section was unbelievably brilliant, and the songwriting superb. I don't think there has ever been a better pop-rock band (and that is what they essentially were.)
Plus it has "Baba O'Riley", which is the best use of power chords ever recorded.

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Isis -The Red Sea

2009-11-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

Yknow what, since no one listens to GOOD Isis, I thought I'd put this up too so they can hear some more.

this is less post rockish than Mosquito Control, and I actually think I prefer it. See what you think.

Here

Isis - Mosquito Control EP

2009-11-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

Now I don't really like Isis much. Their sound is boring and contrived because all they're doing is making the same album over and over again. I really could not stand their latest release except for the gem "Ghost Key." This has been going on for 3 albums (since Panopticon). Their last good album was Oceanic, but there was an EP before it that a lot of people haven't heard. Mosquito Control.
If you prefer raw, less pretentious Isis, then this is for you. If you don't, and prefer Panopticon and all that shiznit...then you're probably one of those people who thinks Tarantino was the start of good cinema.

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Elliott Smith Double Whammy Bonanza

2009-11-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Can you think of any artist who hasn't ever released a bad song? I can: Elliott Smith. This guy was a breathtakingly talented acoustic artist who took his influences from The Beatles and the Beach Boys. His music isn't as cheerful as that though. I mean the guy killed himself so yeah. I have yet to find someone who dislikes Elliott Smith's music. Don't be that guy.
These are widely considered his two best albums.

Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Elliott Smith - XO

This Is Your Captain Speaking - Storyboard

2009-11-26T08:03:00.001-08:00

I haven’t yet listened to any Australian post-rock that I haven’t liked. Whether it be Because of Ghosts’ haunting The Tomorrow We Were Promised Yesterday, any release by the earthy, organic and beautiful Dirty Three, or math/post/something-rock heroes Pivot, every release has intrigued and entertained me to some degree. Storyboard, the 2005 release by Victoria’s This Is Your Captain Speaking, continues Australian post-rock’s impressive track record.

A storyboard is a graphic organizer such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in a sequence for the sake of pre-visualizing a large-scale visual project such as a motion picture or animation. By this definition, This Is Your Captain Speaking could not have picked a better name for their debut. Each song does not really tell an individual story or convey an individual idea so to speak, but each contributes to the skeleton of a possible story. These aren't fully fleshed out postulations, rather each song is like a different image on a storyboard. I’d like to think that a large part of what separates good post-rock bands from mediocre ones is their ability to tell a story with instruments rather than lyrics. It is a technique that I really do value in this stagnating genre.

And these guys are really good at it.

One of the major strengths in this release is the interesting production. The entire album was recorded live in a school library, and every now and then one will hear sounds typically associated with school life, such as a child laughing, a game in the schoolyard, or the footsteps of a teacher. It is quite astonishing how much depth these sounds can add to the album. Not only does it add to the overall atmosphere of the album sonically, but it also gives one an idea of where these guys are coming from. For example, at the end “A Wave to Bridget Fondly,” overbearing and dark sounding guitar and percussion fades, making way for a melody played by a glockenspiel. This intertwines with a very similar melody played on none other than a mandolin a few intervals lower. The song ends with the sound of children squealing and laughing outside.
What really impressed me about the ending to this song is how the timbre of the two instruments as well as the way the melody is constructed actually do sound very “childish,” for want of a better word, and the samples of children playing cement this “childishness” in the listener’s mind. Was the band trying to tell a story in this song? I don’t think so. Were they trying to convey an idea or thought? Definitely.

The idea that the band is intending to personify different thoughts sonically is expressed in every song. A strong example of this is “6 pm” which opens with an interesting percussive line that sounds like a cash register, punctuated by glockenspiel notes. Another good example, “Angels,” is much more atmospheric than any of the other tracks on the album, with liberal use of bowed guitar giving it an ethereal sound. The band even manages to sound like Do Make Say Think on the sparse, earthy sounding “Weathered.”

The highlight of the record is undoubtedly the opener, the 18-minute epic “Gathering Pieces.” It starts off with a tentative guitar line played with the odd accent here and there, lending a sporadic feel to the music. It is joined by another guitar played as a counterpoint. The opening really does sound like there are little fragments being drawn together. The first time I listened to “Gathering Pieces,” I pictured little orbs of light coming together to form a larger orb. The addition of a glockenspiel adds to this feel. 18 minutes is a long time, but the song never feels drawn out. The band manages to vary the melody and textures enough over time to keep the music interesting. There are no huge buildups with a massive climax at the end a la Godspeed You! Black Emperor, where the end is usually a louder and denser version of the original theme. “Gathering Pieces” is brilliant because the melodies are beautiful and captivating, and at the same time encapsulate what pieces coming together could sound like and manages to sound epic without the traditional (and much overused) epic climax. In the storyboard that This Is Your Captain Speaking is trying to capture with their music, they have crafted a beautiful, visceral and captivating opening scene.

There is only one problem with this album, and that is that some parts will sound like they have been done before. Certain guitar melodies or arpeggios and the occasional overuse of tremolo picking may strike up a feeling of déja vu in some cases. The percussion section could have also been a little more inventive, but these are pretty minor gripes.

I could go into detail about every song on Storyboard, but it would take ages and, quite frankly, bore the hell out of anyone reading, but simply put, this album is a great listen. It draws you in from the opening guitar line and takes you through seven different ideas, starting with a gathering, going through the early morning and expressing childishness that comes out of darkness. Weariness follows, but then something happens that elevates one out of the lethargy, continuing the journey that ends hauntingly, with the music fading away.

This review was written originally for Sputnikmusic.com

Get the album HERE

The Blue Letter - Prima Facie

2009-11-24T21:53:00.001-08:00

The Blue Letter is an awesome fucking band that plays an awesome fucking combo of screamo and post rock. It's really delicious. The only problem is that once you listen to it most other bands of this nature seem superfluous. If you like Funeral Diner, City of Caterpillar or Mesa Verde, this is for you.

Listenordie

Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb

2009-11-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

One of the best albums of all time. Horn lines are spot on and catchy, and the lyrics are really something special. Frontman Tomas Kalnoky is an extremely gifted storyteller and has an extraordinarily passionate vocal delivery. Get this album now. This is the album even ska haters like.

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