Mos Def - The Estatic (320) (2009)

This album is better than you. From the opening Malcom X soundbite to the closing piano of Casa Bey, there really isn't a track that isn't worth listening to. So listen to them. The samples, production, and lyrics are all great. Though obviously, his pseudo-singing and odd choices for delivery at some points will certainly be off-putting to some. But screw them.

I love this album more than I love my own wife. Or at least I would, if I was married.


What was I talking about again?





Oh, right!



I didn't know we were playing fight night!

65daysofstatic - Heavy Sky EP (320) (2010)

Unlike others, I did not write off 65dos's latest LP We Were Exploding Anyways as "stupid dance music;" nor did I think it was the point where the Sheffield natives who created such beautiful electronic post-rock gems as Aren't We All Running? and Radio Protector jumped the musical shark. However, I did understand where those critics were coming from, as it seemed 65dos had decided to, for the most part, leave behind the sound from their first two records that brought them so much acclaim. In a way, I applaud that they did what many bands are afraid or unwilling to do.

However--this EP shows that they haven't quite made as sharp a turn away from that sound as the LP released earlier this year may have indicated. And even though I didn't hate the LP, I can't pretend that I'm not completely stoked to finally hear this. This is the aural equivalent of seeing active brainwaves in a coma patient: you have no idea whether the patient will ever wake up, but it's nice to know that they're still in there. I have no idea where 65dos will go from here, but I know that I will be there sitting by their bedside just in case they decide to come out of their coma.

Guitar cascades

Siad & Yesha DapoED - The Visualz Anthology (V0) (2008)

For the record, I know that I am not usually the source of much underground hip-hop.

Now shut up and download this. It's good shit.

Just a day like any other

Nine Black Alps - Locked Out From the Inside (320) (2009)

I'm not too familiar with Nine Black Alps, but Everything Is enjoyable, no? This album was released on their own label "Lost House Records" which may account for the very small amount of attention it's received. After two listens, the album proves itself to be better than Everything Is, both lyrically and sonically. Nine Black Alps manages to do the whole "HEY! We got melody AND Heaviness!" thing without settling for mediocre elements of both like many modern groups.

Then again, this is all opinion and from an author that has terrible taste in music, so keep that in mind.

Seriously, I'm a Yeezy fan. I'm so mainstream.

The Local - Low Indigo (Bonus Disc Only) (2010) (FLAC)

Oh lawdy.

Takes an ocean not to break

Blue Sky Black Death - A Heap of Broken Images (320) (2006)

Hip-Hop. Two discs. Both instrumental and not. It's good. Trust me. Short phrases. Infrequent blog updates.

I guess I should put a link up, or something.

Eskmo - Eskmo (320) (2010)

Great beats, great melodies. Very unique sounding electronic album, kind of a glitchy trip-hop type of sound. Best song is the opener Cloudlight, possibly my favorite track of 2010 so far.

Floating in magically colorful pieces of sky

At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command (320) (2000)

Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez's band before they splintered off and formed The Mars Volta. Post-hardcore cornerstone. Masterpiece. Just listen to it.

Arcarsenal

TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (V0) (2006)

Per request. TVotR returns with some new faces, including David Bowie, who does guest-vocals on the track Province, and Jaleel Bunton, who provides the first actual drums on a TVotR album.

TvOTR don't really deviate from what made Desperate Youth such a great album. Instead, they treat their sophomore effort as an outline and use Cookie Mountain as a medium to flesh out the finer points. I Was A Lover is one of the better opening tracks I've heard, with Massive Attack's Teardrop used as a very basic sample before TV On the Radio layers it with horns, guitar, and Malone and Adebimpe's unique vocals. Wolf Like Me is probably the closest TVotR has ever come to actual in your face, driving rock-and-roll. For my money, the strongest track is the second-to-last one, Tonight, featuring what I firmly believe is the strongest vocal effort on any TVotR album.

Bottom line is that TV On the Radio isn't doing much of anything differently here, they're just doing everything better, which is pretty damn impressive and makes for a great listening experience...or ten.

Your rusty heart will be fine, in its telltale time

State of Mind - Faster Than Light (320) (2009)

Drum N' Bass.

Division Ten.

Boris At Last -Feedbacker- (320) (2003)

Jonathan Davis of Korn was once quoted as saying this on an advertisement of a video game called Haze: "Gaming for me is a religion. And Haze is the shit. I had to come up with a track that can hit up that kind of rush I get from the game and I think we really rocked it!!"

Now that quote by itself sounds both stupid and ridiculous. But if we change several words in that quote, it can sound like he is talking about Boris. "MUSIC for me is a religion. And BORIS is the shit. I tried to come up with a track that can hit up that kind of rush I get from FEEDBACKER and I think we really FUCKED it UP!!"

And there you have it. Jonathan Davis loves Boris. A random review of this album I remember reading described this album by saying it was as diverse as Akuma no Uta, and as cohesive as Flood. That sounds like a good way to describe it. Why the hell not, right?

It probably has more in common with Flood and Amplifier than it does with Heavy Rocks or Pink, if that helps as a point of reference. The album was written to be experienced as one long track, and it is about 43 minutes long. The first track is about ten minutes of building up for the second track, so keep that pacing in mind. Expect serene soundscapes being slowly overtaken by electric wail (provided by the Les Paul wielding guitar goddess Wata) before exploding into gorgeous amounts of feedback and percussive stomp. If that sounds like your thing, this album is for you. It's fair to say this may not be the perfect starting point for Boris, as that role might be filled better by Akuma No Uta or Pink, but it's definitely worth a listen.

Cover kinda creeps me out, though.

The Roots - Organix/Do You Want More?!!!??! (320) (1993/1995)

Per request.

Dubious Edit: Just dropping in to remind you that the Legendary Roots Crew is better than you.

Organix
Do You Want More?!!!??!

TV On the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (V0) (2004)

TV On the Radio are a band that are, among other things, impossible to pigeonhole, and it is perhaps this single quality that makes their sophomore album as good as it is. There are so many different influences that intermingled to create this sound that trying to identify them all would probably feel like a really awkward family reunion where everyone is technically related but no one really knows anybody else, so I will avoid trying to list them all and instead hit a few of the key ones: soul, funk, jazz, electronic, hip-hop, and even doo-wop.

What makes this album work is not just the obscenely good vocals of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, but the perfection in which they are implemented within each track: sometimes soft, letting the often industrial guitars and programmed drums drive the song (King Eternal); at other times forceful and demanding to be the center of attention (Dreams). The middle track, Ambulance, is completely a cappella--a risk for any band to take, but which Adebimpe and Malone pull off flawlessly. Lyrically, the album is sublime and deep, covering topics from racism to war to love while never missing a beat.

If you've never listened to TV On the Radio before, they can sound disjointed at first--even awkward. I would classify this album as a grower simply because I believe it takes multiple listens to appreciate every subtlety that the band buried deep into this record.

Staring at the sun

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (320) (2010)

Friend's review: I liked the first half, but the second half seemed like the thirty-fifth day of an endless party, if you know what i mean. also, fire the drummer.

9.4/10

Park that car, drop that....wait. Wrong album.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (320) (2000)

Per request. I have a Russian test tomorrow and therefore no time to write my own review. Not that I would want to try and write a review for this album. I'll let Sputnik do my talking for me.

So much of the music that we hold dear stands side by side with us, as our peer, joining hands or marrying voices or calling to arms, but for all the inspiring qualities of Lift Your Skinny Fists it is never once a viable possibility that the minds behind the composition of its schizophrenic and soaring peaks and troughs are Just Guys That Went To Your School. Godspeed You! Black Emperor are better than you and me; they can do things you and I aren't capable of, and they can do them despite, and because of, their pretentious, elaborate self-indulgence.

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven is the sort of record which doesn't have hooks because the very idea of listening to a minute of the last dramatic surge is blasphemous and because everything relies on everything before it and everything after it in order to work. Many people have claimed that Godspeed's shorter and more digestable EP Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada is more concise and therefore better, but the two records are simply different; Lift Your Skinny Fists is the work of a group of incredible musicians and artists, unrestrained, unleashed and totally off the rails. In the hands of a band less than sublime it would be a veritable train wreck, but in the possession of Godspeed You! Black Emperor it is simply life-changing. Set aside some uninterrupted time and all of your pre-conceptions, ignore everything I just wrote and listen to this album right from the start right to the finish. You'll know what I've been trying to say.

Welcome to ARCO AM/PM Mini Markets we would like to advise our customers that any individual who offers to pump gas wash windows or solicit products is not employed by or affiliated with this facility we discourage any contact with these individuals and ask that you report any problems to uniformed personnel inside

Carissa's Wierd - Songs About Leaving (V0) (2002)

There's a line with "sad" albums. You have to communicate whatever anguish, despair, loss, pain, depression, or misanthropy through the medium of your sound, which can be difficult to pull off. Lots of bands wind up simply sounding flat and boring at this point. If you can pass that first test, though, there's another line: you can't be over the top. If it's hyperbolic sadness, it's unbelievable, and if it's unbelievable, there's nothing for your listener to connect to. This is why many bands labeled "slowcore" or, as I prefer, "sadcore," reject the label. They want the bitterness in their music to sound natural, rather than forced.

Carissa's Wierd second album, Songs About Leaving, passes both of these tests with flying colors. This is by far one of the most depressing albums I have ever heard, in particular lyrically, but also musically. The album actually features two singers: Mat Brooke (who would go on to form Band of Horses with Ben Bridwell, who played bass for CW), who sings on the majority of the tracks, and Jenn Ghetto, who has an absolutely beautiful voice and who I would have liked to have heard more from. Can't have everything, I suppose. Still, Ghetto's final chorus on So You Wanna Be A Superhero is absolutely chilling:

My dreams are full of what's not real
I'll fly away to save the world
I'll make you proud someday
I just won't be around to see your face
My life is full of what's not here
I'll go away and save myself
I'll make you proud someday
I just won't be around to see your face

I do believe that if many singers attempted a chorus like that, they would immediately break the over-the-top law. With Ghetto, however, there is never any doubt that these words are coming straight from her soul. Same with Brooks' lyrics. And the thing is, the entire album is like this, and it's brilliant from start to finish--there is no let up. There is no relief. But there's also never any question of it being fake. This is a tragically real record.

Sofisticated fuck princess please leave me alone

Corrosion of Conformity - Wiseblood (320) (1996)

Wiseblood was released 2 years after Deliverance, an it certainly sounds like it. That's not a bad thing, however. This album is thoroughly enjoyable. If you like Deliverance, you'll probably like this album.

Mr. Tambourine play one more song for me, 'Cause I gotta leave, I lost what I believed

Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites (320) (2005)

Per request. This is one of the worst album covers I have ever seen in my life. Minimize your media player or tuck your iPod in your pocket so you don't have to look at it and listen to the music, which is luckily a lot more beautiful. If you listened to Frengers and liked it but thought, like me, that it was a little too disjointed and more of a collection of tracks than an album, you should download this one immediately. This one is far more seamless throughout--literally, all of the tracks flow together by design. This is also just more of an interesting album, if you want my opinion. It might not be your immediate reaction to apply the "progressive" label to this band, but this album may merit it.

Care lines, care lines thumped it up (I have no idea)

YOU KNOW US...

That's why I hold you...

Kashiwa Daisuke - Program Music I (V0) (2007)

Holyshitdoublepost

I've listened to this album four times now in the past three days. I have a long list of new albums that I need to sort through, but the problem is that every time I listen to this one I discover something new about it that I never noticed before, and then it makes me appreciate it on a whole new level, and I have to listen to it again. So far this seems to be an infinite loop.

This is Kashiwa Daisuke--who is, in case you didn't guess, from Japan. Or at least that's what most people believe--one of the RYM reviewers believes Daisuke might be a cyborg from outer space. After hearing this album, I'm not ready to dismiss the possibility that this might be some kind of peace offering from an advanced civilization. I can picture a civilization watching us, slowly observing our musical evolution, and then taking Earth's musical output, combining it with their futuristic abilities, and creating a hybrid alien/human record that showcases the flawless trademarks and characteristics of both civilizations' appreciation of the power that music can have on an ordinary human or alien being.

There's so much to this album that I really don't know where to begin. There is a modern classical base, with strings, piano, and occasional programmed drums providing the skeleton and driving most of the album. This, I would subject, is humanity's side. The alien side is where this album gets interesting, as glitch--intentional skips or stutters--run throughout. If the idea of cathartic strings and piano being interrupted by electronic jitters gives you pause for concern, let me say I completely understand where you might be coming from, as I was in that same camp. I honestly believe now though that the electronic manipulation could not have been done any more beautifully. It works perfectly.

Structurally, the album is divided into two tracks. Stella, which is apparently from what I have read a love story, runs for 36 minutes and rises and falls between periods of intensity and blissful, calm, glitchy ambiance. I can't stress enough how well the dynamics of the album were pulled off--it seems almost natural. Other artists struggle with this, and their songs hit their peaks and the listener isn't quite ready for it, and it's frustrating. Program Music was scary, the first time I listened to it I could have sworn it was somehow a sentient being, rising and falling with my mind's natural fluctuating temperament. Very few albums, even by successful bands, can do anything close to that. The second track, Write Once, Run Melos, is not quite as naturally flowing as Stella. The transitions are more obvious and more abrupt. However, I think I like it just as much if not maybe even more so than Stella. Something about the piano lines throughout just completely wow me, and the crescendo at the end is something to behold.

Bottom line is, you can't go wrong with this album.

Stella

Cherry Ghost - Thirst For Romance (V0) (2007)

This is the Cherry Ghost album that does it for me--as much as I love their newly released Beneath This Burning Shoreline, their debut is just slightly more polished. To me the tracks overall are stronger and it's more consistent than the follow-up. Sonically, you're not going to notice much difference--same semi-lo-fi, country-tinged, British indie music. Simon Aldred's vocals are still strangely hypnotic and his lyrics, once given time to be absorbed, help give the songs a depth that may not be immediately apparent.

Mountain Bird

Candlemass - Nightfall (320) (1987)

Dubious will no longer be posting albums for Mandatory Metal Mondays leaving me to take over his duties. I am excited to start sharing some albums that are a bit different from the last few (awesome) stoner metal albums that have been posted to fulfill MMM.

I’ll try not to start off too ambitiously by posting the second album by the seminal yet criminally underrated Swedish band Candlemass. Candlemass were one of the first bands to be officially labeled as “doom metal”, many even claim that they started the genre. As with many metal bands from Sweden Candlemass’s guitar parts place a much higher emphasis on melody than other bands playing a similar style of music at the time (for those not familiar with the genre, doom metal can be best compared to a heavier, slower “Masters of Reality” era Black Sabbath). Although Nightfall does contain many heavy-as-hell riffs that would make Tony Iommi proud (At the Gallows End, Well of Souls) most of the riffs in this album are comprised of non-muted notes that give the album a much more atmospheric, depressing, sound than what was usually heard from the aforementioned guitarist.

I also feel that some credit is due to the band’s lead guitarist at the time, Lars Johansson. Lars may not be remembered in history as the most soulful guitarist, nor will he be remembered as the most technically gifted one, but his leads on this album show a maturity that is not commonly heard in metal. Although he can play fairly fast and makes use of popular shredding techniques such as sweep picking and tapping he utilizes them in such a way that his solos are still melodic and memorable (Well of Souls, Samarithan), which I think is definitely worth mentioning.

Possibly the most recognizable part of Candlemass though is their singer at the time, Messiah Marcolin. Messiah has a soaring, melodramatic voice that puts many 90% of “good” metal singers to shame. Although people unfamiliar with Messiah’s style may initially feel overwhelmed by his singing (even now I become a bit annoyed occasionally by his extremely frequent use of vibrato) I still consider him to be one of the best vocalists I have ever heard and I urge new listeners to give his voice some time to grow on you, it’s definitely worth it in the end.

Overall Candlemass is a band that must be listened to by any person who considers themselves to be a fan of metal, especially anybody who likes the slower, heavier style of bands such as Black Sabbath. Although the band’s first album “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” (great album title, or greatest album title?) and fourth album “Tales of Creation” are commonly cited as Candlemass’s best efforts along with Nightfall I still find that this is probably the easiest album of theirs to get into and possibly their best. Enjoy.

One day I saw a man, dressed in rags with a staff in his hand, begging for a penny to survive...

Queens of the Stone Age - Queens of the Stone Age (320) (1998)

Ah yes, QOTSA's self-titled debut. At the time of this album's recording, the line-up consisted of Joshua Homme, Alfredo Hernandez, and Homme's alter ego - Carlo Von Sexron. It's sound is quite different from it's follow up "Rated R," and it's kind of surprising how even people familiar with QOTSA's work have never listened to this album.

The album doesn't have the production work or variety of QOTSA's later albums, but it is still a vital part of the band's discography and some of the Homme's best work. A sort of heavy-metal minded attitude to riffing and distortion dominates the albums sound, but not in the way the average listener would expect. It's feels warm and fuzzy, rather than aggressive and crushing. Hardly surprising if one is familiar with Homme's work. Can't accuse him of treading the beaten path.

This life is a trip you're psycho in love, and I know.

DJ Krush - Jaku (320) (2004)

Per request.

Soo many clouds...

Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss (320) (2006)

It's been awhile since I've upped any post-rock, which is a damn shame, because...well...post-rock kicks ass. This is a 5-piece band from England, which has lagged behind a little bit in development of their post-rock scene but seriously kicked some ass from the mid to late years of the most recent decade. This album being a prime example. The GY!BE comparisons will somewhat rightfully get thrown about here, but I hate using it because if you've never heard this album before, you should not go into it with that sort of comparative mindset. The sound may be similar to GY!BE with the strings, horns, and drums, but GY!BE had an eclectic, apocalyptic atmosphere that Yndi Halda abandons, bringing instead a fresh and more uplifting sound. Very good stuff and definitely worth a listen.

We flood empty lakes

Burial - Untrue (320) (2007)

You're walking through the city. The pitch black skies are broken only by the occasional half-lit neon sign, random passing cars, and the glimmer of skyscrapers illuminating the horizon in the distance. The streets are still wet from the rain that continues to fall in a drizzle. You take a wrong step, trip and fall into a recently created puddle. Your clothes are soaked and the chill overtakes you as you start to shiver. The noise of you falling attracted the attention of a few nearby thugs, who promptly walk over and hold you up. You give them your wallet, car keys, credit cards, wristwatch, and shoes. They leave. You're now walking through the wet streets, barefoot, shivering, and soaking wet, with no money, identification, or means of transportation. Gradually you realize that the city, though tantalizing with its faraway glimmering lights and comforting network of communities, is actually a dangerous, lawless, and unforgiving place.

But damn does it sound beautiful.

Ghost hardware

The Sword - Warp Riders (320) (2010)

"But I don't want any more Heavy Metal!" SHUT YOUR GOD DAMN MOUTH! You're going to listen to it and like it.

This album is pretty awesome. The lyrics tell a classic sci-fi/fantasy inspired tale (which the cover reflects) about an archer on another world. Or something. It's less grounded story than 2001: A Space Odyssey, but not as "out there" as something like The Integral Trees.

In terms of sound the riffing is thick and stoner-metally (new adjective?), and the drumming and bass work are an excellent fit. Having never listened to the band before this album, it was a bit of a shock. Expectations being completely surpassed can do that.The only semi-negative thing I can mention is that the vocals put me off for about ten seconds. This random twitter update can give you an idea of the sound.

To be fair, the initial "This album is fucking awesome" feeling may still have a hold on me. But after three complete plays, there isn't a track that needs to be skipped. Seems to be the same story for Age of Winters, but that is a story for another post.

Everything from Texas is just a little bit better than everything else.

Why? - Alopecia (V0) (2008)

This is probably the closest I'll ever come to posting a hip-hop album. I don't even really know where to begin in describing this album. Calling it a blend of indie rock and hip-hop doesn't really seem to do it justice. Every song on this album still seems incredibly unique and original to me two years later, from the deservedly popular tracks These Few Presidents and Fatalist Palmistry to the incredibly catchy opener The Vowels Pt. 2 to the irresistible laziness of Good Friday. Every song on this album is good, and the main reason is Yoni Wolf's brilliant lyrical abilities. Describing the lyrics as abstract would be an understatement for the most part, and yet Wolf's witty one-liners (I sleep on my back because it's good for the spine...and coffin rehearsal), cheeky but honest self-reflection (If I'm not raw, I'm just a bit underdone) or his attempts at channeling love through his pen (I'm lucky to be under the same sky that held the exhale from your first breath) seem to flow naturally throughout the course of the album. It seems like every single song has a lyric or two (or three or four) that just make you stop. Even now, two years after it was released, I'm still marveling at them.

Don't think that this is simply a lyrical masterpiece. The music itself is near quality. Wolf definitely has one of the more unique voices I've ever heard, but I found myself instantly in love with it, whether he's rapping or singing. The hooks are very catchy without obviously standing out, which is a plus for me. The transitions between the more hip-hop orientated tracks and the indie-rock tracks are seamless.

Yours is a funeral I'd fly to from anywhere

Slowdive - Just For a Day (320) (1991)

Now that I'm finally getting over the loss of my wisdom (or did I gain wisdom? I haven't quite figured that out yet, I guess), I hope to be able to post a lot more. And I feel like this is a pretty damn good album to kick things off with.

Slowdive often gets lost in the shuffle of the 90s British shoegaze movement, which is a damn shame because they may well be the most pure representation of the genre. Masterpieces such as Ride's Nowhere and MBV's Loveless are given considerable praise, and rightly so, but Just For a Day, released the same year as Loveless and only one year after Nowhere, is criminally underrated and underappreciated. Even among Slowdive fans, preferential status is often given to their second album, Souvlaki, which was released two years later. And while Souvlaki is a damn fine album, for me it's never been able to top their debut.

This album conjures up all of the metaphorisms for shoegaze: dreamy, hazy, lush, ethereal. But whereas Ride is sometimes just a little too poppy and MBV sometimes is just a little too harsh, Slowdive's debut doesn't do anything terribly fancy. You have your layered, delayed guitar washing over the tracks, giving each of the tracks a very tranquil, almost lazy sensation--at least to start with. Slowdive very carefully manipulated the dynamics of each track, breathing life and individual spirit into each song without overdoing it. The crescendo on the final track (Primal), for example, is different from, say, your average post-rock crescendo, in that it gradually builds from soft to loud in a way that very few bands, even great bands, are able to do. It's the subtleties such as these that complete the album: the rhythmic, hypnotic drumming of the opener Spanish Air, the triplets throughout Ballad of Sister Sue, the simple but chillingly melancholic piano line softly repeated throughout Erik's Song.

If you're a fan of shoegaze and haven't heard this yet, you owe it to yourself to give this a listen.

Catch the breeze

Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises (2010) (320)

Sun Kil Moon's Admiral Fell Promises is a solo album from Mark Kozelek. Not to be confused with the solo work put out under his name. But this one actually IS a solo album, with most of the songs being absent of anything but Kozelek and his nylon stringed guitar. As always, I'm keeping this description brief. I'm really enjoying this album. Third and Seneca and Half Moon Bay are my favorite tracks so far. As for the albums sound, it sounds like Mark Kozelek and a classical guitar. The lyrics and vocals are more calm and reflective, and don't get melodramatic. I imagine that many people will probably not be as fond of this album as others, but if your a fan of a acoustic guitar-based music and Kozelek's work, you'll probably find something to enjoy in this album.

Drowsy Idaho, an accurate description.

Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today (320) (2007)

HP Lovecraft. Wiichcraft. Occult crap. Drugs. That about covers the lyrical content.Sonically, they earn their genre label, "Drone Doom." Taking that dark, slow sound of drone groups like Sunn 0))) and the doom metal of Master of Reality-era Black Sabbath. Crackling amplifiers and booming base with a heavy groove is the M.O. here. They are loud.


It's not quite as engrossing as Dopethrone or Come my Fanatics...but's a good album if you're in to the genre, or are looking for something dark and heavy to try out.

Edited on (08/30/2010).


Who doesn't love H.P. Lovecraft?

Alabama Thunderpussy - Staring at the Divine (2002) (320)

Awhile ago, fellow poster postshoegaze made remark that now that Mandatory Metal Monday is over, the blog can get back to "real music." I treated it like a joke, but it reflects a sentiment that many people have towards heavy metal/hard rock influenced music.

I find my self coming back to these Stoner Metal bands for my "loud and heavy as fuck" fix. I think there's a certain comfort to be found in those heavy down-tuned riffs. And ATP does that flawlessly. Motor-Ready has to be one of the best Metal riffs I've heard, and the rest of the album is equally as awesome. Tracks like Hunting By Echo have an unexpectedly melodic side while simultaneously maintaining that relentless heavy riffing and powerful vocals, and even a mellow(er) track like Twilight Arrival doesn't seem out of place. To make it even better, the album isn't compressed to the point of sounding like complete shit, like many modern metal albums.

tl;dr version - I like this album. I will buy it if I find it. Edit

Great album cover, or greatest album cover?

Cherry Ghost - Beneath This Burning Shoreline (320) (2010)

I haven't as of yet heard Cherry Ghost's debut record, but after listening to this one I won't be wasting any time in checking it out. This is a very mature-sounding record, similar in sound to a band like Tindersticks or The National: an indie, post-punk tinged chamber pop record. And it's very awesome. Simon Aldred's voice fits these songs like a glove, and the production brings everything together--not lo-fi, but definitely not clean, either, a bit raw. Definitely one of the top albums of the year, and I have a feeling this one will continue to grow on me as I delve deeper into the songwriting.

Been kissing strangers

Bill Hicks - Relentless (1992)

Bill Hicks is often described as an angry comic, and while I suppose that's an accurate description of the nature of his material, to me it doesn't describe the full breadth of what his comedy was about. An angry comic like Lewis Black (as an obvious example), to me at least, embraces that label of an "angry comic" and specifically searches for material that will be a catalyst for that rant-style performance ("WE CAN'T FIND OSAMA BIN LADEN?!?!?! IT'S BEEN NINE YEARS AND WE CAN'T FIND AN ARAB ATTACHED TO A DIALYSIS MACHINE!!!). I don't get that same feeling from Bill Hicks. To me, it seems as if Hicks starts talking casually about things like smoking, war, Christianity, pornography--almost as if he were just talking to himself--and then naturally gets angry at the realization of how fucked up the world and our society is sometimes. It's a subtle difference, but to me it's always made Hicks much more of a believable comedian.

However, don't let this scare you into thinking Hicks is simply a social commentator: he's incredibly skilled as a comedian and is funny as shit. All I'm pointing out is that it's not just the rants themselves that are funny for their own sakes: the truths he brings out will make you laugh, but will also make you think.

Pull up G12

Saltillo - Ganglion (320) (2006)

Take Portishead's finest trip-hop beats. Add some mesmerizing modern classical piano and string pieces. Throw in some ethereal female vocals, brilliantly chosen and executed samples, and top the whole thing off with some IDM and a hint of breakbeat.

I really have nothing bad to say about this album, it is top notch from start to finish. The only possible filler is the 2.5 minute next to last track I'm On The Wrong Side, but as my history professor would say, that is simply the council of perfection to what is otherwise a stunning debut release. Once you hear the opening track, A Necessary End, you'll wonder how Matthews (Saltillo's real name) and any of his other 11 tracks will ever be able to come near it. It combines all of the ingredients listed in the first paragraph and brings them together to create an astoundingly good track, which may just be my favorite trip-hop track of all time. And yet the quality holds. A Hair On The Head Of John The Baptist is another absolutely chilling track, with the Shakespearean samples (I have no idea where they come from, but they are perfect) emboldening the bleakness of this track. Grafting features some frighteningly impassioned wailing-style vocals that go perfectly with the Middle-Eastern tinge the song possesses. Matthews' wife, Sarah, provides some hauntingly morose vocals on Giving In. No two tracks are really the same on this album, or anywhere close for that matter.

The final thing I need to mention about this album is the mood. I'm a sucker for albums that can create an atmosphere, and Ganglion is one of the best: it's downtempo trip-hop is a nice base, but for me it's the strings that put it over the top. They cement the melancholy, the despondency, the gloom that covers this album and its tracks. Very good album for late at night, for a rainy day, an excellent chill-out album. I cannot recommend this one enough.

I loved you not

Alexander Tucker - Old Fog (V0) (2003)

I can't guarantee that you will like this album the first time you listen to it. If your experience is similar to mine, it will take multiple listens over a period of time for the album to fully burrow itself into your subconscious. Be patient with this one, in other words. It's worth it.

As far as what to expect, it's sort of a psychadelic folk album--the actual genre it's commonly labeled under is "freak folk," but yeah. The variety on this album is actually quite outstanding, ranging from minimalist tracks consisting of mostly plucked guitars or banjos to more "normal" tracks all the way to full out electric-guitar-wall-of-sound drone. As for the vocals, they will probably take some getting used to, but this reviewer feels that they complement the music perfectly. There's also slightly medieval feel to this album at some points, and overall I have yet to hear anything quite like it.

Where are my friends and where do they live?

ANNONCEMENT

Mandatory Metal Monday was cancelled due to iron poisoning.

Corrosion Of Conformity - Deliverance (320) (1994)

Okay, so a late update for Mandatory Metal Monday. Corrosion of Conformity is often considered a stoner metal band, and I can see the basis for that. I don't know if the band embraces the term as much as, say, Electric Wizard, but it describes this band's sound well enough. I've yet to listen through "Blind" in it's entirety, but from what I've heard, this album seems like a departure from that "thrashier" sound. I'm also find my self singing the chorus to "Clean my Wounds" all the time. That doesn't really have any bearing on the album's quality, but it's late and I have nothing to write.

Hell me Jesus, help me clean my wounds...

Sunn O))) - Black One

Listening to Sunn O))) (pronounced "Sun," I believe) is like floating in a swirling black vortex of sound. The crackling of distortion and the haunting sound of demonic vocals fills your head, and for a moment, you'll find yourself lost in it's hopelessness. Oh wait, I thought I was postshoegaze for a second. Anyway it's a drone/ambient album from Sunn O))), and depending on your mood, it would be awe-inspiring or completely unlikeable. Expect harsh vocals, wall o' sound guitars, and drawn out song structure. It'd be a great soundtrack to the end of the world.

Perverted within a viewing, standing alone...it took the night to believe...

Immanu El - They'll Come, They Come (320) (2007)

In terms of 'gorgeous albums,' this one is top 5 in my entire collection. This is one of those records where the cover gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect within the music (and if you think I'm implying that this is the sonic equivalent of a ghost horse soaring above the clouds, I am). This is Swedish post-rock, with some beautiful ambient sections but also some very stirring crescendos. On the surface, this album is pretty simple. The vocals seem to float above the rest of the musical fray, always there but never drawing attention to themselves. The piano work is simple but very cathartic, especially on tracks like White Seraphs Wild and ...In Valleys. The lyrics, too, are fairly minimalist, but also incredibly powerful. And yet it all comes together so brilliantly and seemingly effortlessly. Maybe because of this, I really have a hard time describing this one, but I always wind up coming back to the adjective 'warm.' It thaws away the ice that builds up from the outside world and exposes the emotions within (that sounds really emo, but so be it, it's the best imagery I can come up with). Bottom line, I dare you to listen to this album and not have it affect you, because I don't think it can be done.

I will stand tall when the winter gets to us if you stay with me

Mogwai - Young Team (2008 limited edition + bonus disc) (320) (1997)

Per request. The bonus disc overall isn't that great but has some cool moments worth checking out.

We gotta....we gotta do something about this...

Mew - Frengers (320) (2003)

I promised something weird this afternoon, and I'm going to sort of deliver. I had another album I was planning on uploading that is much weirder, but I decided to go with this one instead.

Mew is a Danish indie/art-rock/dream pop band. The reason that I fell in love with them is that they really are, in my view, completely unique, something I could only say for a handful of bands in my collection. Their sound is difficult to describe or contain within genre boundaries. They will lure you in with their sugary art-pop sweetness, then blow you away with their impeccable dynamics and technical musicianship. And I haven't even mentioned Jonas Bjerre's vocals yet.

I'm not sure if this is my favorite Mew album or not, but similarly to what I did with The Mars Volta, I'm going to start with the one that I think would be most useful to a newcomer. If you like this one, be sure to check out the rest of their catalogue.

In fact, the only weakness Mew seems to have is their album covers (their new one is okay, but this one is bad, and the scary thing is it doesn't even compare to And The Glass Handed Kites. *Shivers*)

She came home for Christmas

Arcade Fire - Funeral (320) (2004)

Now that Mandatory Metal Monday is over, we can get back to some real *coughcough* music.

I couldn't believe it when Dubious told me he had never heard this album. Although it has gotten to the point where this album has gotten overhyped in some places, make no mistake: Funeral is one of the top 10 albums of the decade.

I love albums that invoke that sort of coming-of-age melancholy: as children, most of us grow up thinking the world will be so much better when we're older, when we'll actually be able to do "stuff," when we're not limited by our parents and held back by the frustrating rules and overbearing authority figures. Then we do grow up and slowly realize that, while we thought life would get better as adults, in fact, it's the opposite. Instead, there are just more rules, more responsibilities, more roles to assume. And for those of us who spent our adolescence dreaming of the freedom of adulthood, it's depressing to realize that we spent the freest years of our lives dreaming of a day that will never come. Bands such as The National are absolute masters of channeling this frustration and bitterness into music. Arcade Fire's debut deals with similar themes. Take the closing track, In The Backseat, where Régine Chassagne concisely sums up what we're all feeling or have felt at some point:

I like the peace
In the backseat
I don't have to drive
I don't have to speak
I can watch the countryside
And I can fall asleep
I've been learning how to drive
My whole life
I've been learning

Win Butler echoes these feelings on the track Wake Up (used in the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are) when he emphatically declares that:

If the children don't grow up
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up
We're just a million little gods causing rainstorms
Turning every good thing to rust
I guess we'll just have to adjust

But don't let this album fool you in thinking it deals only with the issues of adulthood realization: it also slaloms between issues such as love and loss, the passage and power of time, and, particularly, death. Each song seems to address the concept of death, even if it is not always a physical death. Death of a soul, death of a society, death of a romance. It's no coincidence the album is titled Funeral. And yet it's not a gothic album, as there always does remain a thread of optimism, however slight. But don't expect these Canadian indie pioneers to spoil the answers of life: we never do find out what happens to any of our protagonists in this song. Indeed, as the aforementioned lyrics of the closer In The Backseat indicate, even by the end of this journey through love and death and introspection, we still are hovering awkwardly between the driver's seat we are supposed to assume and the peaceful backseat we inwardly crave and feel at home in.

You better look out below!

Parkway Drive - Deep Blue (320) (2010)

Mandatory Metal Monday is day celebrated at the NAE offices (Basement in Idaho) meant to force certain staff to listen to metal. Metal purists often assert that any of the "core" genres of metal aren't "true metal." Fuck those guys. I'm not a particularly big fan of grindcore, hardcore, deathcore, or metalcore, but as far as metalcore goes I like Parkway Drive. I take that back, I just like Parkway Drive. Anyway if you've ever heard metalcore before, Parkway Drive won't sound too unfamiliar. It's important to note that this isn't like Atreyu's brand of easily-digestible mainstream metalcore. Parkway Drive doesn't constantly break into simple melodic choruses and never spout things like "you took me home/I drank too much/because of you my liver turns to rust." Heavy down-tuned riffs, harsh vocals, and breakdowns are what you can expect. That's not to say they are afraid of melody, but it's less apparent than on their last album. Either way, you should give the album a try if you like metalcore. If you don't, then it probably isn't the album that's going to get you into it.

Track list:

1. Samsara
2. Unrest
3. Sleepwalker
4. Wreckage
5. Deadweight
6. Alone
7. Pressures
8. Deliver Me
9. Karma
10. Home Is For The Heartless
11. Hollow
12. Leviathan I
13. Set To Destroy

THIS IS SURVIVAL! THIS IS MY EXILE!

My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise (320) (1988)

"You Made Me Realise" (it's spelled like that everywhere, by the way) is apparently pretty well liked. It's appeared quite frequently appeared on greatest EP/Song lists, and I imagine NME and Q Magazine are more credible than me. I don't know if I hold this EP in such high esteem, but I haven't listened to it much. Not that anyone cares. Here you go, though.

Track list:

1. You Made Me Realise
2. Slow
3. Thorn
4. Cigarette In Your Bed
5. Drive It All Over Me

But...where's all the reverb on the vocals?

Earth - Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method (V0) (2005)

Earth has been described as a "Drone Doom" band, and their earlier records fit the bill. This album however, may sound a bit different than the label suggests. Partially inspired by Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" it has a lonely, western feel to it. Just sparse, clean guitar. If you're not into "Drone Doom" that's no reason to pass on this album.


Track list:

1. Mirage
2. Land of Some Other Order
3. The Dire and Ever Circling Wolves
4. Left in the Desert
5. Lens of Unrectified Night
6. An Inquest Concerning Teeth
7. Raiford (The Felon Wind)
8. The Dry Lake
9. Tethered to the Polestar

Cormac McCarthy, Anyone?

Luciano Cilio - Dell'Universo Assente (320) (2004 Reissue)

I feel late to the probably small, depressing party. I only very recently got this album, and I'm still taking it in. This album was originally released in 1977, and it was reissued in 2004 by Die Schachtel. I would describe it as a classical album, I guess. But it's unlike other classical music I've heard. It's very dark, and feels like this album couldn't have a more appropriate title. I don't know what else to say really, but this album feels special. I doubt many people will ever see this post, but the more places it's it's preserved, the better the chance of someone stumbling on to it as I did.

Edit: I've also seen this ablum called Dialoghi del presente. 

Tracklist:

1. Primo Quadro "Della Conoscenza"
2. Secondo Quadro
3. Terzo Quadro
4. Quarto Quadro "Dell'Universo Assente
5. Interludio
6. Della Conoscenza (Originale Versione Inedita)
7. Studio Per Fiati (Originale Inedito)
8. Suiff (Frammento)
9. Liebesleid (Frammento Inedito)
10. Terzo Quadro
11. 4A Sonato

It's like your life, but with meaning.

The Mars Volta - Octahedron (320) (2009)

When Cedric told everyone that the next TMV album would be their "acoustic album," you knew it would either be brilliant or else a disappointment. Sadly, this one is the latter. The bottom line is that, while TMV are adequate when they're low-key, when they do it for an entire album they lose a lot of the magical qualities that made me love them so much in the first place. For many other bands, this would be a great start: for TMV, it's simply boring.

Not to say that there aren't highlights: for Cedric, this is probably his best vocal effort to date. Clean and with less effects, we get to hear how truly talented he is as a singer. And there is one absolute cannot-miss song here in Teflon, which is one of TMV's greatest tracks.

But sadly, one out of eight isn't enough. Cotopaxi does try and liven things up, but surrounded by the slower and more ambient tracks, it feels almost out of place, even though it's what TMV does best. Also completely silenced on this album is Pridgen, whose drumming on Bedlam was half of what made that album so special. Did this contribute to Pridgen's recent departure from the band? Who knows. It does make me very sad, because like I said in the Bedlam review, I really feel like Pridgen was a perfect fit for this band with his playing style.

Definitely worth a listen for Teflon alone and there are some other good moments, but overall their weakest effort to date. An interesting but failed experiment.

Let the wheels burn stack the tires to the neck with a body inside

The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath (320) (2008)

Finally, the wait is over: I get to ramble on and on about my favorite TMV album.

First of all, I want to discuss the general philosophy this album follows: go balls to the wall, rock out as hard as you can, as loud as you can. Looking for another gradual build-up intro like Vicarious Atonement? Piss off. Aberinkula hits you hard from the opening note, and doesn't let up. Welcome to Bedlam. Get used to it. Metatron is slightly less completely and utterly bat-shit insane, but is still plenty heavy. Ilyena is probably my favorite TMV song ever, with a funky, infectious groove, perfect vocals from Cedric, and, to quote Pitchfork, "six minutes of Thomas Pridgen soloing." (This is a good thing though)

It's at this point that I need to talk about the drumming, because it creates much of the love and respect I have for this album. Yes, Jon Theodore is no longer with us. Thomas Pridgen has replaced him. But, as great a drummer as Jon Theodore is, I like Pridgen more. Technically, Theodore is probably superior. But I'm not exaggerating when I say that Pridgen fits TMV perfectly, and because of this no other drummer could do what he does on this album. TMV is at their best when they adopt a "fuck-it" attitude and just jam the fuck out. Pridgen is at his best when he is able to just jam the fuck out. And TMV unleash their new member in full on this album.

Pridgen again gets put on display in the 2-minute single Wax Simulacra, which is unlike TMV have ever done. Goliath, my second favorite TMV song ever, is just a full out jam: all members just going nuts, with multiple guitar solos from Omar, Cedric screaming, Pridgen going nuts on the skins. Tourniquet Man finally slows things down for a few minutes, bridging the two halves of the album nicely together.

I will admit that the second half of the album has never clicked as much with me as the first half, which is still for my money five of the best tracks ever laid down in a row. Part of the reason I think is because, while the first five do rock incredibly well, they also retain the focus found in Amputechture. I think the second half, especially tracks like Cavalettas, do lose that focus a little and are a little bit more confused and aimless. Not to say that these tracks aren't good: Agadez, Ouroborous, and Conjugal Burns are all righteous. But the first half of the album is simply genious, and that's difficult to match.

Overall, I love this album because of the absolute frenzied nature of it. I've said this before, I feel that TMV is at their best when they don't try and hold themselves back, when they just go for it completely, no holds barred. And as far as crazy goes, this album is crazy, in a deliciously good way.

Have you seen the living tired of their own shells?

The Mars Volta - Amputechture (320) (2006)

Ah, Amputechture. The album that you either love or hate. The last album to feature original drummer Jon Theodore (but never fear, because Thomas Pridgen is waiting in the wings to completely mindfuck you). The album that contains possibly the greatest straight-up rocker that TMV have ever done. And, personally, my second favorite TMV album.

Depending on your feelings about the relatively "spacey" nature of Frances, you will either be pleased or disappointed to learn that this album is much more tightly constructed. The "techture" in the album title references architecture, and the architecture is what makes this album awesome. Listened to from beginning to end, this album has a natural flow that is half of what makes it so special for me. It's difficult to describe, but this album progresses as it goes and really seems to always just feel right, whether it's the brilliantly quiet 7-minute opener, the 17 minute epic Tetragrammaton, or the aforementioned blistering rock track Viscera Eyes. There's little filler here: if you want to nitpick and call Vermicide filler I understand where you're coming from, but overall the band wastes almost no time, which is even more admirable considering this is their 3rd full length album in 3 years.

Sonically, aside from the differences I already mentioned between this album and Frances (lack of ambient noise sections), the band does emphasize their Latin roots a little bit more at certain parts of this album, although nothing terribly dramatic if you didn't mind tracks such as L'via L'viaquez.

Overall definitely a must listen, although as I mentioned already this is definitely a polarizing album.

Holy shit Viscera Eyes is a kickass track though

The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute (320) (2005)

We continue Mars Volta week with their sophomore effort, Frances the Mute. Now, when we last met TMV on De-Loused, we used the word energy to describe some of the power that they generated. On their debut, TMV were able to utilize this power and energy while maintaining the focus necessary to avoid turning their album into a crazy psychadelic wankfest. The album clocked in at a solid hour, most tracks averaged 5 to 7 minutes in length, and there wasn't really any part of the album that made you question why it was there. So restraint, then, too.

The thing you have to realize, however however (and this is part of the reason I think I've never really been able to gel with De-Loused), is this: when TMV show restraint, they are fucking boring. As boring as a band who does what they do can be. And that's just disappointing, because on De-Loused, TMV put all the genres I listed (psychadelic, latin, jazz, punk, post-hardcore, etc) into a blender and used that unique recipe to create an album that poked its head out of the box. With Frances, TMV step outside of the box completely. And it's genius. Fucking genius. But it also requires an extra effort on the part of the listener, because TMV are done holding your hand and walking you through their music. It's time to grow a pair and enter the real world.

The differences are obvious at first glance: unlike De-Loused, Frances technically contains only five tracks, 3 between 13-15 minutes and one, the closing track, over a half hour. The reason that the final track is broken up like it is, BTW, is b/c if TMV had released the album with five tracks, it would technically have been an EP, which would have netted them less money. But moving from the track listing into the tracks themselves, we have an interesting transformation. We have the same basic building blocks: the punky post-hardcore, jazz, latin sound with the progressive song structures and...erm...unique lyrics and vocals. With this album, however, we add in stretches of chaotic ambient noise, sections of songs that seemingly appear to be nothing but filler. Even The Widow, which (somehow) became a single and actually generated radio play (although edited), ends with several minutes of static leading into L'via L'viaquez.

So, to summarize, what does it all mean? Well, unlike their first album, TMV is not simply putting it all out there for you with no effort on your part. You have to actively listen to this album to appreciate it, to understand how those sections that seemingly accomplish no purpose actually make the album so special compared to what I see as the relatively dry and somewhat stale debut album. Frances has life. This is the moment where TMV start to take every commonly held notion about creating an album and writing music, throw it out the window, and do whatever the fuck they want to do. And this is a band talented enough that it's exciting to see them do it, and succeed so well doing it.

Still can't believe The Widow ever received radio airplay though