2010

Here's some stuff from 2010 I enjoyed. You might like it too. You also might not, that's how things work.

Kayo Dot – Coyote
Genre: Avant-garde, darkwave
Kayo Dot's latest is arguably their best since their quite fantastic Choirs of the Eye. Kind of like The Cure, but with more trumpet.

Zond – s/t
Genre: Shoegaze
One of the best new Australian bands to emerge; also very good live.

Have a Nice Life – Time of Land (EP)
Genre: Shoegaze, post rock
It's no Deathconsciousness, but will certainly keeps fans happy until their next full-length.

Pseudorandom – Roots of Our Ancestors
Genre: Drone-doom
Available for free here.

Janelle Monae – The Archandroid
Genre: Pop
Yes. It's a pop album. Deal with it.

Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People (EP)
Genre: Indie, singer-songwriter
I liked this better than Age of Adz, Djohariah in particular is great.

Zs – New Slaves
Genre: Jazz, avant-garde
For fans of John Zorn.

Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up to the Sky
Genre: Industrial, dark, country?
Gira's still got it.

Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit
Genre: Folk, black metal
Agalloch move further into 'pure' black metal territory, but still surprisingly accessible.

Planning for Burial – Leaving
Genre: Shoegaze
Leaving shows us that bedroom recording artists can make textured guitar as well as anyone else can.

Joanna Newsom – Have One one Me
Genre: Indie-folk, singer-songwriter
My favourite of the year, but that's just me.

Deerhunter – Halycon Digest
Genre: Shoegaze
Not sure if it surpasses Microcastle, but I was certainly satisfied.

Alcest – Escailles De Lune
Genre: Shoegaze, black metal
There's a lot of shoegaze on this list...

Burzum – Belus
Genre: Black metal(ish)
A nice step up from the prison-era keyboard albums, but, then again, so are a lot of things.

Gay Vomit Sex – A Primer On Illegalism (EP)
Genre: Noise
Available for free here.

Almost-Perfect Albums

Thanks to the internet and, specifically, widely popular sites like Rate Your Music and Sputnik, people have been under the (somewhat misguided) impression that their opinions about music actually matter a little and, thus, should let others know of what they think of album X by artist Y. I am, of course, one of these people. My RYM account is here and, frankly speaking, I quite enjoy critically evaluating what I listen to and determining where it stands under the grand scheme of things.

Where I'm going with this is that most people and websites rate albums either out of 10 in whole numbers (Pitchfork are the obvious outliers), or out of 5 possible stars with half star increments. Simply speaking, there are, generally, 10 possible numerical values one may assign an album that indicates its quality. However, the absolute highest rating, whether it be 10/10 or a full 5 stars, is always approached with caution. People seem very hesitant to give an album the highest possible rating unless it quite literally is the second coming of Jesus and whose only flaw is that nothing so beautiful will ever be recorded again (Rate Your Music is particularly guilty of this with many users having rated thousands of albums, yet I can count with my hands how many have been designated 5 stars). I don't completely support this and am somewhat more liberal with my maximum rating, but, at the same time, I completely understand their hesitation. The jump from 4.5 to 5 or 9 to 10 is pretty big mental barrier, one that I, despite claiming to be more liberal than most, will always cross with caution.

So, I guess the point of this post, other than to finally update this site a little bit, is to pay tribute to some of those albums who didn't quite make the absolute top tier, but, any anxiety about rating too many things too highly aside, probably should be at the max (at the very least, they're high 4.5's).


Animal Collective - Feels


Why it works:
First of all, Feels is probably my favourite Animal Collective album, and considering my shameless devotion to this band, that already makes it pretty special. It features both the older and 'zanier' A.C screwing around with how a song should sound as well as the newer, more pensive and, perhaps, more serious A.C. It's also the only album of theirs where an acoustic guitar features quite prominently and, rather startlingly, fits in quite well.

Why it's not perfect:
You'd be hard pressed to find an Animal Collective fan who likes every single song they've released. The whole point the group is to try new things. As such, there are a few songs on here that don't sit with me as well as others. Not to say they're terrible or even bad, just not fantastic.


Atheist - Unquestionable Presence


Why it works:
Probably one of the most technically accomplished albums released (not that that's necessarily a good thing, Dream Theater still suck for example), Unquestionable Presence is an amazing fusion of death metal with Latin and jazz drum beats and rhythms. It also features some of the best bass lines I've heard, which is always welcome as the bass is an immensely underused instrument. This wouldn't mean anything if the music weren't any decent, but, thankfully, it is. Definitely one of those albums I'm always happy to crank out as I never get tired of it.

Why it's not perfect:
The tracks are a little 'samey'. Also, I simply don't seem to find it quite as good as Loveless or some of my other 5-star masterpieces.


Glenn Branca - The Ascension


Why it works:
The Ascension summarises quite nicely what I liked about underground music from the early 80's. It's noisy and abrasive at times, but behind all this there is a very solid structure with respect to what the song is actually doing. I think a pretty big reason I like this so much is that every track has an excellent build-up and climax, it's like Glenn Branca is rewarding me for not skipping half way through.

Why it's not perfect:
It simply isn't, only by a whisker though.


Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousness


Why it works:
Because 2 guys with only a little money and shitty equipment went on to make the best album since 2007. Seriously, it's amazing.

Why it's not perfect:
I still think disc 1 isn't as good as disc 2. It's also probably longer than what it needed to be.


Natural Snow Buildings - The Dance of the Moon and the Sun


Why it works:
Those who read my ramblings may remember that I mentioned this a few months back in one of my 'Album of the Week' posts. What's happened since then is that the seed this album planted has germinated and is now really starting to bud. It's just so deep and dense that I can't help but keep coming back to it, wanting to find out more, even months after I first got it. The Dance of the Moon and the Sun now sits, quite comfortably, as my most played album on Last.fm and, considering the average track length isn't exactly short (6 and a half minutes or so), that's a hell of an achievement. I wish there were a way I could sum up 2 and a half hours of intricate music in a few sentences, but my ability with words only goes so far. Instead, I'll tell you to go listen to it, if you've got the time, of course.

Why it's not perfect:
Umm....it's very long? Fuck it, I'm bumping this up to a 5.

Album of the Week: Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP

With a new album around the corner, you might be put into the mindset that folk singer-songwriter Sufjan Steven's new EP is just a dumping ground for the filler not good enough for his LP. You may be right, I obviously haven't heard the new album yet, but I do know that the All Delighted People EP is actually quite fantastic. Simply put, it's a joy to listen to. The title track, the alternate version of the title track, the 17-minute closer Djohariah, they all are quite excellent and have definitely left me feeling pretty excited about what he has in store for us with The Age of Adz.

Oh, and did I mention that this EP is only $5 and it's over 60 minutes long? Hell you can even stream the whole thing for free. Check out his Bandcamp Page to purchase or listen to it, even if you're holding out for The Age of Adz, you won't regret it.


Runner-up AotW: Zeni Geva - Freedom Bondage

Disorganisation

Facebook Notes - Lessons I've Learned from Facebook

This isn't particularly insightful nor interesting, but an update is an update.


It's been a while since I last wrote one of these 'note' things, predominantly because I had no idea how I was going to follow Oprah-themed slash fiction. I did consider doing some sort of male homosexual equivalent, but it would, essentially, just boil down to the same thing. Maybe one day though, I'm thinking Hagrid crossed with Treebeard from Lord of the Rings, thoughts?

So, instead I've decided to provide a general summary as to how I interpret humanity if my knowledge of it only came from what one finds on Facebook. I am aware that insulting Facebook and its users is somewhat akin to shooting clown-fish at a Finding Nemo convention (a simile that I refuse to explain), but hey, if everyone else gets to make fun of Facebook, why can't I? It certainly beats the alternative of coming up with actually thought-provoking social commentary, which is for linguistics majors and high-price whores (so, in other words, linguistics majors). So, to stop this already too-long introduction, here's what I've found.

1. Everyone classifies themselves as 'weird' or 'away from the normal' and instructs you to either deal with it and like them for who they are or to not waste their time.

Quite a few issues arise from this idea. First and foremost, if everyone's so bohemian and alternative, where the fuck are all the normal people? Of course I'm aware that the term 'normal' is a meaningless construct and is relative to the social situation and what not, but it still really shits me off when people join groups proclaiming, 'I'm wierd (weird is spelled wrong) deal with it or fuk off', but then go on and on about how fucking great Lady Gaga is and how funny The Other Guys looks because it's got Will Ferrel in it. Sorry to take away your martyr complex, but you are not a special snowflake hand-crafted from God's cavernous vagina. You are a white, middle to upper class spoiled brat whose only knowledge of suffering and hardship is when you exceed your monthly data allowance on your iPhone.

Another point I'd like to raise from this issue is that if we all were weird and unnaturally defensive about it, wouldn't society pretty much fall apart? I don't want to get all Sesame Street after-school special on everyone, but not much is going to happen unless we all learn to make a few compromises with each other (if only the leaders of Israel and Palestine were reading this).

One more thing just came to mind, what's the point of joining these kinds of groups if the only people that see what you've done are those of whom you call your friends? Don't get me wrong, the definition of the word friend changes quite dramatically from real life to Facebook, but there must be at least some trace amounts of mutual altruism there. So why are you displaying your exceedingly touchy nature for all to see? Oh, that's right, because of your irrational need to be noticed. I guess I can't really reason with you then, as you're clearly beyond a point of no return; let's move on.

2. Everyone seems to like 'The Big Bang Theory'.

The TV show obviously (I've got plenty of religious friends who take issue with the actual theory, but that's their problem). This confuses me. Don't get me wrong, the show can be alright at times and I have laughed at it once or twice (yes, believe it or not, I do occasionally laugh at things), but I cannot see how it's garnered such a devoted following. Is it because Sheldon has Aspergers? I'm sorry, I just don't see it. If you like well written sit-coms, why not just watch Seinfeld and Arrested Development? They're much, much better. Anyway, this is quite a petty grievance, so I'll keep going.

3. Hypocrisies

One particularly amusing aspect of Facebook life is the way in which people blatantly contradict themselves in terms of the groups they join, the status they post and the comments they make. At least, it would be funny if it wasn't kind of sad. Every time someone joins a group or makes a status update condemning an idea or behavioural tendency, you can be almost assured that there will be something in their history, either in the groups they've joined or older statuses that freely condone it (but, perhaps, in a slightly different context though this isn't always the case). I'm well aware that people change, but something tells me that one's personality doesn't completely shift in the space of a few weeks or months. What this means is that these opinions of support or condemnation are purely emotionally driven and fluctuate as wildly as Tim Allen's cocaine levels. If that is the case, why would you permanently join a group? This isn't the only form of hypocrisy though. My posting of a note, criticising Facebook is possibly one of the most hypocritical things I've done. One could, I suppose, argue that this all this contradiction isn't really that bad of a thing, and perhaps they're right, but that doesn't magically stop it from getting on my nerves. This brings me to my final lesson.

4. You're all boring

My God, I mean, seriously, what the hell? You people sometimes...
I suppose it makes me feel somewhat less bad about my rather simplistic (read: dull) existence outside of a Uni context, but surely some of you must occasionally do something that piques my interest, yes? Actually, I'm being a little unfair, this does happen, the only problem is that it's lost within a sea of crap. Frankly put, there is no reason to post a status update more than once every couple of days. If you do, you must either spend your days training sharks to ride motorcycles, or you are boring the crap out of the rest of us with your asinine garbage. We are not interested. This isn't just limited to status updates, some of the groups and 'likes' that people join are so pointless that they're not worth the energy required to move your finger and click your mouse button to join. What's that, fellow Facebook connoisseur, you like weekends? Holy shit, me too! We must be soul-mates or something...

Reflecting on this, I think there's one more thing that I'd like to add to my dissatisfactions with everyone's favourite social networking distraction, notes or opinions such as the one I have just completed making. What's the point of a note or message like this? To tell people that there are some people who use Facebook rather stupidly? Holy shit, really? Better stop the presses on that shocking headline. For every idiot, there's another person calling them out on it. What I want to know is who gave these people the moral high-ground so that they could be the sole judge of truth and decency? Actually, I know the answer to this one, it's their enormous God-complexes. Let's face the facts here, I'm nothing more than an extremely bitter homosexual who is pissed off at existence because I've never had anything more important to be pissed off at. My opinions should have no bearing whatsoever and this note is just as asinine and detrimental to society as an 'anti-Chris'-style update. The important thing to remember is that you're no better. But, if it's any consolation, I personally prefer the misanthropy to the stupidity, so at least you'll be making me happy.

I'll stop now, I have a prior appointment to vigorously masturbate to cartoon horses jerking off. If you've read this much, what on earth is wrong with you?

How Oprah Got Her Groove Back, with apologies

Occasionally I post 'notes' on Facebook with the intention of horrifying as many people as possible. I figured putting them on here couldn't hurt (from an update perspective that is, I'm sure it's only going to isolate any readers of this blog further).

Anyhoo, here's some softcore fat lesbian porn.

Gayle approached the door tentatively, the two years of separation between her and what was beyond the threshold eating away at her fragile confidence. 'Two years,' she thought, 'hasn't seen me, hasn't seen anyone outside of her staff.'

Gayle tapped the door lightly; “Oprah?” she called out, “It's Gayle.”

“No Gayle,” that familiar voice replied, “it's not going to happen.” Gayle predicted this would occur and was prepared for it.

“Don't be like that, O. Come on, we've known each other for over half our lives, doesn't that count for anything?”

“I...I just can't Gayle; not now, not ever.”

“Dammit Oprah, it's been far too long, now you let me into that room or I'll force myself in. I don't care what's happened to you, I just want to hang out and chat like old times.”

Silence followed. Gayle was unsure how to proceed, but, even if it was only an act, she needed to be the assertive one or else O would never get better.

She entered the room. Their time spent apart had prepared Gayle for what she thought she would see, but still she couldn't have expected this. There, lying on a King-size bed, was Oprah, now over 210 – no, 220 – pounds. She had given up the show that made her a star years ago to try and finally conquer her eating problems. Clearly, it was a battle she did not win.

“Oh Oprah, Oprah honey.” Gayle whispered upon seeing her best friend in tears, “It doesn't matter how you look, you're still the same amazing person.”

“No!” Oprah cried, “It's not the same! How can I be the same person when I've become a hideous beast? I can't look in the mirror, I detest myself.”

Gayle knew it would come to this, she was prepared to do anything to help her friend. She approached the bedside, looking Oprah directly in her tear-enlargened eyes.

“Oprah Gall Winfrey, you are the most beautiful human being I know.”

Gayle thrust her tongue into Oprah's mouth, massaging every nook and cranny of her mouth. Oprah put up surprisingly little resistance, and returned her kiss soon enough. The moistness of each others mouths fuelling the other, making them all the more energetic. Gayle began massaging O under her shirt, there were so many layers of skin and fat, 'all the more to explore' she thought. Skilfully, Gayle unhooked Oprah's bra and began working her nipple, her breasts were so much bigger now. Oprah finally broke free of the kiss and was moaning uncontrollably.

“Holy shit Gayle...” was all that she could say, the ecstasy of her friends touch paralysing her speech. Gayle removed Oprah's top and buried her face in O's chest. Each skin fold, each cellulite ridden lump, each fatty corpuscle, it was all there to be explored – no, worshipped. Gayle didn't expect to get so excited by Oprah's body, but now that it was in front of her, she found it impossible to control herself. Eagerly, she bit, licked, sucked every piece of flesh that she could find, and there was certainly no shortage of it. All Oprah could do during this time was lie there and bathe in pleasure. She hadn't climaxed in almost 2 and a half years, but juices long absent were flowing freely.

Gayle moved on to the lower part of O's body, expertly pulling down her pants and underwear. She was met with more pubic hair than she had ever seen, male or female. Obviously Oprah hadn't payed much attention to this part of her body for quite some time. It was also abundantly clear that Oprah had not bathed in quite a few days at least, with an unidentifiable smell consuming her. This did not phase Gayle in the slightest; instead, 'the musk of O', she thought to herself, 'it's gorgeous.' Without hesitation, she dived into the fetid pubic forest head first. After searching through various skin folds and fatty over-hangings, she found the holy grail; eagerly, she gave it the attention of which it had lacked for so long. Gayle had expected things to be a bit drier down there, but the sudden onslaught of sexuality must have unleashed a previously untapped water supply within Oprah as it was just as moist, if not more, than her own.

Oprah was at breaking point. She tried arching her back, but found herself unable to lift her sizable figure. But it didn't matter, for the first time in many years, she was attaining a joy thought long dead.

“Oh Gayle...please...Ga-Gay-GAAAYYLE.”

But, of course, this was not the end. Over the next few hours, the two best friends continued to explore each other. Gayle found Oprah's new body to be utterly incredible; every lump, fold, dimple, it all amazed her, and Oprah, for the first time in her life, was beginning to see Gayle as not only beautiful person, but as a beautiful body.

“Thank you so much Gayle. I'm not a beast, I'm a woman.”

“A foxy woman at that.”

The two would reunite on a regular basis until, eventually, Oprah re-emerged in the public eye, where she showed to the world that, yes, she was large, but also a satisfied woman.

Album of the Week: Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

I don't really have time for a "complete" update (not that my usual updates are that long-winded), so I'll just say that this is an excellent blend of rock and jazz. There's a reason people worship the very ground that Zappa walks.

Peaches en Regalia

(very close) Runner-up AotW: Coil - Horse Rotorvator

Two gay guys talk about death. A lot.

Ostia (The Death of Pasolini)

Album of the Week: Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky

SWANS ARE NOT DEAD.

This was the message that fans of Michael Gira's bizarre gothic/industrial/atmospheric group Swans were greeted with earlier this year. The group had been disbanded since their last album, the incredibly long and excessively harrowing Soundtracks for the Blind. My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky is the result of this reformation and is due out next month (thank you internet).

My opinion of Swans varies quite heavily from album to album, while I love Soundtracks and their aggressive no-wave debut Filth, I never really connected with The Great Annihilator, the other album of theirs I have. My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky is interesting as it's the first album that sits somewhat in the middle. There are some definite highlights, No Words/No Thoughts and You Fucking People Make Me Sick, though I don't quite hold it up to the same regard as Filth and Soundtracks. Then again, that's a fucking high standard. What I like about this album is that, despite being broken up for over 10 years, it still sounds like Swans; and when you consider that Swans sound like nothing else, that's an impressive achievement. I went in with somewhat mixed expectations and, while my MFWGMUARTTS didn't blow me away, it was definitely a pleasant surprise to hear something thoroughly deserving of the title 'Swans album'.

Runner-up AotW: The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree

Album of the Week: Zs - New Slaves

My regular readers (that's right, all one of you) may have noticed that I didn't do an 'album of the week' last week. The reason is, simply, I didn't listen to enough music. Anyway, the point is that now I have, so I can update again before my reader gets restless.

Zs are a avant-garde rock/jazz group from New York (of course) and New Slaves is their newest effort. The band uses a drummer, two guitarists/noise-makers and a saxophonist to create noisy jams somewhat akin to Kenji Haino. Most avant-garde-noise-rock-jam albums I've heard have a tendency to sound a little "samey" by the end but New Slaves, despite being a double album, doesn't suffer from this. The tracks are nicely varied and, while still keeping the same general sounds, explore different territories and sound-scapes, Acres of Skin and the title track in particular stand out as pretty awesome tunes. If you're new to this style of music, then this might work for you (unfortunately, it's not really a genre that has nice introductory-style albums), if so, great. On the other hand, if New York avant-garde is what you breathe in for sustenance every day, then this will tide you over nicely until the next John Zorn release.

Runner-up AotW: Animal Collective - Sung Tongs

Album of the Week: Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

Yes, the cover somewhat annoys me too.

Maggot Brain is Funkadelic's third album and their most well known as it, arguably, was the album that started the funk/soul sound of the 70's. The title track, which opens the album, is nothing more than a 10+ minute guitar solo and, frankly speaking is probably the best piece of single guitar work I've ever heard (discounting Feedbacker, of course). It's somewhat akin to the solo in Pink Floyd's Shine on You Crazy Diamond, but drenched with emotion comparatively. Even if you can't be stuffed listening to the rest of the album, then you owe it to yourself to hear this piece of music, it really is an amazing feat.

The next few songs on the album are somewhat more 'standard', being shorter and containing vocals. I find it interesting that this album helped create the funk/soul sound but, really, is so much more than just funk and soul; it explores and transcends genres, but without sounding strange or pretentious. The last track, Wars of Armageddon, is essentially a giant jam session; it's great fun to listen to and caps off the album of nicely. A true classic of the 70's that still holds up today.

Very Close Runner-up AotW: Can - Tago Mago (it's been a rather 70's week)

Album of the Week: Einstürzende Neubauten - Kollaps

Einstürzende Neubauten are probably most well known because of a few of their members became a part of Nick Cave's The Birthday Party and, later on, The Bad Seeds. But I feel that knowledge shouldn't stop there as they're probably my favourite 80's industrial group. Einstürzende Neubauten's trademark sound came from their use of custom-built instrument, particularly percussion instruments, which often involved scrap metal and machinery (they don't call it 'industrial' for nothing). Kollaps is their first album to utilise these ideas and the rawness of it all shows. While there are bits of guitar, bass and keyboard to be found, the majority of the album is people hitting metallic objects (chainsaws and drills are also used) while Blixa Bargeld yells over the top. It creates an interesting mix of experimental noise with more 'standard' industrial and seems to sit very well with me. That said, if you're new to Einstürzende Neubauten, I'd probably suggest Halber Mensch or Haus der Lüge ahead of this as they're a little more accessible. But, for the rest of us, Kollaps is an intriguing journey to the noiser side of industrial, and is a journey well worth taking.

Runner-up AotW: Earth - Sunn Amps and Smashed Guitars

Album of the Week: Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

Talk Talk made their name in the 80's and achieved decent popularity by creating a bunch of new wave/synth pop tunes. Spirit of Eden, however, saw a large departure of this, instead containing a mix of rock, jazz, classical and ambient. While not as successful commercially, Spirit of Eden and its follow-up, Laughing Stock, set the scene perfectly for 90's bands like Radiohead, The Verve and helped pave the early post rock movement. But enough background/significance, it wouldn't mean anything if the album wasn't good to listen to; thankfully, it is. To be honest, I've never been able to completely 'grasp' Talk Talk's music as much as many others, but slowly I'm starting to break through this and see their amazing talent. Spirit of Eden has helped with this and I only expect it to continue as time progresses.


Runner-up AotW: Sonic Youth - Sister

Album of the Week: Boredoms - Super Roots 7

I'm surprised I haven't made a post about Boredoms on this blog yet as they're one of my favourite bands. They were formed in the late 80's by former Hanatarash front-man Yamataka Eye, one of the strangest individuals of the decade's Japanese noise scene, which, considering what that scene was like, is saying something.

The group's first few releases were a bizarre mixture of noise and punk-rock, creating a musical experience that confused the hell out of people the world over. However, in the mid to late 90's Boredoms underwent quite a stark shift in musical style, releasing Super ae (blogger won't let me do the cool conjoined letter thing) and Vision Creation Newsun, albums that fused their earlier electronic/noise work with percussion driven Krautrock. The result was nothing short of spectacular, with Vision Creation Newsun in particular sitting as one of my all-time favourites. How this change from noise-punk to psychadelic Krautrock occured can only be explained via the Super Roots EP series (which, at the time of posting is up to 10 releases), which track the bands transformations much more coherently than their full-lengths. That being said, Super Roots 7's release date sits firmly in-between Super and Vision Creation Newsun, so most of the dramatic changes had already taken place.

A minor criticism I have with Boredoms' major releases is that they all seem to go for a little too long, usually clocking around the 70 minute mark. This is a little too much time to be listening to anti-songs as was the case for early Boredoms and can be a little bit much for their later works, unless you're really into it, as repetition is a key part of their music. Super Roots 7 doesn't suffer from this problem as its run time is a slim 33 minutes. So what this means is that you get all the goodness from Super ae and Vision Creation Newsun, but condensed into one easy to swallow package. It really is a fantastic release.

So, does this mean that Super Roots 7 is my favourite Boredoms album? Well, not quite; but keep in mind that not very many albums exist that I would call greater than Vision Creation Newsun. However, if you're new to Boredoms, particularly later-era Boredoms, this is an excellent introductory piece and a worthy edition to anyone's collection.


Runner Up AotW: Natural Snow Buildings - Dance of the Moon and the Sun.

It seems quite unfair to dedicate 4 paragraphs to a 33 minute EP and only mention a 160 minute epic, so allow me to provide a very brief summary of this album. Dance of the Moon and the Sun features an array of short acoustic/folk songs with 10+ minute drone/ambient tracks. It all sounds rather sporadic, but believe me when I say the transition between the two never seem strange. Try not to let the mammoth run-time put you off this, it's a masterful achievement and well worth looking into.

Album of the Week: Dissecting Table - Groping in the Dark

Dissecting table is the work of Ichiro Tsuji, a Japanese musician whose sound can be described as industrial, but with influences from noise music and death metal. I became acquainted with Dissecting Table via his 1997 album Human Breeding, which probably remains as one of my favourite, if not my favourite, industrial albums. Groping in the Dark takes on a more straight-forward tone than Human Breeding, including much more guitar and drums as well as much shorter and punchier tracks. While I don't think this is quite as good as its predecessor, it still rocks pretty hard. Besides, it may be slightly more conventional than Human Breeding, but that doesn't mean that it's not pretty far out there and is still a pretty unique listening experience. Give it a shot and let the sonic assault on your eardrums take you to a better place.

Highlights: Psychology, New Formation


Runner-up AotW: Sunn O))) - White 2

Album of the Week: Joanna Newsom - Ys

In an effort to make this blog a little more active, I'll be doing a (short) weekly update about which of the albums I liked best out of those I acquired during the previous past 7 days. Hopefully it will last somewhat.

This week's recipient is the gorgeous Joanna Newsom and her opus Ys. As my Have One On Me review shows, I'm quite a fan of Ms Newsom's work and Ys is probably her best album, though I'd still recommend Have One On Me to those who haven't heard her unique style of music before as it's more accessible. Ys is a fantastic combination of cryptic lyrics with amazing musicianship, both from Joanna's harp and the backing band (arranged by Van Dyke Parks). Featuring only 5 tracks but with a running time of just less than an hour, Ys definitely takes a while to digest, but the end result is quite spectacular.

Highlights: Emily, Sawdust & Diamonds, Only Skin

Honourable mention: Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst

Zond - Zond

Zond have been grabbing the attention of myself and many others after they played an absolutely kick-ass set at the 'Noise Night' for Vivid Live at the Opera House, arguably upstaging fellow players Boris, Melt-Banana and Lou Reed. Frankly put, they were quite incredible (you can download the recording here). So, I decided to check them out a little more by grabbing their self-titled debut album; you can purchase it from The Outpost Store, though I purchased this CD over 2 weeks ago and it still hasn't arrived yet (I downloaded the album as I was getting impatient), so approach with caution perhaps.

But anyway, onto the actual music. Zond play what I would describe as a sort of shoegaze/noise/drone sound that may sound moderately familiar to veterans of the genre, but there's still definitely something new and fresh here so the sound is never really boring. The album sounds large, meaning that a wall of sound really does seem to encapsulate everything else when you listen to it. I guess the closest I could pin it to is a much heavier 'Isn't Anything'-era My Bloody Valentine, but with better drums. Songs like Blue Haze and Stupid Gods really do assault you with a barrage of guitar distortion and feedback, it's pretty damn awesome really.

But the album isn't all about sonic aggression, there are comparatively softer parts, take the song Section 35 where the band utilises samples and other tools to establish a somewhat desolate mood. It works to decent effect, though I wouldn't call these songs as good as the more noise-heavy ones, but maybe that's just me and my bwwwoooooo)))))aaahhh loving ways.

The album closes with Apis, by far my favourite of the album; it's a sublime mixture of powerful percussion with fantastic feedback (hurr durr alliteration). This one is quite possibly a contender for song of the year thus far and, whilst it still probably isn't as good as Have One on Me the song (which, for those of you playing at home, I reviewed a while back), it's definitely in the top 5.

To summarise (short review, I know), I'm pretty excited about this band. They're Australian, they're awesome and it's clear that their guitarists can handle feedback almost as well as drone goddess Wata. It's nice to actually have a little excitement about the current Australian music scene, something that I've been pretty indifferent towards since it was flooded with shitty post-hardcore bands. I'll actually be posting the download link to this one as I know it's more important for a new band like Zond to have people listening to their music, not necessarily paying.

Download (FLAC)

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

Those familiar with Joanna Newsom may know her through her 2006 album Ys, one of the most musically dense albums recorded in recent times. The average track length was over 10 minutes, with Joanna singing all through them with lyrics that take an awful lot of analysing to have any idea what she's going on about. This was all topped off by orchestra arrangements by no less than Van Dyke Parks, creator of one of the biggest critically appraised but commercially unsuccessful albums in history, Song Cycle. Upon hearing that her follow-up would be not a double, but a triple album, you may be forgiven in thinking that Joanna Newsom has finally taken her pretensions too far, releasing some sprawling epic containing 20 minute songs with lyrical word counts in the thousands. However, if we ignore the length for now, Have One On Me contains some of Joanna's most accessible work and is definitely a worthy addition to your collection.

For those who aren't too familiar with Joanna Newsom, let me back-pedal a little and introduce her a little more thoroughly. Joanna Newsom is a harpist who writes music what I would describe as somewhere between indie folk and baroque pop. The harp is the main instrument in her albums (she does occasionally switch to piano), with an accompanying band or orchestra usually in backing. On paper that sounds pretty simple, but what takes it to, for lack of better term, the next level is Joanna's vocals. Some may find her voice a little weird sounding at first (I never had any issues with it), but she's a fantastic singer and, more importantly, she's got the lyrical prowess to back it up, writing some of the strangest but, indeed, most fascinating lyrics seen in modern music. That said, don't feel that you have to be sitting there with a lyric sheet while listening to get the most out of this album; it may help a little, but I was able to get great enjoyment out of Have One On Me only understanding what she was barking on about some of the time. What I can tell you about Have One On Me lyrically is that it's for the most part about love, and how easy or hard it can be to fall in and out of this strange phenomena. For more details, go listen to the album, but that's all that needs to be said in this context.

As I said earlier, Have One On Me is a triple album, but the total running time is only about 2 hours, so it's still shorter than Swans' Soundtracks for the Blind (also a great album) for example. Each disc has it's own sort of style, but the deviations are only small so as not to interrupt the general flow of the album. I would say that disc 1 is my favourite, containing gorgeous songs such as Good Intentions Paving Company and the title track Have On On Me (very much a contender for song of the year in my books), but discs 2 and 3 have some fantastic songs as well. One would probably expect an album of this length to contain a fair chunk of filler and to an extent I can agree, but I'd say there's enough variety between songs to keep people interested. Also, I get the feeling that different people are going to have different favourites, so keeping it all in was probably for the best.

To summarise, Have One On Me, despite its length, is an excellent starting point to quite easily one of the best singer-songwriters of the last 5-10 years. That being said, don't expect to like it straight away, it takes a good few run-throughs before it really starts to click, but the pay-off is definitely worth the investment. Have One On Me currently stands as my favourite from 2010, a pretty good feat considering how good the new Alcest album is, and, despite albums from Kayo Dot and The Ocean coming out soon, is going to be very hard to top. Check it out if you're a fan of indie or folk, and even if you're not (I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of the genre), it may still surprise you.

An Exceedingly Short Summary of Willam Borroughs' Naked Lunch

A father goes to his up to his son and tells him "Son, you're almost 13. It's about time you started to learn the value of a dollar. So, from now on, I'm going to give you 5 dollars a week, so that you can see the importance of spending your money wisely".
The son replies "I make $700 a night renting my delicate asshole to frustrated businessmen".
"I thought you looked familiar."

Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye

There are only two albums that I feel are truly representative of the term 'neo-classical'. One is Kashiwa Daisuke's 'Program Music 1' and the other is this (although 'Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain' by Mono & World's End Girlfriend comes close); what's interesting about this pairing is that this label is pretty much the only thing these two albums have in common. Let me elaborate on this a little, I think for an album to be modern classical, it involves having both meticulously composed structures, key signatures and changes, all that you'd find in the works of Debussy or Haydn, but done using modern instruments/techniques and what not. It's this last criteria that most people seem to forget and are all too quick to label something as neo-classical just because it's got some violins and was made in the last 20 years. Program Music 1 earns its neo-classical tag by fusing classical composition with electronic and computer based music, Choirs of the Eye does it with metal.

If I were to describe this album in one word, it would probably be dense. Despite running for over an hour, there's so much happening in this album that it never drags. Not just across the album, but each track you'll find the mood shift multiple times, anything from ambience to classical guitar to flute sections to full-blown metal. However, unlike schizophrenic bands like UneXpect, these changes never feel out of place or gimmicky. The key to this is probably that the album has only 5 tracks, meaning there's plenty of time for any stylistic change to take place within the context of both the song and the album.

One thing I particularly like about this album is that I'm always discovering something new in it. There's just so many layers that, upon every listen, you'll discover a horn part or a strings section or bass line that you've never noticed before. It not only adds to the musical sonic-scape, but helps keep the album fresh. I've listened to Choirs of the Eye probably about 11 times in the last 5 or so days and I am by no means tired of it yet; if anything, the more I listen to it, the more I like it. If I were to criticise it (and this is a minor grievance only), the vocals in some sections just don't seem quite as strong as the instruments, but they still do the job perfectly fine.

This albums comes with the disclaimer that it definitely does not fall under the 'easy listening' category. You can't turn on Kayo Dot and just chill out; it's an album best experienced with good headphones and with an alert and open mind. Even then, I probably wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't had some experience listening to progressive rock or metal. If you're new to the genre, maybe try some Tool or, God forbid, Opeth first and see how you like them before diving into this. Challenging but, ultimately, rewarding sums up this album nicely.

My initial plan for this review was to slowly go through each track and attempt to describe the awesomeness that unfolds. But I think it would be better for someone to discover this for themselves. Toby Driver has has created the first real modern-classical masterpiece of the 21st Century and has set the standard for avant-garde metal, of which no album has yet equalled. This. Album. Is. Fucking. Amazing.

Things the Internet Needs to Shut Up About

I love the delicious irony of this whole post.

Avatar
Yes, it's in 3D, and yes, it's pretty; I appreciate that. But, please, enough is enough. Thank God the Internet wasn't nearly as active when Titanic came out...
Also, to those who point out its flaws, do you really think you're saying something groundbreaking by claiming that Avatar and Pocahontas/Fern Gully/Dances With Wolves are similar? Criticising Avatar for being generic is like criticising leaves for photosynthesising. Go save your self righteous opinion for something relevant, like whether the new episode of Naruto is out yet.

The iPad
This isn't so much the Internet's fault as it is news sites and the general blogosphere. I haven't seen this much hype since Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (and didn't that live up to expectations?...), I'm not looking forward to March, when the actual thing is released. Anyway, there's not much more to say than that this iPhone, which has been made 3 times as big and called something else, is going to make Steve Jobs umpteen billion dollars while he still buggers around in cheap jeans. Meh.

Feel free to add your own!

Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss

I'm going to try and get a post done here and Green Gravy tonight to make up for my lack of updating recently, even if that means copying Scott by updating via pseudo album reviews/plugs. But the only thing more annoying than blogs that don't update are those that continually apologise for not updating so let's get into this.

Yndi Halda are a relatively new post-rock band from England, a place that's, at least to my knowledge, been pretty scarce in churning out good post rock bands, instead letting North America and Japan dominate the scene. This was my first exposure to the group; unsurprising as this is they're only full length released thus far. I've heard their sound described as Explosions You! Black Sky, which intrigued me as, even though I'm extremely apathetic to any Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed still remain one of my favourite groups.

I'd say the description given was pretty justified, there's a great balance between orchestral and string parts with guitar based post rock; hell, there's even some vocals every now and again, which is getting exceedingly rare in post rock. To put it simply, it's a good listen and your ears will certainly be at least enjoying temporary bliss (sorry). That said, I find myself somewhat conflicted with respect to how much I like this album. When I listen to it, I enjoy it a lot, it's a very well constructed album with some lovely moments and is a great example of neo-classical post rock. So what am I complaining about you ask? Well, I guess the whole thing is just too...predictable. Truly great post rock albums like Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven continually surprise me with respect to what's coming next (the climax of Sleep is nothing short of astounding). Program Music 1 did the same, it was innovative and fresh. These days it's becoming disturbingly easy to record some guitar melodies, a few violins and churn them through the giant 'post rock machine' and create pretty listenable albums and I can't help but feel that Enjoy Eternal Bliss falls into this territory.

But I'm being quite harsh, yes Enjoy Eternal Bliss is somewhat predictable and a little formulaic, but certainly no more so than Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Russian Circles and Sigur Ros (yes, I went there, bite me). Frankly, I probably enjoyed it more than any of the albums I have by the aforementioned acts. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is if you're looking for a very solid post rock album, look no further. If, however, you're looking for the second coming of GY!BE, then you may be better off going back into your lonely shell and keep scouring eBay for All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling.