Willy Wonka Hates You

Biosphere - Substrata

2011-02-26T01:29:00.001-08:00

Substrata most definitely falls under the category of 'ambient music'. However, my own experience with the album has left me with quite a different impression.

Whenever I listen to 'Soundtracks for the Blind' by Swans, I find myself being emotionally drained as the album progresses, like my soul is being slowly sucked out of me over the course of 140 minutes. By the end, I find myself quite emotionally exhausted and need to take a bit of a break before listening to something else. It's very much a credit to the album that it's able to elicit this kind of response in me, the tracks are simply capable of pressing emotional buttons that other artists cannot. I'm mentioning this because a similar thing occurs when I listen to Substrata.

This comparison between Swans and Biosphere is somewhat interesting, as, while Soundtracks for the Blind definitely strays into 'ambient' or 'quiet' territory from time to time, a lot of the album is quite loud. This doesn't happen in Substrata. Biosphere seem determined to keep their noise level firmly bounded from above and, as a result, climaxes or resolutions to the musical build-ups never occur; that's if the build-ups even exist. Maybe this is why I find myself slightly unsettled when I listen to this. We've gotten so used to bands like Explosions in the Sky and what not delivering us long-winded build-ups and explosive peaks that, when this structure is taken away from us, it sounds quite different and almost upsetting. By keeping its volume low, there's always a sinister feeling to the album, as if it wants to scream at you but knows it would be pointless to do so and, instead, keeps it anger brooding but partially hidden.

Of course, it takes more than just a quiet album to give off these feelings of unease (I could, after all, just play any album with the volume low). Where Substrata initially conjures its unsettling atmosphere is in its chord progression and use of samples. The chord progression, while firmly rooted in minor keys, is quite unique and, a lot of the time, does not exactly sound "nice"; nor should it. The samples, usually of various nature sounds and people talking, contrast each other nicely, with the nature sounds providing some relaxation whereas the voice samples complement the unsettling atmosphere of the music perfectly.

In this post, I've tried to explain why I find Substrata quite an emotionally involved album. I doubt I did it very well, but the point is that it affected me quite a lot. Even after 15+ plays I still find it an unnerving listen. While I will happily call this an 'ambient' album, all the signs are there after all (drone loops, quiet texture etc.), I find the idea somewhat ironic as the whole point of ambient is that it's not supposed to be too distracting. However, if I'm listening to music whilst doing work or something, I have a better chance of being able to focus on my work (and not the music) by putting on Merzbow than I do by putting on Substrata. I'm not kidding.

A very short review of the album 'Swans are Dead'

2011-02-21T02:30:00.001-08:00

If this is what being dead is like, I want in.

2010

2010-12-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

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

2010-09-10T03:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-10T03:01:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-05T03:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-29T00:58:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-08T00:21:00.001-07:00

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

2010-07-31T02:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-25T00:54:00.001-07:00

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

2010-07-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-25T02:57:00.001-07:00

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

2010-04-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-01T04:16:00.001-07:00

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

2010-02-06T20:33:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-03T00:57:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-22T03:38:00.001-08:00

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.

Varg Is A Cool Guy...

2009-12-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

He kills band mates and doesn't afraid of anything.

Top 50 Albums of the Decade - With Regrets

2009-12-09T03:35:00.000-08:00

No, I will not drop the subject.

Anyway, below is a list of albums that, given only a slight change of mood when compiling my top 50 list, could have ended up on the countdown. As a result, I feel compelled to at least mention them and, as such, implore you to check them out if interested.

Mastodon - Blood Mountain

Gojira - From Mars to Sirius

Daft Punk - Alive 2007

A Silver Mt Zion - Horses in the Sky

Deerhunter - Microcastle

Hauschka - Ferndorf

Melt-Banana - Bambi's Dilemma

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

Tool - Lateralus

Okay, I'll stop now; I promise.

Top 50 Albums of the Decade - Part 3 (15-1)

2009-12-06T02:57:00.000-08:00

Let's do this thing.

15. Electric Wizard - Dopethrone

To quote tolkkii from HolyFuckingShit40000:

"It's one of my favourite albums, but honestly it sounds like the following events occurred.
Hey man, let's jam!
Ok, let's play some Black Sabbath, some Master of Reality stuff.
Sure bro, let me roll a fattie first.
*smokes*
What were we going to do with these instruments?
Fuck, I don't know.
*Jams*
Duuuuuude"

14. Cult of Luna - Salvation

This and Isis' Oceanic are the two benchmarks which all post metal should strive to. A stunning album from beginning to end.

13. Converge - Jane Doe

Behold, metalcore done well. 12 punches in the face delivered with intensity levels rarely seen in music. Might take a while to digest, but it's worth it and then some. Just thinking about the sheer awesome of 'Concubine' and 'Homewrecker' is making me a little giddy.

12. Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness

Recorded over 5 years, spanning 2 discs, containing an accompanying 70-page booklet and going so far as to have individually painted discs, Deathconsciousness is clearly an album close to the heart of its two creators. And why wouldn't it be? Spanning multiple genres and moods, Deathconsciousness is a masterful achievement and, arguably, the best concept album of the decade.

11. Church of Misery - Houses of the Unholy

I've discussed both this band and album at length previously so all I'll say is fuck yes.

10. Melt-Banana - Cell Scape

9. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

Embarrassingly gushed over here. Still the best album of 2009 (bite me, Scott).

8. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

Just edging out its follower, Strawberry Jam epitomises what I like about Animal Collective. It's light and fun, but with some fascinating musical ideas to help give it some substance. Besides how can you resist an album with both 'For Reverend Green' and 'Fireworks'.

7. Mouse on the Keys - Sezession

Shamelessly fanboyed over here. Probably my best relatively unknown discovery of the last 12 months.

6. Boris - Flood

Ah, Boris...If I didn't give myself the 2 album restriction then this list would probably have at least 5 releases by this band (you see that I've already crammed 2 of their collaborations in here). Consisting of a single 70 minute track, Flood is like being slowly crushed by the ocean...but somehow in a good way.

5. Kashiwa Daisuke - Program Music 1

After I made a Japanese music post at Green Gravy, this was recommended to me by, again, Alex from Whatever Takes Your Fancy. This was, probably, the best album recommendation that I've ever received. Think of the electronic-influenced post-rock of World's End Girlfriend, then imagine it...better. Quite easily the best electronic album I've heard from this decade, if not ever.

4. Isis - Oceanic

The album that got me into sludge/post-metal and, really, metal in general. Crushingly heavy in parts, gorgeous in others, Oceanic is a masterpiece.

3. Radiohead - KidA

The musical shift from The Bends to OK Computer was matched if not surpassed when KidA was released. This caused quite the initial backlash but, as people actually started listening to Radiohead's new sound, they found that they were just as good as ever. I won't say too much more as KidA has been topping pretty much every best of list, but listen to the first 5 seconds of 'Everything in its Right Place' and you know that this is something special.

2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

The theme of Godpeed's F♯A♯∞ was, quite easily, the apocalypse, and it was awesome. The band's next full follow up, Lift Your Skinny Fists etc etc, didn't really seem to posses any central idea or premise. Instead, what Skinny Fists does is show the full spectrum of...existence, both the good and the bad. And it is through this simple idea that Godspeed are able to tell us more than they had previously. This would all mean nothing if the music wasn't there to back it up, but the nine-piece are in full form, from their trademark crescendos to, for the first time, drone and rock(ish) styles. In my opinion, the pinnacle of post-rock.

1. Boris - Boris at Last: -Feedbacker-

I wish I could describe how incredible this is and why it's the best album of the last 10 years, if not of all time, but words seem to lose me whenever I think about this album. This review does a better job than I could, but words can only get you so far. Listen to this album. Now.

Like I said at the start, I'm sure there are other albums released this decade, I haven't yet heard, that I'll like just as much if not more than those listed here. But that doesn't stop this list from being, in my opinion, fantastic releases and all highly recommended. Also, I'm quite willing to upload any album on this list at request so shout out if interested

Top 50 Albums of the Decade - Part 2 (30-16)

2009-12-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Let's jump straight back in and continue the countdown (hopefully blogger won't screw around with text sizes this time).

30. A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step

29. Mouse on the Keys - An Anxious Object

28. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O

Despite being Godspeed's worst release, Yanqui is still a powerful and moving album. 'Rocket Fall on Rocket Falls' in particular is a gorgeous track. For a band to be able to express just how pissed off they are without using any vocals whatsoever is quite an extraordinary feat.

27. Isis - Celestial

Deconstucting. Fucking. Towers. That is all.

26. Foetus - Flow

Despite a few 'dud' tracks, when J.G Thirwell gets it right, it's nothing short of spectacular.

25. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

24. Between the Buried and Me - Colors

Quite simply, an amazing achievement of progressive metal. It all seemed a little too sporadic and inconsistent at first, but slowly it all started to make sense and become one of the few not only listen-able, but good metalcore releases ever.

23. Boris with Merzbow - Rock Dream

Reviewed here though it's grown on me a lot since then.

22. World's End Girlfriend - Dream's End Come True

21. Radiohead - Amnesiac

Kid B you say? Bah, I say. This is a perfect complement to their 2000 masterpiece, though can stand perfectly fine on its own. Pyramid Song, Like Spinning Plates, Life in a Glasshouse, astounding.

20. The Antlers - Hospice

I don't think an album has ever made me cry as much as this one. Listening to the whole thing with lyrics handy is absolutely crushing.

19. Sunn O))) & Boris - Altar

As you probably know, I'm very much a fan of drone music. Well, this is the album that started it all. Retaining the distinctive sound of both bands, but still sounding completely unlike either have released (I've once heard it described as a bastard love child of the two bands that was beaten regularly during childhood), any lover of drone-doom can't not have this in their collection.

18. Earthless - Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky

17. Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm

Taking a 'less is more' approach, Neurosis deliver their best album yet.

16. The Ocean - Precambrian

I detest this adjective, but this album is truly deserving of the word epic. Two discs of pure joy.

Final instalment (15-1) will be posted whenever I get the time so hopefully some time over the next few days. What will be #1 (though if you know my music tastes even a little, you probably already know the answer to this question)?

Top 50 Albums of the Decade - Part 1 (50-31)

2009-12-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

Over the next few days, I'll be counting down what I feel are the fifty best albums that I've listened to from the 2000-2009 period. I'm sure there's plenty of stuff that I've yet to experience that's awesome, but I guess you need to have a cut-off at some point.

Note that I've only allowed 2 albums per artist/band in this list, though collaborations are considered separate. Also to save giant posts, I'll only be making additional comments about albums if I feel like it. But enough introductions, part 1 is 50-31

50. Set Fire to Flames - Sings Reigns Rebuilder

49. Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue

48. a-fei - Nymphéas

47. sgt. - Stylus Fantasticus

Thanks to Whatever Takes Your Fancy for turning me on to this one.

46. Khanate - Clean Hands Go Foul

This album is, quite easily, the heaviest album I've listened to. Not due to that it's really fast or really loud, it's neither of those things. What Khanate does is play doom metal stripped back to a snail's pace, but with the most agonising vocals I've ever heard. The result is a sound so emotionally heavy, listening to it is quite physically draining. Definitely a unique experience.

45. Sunn O))) - Black One

44. Ben Frost - By The Throat

43. Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters

42. Neurosis - Given to the Rising

41. Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine

I can't stress just how...fun this album is. Death From Above 1979 have no pretensions of grandeur or significance, they're just here to rock, which they do well. Very well.

40. Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow

My concert review should already tell you that I think these guys are pretty awesome.

39. Massive Attack - 100th Window

Release the new album already!

38. Om - God is Good

37 - Thom Yorke - The Eraser

36. mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind

Despite my occasional criticisms of this album, I can't deny it's brilliance.

35. Venetian Snares - Songs About My Cats

lol, breakcore.

34. Sunn O))) - La Mort Noir En Esch Alzette

33. mono - You Are There

Gorgeous.

32. At The Drive In - Relationship of Command

There's a reason there aren't many post-hardcore bands these days. There's no point now that Relationship of Command has come and gone.

31. Mastodon - Crack the Skye

Great album by a great band.

Stay tuned for tomorrow post where I count down 30-16.

One Year Anniversary

2009-11-08T01:11:00.000-08:00

Obviously I'm not referring to the one year anniversary of this blog, which is about 9 months old (my, just where does the time go?..). What I mean is that it has now been roughly a year since I started seriously listening to and finding new music. Over that year, my library has expanded from about 1000 songs to over 3200 and I can guarantee that every song that's been added would have been listened to at least 5 or 6 times over the course of the year (except Brand New, who suck). Many new bands have been discovered, some have been rediscovered but, really, I think I've just learned to appreciate music as a whole so much more. I, quite literally, can't picture my life without it.

Anyway, to commemorate this, here are the top artists and albums that I've listened to over the last 12 months according to my Last.fm. If you see anything that interests you, I very much encourage you to check it out, it's all great.

Top Artists:

Boris

With a play count that is almost double second place, it's pretty clear that Boris have been a substantial part of my life of recent. From the slow build-ups and godly climaxes of their drone pieces, to their innovative hard rock, Boris are hard to top.

Isis:

Seriously good sludge/post metal. I've yet to find an album by them that I didn't like. Encompasses the harshness and brutality of Neurosis, but with atmospheric soundscapes usually seen in post rock. Yes.

Animal Collective

I always feel so tragically indie for liking Animal collective, but that doesn't stop them from making great freak-folk/noise pop music.

Skinny Puppy

Industrial music defined. Whether it be through the seedy darkness of ViviSectVi or the more rock(ish) feel of Too Dark Park, Skinny Puppy ooze awesome.

My Bloody Valentine

Loveless represents the pinnacle of shoegaze and is one of the greatest records of the nineties. Isn't Anything isn't too shabby either.

Neurosis

Godfathers of sludge metal, Neurosis have been churning out sonically amazing records since 1996's Through Silver In Blood; they haven't put a foot wrong since.

Naked City

Fast, frenzied and fucked up, Naked City mash jazz, grindcore and...pretty much any other genre you can think of into their usually <1min songs.

Sunn O)))

BBBBBBBBBBWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO))))))))))))))))))AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Top Albums:

(Keeping in mind that some of these are here due to their low track length/high number of tracks per album. In reality there'd be a lot more Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Boris at Last: -Feedbacker-)

Naked City - Torture Garden

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Neutral Milk Hotel - In Mah Aeroplane

Boris - Pink

Big Black - Songs About Fucking

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

Melt-Banana - Cell Scape

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - We're Only in it For the Money

Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica

A year ago, I would never have picked the kind of stuff that I currently listen to. Hence, I can't help but wonder the kind of stuff that I'll be recommending here come this time next year (though if it's crunkcore, I think it's time to take me out back Old-Yeller style).

Albums That Should Be Listened To Discreetly If In A Public Place With An Mp3 Player That Displays Album Art

2009-10-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Title Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?..

Anyway, for those of us too cheap to drive to our place of work or education and, as such, exploit public transportation, you'd know that your Mp3 player can be your saviour from such perils as loud school kids or having to actually converse with passengers. However, one must show a little diligence when deciding to break out their iPod, not because it's antisocial or damaging to your ears, but because some of us posses albums with covers not really designed for a public place. To help tackle this gripping social issue, I've developed a handy lists of albums which, if you are going to listen to, do so with your music player's screen in a position away from the young or the elderly's eyes.

Big Black - Songs About Fucking

Pretty self-explanatory, Songs About Fucking is about as subtle as its album cover. What if a small child were to stumble upon it, how will you explain your way out of this one? Let's leave the sex talk to the parents.

Naked City - Entire Catalogue

Jesus Christ, look at this shit! As if Naked City weren't strange enough without pictures of bondage and uber-violence to accompany it. What would Great-Aunt Gladys say if she saw you listening to this morally bankrupt filth!

Mayhem - Dawn of the Black Hearts

Well, I suppose their lead singer's name was Dead, I just didn't think they meant it so literally...

Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals

Good god it's a naked woman! No, wait, it's a naked man!...huh...actually I'm not too sure what it is, all I know it has the capacity to mentally scar young children for years to come...

Electric Wizard - Dopethrone

For shame Electric Wizard. Surely you wish to be positive role models to little Johnny No-Drugs? Why then would you release an album containing none other than Satan himself smoking a bong? Won't somebody please think of the children?!?

Have A Nice Life - Deathconciousness

Now, we all feel a little down after having sat through Have A Nice Life's 85 minute album (it just keeps going), but surely there must be a better solution?

Moderat - Moderat

Foolish woman, punching yourself in the face. Don't you know you're encouraging self loathing in children or, worse, telling them it's okay to hit women? Combining this with your seeming belief that 'Sick With It' is a good song, I'm beginning to question your judgement entirely...

Skinny Puppy - Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse

Ladies and gentlemen, we have nipple.

Sunn O))) - Black One

Waah! Holy crap; just look at this thing! This cover gives me the creeps and I'm an adult, think of what it will do to little Billy Innocent-Mind, the poor thing will be damaged beyond repair!

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

You know how impressionable kids can be, they may well see this and think it's okay for them to start battling giant robots without the two week correspondence course that is required under section 4.27 of the vigilante rule book. Then what? Anarchy, that's what.

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Oh, looks innocent enough, but let's now skip forward five minutes...

The tiger's gone and torn everyone else to shreds! Surely Noah Taylor should have predicted a bloodbath when setting up this whimsical scene, but once again a a musician hasn't thought everything through. Thanks a lot Panda Bear; jerk.

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

I'm onto you Animal Collective, or should I say Lawyer Collective! You release an album like this, hoping for us to listen to it while sitting next to someone with epilepsy. Then what? Bam! Seizure. And who's going to lead the class action suit against me and my fruity album cover displaying ways? Why, none other than its creators! Don't think your little plan has slipped by me you electronic-indie fucks.

So, dear reader, head this warning and think twice before playing your potentially crippling filth. I always preferred the older iPods anyway...

The Greatest Page on the Internet?

2009-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

I think I found it.

EDIT: No, this is it:
http://santiagohc.11.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?p=242575&sid=75c7b543cb764dd8b97f40f39fb1eaec

EPs Are Music Too

2009-10-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

It's a habit that I'm very guilty of. I find myself interested in a band and am looking through their discography trying to find what release of theirs I want to get. LPs, live albums, collaborations, I consider these all fair game and try to pick out which one appeals to me the most. What I don't consider, however, is a band's extended play, or EP, releases.

For the very minute few of you who don't know what EPs are, EPs are music releases that are usually much shorter in nature than standard full length releases, with most hovering around the 20-30 minute mark. Unfortunately, I've developed a nasty habit of simply ignoring these shorter releases, wanting to dive head-first into a full-length record. "Fool!" I hear you say, "Have you forgotten about Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada? It contained some of the band's best and most concise work." I know, I know; it's easy to forget that sometimes an EP can be just as good if not better than a full length. Thus, in order to try and rectify my abuse of the EP format, I intend to review 3 EPs of which I have recently aquired and, in all cases, have been quite impressed with.

Meshuggah - I

Last.fm Page

Meshuggah are a band that are very much suited to the shorter, punchier nature of EPs (many people seem to find that they get a bit repetitive if you listen to them for too long). Consisting of a single 21 minute track (though it can be broken into 3 sections), I is a showcase of progressive and technical metal. What I found appealing about it was the solid percussion that, essentially, drives the entire song through. There's also a great variety of cool sounding riffs and guitar prowess that will keep you interested. I'm looking forward to seeing them at Soundwave next year.

7/10

Torche/Boris - Chapter Ahead Being Fake (Split)

Wikipedia Page

For those of you who know me, you'd know that I'm pretty obsessive over the Japanese power trio Boris. After their apparently disappointing last major release, Smile (which I don't currently have), it's good to see that the band still has it. The first track is 'King Beef' by sludge/stoner metal band Torche; it's nice and heavy with some cool effects going on in the background. This was my first experience with Torche and I must say that it's left quite an impression on me, definitely recommended for fans of Baroness or Mastodon. The other track, 'Luna' by Boris does a great job at keeping your attention for its 12 minute length. The track starts off as a sort of psychedelic piece, slightly reminiscent of their collaboration, 'Rainbow', with Michio Kurihara, but running at something like an unheard of 300+ beats per minute, Atsuo does a great job just to pull it off. Eventually the style changes to a doom/sludge sound, which is a very cool way to round out the album. This split really showcases both bands ability and works as a great introduction to either of the two. Highly recommended.

9/10

Mouse on the Keys - Sezession

Last.fm Page

Jazz and post rock. Sounds like a winning combination, but apart from the occasional excursion down this lane by World's End Girlfriend, something that I've yet to find a band that does this really well. Thankfully, I've now found such a band. Mouse on the Keys keep things fairly simple, with drums and piano making up the band's core (though do use saxophones and the like sometimes). It's hard for me to describe what I like about this EP, suffice to say that I absolutely adore it though. The drums are fantastic, the piano smooth and the other instruments masterfully used to make this record 22 minutes of bliss; it's great to see that a band is able to live up to the amazingly awesome fusion that jazz and post rock entails in my head. I give this EP 10/10, which I don't do very often at all so, for the love of god, check out this album. I can't recommend this band enough.

So as you can see, don't glance past EPs like they're Diet LPs or something, the shorter time length makes them a great way to check out a band you've never heard before and can sometimes be the band's best work. Something that I most of all need to continually remind myself...

It's not you, it's me...

2009-09-25T02:23:00.000-07:00

For reasons that I can't really understand myself, I've asked to be able to become a contributor at the comparatively successful Green Gravy and have been accepted. But before the one or two people who actually read my blog leave and never check here again, I'm not going to stop doing (sporadic) updates here.

What I feel like doing with this system is to keep personal opinion/general blog updates here and will post movie and anime reviews up at Green Gravy, where they at least have a chance of being read (my Excel Saga review is fresh off the press there now). Where I put my stuff about music I'm still deciding, but will, most likely, be here; I guess it may vary though. In either case, I'm not going to desert this place (in before you say that I already had months ago), so please keep checking back here every now and then for more pointless updates. That said, I also encourage you to check out Green Gravy if you haven't yet done so, at least they update on a pretty regular basis. Kthxbye.

RE: Metropolis, A Response Review

2009-09-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

About a week or so ago, Scott from Green Gravy posted a review of Osamu Tezuka's 2001 film Metropolis. The review was quite a glowing one, calling the film an anime classic and bestowing it a 5/5 star rating. Now, I'm not here to bash that review, it would be stupid to criticise something so subjective as movie tastes; but I would like to, I guess, express a slightly alternative viewpoint, perhaps one not as glowing as what Scott's was (I can't blame him though, I'm sure anything would seem fantastic after you've just watched Elfen Lied in its entirety)*.

Now, let me start this by saying that Metropolis is by no measures bad, it's a very good film; there were, however, a few points that got under my skin. But before I divulge in that, let's highlight what was good.

The Good:

Firstly (and this is a no-brainer), the animation is nothing short of stunning. Studio Madhouse have, again, shown that both they and Production I.G. are truly the leaders in Japanese animation. The looks of this movie rival that of Disney animation classics like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, films that would have had a budget larger than Atlas' shoulder muscles (though something tells me Metropolis' budget wouldn't have been too far behind). The film was really one of the first animes to mesh 2d and 3d animation together without it seeming jarring to the viewer. The end result is a film that is an aesthetic polish so high that it's probably worth a watch solely for the visual spectacle.

Another great aspect of this film is the music. Being someone that has played a lot of jazz and dixieland, I'm probably a little bias, but it was great to see this style of music incorporated with the film. The music works surprisingly well with the expansive and isolating feel that the city creates. I know Scott partly criticised the choice of music for the film's climax, I didn't really have an issue with it, though I can see that there will be people who will (parallels between this and the music used during the third impact in End of Evangelion can be drawn). To summarise, Tezuka's choice of music style did surprise me, but in a good way and it really helps give the film a distinct edge.

The Bad:

Okay, so there were more good points than the two mentioned, but, I guess, they were the standouts. Now, there were a few aspects of Metropolis that either didn't sit well with me or plainly annoyed me. Some are quite small and petty, whereas others are more important. Either way, the accumulation of all this was what prompted me to make this post as, while I enjoyed it, I don't consider Metropolis to be a 5 star film. Also, a word of warning that in discussing my grievances, I may inadvertently drop a spoiler or two, so tread with caution.

One of my main irritations with this film was the character of Rock. And no, I don't mean this solely because he's the antagonist and we're supposed to not like him. What I mean is that I struggled to try and figure out the motivation behind this character and why he acts like a dick. Okay, his adopted father is somewhat cold and he's trying to prove himself to him, I understand that, but why does he hate robots so much? Is it because he's supposed to represent the general contempt towards robots that Joe Anyperson has in the city of Metropolis? I can't see why as, unlike the ex-working classes, his job wasn't replaced by a machine. The only other possible reason I can think of is that he can't stand the fact that his father appears to love a robot more than he loved him, but this argument falls to bits when we see Rock take pleasure in killing a robot before he finds out about his father's apparent love. Maybe I'm missing something here, but, to me, this is never explained and it got on my nerves.

Another issue I had with Metropolis was with Tima. Now before you all denounce me for disliking Tima, I am referring towards the idea of Tima, not the character herself. This is probably more a gripe with the conventional anime plot devices in general, but it makes an unwanted appearance here. Okay so here we have, supposedly, the greatest achievement by mankind ever made, something of which all science and engineering has lead up to, and it turns out to be a fucking 10-14 year old girl who is both clueless to the world and is so impressionable that whoever gets at her first, essentially, has them in her heart forever more. This is our scientific holy grail? This? Elfen Lied, I think, kind of does this as well and I can't help but feel like we're being condescended to if we're expected to take this without a grain of salt. I guess I'm more lenient on Tezuka in this case as the manga Metropolis was based on is over 60 years old and this probably would have seemed a much more fresh idea back in the late 40's.

The above two paragraphs were my main issues with this film, though there is another point that I'd like to discuss relating to the man/machine philosophy that Metropolis puts forward. In general, I was pretty impressed with the points that were being made. The film shows nearly all characters, good or bad, as flawed in some way and that, with the exception of goody-two-shoes Kenichi, the distinction between right and wrong is never overly clear. For most of the film I found myself thinking that the robots were the only really righteous characters, but even that changed by the end of the film. There's a large focus on man's treatment of robots and whether, as AI gets larger and larger, we're still able to treat machines as purely an array of circuitry and metal created for our bidding or not. An old question for sure, but one that I'm always happy to go back to if presented in an interesting manner, which I think Metropolis does.

However, while I thought the underlying themes of Metropolis were well presented, I have seen better, namely that of the Ghost in the Shell universe. Now, this may be seen as a little unfair as GitS has had 2 movies and 2 television series to be able to explain their philosophy and, as such, has the opportunity to go much more in depth than a single film gets to; but hey, I can't just forget that I've seen these things simply because it's 'unfair'. Ghost in the Shell: Innocence remains one of my all time favourites movies so, again, it will be hard to stand up against, but I just found the ideas and themes presented in Innocence to be far more compelling and better executed. I reiterate that what Metropolis does is still good, all I'm saying is that, in my opinion, superior films exist. I do, however, think that Metropolis will probably appeal to a wider audience than Ghost in the Shell, as you don't get the snail-pace storytelling that Oshii occasionally does; something which I like, but not everyone else does.

In summary, Metropolis, while not an 'anime classic', is still a very enjoyable film that I would very much recommend you see. The animation is gorgeous, the music unique and will leave you thinking about it's ideas after the credits roll.

*Sorry, I had to throw that in...

Things I would let Godot from Phoenix Wright do to me sexually

2009-09-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

A lot.

101 Album Reviews

2009-08-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

No explanation, no reasoning, just 101 ratings. Enjoy.

4 excellent
A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step
At the Drive-In Relationship of Command
Atheist Unquestionable Presence
Between the Buried and Me Colors
Bjork Homogenic
Burzum Filosofem
Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Replica
Cult of Luna Eternal Kingdom
Daft Punk Alive 2007
Earthless Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky
Electric Wizard Come My Fanatics
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Yanqui U.X.O
Isis Wavering Radiant
Isis Panopticon
Isis Celestial
John Zorn Naked City
Khanate Clean Hands Go Foul
King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King
Mastodon Crack the Skye
Mono Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Mono You Are There
My Bloody Valentine Isn't Anything
Neurosis The Eye of Every Storm
Nick Drake Pink Moon
PainKiller Execution Ground
Pavement Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Reduxe
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here
Sunn O))) La Mort Noir En Esch Alzette
Tool Aenima
Ulver Bergtatt
World's End Girlfriend Dream's End Come True

Go Go Golf Review, with apologies

2009-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's my review for PS2 seminal classic Go Go Golf. The video quality has hit an all time low, but it's the thought that counts.

Top 10 Albums of the Year (thus far)

2009-06-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

Obviously taste is subjective, but that doesn't mean that I can't ram my opinions down other people's throats...

2009 has been a pretty good year for music so far and will hopefully continue this trend. As we're, essentially, at the half way point of the year, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and actually update this blog (I've been meaning to for a while) as well as fill you in with what I've found enjoyable so far in this year of music. Maybe one day I'll do a blog post that isn't centred around music...

10. Faust - C'est Com... Com... Compliqué

This was my first venture into German band Faust's distinctive Kraut-rock style and I was impressed. These guys have been around for a long time and it's good to see they've still got some creative juices flowing. C'est Com... Com... Compliqué is a minimalistic, percussion heavy album that the listener will no doubt find unique. Well worth a listen

9. Moderat - Moderat

Another album recommeded to me by Scott (who, no doubt will be feeling a little smug right now). Moderat is, pretty much, the only electronica/IDM album I've picked up from this year and has certainly set a high benchmark for any others that I look into. Quite similar to Burial, but I think they're a little better. This album has some definite highlights and one of the best closer tracks of the year. Great stuff.

8. Church of Misery - Houses of the Unholy

For a long time, I didn't think Japanese music was much more than J-Pop and Visual Kei. Oh, how wrong I was. This year, I've become hooked on such bands as Boris, Mono and maybe even Merzbow. Church of Misery is an excellent example on how a Japanese band can hold its own in a genre that one wouldn't expect it to be able to. Church of Misery is a doom/stoner metal band (you wouldn't pick it from the album cover) and, whilst my doom expertise is very much minimal, I can tell you they've done a good job with this album. The idea of basing most of their songs on famous serial killers is a little off-putting and maybe a little gimmicky, but there's definite substance behind the premise. To put it simply, it rocks.

7. Mokira - Persona

A late addition to my list (I, quite literally, only got this album yesterday), but a welcome one. Okay, so I lied when I said Moderat was my only IDM excursion of the year, but Moderat and Persona are very different albums. Persona is very much a more ambient album that may even border on drone at times. While I can't give you a full retrospective review of this album due to its recent arrival, I can say that it looks very promising and I'm sure I'll get more enjoyment out of it yet.

6. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs

Probably the strangest and most sporadic album that is going to come out this year. Amesoeurs is an album that changes its style from track to track. And I don't mean subtle changes in style or similar, I literally mean that one track will be a soft shoegaze type of track, with the next being full on black metal. I'm still not sure how to define this album, though it's main 3 genres it sticks to are shoegaze, post-punk and black metal. It's not surprising that the band broke up after only making this one full LP, they just didn't know what direction they should go in. Don't let the continual mood shift deter you though, all styles are done very well and this album serves as an excellent homage to this versatile, if short lived, band.

5. Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions

This could have so easily have been my #4, but, for whatever reason, it stays at 5. Sunn (as well as drone in general) are something that I've only gotten into very recently and I'm still in the high of discovering this new territory. Monoliths & Dimensions is, arguably, Sunn's most varied and intricate work yet. Agartha, the album's opener, punches you in the face and then slowly descends into a very brooding chant. Big Church and Hunting & Gathering expand on this and, finally, Alice wraps up the piece in, what is quite possibly for the first time in Sunn's career, a quite beautiful trombone solo. More than 20 people made guest appearances on this record and the variety comes through. In a time of fast paced consumerism and economic uncertainty, it's refreshing to listen to an album that takes its time and makes you listen to everything that's going on. This is an album from a duo that clearly know what they're doing and have refined their art down to a science, highly recommended.

4. ISIS - Wavering Radiant

Isis are one of my favourite bands and their latest offering doesn't disappoint. I don't have In the Absense of Truth, the predecessor to this (the consensus being it's their worst), but apparently Wavering Radiant expands upon new sounds explored in ITAOT. What this meant was that, upon first listen, Wavering Radiant sounded quite different to the Isis that I knew and loved from Oceanic, Panopticon etc. But, in many ways, it was a joy to explore this new territory with a band who I can trust and, as expected, it payed off. If you're new to Isis, I'd probably suggest to start with this record, it's easy to get into and gives the listener an excellent taste of the grand soundscapes Isis are capable of.

3. Mastodon - Crack the Skye

I've just discussed how Wavering Radiant took Isis into a different place musically, Crack the Skye takes Mastodon to another musical dimension. As Mastodon have matured, their albums have slowly departed from the sludge/extreme sound that encompassed Remission, taking their music to a more progressive metal territory. Crack the Skye is the peak of this; it's practically a prog rock album. The whole band is on top form, delivering great riffs/drums/base lines and even good singing. While Blood Mountain was a great record, this blows it out of the water. With an underlying story of astral projection and, for whatever reason, famous Russian Rasputin, Crack the Skye takes you on a erethreal and hallucinogenic ride, one that you'll definitely want to be a part of.

2. MONO - Hymn to the Immortal Wind

As I explained while discussing Church of Misery, Mono are a Japanese band who I'm very glad exist. Their 2006 album You Are There was an amazing record and Mono's 2009 offering expands on this, amping it up ten-fold. Some may find the departure from You Are There's minimalism a little overbearing (I did initially), this is a fully fledged orchestral soundtrack. While previous Mono work felt like each song was telling a story, Hymn to the Immortal Wind tells a story spread out over the entire album, and it is indeed a very epic story. This would have been further down my list (though definitely still in my top 10) if something didn't happen in my life a few weeks ago. Someone I knew (admittedly not well, but well enough) comitted suicide, something that shocked me quite hard; as the cliche goes, it's always those who you don't expect. Anyway, upon learning of this, the first album I listened to was this record by Mono. It was the perfect thing to listen to as it lead me through emotions of sadness, beauty, but finally: hope. I'm indebted to Mono for helping me through such a tough time, which really shows what the power of music can be capable of in this world.

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

If you told me that this would be my pick for album of the year 5 or 6 months ago, I would have kindly slapped you across the face and probably insulted your mother. When this album was released all the way back in January, everyone was saying how brilliant it was (by everyone I mean the hipster community lead by their hipster overlord, Pitchfork, who, for the record, I usually ignore), so I decided to give it a shot. First listens were bad, very bad. It was unlike anything I'd heard or even considered as music before, but not in a good way. After 3 or 4 listens I pretty much labelled this album as 'disappointing' and moved on. Fast forward a good 2 or so months down the track, when, whilst watching late night Rage (an Australian music video show), the video for My Girls comes on. I immediately make a few comments about how not very good this song or the album it comes from is; but, as the song progresses, so does my attitude. All of the sudden, it actually starts to sound...good, very good. I'm a little perplexed by this and decide to go back to Merriweather and give it another listen, and holy shit, it's amazing! Okay, I admit it took more than just one listen to change my view so rapidly, but my opinion did a complete 180. What this album is, to me, is a celebration of sound, all the nuances and undertones in each track come together to create music that's a joy to listen to. It also helps that Merriweather Post Pavillion has the greatest opening track, if not best song, of the year In the Flowers. Animal Collective, I am your fan.

Yes, in a list that's dominated by metal, it's a little strange to have an experimental pop record top my list, but I've yet to find a record that has come close to challenging its crown (not to say no's 2-10 aren't great, but MPP is really in a tier of its own right now). But the year is not over yet and there's still plenty of promising releases to come. Stay tuned for my top 10 of the whole year post when the time comes.

Albums that, with regrets, didn't quite make the list:

Minsk - With Echoes In The Movement Of Stone

Sylvian Chauveau - Touching Down Lightly

I can do a v-review too, you know...

2009-05-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Green Gravy (i.e. playjurised) I've decided to give vlogging a go. You'll need to turn up your volume to hear me due to my crappy laptop microphone. Anyhoo, this is my attempt at a review of the album Rock Dream by Bors with Merzbow.

The Metal 'Stigma'

2009-05-15T01:13:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post something here for a while now, but haven't thought of any decent subjects to talk about. But, this one just came to me so I think I'll roll with it.

I have a friend (who, for the purpose of this blog, will remain unnamed) who has a pretty annoying habit of labelling my taste in music as 'heavy metal' or 'metal' in general, dismissing it as, essentially, crap due to the fact that it's all loud noises and screaming. Now, I can at least empathise with this viewpoint as that's what I think we're all like when we get exposed to the heavier side of music for the first time. But, what I want to put forward today is, firstly, that yes, a lot of metal is bad, very bad in fact, but just because something sounds unfamiliar initially, doesn't mean you should dismiss it entirely.

The term 'metal' is usually associated with bands like Metallica, Deep Purple, Led Zepplin as well men who drink copious amounts of beer, wear lots of denim and have long hair. This associated image makes me quite hesitatnt to tell people that I like bands like Neurosis, ISIS and Sunn O))) as people instantly think that this must be head-banging, binge-drinking, spouse-beating music and that I, clearly, am some sort of lesser person due to my affiliation with these bands. I know I'm not going to change the image of metal, but what you may not know is the immense scope that the word metal encaptulates. Just one glance at the Wikipedia page for heavy metal sub-genres show, most likely, much more variety than most people associate with the metal catch-all term. Led Zepplin, AC/DC and the like represent only a very small percentage of metal's total scope and, to be frank, they suck.

Which brings me nicely to my next point, and by point I mean concession - most metal is awful and is the reason that such a negative image is attached to metal. The vast majority of music written since the about mid 19th Century has been about expressing emotions. Metal, at its core, should be expressing emotions that don't fit into the context of softer music, things like desperation, anger, melancholy and nihilism. What metal should not be about is playing guitars as fast as possible, tight pants and alcohol. Unfortunately, far too many bands fall down the latter path, delivering, at best, uninspired efforts and, at worst, shit. What really gets on my nerves is that the most well known metal bands (Dragonforce, Machine Head etc) fit well and truly into this category. So, to summarise my general point, yes, a lot of metal sucks, so does a lot of other music genres, but just because the metal you've heard is bad, doesn't mean that all other metal bands sound anything remotely like them. The metal I listen to is about creating atmosphere, not extending my index and little finger.

Well, as per usual, I've probably gone on for much longer than I should have, if my aforementioned friend is reading this, I hope you understand what I'm saying; for one to say that all metal is the same screaming crap is the same as one saying that all alternative rock is the same as Nickelback, a hypothetical scenario that makes my spine shudder. Oh, and for the record, metal only makes up about 30% of my music library, it's still vastly dominated by alternative, industrial and electronica.

Before I go though, I'd like to present a quick list of bands that I consider to encapsulate the good side of metal. If you're at all interested, I'd very much encourage to check them out.

Atheist:

Creates a quite remarkable fusion of traditional death metal with jazz-style drums and rarely seen time signatures - check out Unquestionable Presence.

Boris:

Japanese music isn't all J-Pop and Dir en grey...

Callisto:

Post-metal bordering on 'art core', well worth a look.

Cult of Luna:

Right up there with ISIS and Neurosis in leading the atmospheric sludge genre.

Gojira:

An excellent band that shows that metal can have things like guitar solos and the like, but still have lyrical and atmospheric substance to back it up.

ISIS:

One of the pioneers of the post-metal/sludge genre. Features intricate guitar riffs that establish an excellent mood.

Mastodon:

A very important figure in the, if you'll forgive the cliche, new wave of metal that is spreading across the US and the world. Check out Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye.

Minsk:

Psychadelic sludge, which was the initial spark that got me into the sludge genre.

Neurosis:

Initially an 80's hardcore band, have since become one of the most important atmospheric sludge bands. Truly an amazing outfit.

Painkiller:

Many wouldn't even say this band is even metal, but what they are is a mixture of free jazz and death-metal style drumming.

Steak Number Eight:

Comprised of a group of Belgian teenagers, Steak Number Eight have already released one amazing album and, hopefully, have a long life ahead of them.

Sunn O))):

Possibly metal at it's most hardcore. Sunn (along with Boris and Earth) have taken drone to the almost mainstream. With live shows that may feature a single guitar chord lasting for over an hour, these guys are completely uncompromising with what they do and provide one of the most atmospheric musical experiences you could have, if you're willing to go along, that is.

Tool:

I freely admit my list has been a little devoid of progressive metal, so it only seemed right to include these guys. Create both a great aural and, including their album packaging and videos, visual experience.

Stream of Consciousness

2009-03-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've found myself to be incredibly bored and feel that posting here might be some sort of remedy to fix the problem. Unfortunately, I don't really know what I want to write about - just so long as it burns some time. Hence, what I want to try is to just start writing something and see where it takes me; some may call this a writing excercise of some sort but it's really just a flimsy excuse for incoherency and poor grammar.

One thing that I thought I might be able to do is listen to some music of some sort and write down my opinions as it plays, but I haven't really got anything that new apart from Times of Grace by Neurosis (which is probably too long to make such a post about). Right now I'm listening to Start/Whispers by Trent Reznor, a song off the original Quake soundtrack. I don't actually have (or intend to own) Quake, but am a decent fan of T Rez's work. This particular track, like the whole soundtrack really, is, I guess, a sort of drone/industrial/minimal sounding piece. Obviously the music can't take centre stage in an FPS so it needs to be subtle, but I think it still manages to keep a foreboding and tense atmosphere. At the very least, if you're interested in listening to some industrial and don't want to bother with the 'wah-wah' of NIN, it's not a bad CD really. Well, that's all I really wanted to say about it but it's still got 1-2 minutes left (it's 8 minutes long) so I'm left with a new topic to find in the meantime.

I guess something I can do, while we're on the subject of Quake, is talk about the FPS genre and, more precisely, my lack of satisfaction with it. We live in a society where the vast majority of the top selling games are shooters and I can't help but wonder why. The story's are nearly always pathetic, with every game saying the same thing but with a slightly different looking muscular, grizzled, brown haired American guy. The same can be said for the gameplay, with shooter after shooter just trying to stick to the 'Halo format' or, as I like to call it, the 'meh format' with 5 or so different guns total, regenerative health and stupid AI. I'm not expecting a revolution for every game that gets released, but I'd really wish that developers would at least try to differentiate themselves with the hundreds of other titles sitting next to it. But no, that won't happen as any game that tries something new will mean poor sales, with so much as a use of the phrase "why am I killing these enemies" enough to cause most players to enter a state of psychotic remission (I'm not sure if that actually makes sense, but it sounds cool).

For the record, Charlotte by Slint was being played whilst the above paragraph was being written - good song.

But, I am being harsh here, after all I have gotten enjoyment out of playing shooters. More than once have I engaged in a LAN game of Counter Strike and had a good time doing so. But that's Valve, a company whom I have nothing but the upmost respect for despite my general opinion of shooting games. Shine on you crazy diamond.

Hmm, it seems that I've failed to come so some sort of point with the above two or so paragraphs of waffle. All I guess I want to say is that it would be nice to see something other than FPS on the shelves of EB, especially in the next gen section. Just because you have a new console doesn't mean you have to make the game look as realistic as possible (which is why, I think, a lot of developers are making shooters for the PS3 and 360), perhaps use the new technology to create a new gameplay mechanic of some sort or perhaps a new gaming experience altogether. But, if you are to make a shooter, how about at least having a sense of humour? Remember Duke Nukem? Good shooters can also be funny and it will allow you to be a little different without having to scare off your target market.

Music listened to while writing the above: Away by Neurosis, currently listening to The Eraser by Thom Yorke - also good songs.

Well that chewed up a few paragraphs, more than I was expecting to write, though probably not very understandable. Oh well, it's not as if people read this blog anyway...Anyway, is it worth starting a new topic or just finishing the entry here? I got a haircut today. I don't know why I wrote that but it suddenly popped into my head; either way it's staying there now. I guess it's a big event as I only get it cut every 8 or so months (I'm a pretty tight sometimes). I'm fairly pleased with the result, though I think it looked better last I got it cut. Maybe I'll post a picture if people are interested.

By the way, Lost Woods from the Zelda OoT OST just played, which, coincidentally, is my ringtone.

Once again I've found myself without a topic to write about. Currently listening to Human After All by Daft Punk, a confusingly good song. I call it confusingly good as it is, really, an extremely simple song, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Though I suppose if people (not me, mind you) can get joy out of Achy Breaky Heart, a song with only 2 (maybe 3) chords in it, maybe simplicity can be a good thing.

Aha, topic. Achy Breaky Heart was written by Billy Ray Cyrus, father of Miley Cyrus. Today I read that Miley Cyrus has said something along the lines of that she intends to 'bring Radiohead down' after they snubbed her at the Grammys. I find this quite hilarious both due to Miley being snubbed and that she thinks she has the power to bring down Radiohead, one of my favourite bands. Disney may be big, honey, but the Jonas Brothers and the like are still being outsold by a hell of a lot of bands, of which Radiohead would be one. Long story short, shutup and dream on.

Well, I think that's definitely enough now. No attempts will be made to proofread this or correct it as I think that's missing the point and, to be honest, I don't really want to read the probably train wreck that is the above chain of thought. If you've made it this far, well done and have a cookie.

Listening to: Shevanel Cut a Flip by Between the Buried and Me

3x3

2009-02-18T04:35:00.001-08:00

I made this out of a fit of boredom today and figured I may as well post it somewhere. I imagine it's fairly self explanatory, but it's a 3x3 grid of what I consider to be my favourite albums at the moment and, of course, will change as time goes on. I've limited myself to one album per artist/band to keep things diverse.

In any case, it's a good way to burn 20 or so minutes.

EDIT: For some reason you can't see this entry when you click on the title, if you've had any thing like this happen before, your advice would be helpful.

EDIT 2: Okay, editing it somehow fixed the problem.

Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

2009-02-13T21:14:00.001-08:00

I guess it's time for me to put this blog to good use and actually post something, and, considering that In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is one of my newer albums, I might as well post my opinions on it.

Before I start, this album had to do a lot of work to be able to get into my good books. It's spammed to all hell on music sites (I'm especially looking at you, /mu/), is constantly called one of the greatest albums of the nineties (anything that is said to be as good as, say, OK Computer I approach with great cynicism) and falls under the 'Indie' category of music, a category of which I generally don't listen to. Long story short, there were a lot of reasons why I could have not liked this album. But, to summarise this review in two words, I didn't.

To be honest, I'm not sure what specifically attracts me to this album. I think it may be the quite excellent fusion of indie rock with folk/roots elements. Couple that with the vocals, which are a little jarring at first, but after time you see where they fit, and well thought out lyrics, it creates an aural experience that's quite unique and satisfying.

Aeroplane is a surprisingly accessible, yet multi-layered album. You can get enjoyment out of it from the first listen, but also begin to pick up on the other nuances on subsequent listens, meaning that you can get some excellent mileage out of this record. I've listened to this album about 7 times in the last 4 or so days and I'm still far from tired of it. Another reason Aeroplane is good for newcomers to the genre and experts alike is the album's track structure. Each track can stand on it's own, but also fits in very well to the album as a whole. The transition between tracks is incredibly fluid, something which clicks very well with me (for example, I love the Parabol/Parabola combo on Lateralus).

The only flaw that I've found with In the Aeroplane thus far is that track 8, Oh Comely, seems to drag on a little bit. That said, I haven't been noticing it as much in later listens so it might be one of those 'give it time and it will make more sense' things.

To sum up, don't let the pretentious wankery surrounding this album put you off, it's a great record that can be enjoyed by both indie fans and others. Highly recommended.

Highlights: King of Carrot Flowers, part 2 &3, Holland, 1945, Track 10 (untitled track)

Introductionin'

2009-02-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

Why, hello.

I'll be honest with you. The major reason this blog exists is just so that I could get a blogger profile and comment on other people's blogs. But, I guess, lightning may strike and I'll suddenly be compelled to actually submit something myself. Chances are any submission I make will have something to do with either music, gaming or movies or a combination of the aforementioned categories. We'll see how things go anyway.

Oh yes, a little bit about myself; I'm 19, live in Adelaide, am studing Science (majoring in maths) at Flinders Uni and have a fairly crappy job. Feel free to check out my Last.fm page for more pointless voyeurism.

That's all I'll say for now, hopefully this place won't simply keep over and die. I wouldn't create any strong attachments though...

5 classic
Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective Strawberry Jam
Boris Feedbacker
Boris Flood
Charles Mingus The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada
Isis Oceanic
Massive Attack Mezzanine
My Bloody Valentine Loveless
Radiohead Kid A
Radiohead OK Computer
Slint Spiderland

4.5 superb
Bjork Post
Boris Rock Dream
Boris Altar
Church of Misery Houses of the Unholy
Electric Wizard Dopethrone
Godspeed You! Black Emperor F# A# ∞
Melt Banana Cell-Scape
Neurosis Times of Grace
Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Radiohead In Rainbows
Radiohead Amnesiac
Skinny Puppy Too Dark Park
Skinny Puppy VIVIsectVI
Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition)
Steak Number Eight When the Candle Dies Out
Tool Lateralus

3.5 great
Amesoeurs Amesoeurs
Aphex Twin Richard D. James Album
Aphex Twin Come to Daddy (EP)
Between the Buried and Me Between the Buried and Me
Boards of Canada Music Has the Right to Children
Boris Rainbow
Boris Akuma no uta
Burzum Burzum
Daft Punk Discovery
Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention We're Only In It For The Money
Gojira From Mars To Sirius
John Coltrane A Love Supreme
Massive Attack 100th Window
Mastodon Blood Mountain
Neurosis Given to the Rising
Patrick Wolf Wind in the Wires
Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Pelican Ephemeral EP
Radiohead Hail To The Thief
Rammstein Mutter
Set Fire to Flames Sings Reign Rebuilder
Skinny Puppy Last Rights
Slowdive Souvlaki
Sunn O))) Monoliths and Dimensions
Sunn O))) Black One
The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Tool Opiate
You Slut! Critical Meat

3 good
Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II
Bjork Volta
Boris Amplifier Worship
Boris Absolutego+
Burial Burial
Madvillain Madvillainy
Mastodon Leviathan
Panda Bear Person Pitch
Radiohead The Bends
Sigur Ros Ágætis Byrjun
Swans The Great Annihilator
The Ocean Aeolian
Tool Undertow