sidewinder

Post-hardcore is one of my favorite genres! Good choices there. I think the genre just works well with my personality. The quiet/loud dynamics, abrasive sounds, emotional roller-coaster aspects of it, and the great melodies mixed within. I just love the stuff.

__________________
last.fm | my collection on RYM | vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear
I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

Engine

jackhammer

I have to admit to checking out this band due to the recent death of drummer Jerry Fuchs and what a brilliant drummer he was and fuck me , is he ever good!

The band play instrumental sorta Math Rock with huge Krautrock influences so it sounds like Can on speed but it's more about the vibe than becoming complex and boring the crap out of you. Now the aforementioned drumming. My MP3 copy is VBR 228-250 and the sound on it is just immense so full bitrate must sound stunning. The guy is so ridiculously tight yet it's never over complicated or showing.

If you are into your drummers, good production, Krautrock, Math Rock then you just have to get this album.

It's a pity that the vid is not the best sound quality but this is off the album and if you like this, wait until you hear Track 3

__________________

Urban Hat€monger ?

Now THAT was quality.

Would make a great Christmas present too

__________________

Engine

I'm torn: On the one hand I just heard the best music I've heard in a long time so I'm happy. But I also learned that the best drummer I've heard in a long time fell down an elevator shaft and died so I'm sad. I think I may buy myself the Zwei CD for myself for xmas.

__________________

Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

jackhammer

Outfits such as Mount Eerie have dabbled in Black Metal recently but hat's off to duo Velvet Cacoon who have dabbled and destroyed the genre's limitations with just one release. Black Metal is barely the most attractive of genres with images of Satan worshipping, guttural vocals and ridiculous imagery yet the genre has given us some brilliantly atmospheric bands such as Agalloch and now you can add VC to the list.

Giving the album a Black Metal tag is a huge disservice to this elusive duo who have delivered a deeply atmospheric, unclassifiable album that has it's roots in Dark Ambience moreso than the usual cliches of the genre.

Trying to find info about them on the net is a huge conundrum in itself as hearsay and conjecture have forced the band to be ostracised from the genre and the fact that they rarely self promote or play gigs only add to this.

What we have is an album that is insidiously creepy, yet refreshingly free from genre trappings with conventional riffs and song structure thrown out of the window. Instead we have an album that is stupendously heavy yet also easy on the ear and perfect headphone music.

The vocals are pushed way down in the mix as are the drums which results in a drone like sound that swallows you and takes you to some very dark places.

The only info I managed to get was this fascinating interview with the duo that is so unlike any interview I have read before:
VELVET CACOON Interview - Full Moon Productions - FMP666.com

Whilst not always agreeing with everything that is said, I found this absorbing reading and yet another example that music is a strange and wonderous beast with bands always pushing the envelope and having a decent amount of intelligence to back up their convictions.

Don't let the term Black Metal put you off at all when listening to this band as they are something else entirely and they have a uniqueness to both their music and attitude that makes me sit up and take notice amidst the bland copy cat crap that you have to trawl through to find something just that little bit different.


I do implore you to read the interview which provides some much needed background on the band.

__________________

music_phantom13

Well I read the interview and I must say I'm impressed. Consider my hands tied, I have to listen to this now. Very strange interview, and I think they make a mistake by tying themselves in with black metal (though they obviously don't give a fuck if anyone likes or listens to their music.

jackhammer

I have to confess to not being overly familiar with this outfit but the name has crossed my path many times and I finally got to hear them a couple of days ago.

Take the foundations of Dub with it's bass heavy sound and monotonous beats and then overlay the tribal beats of Africa and vocal lines and you get an album that is easy on the ear, yet refreshingly full of vitality and spirit.

I can't really add anymore but to say that if you want to spread your wings musically and sample something a little off the beaten track then give it a chance. An album that brings a little ray of sunshine into these grey days.

__________________

Astronomer

Oddly I've really been getting into this bassy, tribal kind-of music lately, so I thank you for posting this! I love the rhythm and the primitive atmosphere of it all.

__________________

Astronomer

I think I pretty much completely missed this post, or else I can't remember replying to it, but I am totally digging New Zealand reggae/dub at the moment! And it's been you who has pretty much introduced me to all of these fantastic artists, which is pretty embarrassing actually considering I'm part kiwi...

Anyway, fantastic post and I just thought I'd do a quick little belated reply to it to express my appreciation for these bands and to thank you for introducing me to them! I'm going to a couple of music festivals in NZ in a couple of months time so I'm hoping to see a lot more of their dub/reggae scene.

I also had no idea that Bret from Flight of the Conchords was once a valid member of The Black Seeds. Odd!

__________________