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Brenoritvrezorkre is just plain weird. It's made up of members from Les Légions Noires. It's pretty much experimental ambient.. VERY dark experimental ambient. Quote:
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Richard Skelton - Landings
Label : Sustain-Release Release : December 2009 Songs : Noon Hill Wood, Scar Tissue, Threads Across The River, Green Withins Brook, Of The Last Generation, Undertow, Voice Of The Book, Rapture, Pariah, River Song, Remaindered, & The Shape Leaves http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/landings.jpg As is the case with most of my favorite Ambient, pure expression takes the forefront and accessibility isn't really considered. That's for pop music! Luckily, Landings is full of it. Skelton has his own style and creates a mixture of Ambient and "Modern Classical". It opens with the gorgeous Noon Hill Wood. It evokes imagery of a rain soaked mountainside with somber shades of green. It reminds me of a dark and foggy day in Delaware Water Gap. Those were good times.. okay well that's enough of the reminiscing. Scar Tissue is much darker and maybe even a bit discordant. It's not a very long song.. only 1:44 in length. A pretty short story, but well written. Threads Across the River begins with a fair amount of tension. The tension is drowned and subsides into an aching sea of hollowed strings. The tension he created in the beginning of the song is fantastic because it makes the rest of the song so welcomed. Green Withins Brook is the smoothest song off the release yet. Free of tension and pain.. just pure euphoria. Weightless and uplifting gorgeousness. The sort of song you would listen to when you want to think everything will be O.K.. and in return a silent nod of reassurance. Of the Last Generation is another masterpiece that is similar in tone to the first song.. but darker. Could it just be Skelton's style or may he be expressing some kind of disdain? Who knows? :o Undertow is almost like the antithesis of Greens Within Brook. The strings almost seem to create that "lump in my throat" feeling. Not like an unhealthy or debilitating sadness.. but more of a feeling of important insight. Like the realization of something you overlooked so often and took for granted.. but there's an underlying sense of hope because you still have plenty of time to fix things. Voice of the Book is definitely a different animal than the other stuff so far. Skelton is either using the same instruments and merely using a new technique or he's being a trickster and is using a different one.. but there's something that's creating a sort of "air" sound. It's damn near impossible to explain.. but it sounds fascinating. This fades and then is replaced by a horrosonant cacophony of Skelton greatness; the darkest passage off the album yet! Rapture seems to be an homage to Skelton's love of nature. Subtle string work is paired with bird's singing and the recognizable sound of a woodpecker; a snapshot in the day of some innocent well meaning forest animals. Pariah introduces us to something we haven't heard yet.. a guitar! Although it has strings as well so it doesn't sound too out of place. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be as successful at creating an atmosphere as the other instruments.. but it's enjoyable nonetheless. River Song is back to the sound that that was prevalent in the other songs. It's dark, wailing and hypnotic. When I had went back to check the title it seemed it only had just started but in fact was half over. Remaindered begins with a beautiful sound that is much like that of wind chimes. Like the formula of the other songs, this subsides and is replaced by strings singing in sepulchral tones. The last song, The Shape Leaves, finishes off the album and has the same dark feel that the rest of Landings so successfully creates. Piano work is also in the mix and gives the song some differentiation from the other tracks. Overall: 9/10 |
Brenoritvrezorkre - Vasagraèbe Éakr Vatrè Brenoritvrezorkre
Label : N/A Release : 1996 Songs : Aaprab Vergz Varbadre, Eakre Uatre Zurgtapre, Berv Tre Mve, Vermyapre Zuerkle Uatre, Kloarbe Vurtrue Zuerkle Goebtre, & Uatr Borvuatre Zuerkle Droer http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...orfe/36698.jpg Raw Black Metal nowadays has lost its atmospheric luster. What used to be an underground, reclusive, and obscure genre is now pretty much commercial as any other type of metal. That's a shame.. a sad shame. Of course, that doesn't mean the classic stuff is still gone, like this album for example. Brenoritvrezorkre is a side project of Vordb Dréagvor Uèzréèvb, co founder of Les Légions Noires (which is comprised of various projects like Beltekre, Vagézaryavtre, and Peste Noire). Instead of going for a classic Black Metal sound, it's so distorted and filled with indiscernible noise that it's pretty much bordering on Dark Ambient. Aaprab Vergz Varbadre, Eakre Uatre Zurgtapre, and Berv Tre Mve are all short tracks similar in style but slowly building and becoming more and more dissonant. Vermyapre Zuerkle Uatre then comes on and takes the stridence to a whole new level; complete with a bizarre fun house sounding melody and tribal drumming that sounds fitting for a grotesque middle of the woods ceremony. Kloarbe Vurtrue Zuerkle Goebtre is the last jarring, disconcerting track before the conclusion of this truly unusual work. Uatr Borvuatre Zuerkle Droer is easily the most discomforting track. It's filled with classical elements that sound right out of a slasher movie, growling and guttural noises, and screaming all layered together over drowned drumming with heavy, heavy amounts of distortion. In a word, perfection. This release is not for everyone, in fact, it's the complete opposite.. it's for hardly anyone. There's the material that's overlooked and forgotten but may have become popular if it had gotten some attention and recognition from big names or the masses.. this isn't one of those cases. It's for a select few that can appreciate music as a true art form and an outlet of pure expression. With a band with as weird a name, dark a background, and lyrics supposedly condoning satanism (despite any human being able to hear discernible words), this piece of work was destined for unpopularity. Just like Black Metal should be. |
Back to my roots for this one!
Trance: DNS Project feat. Johanna - Mindful (Progressive Mix) Label : S107 Records Release : February 22nd, 2010 Other Versions : Radio Edit, Progressive Dub Mix, Whiteglow Vocal, Whiteglow Dub, Ronski Speed Mix, Ronski Speed Dub, Ronski Speed Radio Edit http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1266386313 Of late, Trance music has been seeing a resurgence of TRUE sounding releases. Commercialism had pushed it into some weird conglomerate of Electro, Dance, House, and a faint echo of Trance. Thankfully though there were artists who remained true like Akesson, Aly & Fila, Daniel Kandi, etc. It's still being played and is still alive and well. This track really piqued my interest because of how well it was produced. The melody is familiar and is similar to the one that seemed to be created by Dash Berlin.. who used it in both Man on the Run and Till the Sky Falls Down. Luckily, the vocals are good. Epic Trance can be iffy.. the most euphoric and beautiful tracks can be absolutely ruined by horrible vocals. The break is filled with lush pad synth greatness and Johanna's fantabulous vocals. There's not much else that can be said.. it's pretty much PURE Progressive Vocal Trance. And it's amazing. 8+/10 Cosmic Gate - Barra (Extended Mix) Label : Blackhole Recordings Release : February 14th, 2010 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1266388095 Cosmic Gate! Ahh so many memories are tied to that name. The Wave is one of the first Trance songs I'd ever heard and loved. They, as many other artists, went through the Epic phase and then the Tech.. but now have found their own style. Which I love. Barra is a new track that will be featured on their upcoming compilation album called Back 2 Back 4; a follow up on, you guessed it, Back 2 Back 3. It definitely harks back to their old Epic style but definitely has modern sensibilities. It's somewhat restrained and isn't too melodramatic or cheesy which can happy sometimes. It almost reminds me of Blueprint from Stoneface & Terminal. Not because of any REAL similarites, but in that they are both Epic and gorgeous but are perfect in the elements and how they all transform and create that feeling that Epic Trance is known for. The main melody is a bit weak though, and I find to be a bit too "airy". I'd prefer it to have some more substance. Having said that, I DO think it'd be perfect for Spring and Summer because it really has that club sound. All in all, another great track from Cosmic Gate.. but I would probably change the main melody just a bit. 7/10 |
Depressive/Suicidal Black Metal:
... - Somebody Save Me E.P. Label : Self Mutilation Services Release : 2009 Songs: Beyond, The Tears Of An Anguished Soul, I Can Reach The Stars..., Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division Cover) http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...f?t=1270437785 Ahh yes. The joys and splendor of the most unusual genre that I enjoy listening to. Depressive/Suicidal Black Metal is quite an interesting name for a genre but it gets the job done and lets you know what it's about. In the board room it won against "Really, really sad Metal" and "Music to die to". I think out of any genre, this one REALLY doesn't hold itself back. It's bound to be underground because, well, music that condones and is pretty much exclusively about depression and suicide just doesn't seem to sell well. "..." is the classic lo-fi, drone with the moaning and groaning that, as my friend Heather puts it "sounds like he's getting murdered". The opening track "Beyond", which is 13 minutes long, starts off sounding very dark and has an intro in a different language. All I can make out is "electro shock"; more than likely referring to the treatment. Afterwards, there's about 11 minutes filled with basic, distorted, and unremittingly languid guitar melodies and indiscernible vocals. The whole release can pretty much be summed up like that. "Tears of an Anguished Soul" is somewhat more upbeat.. if that's at all possible. It has more breathing room and is much shorter. "I Can Reach the Stars..." is seemingly a combination of the two and the whole release ends with a fitting cover of a fitting song and is probably the "happiest" song off the E.P.When all is said and done, it's probably my favorite release from the genre. A definite 8+/10. Note: I don't condone suicide |
Progressive House/Trance:
Ferry Corsten - Once Upon a Night Label : Ultra Records Release : March 29th, 2010 Songs: Too many to list here (there's 2 CDs) http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1270853765 Ferry Corsten. One of my favorite electronic producers ever! There's something about his style that seems more genuine than the other big names. Him and ATB both seem to have stayed with their same general style while Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, and Tiesto seemed to have strayed off into commercialism. He was combining Trance and Electro back in 2003 while only NOW are other artists trying that. Back in the commercial days of 1997-2001 he was probably the most played artist out of anyone; his remixes are innumerable as are the aliases he used. But even after all that it doesn't mean I like all of his material. I've never liked ALL of anyone's material.. ever. Then this compilation came along. I was excited by the name (I love nighttime) but I was left somewhat embittered by Thrillseekers' Nightmusic compilation so I didn't know what to really expect. When I first get a CD I never listen to each song because I'm very sensitive to certain notes and things. If I get a "feeling" from a song that creates an image I don't like I simply won't listen to it.. so usually I'll skip through each song and scope out what each one is like. For this CD I didn't skip one song. The tech songs are rhythmic, catchy, and have a fair amount of that trance-like atmosphere that seems to be left out of some productions. The progressive house songs are chilled, melodic, and so positive. The pure trance songs are modern while still not sounding contrived or commercial. Supposedly some of the tracks in this album were actually made just for this album. I was pretty surprised by that but considering Ferry Corsten being one of the biggest names in Trance I guess that's to be expected. Even Joni Peter Ljungqvist who's style just isn't for me, has a song on here that I ADORE. This is amazing. I'll be playing the HELL out of this in the summer. THIS is the electronic music that I adore. 9.9/10 (For sure, the highest rating I'll ever give) |
Modern Classical/Ambient:
Le Lendemain - Fires Label : Home Normal Release : October 23rd, 2009 Songs: Fiore, Petrichor, Linden, Att Andas, Narbonne, Lois, Paus, Le Fleuve, & Even With Eyes Closed http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1271193623 If there was ever a soundtrack for a rainy day, I'd think this would have to be it. The whole album from beginning to end exudes a sense of longing and personality; it's like you're in the room where it was produced. I couldn't imagine playing this loudly as it seems to me like one of those albums you reach for on a quiet day. Le Lendemain is a duo comprised of Library Tapes' David Wenngren and Danny Norbury of The Boats. It's style is much like that of Library Tapes' older material like Höstluft; quiet and minimal. The songs vary in feeling from that of non emotional, ambient, and dulcet tone like Att Andas to tracks like Lois which seem fitting for a dirge. There's not much brightness or cheeriness about Fires but it never comes across as melodramatic or contrived. I'd say this ranks in the top 3 modern classical albums that I've ever listened to. Alas, there's no tracks on YouTube so if anyone wants a link, send me a PM or a comment 9+/10 |
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Atmospheric Depressive Suicidal Black Metal:
Gris - Il Était Une Forêt... Label : Sepulchral Productions Release : December 20th, 2007 Songs: Il Était Une Forêt..., Le Gala Des Gens Heureux, Cicatrice, Veux-tu Danser?, Profonde Misanthropie, La Dryade http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...Corfe/gris.jpg Another one of those Saturdays where no one, including you, feels like doing anything except sleeping. I woke up at 1 in the morning out of a weird dream that (like all my dreams) took place at night. I felt strange and out of it like I was still in the mindset of a dream where everything looked and felt foreign. I've always had a longing to recreate these strangely specific feelings that I experience in dreams. This was the soundtrack. I looked at the album art, listened to the music, and it just clicked. I've always had a bizarre and innate fascination with dark imagery. I remember hearing a story about a witch and while I was listening, looked in a window at a jacket holder and felt terrified. "The witch lives right in there". I felt so apprehensive and yet so interested; this constant tug of war between the two was confusing for a 6 year old. The apprehensiveness would subside as the interest would become more and more intense. This is the same way I feel about this CD and most Black Metal; it's a genre based around and built on darkness and dark imagery. Satanism, depression, suicide, death, etc. There's so much negativity that for most people would immediately turn most people off, but it's this stark negativity that keeps me so interested like the confused 6 year old version of my own self. For the record, I still love scary stories and dark imagery. This album is one of the best produced DSBM albums I've heard in awhile. This doesn't necessarily make it "better" though, because some bands WANT their albums to sound like they dropped their demo tape in the mud and stepped on it repeatedly. Gris use an immense amount of atmosphere that set them apart from most DSBM bands. Not only do they use it well, but it adds a HELL of a lot to the music itself. As I've said repeatedly, I go by feeling, so atmosphere is the #1 thing when it comes to what I listen to. Every song is dark and foreboding and some seemed to build in intensity like the title track "Il Était Une Forêt...". Then something interesting happened.. "La Dryade" came on. And instead of what I expected, just another fantastic DSBM track filled with an immense amount of atmosphere, it's purely classical. Both violin and piano played by Icare; half of Gris. It doesn't sound disjointed from the rest of the release because it carries on the darkness that's abound in the rest of the album. Yet another release to add to my discography for the attempts at recreating the darkness that myself, and 6 year old self, are so attracted to. 9/10 |
The fact that I'm even up to page 3 on ur journal says a lot, because I tend to lose interest so easily. :p: So far these have all been pretty solid recs, and I can't wait to really dig into these further. I'm a fan. :) Thanks!
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Reggae: Tiken Jah Fakoly - L'Africain Label : Barclay Release : September 24th, 2007 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1272930204 Ahhh Reggae. I think the only other genre that even touches the agreeableness of Reggae is Pop. It's such a carefree music and really can only affect you positively. I could say that it's possibly due in part to marijuana but I prefer the idea that they really are just happy and carefree. Tiken Jah Fakoly, like many of the artists I end up loving, was found on accident. I'm not even sure what I was watching at the time but I ended up seeing it as a related video on YouTube. I was unsure about what to expect, as I never tried to delve into Reggae for two reasons; one being that I pretty much enjoyed all of it and the second being that I already was exploring Ambient, Modern Classical, Downtempo, Experimental, Minimal, Lounge, Techno, Vaudeville, Folk, Grime, Dubstep, and Smooth Jazz on top of the genres I already had a firm grasp on (Trance, Progressive House, Electro, Electro House, Black Metal, Hands Up, Hard Dance, Hardstyle, and Hardcore). I can barely keep up with my own tastes as it is. But I decided that since I had no Reggae that I would start with him. I picked this album to start and I'm happy I did. The tempo varies from the upbeat "Gauche Droite" to the gorgeous down tempo styling of "Ma Cote d'Ivoire" which is almost exclusively acoustic. This release even sports a cover of "Englishman in New York" by none other than Sting! I have to admit though, I'd never heard it and wouldn't have known if someone else had told me (the track on here is called "Africain à Paris"). If nothing else, the songs will stick in your head for long periods of time. In fact I'm singing "Ou Aller Ou?" quietly in my head as I type this. It's one of those albums you KNOW you'll reach for when things are good and all you want is some music to fit the great mood you're in. I also can't get the connection I have in my head that Reggae = tropical music so every time I pop it on I'm instantly transported to somewhere warm and lovely. I can't see anyone not enjoying this album so you might as well just go and get it now. 9/10 |
Depressive Suicidal Black Metal/Shoegaze:
Various Artists - The World Comes to an End in the End of a Journey Label : Pest Productions Release : September 2009 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1273012003 DBSM? Shoegaze? I can't say how confused I was when I saw these 2 tags together for the first time. It was the Amesoeurs album and I admit, the main reason I got it was for the album artwork. I hadn't even listened to any of the songs. Once I had finished it I was a mix between angry, sad, and unbelievably happy that I found such an incredible album on pure accident. I was angry that I'd only found out about them AFTER they broke up and I was sad because, well, it's hard not to be effected by a music that's dedicated to Depression and Suicide. I had thought that they started all, and they very well could have. After I found them I started to find more and more bands like them and eventually, this compilation. It's a six way split between artists who combine the 2 genres, some more on the DBSM side of things (like Shyy) and some more on the Shoegaze side of things (like Ethereal Beauty). When the genres are combined you usually get Shoegaze-esque melodies with DBSM vocals and sometimes those Black Metal blast beats that are so common in the genre. Is it a bizarre mix? Absolutely. Is it effective? You have no idea. When I first listened to the album I was in awe and was rather confused that it doesn't have it's own genre. It sounds so seamless and so well mixed that it really passes itself off as something that's been around forever. It's really such a gorgeous and yet upsetting juxtaposition of slow and beautiful melodies with those howling and wailing DBSM vocals. The track that really blows me away from this comp (though all are amazing) is Heretoir's "Trümmerwelten". It's a purely acoustic song laden with distant screaming. It's very hard to explain two opposites as being one but that's really exactly what it's like. I've always thought sad songs to be rather beautiful and that's what this compilation does. The great thing about it is that the sadness isn't theatrical or contrived, it sounds real and isn't dumbed down. They don't have to worry about appealing to a wide demographic. The production sounds like real people made it and that they really enjoy music. It's not "showy" at all. I can't tell you how much this genre is increasingly becoming one of my favorite genres right up there with Trance and Ambient. If you're a fan of either DBSM or Shoegaze, this album is worth checking out 9+/10 |
Downtempo/Ambient:
Arms & Sleepers - Black Paris 86 Label : Expect Candy Release : November 2007 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1274293120 "He's Techno Tim. He's obsessed with techno." It didn't bother me, but I think some of my friends could use more tact. I've always been the one who loved techno trance house dance rave music as it's called. I started out like a lot of people who want to delve into Electronica; with the commercial stuff. That is with the exception of a CD I borrowed from my brother's German friend which really started my love with electronic music. Eventually after around 7-8 years of only Trance and Hardstyle I decided to broaden my horizons. Before really looking for new material, I wanted to pinpoint what I loved so much about Trance so that it'd be easier to know what I'd like. As it turns out, I'm all about atmosphere. This whole "atmosphere" concept lead me to genres like Modern Classical and Ambient. I was looking for a picture to post of Jacaszek's Treny in the Last Downloaded Album topic and saw the album art for this. Of course, I needed to get it. I didn't know what to expect as I was still really learning about genres outside of Alternative Rock, Black Metal and techno trance house dance rave. It didn't take long for me to be smitten. The whole album is so gorgeous and atmospheric. It's not pure atmosphere like some Ambient but has a good amount so that it feels very lush and full. Each song really has its own "feel" and distinct sound and combination of melodies, vocals (if any), and use of instruments. It seems like they're drawing from a lot of different genres; Post Rock, Jazz, Ambient, etc. It's really like a playground of expression and emotion. One song really struck me and that was "Butterflycatcher". It goes from really a simple drum melody with piano and lush pad synth and a bizarre sounding sample that seems like it could have at one time been vocals. Out of nowhere it strips away to drums, some kind of brass instrument (tuba?), and what almost sounds like a xylophone. Then out of nowhere it becomes silent with a rather languid melody, and it goes back to what it started with and on top of it: a simple vocal sample that never fails to give me goosebumps. It's this constant change and movement, although maybe not as strong and sudden in other songs, that really makes the whole album feel impeccably made with a fine eye for detail. Then again if you're making a simple kind of music with not that many elements you really have to pin down your intentions. It's like design! I'm a minimalist so I really have to make sure each thing is, in essence, perfect because there's not much to look at so a mistake is that much easier to spot. If you're a crazy, zany designer and make a small mistake it won't be nearly as obvious and clear. The whole album is really a fluent compilation of different stories and soundscapes. To me, if this album had a time or a place, it'd be the city and would span gloaming all the way to dawn. It's calm and simple but very clear and concise. It's a shame I found this so early in my discoveries because I don't think I'll find many albums much better. 9+/10 |
I figure I'd try something new! I'll do it every now and then when I find some new amazing stuff. It's easy to fit it in since the only thing that's changing is the media.
Oriental/Gourmand: Guerlain's Spiriteuse Double Vanille Perfumer: Jean Paul Guerlain Release : September 2007 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1274326876 Today I get to try this fantastic and supposed limited edition fragrance from the legendary house of Guerlain. SDV opens with a gorgeous blend of Bergamot and Pink Peppercorn. Pink Peppercorns are not true pepper but are actually dried berries from Brazilian or Peruvian Pepper shrubs. As such, it's slightly sweet and fruity instead of being exclusively spicy. Once the top fades, a resinous dark vanilla crawls out beneath a floral accord due in part to Bulgarian rose and Ylang-ylang. What you get is a deep and sombre vanilla with the florals, not being bright, but almost lending a sepulchral aura. The vanilla in itself has a very thick and syrupy feel reminiscent of true vanilla extract. This beautifully well done heart dies away to be replaced by wet cedar, earthy patchouli, and dry frankincense haunted by a sweet, faint echo of vanilla. |
Hardcore:
Nasenbluten - 100% No Soul Guaranteed Label: Industrial Strength Records Release: 1995 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1276710304 With an artist name like "Nose Bleed" and song titles like "Kill More People", "Dirty Rotten Bastard", "No More ****ing Soul" and "****face" you have a pretty good idea of what you're getting into. For awhile I kept aggression and my electronic music apart. I listened to Black Metal if I wanted something dark and aggressive whereas I wanted my electronica to sound atmospheric and uplifting. Eventually once I started breaking down borders (thanks to MB), I decided to try out the more "in your face" genres like Hardcore and Gabber. After awhile I found a few pretty good tracks but once I found this I finally felt some sort of contentment. The songs are just craziness. They sample everything from Hip Hop to Funk to movies and everything is sped up and so frenzied it feels like you'll be spitting up blood and teeth by the time it's over. Some songs are somewhat tame (for me anyway), disappointingly, but the songs that aren't MORE than make up for it. The heaviest song, by far, is "****face". It's easily the hardest Hardcore song I'd ever heard. It just sounds like a fistfight in song form and somehow never loses its' energy. It's a timeless classic and it's really a song for the whole family. In all seriousness this release is like a trip back in time and is a fantastic example of the old kick your ass Hardcore. 7/10 |
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Anyway, once more nice journal. |
Thank you very much :D Yeah I think I found them when I was checking out some Black Metal blogs and, as always, the album art drew me in. I really wasn't expecting something that was so well produced. It was a very pleasant surprise! But yes, thanks again!
Trip Hop: Arms & Sleepers - Metropolitan Label: Positron! Records Release: August 5th, 2005 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1277405211 Trip Hop. It's been a long time! The first time I'd ever heard it was when me and my sister were still investigatating Electronic music and found Lamb. It was pretty interesting and I hadn't been exposed to anything like it. I remember thinking "it's like New Age.. but with more happening!" Though the only real New Age I actually knew about was Enya, Cusco, and Sacred Spirit. I'd forgotten about it for awhile since I was infatuated with Trance and not much else until recently. As usual I was jumping from blog to blog in search of new Downtempo and I see "Trip Hop" and the album art was quite nice so I went with it. Now I feel stupid for not listening to it more often. After listening to Arms & Sleepers so damn much over the winter knowing there was stuff like this makes me feel disappointed on my brain. It goes between more lounge/jazzy tunes like "Salt" to songs with a heavy amount of classical like "Larsen" (which has a really Jazzy bit as well). So it's really a summation of all these things and to top it off, Lauren Cheatham's beautiful voice. It balances out very well too. It's not heavy but not too light like some say about The Sight Below and the whole album seems to have a sense of darkness that I enjoy. Not the kind of dark you get from one of my favorite Black Metal albums but more of a mysterious, withdrawn kind of darkness. One of the best features is that I feel it's the sort of album you'd grab before heading out at night. It fits that scenario so damn well. All in all it's smooth, melodic, slightly dark and hard to turn off. Phaaantaaaastisch! 8/10 Fougère: Narciso Rodriguez for Him Perfumer: Francis Kurkdjian Release: July 2007 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1277409675 Green, green, green. Very green. Have you ever smelled freshly cut grass, or the smell of wet moss? Imagine that, except highly concentrated, and you have the smell of violet leaf. Narciso Rodriguez must be a huge fan. It's an interesting take with a lot of different facets and bizarre quirks (wet cement?) so it keeps things fun. Imagine rain water filtered through moss, tree bark, and then cement and you get something vaguely like NR. Or in more literal terms: opens green, transitions to a light green musk and then afterwards gets all ambery and is grounded ever so slightly by patchouli with the musk hanging around for a hell of a long time. |
Electro-Acoustic/Downtempo/Ambient:
Flica - Nocturnal Label: Schole Records Release: December 22nd, 2008 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1279566232 Euseng Seto of Malaysia, also known as (you guessed it) Flica, has only been producing under this name for under 2 years but has already released 3 albums and an E.P. He's one busy mofo. At the time I'd found it I was trying to find something more upbeat than pure Ambient, but less hectic than a lot of the club oriented genres I tend to listen to. I knew about Electro-Acoustic and IDM but that's a big umbrella and I'm quite finicky. Well.. he shut me up. The album walks the line between being gorgeous enough to tug your heart strings, but calm enough to lull you on a stressful day. I was expecting some weak spots and some filler, but found none. It's such a bright and cheerfully optimistic album and I really can't say enough about it. As such, I should probably stop before I end up making this too damn long. You owe it to yourself to get your hands on this. You won't be sorry. |
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I sure can! :D Check your inbox
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Classical/Choir:
Arvo Pärt - Arbos Label : ECM New Series Release : May 26th, 1987 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1280249191 Arvo Pärt. He's a big deal. He probably gets all the chicks in Estonia. He is considered THE composer of Religious music. Now, I'm not very big on Religion but it's hard not to see the beauty in his works and not get swept up in them. If you're at all familiar with Gregorian chanting then you may hear that influence on his music. Now he's such a badass mofo that he even created his own technique called "tintinnabuli". He describes it as: Quote:
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Witch House:
Balam Acab - See Birds E.P. Label : Tri Angle Release : August 16th, 2010 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1282530174 Does Witch House sound familiar? I bet you're a big fan aren't you. Well, that's where it started for me. I love Halloween so Witches and I go way back. House is a great club genre that I love. But what in the hell is Witch House? Instead of mixing brews and potions, do they grab their brooms and fly to the nearest club? Jeebus only knows. As it turns out, it's also known as Drag and Haunted House. It's a form of Synth Pop slowed way down and each artist does their own thing. This is coming from one of the artists accredited with starting this genre, namely, oOoOO. Burial's Untrue is said to be a big influence, so naturally I became very interested. Speaking of Burial, I can hear a connection in this record. Think slowed down Dubstep, with a lot of ethereal samples and melodies flowing on top of the broken beats. If you're one of those folks who talk about Post Rock putting you to sleep, look elsewhere. For me, this album is just as beautiful as any Ambient I've heard. It's almost hard to explain the sort of feeling I get from it. In one respect it's quite pretty, but it's not bright. I imagine listening to this on a dark and rainy night. It's lethargic and looming without being oppressive. It's almost like a dream, and I can't help but be brought back to the first time I heard Untrue. It's one of those introspective albums that probably won't be popular with the everyday person, but will resonate for people like me who are drawn into music like this; ethereal and emotive. I was really enjoying the whole album but one track, Big Boy, really moved me. I don't know what it is but there's something in it that really pulls at my heartstrings. Although Dream Out, the song following Big Boy, brightens things up quite a bit. It opens the blinds if you will. Almost as if the album goes from the late night to early morning sun. Then again the subtitle for the first song is Moon, and the last song is Sun.. so this probably isn't on accident. Whatever the reason, whoever you are, you need to check this release out. You WON'T be sorry. I will definitely keep him on my high tech artist radar. I did this review for the blog that NumberNineDream started, but figured I could post it here as well. Spread the wealth! Although the main reason is that it's one hell of an album and I don't want anyone to miss out. Ambient/Post Rock: The Echelon Effect - Reunion Label : Glidescope Release : July 27th, 2009 http://bandcamp.com/files/21/88/2188666016-1.jpg The Echelon Effect is an artist I happen to find on accident, thanks to YouTube. It is the name of a solo project started by the man David Walters in the UK. His sound can pretty much be described as a mix of Ambient and Post Rock with a good heap of gorgeousness. The tracks are so bright and sunny it's hard to be sad while listening. Some songs may be slower or more quiet than others, but there is no darkness to be found. He utilizes a good amount of instruments which really help keep everything interesting. My personal favorite are the bells. They bring so much optimism to the table it can single-handedly reverse any negativity you were harboring before turning on any of the tracks that feature them; namely Finality and Glidescope. In this album you can go from what sounds like the usual Post Rock (Summing Velocities) to songs like First Sight which is like a huge wall of sound and is, in a word, humbling. It starts quiet and then builds and builds and builds. The whole album is an experience and may have made The Echelon Effect one of my absolute favorite artists. He fills a niche I've been trying to fill for awhile now. If you are into Post Rock, Ambient, or anything gorgeous at all, you owe it to yourself to check him out. |
Depressive Black Metal/Shoegaze:
Hypomanie - Hypomanie Label : Valse Sinistre Release : September 2009 http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1283395998 This Shoegaze Black Metal stuff is really making a ruckus. A big ruckus. Well.. that's probably an exaggeration. But still. If you're not familiar with it, mix together the dreaminess and instrumentals of Shoegaze and Post rock with the vocals of DSBM. Speaking of vocals, they're one of the biggest reasons that this release stands out among the others of its kind. Despite "happiness" being one of the supposed lyrical influences, all I hear is indiscernible screaming. It's quite bizarre. The song titles aren't of the usual kind. Songs like "Sunday" and "Sleep Tight" aren't what I'm used to seeing. They sound like tracks for a Christian lullaby album. Taking that into consideration, along with the fact that on his Myspace he calls his material "amplified pop music" and that he says he loves everyone, REALLY makes you wonder what the hell he's trying to get across. Though I'd take this over Xasthur's histrionics (pretty much said he has no Myspace because the truth is, no one is his friend and.. blah blah). Well, as always, I digress. You can get a wide variety of feelings from this record. Songs like Zondagmorgen (Sunday), are rather quiet and dreamy (well.. not taking the vocals into consideration of course), while songs like Innocentie are very intense and evocative; complete with a music box melody and what sounds to be a baby crying. Which ironically is one of the heaviest songs on the whole EP. Definitely recommended fellow MBers! |
I'm back! I've decided I'll just update with whatever I damn well please. The idea of writing a full fledged review while dealing with college, is just never appealing. So sometimes I'll post about a new artist I may enjoy, a song I've been listening to a lot, and all kinds of whatever. For right now, I've been listening to a lot of Progressive House lately. Nomad in the Dark and Mango especially.
On that note, Mango actually released a free pack of remixes he did! Which can be had by clicking right on the link I'm about to post right here. |
Experimentation in the Electronic scene! It's funny how some artists can almost always sound the same, while others can get involved in all kinds of weird **** to the point that you don't know what they're gonna make next. As an example, here's 2 songs made by the German group Megara vs. DJ Lee
To think, they're 9 years apart. To keep things as simple as possible, I'll compare them to another German duo. Their name? Kamui! Their first track came out in 2004, when they were both 17. They went from nothing, to being signed onto the same label as HUGE Hard Trance names such as Scot Project and DJ Wag. The song: Ghosts. Now, they call what they make "hard funk". I'd personally call it an amalgamation of Techno and Trance with all kinds of weird influences. But hey now, the plot thickens! Half of Kamui, Patrick Scheidt, has his own solo project. He creates mainly Progressive House and Progressive Trance with a good amount of Techno influence. From being one of the biggest duos in Hard Trance, to being featured on Tiesto's radio show. That's a pretty fuggin' huge jump. It makes me wonder and question why this is. Hands Up, as a genre, has barely changed. Trance on the other hand, changes all the damn time. Ah yes, good ol' Electronic music. |
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For the longest time my love for Electronic music could not include Techno. I don't know what it is, but I have the feeling that it lacks something. I felt it didn't have a lot of energy, emotion, or melody. It definitely had drive, LOTS of drive. Well finally I've broken into it. Slowly, but surely. I started with a huge name, Len Faki, and someone I found on accident, Asagaoaudio. Asagaoaudio is definitely on the harder side of things, while Len Faki is a sort of commercial DJ; a lil' bit of both worlds!
I like them for quite opposite reasons. Blunt Weapon is a harsh gritty tune with the sort of filth that I look for in Electro and Tech House, and the darkness I look for in Hardstyle. The other track sounds like it would be played at a sold out stadium. That pounding bassline and the simple melodies would make a crowd go insane. On another note, I've been on the search for deep Electronic songs with the sort of feeling I get from Progressive House. It's hard to explain what exactly, except maybe a sort of city at sunset right down the street from a beach. It started with 3 tracks from Tiesto's In Search for Sunrise 7: Asia. They're not the sort of Mango, Proff, Shingo Nakamura, and Dinka tracks I'm used to. I've unfortunately only really come up with two :( If anyone could give me suggestions on stuff that's similar, I'd be grateful! On another note, I've been getting into Screamo and Post Hardcore lately. I got I Would Set Myself on Fire For You's Believes in Patterns, The Saddest Landscape's You Will Not Survive, and the album with the really long title. Something like marching boots to war.. and I suffocate because they're tied too tightly for **** sake? I don't know. |
For anyone wishing to know what my avatar is..
It's a still from Begotten. It depicts God as a crazy person disemboweling himself. I gave him a Santa hat. It's Christmas God! Where's your Christmas spirit? EDIT: I'll add this just to make a worthwhile entry. A lot of people ask me why my scrobble count is so low. Well, for awhile I didn't use it. Also, if you look below in my signature, I don't listen to music very often. I'll usually only listen to music in the car or in college. If I'm outside or at a store, I like to listen to the ambient sounds. Especially at parks and beaches and things like that. At home, I will listen to my new music before putting it onto my iPhone for later playingtimefun. I wonder if anyone else on here is like that.. I doubt it. I don't know. I remember playing Tony Hawk when I was younger, and I would pick "ambient noise" or "ambient sounds" over the music. This may be that because I'm an HSP, and respond quite dramatically to music, I save it for certain times. I think if I constantly listened to music, I'd be mentally exhausted. |
Decided I'll do something a lil' bit different this time around for my jernal. I get all kinds of new stuff everyday, and 9 1/2 times out of 9, I don't know really where to start. "Do I do a Native American album.. or a biography on a Hard Electro artist.." I blame the ADD. It's why I never get anything done, and why I have a beard even though I don't want to. So this time around I'll just give a bit of everything I've gotten myself into recently.
In the land of Electronic Music: Out of any kind, I'm always getting new Electronic stuff. Albums aren't as common on the club oriented Electronica side of the fence, so singles come out from all sorts of artists on a day to day basis. Lately, I've been really keeping my finger on the pulse of Dutch House. It's a newfound genre that was created by DJ Chuckie, who sought to combine the music he heard growing up with House. What you get is sort of a tribal hip-hop amalgamation with TONS of energy. Look at this damn crowd (especially after the break): I think part of its success is the classic track in itself, Satisfaction, which is easily one of the biggest club tracks of all time. Then it's refurbished by Afrojack and given new life right at the peak of this Dirty Dutch House craze. It's one hell of a tune. My only gripe is that quite a bit of it has melodies that are what I like to call "squeaky clean". They tend to have 0 depth, which can get old. But sometimes it just works. Here's 2 more craziness tracks for your troubles In the land of DSBM: Well, it's Winter. I think I just have an urge to listen to hopelessly sad music in the Winter. It just works. Short days, coldness, snow, debt, etc. I hadn't checked back for any in a while, because I just wasn't in the mood for it. Then I heard one song, and got thrown back into the search for more. As with any other kind of music, I try and find stuff that epitomizes what I love about the genre. In this case, the saddest and darkest stuff I can find. In my last search I came up with Araxas and Hordah Blaästhiir. Araxas is sort of taking the classic DSBM sound, and putting a bit of an "epic" spin on it; how perfect! Hordah Blaästhiir lends a pretty big dose of Ambient to all 3 of the songs in his discography. I do look forward to his future material. This track is almost purely ambient with those lovely shrieked vocals. Unfortunately, my favorite track of his is not on YouTube. It's all drums, piano, what sounds like horns (but could be synth), and the same style of vocals in the track below. The horns sound like they would be from a dirge or something similar, which is to be expected of this genre. Without guitar or bass, it sounds more spacial and empty than the more conventional tracks; DSBM just got that much more depressing. This song on the other hand, is much more dark than sad. Yup. Good ol' DSBM. The vocals I think are what really weird people out. Sure, it's dark and sad and whatnot, but it really sounds as if the singer is expressing agony and pain. It becomes a situation where it's not about the words anymore, as much as just another sound. I think my favorite way to describe them is what my befuddled friend Heather said after I showed her some, "it sounds like he's getting murdered in a dungeon.. can you turn that off?" Well I can't say I expected much more out of someone who's infatuated with Epic Metal, classic rock, pop music, and soundtracks. Or anyone for that matter. To me, DSBM is a genre that I believe will always go untainted by the commercial side of music. "Suicide. Yeah suicide is hard to sell" If someone dedicates their time to creating music dedicated to sadness and negativity in general, I think they know they won't ever end up being on the cover of a big magazine, or sell millions of records. That's the sort of beauty in it. It's music not created by a pop artist, it's almost the complete opposite. Tune in later this week kids! I'll have some stuff more on the conventional side of things. |
I'm gonna go through this entire journal and pick up recs one of these days
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You need to. If you can't find anything, let me know.
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Epiphany in the land of Native Americans:
For the longest time I'd wondered how someone like Robbie Robertson, would out of nowhere come up with a song like: And if your curious, the lyrics: Wani wachiyelo ate omakiyayo (Father help me I want to live) Wani wachiyelo ate omakiyayo (Father help me I want to live) Wani wachiyelo ate omakiyayo (Father help me I want to live) Atay nimichikun (Father you have done this) Oshiya chichiyelo (Humbly have pity on me) Wani wachiyelo atay omakiyayo (Father help me I want to live) Wani wachiyelo atay omakiyayo (Father help me I want to live) Wani wachiyelo atay (Father I want to live) I still remember hearing it for the first time. Me and my sister were watching a movie called The Doe Boy, which we both ended up enjoying. It had ended, and I was getting ready to turn it until I heard this come on. I just stood there wide-eyed with goosebumps all over, not really knowing what to do. I immediately sat down intently, and watched the credits roll by until I found the name of the song. "Hm.. Robbie Robertson. Guess I need to look him up." Well when I was greeted with the fact that his music was almost pure rock, I was, needless to say, disappointed. It wasn't up until a couple weeks ago until I heard it on an old CD I made a couple years back. Now with the advent of a computer that isn't hopelessly slow, I could do some much needed research. First stop: Wikipedia. Within a minute I had finally found an answer! As it turns out, it was written by the duo Verdell Primeaux & Johnny Mike. After lots and lots of YouTubing, I was happy to find that they actually have an immense amount of material, all of which is unbelievably beautiful. Definitely recommended. |
Woo hoo! :D It's Latin week! It's kind of a funny coincidence, because in the last month or so I've been able to really learn a lot about my friend Johnny's Colombian culture. I got to try arepa (which was unbelievable), manjar blanco (his mom ended up buying me a mini container of it), and buñuelos. Who knew Kunkletown had culture. But I digress. He actually was one of the first people got interested in Electronic music. The majority of people I showed it to thought of it as a novelty; music you play at rave party dance shows. You know, houseravedancetrancetechno can't be beat in those kind of venues.
For awhile, we didn't see eye to eye. I enjoyed the more Epic and uplifting style of Trance, while he was more interested in the Tech side of things. Eventually we sort of grew out of it, and pretty much began to listen to damn near everything. I knew he still loved Spanish music, as he grew up with it and it's part of his heritage. That's why I was excited to find out about Latin house; club oriented house music with heavy handed doses of Spanish flair. It's almost perfect. When I hear their music, I almost always imagine a huge group of dancing people just going crazy. This is not too far off of what happens with House. It's an amalgamate of 2 genres that are each, in their own right, geared towards dancing. Put them together and you get one hell of an infectious combo. |
how did I not know about Latin House? I enjoyed those songs thoroughly.
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yeah Dubstep blew up in a big way. I'm glad it has though, I love me some dubstep. I don't comment much in your journal but when I want to hear something new that I haven't before I come and read your latest posts and listen to what you have posted :)
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