Monday, May 20, 2013

Blacklodge - MachinatioN (2012)


French industrial black metal. Hyperspeed, techno-inspired drums and chaotic digital manipulation mixed seamlessly with artful, French-style BM.

Track listing:
1. TridenT
2. NeutroN ShivA [Sun, Walk with Me]
3. Neo.Black.Magic
4. Industrial Temple MysticA
5. Antichrist Ex Machina
6. Order of the Baphomet
7. Empire's Hymn
8. All Seeing Eye
9. Culto al Sol [SolarKult]
10. The Other Side

I feel His presence

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Lard - Pure Chewing Satisfaction (1997)


While Ministry pursued unsuccessful bids at mainstream success, they put out this lil' gem of simplistic, synthetic industrial metal, and got Jello Biafra to be extremely Jello Biafra-y as lead vocalist. Holds up way better than I thought it would.

Track listing:
1. War Pimp Renaissance
2. I Wanna Be a Drug-Sniffing Dog
3. Moths
4. Generation Execute
5. Faith Hope and Treachery
6. Peeling Back the Foreskin of Liberty
7. Mangoat
8. Sidewinder

Ladies and gentleman, he's swallowed his tongue!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Unearthly Trance - Season of Seance, Science of Silence (2003)


Dirty, sludgy, drone-y doom metal. "Mass of the Phoenix" is a masterpiece of dissonant, fragmented, minimalist, ritualistic avante-doom. The rest of the record is pretty great, too.

Track listing:
1. Raised by the Wolves
2. Mass of the Phoenix
3. When Anti-Humanity Flourishes
4. Wandering Winter Winds
5. Black Heart, Black Lung
6. The Aftermath Was Morbid

I strike the bell, I light the flame, I utter the mysterious name

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Etienne Jaumet - Night Music (2009)


Dark, hypnotic, pulsing electronic mantras from French artist Etienne Jaumet. A lush mix of synthetic, krautrock-like synths and organic elements (horns, guitar feedback, etc.) makes for some truly engaging, dynamic sounds.

Track listing:
1. For Falling Asleep
2. Mental Vortex
3. Entropy
4. Through the Strata
5. At the Crack of Dawn

Never sleep

Monday, May 13, 2013

Gary Numan - Warriors (1983) + Strange Charm (1986)


OK, so as you may or may not know, shortly after his unassailable Machine trilogy (Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, + Telekon) Gary Numan's discography gets kinda spotty. It's hard to say what drove him to add slap bass, wailing saxophones, diva backing vocals, and generally SNL-y elements to his sound, but the results are truly bizarre and, for many, quite off-putting. If the idea of dystopian, synth-based pseudo-funk is appealing to you, proceed.

Track listing:
-Warriors-
1. Warriors
2. I Am Render
3. The Iceman Comes
4. This Prison Moon
5. My Centurion
6. Sister Surprise
7. The Tick Tock Man
8. Love Is Like a Clock Law
9. The Rhythm of the Evening
-Strange Charm-
1. My Breathing
2. Unknown and Hostile
3. The Sleeproom
4. New Thing from London Town
5. I Can't Stop
6. Strange Charm
7. The Need
8. This Is Love

Assassination of the voice of God
I don't know if I can do it



Sunday, May 12, 2013

The Catalyst - Voyager (2012)


The Catalyst sounds like Tad, early Mastodon, and Zeni Geva pounding beers and railing speed in hell.

Track listing:
1. (The Final Voyage of the) Spaceship Catalyst
2. King of Swords
3. Square Waves
4. Occult Blood
5. Septagon
6. Jupiter Brain
7. Breathers
8. Big Bend
9. Open High
10. Voyager

God's balls

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Mind Spiders - Meltdown (2012)


Excellent, catchy garage punk from Mark Ryan of Marked Men. Meltdown finds Ryan exploring his pop tendencies more directly than ever before, and features a gauzy, keyboard-driven sound and a few midtempo tracks. If you haven't heard it yet, you must.

Track listing:
1. You Are Dead
2. Beat
3. On the Radio
4. More Than You
5. Play You Out
6. Fall in Line
7. Upside Down
8. Skull-Eyed
9. Join Us Now
10. Wait for Us
11. Meltdown

Just blew my head

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Discordance Axis - The Inalienable Dreamless (2000)


Discordance Axis are arguably the greatest grindcore band of all time. This is their final full-length, and it is essential listening for any fan of challenging, heavy music. Thanks to my son Hell Mouth Yawns for reminding me about this band's existence. Keep on chasing those birch trees, you're my pride and joy!

Track listing:
1. Castration Rite
2. The Inalienable Dreamless
3. Sound Out the Braille
4. Oratorio in Grey
5. Vacuum Sleeve
6. Angel Present
7. The Necropolitan
8. Pattern Blue
9. The End of Rebirth
10. Loveless
11. Radiant Arkham
12. Use of Weapons
13. Compiling Autumn
14. Jigsaw
15. The Third Children
16. A Leaden Stride to Nowhere
17. Drowned

Damage

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Steve Roach & Jerry Fayman - Trance Spirits (2002)


Heavy tribal drumming, deep synthscapes, spaced out guitar textures (courtesy of Robert Fripp). Perfect for exploring jungles on Saturn. Credits listed in the booklet include "Mercurial Sounds," "Soundworlds," "Hybrid Groove," and "Mystic Chord."

Tracklist:
1. Taking Flight
2. Trance Spirits
3. Off Spring
4. Seekers
5. The Calling
6. Year of the Horse
7. In the Same Deep Water

Blood music

Monday, May 6, 2013

Mouth of the Architect - The Violence Beneath (2010)


"Atmospheric sludge metal" done well. Includes a cover of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". Here's their website. They have a new album coming out in June.

Tracklist:
1. The Violence Beneath
2. Buried Hopes
3. Restore
4. In Your Eyes

The light, the heat

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Angantyr - Forvist (2012)


Latest release from this consistently excellent Swedish solo project. Highly melodic, folk-tinged black metal.

Track listing:
1. Laenket
2. I Forfaedres Fodspor
3. Vemods Hjemstavn
4. Forvist
5. Faelles Fjende
6. Stille Skarpe Knive
7. Skovens Egne Våben

Banished

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Michael Shrieve & David Beal - The Big Picture (1988)


Propulsive polyrhythmic percussion meets mystical synth sounds. Somewhat comparable to Shrieve's excellent collaboration with Steve Roach, The Leaving Time.

Track listing:
1. The Invisible Architect
2. Mon Amie
3. Unspeakable Dawn
4. Izibongo
5. Shaman's Drum
6. The Big Picture
7. Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep
8. Iron Voices

Moon over you

Friday, May 3, 2013

John Martyn - Grace and Danger (1980) + Glorious Fool (1981)


John Martyn was a British singer-songwriter who, over the course of a career that spanned over five decades, developed and honed a unique musical vision that fused elements of blues, folk, jazz, and rock. Written and recorded as Martyn went through a divorce, Grace and Danger can be considered among the all-time great breakup records. His next album, Glorious Fool, has a similarly lush, keyboard-heavy sound and is, ultimately, just as emotionally complex and compelling.

Track listing:
-Grace and Danger-
1. Some People Are Crazy
2. Grace and Danger
3. Lookin' On
4. Johnny Too Bad
5. Sweet Little Mystery
6. Hurt in Your Heart
7. Baby Please Come Home
8. Save Some (For Me)
9. Our Love
-Glorious Fool-
1. Couldn't Love You More
2. Amsterdam
3. Hold On My Heart
4. Perfect Hustler
5. Hearts and Keys
6. Glorious Fool
7. Never Say Never
8. Pascanel (Get Back Home)
9. Didn't Do That
10. Please Fall In Love with Me
11. Don't You Go



G&D
GF

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Paul Motian Trio - Le Voyage (1979)


Sparse, arhythmic jazz led by drummer Paul Motian. Uneasy themes come and go with little fanfare, without ever hitting anything remotely resembling a 'groove.'

Track listing:
1. Folk Song for Rosie
2. Abacus
3. Cabala/Drum Music
4. The Sunflower
5. Le Voyage

Shadows

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Richard Pinhas - Rhizosphere (1977)


Pulsing, arpeggiating space age synthscapes from French musician Richard Pinhas (of Heldon.)

Track listing:
1. Rhizosphere Sequent
2. A Piece for Duncan
3. Claire P.
4. Trapeze/Interference
5. Rhizosphere

Perspective