As some of you surely know, I don't post download links to brand new albums, with the obvious exception of albums that the artists themselves have made available for free download. As none of you know -- unless you've been spying on me, you weird pervert -- practically all I've been listening to is new stuff. And Steve Tibbetts while I do school work. So instead of yet another Steve Tibbetts record, these are 5 more recent favorites, and if you like one of them, please consider buckling down and actually buying it.
Scowl - Psychic Dance Routine
The first track on Psychic Dance Routine is a flaming, head-on collision of 'traditional,' circle-pitting hardcore and hooky pop-grunge à la Veruca Salt. The rest of the EP fleshes out that dichotomy in spectacular form. It's a blatant swing towards accessibility and a wider reach, but it's also easily my favorite thing this band has done.
Nicole Dollanganger - Married in Mount Airy
Vignettes of doomed romance, addiction, abuse, suicide, and murder via dark, surreal, undeniably Lynch-ian Americana. Dollanganger's dreamy, almost child-like voice and guitar are at the core of every song, but they're encased in layered, pitch-shifted sonics that have an unsettling, almost alien-sounding sheen. Fans of Ethel Cain should find a lot to love here.
Tujiko Noriko - Crépuscule I & II
Tujiko Noriko has been making excellent IDM/experimental pop/other electronic sounds since the turn of the millennium, and it's truly criminal that I have never posted about her on here. Her latest, Crépuscule I & II is an expansive double album of immersive, cavernous ambience: drifting, reverb-drenched synths, the odd scattered, slo-mo rhythm, and Noriko's whispery intonations.
Derhead - The Grey Zone Phobia
Dense, eerie black metal with a massive, all-consuming sound that suggests both the yawning cosmos and the crushing cacophony of urban sprawl -- quite appropriate for an album that purportedly encourages the listener to "contemplate the contrast between reality and the inner self." Labyrinthine but not overwrought, frightening singular but not self-consciously so. Undoubtedly some of the best black metal in recent memory.
Baaba Maal - Being
A seamless fusion of Senegalese desert rock and half-time electro-pop groove. Maal's vocals would be mesmerizing in virtually any context, but over distorted rhythms and subwoofer-knocking bass-lines, there are moments of true transcendence. Practically impossible to listen to at anything less than max volume.
For those who might not know: the town of Mount Airy - mentioned above in the title of Nicole Dollanganger's album - is the tiny town in the mountains of North Carolina where Andy Griffith was born. He based the town of Mayberry in his TV show on his small-town life.
ReplyDeleteNow you know. And knowing is half the battle.
That's not enough! We demand more Steve Tibbetts!
ReplyDeleteAlso - how goddamn good is that Baaba Maal record?!
baaba mal link seems to be missing.thanks for adding.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't any download links on this post, hence the "Tells You About" bit. Like I say at the beginning, I don't post download links for new albums.
DeleteI don't suppose you have anything by There Were Wires?
DeleteI for sure do, will post soon
DeleteThanks!!
DeleteDo you, kind spirit, by any chance have "Brötzmann / Van Hove / Bennink" (1973)?
DeleteFeel like I'm never gonna get around to making an actual post, so here's a link:
Deletehttps://mega.nz/file/07gyjbzD#6VUn-sDSoblPUvLsaR0KEIYUHRZu45WEI0xe_U9bHlk
OK, so the above link is There Were Wires, this one is Brötzmann et al:
Deletehttps://mega.nz/file/0uJBlCIS#ppA1dy7s55Hp61nEPZBuBh-HpDV5qtai68owanR4y1c
thanks so much man. for all the great music and all the love.
DeleteSeriously, that Baaba Maal is pretty damn spectacular. A definite purchase. Nice one! (In some way it reminded me of this c.2010 Ethiopian belter, 'Gue' by Tirudel Zenebe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXdLH4TGF3s )
ReplyDeleteThank You!
ReplyDeleteLearn to cook, the black metal way: https://youtu.be/ag-jk1HX-FA
ReplyDeleteThanks! Thought it was to be a Metalocalypse-style parody (which would be... brutal)! The fact that it is a legitimate culinary instructional video...even better!
Deletethis derhead is hitting the spot. it's billed as avant-garde but i'm not sure about that.
ReplyDeleteit'll take some more listens to determine if this is exceptional, but it's definitely a gem.
why have none of my friends ever talked about derhead!?
Always love these posts - usually 3 or 4 that I haven't caught up with. Much appreciated.
ReplyDelete