Music Reviews!
A few things I've been enjoying lately. Right-click, save-as.
Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde - 02 - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
(France, 2007, 10.0 MB)
Often fairly accurately described as black metal meets shoegaze, imagine a slightly heavier version of Coldplay and Sigur Ros mixed together and you'll have a good idea of what to expect. The tremolo picked riffs typical of black metal are present, but the feeling and intent of the songs is much more optimistic, often even happy. Neige, the French black metaller behind the project, describes the album as a journey into the self-invented dream world he's found solace in since childhood. Memorable melodies, soft vocals, and a refreshing atmosphere. Recommended to all!
Amesoeurs - Ruines Humaines (EP) - 03 - Faiblesse Des Sens
(France, 2006, 9.24 MB)
Another French band Neige is involved with, Amesoeurs tries to capture the frustration they feel at the depersonalization, depression, and fear produced by living in modern urban society. Blending black metal, shoegaze, post-punk, and new wave, this 3-track EP is quite interesting. The song here is the most accessible they've produced so far, a darkly beautiful number with female vocals that starts out slow and picks up as the track winds on. Sounds like something you might hear in a foreign indie film.
Bonobo - Days to Come - 11 - Recurring
(London, 2006, 7.32 MB)
As with pretty much everything else I've heard from the Ninja Tune label, this is a delicious album. Chill trip-hop of the highest caliber, ranging from vocal tunes featuring the gypsy-trained Bajka to jazz-inflected ambient pieces to dreamy instrumentals like this track, all of it head-bobbing bliss.
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Sunset Mission - 03 - Midnight Walker
(Germany, 2000, 11.4 MB)
Imagine post-apocalyptic noir jazz in a nightclub full of vampires. They started out as a doom metal project that bored me to tears, but eventually replaced the lead guitar with a sax player and downtuned the bass to create something entirely different and wholly memorable. Bass, drums, synths, and sax...perfect for listening in the dark on a rainy night -- so perfect, in fact, that the last track of the album even adds in its own rain sounds as a backdrop.
Baroness - The Red Album - 01 - Rays On Pinion
(United States, 2007, 14.1 MB)
Progressive sludge metal/rock from Georgia, these guys have catchy-as-hell riffs and guitar harmonies as well as a singer another reviewer quipped sounds like a "pissed-off lumberjack". Thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end, a highly recommended record.
Primordial - To The Nameless Dead - 03 - As Rome Burns
(Ireland, 2007, 17.8 MB)
At the risk of oversimplification, this is Braveheart metal. Irish melodic black metal with a pagan politico-historical bent, meant and able to be taken seriously, soaring and inspired clean vocal work, and songs that stay in your head long after the disc has stopped spinning. Every track here is a total winner, it was tough to pick just one, but I love the epic feel of this one.
Septic Flesh - Communion - 08 - Persepolis
(Greece, 2008, 9.88 MB)
Brilliant orchestral arrangements, electronically processed gutteral vocals that actually sound evil, and crushing riffs abound on the best album this Greek death metal band has put out yet. Taking inspiration from mythology, history, and other sources, the subject matter of the album is a large part of the appeal for me. The track here is a dramatization of what is essentially the prequel to 300, the sacking of Persepolis by the Greeks. Other songs tackle Lovecraft, Anubis, the tower of Babel, Narcissus, and more. Well worth a couple of listens to see if it grows on you as much as it did on me.
Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge - 02 - Captain Morgan's Revenge
(Scotland, 2008, 11.2 MB)
Pirate-themed power metal. Complete cheese, but totally awesome. If you can't enjoy this you're not my friend.
Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde - 02 - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
(France, 2007, 10.0 MB)
Often fairly accurately described as black metal meets shoegaze, imagine a slightly heavier version of Coldplay and Sigur Ros mixed together and you'll have a good idea of what to expect. The tremolo picked riffs typical of black metal are present, but the feeling and intent of the songs is much more optimistic, often even happy. Neige, the French black metaller behind the project, describes the album as a journey into the self-invented dream world he's found solace in since childhood. Memorable melodies, soft vocals, and a refreshing atmosphere. Recommended to all!
Amesoeurs - Ruines Humaines (EP) - 03 - Faiblesse Des Sens
(France, 2006, 9.24 MB)
Another French band Neige is involved with, Amesoeurs tries to capture the frustration they feel at the depersonalization, depression, and fear produced by living in modern urban society. Blending black metal, shoegaze, post-punk, and new wave, this 3-track EP is quite interesting. The song here is the most accessible they've produced so far, a darkly beautiful number with female vocals that starts out slow and picks up as the track winds on. Sounds like something you might hear in a foreign indie film.
Bonobo - Days to Come - 11 - Recurring
(London, 2006, 7.32 MB)
As with pretty much everything else I've heard from the Ninja Tune label, this is a delicious album. Chill trip-hop of the highest caliber, ranging from vocal tunes featuring the gypsy-trained Bajka to jazz-inflected ambient pieces to dreamy instrumentals like this track, all of it head-bobbing bliss.
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Sunset Mission - 03 - Midnight Walker
(Germany, 2000, 11.4 MB)
Imagine post-apocalyptic noir jazz in a nightclub full of vampires. They started out as a doom metal project that bored me to tears, but eventually replaced the lead guitar with a sax player and downtuned the bass to create something entirely different and wholly memorable. Bass, drums, synths, and sax...perfect for listening in the dark on a rainy night -- so perfect, in fact, that the last track of the album even adds in its own rain sounds as a backdrop.
Baroness - The Red Album - 01 - Rays On Pinion
(United States, 2007, 14.1 MB)
Progressive sludge metal/rock from Georgia, these guys have catchy-as-hell riffs and guitar harmonies as well as a singer another reviewer quipped sounds like a "pissed-off lumberjack". Thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end, a highly recommended record.
Primordial - To The Nameless Dead - 03 - As Rome Burns
(Ireland, 2007, 17.8 MB)
At the risk of oversimplification, this is Braveheart metal. Irish melodic black metal with a pagan politico-historical bent, meant and able to be taken seriously, soaring and inspired clean vocal work, and songs that stay in your head long after the disc has stopped spinning. Every track here is a total winner, it was tough to pick just one, but I love the epic feel of this one.
Septic Flesh - Communion - 08 - Persepolis
(Greece, 2008, 9.88 MB)
Brilliant orchestral arrangements, electronically processed gutteral vocals that actually sound evil, and crushing riffs abound on the best album this Greek death metal band has put out yet. Taking inspiration from mythology, history, and other sources, the subject matter of the album is a large part of the appeal for me. The track here is a dramatization of what is essentially the prequel to 300, the sacking of Persepolis by the Greeks. Other songs tackle Lovecraft, Anubis, the tower of Babel, Narcissus, and more. Well worth a couple of listens to see if it grows on you as much as it did on me.
Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge - 02 - Captain Morgan's Revenge
(Scotland, 2008, 11.2 MB)
Pirate-themed power metal. Complete cheese, but totally awesome. If you can't enjoy this you're not my friend.