Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Strand of Oaks - Pope Killdragon
So I finally got around to posting this! Sorry it took me a lifetime. Anyway, bottom line is this is a wonderful listen, and one of the most replay friendly albums I've heard. Nothing hear sounds particularly foreign, but the at the same time it is unlike any other 'sad' folk album I've ever heard. The lyrics especially strike me as original for this type of music, despite being perfectly fit.
One thing I've found with this one is that while some tracks jump out right away (my personal favorite, 'Last to Swim', being the main culprit) all of these tracks have something to offer, and this album has a way of revealing itself slowly. Which is great, because I kept on wanting to go back, and I just ended up liking it more and more. Hopefully it has the same effect on you.
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Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (2010)
Bark Psychosis - Hex (1994)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Kate Bush - The Hounds of Love
The diversity here is what makes this several cuts above the 80's pop that springs to mind when you first listen. The first bit is excellent pop songwriting that is fairly easy to wrap your head around. But as the album progresses, you get more and more twisted and things get pretty daring.
While not the greatest track, Waking the Witch is pretty damn metal for a female pop album. That statement alone should tell you this woman wasn't making pop by the book.
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Galaxie 500 - On Fire
So I saw that you have this wish-listed, so I thought I'd help you out and post it! It is an awesome slowcore/ dreampop album. I can't really pick any standout tracks yet except the first, though they all seem good. The whole album blends together as sort of one cohesive whole, feeling like drifting along on a cool day.
Everything is very simply put together, but this works well and it manages to create a really pleasant atmosphere with it. They call these guys slowcore, but I don't see them as close to Red House Painters or Low. They are slow, but the atmosphere is a little different by my reckoning, closer to something like My Bloody Valentine. Anway, hope you enjoy.
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Thursday, January 27, 2011
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit (2010)
Each new album Agalloch releases seems to sound completely different than anyone was expecting. So it makes sense that with Marrow of the Spirit they’ve decided to do a lot of things they’ve never done before.
First off, this is definitely their heaviest album to date. Into the Painted Grey starts off with guns blazing, blast beats and tremolo riffs a plenty. It’s black metal Agalloch style, and they do it beautifully. Secondly, they’ve actually taken a step back from their work so far and actually incorporated some familiar sounds from their earlier albums. The acoustic strumming from The Mantle is all over The Watcher’s Monolith, and we have some Pale Folklore-ish electric guitar picking on Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires. For a band that has constantly changed their sound from album to album, I think that’s pretty cool.
I don’t know if this is better than The Mantle or Ashes, but it certainly comes close. The fact that they’re still putting out the best metal music out there and have been doing so for more than ten years is just awesome, and from this it doesn’t look like they plan on stopping. See you in London boys.
Friday, November 12, 2010
PS I Love You - Meet me at the Muster Station
Some more homegrown indie talent here, with an interesting sound. They're from Kingston, and have received Pitchfork's approval with this album (so you know its good!). Its amazing how big their sound is for just two guys. Facelove is an epic tune.
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Diamond Rings - Special Affections
For my blog comeback, I have decided to post this gem of Toronto area indie pop. This guy is getting a lot of attention from the indie press and I think he's only going to get bigger. Not all of these tracks are great, but a few of them are irresistible pop gold. The hooks would make Lady Gaga jealous.
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Sunday, August 8, 2010
Asobi Seksu - Citrus (2006)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Mediafire is being a bitch
Monday, July 26, 2010
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares - Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (1975)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Exuma - Exuma (1970)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Slint - Spiderland (1991)
I first listened to this album nearly a year ago, and since then I've only listened to it maybe half a dozen times. It wasn't until listening to it today that it finally hit me how genius this album is. Spiderland was released in 1991, but feels so ahead of its time. It was extremely influential to both the math rock and post-rock genres and is considered by many to be an indie rock classic.
My favourite song here is "Washer" which is the only song that grabbed me upon first listening. As an album associated with the post-rock genre, I expected it to sound more like the genre does today. Sad, reverb-drenched guitars, huge crescendos, the like. Instead, this sounds like nothing I've heard before. The vocals for the most part are spoken-word, with some fragile singing and even some semi-harsh vocals on "Nosferatu Man." The album also has a short running time of 39 minutes, which is also a plus for me. Sometimes the best albums are the ones that don't take an hour or more to make their point, leaving you wanting more.
Wow my reviews are long now.