[2008] Daniel Levin Trio - Fuhuffah

By request... Daniel Levin in cello, Håker-Flaten (The Thing) in bass, Gerard Cleaver in drums.





Buy it directly from Clean Feed here.

[2011] Valborg - Barbarian

The most active Zeitgester Music project as of lately (considering the latest three albums), Valborg's new album is a followup of the sound established in Crown of Sorrow, combining several influences and aesthetics in their music ranging from progressive rock to death and doom metal, making their music hard to describe at first.
Similar enough, however, to the likes of late Celtic Frost and Triptykon (specially the latter), and this comparison is fair given their participation in Tom Warrior's Roadburn Festival 2010 and later praise he gave to the band. What's for sure is that the unique blend of sounds in Barbarian makes it one of my favorites of this year.




Buy it directly from Zeitgeister Music here.

[2011] Seven Sisters of Sleep - Seven Sisters of Sleep

Great debut album of this new hardcore/sludge band from California, and easily one of the best things I've heard coming from Southern Lord's new batch of hardcore/crust-punk bands. Short, heavy songs filled with hardcore madness and gloom brutality, gravitating towards the likes of Eyehategod and Thou, distancing themselves from these bands with their energetic, fast-paced delivery.




Buy it directly from Southern Lord here.

[2011] Horseback/Locrian - New Dominions

The new collaboration between Horseback and Locrian is here, released in no other label but Utech Records. Two tracks clocking around 20min in total; my favorite being Our Epitaph, focusing in building upon the song structure using a breathtaking layering, involving Locrian's ever present tremolo-picked chords and Horseback's galloping slow riffing, accompanied by sparse drumming turning the song in a heavy trip. The Gift goes the opposite way, setting an eerie mood with the slow, crashing guitars complementing the piano and layered harsh vocals. Short but compelling release.

Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[1993] Stereolab - The Groop Played ''Space Age Batchelor Pad Music''

As of lately, my go-to choice for Stereolab. One of their earliest albums, while it seems softer than Peng!, in here the motorik-fueled beats are more accentuated than in their next albums, even featuring an obvious Neu! homage. There's some noisy tracks that resemble what they'll later do in "Transient Random..." but in a more digestible package. Perfect for fans and starters alike.




Buy it directly from CD Universe here.

[2007] Peter Brötzmann, Paal Nilssen-Love & Mats Gustafsson - The Fat Is Gone

Three long songs, three renowned exponents of the contemporary european jazz scene. The Fat Is Gone gathers Paal Nilssen-Love and Mats Gustafsson (from The Thing) with one of the big legends of the German jazz scene (Peter Brötzmann), who displays his wildest, most intense musical side to be in par with the two Scandinavian improvisers, resulting in a very dense record, a must listen.

Buy it directly from Robot here.

[2005] The Thing - Live at Blå

Look at that smug Paal's face...
This is their first live album recorded around 2005, which has some songs from their debut album and Garage but mostly reinterpreted and loosened out. The live renditions of those songs (Awake-Nu being my favorite and one of the most recognizable songs) leave nothing to be desired from those epic sessions, filled with even more energy than the studio counterparts.
 

Buy it directly from Insound here.

[2009] Chord - Flora

Chord is a collective of four guitar musicians formed in Illinois (among them Trevor De Brauw from Pelican), focusing their efforts into a stripped out, minimalist arrangement revolving around a single chord, distorted and reinterpreted as they please, keeping into account the overall tone and texture of each composition. Inspired in composers such as Tony Conrad and Glenn Branca (specially the latter, since his direct influence can be felt throughout the songs), Chord delivers satisfactory results with this album, their debut.




Buy it directly from Neurot Recordings here.

[2011] irr. app. (ext.) / Nurse With Wound - 4 Orphans

After Angry Electric Finger 3, 4 Orphans is the new collaboration between these two bizarre figures of the sound collage/dark ambient scene, although it's somewhat of an irr. app. (ext.) album mostly, considering it's based around old Nurse With Wound arrangements, along with the weirdest things the former could come up with in order to spice up the surreal vibe of the album. As usual, artwork by Matt Waldron.

Buy it directly from irr. app. (ext.)'s Bandcamp here.