[2011] The Haxan Cloak - The Haxan Cloak

One of the most interesting Aurora Borealis artists of this year, The Haxan Cloak have released a few live CDr EPs  independently through the years, this s/t being their first LP under a label. The music is composed of classical arrangements, electronically processed via free improvisation and combined with haunting field recordings, creating a very distinctive aura avoiding further descriptions. Another one of these introspective albums that fully reveal themselves after constant listens at high volumes.




Buy it directly from Aurora Borealis here (scroll down).

[2009] Supersilent - 9

Back to the extremely low key improvisations, consisting mostly by fiddling with organs. This is definitely another album in the vein of 5 or 6 (specially 5), whose quiet, tense parts are more prominent than those with instrumentation. Dark and brooding, it still manages to retain the style of the band, despite having no percussion at all.

Downloaad it here: [V0][FLAC]


Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[2003] Supersilent - 6

Picking up where it left off, 6 retains some of the minimalistic style introduced in 5, but this time the electronic contributions of Helge Sten and Arve Henriksen's slow, sultry trumpet take over and gives the album a very melancholic, reflexive mood. It constantly toys with off-putting, bizarre synth melodies, overlapping and enhancing the dark atmosphere.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]


Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[2001] Supersilent - 5

Another radical change of pace in their style, this release is very minimal in style. While there's several free jazz bursts that rise from the almost quiet delivery (in an excellent display of dynamics), this album requires a lot of attention since it keeps itself low key, consisting mostly on lengthy brass notes and short electronic bursts, even more prominent here than in 4.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]

Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[2006] Circle - Miljard

Very unlike most of their back catalog, Miljard is Circle's most obvious ambient album, which still has a few motorik tingles, but it's mostly slow and drawn out. If you enjoy that side of them or if you're a fan of low key, guitar-oriented post-rock, you might enjoy this album. Personally I think it's good (in a complete different direction), 2CD's full of  great ambient music which the short bursts of intensity the band is known for.

Download it here: [320: Part 1 Part 2][V0]


Buy it directly from Ektro Records here.

[2011] Ulver - Wars of The Roses

Practically a month after the short article I wrote about the upcoming Ulver album, I've finally listened to it and arrived to my own conclusions regarding this new album. Unsurprisingly, Wars of The Roses didn't fail to deliver. Placing it one step ahead of their previous effort Shadows of The Sun, most of the expectations raised by the gathered lineup were fulfilled, particularly speaking of Daniel O'Sullivan's keyboards, Steve Noble's drumming in Norwegian Gothic and Stone Angels, and Stian Westerhus' guitar manipulation in more than half of the album.
Those aren't the only highlights of this album, which had a solid vocal work in Providence: aside from Garm's mid falsetto, Siri Stranger complemented the song with her voice (giving the song a soothing tone after the tense mood Garm sets), while Attila Csihar growled in the background near the end. However, my big favorite song is Stone Angels, in which Daniel O'Sullivan recited poetry in a way not too unlike David Tibet with his project Current 93, and made me wonder if one day he'll relieve Garm from the vocals in the band, since he seems to fit the role quite well.

All in all I consider it one of my main choices for a favorite album of the year, and proves that 4 years didn't pass in vain.


Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Kscope here.

[2009] Tim Catlin & Machinefabriek - Glisten

I've been in such a big Machinefabriek bing lately, that's an understatement. I think it's mostly because of his collabs more than anything else, although Machinefabriek by himself does a great job at adjusting and molding soundscapes and field recordings the way he wants, and every collab is merely an extension of said ability.
In this case, Tim Catlin (experimental guitar composer from Australia) assumes the task of spicing up Machinefabriek's usually low key compositions, by adding guitar-based, unrecognizable sound patterns, turning what once was basically ambient music into a bittersweet experience, constantly changing song after song. The only downside: it's as short as an EP (clocking at 35min), which may not seem enough for a release of this caliber.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Low Point here.

[2001] Food - Organic & GM Food

Less out there than their late works, Organic & GM Food, while more conventional, is still worth mentioning due to how prominent the sax in here is, compared to their late works. Still amazing stuff to be had, particularly because of the songs Ian Ballamy (sax) composed for this album, aprticularly Chef's Special and Arve's Part (an obvious homage).

Download it here: [320][V0]


Sold out in Feral Records.

[2009] Hotel Belvedere - Tomorrow

In the same instrumental rock and ambient vein of bands like Grails, Tim Hecker and Machinefabriek, Hotel Belvedere (a british solo project) goes for a similar approach by using mostly tape loops and minimal guitar chord arrangements to create a soft, cinematic feel with his music. Most of the electronic elements in this album (particularly the use of looped samples) and rock arrangements are kept under the same overall tone, so every song is almost a continuation of the previous, perfect for full album listens.
I should also mention that for an extremely underground musician, the mixing is really good (which I rarely hear nowadays), and it means there was a sensible production behind this album.

Download and support the band here.

[2011] Gareth Davies & Machinefabriek - Grower

Gareth Davis teamed up with Machinefabriek (both originary from Netherlands) again after last year's release, Drape, to further expand on the subtle ambient created by Machinefabriek, contributing his eclectic clarinet sound. This album is one of the most interesting ambient albums I've heard, specially due to Davis' contributions, his clarinet has a wide range that goes in par with Machinefabriek's field recording manipulations.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Sonic Pieces here.

[2007] Arve Henriksen - Strjon

This is the third release of the prominent norwegian musician Arve Henriksen (Food, Christian Wallumrød Ensemble), which drifts away a bit from the electronic influence of the debut and following album (Sakuteiki and Chiaroscuro respectively), and focus on the sultry trumpet sound he's known for. Very moody and spacious, it does what's expected from his regular works.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[2006] Machinefabriek - Marijn

Debut album of Rutger Zuydervelt's (experimental musician from Netherlands) solo project, which has released under this monicker countless of EP's, and a sizeable amount of collaborations and splits with other artists. Most of his works (including this one) make an extensive use of field recordings manipulation, creating a particular aura that could be described as a "sonic film". Firmly rooted into ambient and drone music, his works are mostly comprised of seemingly natural sounds laced with harsh electronic bursts.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Burning World Records here.

[2002] Food - Veggie

This is the third album of another one of the many bands Arve Henriksen (Supersilent, Christian Wallumrød Ensemble) is part of. Food combines jazz with electronic elements, and the same way lots of bands from the norwegian scene, this is a true display of talent. The reason why I decided to review and post Veggie (their third album) instead of their debut was because of the motifs present in this one (specially in songs like Mushroom, one of my favorites), and thew way the electronic bits intervene with the recurrent improvised sections, which are brought from the background after every brass motif. Excellent group to get started with the norwegian nu-jazz scene.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[2010] Mamiffer / House of Low Culture - Uncrossing / Ice Mole

Latest release of House of Low Culture (3/4 ISIS, 1/4 Stephen O'Malley), a primarily drone-doom/field recordings band, and Mamiffer (Aaron Turner, Faith Cocciola), a post-rock/ambient project. Admittedly not much of a fan of ISIS-related works (let alone Aaron Turner), but I considered this split to be quite interesting. My favorite side is House of Low Culture's, with a rumbling, subtle bass dragging all the way until the end while the seemlingly natural, earthly sounds swirl away; but Mamiffer's side, with the slow, chilling piano is also a highlight on this split.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2007] Sachiko - Kunado

Unobxtrusive noise/drone solo project of Sachiko, it uses her own vocals layered in dense noise walls, creating interesting soundscapes not unlike other noise/noise-rock bands from the same country, but keeping it low key. For those interested in noise music that goes beyond the violent, harsh atmospheres typical of the genre.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2006] Tamás Kátai - Erika Szobája (Erika's Room)

The mastermind behind Thy Catafalque's only solo album so far, it's a less metal, more soft version of the latter, still retaining most of the atmosphere present in that project. Lot of samples perhaps following a story (which unfortunately goes above my head seeing as I don't know hungarian), and minimal synth arrangements reminiscent of kosmische in some aspects, make this album a very enjoyable listen.  Recommended for Thy Catafalque and ambient fans in general.

Download it here: [256][320][V0]

Buy it directly from Ars Benevola Mater here.

[2010] Zeena Parkins - Between The Whiles

One of her most focused works to date (and also her most accessible), Zeena Parkins delivers violent, yet beautiful compositions in Between The Whiles. In this opportunity she created a mix of sounds that weren't present in her previous works, such as sound samples and heavy, layered harsh noise underneath her improvisations. Less tracks than usual (balanced by their length), this album is for sure a good competition alone against releases like Sailor With Wax Wings, which is considered by many to be one of the most interesting collaborations of the year. Hopefully we'll see Parkins involved in something similar in the near future, considering the great display of quality this album is.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Amazon here.

[1994] 'O'Rang - Herd of Instinct

Very rarely I get obsessed with a particular artist or band's discography. Usually I download an album in specific and explore it here and there if I end up liking it (I'm not the kind of person that just gets one album and stays there, critically acclaimed albums shouldn't be considered the only relevant material of a band), but in rare cases I end up liking them so much that I get their whole back catalog, and listen to it for weeks nonstop. This is the case with 'O'Rang, a side-project of Lee Harris and Paul Webb of Talk Talk (which released albums at the same time, even), in which the new wave, jazzy post-rock vibe of the latter is almost completely lost or unheard, instead replaced with tribal drumming, field recordings, african melodies and warm vocals, delivering a nice atmosphere full of rich sounds, never repeating itself, and constantly bringing the listener into a world of weird sensations. An unregrettable experience, recommended to those looking for something radically different to what they're used to.

There's no available copies on the original label they originally came from (Echo).

Download it here: [320][V0]

Available ONLY as used copies on Amazon.

[2008] The (Fallen) Black Deer - Requiem

Josh Graham (from Neurosis, A Storm of Light and associated acts) and Greg Burns joined forces together for this Latitudes release, in which they used their creativity and skill for what they consider to be an "alternative soundtrack for The Shining". Dark ambient tracks with hints of menacing post-rock are the main elements that comprise this 25min album, in which you can almost feel the aura of uneasiness that characterizes the famous horror movie.Quiet at times, it delivers a lush of emotions on the next minutes, retaining the listener's attention for as long as the album lasts. Perhaps the only flaw is how short it is, and how it falls flat compared to their associated acts, but seeing as its focus is to be an entirely ambient album, it serves its purpose.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Southern Records here.

[2002] M.A.L. - The Song of The Stars

I stumbled upon this album on Soulseek a few weeks ago, while looking for songs related precisely to stars. I was baffled when I discovered that the band behind the music, a belgian collective whose recordings go back to the 70's, was signed to EE Tapes, in which Bene Gesserit (a favorite of mine) is signed as well. This little fact caught my attention, and I'm glad I explored it further: the music in this album is amazing. Inspired in the 70's german krautrock, the psychedelic rock present in this album makes you drift away with every song, with the most blissful tunes I've heard for an album of this nature. It reminds me at times of Hash Jar Tempo, except that in The Song of The Stars is less layered, focusing more in dynamics than anything else. There's indeed a spacey feeling, typical of krautrock, but used in a different way.
While this was released on 2002, it actually forms part of a series of recordings made between 1971 and 1974.

Download it here: [192][V0]

Buy it directly from EE Tapes. Contact them here for more info.
Buy or ask directly to the band here.