[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] Larsen & Z'EV - In V.Tro

Half recorded during live sessions and another half recorded in studio, this collaboration was commissioned as a "soundtrack for micro-cinematic images on the study of cells", as a tribute to Giuseppe Levi, who researched and exploited the great potential of the in vitro technique, which gives name to this album. Aside from the interesting backstory, Larsen proves again that they shine in collaborative projects. Z'EV delivers his usual experimental approach to percussion to the mix, giving it a strong abstract feel while Larsen controls the mood of the album with its minimalist guitar and synth pair. Somewhat similar to their Nurse With Wound collaboration, Larsen sticks to their minimalistic post-rock side bordering in drone while Z'EV takes care of the bizarre background.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]

Buy it directly from Important Records here.

[2010] Marcia Bassett/Jenny Gräf - Paradam

A female duo mapping the mysteries hidden beneath the empty cosmos and the tightly compressed stone crystal with their heavily layered and abrasive noise tapestry, making a clever use of brass instruments and subdued harmonies. Mastered by the veteran James Plotkin.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2010] Architeuthis Rex - Dark As The Sea

Sunken civilizations, inhabited by fearsome creatures and forgotten, devout cultures subdued by eons of tectonic and oceanic chaos. Architeuthis Rex (the monicker used by the italian artist Antonio Galluci) does it best to manifest all these obscure dreamworlds evoked by the immensity of the sea, in which bizarre entities come back to life.




Buy it directly from Utech Records here (scroll down).

[2001] Luigi Archetti & Bo Wiget - Low Tide Digitals

This guitar/cello duo from Italy and Switzerland respectively is one of the few non-norwegian artists releasing material via Rune Grammofon, focusing on a series of three albums (so far) ranging from ambient to jazz, with a very minimalist approach to their music. This is their first one released back in 2001, very minimal and low key, setting the roots for their next releases.




Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[2011] Gregg Kowalsky - Battery Townsley

Recorded inside the WWII bunker that gives this release its name, using a similar method for his Tape Chants, in which he locates cassette players across a room creating stacked, ever-evolving loops with the output. One of the most interesting drone releases of this year from the ones I've seen.




Buy it directly from Kowalsky's Bigcartel site here.

[2010] The Skull Defekts & The Sons Of God - Received In Studio Dental, Gothenburg

A bizarre collaboration between part of The Skull Defekts (typically known for their noisy, stripped out guitar output) and the bizarre duo The Sons of God, whose main focus are free performances, noise and visual exploration (each documented in a somewhat long discography). The set recorded for this album is comprised by a tense, unresolved aura full of scraped metallic sounds and an empty, haunting atmosphere.




Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2011] Oikos - Ecotono

Second album of this Spanish duo, mostly comprising of oscillating drones and gently reverberated guitar, reminding at times of Andrew Moon's project RST (also signed to Utech Records), except more minimal and brooding, relying mostly in the blurred, overlapping layers of drone track after track.




Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2008] The Skull Defekts - The Drone Drug

With an almost unapproachable output that hardly resembles their apparent influences (Wire, Can and a few others), The Skull Defekts' trance-inducing noise/post-punk is left behind in favor of relentless feedback noise, manipulated as abrasive electronic drone, that might have more in common with Yellow Swans than bands akin to Earth or Sunn O))). Worth giving a listen.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Release The Bats here.

[2011] Grouper - A I A : Dream Loss

This is the second part of the latest 2xCD release by Grouper. Dream Loss starts on a similar way Alien Observer ended, with a slow, haunting note that will serve as an intro, before kicking in with a slow strummed guitar and drowned vocals akin to her previous album, less dark and more provocative and haunting.
Both discs complement each other nicely. Playing them together (which seems to be the main purpose) will create a really dense atmosphere, typical of her live shows. Awesome comeback album, 3 years waiting for something like this and Grouper delivered. Recommended for 2011.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Boomkat here.

[2011] Grouper - A I A : Alien Observer

This is the first part of Grouper's (Liz Harris' monicker) first double CD and latest release 3 years after Dragging A Deer Up A Hill, her most famous work. Both CD's complement each other, this one heavily on the dark ambient side. The electronic elements make the manipulated guitar to be almost indiscernible, and instead drowned along with the vocals, giving it the unique ethereal style we're familiar with. Similar in vein to her earlier albums, with a stronger emphasis in the atmosphere and less in the guitar instrumentation.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Boomkat here.

[2007] The Stargazer's Assistant - The Other Side of The Island

The Stargazer's Assistant is a collective fronted by David J Smith and conformed by Daniel O'Sullivan (Ulver, Mothlite) and Antti Uusimaki (also from Mothlite), whose deeply layered soundscapes seek to evoke the ever-changing geological structure of the Earth, decaying and resurfacing every new era. Amazingly diverse material ranging from vocal arrangements to sparse percussion, this album is a truly entrancing piece of work, way beyond run-of-the-mill ambient music, and a display of the rich, organic compositions O'Sullivan and Uusumaki are capable of, also heard in Mothlite.

Download it here: [V0]


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

[2009] Gregg Kowalsky - Tape Chants

While the previous efforts relied in purely electronic chain arrangements, Tape Chants was recorded incorporating tapes with specific tones, tuned and mixed to each other, placed in several locations within a room. The resulting effect, which is later arranged with oscillators to give a sense of rhythm, is one of the most interesting drone recordings I've had the chance of listening. Some other percussive instruments were used albeit subtly, to avoid disrupting the overbearing feeling infused by the oscillating drones.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Kranky Records here.

[2011] Stephen O'Malley & Atsuo - Uroborus Circuit

Recorded back in 2006 during that whole period in which Boris and Sunn O))) were also recording Altar, Uroborus Circuit is definitely not what I'd expect from a collaboration between these two musicians. First of all it doesn't have any instruments, which throws out of the window the idea that Atsuo might've contributed drums here; it also doesn't have any sort of recognizable structure aside from the tones overlapping here and there. This is very minimal, consisting on feedback manipulation, hardly resembling guitar feedback due to its subtle, harsh tone, not too different from O'Malley's later works in Table of Elements (Keep An Eye Out).

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Inoxia Records here.

[2008] Joe Preston And Daniel Menche - Cerberic Doxology

Trance-inducing drone/dark ambient from two experts in the subject. Joe Preston in one hand, main pioneer of the drone-doom scene (back when Melvins was churning out really slow, heavy stuff, and at the very beginnings of Earth), sole member of Thrones, and early collaborator of Sunn O))) for two of the best albums that band has ever released (the White sessions) and the Oracle EP. And Daniel Menche (also from Oregon), a prominent noise/dark ambient artist who has collaborated with several musicians related to the experimental scene, highly prolific on his own as well.
The two of them provide vocals for this bizarre album consisting on a single 20min track, whose layers constantly intertwine and blur along with the subtle droning soundscape. This intonation could seem slightly similar to Sunn O)))'s Decay[NIHIL'S MAW] and Decay2 [The Symptoms of Kali Yuga], or Sunn O))) & Altar's Akuma no Kuma (he actually provided vocals for this one), except there's barely any other instruments aside from the droning vocalizations. Quite an intriguing album, reminding of primal landscapes and massive prehistoric monuments of unknown meaning.

Download it here [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Anthem Records 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.

[2011] Æthenor - En Form For Blå

What was already shaping up on Faking Gold and Murder as a free improv/dark ambient ensemble comes in full force in En Form For Blå, with an added touch of abstraction. O'Malley, Noble, O'Sullivan and Rygg teamed up again in Norway to record this album which heavily hints to the norwegian avant-jazz/experimental scene, which is acknowledged in the linear notes. The guitars and synth improvisation has much more focus than in previous albums, in which it was kept low key to emphasize on the field recordings and vocalizations (in the case of Faking Gold and Murder).

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Boomkat 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.

[2007] Stephen O'Malley & Z'EV - Magistral

Revolving around some guitar samples recorded back in 2005, Stephen O'Malley and Z'EV created this album using percussion arrangements and sample manipulation over the same 8m42s guitar recording, making it sound completely different to what's expected from the artists involved. Closer to the rumbling, overbearing sonic landscape from KTL, this album is also one of the most "out there" releases ever made by Southern Lord.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Southern Lord here.

[2010] RST - The Sunset Limited

Straying from the abrasive, harsh drone from Tomorrow's Void, RST (also known as Andrew Moon, prominent figure in the New Zealand scene) becomes soft and quiet, while retaining some of the menacing tone present in the first albums, replaced here with subtlety.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Utech Records here (scroll down).