[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.

[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.

[2011] Torture Corpse/Architeuthis Rex - Ignorance/Daemon

Architeuthis Rex returns this year in a split with the paranoid, trance-inducing, dark ambient project known as Torture Corpse. 4 songs, three full songs on side A belonging to Torture Corpse and a longer one on side B, belonging to Architeuthis Rex, both following a tribal, psychedelic sound evoking wilderness and ashen, forbidden territories. Released under the niche label Stunned Records, dedicated mostly to noise, drone and dark ambient artists with abstract leanings.



Currently out of stock at Stunned Records.

[2011] Nurse With Wound - Orgasm Mix

Sold at the KOKO show back in May 15th, making it a tour-only release. Abrasive loops of noise, interlaced with haunting, indiscernible sampling.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]


Unavailable for purchase.

[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.

[1984] K.U.K.L. - The Eye

One of the earliest projects involving Björk, and easily the one that captured the insanity that is often hinted but not fully displayed in her well known solo career. Simply put, not only she was able to shriek, scream and ramble in the way only someone with her vocals would, but she was also in a band that emphasized it, lyrically and conceptually speaking. KUKL (sorcery in icelandic, apparently) is an underrated band that heavily focused into experimental punk and art rock, dabbling at times with the hazy, drugged out akin to psychedelic rock, reverberated and chaotic.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]


Buy it directly from One Little Indian here.

[2011] Master Musicians of Bukkake - Totem Three

Their latest release and the last from their Totem trilogy, this album is the perfect closure for an amazing series of albums that explored the occult, unknown places of the Earth with its array of sounds, influences and bizarre elements. Comparing bands is always unfair, but it seems to me that they've already gotten closer, if not surpassed, bands from the psychedelic krautrock era such as Agitation Free and Can (saving the distances of course), by combining the best of the psychedelic rock sound with strong eastern influences, and late 20th century's filmography. And on that note (while following the idea of their previous single), this album is a homage to John Carpenter's horror films, mimicking the vintage synths and dark atmosphere that characterized classics like The Thing and the Halloween series.




Buy it directly from Important Records here.

[2000] Melancholy Pessimism - Evil Planet

Once again, the czech fail to disappoint me. With bands in the vein of !T.O.O.H.! and Lykathea Aflame in that scene, it's evident they're experts in what concerns to technical death metal with a strong experimental side. Melancholy Pessimism follows that lineage, but also mixes disparate music genres like jazz and even hip-hop in their fast, technical grind, while retaining the humor that characterizes czech death metal bands. One of their best albums, and also the most experimental of their career.

Download it here: [320][V0] Updated!


Currently unavailable.

[REQUEST] [2006] Walter &Sabrina - Chioma SuperNormal: The Dark Album

I haven't actually listened to this yet, but I might get around to it today. I'm not fully familiar with the projects associated to AMM as it's something I have on my to-do list. For whoever requested it, enjoy.
 --
And after listening to this, I can certify it's really good stuff. A bizarre form of art-pop, involving electronic manipulation and contemporary classical in big doses, paired with sarcastic, dark humored lyrics.

"This uniform dull plodder,
This Sodden Strangler.
All hail little man, into average stagger marching.
Feeling social inferiority."

~ The Sodden Stranger

Download it here: [256 Part 1 Part 2][V0]


Buy it directly from Danny Dark Records here.

[2011] The Skull Defekts - Peer Amid

Dark, psychedelic rock with some tribal elements, and a healthy dose of noise rock, it's what the new The Skull Defekts is all about. Less out there and more traditional than some of their previous material, this is the rockiest side of the band, still retaining some of the abrasive noise/drone experimentation the fans of the band are already familiar with. I'd say it's a really solid release, if anything is less "out there" than their previous releases but it doesn't take away the best of the band.
This is the vinyl edition, which includes an extra song called Hidden Hymn.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Thrill Jockey Records here.

[2011] Masami Akita, Mats Gustafsson & Jim O'Rourke - One Bird Two Bird

One of the most interesting releases in which Jim O'Rourke participates this year (the other would be the Ambarchi/O'Rourke/Haino followup of Tima Formosa), One Bird Two Bird is one of the best collabs I've listened in quite a while. I can quite see why Masami Akita is credited with his real name and not his usual monicker (Merzbow), considering his contributions are actually low key and in tune with the building improvisations as the album progresses, of which O'Rourke and Gustafsson (The Thing) are mainly responsible for (and as far of the latter goes, his sax goes crazy on Two Bird, the most awe-inducing track of this album). Without a doubt,  the most intense free improv collab I've heard this year so far.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Editions Mego here.

[1998] Supersilent - 1-3

About time I posted Supersilent over here... And I'll try to post all their discography, chronologically.
This is the first release via Rune Grammofon of the collective conformed by Arve Henriksen (Food, Christian Wallumrød Ensemble), Ståle Storløkken and Helge Sten (Deathprod, Merriwinkle). 3 CDs of their very first material, full of unpredictable structures and almost no common melodies through live improvisation; part of instrumentation used for this album (and the ones following next) can be tell apart, but mostly it's a mix of timbres barely recognizable, reminding most of what AMM did many decades ago in a similar vein.
This album alone is a classic of the band, and a perfect start in the modern conception of free improvisation.

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


Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon 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.

Utech Records Music Festival 2011

This summer in the state of Wisconsin, Utech Records (label whose releases I'm a faithful follower) will hold its first curated festival, in which 11 of their US-based bands and artists will perform a unique show, and some of the best underground music will be showcased. The label is also offering a sample for those not familiar with the bands that will perform (check the link below); so far the names included are the following: James Plotkin, Ural Umbo, Mamiffer, House of Low Culture, Horseback, GOG, Locrian, ITHI and Willian Fowler Collins. If you're in the area, you can't afford to miss this!

This festival is scheduled by June 11 at the Cactus Club, in Milwukee, Wisconsin.

More information about this Festival 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.

[2007] Ultralyd - Conditions For A Piece of Music

The least accessible Ultralyd album, focusing more into free jazz and improvisation to a greater extent, compared to their latest efforts. It still has plenty of energetic moments in which the best of their noise-rock/jazz fusion is displayed, but it also focuses on their darkest aspects with guitar-oriented free improv, one half of the album. This is sort of a middle ground album, and it could please those already familiar with bands like MoHa!, since it swings that way at several parts with its dissonant noise-rock.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Rune Grammofon here.

[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.