[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] 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.

[2008] Gunslingers - No More Invention

Formed by one of the members of the krautrock band Aluk Todolo, Antoine Hadjioannou (drums), Gunslingers is an insane mix of psychedelic madness with the careless attitude of post-punk, which resembles in some ways the krautrock movement but retaining a garage/DIY aesthetic. At a first listen it reminds a lot of Aluk Todolo's Obedience, the same fast drumming along with the wall of guitars strolling around, but in this case vocals play an important role in the upbeat tone of this album. All in all a noteworthy debut, full of catchy songs and trippy vocals.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from World In Sound here (check the Catalog >> CD/Vinyl).

[1991] Swell Maps - A Trip To Marineville

One of the main pioneers of the british post-punk scene, Swell Maps was the main band of the Godfrey Brothers, known as Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks, both prominent figures of their time. A Trip To Marineville represents one of their best efforts, containing most of the ideas that were later influential for some of the most experimental post-punk that came later, due to its constants dwellings in noise, punk rock and free improvisation. Excellent album which seamlessly combines energetic punk with noise ballads, which later inspired bands with the caliber of Sonic Youth.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Mute Records here.

[1990] Už Jsme Doma - Uprostřed Slov / In The Middle Of Words (2002 Reissue)

Weirdest discovery I've made lately (a bit late, considering their fame), this czech band blends progressive rock with post-punk aesthetics and quirky lyrics in a way that resembles a bit to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Magma, just to mention a few easy examples. It's fun as hell to listen to, with a single listen I became obsessed with their style. It shows how a lot of music stays off the radar if one doesn't actively look for it. Give it a listen, it's just great to know how much amazing music comes out of Czech Republic judging by what I've heard.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Amazon here.

[2010] The High Confessions - Turning Lead Into Gold With The High Confessions

Chris Connelly (Ministry), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Jeremy Lemos (White/Light) and Sandford Parker (Minsk) join forces together for this new experimental/post-punk project. Earlier in the year we had Shelley collaborating in Hallogallo 2010 which was a Michael Rother, sort of Neu! revival project; this time he combines his past experiences along with Connelly's to create an album that would fit nicely within the same scene that gave birth to bands like The Pop Group, Swell Maps, Pere Ubu and others. Trance-inducing melodies, overall quality music released under the same label that would see the light of Godflesh, Relapse Records.

Download it here: [V2][V0] Removed per request


Buy it directly from Relapse Records here.

[2008] One Second Riot - One Second Riot

My latest discovery, product of a split with Neptune, this french post-punk/noise-rock band really fits the association with Neptune. Released their debut in 2008, this band imprints a depressive take on the experimental post-punk coming from bands like Swell Maps and This Heat, while adding a heaviness not unlike hardcore. There's a The Cure cover floating around which is one of the best covers I've heard, since the vocalist sounds very similar to Robert Smith, which fits the vibe. Definitely check this out, hopefully you won't regret it.

Updated!
Download it here: [256][V0]


Buy it directly from Music Fear Satan here.

[1977] This Heat - Made Available: John Peel Sessions (2006 Reissue)

The uniqueness of This Heat, the way only John Peel would've recorded it. Can't say much of the difference between this one and the previous 1977 release, but I can assure you This Heat never sounded this heavy. Every song in this live sesssion sounds as if they were being churned up by a big, merciless crawling machine, crushing everything on its way, breathing every 20 seconds before assaulting the listener over and over again. No other album is able to mix that violent delivery with softer, almost self-mocking melodies that change the mood minute after minute. Special mention goes for Makeshift Swahili, this version of the song is easily better than both the s/t and Deceit. Meant for extended, high volume listenings.


Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Recommended Records here (Special Box Set).

[2008] Neptune - Gong Lake

Short but fast and straight to the point, Gong Lake presents the listener with a mechanical, layered mix of industrial sounds reminiscent of This Heat in so many ways (a band I'm a fan of), giving post-punk a whole different dimension while mixing it with krautrock and electronic music. Heavy album, it deserves to be listened loud, to allow all its hidden layers to be unfold easier. Like I mentioned before, this is for fans of the chaotic, post-apocalyptic sound of This Heat, in some ways irreplicable but at least a few come close, such is the case of Neptune.
Weirdly enough, their previous albums aren't like this one, they're closer to free improvisation.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Amazon here.