[2010] Bene Gesserit - First Time In Aachen

Their second live show, showing that they're still alive and kicking. Crazy stuff (translated well live, which is appreciated), from this sardonic band with a high sense of dark humor. Tonight's rendition is my favorite, but the whole session is killer. For fans of the band, mostly... Best way to introduce yourself to this band is with abums like Fashion Is A Dirty Word, which contains most of their famous songs. One of my not-so-well-known favorites, btw.

Download it here: [V2]


Buy it directly from EE Tapes here.

[1998] Keiji Haino With Boris - Black: Implication Flooding

First live collaboration of Boris with the well-known noise/free improviser Keiji Haino. Unlike other collabs, this one really outshines Boris, focusing a lot more in Haino's frantic vocals and guitar fiddling. I consider it great, actually. It brings a lot of Boris' heaviest moments in a live session, which is often mistaken as being only present in albums like Feedbacker or Amplifier Worship (which are slow building and relying on heavy riffs); in this album we have a lot of feedback usage, fast, free-form drumming, and unusual traditional instruments (via Haino). Fully recommended to those wanting to explore unheard of facets of this excellent band.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Inoxia Records here.

[2003] Cheer-Accident - Introducing Lemon

Progressive rock (with a touch of RIO) meets math-rock, meets indie rock. Thymme Jones' main band, Cheer-Accident is easily one of the best, most underrated progressive-rock bands of the last decade. This album is their most known release, in which remarkable drumming (without being too showy) and occasional brass instruments add their quota of amazing melodies, paired with mellow, sometimes cheesy lyrics. There's many highlights in this album, for instance Zervas and While. In reality, most of the song bleed into the next one, making it better to listen to it in its entirety to fully appreciate it. All in all this is great music that deserves more attention, very unlike most bands in their genre, considering their humorous approach and emphasis on 'telling' rather than 'showing'. It reminds me of Art Bears a lot, not much in the content though (or even musically), but the spirit behind it.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from SKiN GRAFT Records here (page 8).

[2009] Æthenor - Faking Gold & Murder

Latest album of this supergroup formed by Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Khanate), Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo, Mothlite, Ulver), Krystoffer Rygg (Ulver) and Vincent De Roguin (Shora). Following the ideas already present in Betimes Black Cloudmasses, this time the drones and free jazz drumming are used as more of a background expressive element for David Tibet (Current 93), which joins the group for another session of his occult chants and poetry. Big favorite of 2009, this album shows a different side of the regular abstract music present in their previous releases.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from VHF Records here.

[2010] U.S. Christmas - Run Thick in the Night

Psychedelic rock with a melancholic tone, this american band signed to the prestigious label Neurot Recordings delivers one of the nicest offerings in the genre. Run Thick In The Night is easily as good as their previous release (Eat The Low Dogs), if not better. From members of Hour of 13 and Demoncy, this album promises to be favorite of the year for many of you who are already familiar with the unique style of this band.

Buy it directly from Neurot Recordings here.

[2008] Klangmutationen - Schwarzhagel

Utech release of this malaysian quartet whose name is actually the zone from where they hail (Klang) and merely a german coincidence, this time the free jazz present in their first albums (Session Zero) gets much faster and laced with noise, turning this album into an opressive, dark experience. One of the finest Utech releases.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Utech Records here.

[2010] Urfaust - Der Freiwillige Bettler

The perfect follow-up from Verräterischer, Nichtswürdiger Geist and with hints of Einslieder and the split with Joyless, Urfaust delivers after 5 years without releasing a full length. The duo conformed by IX (vocals, guitar) and VRDRBR (drums) proved that they didn't waste their time. Der Freiwillige Bettler (The Voluntary Beggar in german) is an excellent album, which makes me miss a bit of the orchestral sections in Verräterischer..., but it has some of the melodic side of Einslieder which made that EP so worthy of several listens.
Big favorite of the album: Der Mensch, die kleine Narrenwelt.

Download it here: [320]


Buy it directly from Ván Records here.

[2008] Tetragrammaton - Elegy For Native Tongues

Debut of this japanese drone/psych folk trio (their second album was released by Utech Records this year), which mixes the slow building structure of drone music with a dense layer of free jazz and traditional instruments manipulated via electronic equipment. There's few groups going for a similar approach (as far as I know), so this is one of these albums worthy of praise. For fans of free improvisation and drone music unlike most minimalist releases out there.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Subvalent here.

[2008] Æthenor - Betimes Black Cloudmasses

Second album of the trio conformed by Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Khanate), Daniel O'Sullivan (Mothlite, Ulver) and Vincent De Roguin (Shora), starts out quiet and slow, with blasts here and there, and then turns into a full-blown free jazz arrangement (brought by the collaborators Nicolas Field and Alex Babel, who also joined later in Faking Gold and Murder), while a tense atmosphere is sustained by the main trio until the end. This is the first album featuring Krystoffer Rigg (also known as "Garm" from Ulver) in vocals and sound processing, and he'll become a main part of the crew for the next albums.

Download it here: [V2][V0]


Buy it directly from VHF Records here.

[2010] Julie Christmas - The Bad Wife

The first solo effort of Julie Christmas (Battle of Mice, Made Out of Babies) is a solid start on a solo career in which her past experiences with Battle of Mice and Spylacopa (not so much Made Out of Babies), become very prominent. Her vocals (like usual) touch several moods through every song, ranging from sad and mellow to raging and violent at times. Definitely, worth a check if you're a fan of the previously mentioned band and if you're already familiar with her style (which I'd describe as "Björk gone post-hardcore").

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Rising Pulse Records here.

[1999] Fate of Icarus - Suffocate The Angels

One of the first bands where Ryan Unks (The Human Quena Orchestra, Creation is Crucifixion) was involved, this is unlike both of these projects. Fast, brutal delivery, in which some experimental elements (later found on the bands previously mentioned) can be heard. Short-lived and obscured by the bands where their members took part of after their split-up, this band still represents a highlight in their career.
This album in particular is an LP which also serves as a compilation, seeing as it gathers the songs from their previous splits along with some new material.


Download it here: [V2][V0]


Currently out of stock on Willowtip.

[2005] Black Boned Angel - Supereclipse

First album of this well-known Campbell Kneale project (Birchville Cat Motel, Our Love Will Destroy The World, and many, many others), it's also their most approachable release, since it's split into three tracks instead of the 1h monolithic slabs that characterize the next releases of this drone-doom metal project.
 Heaviest and slowest than most bands of its genre, it features mostly guitars and bass, with the heavy thumping drums of the second and third track. Definitely worth a try.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Currently sold out on 20 Buck Spin.

[2007] Rahmane - Black Cross / Red Crescent

Duncan Bruce, part of the underground New Zealander scene, delivers an interesting mixture of dark afghan folk with free-jazzy, spaced out melodies reminscent of Klangmutationen (the malaysian free jazz quartet) in this 2-sided cassette. Sounds extra noisy (product of the live sound manipulation), though most of the influences and ideas can be heard buried beneath the layers of noise.

Download it here: [256][V0]


Currently sold out on 8mm Records.

[2009] Tom Hall & Bonnie Mercer - MIDweekMID

A collaboration between the visual artist, photographer and noise/drone musician Tom Hall and the ex-member of the well-known free improv/sludge band Grey Daturas (now defunct and recreated under the name Breathing Shrine), guitar improviser Bonnie Mercer. This collab release contains three heavy tracks, two of them recorded live. Truly another great display of the underground talent present in Australia.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Weird Appendage Tapes here.
Buy it directly from Tom Hall here.

Ulver announcement: new album on the works

Shirt design courtesy of Ulver's official site

Yesterday Ulver announced through their official site that they'll be releasing a new album (finally!) sometime during 2011. Entitled Critical Geography, it represents their tenth full length effort, 4 years after Shadows of The Sun.

"2011 is the future, a Critical Geography, the new album of Ulver. The anthological presentation we've been hiding behind since Lillehammer is history after Warzaw."

It's still unknown how this will tie with the previously announced album Psyche, which consisted of tribute covers. My guess is that it'll be released as an EP instead, seeing as it's not new material but rather reinterpretations of other songs.

The band has been quite active lately, with multiple shows across Europe and some festivals, and next year they'll be performing along with Virus, another legendary band born from the ashes of Ved Buens Ende (another one of my favorites) on London at the KOKO (more info here), so there's a big chance they'll be perfoming some of their new material live.