#42

Afterlife/Dry Valleys – Split c39

Good vibes all around on this sweet little cassette. Afterlife kicks things off and fills up their side with a polyphonic synth burner. Cosmic pulsations drift over hypnotic drones to produce the most scintillating of soundscapes. On the B, Dry Valleys serves up three meditative electronic pieces. Very minimal and relaxing, it's the type of ambient where you lay back and drift away. Why don't you have a copy of this yet?

sacred phrases

Alaskan/Co-Pilot – Split 12"

Being a native Houstonian, I can authoritatively tell you the music scene here sucks. So, when I found out this  incredible  vinyl split was released by a local label and included a local band, I was shocked. Canada's Alaskan is up first with a massive track of progressive sludge with distant, growled vocals; the track has an intense foreboding ambiance. On the flip is Houston's Co-Pilot with a slab of masterfully crafted instrumental post-metal. Everything about this is fuckin rad, go get your hands on a copy.

The Treaty Oak Collective

Cogs and Sprockets – Town That Dreaded Sundown c9

I really haven't listened to much noisecore over the past few years. Somewhere along the line I just got tired of untalented “musicians” trying to be more offensive than Anal Cunt. So, when I popped Town That Dreaded Sundown into the cassette player, I was fucking blown away. It's loud, chaotic, & brutal stuff that's well played and lacking any of the bullshit. At 13 songs in just under 4 minutes, it pulverizes you and leaves you wanting more. If you're at all into noisecore, you need a copy of this.

Hurts To Hear

Nostalgia – A 512 devil music Vol. 2 cdr

Huh, this is a strange one here. The first two tracks are industrial metal, the sort of thing that was big back in the mid '90s. Sounds pretty ok, just not a style of music I'm really into. With each subsequent track, the industrial element fades and Nostalgia moves toward a more traditional black metal sound, but there's always an undertone present. Decent enough album here, but definitely not what I expected from a band labeled as dsbm.

Bosque Produções

#41

Black Velvet Stereo – Metal Rain Machine c40

As good as Black Velvet Stereo's earlier Iron Trees was, Metal Rain Machine is even better. The sound is more layered and nuanced then the earlier release; masterfully combining desolate ambient soundscapes, foreboding drones, and synthesizer pulsations into some stellar electronic music. This is essential listening material, right here.

sacred phrases

Imperial Topaz – Imperial c24

Imperial Topaz falls pretty far outside of my usual listening repertoire. Playing shimmering pop tunes, it was a gamble for me to snag a copy, but it ended up paying off. With delicate, airy female vocals, fuzzy guitars, and even an occasional sax, I'm loving everything Imperial has to offer. Not the thing everyone's gonna dig, but I certainly do. Pop this in the cassette player, sit back, and enjoy the summer.

Tranquility Tapes

Mt. Tjhris/Fallen Axe – Split c55

This split gets kicked off with seven tracks of quiet, psychedelic synth action from Mt. Tjhris. I'm digging what I hear, but the recording is nearly inaudible in a few places and suffers from some tape hiss in others. On the flip is Fallen Axe with a side long piece of guitar experimentation. Rad stuff. Even with the sound issue, I think Mt. Tjhris is my favorite of the two. Check this out if you wanna scope some sweet tunes from two solid electronic acts.

Jozik Records

Samantha Glass – Midnight Arrival c30

Somehow or another this slipped through the cracks and I'm only managing to review it now. Better late than never, especially considering how fuckin' amazing Midnight Arrivals is. Playing really dark, mysterious krautrock stuff, Samantha Glass is the soundtrack to the apathetic occult rituals of bored, teenage suburbanites. And it's awesome. Unfortunately, I believe the physical copies of this are gone, but you can buy the digital version, which will hold you over until the full length lp is out later this year.

Not Not Fun Records

#40

Bob Blaize · Jeph Jerman · Travis Johnson – Sky Bells c60

As you've probably already inferred from the title, bells play a central role here on Sky Bells. However, you can't just chalk this up as a percussion album. A collaboration between three improvisational musicians, this album is a melange of bells, drums, flutes, synthesizers, and field recordings that manage to coalesce into impressive sidelong jams. The A side is a real gem, starting off in a drifting, ethereal mood that gradually builds up into a massive sonic wave that washes over you. The flip is a little less cohesive, sounding like several separate songs loosely connected together, but it's still an enjoyable piece. Totally worth scoping out if you're into improvisational stuff or vaguely psychedelic, experimental music.

Avant Archive


Detainee – Vital Organs c23

Simply put, Detainee is a 16-bit electronic wrecking machine. I'd say Vital Organs could be the love child of a Sega Genesis and Kraftwerk, but that wouldn't be doing the album justice. Really rad stuff going on here with the slickest retro electronic vibe I've heard in a long while. Yea, you totally fuckin' need this.

Field Hymns


Devin Dart – Mint Spring Silver c40

Space age tomfoolery, that's what Mr. Dart is up to with Mint Spring Silver. These futuristic sounding, improvisational electronic jams are all about relaxing and having fun. Forget all the synth soundtracks to cosmic transcendental meditation, this is where it's at. Check it out, dudes...

Scissor Tail Editions


Dylan Ettinger – Lifetime of Romance cd

Woah, bit of a change in direction here from Ettinger's earlier Lion of Judah single and Pattern Recursion cassette. Not that this makes Lifetime of Romance bad, by any means; just that I wasn't expecting what the album had in store. Unlike earlier releases, the tracks here have a more traditional synthpop vibe going, with just a hint of dark, 80's industrial feel. But, there's still a lot of stuff that comes out of left field and catches you off guard, like the sax on the track 'Maude'. Like I said, not what I was expecting, but I'm totally digging it.

Not Not Fun Records


Epocha Tristesse/Lethal – Suicidal Dreams cd

I've been a fan of Epocha Tristesse since I heard their demo a while back and was psyched to finally get some new stuff by them. With an 18 minute long track of slow dsbm, they don't disappoint. The massive track is set up with interludes of field recordings of rain and storms, which adds nicely to the feeling of melancholy. Lethal round out the cd with two tracks of fast and raw depressive black metal. I'm especially liking Lethal's vocals, which sound like a maniac's shrieking. Definitely worth checking out Suicidal Dreams if you're into black metal.

Runestein Records


Steve Kenney – Dawn Window c20

A collection of two live tracks, this is some seriously dark and menacing drone. The A side is composed of electrical pulses which surge and recede. On the B things are a little more harsh and piercing. Rad stuff.

Imminent Frequencies

#39

Crabskull – Phlegm Rock #1 c90

I'm not 100% sure, but I think Phlegm Rock #1 is an earlier release than Jovian Black Opera. The sound is certainly different between the two. Here there's a much heavier emphasis on trip-hop and the tape feels more like an old dj mix tape than an album. The atmosphere is just as dark as Jovian Black Opera, but with a side of weirdness; lots of samples pertaining to cannibalism, illegal insect meat trade, and so on. Although this isn't really my scene, I found myself enjoying what Crabskull had to offer with Phlegm Rock #1.

Self released


Food Pyramid – Mango Surprise lp

Watch out, we've got a smörgåsbord of sound over here. Food Pyramid's got two full side's of wax and they're not about to let any of it go to waste with repetitive songs. Each tracks got it's own vibe ranging from kraut electronics to acid house to saxes & synths paired up. Mango Surprise is a really awesome release, with an experimental and playful nature. Not the thing for everyone, but if you're into this sort of music, it is a must have.

moon glyph


Invisible Circle/Hurricanes of Love – Split lp

I'm sooooooo digging this split. Invisible Circle kick things off with a few cosmic drone ragas filled with synths, beats, flutes, and chants. On the flip we get a handful of twangy, guitar fueled, psychedelic americana jams from Hurricanes of Love. All around rad stuff from both the groups. I think this is a tour only lp, so if you're on the west coast or in Canada, make sure to catch these guys live and snag a copy. Fuckin' awesome stuff here.

Self released


Mohawk Park – Ungeometric Circuit c30

Long, menacing drones mingle with shimmering electronics and distorted, repetitive percussion patterns, making Ungeometric Circuit an engrossing and mesmerizing listen. You want to trance out, but Mohawk Park's continually evolving sound just keeps pulling you back. You into electronic sounds? Then you're gonna be into this.

Scissor Tail Editions


Profanum Vulgaris/Wolfdoom – Split cd-r

Croatia's Profanum Vulgaris start this ep off with two tracks of depressive, melodic black metal. Both pieces are instrumentals and have the slightest doom undertone. The split gets wrapped up with a single track of raw, hateful black metal from Bosnia and Herzegovina's Wolfdoom. Solid ep from two kvlt black metal bands, so check it out.

Smell the Stench


Stardust – Des Letzten Novembers Trauersang c60

The dub job on this cassette is beyond fucked up. Mid song it switches between mono & stereo, the volume fluctuates, there's audio hiss, and so on. Normally this would merely annoy me, but it especially pisses me off here because A) I had to pay to have this shipped over from Deutschland and B) Stardust is fucking great DSBM & the dub quality ruins the tape. Yea, I know right, you wouldn't expect killer black metal from a band with a name like Stardust, but whatever. Anyhow, just 'cause the label fucked up on the album's production doesn't mean you should pass up Stardust; just check out cd version (which is hopefully better produced) of Des Letzten Novembers Trauersang instead.

Runestein Records

#38

Captain Three Leg/Cop Bar – split 3'' cd-r

Fuuuuuck yea. Captain Three Leg gets the split going with six tracks of grind infused with sludgy break downs and shouted, almost hardcore style vocals. There's a primitive, brutish vibe going on and I'm liking it. Cop Bar rounds out the split with six more tracks of abrasive, shredding grind. A tough call, but I think Cop Bar wins it by a hair. As if that wasn't all enough for you, the last track is all previous 12 tracks mixed together. Ridiculous. Now go get a copy.

Self released


Fains – s/t c30

A collection of 12 electronic compositions of bass, synth, and programmed percussion, I'm digging the laid back vibes Fains is serving up. It's easy for this style of music to get repetitive real fast, but elements of chiptune & glitch are laced through out the album and it manage to make each song stand apart from the others. Definitely worth checking out if you like laid-back, playful electronic stuff.

Scissor Tail Editions


Feberdröm – Att Födas I Dy För Att Gå Under I Lågor c40

Listening to Att Födas... causes me to have waves of vertigo. I don't know if you'd consider that to be a good thing or not, but I'm not too keen with it. Here's the thing, Feberdröm is a talented harsh drone unit that manages to blend strange psychedelic industrial drones and looped, militaristic percussion into a wall of sound, but I'm not a fan of harsh drone. It's good stuff, just not really my scene. If you're into power electronics and harsh drone, you'll prolly be going ape shit over this.

Järtecknet


Monde Céleste – Hazelscents cd-r

So, I can't really get into the whole blackgaze thing. You're playing post-black metal mixed with shoe gaze? No, that sounds fucking terrible. Being billed as such, I wasn't expecting much from Hazelscents, however I've found it to be fairly listenable. Monde Céleste isn't really a blackgaze band, but instead mixes elements of shoe gaze with noisy, distorted post-rock . It seems like that would be just as bad, but somehow it manages to come out quite nicely. This is an unusual album, suited for those into heterogeneous post-rock music.

Smell the Stench


Scab Smoker – s/t c90

I'm fucking loving this right here. A slab of grimy, lo-fi sludge, Scab Smoker will crush you. If you're a fan of the southern style sludge with rock and blues undertones, this isn't for you. These dudes are all about that heavy doom sound. Although you only get six songs, it feels more like a full length album than a demo or ep. Highly recommended.

Self released


Suburban Howl – Lady Hate c52

Sporting two side-long tracks of improvised psych, Lady Hate is Suburban Howl at their finest. Acoustic instrumental drones mingle with eastern sounding folk to create massive, churning funeral dirges. There's something a little dark and mysterious to the music here; it establishes quite a foreboding atmosphere. Oh yea, so recommended.

Full of Nothing


Warmouth – Bass cd-r

A collection of 21 short, bittersweet banjo melodies, I'm liking Bass more and more with each listen. Most of the tracks have a bit of a melancholy feel to them, but tracks like "corner store" and "papa bear's banjo diddy" are all sorts of upbeat, twangly, banjo pluckin' goodness. Rad little demo here, worth snagging if you're into bluegrass or folksy-pop stuff.

Self released

#37

Ghostrider – Voices c33

I'm a total sucker for 80's sounding synth stuff, and Voices is just dripping with those sort of neon retro-futuristic tunes. The majority of the tracks are all about oscillating electronics, but there a couple of meandering pieces you can trance out to. My only complaint? I wanted way more than 30 minutes.

Tranquility Tapes


Jen Paul / No Lakes - † c50

Niiiiice, got some minimalist, atmospheric guitar action going on here. Gently plucked strings ripple across the audio spectrum and before you know it, you've drifted off. † isn't an ambient record, but certainly establishes an ambiance. Good vibes, you know?

Haute Magie


Remnants v. Collapsed Arc – split c30

First up on this split is Remnants, who lets loose with a massive, pulsing drone of sine wave fluctuations. As the track progresses, electronic rumblings appear that amp up the intensity until reaching crescendo, with things fading away into harsh swirling winds. On the flip is Collapsed Arc with a side long track of the usual fantastic spliced and looped sound skullfuckery. Whilst I found this to be rad, you're going to need an ear equally as eclectic to really enjoy this.

A Soundesign Recording


Velvet Elvis – No Rules in the Wasteland c31

Velvet Elvis kicks off No Rules in the Wasteland off with a 15 minute, side long burner of gritty, spaced out 70's style rock. “Fuckin' epic” is an understatement. Not quite full on stoner rock, but kind of a proto-stoner sound, if that makes sense. On the flip we get two more heavy jams and a weird little spoken word, sound collage piece. I'm diggin the use of duel male & female vocals they have going on. Definitely worth snagging a copy.

//cae-sur-a//


Welfare Queen – Chinese Medicine c34

Playing what it describes as “opiate rock” I'm really liking what Welfare Queen has done here. Alternating between gaze-y pop and driven rock, there's a dreaminess and a sense of melancholy that underpins Chinese Medicine. Interestingly, half the tape has shorter songs with lyrics, while the other is longer instrumental pieces; each managing to be as enjoyable as the other. A soundtrack to bittersweet reminiscences, check it out.

Tent Revivalist Tapes

#36

Bloody Ridge Rum Runners – High Plains Drifter/Live from the Lion's Den c47

Bloody Ridge Rum Runners appears to consist of one core member, Slugg, who occasionally plays with a full band ensemble. Side A, High Plains Drifter, is 9 tracks of solo guitar, banjo, and harmonica americana. It was enjoyable enough, but by the side's end the music was feeling a tad repetitive and I was getting annoyed with the nasally vocals. On the flip, Live from the Lion's Den, we're treated to a live session with the full band. The tracks here have a much more rustic and rambling feel to them, which I was digging. If you're into American folk music, consider scoping this one out.

Tent Revivalist Tapes


Crabskull – Jovian Black Opera c60

Had I not been intrigued by the name “Crabskull”, I'd have never snagged a copy of Jovian Black Opera. Tagged as “dark hop” and “rough edged D’n’B,” I figured I'd hate this and use it as an example of why you shouldn't do stupid things like buying an album based solely on the band's goofy ass name; but surprise, surprise, I'm really digging what's on here. Distorted, slow beats overlaid with crackling synths, ghostly vocal loops, and even occasional horns, this is one of the more eclectic releases I've had the pleasure of hearing. While the beats are definitely rooted in drum and bass there's too much going on here to file this under techno or one of it's sub-generas. It's outside my musical comfort zone, but I'm digging Jovian Black Opera.

Prairie Fire Tapes


Harassor – Hater of Man c37

I was expecting this to be another generic grim black metal act, but was psyched when it turned out Harassor's all about that retro black/death sound. Very primal, especially the guttural, hateful vocals. Even if you're not really big into this style of metal, I say check out Hater of Man, it might just change your mind.

Husk Records


i AM esper – Swept Beneath The Black Waters c90

Originally dropped in the summer of '11, this album has been rereleased by different labels no more than three times, which is testament to the quality of the music contained here. If you've been paying attention to my past few reviews of i AM esper's work, you've read about a shift in sound and imagery. Well, Swept Beneath The Black Waters is that missing link; the transitional piece documenting the shift from one incarnation of the project to another. Driven by guitar, the tracks vary from distant, minimalistic ambient to jarring drone. Excellent for the music in and of itself, the album is doubly important because it documents the metamorphosis of i AM esper.

Le Crépuscule Du Soir


Project Merc – Manifesting a Preoccupation With Past Failures cd-r

Perhaps a more accurate name for this group would be 'Project Meh'. Mixing harsh drones, doomy bass segments, and crunchy electronic sounds, this demo has it's moments, but never really comes to fruition. Maybe with time Project Merc will realize it's potential and craft something of a higher sonic quality. But, for now, no thanks.

Smell the Stench


Rue – Thorns cd

Where to begin with this train wreck? How about Rue's general watered down, over produced “sludge” sound that's got way too much hardcore and radio friendly rock n roll undertones? Actually, that's not even what's so bad. Lets go with the shitty vocals. Like 12 tracks of MONOTONE SHOUT GROWLS alternating with off key, spoken, sing-songy shit. And, since when do you want crystal clear production on a sludge album? Where's the grit and the fuzz? I want to get a refund for the time I wasted listening to this...

Shifty Records


The Men from..BEYOND!! – Monster Fuck c9

Another solid ep of instrumental, surfy garage rock from this one-man outfit. The four tracks here are more technical and confident sounding than earlier releases. Oh, and the song intro from Cutting Class? Icing on the cake. Super limited, so go get it while you can.

Felt Cat Records


Weirding Module – Peace Offering c57

Total freakin mind melter right here. Wild space synth drones all jumbled up with 16-bit symphonies and plodding electronic percussion. There's kind of an 'astral planes' vibe going on, but not in the cornball, new age sense. Just like, it's out there dude, you know? You should get a copy so you can ride that celestial wave too...

905 Tapes