Obfusc - Midnight Dome

boltfish, 2011

Sad news about Megaupload. A lot of my links will be gone now so request if you need something missing. how's Multiupload working for you guys?

Beautiful, chill-out electronica. Has some gorgeous guitar work weaved in. The sound sort of falls in between two albums I recently posted by Beef Terminal and Tycho.

LIYL: Beef Terminal, Tycho, Boards of Canada, Bibio, 36, Wisp, Welder
Website : bandcamp : dl

Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats - Blood Lust

Rise Above Records, 2011


"One mans lust for women's blood turns into a drug orgy of torture, magick and MURDER." Don't know how I missed this! One of the years best. 70's style hard-rock and psychedelia.

LIYL: Black Sabbath, Witch, Danava, Obits, La Otracina, Black Mountain

Website : Myspace : dl

Forteresse - Crépuscule D'Octobre

Sepulchral Productions, 2011


NQBM? Nationalist Quebecois Black Metal? Whatever it is, it's highly melodic and epic. Really love this.
LIYL: Windir, Burzum, Weakling, Wolves In The Throne Room, melodic and raw black metal

Website : Myspace : dl

Atolah - Relics

PsycheDOOMelic Records, 2009


"Relics, is without a doubt, a record for pure Sleep and Electric Wizard fans. Brutal low end howls, bad ass bass driven bowel moving crushing riffs, thick heavy pummelling drums and a dirty heavy fuck off fuzz that would destroy speakers in seconds when cranked to 11."

LIYL: Sleep, Electric Wizard, Subrig Destroyer, OM, Thrones, Acid King, Bongripper

Website : Myspace : dl

Papir - Stundum

EL PARAISO, 2011

Long trippy jams. ""Papir is a young three-piece from Copenhagen, Denmark who has played together for years under various names while slowly, but surely, perfecting their unique brand of semi-improvisational psychedelic rock."

LIYL: Hills, Causa Sui, Can, Electric Moon, Naam, Oresund Space Collective, Ravjunk, Earthless, Woodsman

Website : last.fm : dl

PRND - PRND

Aquarius Records, 2011

This new trio was born out of the ashes of late great Bellingham combo Reeks And The Wrecks (whose record Knife Hits was released on Andee's tUMULt label, and whose lost first lp is reviewed elsewhere on this week's list) and trades in the Reeks's ramshackle doom blues for something way more psychedelic and krautrocky, spacey and hypnotic, in fact before we get lost in the gushing wordy description that's about to follow, we thought we might head off some of you 'skimmers', by saying that all you folks who dig Moon Duo, and other similarly stripped down modern psych/kraut combos, will most likely go nuts for these guys too. Just check out the opening track, after a few minutes of abstract psych guitar drift, the a simple, skeletal, propulsive rhythm surfaces, and the band lock into a sort of post Spacemen 3 / Jesus And Mary Chain chunk of psychfuzzkrautrock that is totally mesmerizing and hypnotic.
The rhythm is locked in, looped endlessly, pounding away, while above, the multiple stringed instruments, unfurl epic swaths of sound, wild spidery leads, fuzzy pop-like jangle, crunchy angular riffage, layered drones, a lush tangle of melodies and textures, the result totally divine. Drugged out and dreamy. And the rest of the record plays out in a similar fashion, that minimal machinelike beat driving sprawling expanses of psychkraut bliss, the sound shifting from blissed out and sun dappled to darker and driving, from ethereal and blown out to slithery and almost bluesy (which is when the Spacemen 3 comparison seems particularly apt), finally culminating in the gorgeously hazy slow burn ballad that finishes things off. We obviously love Reeks And The Wrecks, and love Frozen Cloak (another post-Reeks band, reviewed elsewhere on the aQ site, their sound blacker and buzzier, and we actually have it back in stock, just ask), so you can add PRND to the list of incredible Reeks-born Bellingham bands, that should be WAY more popular than they are. Easily one of our new faves... From; Aquarius Records

Website : bandcamp : dl

Auto!Automatic!! - Auto!Automatic!!

BrokenMold Entertainment, 2011

aka Auto?Automatic?? A great 3 piece instrumental math-rock band. LIYL: Lite, Giraffes? Giraffes!, From Monument To Masses, Toe, Ghosts & Vodka, Mercury Program. Tons of melody and the heavy use of guitar loops can also bring to mind bands like El Ten Eleven and Minus The Bear.
Website : Myspace : dl

Passing Through A Dark Forest - A Soundweave Mix

Here is a belated Christmas gift. Maybe my best mix yet, although not my most listenable. This is a large mix of folk, acoustic and folk-rock songs. Most, if not all, feature acoustic guitar. Most have other instruments too, acoustic or electric. There is some truly amazing music here and I put a lot of effort into having it all flow together.
Enjoy

Obake - Obake

Rare Noise Records, 2011


Obake refers to a Japanese folklore term for a shape-shifting spirit or beast. This mind-bending debut album starts with crushing death-doom and proceeds to go on a twisted, atmospheric journey cloaked in Patton-esque weirdness. Dark, haunting and heavy.

"Obake have produced an album that resonates, a truly captivating and at times unsettling listen that if you permit you will lose yourself within; in simple terms it’s a doom metal album, but this is so much more ambitious and even experimental which is down to the abilities of the musicians involved – if you have ever listened to Earth, Sunn O))), Popul Vuh or Coil then Obake are worthy of your attention… Just don’t go on your own…" - Louder Than War

LIYL: Uffomammut, Disembowelment, Zu, Fantomas, The Melvins, Esoteric, Bill Laswell, Justin Broadrick, Bongripper

Website : Myspace : dl

Sigiriya - Return To Earth

The Church Within Records, 2011


"Beneath the soil of a Welsh valley a heavy metal life-force regains strength: rising from the ashes of stoner doom merchants Acrimony, Sigiriya is born. Eight years after the demise of Acrimony, guitarist Stu O’Hara, bassist Mead, drummer Darren Ivey and vocalist Dorian Walters have reconvened. Not wanting the limitations of reforming a project long dead to them, Sigiriya brings a fresh take on their trademark monolithic heavy groove. While Acrimony hailed from the temples of deepest space, Sigiriya come from the earthy depths, bringing hefty, tremor-inducing sonics that pay homage to the riff. Time served in the likes of Iron Monkey, Helvis, Dukes Of Nothing, Black Eye Riot, The Nine and Yeti have only added to their thick output, giving the foursome a more dynamic, meaner, leaner, earthier approach, which has developed an intense dirty sound with elements of boogie, classic rock and even crust. Taking their name from the mystic ‘throat of the lion’ rock in Sri Lanka, their rumble has been moving the Black Mountains of their homeland and will soon be moving the tectonic plates of the earth. To borrow a phrase from their former outfit: ‘Bong On, Live Long’" -myspace

Website : Myspace : dl

Acrimony - Tumuli Shroomaroom

Peaceville Records, 1997


With four out of five members getting back together as Sigiriya and releasing the excellent Return To Earth, this is a good time to post this classic album here. LIYL: Righteous stoner jams!

Website : Myspace : dl

Kronos Quartet, Kimmo Pohjonen & Samuli Kosminen - Uniko

Ondine, 2011


"Kimmo Pohjonen and sampling master Samuli Kosminen joined forces with Kronos Quartet on the project Uniko featuring music composed by the duo. Kosminen samples Pohjonen’s accordion and Kronos’ strings and reproduces them into the mix via his electronic drum pads and devices. The result is a unique sound never before accomplished."

"Uniko is many things. It is sprawling, cerebral, touching, unpredictable, and even intense at times. This is music that somehow corrals all the right adjectives yet conveniently avoids a genre label. Call it classical, call it World, call it crossover or whatever—it’s just plain great."

Website : Website : dl

Hammock - Asleep In The Downlights

Hammock Music, 2011


"Legends Steve Kilbey and timEbandit Powles of The Church collaborate with Ambient masters Hammock on ''No Agenda'' and ''Verse for Forgiveness''. The EP also features two new Hammock songs."

I don't care much about the first three tracks (they're ok), I just keep listening to the last track, "Parkers Chapel", over and over again. It is magnificent! One of the most beautiful songs of their career.

Website : Myspace : dl

Tycho - Dive

Ghostly International, 2011


This is a gorgeous and warm album that flows well and is perfect for relaxing. I don't post much electronic stuff on here but this is the kind I love. It is upbeat and synthy but somehow avoids being too cheesy. If you're like me and can't get into M83 because of the vocals and cheese this may be for you. Love the cover too.

LIYL: Boards of Canada, Burial, Bibio, M83, chill out music

Website : Myspace : dl

Woodsman - Mystic Places

Fire Talk, 2011


"Colorado’s Woodsman represent some of the strongest, most exciting modern psychedelic music this country has to offer. Over the course of some great vinyl, they’ve honed their sound perfectly, now entering a darker, grittier, kraut-ier zone on their newest EP, “Mystic Places”. If psychedelic music excites you at all, get on board, support this band, you won’t regret it."

Website : Myspace : dl