Dragged Into Sunlight - Hatred For Mankind

Prosthetic // Mordgrimm Records, 2010

Just popping in to spread some holiday cheer.
Website : Myspace : dl

Gallowbraid - Ashen Eidolon

Northern Silence Productions, 2010

This is fucking killer! This is maybe even better than the new Agalloch! Don't get me wrong, Marrow of The Spirit is a great album, but to me this sounds like the true successor to Ashes Against The Grain. Tho its only an EP length and really only 2 tracks of metal....

"Ashen Eidolon is the long awaited debut mini album of this exceptional one-man act from the USA. Gallowbraid plays a dark, melancholic but also dynamic sort of (Black) Metal with slight Folk influences. On top of that Jake Rogers, the man behind Gallowbraid, is able to perform excellent clean vocals and adds these throughout the songs which enriches the already brilliant material even more. And the cream on the cake are very sparsely used ephemeral female vocals of the most beautiful kind. We do not exaggerate when stating that Gallowbraid is among the best and most promising newcomers we encountered in the last decade ...and, having heard most of the songs from the upcoming full length, we can promise that this fantastic MCD is merely the beginning, with much more to come! for fans of Agalloch, Fen, October Falls, Häive, early Ulver and Emprium as well as Wolves In The Throne Room!" - Northern Silence
Website : Myspace : dl

Nocte Obducta - Sequenzen Einer Wanderung

Supreme Chaos Records, 2008

Not much info on this band. at least not recent info. I gather this is their last album. A fantastic prog metal journey. This review explains more. I'm too tired to write more...

LIYL: Novembre, Opeth, Alcest, Agalloch, Ameosoeurs, In The Woods, Ulver, Edge of Sanity, Disillusion
Website : Myspace : dl

The Main Street Gospel - Love Will Have Her Revenge

Tee Pee Records, 2010

I fucking love the tracks Fool's Gold and Ready To Shine. I listened to them so much over the summer. They flow perfectly and sound timeless. The whole album is pretty great. As are the other albums I posted today. Enjoy!

"The Main Street Gospel is a Columbus, Ohio trio who mix psych-infused classic rock with dusty country vibes and dirt-stained blues. The band was born in 2005, when Barry Dean–former tambourine shaker for the Brian Jonestown Massacre–began writing songs with longtime friend Ryan “Tito” Ida. Adam Scoppa joined the band on drums the following year.

Dean grew up around music, as his grandfather was a touring and recording guitarist for acts like Roy Rogers & The Sons of the Pioneers and The Georgia Crackers. It’s safe to say that passion for country music was passed on to his grandson. Tito grew up listening to Hank Williams and Bob Dylan and also paved his musical path early on. Scoppa takes his back beat cues from vintage Chicago blues and '60s garage.

Together, the band has a strong sense of understanding and respect for the true roots of rock n’roll. Their sound recalls elements of folk giants The Byrds and Neil Young, while at the same time retaining the modern aesthetics of revivalists like Spacemen 3 and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club." - Tee Pee

LIYL: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Byrds, The Black Keys, CCR, Tame Impala, Cream, Assembled Head In Sunburst Sound, 13th FLoor Elevators
Website : Myspace : dl

The Soundcarriers - Celeste

Melodic, 2010


"The Soundcarriers are hard to pin down. On the one hand, the Nottingham quartet seem offputtingly po-faced: vinyl anoraks steeped in obscure 1960s/70s library music, soundtracks and jazz, who state in their sleevenotes that "the reverb used on these recordings is 100% natural". (Celeste was recorded on tape in the band's own studio and mixed in a disused warehouse.) On the other hand, they are cheeky enough to title Celeste's opening track Last Broadcast, in reference to their debut album, 2009's Harmonium, being compared to Broadcast by all who heard it. That influence lingers, especially in Leonore Wheatley's chiming vocals and the billowy melodies of Step Outside and Long Highway. But again, the Soundcarriers wrongfoot you: while Wheatley sings of escapism and hiding away, drummer Adam Cann and bassist Paul Isherwood puncture the dreamy mood with bold, strutting rhythms straight out of Can. The result is an album at once free-floating and tethered tight." - Maddy Costa, The Guardian

LIYL: Stereolab, Dungen, Broadcast, Neu!, Time and Space Machine, Electrelane, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Black Mountain, Can
Website : Myspace : dl

Wolf People - Steeple

Jagjaguwar, 2010

"England’s Wolf People are back with their first proper LP, Steeple. They actually released a clusterfuck of an album called Tidings (which I liked), but this release is much more accessible.

Lead singer Jack Sharp recorded Tidings on his own, but for Steeple he put together a full band and, my God, do they jam. This an album for people that loved that British, bluesy, psychedelic sound of the early 70′s. It was recorded in an old chicken barn on the grounds of a 17th century Welsh mansion and the sound lives up to the picture in my mind. I am fully convinced that paisley shirts and floppy hats were worn. You can’t tell me otherwise.

“Tiny Circle” is a timeless song complete featuring a chugging rhythm section entwined with a tasty flute lick. The song pounds you into submission before veering off intermittently to let guitarist, Joe Hollick, show off his chops. And whereas on Tidings those moments of brilliance were surrounded by demos and only scratched at the surface of Wolf People’s potential, Steeple keeps them coming fast and furious. “Morning Born” into “Cromlech” will knock you on your ass. The tones that come from the guitars are amazing as the rhythm section plows forward.

This isn’t an album to listen with the wife and kids while enjoying a frittata. It’s best listened to with your bros while killing some cool ones and reminiscing about how cool you were when you had a mullet and snuck booze from parent’s liquor cabinet." - Woody

LIYL: Blue Oyster Cult, Tame Impala, Doors, Eloy, Captain Beyond, Dungen, The Animals, Black Sabbath, Black Mountain?, Budgie, T2, Jethro Tull, Guess Who
Website : Myspace : dl

The Heavy - The House That Dirt Built

Counter Records, 2009


This album goes all over the place, switching between hard funk, retro-rock, soul, reggae, blues, indie and more. “How You Like Me Now?” is a killer track and the rest of the cd is pretty good!

"Every band benefits from a well-defined sense of purpose. Even if you aren’t a big fan of the Heavy’s music, you’ve gotta love their mission. The Bath, England, quartet bash their way through classic soul, funk, and rock with a visceral, apocalyptic intensity that means to right all the musical wrongs Lenny Kravitz has committed over the past 20 years. Rarely has a band been so appropriately named. It’s all heavy with these guys. Heavy soul. Heavy funk. Heavy rock. Even the breezy folk-pop numbers and the ballads mean business." - PopMatters

LIYL: James Brown, Shawn Lee, Black Mountain, The Sonics, Jimi Hendrix, Black Keys, Clutch, Rolling Stones
Website : Myspace : dl

Eibon - Entering Darkness

Aesthetic Death Records, 2010

Seemlessly blending black metal and progressive/post rock into their ultra-heavy doom/sludge, Eibon have released one the best, and certainly heaviest, albums of the year. Please support this band. They kick ass!

LIYL: Thou, Bongripper, Yob, Electric Wizard, Suma, Zoroaster, Mouth of the Architect, Minsk, Indian, Buried At Sea, Corrupted, Triptykon
Website : Myspace : dl

Bongripper - Satan Worshipping Doom

Self-released, 2010

With a name like "Satan Worshipping Doom" and a cover like that how can this not rule! Ultra-heavy instrumental doom!
LIYL: Ufomammut, Sleep, Sons of Otis, Om, Yob, Bongzilla, Suma
Website : Myspace : dl

INVDRS - Electric Church

Corruption Recordings, 2010

"The only things you really need to know about the INVDRS "Electric Church" is it makes you feel alive yet doomed, and you need to own this album. With drum hits that sound like bones snapping and popping under the immense weight of the distortion-maximized guitar and bass, you will welcome this sonic atrocity to melody. The tracks mix up drudgingly slow songs with faster tempo groove or almost crust/punk-oriented tracks and even some psychedelic-type tunes, all with a raw blood-and-booze, spewing, visceral, throat-shredding voice. There is nothing clean or pleasant about what INVDRS offer—it’s amplifier and subwoofer murder, it’s raw meat and no potatoes. This behemoth will not disappoint anyone—even your jazz-show-tune loving grandma can’t deny the density, diversity and pure devastation that Electric Church bellows from it’s charred, devilish and haunting hateful depths." -Bryer Wharton

LIYL: Weedeater, Fistula, Ramesses, Eyehategod, Unearthly Trance, Iron Monkey, Grief, Thou
Website : Myspace : dl

Dopefight - Buds

Self-released, 2010

"Few band's names describe their sound as accurately as Dopefight. Weed obsessed and weed inspired aggressive sludge, stoner grooves played to perfection.

Following on from their debut self-titled EP and subsequent split with London's Dead Existence the Brighton 3 piece have released Buds on 2nd August 2010. 12 songs that mix the stoner sludge doom genres and refine the blend to it's ultimate conclusion. Maximum riffs and attitude, minimum vocals and zero bullshit.

Speaking of riffs there's more quality in these 50 minutes than some can manage in an entire career. Just when you think the song is safely locked in a groove they're off somewhere else and you're playing catch up, desperate for the next hit." - Trippy Wicked

LIYL: The Abominable Iron Sloth, 16, Weedeater, Zoroaster, Sleep, Bongzilla, Sons of Otis, Boris, Unearthly Trance, Electric Wizard
Website : Myspace : dl

Christian Mistress - Agony and Opium

20 Buck Spin, 2010

"Hailing from Olympia, Washington, and rumored to be the only heavy metal band from that Pacific Northwest town, Christian Mistress deliver their metal goods in a way that conjures flashbacks of the late 80’s, simultaneously bringing to mind the furious thunder of Judas Priest, Diamond Head and some ‘Kill ‘Em All’-era Metallica. Gaining praise from forthright Darkthrone mastermind Fenriz, the band’s brand of metal has been clawing its way throughout the underground metal scene worldwide while setting them apart from the rest of today‘s metal pack. Thus, it seems there is no stopping the rise of Christian Mistress as they prepare to take their message of old-school thrashing metal madness to the masses, on the road from now into 2011." - Nate of the Living Dead

LIYL: Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, Diamond Head, Exodus, Doro, The Devil's Blood
Website : last.fm : dl

Man's Gin - Smiling Dogs

Profound Lore, 2010

Solid mix of folk, blues, country, southern and gothic rock.

"Formed by Erik Wunder of Cobalt, Man's Gin finds him in a decidedly different but no less captivating light. 'Smiling Dogs' is good old singer-songwriter stuff, reminiscent of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds meets acoustic Alice In Chains meets Tom Waits meets Drive By Truckers, but only truly recognizable as Man's Gin, which already carves out its own niche in this realm..."

LIYL: Woven Hand, 16 Horsepower, Dax Riggs, Nick Cave, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Tom Waits, Neil Young, CCR, Temple of the Dog, Pearl Jam
Website : Myspace : dl

Wu-Tang vs. The Beatles - Enter The Magical Mystery Chambers

Tea Sea Records, 2010

This mash-up sounds like a crackpot idea but it works pretty damn well. I don't see any mention of this album on this guy's site or myspace, except for this. Maybe he was threatened by Wu-lawyers!

"Some fellow named Tom Caruana took Wu-cappelas from various group and solo albums and put them over new productions made vaguely from Beatles samples and Beatles covers samples and some shit that couldn’t possibly be Beatles samples but must be. Thankfully, his pilfering of Liverpool’s finest is barely recognizable, except for Ghost’s “Mighty Healthy” which is now Pretty Toney rapping directly over Paul’s singing (kind of awesome) and dirty skank. If anything, Caruana holds pretty true to RZA and co.’s original mood, if not making Shaolin sound a whole helluva lot more awesome than it actually is." - Peter Macia, The Fader
Website : Myspace : dl

Umberto - From the Grave

Sonic Meditations, 2009

"Matt Hill's UMBERTO channels the great late 70's Italian Horror movie genre created by Fabio Frizzi, Goblin, Ennio Morricone and John Carpenter. Inspired by the movie Pieces, UMBERTO is the long lost soundtrack to a great horror movie that can only be conjured in your mind." - Sonic Meditations press
Website : Myspace : dl

Hidden Orchestra - Night Walks

TruThoughts, 2010


Tru Thoughts Press Release:"An intense and rewarding listening experience, “Night Walks” encompasses the energy and production techniques of studio-produced beats, but replacing synths and drum machines with natural/ acoustic sounds and instruments for an emotionally potent style. Their debut album, Night Walks, is heavily influenced by classical, jazz, all shapes and sizes of electronica and dance music with the simplicity and honesty of folk and rock to balance the scales."

Their myspace influences gives an idea what to expect:
"In no particular order:
Claude Debussy, Red Snapper, Charles Mingus, DJ Shadow, Aphex Twin, Orbital, William Byrd, Steve Reich, Arnold Bax, Frank Bridge, Oskar Okros, Dave Brubeck, Luke Vibert, Lou Reed, Madlib, Maurice Ravel, Radiohead, Isaac Albeniz, DJ Premier, Sergei Rachmaninov, Gene Krupa, Bill Evans, Squarepusher, Mike Paradinas, Leftfield, Charlie Parker, Autechre, DJ Krush, Tortoise, Erik Satie, Boards of Canada"

Website : Myspace : dl

Afrirampo - We Are Ucho No Ko

Rock Action, 2010

Holy shit this is amazing! Inventive, passionate, vital and ecstatic music everyone should hear. New contender for the years best! Only the new Maserati or Agalloch can compete!

"So after eight years of psychedelic noise experimentation, Afrirampo have declared this album to be their swansong – and that’s a real shame. Not only are this Japanese duo of Oni and Pika uniquely barmy and loveable, but ‘We Are Uchu No Ko’ captures them at full strength: it’s an album that carries with it all the excitement and might of Melt-Banana (see ‘Miracle Lucky Girls’), the sass of ESG (‘Sore Ga Afrirampo’) and the spaced-out disco doom of Chrome Hoof (‘Hoshi No Uta (Part 4)’). Almost cruelly brilliant, this is a final statement that leaves you desperate for more. It’s plainly time to pledge allegiance to Afrirampo – even if it is too late." - Ash Dosanjh, NME.com

LIYL: Melt Banana, Boredoms, OOIOO, Ruins, Lightning Bolt, Acid Mothers Temple, Nissenmondai, Magik Markers
Website : Myspace : dl

Black Bombaim - Saturdays and Space Travels

Lovers & Lollypops, 2010

Portugal's answer to Earthless. These guys are a bit noisier and sloppier but almost just a great! "Almost as good as Earthless" means this is fucking awesome. Also they're offering it free from their website! Get this!
Website : Myspace : dl

Warpaint - Exquisite Corpse EP

Manimal Vinyl, 2009

I can't stop listening to this band the past few days. Gorgeous music. They have a full-length coming out soon. Check out the brilliant single Undertow here

"Warpaint weaves majestic guitars, hypnotic vocals, and driving post-punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between the soundscapes of psychedelia/shoegaze, the haunting intimacy of folk, and rock’s primal heaviness." - manimal

LIYL: Portishead, Cranes, Speck Mountain, Audrey, Black Heart Procession, Hindi Zahra, Beach House, Broadcast, Sonic Youth, Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, Joanna Newsom, Wildbirds & Peacedrums
Website : Myspace : dl

Black Sleep Of Kali - Our Slow Decay

Small Stone Records, 2010

"One of Small Stone Recordings’ newest signings, Denver’s BLACK SLEEP OF KALI is a gnashy-fanged, two-headed beast, and they bring a decidedly more malefic edge to the label’s usual roster of retro-stoner suspects. The band’s first full-length, Our Slow Decay, constantly balances a tightrope between pronounced shades of Times Of Grace-era post-apocalypso, and modern-era thrash gallop on a par with Baroness, Bison, or High on Fire. As well, occasionally, the kind of vocal harmony work pops up that wouldn’t be out of place on an early ‘90s Dischord album – and holding the whole thing down, one hell of a masterful drummer in the drunken-fisted Gordon Koch. The band’s equally at home tossing around monolithic lightning bolts of slab-dirge as they are trotting through bone-jarring warhorse crunch, and Our Slow Decay is tempered with each equally." - Kyle Harcott, hellbound.ca

LIYL: Baroness, Black Tusk, Bison BC, Bloodhorse and Bylesa, uh, I mean Kylesa
Website : Myspace : dl

Dead Fawn - Session III

Dead Fawn Records, 2010


Dead Fawn is three dudes on bass, drums and a really badass organ. They make slow haunting ambient music that is improvised and recorded live. They sound like Bohren soundtracking an old horror movie. And they may be even slower than Bohren. They also sound very organic. The albums many nuances are only apparent after multiple listens. Perfect bedtime record for me. Put it on repeat so you wake up to it too. And you'll want to buy this one folks. The artwork is fantastic (my photo doesn't do it justice). Limited edition CD comes with a record sized piece of plywood with screenprinted artwork. It'll fit right in your record collection but it's something you'll want to put on our wall.

LIYL: Bohren und Der Club of Gore, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation, Dale Cooper Quartet, Swami Lateplate, Nadja
Website : Myspace : dl

Bridges To Dream - Fall

Dead Fawn Records, 2010


Fantastic post-rock. 2 guitarists, a drummer and a shit-load of pedals. They share 2 members of Dead Fawn. Similar to the spacey atmospheric music of bands like VVB, Caspian and Gifts From Enola, except without the more metal-like riffs. Instead going for a slower, layered atmosphere. A trance inducing album that flows as one big track. Turn this one up loud.

LIYL: Vanessa Van Basten, L'Homme Puma, Paik, Caspian, Gifts From Enola, Pg. Lost, Long Distance Calling, Irepress
Website : Myspace : dl

AUN - VII

Important, 2010


Excellent ambient metal record. `Blackhole' makes me think of the Predator soundtrack. or maybe it's Commando. Either way I picture Arnold running shirtless through the woods with a big gun. and that's never a bad thing right? or do I need help?

LIYL: Nadja, thisquietarmy, The Angelic Process, Fear Falls Burning, Jesu/Final, Whisper Room, Goslings, Skullflower
Website : Myspace : dl

Le Kraken - Exhalt

D7i records, 2009


Hardcore & sludge with post-rock influences. Layers of guitar hammering away at riffs creating a loud steadfast roar that builds in instensity. They rely on density and repetition over technicallity. They remind me of Rosetta without the slower ambient parts. Like if Rosetta just played hardcore. Or like a less caustic Celeste. Some other review said a combo of Neurosis and Fucked Up.

LIYL: Rosetta, Celeste, Rinoa, Balboa, Envy, Cult of luna, Neurosis, Fucked Up
Website : Myspace : dl

Mares of Thrace - The Moulting

Arctodus Records, 2010

Saw these ladies live last night and they kicked ass. Check em out if they're playing near. Buy some merch. They need the gas money.
The rest of the Canadian Tour Dates
11 Aug Windsor, ON
12 Aug Hamilton, ON
13 Aug Montréal, Qc
14 Aug Toronto, ON
15 Aug Burlington, ON
18 Aug Regina, SK
19 Aug Edmonton, AB
20 Aug Kamloops, BC
21 Aug Vancouver, BC
22 Aug Victoria, BC
LIYL: Orphan, Jucifer, Black Cobra, Lullabye Arkestra, Made Out Of Babies, Big Business
Website : Myspace : Music Vid! : dl

Not accepting submissions

'Sup folks. Something I gotta address here.

This blog is just me posting what I'm listening to the most. And only when I feel like it. I can barely be bothered posting at all. I certainly can't be bothered making a post if I don't love the band/album. I can't just post every band out there. I like the idea of supporting unknown bands just starting out, but I'm not the guy for that*. I don't have the time or energy to get into such a task.

(*I do hope I help the bands I have posted with exposure to new fans, though I realize this kind of site/sharing isn't the kind of exposure some bands want. And I'm not sure I'm helping at all really. I post albums because the music is amazing and people need to hear it.)

I opened the floodgates last year when I posted an email address for this blog. I pretty much only posted it so bands could contact me when they wanted a link/post removed. I started getting some bands sending me stuff to post/review. I had the time to listen to some, and some of it was good, some great. Most of it not so great though. And the emails kept piling up. Now my inbox, which I hardly ever log into, is full of these emails. More than I can possibly listen to. Most I can tell are from people who don't follow the blog and have no idea what my tastes are. Most seem like they were spammed to every blog out there.

If you do actually visit often and you think I will love your band then by all means send me something and I'll try to listen. Look at the caliber of bands that I post and if your band doesn't measure up, don't bother. Only send me something if you want me to hear something. Don't send me anything expecting to get it posted. Honestly, I'd prefer if nobody emailed me at all.

Also most of these emails ask if I want to review the album. I don't write. I'm a terrible writer (obviously). I've never written more than a paragraph on an album here and most of what I write is derivative of "this is awesome".

Sorry for all the emails I never responded to. I'm lazy. And I'm a dick. I'll start trying to respond to emails more often.

Go see RibsOut. Dudes real cool and puts a lot of effort into posting albums that bands send him. Good luck to all the bands.

Here are some of the albums I've received that are really good. Check em out!

Sigmoid Argonaut - EP

Hannah & The Bloodlines - Far From the Tree

Deadhorse - We Can Create Our Own World

Locomotora - Locomotora (2009)

Daleth - Lady of the Lake

Hannibal Montana

cssc A.M.

The Great Curve -An Overwhelming Vastness

Anyways I'll resume regular posting soon including some great lesser-known bands from Montreal. And check out the brilliant track to the right by Sabbath Assembly. Song of the year!

Samsara Blues Experiment - Long Distance Trip

World In Sound, 2010

Kickass album. The last track is really epic. Speaking of epic, check out my EPIC POP MIX!

"SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT are a Berlin based band, founded in Summer 2007 by leadguitarist/singer Christian Peters. They went through several changes in the first period but are in constant line-up since September 2008 featuring Hans Eiselt (guitar), drummer Thomas Vedder and Richard Behrens (bass). As the band name implies three elemental aspects are to notice - the blues as the fundament where it all comes from, the inclusion of spiritual influences accompanied by Indian/raga music and the experimental approach to mix up varied elements in a convincing manner.

The band's songs are dominated by a playful dual guitar work as well as a passionate blend of heavy psych, stoner and space rock. This is provided with several nuances and transitions in between - quite retro styled, jamming, even sometimes worked out with a repetitive hypnotic touch in the tradition of krautrock. The band produced two appetizer EP's and intensively toured Europe as well as the US-Westcoast in order to reach for the appropriate condition to record a full album.

World In Sound released the long awaited debut 'Long Distance Trip' in March 2010 which finally offers the band's potential. SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT are a demanded live band in the meanwhile and participate at many European festivals, Roadburn, Yellowstock and Burg Herzberg to name a few." (taken from www.progarchives.com)

LIYL: Iota, Ancestors, Gonga, Earthless, US Christmas, Electric Wizard, Naam, Causa Sui
Website : Myspace : dl

Kvelertak

Indie Recordings, 2010

"Brutally catchy punkrock/metal with a taste of groovy darkness!

Kvelertak shamelessly draw inspiration from every corner of something that could fit into their idea of good hard-hitting and catchy rock'n'roll. Regardless of genre, but always truthful to the basic idea of the band; good songs performed with the tongue-in-cheek attitude of their punk-rock pioneers. Unlike the majority of heavier bands they sing in their native language – adding even more character to their already unique sound.

Releasing their much anticipated debut album, Kvelertak are already well known in Norway for their furious live energy and catchy, melodic, metal-inspired punk rock. Outside Norway they are fairly unknown… yet." -myspace

LIYL: Nachtmystium, Municipal Waste, Turbonegro, Kylesa, Skeletonwitch, Judas Priest, Darkthrone, Ludicra, Black Tusk
Website : Myspace : dl

Harvestman, U.S. Christmas, Minsk - Hawkwind Triad

Neurot, 2010

Three awesome bands covering another awesome band make for one fucking awesome album!

"The Hawkwind Triad album is a fitting tribute to the British band that somehow seems to simultaneously remain unknown to the majority of the world’s rock listeners, while also standing as one of the most influential psychedelic bands of all time.

The Triad is unique, as it is an album of covers by three separate artists that essentially flows like an album. Each band -- HARVESTMAN (Steve Von Till of NEUROSIS’ psych guitar based project), MINSK, and U.S. CHRISTMAS -- have approached these 11 iconic songs with respect, but each have also recognized the need for the songs to be reinterpreted in a new space and time. The result is a full-length psychedelic feast that not only captures the feel of Hawkwind’s individual songs, but also has the feel of their classic albums. Even the artwork by Boston artist Thomas Saraceno appropriately provides trippy surrealist scenes fitting to many albums from the 70s. Most of all, the Triad was done out of pure veneration for a band than laid a solid foundation for every heavy, trippy, weirdo band that exists now – as well as for those who will freak out in the future." - Neurot

Harvestman : US Christmas : Minsk : dl

Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones - Parole de Navarre

Denovali Records, 2007

Weird name for a band so slow and so dark. If you like Bohren und der Club of Gore...

"Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones are the quartet made of musicians covering a wide variety of musical styles (they are former members of Tank, Osaka, TF and ex-groove combo Loupous) creates a music that mixes electronic (samples, cuts, sound treatments) and acoustic (guitars, saxophone, trumpet). They play moody ballads that sounds as if they come out from one of David Lynch’s movies. Like in the Hollywood master of bizarre’s pieces, there is something like a dark and poisonous colour broken by red thunderlights and blue cigarette smoke. Parole de Navarre is an invitation for opening the red curtain of this Dark Jazz cabaret made of shimmering and whirling walls." - last.fm

LIYL: Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore, Swami Lateplate, Dead Fawn, Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corp., Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Kammerflimmer Kollektief
Website : Myspace : dl

Olan Mill - Pine

Serein, 2010

"Somewhere between the beauty of noise and the innocence of quietude rest the pleasant tones of Pine. Moving effortlessly through passages of pipe organ and piano, this music envelops the listener in an aura of sonic bliss, as evidenced by the enochian tranquility of “An Obident Ear,” the heavenly calls of “A Heavy Leg Cycle,” and the cathartic drones of “Country.” The album’s brevity belies the fact that it hides many musical subtleties. Those in search of peaceful music will find a treasure here." (Tom Meagher, thesilentballet.com)

LIYL: Stars of the Lid, Hammock, Eluvium, Mountains, The Fun Years, Brian Eno
Website : Last.fm : dl

Julianna Barwick - Florine

Florid, 2009

"Describing this hazy, hallucinogenic album from Brooklyn's Julianna Barwick, you can neatly take Panda Bear's trippier tracks as a jumping off point, as Barwick loops and layers beautiful vocal harmonies with a similar slow-motion deep sea vibe. But this lovely debut is more than just derivative, and the wordless sound collages are transporting." -other music

Saw her open for Eluvium, an a cappella set using just a microphone and loop pedal, and it sounded incredible. The songs on album don't even come close but still sound gorgeous. The first & last tracks are closest to what I heard live.

LIYL: Eluvium, Grouper, Inca Ore, Stellar Om Source, Valet, William Basinski, Enya
Website : Myspace : dl

Wipers - Over The Edge

Zeno Records, 1983

One of my favorite punk cds, made the year I was born. The box set with their first 3 albums remastered sells for real cheap. Just felt like posting some older albums for once and some personal favorites (the New Model Army album below too)

LIYL: Wire, Husker Du, Flipper, Death, Nirvana
Website : Wiki : dl

Also Dimitri has posted two more mixtapes. Everyone should get his Dungeons in Space mix because it's perhaps his best mix yet and the one that will appeal the most to fans of my blog. Some mind-blowing stuff people!

New Model Army - Thunder and Consolation

EMI, 1989

"New Model Army is a modern punk band, more melodic than many of their classic counterparts, and are widely respected for their masterful songwriting and their unwavering political stance.

The band was named after the English revolutionary army of Oliver Cromwell. Led by guitarist / vocalist, Justin Sullivan (who performed under the name Slade The Leveller in the early 1980s) it was formed in 1980 together with drummer Robert Heaton and bassist Stuart Morrow in their hometown of Bradford, England. The group quickly grew an extremely loyal cult following, sometimes referred to as “the Family” by members." - last.fm

"Thunder and Consolation was released in 1989 and is the fourth studio album of British rock band New Model Army. The album stands as a landmark in the New Model Army-catalogue, being their most successful album to date and reaching #20 in the UK albums chart. It also saw the band gaining new musical grounds as they adopted a more folky sound with the assistance of violinist Ed Alleyne-Johnson." -wiki
LIYL: Levellers, Wipers, The Cult, The Chameleons, The Phantom Band, Gang of Four
Website : Myspace : dl

ISIS call it quits!

"ISIS has reached an end. It's hard to try to say it in any delicate way, and it is a truth that is best spoken plainly. This end isn't something that occurred over night and it hasn't been brought about by a single cataclysmic fracture in the band. Simply put, ISIS has done everything we wanted to do, said everything we wanted to say. In the interest of preserving the love we have of this band, for each other, for the music made and for all the people who have continually supported us, it is time to bring it to a close. We've seen too many bands push past the point of a dignified death and we all promised one another early on in the life of the band that we would do our best to ensure ISIS would never fall victim to that syndrome..." more

Christ, that's 3 post in a row with bands coming to an end. First finding out Orn's long dead, then that Faust released their last record and now Isis are throwing in the towel!. Like Faust, ISIS is one of my favorite bands ever, so this is terrible news. But it is better to go out on top (how I wish the Simpsons stopped after season 10) and as they said let the band die a dignified death. I'm glad I got to see them live 3 times already. And I hope to make it up to Montreal for their last show.

In other talk: as you can see I've posted a lot lately. Will be without internet for a week or two soon so wanted to post a bunch before I went offline (posted more than I thought I would). So this'll probably be the last post for a couple weeks but you have a lot to check out. I posted so many (23 in a few days) that a lot are pushed to the second page so your scrolling finger should get a workout. Happy listening. I'm gonna go roll a fattie and listen to some ISIS. Peace!

Faust - Faust Is Last

Klangbad Records, 2010

According to the band, this will be their final release. Sad news, but what a way to go out! This album kills! If you dig experimental music at all this will fry your brain. I sure hope they continue touring and come back to Toronto again. Saw them last year and it was disappointing. Not cuz of the band, but the venue. Just as the band was getting noisier and more intense the equipment shorted out (No doubt because the sound system couldn't handle Faust's all-consuming noise). It happened twice and while the techs were trying to fix it the first time we were treated to some great acoustic Faust (like the Sad Skinhead). then they fixed it again and started with Rainy Day Sunshine Girl and just as it was building to a profound wall of sound the sound cut out again and Faust called it quits and I wanted to cry. Please come back Faust!

"If faust announce a last record after 40 years then it might be a good idea to open up the ears, especially when the cover art is one big reference to their first record. The x-rayed "fist" appears again, this time with the fingers slightly more opened. 40 years lie between the two records. 40 years of many different line ups, record companies, financial disasters, artistic failures and successes. Whatever can happen to a band has happened to Faust. In that sense they are not an unusual group of musicians. What is unusual is that each project, each record, each concert over the last 40 years has been different. On the very first record they made clear (on clear vinyl) that they were in it for destruction. "All you need is love" and "Satisfaction" symbolically were set fire to. That same fire you will hear on this new & last Faust record. The circle will be closed by more circular music. A music that seems to come out of nowhere, sonic descriptions rather than songs. Timeless and not rooted in specific places and/or traditions. Maybe influenced by Cage's idea of chance, Dada, cut-ups, Sun Ra's free jazz organ playing and the second attempt after the German-American Monks to represent "a rock group as total artwork". faust in 1970 and in 2010 sound aggressive and 100 percent oriented towards the future. There is not a glimpse of nostalgia in "Faust is last". Turn up the volume and listen to this first, new and last Faust record very loud!" - Klangbad Records
Website : Myspace : dl

Orn - Teeth/Knowing

Elevation, 2009

Great Toronto sludge/drone/noise band that came and went with little notice. I saw them open for Boris before they even had any releases. A fantastic set. Like Ocean but with more ear-bleeding noise. Been meaning to post this EP for a while now but kept forgeting. Now that I check their myspace for this post I see they sadly broke up last year. Good news is they posted their unreleased full-length to download (sendspace link works). Listening to it now, it's slower and even noisier than the ep. Reminds me of Japan's Up-Tight.

"Orn are a new three piece doom metal band from Toronto, one drummer, two guitarists and a wall of amplifiers. Orn's doom is heaving and raw, the drone is delivered in snarling unapologetic straight shots. The intensity is built up and torn down with minimal structures with guttural screams, sustaining guitars and punishing insistent rhythms that force their way into your mind. With extended listen the music becomes impossibly heavy and hypnotic hitting you with wave after wave of hard charging, supremely gratifying, destroyed noise. Welcome the arrival of a new player in the noise world: Orn." - Elevation

LIYL: Ocean, Graves At Sea, Corrupted, Up-Tight, Buried at Sea, Boris, Merzbow
Website : Myspace : dl

Bison BC - Dark Ages

MetalBlade, 2009

I heard they had this cd at walmart for about 7 bucks* but when I went they didn't have any so I just bought a bunch of frozen pizzas instead. They were on sale! So if you find yourself in that horrible place, pick this up if you see it. It's cheap and it rocks! (*this is probably just in Canadian walmarts cuz BBC is from Vancouver)
LIYL: High on Fire, Baroness, Saviours, Mastodon, Motorhead, Kylesa
Website : Myspace : dl

Ludicra - The Tenant

Profound Lore, 2010

"Fourth album, and first in four years, from the mighty Ludicra! 'The Tenant' sees the band walking the fine line between their punkish black metal origins and a more progressive attitude that incorporates all kinds of outside influences. No surprise that every aspect of this album is top-notch, considering the members are also known from Hammers Of Misfortune, The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Exhumed, Ghoul, Impaled, Agalloch and others..."
LIYL: Enslaved, Lifelover, Nachtmystium, Krallice, Saros, Negura Bunget, Agalloch
Website : Myspace : dl

Howl - Full of Hell

Relapse, 2010

"Providence, RI quartet Howl mix crusty, hoarse bellows with triumphant/catchy riffs, a sludgy doom atmosphere, knotty structures, a punk spirit, and a somewhat bleak outlook on things (or, as the press release puts it: “Howl are open about how they draw inspiration from mother nature’s decline”). So, basically, no-bullshit heaviness. Or, as they put it at their MySpace: “Bong-rippin’ Labyrinth metal.” The recent tour with Skeletonwitch makes perfect sense. So would one with an early Mastodon. And, hey, so do those upcoming shows with Eyehategod." - stereogum

LIYL: Bison BC, Unearthly Trance, High On Fire, Triptykon, The Gates of Slumber, Lair of the Minotaur, Acid Witch
Website : Myspace : dl

Woodsman - Collages

Mexican Summer, 2009

Perfectly flowing, weed-smoking, chillout music. Simplistic, psychedelic jams with shimmering post-rock beauty and repetitive, heavy krautrock build-ups. An album that gets better and better as it goes along until the end comes and, in a deep trance, you want it to keep on going. Utterly fantastic album! and they have another EP coming out June 1st.

"From the green forests of Denver comes the debut album from Woodsman, an instrumental quartet with roots in nature, post-rock of the mid-‘90s Tortoise/Cerberus Shoal/A Minor Forest variety, and a sense of epic grandeur that ties the whole thing together. Killer from nose to nuts, with 19-minute monster 'Mothershift' taking top honors; it reminds us that one ton of feathers is just as crushing as one ton of lead, if properly positioned." -mexicansummer

LIYL: Human Bell, Neu!, Can, Ash Ra Tempel, The Alps, Moon Duo, Wooden Shjips, Voice of the Seven Thunders, Religious Knives
Website : Myspace : dl

Jessica Bailiff - Old Things

Morc Records, 2007

"Jessica Bailiff is an American singer-songwriter from Toledo, Ohio. Her music is largely classified as slowcore, although it contains elements of post-rock. It is essentially a droning, experimental style of slow-tempo music which coalesces textured, blurry and surreal sounds with immersed vocals." -last.fm

"This record is a collection of rare and unreleased material, mostly recorded between the release of her second and third album. As such, it can be seen as the missing link between the rather droney second record, and the starker Jessica Bailiff record." - Morc records

LIYL: Low, Stellar Om Source, Grouper, Eluvium, Cranes, Windy & Carl, To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie
Website : Myspace : dl

Voice Of The Seven Thunders

self-titled, Tchantinler, 2010

AKA Voice Of The Seven Woods. Guess he changed the name because this album is heavier and more distorted than his earlier acoustic/folk.
"If you don’t get excited by the idea of lacerating psych-rock where electric guitars sound like Egyptian and Turkish instruments take a leaf out of Naked Lunch and start devouring fuzz boxes, where drums pound at the clip of an Arabian stallion and the bass player plays enough notes to create something more akin to a rolling swell of low frequencies, then this might not be for you. In case I haven’t made it clear, it is most definitely for me." - David Morris (excerpt from here)
LIYL: Comets on Fire, Six Organs of Admittance, Sir Richard Bishop, The Goner, Ulaan Khol, Dungen, Hush Arbors, Sun Araw, Kevin Hufnagel, Grails
Website : Myspace : dl

The Goner - Behold A New Traveler

Deep Water Acres, 2010

"The Goner is most definitely a grower! The first listen to any of Daniel Westerlund's releases always has the same result: it's always pleasurable with immediate effect; it always leaves a sort of eerie quirkiness that has you wondering what in the hell is going on in Westerlund's mind; and it always reassures you that the next few times the record gets a spin it's only going to get better. "Behold a new traveler" continues this particular aspect of The Goner's listening experience as unconventional vocals meet atmospheric, eccentric musical passages that interweave to create a truly captivating and addictive sound. The album's strongest moments are found on "Within the hour", one of the more uplifting sections of the recording, albeit in an oblique sort of way, and closing track "En route" with its drone-meets-grunge progression toward some pseudo-insanity. The production on "Behold a new traveler" is somewhat repressed, yet it fits The Goner's style perfectly. Anything brighter would definitely be to the detriment of the music and it's this choice of sonic output that really elevates the album to such high regard. Musically, he's hard to pin down. Think Rusted Root meets Wardruna meets Michael Stipe-gone-Cajun and you're pretty close to what Westerlund manages to create in his music. And the best thing about this album? The fact that even though it already sounds amazing, I know it's only going to get better! A tall order indeed, but The Goner has hit the nail firmly on the head." - John Norby

LIYL: Voice Of The Seven Woods, O'Death, Grails, Fire On Fire, Pygmy Lush, Iron & Wine, Neil Young, Comus, Nick Drake, Bonnie Prince Billy
Website : Myspace : dl

Disappears - Lux

Kranky, 2010

"Drawing on a combined reverence for reverb, heavy tremolo, distortion, delay and repetition, Disappears play minimal rock music inspired by krautrock, punk rock, the mid 80's New Zealand scene, and a bit of everything in between. And in their minimalist approach the band finds their real strength, hammering home chord structures that are tried and true and can and do remain fresh in the hands of the right talents such as these."

LIYL: Sonic Youth, A Place To Bury Strangers, Obits, The Stooges, Comets On Fire, Wipers, Joy Division, Mondo Drag, Pontiak, Hot Snakes
Website : Myspace : dl

The Alps - Le Voyage

Type Records, 2010

"With propulsive, break heavy rhythms sure to appeal to any diggers out there and a blissful, sunny outlook to wipe the frown from the faces of all you dour experimental types, ‘Le Voyage’ is a crack of light in a dark room. A mysterious record, it is punctuated by the same energy that gave us space rock and psychedelia, and while the band are quick to demonstrate their wide-ranging musical knowledge, there is something incredibly unique about their sound. This is not a lazy soundtrack to a film which might never be made, rather ‘Le Voyage’ is a journey for the listener and one you will want to take over and over again." - Type Records

LIYL: Voice Of The Seven Thunders, Woodsman, Tarentel, Popol Vuh, Grails, Ghost, Ash Ra Tempel,
Website : Myspace : dl

Eternal Tapestry - The Invisible Landscape

Not Not Fun, 2010

"The pleasure of the guitar riff has been almost exclusively hogged by Doom rockers and stoners for the last few years. Eternal Tapestry are one of an increasing number of artists reclaiming it for more innervated and colourful purposes. From the opening wah-wah soaked "Cathedral Of Radiance" to the closing "Pyramid Visions", the soundscape is pushed out and pummelled forward by riff after riff from duel guitarists Nick Bindeman and Dewey Mahood, each buoyed on a rubble roll of drum from Jed Bindeman. The austere focus of OM et al is displaced by Motor City energy and space rock colour rooted in The Stooges, Hawkwind, heavy Kraut and latterday believers like Spacemen 3 and Loop." WIRE MAGAZINE

LIYL: Magic Lantern, Wildildlife, Earthless, Residual Echoes, Raccoo-oo-oon, White Hills, Acid Mothers Temple, Neu!, Wooden Shjips
Website : Myspace : dl

Residual Echoes - California

Holy Mountain, 2010

"After returning to their native state of California from a national tour, Residual Echoes went in to the studio immediately, for their most cohesive effort yet. California is comprised of four songs. "White Cloud" and "Julie Patchouli" could be called "pop songs," and they are rock and roll to the fullest, but they are ensconced in luscious, freak-out arrangements further enhanced by a select group of special guests. The second side of the LP is a suite dedicated to the state of California complete with references ranging from the construction of the railroads, the natural beauty of the land and the mating rituals of elephant seals. It ends with a distorted take on Los Angeles via UK-colored glasses with the title track which erupts into epic, pulsing, skronk-raunch riffs that cease to abate for the duration of the song's 10-minute length (all the while making references to summer, SST records, earthquakes and helicopters flying through the streets of Hollywood seeking out pillaging Slayer fans. Really. It's all there)"- holy mountain

LIYL: Assembled Head In Sunburst Sound, Eternal Tapestry, White Hills, Comets on Fire, Six Organs of Admittance, Magic Lantern, Black Mountain, Acid Mothers Temple, La Otracina
Website : Myspace : dl

Espers - III

Drag City, 2010

Psychedelic proggy folk. Reminds me at times of Opeth's Damnation (the tracks with male vocals mostly). though most of the disc is Fairport Convention/Pentagle style folk with female vocals.

LIYL: Opeth's Damnation, Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Joanna Newsom, Six Organs of Admittance, Josephine Foster
Website : Myspace : dl

Predator Vision - Predator Vision II

Abandon Ship Records, 2008

"Influenced by watching the movie Predator while listening to soft rock records of Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, and Todd Rundgren. This documents an acid- drenched jam recorded in the basement of Skylight Horizon Studio in Northampton, MA. Featuring Matt Mondanile and Ben Daly on guitars and Etienne Duguay on drums. Mixture of Neil Young amped guitar lines with krauty Guru Guru progressive feel. Definite on the beach zoner Yahowa 13 style." - last.fm
LIYL: Wildildlife, Religious Knives, Sun Araw, Magic Lantern, Residual Echoes, Raccoo-oo-oon, Ducktails
Website : Myspace : dl