Prog selection .3

JUNIUS - Self-titled - 2007
www.myspace.com/junius


Download

Thanks to Lateral Noise!
(password : lateralnoise.blogspot.com)

Formed in Boston, USA in 2004.
This album reunites their two first releases : Forcing out the silence (2004) and Blood is bright (2006).
Cannot tell you a lot : just don't miss this great record.
Absolute must-have!

"It is always refreshing to come across a particular album that can be played for days on end. With their self-titled album, Junius are likely to make the top of your playlist, and stay there for a while. From the very first track, your ears will be encompassed by sound that is warm and comforting, yet dark and dramatic. It latches onto your mood and emotions, and spins them around until numbness ensues. Junius has created an album solid enough to rock out to, yet comforting enough to play while relaxing. While the album borders on being heavy, it purposefully stops short, reflecting their style of balancing aggressive elements with more soothing, melodic tones."
www.tastemakersmag.com

Psych selection .4

A selective discography of...

THE MELVINS
www.themelvins.net
www.myspace.com/themelvins

Almost 25 years, over 25 albums and still counting...

"The Melvins were formed in the early 1980's by Buzz Osborne (also known as King Buzzo - guitar and vocals), Matt Lukin (bass) and Mike Dillard (drums) who all went to Wheeler High School in Montesano, Washington. The name Melvins came from a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano where King Buzzo served as clerk and vandal ; Melvin was the most hated fellow employee and they felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name. In the beginning they played Cream and Jimi Hendrix covers, and also began playing fast hardcore punk. When Dillard left the band, Dale Crover joined, and the band's rehearsals moved to a back room of Crover's parents house in Aberdeen, Washington. Soon afterward, they started to play songs slower and "heavier" than nearly anyone else at the time. Fellow Aberdeen resident Kurt Cobain (a good friend of Crover and Osborne since high school) was a huge Melvins fan and helped them transport their equipment to a few shows. Cobain also auditioned to join the band on bass, but he didn't make it, reportedly because he was so nervous that he forgot all the songs..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvins
www.themelvins.net

Thanks to Mercenario for the links!

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THE MELVINS & LUSTMORD - Pigs of the Roman Empire- 2004


Download

"On one side, there are the metal-experimental Melvins, and on the other side, there's one of the master of the ambient experimental : Brian Williams (SPK, Throbbing Gristle), aka Lustmord, just as keen on collaborations and diverse projects as the Melvins are. In the role of the referee, let's add Adam Jones, ex-guitarist of Tool, and then, you'll get the hallucinating Pigs of the Roman Empire, a split album which will satisfy the fans of both genres."
www.premonition.org



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THE MELVINS - (A) Senile Animal - 2006


Download

This is what happens when The Melvins unite their forces with the mighty Big Business bass/drums duo!

"Two bands means twice the sound. This is a logic that deflates when you think there are really only four people playing between the two bands, but then slowly reinflates, bulges, and bursts in your face when you attempt to wade through the bog mud density of this album’s sound. The bass is monstrous, and the guitar for its part only needs to double the rhythm in between solos to contribute to the sequoia thickness pervading every track. But axes be damned, the main weight to the sound comes from the drums, which are double tracked with a surprising amount of skill and nuance."
www.stylusmagazine.com

Melvins "The Talking Horse" (Official Music Video) from behn fannin on Vimeo.

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THE MELVINS - Nude with Boots - 2008


Download

Last album to date. Still with the same two-drums configuration.

"The Melvins' remarkable Houdini/Stoner Witch/Stag run of bone-rattling, first-class heaviness in the mid-1990s was updated with 2006's charming (A) Senile Animal. And it was no fluke, because now comes the even better Nude With Boots, studio album number 19 (!). Bassist Jared Warren and second drummer Coady Willis (a.k.a. Big Business) return as the perfect-fit rhythm section for lifers Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover, who are still communicating in their own avant-boogie metal language like twins separated at birth. Billy Fish, The Smiling Cobra, and Kicking Machine are among the best (and catchiest) songs they have written during their quarter-decade project in hard-rock deconstruction, summoning and scrambling Zeppelin, Saint Vitus, late-1980's thrash, and... vintage Melvins."
www.spin.com

Video selection .14

KID SAM - We are mostly made of Water
Video-clip by Sherwin Akbarzadeh for Kid Sam
www.lightningstruckitself.com + www.myspace.com/kidsamband

Kid Sam - We're Mostly Made of Water (Dir. Sherwin Akbarzadeh) from Sherwin Akbarzadeh on Vimeo.

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LIARS - Scissors
Video-clip by Andy Bruntel for Liars
www.andybruntel.com + www.myspace.com/liarsliarsliars

Liars "Scissor" from A Bruntel on Vimeo.

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THESE NEW PURITANS - We want War
Video-clip by Daniel Askill for These New Puritans
www.danielaskill.com + www.myspace.com/thesenewpuritans

These New Puritans - We Want War from Raf Rennie on Vimeo.

Sweet selection .3

A little bit of folk energy.

CHUCK RAGAN - Feast or Famine - 2007
www.myspace.com/chuckragan


Download

Chuck Ragan was the singer and guitarist of the American punk-rock band Hot Water Music during about 12 years until they split-up in 2005 (they just reformed back recently).

This is his very first solo-album. My personal favourite, although Gold Country, the last one to date, is pretty good too.
I saw him and his great accompanying band during their European Tour last year and I can tell you it was one of the best shows I ever assisted to.
And believe me, I've seen a lot!

Great inspiring country/folk music.
Full of positive energy and great melodies.
Carried by Chuck's unique and great voice.
Maybe like a modern Johny Cash...

Highly recommended!

"One listen to Feast Or Famine, and it is undeniable that the deep, gruff voice that once screamed powerful punk anthems belongs to none other than Chuck Ragan. The former Hot Water Music frontman has become a musical troubadour, writing stripped-down acoustic songs that retain the same passion evident in his punk rock career. Feast or Famine beautifully captures the sound of a gifted singer/songwriter as the journeys into the next chapter of his musical life, with an acoustic guitar in hand."
www.interpunk.com

Chuck Ragan from SALADDAYSMAG on Vimeo.

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DIGGER BARNES - Time has come - 2009
www.myspace.com/diggerbarnes


Download

He comes from Hamburg, Germany.
But plays American folk pretty well.
This is his very first full-lenght release.
I saw him opening for Chuck Ragan during his European Tour last year and it was quite good.
I recommend you to give it a listen.

"Time Has Come is a gothic americana masterpiece influenced by preachers, snakes, full moons, vampires and plenty of liquor."
www.songsillinois.net

Black metal selection .6

PETRYCHOR - Dryad - 2010
www.myspace.com/petrychor


Download it at their place

"Recorded during the rains and late nights of January 2010" in California, USA. This is an ambient/atmospheric black metal one-man project. When BM cross the road with acoustic/folk ambiances.
A great debut!
Much recommended!

"Excerpted from the band's page linked above, "This is music for meditation, for frustration and anger, for beauty, and above all for communication." Truer words haven't been spoken, and these are exactly the emotions and thoughts evoked while immersing myself within this eclectic masterpiece. "T", as s/he calls him/herself isn't afraid of conforming to any boundaries, and incorporates anything and everything into this luscious, flowing music. Ambient interludes saturate Dryad, and out of nowhere, full-out, undulating black metal erupts from the calm, strengthening its way through your body and mind, permeating your existence! Keyboards are tastefully employed here and there, as well as magnificently displaying other styles and influences from all over the spectrum... coming together to form... bliss... beauty... grace."
http://lycanthropic-angst.blogspot.com



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LITURGY - Renihilation - 2009
www.myspace.com/liturgynybm


Download

US Black metal band hailing from New York.
This is their first full-lenght.
They call it "Transcendental Black Metal".
This is not your usual BM album. It makes me think of Wolves in the Throne Room at some moments.
Raw, Epic, Progressive.
Highly recommended!

"Starting softly with a short untitled track, Liturgy lured me into a false sense of security and as such the shattering whirlwind of Pagan Dawn hit doubly hard. Hunter Hunt-Hendrix’s vocals are a pained howl, incoherent screams that sound more like the snarls of beast being devoured than anything. The drummer gives the music a more visceral edge, Greg Fox hits the skins like a force of nature. This orientates the music towards the more traditional ground of black metal but Hendrix’s off-kilter approach to the genre prevents Liturgy from becoming another forgettable addition to the genre’s ranks. It is a bit of critical stereotype for me to compare the sound of the band to a winter wind but Liturgy do manage to make the temperature drop. The twin guitars are like the bracing gusts of frigid air that whip through the northern fringes of civilisation. The grinding drums going from a funereal pulse to a frenzied blast beat drive the music into the back of my skull. While Wolves in the Throne Room would be the closest point of reference for Liturgy, in this case the wolves found on Renihilation are feral and hungry. Liturgy are on to something special here, reinvigorating a sound that has been abused and gentrified over the last decade into something resembling its former glory."
http://brainwashed.com

Doom selection .12

Heavyness and brutality.

UNION OF SLEEP - Self-titled - 2009
www.myspace.com/unionofsleep


Download

Formed in Germany in 2008.
It seems this one is their first and only release to date.
Great bluesy Stoner Doom with great vocals.
I really got addict to this one!
Highly recommended!

"If you dig really bluesy, groovy, down-tuned, “bust your balls with a Louisville slugger” style heavy hitting stoner doom, then look no further. If the likes of Church of Misery, Cavity, 16, Weedeater, El Thule, etc. make you excited, then check this sucker out for sure. It has the right amount of blues riffs, southern boogie, gruff booze drenched vocals, and is just a hard-hitting riff fest over all."
www.hellridemusic.com



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THE ABOMINABLE IRON SLOTH - Self-titled - 2006
www.myspace.com/theironsloth


Download

Formed in 2004 in the USA by people from Will Haven.
This seems to be their only release to date.
Absolutelly evil, Sludge Doom in a real Hardcore way.
Straight in your face!
A must-have.

"Belching out music crafted around the intriguing idea of a mythical beast that, upon waking from an involuntary cryogenic slumber, ravaged all those who had helped him convalesce, gaining a timely and ferocious taste for human blood – this is The Abominable Iron Sloth."

"It all takes under a half hour to exhaust you absolutely – mentally, physically, every single way. Monolithic thunder comes stomping out of the stereo, not even waiting to crash upon on you in a heaving fury of unimaginable rage."
http://drownedinsound.com

Instrumental selection .5

Two great instrumental one-man projects.

INDRICOTHERE - Self-titled - 2007
www.myspace.com/indricothere


Download

Solo-project of the prolyphic Colin Marston from Behold... the Arctopus, Dysrhythmia, Krallice...
This is his only release to date under this name.
Instrumental and technical metal.
Much recommended.

"The animal known as Indricothere was the World’s largest pre-historic herbivorous mammal. The man known as Indricothere is Colin Marston, the World’s foremost purveyor of gargantuan shredding. As Indricothere, Colin surpasses his previous works in Behold the Arctopus & Dysrhythmia with an instrumental drum machine tech-death metal creation that quakes the very ground it treads upon. Fear the path of Indricothere!"
http://www.last.fm/music/Indricothere

"Indricothere is a truly brutal instrumental assault from beginning to end. While Behold... The Arctopus is a band pushing a weird, technical agenda, Indricothere is the Arctopus's primal brother, a gargantuan crusher using a constant mechanical battery to bludgeon the listener. The music is more straightforward using less dynamics in the rhythm and more mechanical thuggery, though the technicality is still the main show. Much like fellow Arctopus metaller Mike Lerner's pet project Direwolf, Indricothere's backbone is an inhumanly energetic drum machine organized for a constant barrage - and constant is the key. This is really five tracks of unrelenting metal, few breathers and a pace akin to a less monotonous Orthrelm. The guitar pieces follow suit with the mechanical rhythm offering a precise but trance-inducing hammering, matching the drums in terms of heaviness."
www.metalunderground.com



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CLOUDKICKER - ]]][[[ - 2010
www.myspace.com/cloudkicker + http://cloudkicker.uk.googlepages.com


Download (full discography also available)

One-man project of Ben Sharp.
Just gave it a first listen yesterday and it sounds pretty good to me. Instrumental, progressive.
This is his very last release to date.
You should definitely try it.
Highly recommended.

"Cloudkicker rhythmically, is heavily influenced by "Nothing" and "Catch Thirty-Three" era Meshuggah. Many of the fundamental drum patterns and the heavy use of syncopation should feel instantly familiar to the fans of either of the above albums, as well as the ultra-tight gridlock between the drums and guitars. However, on top of the angular riffing and the mechanical rhythmic patterns are layers upon layers of atmospheric melody that makes this music come across as some kind of ethereal math-metal/post-metal hybrid. Think a mixture of the rhythmic permutations of Meshuggah, the strangely dystopian melodic flights of Textures ("Drawing Circles" more so than any other album), and the winding atmospherics of bands like Isis and Long Distance Calling."
www.progarchives.com

Video selection .13

BLIND SPOT
Animation by Cécile Dubois-Herry
http://cduboisherry.blogspot.com + www.blindspotthemovie.com

Blind Spot from Cécile Dubois-Herry on Vimeo.

Psych selection .3

A selection turning around the great Chris Spencer.
The unique voice behind Unsane, The Cutthroats 9 and Celan.

THE CUTTHROATS 9 - Self-titled - 2000
www.myspace.com/thecutthroats9


Download

Formed by Chris Spencer during Unsane's hiatus in 2000.
This is their first one.
Quite similar to the original Unsane but a bit more in your face.
Pretty good and Much recommended.

"I'm not sure exactly how Chris Spencer did it, but he took the Unsane template and made a band that was more menacing than its predecessor. This band just feels more aggressive and hateful than Unsane... and that's saying something. They are meaner, faster, harder, and more destructive. The songs are animals, wild fucking animals. Wild animals that want nothing more than to buttfuck you in front of your woman. And that's a shitty thing for an animal to want to do. Why would this animal be so spiteful? What did you do to this wild animal to cause such a reaction? I'm not trying to cast dispertions, but maybe you should look into vegetarianism as a lifestyle change to thwart any future beastial sodomy."
http://shinygreymonotone.blogspot.com



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UNSANE - Visqueen - 2007
www.myspace.com/unsane


Download

Legendary band formed in 1988 in New York, USA.
This is their sixth and last album to date.
My personal favourite.
Not much to say except that if you don't know this band yet, you are seriously missing something.
A must-have.

"Menacingly heavy with a perverse melodic twist."



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CELAN - Halo - 2009
www.myspace.com/celanband


Download

Thanks to Elementary Revolt!

Formed in Berlin, Germany in 2008. With people from Oxbow, Einstürzende Neubauten, Flu.id and Redux Orchestra.
This is their first and only release to date.
Highly recommended.

"Unsane’s Chris Spencer met Ari Benjamin Meyers of Redux Orchestra/Einsturzende Nebauten in a Berlin bar as the former was on a European tour. The uncorked collaboration Halo is one of the more investigative albums you’ll hear in 2009. Assisting in this alliance is guitarist Niko Wenner of Oxbow, as well as Franz Xaver and Phil Roeder of Flu.id on drums and bass respectively. While Halo plays to the heavier side in Unsane’s favor, the incremental quietude composed by Meyers throughout the album splices its blaring dissonance. Fusing keys, piano, samples and vibraphone on Halo, Meyers knows when to blare from his fingertips in response to the abrasive din expelled from the rest of Celan and in turn they allow Meyers to weave prolonged whispers until they’re called into action. Some may require patience with this album, yet it’s amazing how unwearyingly outlined Halo is considering the short time Celan spent with each other recording this thing. Deadly intelligent..."
http://heavymetal.about.com

CELAN_Weigh tag_Live at Le Romandie from Never Scene on Vimeo.

Black metal selection .5

Three great bands from the North.

SVARTAHRID - Malicious Pride - 2008
www.myspace.com/svartahrid


Download

Formed in Norway in 1994.
This one it their fourth album.
Raw classic Norwegian Black Metal.
Much recommended.

"The album takes you through the cold and desolate environment in ten steps, beginning with the uptempo "Sons Of Mine". Istar's raw vocals welcome you and make you feel at home, in this cold environment. The music is typical Black Metal, with lots of ferocious outbursts in a setting that certainly doesn't remind you of a warm summer's day on the grass. Take a look at the cover and you know that it's up north you need to seek."
Thoughts Of Metal



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NAGLFAR - Harvest - 2007
www.myspace.com/naglfar


Download

Formed in Sweden in 1992.
This is their fifth and last album to-date.
Straight in the vein of bands like Dissection.
Highly recommended!

"While stylistically the music of Naglfar has some similarities to bands like Immortal and Emperor, there's an underlying element of thrash, as well as death metal, below the scorching black metal frenzy that the band spews forth. This music drips with savagery and hatred, especially on songs like Odium Generis Humanis and Breathe Through Me, where Olivius' screams and screeching reaches danger zone levels, and the guitar riffs and drum blasts are off the charts. While there are occasional synth and piano touches, the melodic parts of more often created by the guitar work of Marcus Norman and Andreas Nilsson, both who do a superb job throughout this album."
www.seaoftranquility.org



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DISSECTION - Reinkaos - 2006
www.myspace.com/dissection


Download

"Anti-Cosmic Metal of Death"

Legendary band formed in Sweden in 1989.
They broke-up in 1997 due to guitarist and singer Jon Nödtveit being convicted of helping the murder of an homosexual.
Jon reformed the band in 2004 after getting back from jail.

This one is their last album.
Short after its release Jon declares the end of the band and commits suicide, considering he could never do anything better than Reinkaos.

A great classic!

"Satanic or Godly, evil or divine, you can't deny the power and intensity of Dissection's Reinkaos".
www.metaleater.com

Punk selection .1

Crack Rock Steady.

CHOKING VICTIM - No Gods / No Managers - 1999
www.myspace.com/chokingvictimofficial


Download

Legendary Ska/Punk/Hardcore band formed in New York, USA in 1992. They classify themselves as "Crack Rock Steady".
This one is their only full-lenght album.
Something crazy is that they just split-up after the first day of recording. Luckilly first records were enough to release this great classic... After they broke up, vocalists Stza and Ezra Crack formed the band Leftöver Crack.

This is a must-have!

"The band became hometown (C-squat in the Lower East Side of Manhattan where they squatted and continue to inhabit and organize shows) legends for their innovative music and highly political, often Anarcho-Communistic lyrics. At the same time they also became infamous for their Satanic imagery and numerous references to the vagrant lifestyle such as crack-smoking, shoplifting, and squatting. They also, like many other bands in the punk scene, have strong anti-police sentiments in their songs. The band prides itself on its Atheism, often making sardonic references to Satan, for the sole purpose of being offensive, rather than any sort of actual worship of the alleged deity."
www.last.fm

Doom selection .11

NAAM - Self-titled - 2009
www.myspace.com/naamdestroysfaces


Download

Formed in Brooklyn, USA (I don't know when).
This is their first album.
Makes me think of OM at some moments...
Or Sleep Dopesmokers sometimes...

Don't miss this one.

"In Thai, the word Naam is sometimes used in reference to water. Perfect if you’re this Naam from Brooklyn which frequently operates courtesy of aquatic trances as precursor to their boisterous outpourings of doom and sludge. Reportedly recorded on a dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains, Naam’s self-titled debut is a bit of a mind-rape. Yet their daring alter-reality accenting their built-up sonic scapes is what keeps them interesting. Unpredictable psychedelic brain funk scattered throughout the 16 minutes opener “Kingdom” splashes in some Ray Manzarek-ish organs and sitar swirls amidst Naam’s forlorn drapes trickling towards expected detonation. When “Kingdom” erupts from its teasing eddies, the effect is akin to having your ear canals peeled apart and introduced to a boisterous, yet orgasmic din."
http://heavymetal.about.com



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THUMLOCK - Emerald Liquid Odyssey - 2000
www.myspace.com/thumlock


Download

Formed in Australia in 1995.
I guess this one is their second and last album until now.
Bluesy, Doomy, Psychedelic, whatever...
A great Stoner record.
Much recommended!

"Thumlock have harnessed the power of high octane, sci-fi-tinged, THC-fuelled rock. This is all you need to know about these Australian guys, now check 'em out!"
http://stonerobixxx.blogspot.com

Psych selection .2

PISSED JEANS - King of Jeans - 2009

www.myspace.com/pissedjeansband


Download

American band formed in 2004.
This is their third album.
Grunge, Noise, Garage, Stoner?
Anyway, definitely Rocking.
Makes me think of Oxbow sometimes.
Much recommended.

"If all albums came with a handy listening guide from their creators, King Of Jeans would read thusly: Hi y’all, we’re Pissed Jeans and we’d like to confront you with the inanity of your everyday existence. We ask you to please sit still while we bludgeon you into a coma with guitars that crunch like skulls under the wheels of Satan’s chariot."
www.nme.com



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OXBOW - The Narcotic Story - 2007
www.myspace.com/theoxbow


Download

American band formed in the late 80's.
Lead by the great/hyterical bluesy vocals of Eugene Robinson.
This is their last album. First part of a future tryptich.
A must-have.

"Oxbow don’t make music for you. At least assuming you are somebody who can’t remember the last time they awoke covered in their own vomit, drank until they couldn’t recall what they did next and kind of enjoyed knowing it was almost certainly demeaning for all involved, found a girl in their bed covered in excrement, or screwed the wrong person at the wrong time in all the wrong (read: right) ways. The Narcotic Story is a veritable handbook for the fucked up, concerning as it does a downtrodden gent named Frank lurching through the self-degrading shadows of life. It’s the first part of a triptych and, in its own way, perfectly cinematic."
http://drownedinsound.com

"The Narcotic Story plays like a post-modernist blues record. The music is complex and unpredictable at times but the direct emotional rawness of the most acid-tongued bluesmen is intact and very plainly laid bare like a dumped corpse on a dirt road. It's hushed and thin but can fill the biggest space with claustrophobic dread in no time. The musicians of Oxbow have created a man-made airborne virus of paranoia and neuroses."
http://treblezine.com

Video selection .12

GENERAL ELECTRIKS - Raid the Radio
Video-clip by Arno Salters for the band General Electriks
www.arnosalters.com + www.myspace.com/generalelektriks



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FATBOY SLIM - Ya Mama (Push the Tempo)
Video-clip by Traktor for Fatboy Slim
www.traktor.com + www.myspace.com/fatboyslim



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BASEMENT JAXX - Where's your Head at
Video-clip by Traktor for Basement Jax
www.traktor.com + www.myspace.com/basementjaxx

Hip-hop selection .3

It's been a while...
Some hip-hop for today.
From the USA.

NON PROPHETS - Hope - 2004
www.myspace.com/nonprophets456


Download

Formed in 1998 by lyricist Sage Francis and beatmaker Joe Beats. Dissolved in 2004.
This is an hymn to old-school hip-hop.
A great one!

"Hope shows a new Francis altogether, employing bouncy cadences, explosive deliveries and complex rhyme schemes. The vast majority of the album references older hip-hop, including that of OC, Black Sheep, Beastie Boys, Audio Two, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, among others. He even drops his own crit with lines like "faker than Raekwon's stutter" and "Das EFX rocked that band-aid ten years before Nelly did!" His writing focuses on lighter subjects here, from his disdain for rambunctious children (Disasters) to his views on commercial music (Mainstream 307) to his eccentric nature regarding different facets of existence (Spaceman), which all makes for a solid record that, in terms of both diversity and delivery, puts Personal Journals to shame."
http://pitchfork.com



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SOLE & THE SKYRIDER BAND - Self-titled - 2007
www.myspace.com/soleandtheskyriderband
www.myspace.com/timholland + www.myspace.com/skyrider


Download

This is what happens when rapper Sole unites with a live band.
This is his first collaboration with the Skyrider Band trio (who lend violin, banjo, glockenspiel and a lot of other instruments).
Highly recommended!



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SAGE FRANCIS - A Healthy Distrust - 2005
www.myspace.com/sagefrancis


Download

His second album.
But don't forget the first one I posted weeks ago.
A must-have!

"A good handful of pre-review listens are not going to be enough to accurately get a bead on exactly what’s going on with A Healthy Distrust."
www.cokemachineglow.com

Sage Video _ Escape Artist from ramonandpedro on Vimeo.

Instrumental selection .4

Three great bands from Switzerland, again.
Instrumentals.

EQUUS - Eutheria - 2008
www.myspace.com/eqsmusic


Download

Formed in Geneva in 200? by (ex-)members of Shora, Impure Wilhelmina, Seaplane Harbor, Chapter and other great bands from the place.
This is their first release.
Highly recommended!

"Passionate and personal blend of instrumental prog-post-rock, crossing the historical borders between 60's minimalism,70's prog rock and the reserved tension you might find in modern hardcore. Equus is far more epic and grandiose than any other band ever walked the Post-genres. Music enters after the whole minute of solemn silence, and what music it is! Low-tuned heavy drums, dark guitars, and good Lord, mellotron, the old dinosaur from 'Prog-ruled-the-Earth' times! Never chaotic or sudden, music flows through tempo, signature and mood changes, making your wonder how these guys manage to keep you sharp for the whole 31 minutes of opening track."
www.progarchives.com



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SHELVING - Imihs - 2009
www.myspace.com/shelving


Download

Formed in Delémont in 200? by (ex-)members of Unfold, Forceed, Art of Falling and other great bands from the place.
This is their second album (the first one is here).
The title comes from a word engraved on a wall of the old isolated house they went to record it.
Much recommended!

"Shelving is an awesome bunch of seventies’ post-prog, psychedelic krautrock & experimental noise. Dark, epic, complex and sometimes heavy, this music is nothing less than astonishing, unexpected & completely addictive."
http://divisionrecords.over-blog.com

"Shelving does not create music, the music simply tells the band where to go to and to expand!"
www.lordsofmetal.nl



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SHORA - Malval - 2005
www.myspace.com/shoraband


Download

Formed in 1998 and still active.
Early years were fucking Hardcore...
...before turning to Prog rock recently.
This is their first album in that configuration.
Much recommended!

"I still remember their debut cd that came out in 2000 (Shaping The Random). It was one of the best European Converge/Botch styled Hardcore releases of that year. Two years later Shora released a split CD with noise master Merzbow. Their songs on that split were fucking hard and extreme. And now, at the end of 2005, they're releasing an album that's blooming of delicate and atmospheric post-rock, combined with a touch of electronica. At first sight the four songs on Malval have all characteristics that are typical for the genre. It's only when you get yourself deeper into the artificial world of the songs though that their true force gets revealed. Everyone that's willing to do some effort to get into the instrumentally painted Shoral landscapes, is about to encounter the thrills of beauty, joy, despair and hope in just over half an hour of music. Malval is an album of undisturbed guitars, subtle drums and moody keyboard touches. Anyone into post rock can gear up for another instrumental mysterious voyage that might look a little typical at first sight, but that's far away from post rock clichés in the end. Forget about metal, Shora anno 2005 is softer yet touching souls harder than ever. No need to be sceptical."
www.lateralnoise.com

Doom selection .10

Have a funeral weekend.

ASUNDER - Works will come undone - 2006
www.myspace.com/totheendofdays


Download

Thanks to Stonerobixxx
(password: robixxx)

American band formed in 1998.
This is their last release.
Two songs for more than 70 minutes.
Funeral Doom at his best.
A great classic.

"Sit back and prepare for two whole tracks and 73 minutes of sadness. Far more than just belly crawling, riff clangs, and growls, the album's epic-length tracks take the listener on a journey that goes in many directions, as well as being drenched in majesty."
http://blabbermouth.net

"In the seventy-three minutes of music, there are quieter welcoming vocals. There are low guttural screams that sound like misery being ripped out of someone's neck. There are Gregorian-like chanting notes shouted. The vocals are sparingly sprinkled throughout the music making the morose isolation feel that much sharper. Asunder wanders through doom metal with the type of tempo that is so slow it's at first uncomfortable."
www.allthatisheavy.com

Hardcore selection .3

Some Chaotic hardcore.

MINUS - Jesus Christ Bobby - 2001
www.myspace.com/minus


Download

Formed in Island in 1998.
This is their second album.
Harsh and brutal Chaotic Hardcore.
They turned much more Rock n' Roll after this...
But this one is highly recommended!

"Three-way collision of Refused-like progressive hardcore, Slayer-aping rifftastic bombardment and art-house pretentiousness is, to say the least, one of the most innovative and important statements hardcore music has made in quite some time. From the guttural screams of opener "Chimera" to the acoustic guitar-driven bout of solace that is "Arctic Exhibition", it's obvious that this band has put every ounce of themselves into this round piece of plastic that now sits before you. Bone-crushing rhythmic patterns and thrashing-yet-sonorous guitar lines providing a solid foundation for the vociferous screamed/sung vocal histrionics of lead singer Krumm. Jesus Christ Bobby is proof that Minus are the chameleons of modern hardcore."
www.splendidezine.com



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BURNT BY THE SUN - Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution - 2002
www.myspace.com/burntbythesun


Download

American band formed in 1999.
This is their first full-lenght.
My personal favourite.
Highly recommended.

"Burnt by the Sun developed its signature, frenzied-style into an incisive and efficient burst of sound punctuated by profound guitar precision, striking hooks, and a deft rhythm section. "Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution" was a detailed study in the forward motion of intelligent heavy music."
www.relapse.com



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UPHILL BATTLE - Wreck of Nerves - 2004
www.myspace.com/uphillbattle


Download

American band formed in 1999 as Crawlspace.
They split-up in 2006 but seem to be back in 2010.
This is their second and last full-lenght.
Chaotic, Brutal, in your face.
A must-have!

"A menagerie of machine-gun-rattling Slayer-via Converge savageness... Stunning. If you are looking for challenging, technical, diverse hardcore music, here it is."
www.relapse.com

I only found this video from their first album (Self-Titled, 2002).


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GRAF ORLOCK - DestinationTime Yesterday - 2006
www.myspace.com/graforlock


Download

American band formed in 2003.
They love to introduce their songs with movie samples.
They call it "Cinema grind".
This one is their first full-lenght.
Much recommended.

"Mix of traditional hardcore/thrash based grindcore with lots of modern spazzy elements thrown in that comes off as a chaotic sort of sensory abuse. The vocals alternate between a somewhat high-pitched hollar and a deeper, more aggressive roar while the rhythms stay consistently choppy and arrhythmic. A perfect soundtrack to breaking things."
www.deadtide.com

Video selection .11

LAND OF TALK - It's Okay
Video-clip by WeWereMonkeys + for the band Land of Talk
http://weweremonkeys.com + www.myspace.com/landoftalk

Land of Talk - It's Okay from Saddle Creek on Vimeo.

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LUCKY
Animation by MIE (Moving Image Exchange)
http://m-i-e.co.uk

Lucky from MIE on Vimeo.

Doom selection .9

Selective discography of one of my favourite bands.

CROWBAR
www.crowbarmusic.com
www.myspace.com/crowbar

"The band dates back to 1988, when Kirk Windstein joined the hardcore punk band Shell Shock in New Orleans. He there met drummer Jimmy Bower (EyeHateGod) and both quickly became friends. The band collapsed when guitarist Mike Hatch committed suicide in late 1988. The band, replacing Hatch by Kevin Noonan, carried on as Aftershock, where Windstein and Bower began to play low-tuned hardcore/punk mixed with doom metal. Under that name they released a demo in mid-1989, and then renamed themselves Wrequiem. In 1990 they renamed themselves The Slugs and released a demo in mid-1990 before the band collapsed.
Kirk considered joining Exhorder as their bassist. But things did not work this way. Godflesh were rolling through town that same week and Kirk went to the show and got inspired to get another version of his band back together after hearing those heavy slow tunes. Kirk, reformed the band and later renamed themselves Crowbar in mid-1991."
http://en.wikipedia.org
www.nolaunderground.com/rip.html

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CROWBAR - Odd Fellows Rest - 1998


Download

Their sixth album.



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CROWBAR - Equilibrium - 2000


Download

Their seventh album.



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CROWBAR - Sonic Excess in its Purest Form - 2001


Download

Their eighth album.