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PSUDOKU - Space Grind

PSUDOKU, aka GridLink on acid, is a side project of the sole member of (another great grind band) Parlamentarisk Sodomi. Described on their/his bandcamp page as "non-stop warp space grind space space space non-stop rock fusion", I simply could not resist. Simply put, no longer is GridLink's Orphan the most baffling grindcore release of recent times. A mix of fast & relentless grindcore with cool "spacey" effects and blistering technicality and innovation in a genre that usually doesn't warrant either, Space Grind is a great record. I'm assuming that traditional grindcore fans won't be all to pleased with this new Stephen Hawking Grind but to hell with them.

download | bandcamp

edit: yes, I'm back. hadn't posted in a while since I was busy and my hard-drive, which had my entire music library, was stolen along with a bunch of other things. Pretty sure the RIAA orchestrated the whole thing.

The Ciem Show - Lifelike Scenes

It sure has been a while since I've listened to metal. Aside from the usual death metal/grind peppered into my playlist, I barely listen to any "real" metal. Enter The Ciem Show.

Let's dive into the basics first. The Ciem Show are a progressive/experimental metal band (with hints of doom) based in New Jersey. I met one of the members (Chris) at the Boris/Torche/Russian Circles show in Brooklyn and he was nice enough to hook me up with Lifelike Scenes, The Ciem Show's debut full-length.

Right off the bat, without even listening to the music, you can tell that these guys have put a lot of work into this album. After checking out the extensive (and I mean extensive) artwork that came with the album, I just couldn't wait to put this on my iPod and listen to it. And I'm glad I did.

The album starts off with the sound of a projector. Very fitting, seeing as how the album is called Lifelike Scenes, but that would be taking it too literally. My personal interpretation is that the projector at the start symbolises some kind of...fuck, I'm really trying to avoid the term "dream theater" here but I can't help it, it fits perfectly! The entire album, lyrically at least, seems to me to be based in a "dream world". I checked out the booklet several times because I was so intrigued by the lyrics, which evoked themes of dreams, consciousness, the abstract et al. Very nice.

Musically, this album is solid. There are some excellent riffs in here, and are thankfully not your typical prog/experimental wankery. There are even a couple of excellent solos (the one in "Theme for Lost Children" comes to mind). The drumming does its job, but doesn't detract from the appeal of the album. It's very clear that the drums are not intended to be the focal point of this opus. If I had to pick, I would say the guitars do most of the work here, but it's a joint effort along with the keys. The keys, instead of sounding cheesy, actually create a very gloomy, surreal atmosphere (much like the atmosphere in my dreams). Cool beans. If any of you have keen ears, you will be able to pick out the myriad of other, slightly unconventional instruments on this record.

A guilty pleasure of mine (not really guilty but whatever) is to define a certain band on a scale that consists not of numbers but of other bands. For instance, The Ciem Show's Lifelike Scenes has elements that remind me a LOT of Devin Townsend's side-projects (Ocean Machine and the like) and maybe a little bit of Meshuggah. The Devin Townsend reference leads me on to my final point of this blog-post: the vocals.

Okay, so I'm very, very, VERY picky when it comes to vocals and, unfortunately, the vocals on Lifelike Scenes got a mixed reaction from me. At times they fit the mood perfectly and I was really feeling them, at other times they reminded me of Devin Townsend, which was cool but a lot of the time I just wasn't feeling them. Maybe that's just me but clean vocals in metal is a bit of an issue with me. I usually don't dig them and more often than not, they make or break the record for me. Luckily, in this case, I was so impressed by this seemingly amateur effort that ended up sounding incredibly professional to me, that I didn't really care about the vocals. The music did it for me and, I know I may be contradicting myself here, the lyrics are just too awesome. Can't one enjoy the lyrics without actually enjoying the vocals? I don't know, don't judge!

Download link beeeeeloooooow.

Some extra information on The Ciem Show:

They are currently lacking a drummer so if any of you are in the NJ area and know of a drummer who is into stuff like this, you should ask them to contact these guys anywhere on the following pages.

Download|MySpace|Facebook|Bandcamp

Swans- The Great Annihilator

This record seems to be hated by many and most Swans fans, probably because it pretty much marked the beginning of a gradual replacement, or a "deconstruction" and perhaps a "dilution", according to said fans, of the slow, heavy, at times brutally physical sound that typifies the early Swans sound.

Nevertheless, to me, with my limited knowledge of the Swans catalogue and my untrained ear, it seems that both Jarboe and Gira are more than capable of conveying, at times even evoking, deep, dark, complex and multi-layered emotions as with heavy use of samples and effects and as through the use of a simple, acoustic guitar. The sound may have changed, but the affects are very much still present, if not intensified.

here

Infidel?/Castro! - Bioentropic Damage Fractal

Infidel?/Castro! is an "experimental" band from Philly comprising of George Korein and the incredibly talented Colin Marston (of Krallice, Gorguts, Dysrhythmia and Behold...the Arctopus fame). They've been on hiatus since 2005 which is the year they released Bioentropic Damage Fractal. I'm really upset that I got this album only now because I would really have liked to discuss this avant-garde...creature with Colin when I met him. No point dwelling in the past, let's move on to the album.

B.D.F., simply put, is a sprawling amalgam of noise, idm, glitch and dark ambient. There are probably more genres/sounds thrown into the cauldron that I don't think I have heard...yet. Originally packaged as a double-disc album, us downloaders will have to experience the whole thing as one (unless you tag the 2 sets of track as different albums). I'm not complaining. The songs on this album range from under 2 minutes to over 20 minutes and every single one of them is insanity in audio form. I'm still on my 2nd listen and loving this shit more than ever.

Word of advice: I don't want to alienate my blog readers but it really would help if you are into the noise genre otherwise this album will go unappreciated. This is not easy-listening but rather rewarding once you get into it.

download

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Flying Lotus, a.k.a. FlyLo, is a producer/"laptop" musician from Cali. After his first album 1983, he became known as one of the better hip-hop instrumental producers out there. Even before all that, he used to produce the music for AdultSwim's inter-show segments (not surprising seeing as how AS is obsessed with Dilla/DOOM and eclectic underground hip-hop). Cosmogramma is different because it's not entirely focused on hip-hop, but a myriad of genres. An interesting, experimental mix of ambient, IDM, jazz, trip-hop and more, Cosmogramma is a beautiful album and has immense replay value.

download

Raymond Scott - Manhattan Research, Inc.

"the music you are listening to is completely electronic and has been created & produced on equipment designed and manufactured by manhattan research, in a vision of raymond scott enterprises, inc."

the name of the game

is lightworks

p.s. the song "lightworks" on cd-1 is where dilla got his samples for lightworks on his album donuts.

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be

What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness

Great fucking IDM album by mathmo genius Caribou (previously Manitoba). About care and acompassion for others, obviously.

here

john frusciante-niandra ladies and usually just a t-shirt

Debut solo album by John Frusciante, of RHCP fame. A two-parter actually, the first being niandra lades, completed a few years before the latter part. Massive difference between the two, as is to be expected from a 2-part record. First is more acoustic-based with whiny vocals and probably sets the foundation for the remainder of the album, much less tuneful and more experimental lo-fi shizz. Still, not to be ignored, and is probably a more exhilarating listen than any RHCP album.

All untitled tracks belong in "Usually Just A T-shirt"
****

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation

If you liked Bohren & Der Club of Gore or ambient/noise/drone/jazz, you will enjoy this album.

Mediafire

Kayo Dot-Choirs of the Eye

Sometimes, bands like Kayo Dot are the reason why I listen to music every day of my life.

click

daughters-daughters

I've yet to listen to this new release due to school-work, will probably post up a proper review upon playing it through later on this week. In the meantime, enjoy

Super Numeri

Listening to music in the wee hours of the morning is an old habit of mine and I have now found the perfect music for exactly that purpose. I present to you SUPER NUMERI, a UK based band who play a great blend of post-rock, jazz fusion, oriental, downtempo, psychedelic and a bunch of other styles. It's really very interesting so do listen.

Last.fm

Mediafire

Mouse on the Keys

So much for variety. I know Mouse on the Keys are quite similar to Toe but they are also equally mind-blowing. Post-rock/jazz fusion from Japan (hmm...I'm starting to see a pattern here...). Here is the first of many wonderful full-lengths, An Anxious Object.

mediafire

sage francis- human the death dance

Oh man, I've been on a hip-hop kick these past two weeks. Loads of new artists discovered, lots of new music to appreciate. One of which, incidentally, is Sage Francis' "Human The Death Dance".

"Noted for his intense flow and sharp wit, Francis has won acclaim both as a freestyle battler and as an unapologetically intellectual lyricist. Francis uses a broad emotional palette to address a wide range of personal, cultural, and political issues."

Something different for the seasoned hip-hop elitist and something interesting for the casual listener with a fresh perspective.

here

gogol bordello

Last.fm:
"Combining elements of punk, gypsy music, and Brechtian cabaret, Gogol Bordello tells the story of New York’s immigrant diaspora through debauchery, humor, and surreal costumes."

Gypsy punk, eh?

nujabes-metaphorical music

Okay, I'll be completely frank with you, this is the reason why I listen to music.Some japanese dude mixing up beats accompanied by jazz-fusion/indie/shoegaze sections. This is so worth your time.



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Buck 65-Secret House Against The World

Hmm. Canadian hip-hop with country, blues and indie overtones. This has been on my hdd for quite along time now and I never really got around to listening to it properly, until a few weeks ago, and to be completely honest, I really, really like this particular genre-mix. Very much worth any music fan's time...

DMST

Do Make Say Think. According to last.fm, this band got its name from the posters on the walls of some classroom, their first rehearsal room. To be completely honest with you, I've never listened to any post-rock quite as, erm, refreshing as this. Very interesting melodies on this here album, mainly due to the extensive use of jazzy drums, synthesizers and, very subtley, wind-instruments.

here

Merzbow

Merzbow is an experimental music project created in Tokyo in 1979 under the direction of musician Masami Akita. A household name in the world of experimental noise, Akita has released/produced over 200 records since 1980. Links to the few releases that I do have are down below. Enjoy.


EDIT: turns out I've just one release, entitled 1930.


down below