If you're wondering where I've gone...

which is completely far fetched as I can't imagine many people come through here all that often, then you'll be glad to know I'm still writing.

For new material, check out Pinpoint Music

I'll try and update this with anything interesting & some new music to download. There has been a lot happening lately, especially within the Scandinavian countries. I'll keep you posted.

Burial & Four Tet - "Moth/Wolf Cub"

Moth/Wolf Cub

Discogs
Last.fm
MySpace
Official Site
Text Records
Purchase (this one SOLD OUT in minutes[reissue in batches)

Download



A. Moth (9:02)
B. Wolf Cub (8:55)

A new release from Burial and Four Tet, completely shrouded in secrecy and mystery. A not uncommon move from Dubstep & UK Garage's beloved William Bevan. This one is huge! Two unreal tunes, each taking the characteristic sound from Four Tet (Moth) and Burial (Wolf Cub) but with a twist. Of course, the Four Tet track again defeats ideas of Folktronica to persue more House based 4/4 brilliance but this time with a hint of Burial's trademark sound, while Wolf Cub is a showcasing of the best of Bevan's ability with the added technicality and production that Kerian Hebden was on hand to offer. This is even beautifully packaged as a coverless 12" with nothing but black on black.

This easily stacks up as one of the best of the year so far.

10/10

The Ocarina Of Rhyme

Hip Hop & Zelda: Ocarina Of Time? Oh yes!

The Ocarina Of Rhyme

Featuring Common, MF Doom, Aesop Rock, Jay-Z, Clipse, Snoop and Spank Rock, among a load of other artists. This is pretty cool. It's cool for 10 minutes, anyway.

The Simpsons and how it used to be great...

It's a crying shame that the Simpsons didn't come to an untimely demise around about seasons 12 or 13. What was once a fantastic, humourous and satisfying satire on American family culture descended quite rapidly into what can only be described as or compared to the dull musings of a mid 30's office employee trying to convince his younger friends that he once took LSD.

Yeah, man, he'd say, It's totally awesome and trippy. Is it? I'm sure you were presented with an array of inexplicable and unexplainable paradoxical situations. I'm so sure it was "whacky" and nonsensical. Oh wait, you didn't actually do drugs, did you? No, you're just talking directly from your arse, my friend.

And that's what the Simpsons is now. That guy. Surely the writers must consider, on a daily basis, the darkened space used for roasting meat and baking cakes. Surely ending it all would work out better in the long run than taking a step back in 20 years time with the thought "what the fuck was I up to?!".

Too long has it been boring, predictable (but that disappointing kind of predictable) and akin to your uncle trying to make sense of Facebook. You're all past it, so fuck up with the writing and move on!

With that said, here's a great resource where you can pick up every episode of the Simpsons, entirely streamable and free.

Click

Hey guys.

Sorry, it's been a busy couple of weeks. I've been neglecting a few of my interwebz responsibilities to opt for doing some University work and song production instead. I have a track almost finished so keep an eye out for that.

I have nothing worthwhile to report really. Nothing interesting anyway. Well, there's the thing about FLAC ripped using XLD and how it's now WI approvable which is a massive bonus to the audio pirating community as well as the OS X crowd. OH! And I managed to get access to two old drives full of great, high quality MP3 and FLAC! Nah, that wasn't interesting at all, was it?

I promise I'll have something great on here tonight. I have a couple of albums that seriously need exposure. So long & best wishes.

The Sunday Noise #1

Welcome to my first weekly feature, The Sunday Noise. Each week come Sunday evening I'll have a new update fresh with the best in Harsh Noise, Industrial and Power Electronics, ranging from genre classics to brand new releases. I'll be trying to limit this to cassette, rare vinyl and rare CDr, all ripped using quality methods to V0 MP3. It might seem a little unfair to the artist but the way I see it, I'm allowing people to expose themselves to releases sometimes as limited as a 25 cassette run done back in 1996 that would otherwise be completely forgotten, right? It's all for the love of the music! With that said, why not jump right in with a couple of great, great, great pieces of music to launch The Sunday Noise.



Ahlzagailzehguh - Hard To Return

Discogs
Last.fm
MySpace
Official Site
Hospital Productions

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A. Return From (9:24)
B. Return To (9:19)

First we have one of the most limited releases I'm sure I'll have the pleasure of ever posting. Ahlzagailzehguh released Bypassing Time Passing in 2007 to quite a lot of critial acclaim within Noise circles. I'll be honest with you entirely here: while it was good, it has nothing on it's limited edition counterpart. Alongside the original vinyl release came an EXTREMELY limited run of 20 vinyl, each of the 20 including a cassette entitled Hard To Return. Two absolutely abhorrent tracks, each clocking a little under 10 minutes a peice, of the most brain-shattering, droning, aching, monstrously gargantuan horrible Harsh Noise I think I've heard. It's absolutely relentless and probably my favourite Noise release to date. You HAVE to hear this one.

Information on release: Released with Bypassing Time Passing on 20 C20 cassettes. SOLD OUT!




FFH - Nadia

Discogs
Last.fm
MySpace
Official Site
Hospital Productions


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A(1). Waterside (4:59)
A(2). Domino (4:51)
B(1). 3:30 AM (4:23)
B(2). Teufel (3:55)



Nadia is a short but effective affair. Rumbling through both sides of the tape in a little under 20 minutes, this is some mean and sinister ambient-esque noise. While it isn't one of the harder or harsher releases out there it isn't at all without character. Here instead of a raw and enduring collection of horrific sounds, squelches, pops, crackles, fizzes and screams, what you get is buckets of atmosphere. There is, of course, the warmth in fuzzy bass and popping, repetitive beats but it's a more subdued effort. It builds and maleforms from theme to theme, creating a wonferfully dark soundscape that would terrify even the worst of nightdwelling creatures.

Information on release: Limited to 88 hand numbered C20 cassettes. Comes packaged in envelope with 2 inserts. SOLD OUT!



Masonna - Compilation 1987-1992

Discogs
Last.fm
MySpace
Official Site
Coquette



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A. Compilation 1987-1992 (20:56)
B. Live At Bears, Osaka 9.07.92 (13:41)



Lastly, I have another treat for you. This is a long out of print and very hard to find cassette put out in 1992. Side A is a compilation of some Masonna tracks released by Coquette over a period of 5 years on different formats, while Side B is a live recording. While the live recording tires quite easily, the compilation side is some of my favourite Masonna material and it's well worth hearing. Typically horrendous, screaming and thrashing manically over some of the most punishing Noise and Electronics, you can't help but feel Masonna was always destined to be one of the true greats in extreme and avant-garde music.

Information on release: Limited to 50 cassettes put out by Coquette. Probably on C46 tape. SOLD OUT!

CHZZZBRRRAAAAAADUDUDUDUDUDZZZZEEEDDDDddd *POP CRACKLE*

Is there any explanation that's entirely feasible as to why I only ever listen to Harsh Noise and Power Electronics on a Sunday afternoon?

This gives me a great theme for Sundays. Every Sunday I will upload, review and post a Noise cassette or vinyl or CDr. Expect classics, new and old.

I'll keep you posted.

p.s. it is not advised, for the safety of your placement in your parents household, to have sex at volumes loud enough for either parent to hear. Twice.

MONO - "Hymn To The Immortal Wind"

Hymn To The Immortal Wind

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Last.fm
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Official Site
Temporary Residence
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1. Ashes In The Snow (11:46)
2. Burial At Sea (10:39)
3. Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn (6:00)
4. Pure As Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm) (11:26)
5. Follow The Map (3:56)
6. The Battle To Heaven (12:51)
7. Everlasting Light (10:23)



Picking up from 2006's You Are There, Japan's MONO have returned triumphantly with their most massive sounding record to date. This time upping the ante by enlisting the help of the largest chamber orchestra they've used, what we get here is nothing short of magical. Here the songs seem to flow much more seamlessly than their previous album, merging somber tones of reverberated tremolo guitar into gargantuan walls of noise without a sense of it all being disjointed and without it tiring too easily. They've at last found a point in which to quit a theme and transform it into something bigger and better. The music is a lot more focused and it drives much smoother. And with that being said, you can still expect the typical MONO brand of Post-Rock, of course mixed and mastered by musical mastermind and production genius Steve Albini. The only thing that's lacking, again, is the fact that capturing the intensity of their live performance is nigh on impossible and while their latest opus is packed with the cacophonous grandeur you'd expect, it isn't quite a patch on seeing them in the flesh.



8.1/10

Ducktails - "Acres Of Shade"

Acres Of Shade

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Last.fm
MySpace
Official Site
ARBOR
Purchase (limited to 100. SOLD OUT)

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A. White House With Green Shutters (10:00)
B. Surfs Up (10:15)


Matt Mondanile returns with a brand new tape, leaving behind his previous style of lo-fi bedroom psych-pop. With this release, he's opted for swirling synths and baked out psych-drones, swaying in and out of tune and time, lulling the listener into a great, deep slumber-esque trance. This is definitely something for nighttimes.



7.6/10



Information on release: Cassette released by ARBOR. Limited to 100 C20 tapes with full colour covers and printed labels.

Windy And Carl & Heavy Winged - "Monolith: Earth"

Monolith: Earth

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Last.fm
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Official Site
Music Fellowship
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1. Windy And Carl - Intelligence In Evoluation (29:00)
2. Heavy Winged - Wool And Water (23:04)
3. Windy And Carl & Heavy Winged - Monolith: Earth (23:45)

"The Monolith series combines two artists on the same one-sided, reverse-cut LP by hard-panning one recording to the right and the other recording to the left. By adjusting the panning controls on his or her turntable, the listener is free to control the degree to which the two recordings melt into one."


What a wonderful, wonderful concept! A single sided picture disc LP showcasing two great bands in collaboration but with a peach of a twist: you get to select the extent of each recording when playing back the entire mix. To put it simply, Windy & Carl are the left speaker, Heavy Winged take the right speaker. You go left, you get all of Windy & Carl. If you go right... well, I won't insult your intelligence.

With the fannying about and playing aside, what does the music really have to offer? You often wonder when it comes to something physically conceptual if the music will ever live up to the hype. In this case, being the great fan of Ambient and Drone that I am, I'm left feeling at least fulfilled. And while it isn't the most satisfyingly brilliant record, it does have it's pros. For starters, the entire Windy & Carl track alone is breathtaking. Reminiscent of one William Basinski, the track bleeds seamlessly from start to finish in a beautiful array of sounds and noises only building to a Drone to the close of the almost half an hour effort.

And again, on it's own, the Heavy Winged track is good. It's abrasive and iratic. It's what you'd expect from a Noise Rock song. The sad thing is that combined, with both tracks panned perfectly left and right, as the collaboration was intended, I'm not so sure. They do add to one another but there's a total lack of a sense of completion within the music. It seems a little bit of a mismatched effort and while I understand that Ambient over Ambient or Noise over Noise would be completely conterproductive, I think that it could have been much, much better.


6.3/10

The Appleseed Cast - "Sagarmatha"

Sagarmatha

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Last.fm
MySpace
Official Site
The Militia Group
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1. As The Little Things Go (8:15)
2. A Bright Light (7:05)
3. The Road West (8:08)
4. The Summer Before (3:09)
5. One Reminder, An Empty Room (1:49)
6. Raise the Sails (6:27)
7. Like a Locus (Shake Hands with the Dead) (4:02)
8. South Col (6:27)
9. An Army of Fireflies (4:28)

The Appleseed Cast return with their sixth studio album and their first since 2006's "Peregrine". While most of the album remains instrumental, beautifully cascading melody through tremolo guitar and consistent, constant soft tipper tapper percussion not uncommon to the new wave of Post-Rock artists (Explosions In The Sky, Caspian, This Will Destroy You), we also see the clear nods to their Emo routes as well where vocals and conventional song structures are present. Sadly, the vocals are almost scarcely used throughout the entire album. There's also room for the odd climatic eruption resulting in large sounding driven moments but I can't help but feel we've been here before. While it is a good record, it isn't by any means inspirational nor unique. It suffers often of sounding "samey" not from songs within the album but from all of the bands that had done this 5 years previous.

What I can say is that it is a good showcase of well written modern Instrumental Rock that will appeal to most fans of Emo and Post-Rock.



6.7/10

Venetian Snares to release full-length and EP.

Finally, Planet µ Records has updated their site with more conclusive information regarding the new Venetian Snares record and EP. We have track lists for CD (listed here) and for the vinyl releases, which you can find on the links provided.


Filth



Release date: 20th April, 2009

1. Deep Dicking
2. Crashing The Yogurt Truck
3. Labia
4. Mongoloid Alien
5. Chainsaw Fellatio
6. Kimberly Clark
7. Calvin Kleining
8. Kakarookee Hates Me
9. Splooj Guzzlers
10. Pussy Skull



Horsey Noises



Release date: 1st June, 2009

1. Horsey Noises
2. Horsey Vag Island
3. Pig Dync
4. Horsey Noisers



There is a new track from the Filth album on his MySpace. Be sure to check it out 'cause you all know Aaron Funk has a great way with the whacky Breakcore.

Spinning the rumor mill yet again.

Clicky

A new year always comes hand in hand with a brand new rumor regarding our beloved Richard D. James and his many, many "projects". With Steinvord, we're to believe that this is a collaboration between AFX & Squarepusher.

While that might sound a little to good to be true, I'd urge you to check those tunes out. They're fuckin' great!

Oh, and of course there's the news that we're due an AFX album on the 31st of March this year. The details are limited but I'm still skeptical/excited!

Grouper/City Center - "Split 7" "

Split 7"

Discogs
Last.fm (Grouper/City Center)
MySpace (Grouper/City Center)
Official Website (Grouper/City Center)
No Label
Purchase (limited to 500. SOLD OUT)

Download




A. Grouper - False Horizon (4:22)
B. City Center - This Is How We See In The Dark (3:46)

Two new tracks featured here from both Grouper and City Center. On side A we have a Liz Harris continuing everything that was wonderful about Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill: haunting vocals, this time layered to greater effect, strumming, reverberated acoustic guitars and sweet, if not awfully morose, melodies. As I've said before, Grouper goes from strength to strength with every release and False Horizon is no exception.

With side B comes a refreshingly dense, dreamy number thick full of distant, beautiful vocals and lovely, reassuring nursery rhyme-esque instrumentation. It's lullaby-ish qualities are a welcome change from the often upsetting nature of Grouper's music. Jingling bells and papery percussion accompany swirling noises of somnambulant rhythm. I love this. I really, really do.

8.4/10



NB I'll be working on contacting City Center to aquire more of their music because it is simply stunning.

Æthenor - "Faking Gold And Murder"

Faking Gold And Murder

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Official Site
VHF Records
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1. I (10:34)
2. II (9:51)
3. III (10:17)
4. IV (5:07)

Avant-Metal trio Stephen O'Malley ( Sunn O))) ), Daniel O’Sullivan ( Guapo ) and Vincent de Roguin ( Shora ) return with their 3rd dose of mindblowing sounds but this time they're joined by legend David Tibet of Current 93, percussionists Nicolas Field and Alex Babel, and guitarist Alexander Tucker. This is arguably Æthenor best release yet. One thing for certain is that this is definitely their heaviest offering. Drawing influence from a myriad of genres, sometimes blistering with the free-jazz style drumming of Babel and Fields then meandering into long, low-end passages of bass, drones, waves and washes of electronics, Rhodes and guitar. The only sense to be seen throughout the whole record is the almost insane chanting vocals of Tibet, sometimes closer to spoken word than song. This is one hell of a weird take on Metal.

"Brooding, primeval, dark, alchemical epics are full of a ferocious intensity, sounding more like a starlit night being ripped open by lightning than a musical group. Intelligent and primal, like a daemonic workshop, battering up Pandemoniums and dreaming of gold and murder, Æthenor are spectacular." -David Tibet

7.1/10

Pocahaunted - "Gold Miner's Daughters"

Gold Miner's Daughters

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Last.fm
MySpace
Official Site
ExBx Tapes
Purchase (limited to 200. SOLD OUT!)


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(A)1. Hideous (5:40)
(A)2. Sun (8:30)
(B)1. Demon (13:30)

It wouldn't be right to bury the first month of the new year without knowing we've seen a release from California's self-confessed "Olsen twins of blissed out drone”. Just over two years on from the absolutely astonishing debut tape Moccasinging, we're presented with their 26th release and it's quite simply stunning. The three tracks of wonderfully psychedelic drones act as a great canvas for the soaring tribal-esque vocal styles and the quiant stringed instruments being scarcely yet lovingly bowed. Coupling this to great effect comes the occasional percussive hit or tap or rattle accompanied by jangling guitars. And while this might, on paper, come across as something horrible or even nightmarish, I can only assure you that this is nothing short of magical. It's the score to a beautiful rainbow-laden dream of distant, far off places and times.

Two new tracks are features on the A side, while side B has a 15 minute live recording. The only downside to a tape release, of course, is the lack of storage to utilize on such a medium. And while it's a pretty addition to any collectors stack, pile, shelf or cabinet, the music itself only clocks in at a little over 26 minutes, and it leaves you wanting.



7.9/10



Information on release: Cassette released by ExBx Tapes. Limited to 200 C30 tapes.

I'm sorry for the lack of correspondence...

It seems that I have been completely incapacitated by what can only be described as Manflu. And while you may think this isn't anything to whine about, I can firmly assure you that it is, in fact, the worst illness known to the human race.

It's one half Tuberculosis, 3 eighths Bubonic plague & 0.5/4's Pneumonia. It's also what killed Jesus, Martin Luther King, John Lennon, Attila the Hun, Winston Churchill, Christopher Reeve & He-man. History has just been too ignorant to note all of this down.

But, on a lighter note, I have some stellar records waiting to be posted. A lot of new stuff that's came out over the past month and several classic "Hidden Gem" wonders. Basically, a lot of Japambient, Noise, Experimental, Drone, Techno, IDM and the usual nonsense. I'm feeling like a little bit of Screamo, too. Oh, and maybe some more Post-Rock. I will eventually get around to building quite a collection with some easier archiving/listing with links.

Anyhow, thanks & keep reading!

Snow day!

There is literally more snow than I can deal with! In fact, a congregation of Snowpeople in my back garden still seems like a great idea but I'm oddly drawn to the park across from my house. The construction which became part of legend in the last sizable snowfall in '05 was a welcome statue representing all that encapsulates childish fun and boyish charm. The neighbours did, indeed, love our snowperson. However, I'm not sure if building a snowman with a 5 foot phallus is allowed when you're 21? Especially not when you're doing it all on your own...

Either way, I'm sure I'll take the time to snap a few pictures to throw up here. It does look awfully nice down by the farm and over the motorway.

1,474 Megapixel Image Of The Inauguration

Clicky

Wow. You can literally zoom forever! I'm currently scanning the crowd for anything out of the ordinary/funny.

Why can't I spend similar amounts of time on tasks like University work? I'm too easily pleased by the most meaningless things...

Stella Luna - "Stargazer"

Stargazer

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Last.fm
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Official Site
Clairecords
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1. Change (6:35)
2. Stargazer (5:01)
3. Antares (8:19)
4. A Bridge To Nowhere (6:30)

When you're presented with an album entitled "Stargazer" by a band called Stella Luna, you begin to assume absolute knowledge of the artist, the music and the story. "Typical Shoegaze done typically" comes instantly to mind. What makes Stella Luna's 2002 EP special is that it isn't typical Shoegaze. Of course there are evident borrowed ideas but there isn't that overbearing sense of plagiarism that taints the majority of the bands and artists currently working in and around the Nugaze scene. It's refreshing. It's good! Swathes of rich riverberated walls of distorted guitars coupled with driving rhythms and steady, solid drumming are the key players within the 4 tracks on show. There is a strong sense of euphoria present too which caught me completely off gaurd instead of the usual ethereal, distant, almost cold feeling you'd expect from any other contemporary Dream Pop act.

Unfortunately, Stella Luna has since then fallen from this Earth and finding information on them or their follow up Full-length which was planned for late 2002 is more than difficult. At least we got a taster of their abilities and maybe we'll see an album in the future.

8.3/10

Herd of Elephants

I think these get better and better as time goes by.

Why don't they just man up and make an actual cartoon?! I'd definitely watch it.

Charlie Cooper, rest in peace.

Clicky

One half of one of the most genuinely promising acts in and around the Post-Rock and IDM scene has died. Telefon Tel Aviv had the potential to do great things for years and years to come but sadly, on the 22nd of January, Charles Wesley Cooper III passed away. While it's still pretty vague and reasons behind the late musicians death are uncertain, it's the wishes of the friends, family and collegues of Charlie that we speculate no further.

All I can say is that they have my deepest condolences. My thoughts are with them all.

"The funny thing about cancer"?

Clicky

An interview with Jamie Ross, 19 year old Scottish lad with Cancer and a great way with words. His blog, cataloguing the trails and realisations of dealing with his affliction, is a million light-years away from usual intense doom and overbearing gloom of the regular Cancer story. It's genuinely funny.

http://cancerouscapers.blogspot.com/

Ben And Bruno - "100 Grim Reapers"

100 Grim Reapers

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Official Site
Schoolyard Recordings
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1. Life Will Recover (1:49)
2. New Friend Song (2:55)
3. Take Hold Upon (5:44)
4. Out From Where (1:42)
5. 100 Grim Reapers (3:06)
6. Given The Attributes (4:29)
7. Casting Shadows (3:49)
8. O You Sad Life (0:59)
9. Pack Of Light Blue Birds (4:39)
10. Chant 1 (0:45)
11. To Fill The Void (4:00)
12. () (1:08)
13. Do You Mind What You See? (4:05)
14. Famous (1:40)
15. Torn And Pulled (3:37)
16. Next To Your Side (4:04)

“Ben and Bruno” is a group of songs based on one character named Ben. After losing his mother at a very young age, Ben is abducted by a religious fanatic who has been living in the apartment above the family. Ben, during his trip while fleeing from the police, falls in love with the woman who has abducted him. The story continues after the capture of his new love and he grows older…marrying, having two daughters, divorcing his wife.

Sometimes you just have to take a step back from life and lose yourself in a piece of music. If you ever feel the strongest urge to do this, then please, immerse yourself in the story behind 100 Grim Reapers. It's upsetting but in the most devastatingly beautiful way. I really want to critique this album but, in all honesty, and in full knowledge that it isn't the best record ever, I can't bring myself to do it. It's too special.

N.A./10

Alva Noto - "Xerrox Vol.2"

Xerrox Vol.2

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Official Site
Raster-Noton Records
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1. Xerrox Phaser Acat 1 (12:11)
2. Xerrox Rin (0:51)
3. Xerrox Soma (7:11)
4. Xerrox Meta Phaser (6:23)
5. Xerrox Sora (6:54
6. Xerrox Monophaser 1 (8:04)
7. Xerrox Monophaser 2 (5:31)
8. Xerrox Teion (2:03)
9. Xerrox Teion Acat (5:26)
10. Xerrox Tek Part 1 (5:28)
11. Xerrox Monophaser 3 (6:14)

Finding the words to describe volume 2 in Carsten Nicolai's Xerrox series isn't easy. What we have is a dense and rich atmosphere of vibrant sounds and dreamy drones that flow and merge seamlessly into one majestic opus. While the intention was to hark back to the idealism of film score, employing a linear aesthetic to the music, you can't help but feel that there's something much greater here. The theme itself would require the use of other means of sensory stimualation, but I feel Alva Noto has done more in this collection of sounds than what any picture or word could possibly add to or expand on. Using samples and collaborations from his recent tour of the USA, we find weathered borrowings from Stephen O'Malley and Michael Nyman as well as rehashings of Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto's encore from 2004's "Insen" tour. This is an out and out masterpiece. A true work of great art.

9.3/10

Science Of Yabra - "Don't Panic"

Don't Panic

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Official Site
Frenetic Records
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1. The Unoriginal Saint (2:57)
2. I Would Rather Lose A Friend Than A Spleen (2:23)
3. Sorry Johnny X (3:18)
4. Amazing Brilliant Genius (3:12)
5. New Nemisis (4:44)
6. Good Times Ruin (2:36)
7. The Kill Is Mean (2:22)
8. Your Voice Is The Tax (2:14)

Snotty, raw and aggressive: three key ingredients for the making of a brilliant Post-Hardcore record. Fusing intricate riffs with blisteringly intense rhythms and great vocals, Science Of Yabra have managed to create quite a wonderful racket. "An amazing blend of East Coast and West Coast post punk that will remind you of Fugazi, Rites of Spring and Drive Like Jehu" is enough of a compliment to sell this record to any self-respecting fan of Punk and Hardcore.

7.8/10

WithoutLove's Brown Bag Campaign

Clicky

If you could take 10 seconds to read this website and then take another 10 to consider helping then that would be really great. It's not asking for a lot and 1000 is an easy target. I'll get mine together tomorrow or the next day.

Oh, and feel free to pass the message along to anyone and everyone you know.

Thank you.

Sianspheric - "The Sound Of The Colour Of The Sun"

The Sound Of The Colour Of The Sun

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Official Site
Sonic Unyon Records
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1. Audiophone (6:08)
2. To Myself (5:14)
3. Tous Les Soirs (4:49)
4. Childrenrunningthroughovergrowntallgrass (1:35)
5. QFD (5:59)
6. Radiodiffusion (6:46)
7. Slightly Less Sunshine (5:25)
8. Ending Is Better Than Mending (4:01)
9. So Blue (4:59)
10. Everything's A Wave (6:03)

This really is what the colour of the Sun would sound like. There's a warmth to this album that's prevalent throughout the quieter, calmer, cleaner moments of Dream Pop as well as in harsh and abrasive walls of distorted guitar, feedback and noise not that uncommon to Shoegaze. This really is a heavyweight in the World of Nugaze and modern Dream Pop. Ethereal enough to warrent recollection of Slowive and then at the drop of a hat, they're as sonically menacing as My Bloody Valentine with just as much rhythm and melody.

8.2/10

Emeralds - "What Happened"

What Happened

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Official Site
No Fun Productions
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1. Alive In The Sea Of Information (8:02)
2. Damaged Kids (15:01)
3. Up In The Air (4:02)
4. Living Room (16:43)
5. Disappearing Ink (13:32)

It's difficult to place Emeralds. At their core, musically, what you get is vast and expansive synth drones. While there's still hints of Noise and of Ambient, it'd be wrong to say Emeralds are one or the other. What I can say, however, is that whatever they're doing works and it's nothing short of magical. The Ohio trio produce some of the most touching and brilliant soundscapes, coupling great walls of synth and noise with Mark McGuire's twinkling guitar leads and flashes of feedback. It's unfair to say this early on in the year that I've picked my top album for 2009 but I honestly can't help myself. This is what experimental music is all about.

9.1/10

Ahahahaha!

Potentially the funniest thing in the history of advertisement. Cadbury's 1, Everyone else 0.

Grouper - "Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill"

Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill

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Official Site
Type Records
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1. Disengaged (4:16)
2. Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping (2:53)
3. Stuck (5:59)
4. When We Fall (2:07)
5. Traveling Through A Sea (4:23)
6. Fishing Bird (Empty Gutted In The Evening Breeze) (3:51)
7. Invisible (3:55)
8. I'm Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill (2:21)
9. A Cover Over (2:48)
10. Wind And Snow (4:30)
11. Tidal Wave (5:35)
12. We've All Gone To Sleep (3:03)

Wonderfully haunting and dreamy, Liz Harris' Grouper project goes from strength to strength in making great music. Here, unlike previous releases, she's upped the game (and the production values!) to produce a brand of Dream Pop worthy of a Cocteau Twins comparison. Although more drone orientated, parallels can be drawn with the older generation of Shoegazers with the muffled, indistinguishable vocals and reverberated, gentle acoustic guitar work. Probably the best record to come out last year. Liz Harris, I love you.

8.5/10

The Lost Shoe Project

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Quite a nifty little site here. Someone has taken the time to photograph and catalogue all of the lost shoes they stumble across. The thought behind it all is the idea of something "becoming lost in plain sight" which I find incredibly appealing. Give it a look. It's a great way to waste 5 minutes.

How does someone lose a single shoe anyway? At what point do you realise it's gone? I don't know about you but I feel it'd be somewhat instantaneous with me.

"Hey! WAIT A SECOND! I had two of these on earlier?"

Kashiwa Daisuke - "Program Music I"

Program Music I

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1. stella (36:07)
2. write once, run melos (26:00)

Two tracks spanning just over 1 hour of the most lush and beautifully crafted Post-Rock come IDM that you could possibly imagine. Reminiscent of label mate and fellow Japanese producer World's End Girlfriend, we find Kashiwa Daisuke's remedy of long winded Post-Rock never falls short of the mark, consistently pleasing and never boring. This has to be one of the best records of the last few years and certainly a favourite of mine from 2007.

9.6/10

"Pope launches Vatican on YouTube"

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Pahaha, whatever will they think of next.

As if it wasn't bad enough; having people like David Cameron updating us about his policies in his "randomly caught" blogger videos, now we have old Bene giving us the good word from God through the great vessel we all know and love called YouTube.

Is anyone else as excited as I am? Do you think we'll get to see the real Benedict XVI in action?! I can't wait to see the user comments.

2008: Best of

I've had over a month now to allow 2008's music to digest. It's been difficult even narrowing down a list of the best the year had to offer because even now I'm still coming to terms with what went on in '06 & '07, haha. I'll try and keep this as short and as sweet as possible. I'll also try to incorporate a download link when I can.

• 2562 - Aerial (Dubstep, Minimal Techno)
• Dead Congregation - Graves Of The Archangels (Death Metal, Old-School)
• Deathspell Omega - Veritas Diaboli Manet In Aeternum: Chaining The Katechon(Black Metal, Experimental) Download
• Emeralds - Solar Bridge (Drone, Ambient, Noise) Download
• Errors - It's Not Something But It Is Like Whatever
  (Post-Rock, Electronic)
• Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight (Indie Rock)
• Gnaw Their Tongues - (Black Metal, Avantgarde, Experimental)
• Goslings, The - Occasion (Drone, Noise, Shoegaze)
• Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill (Acoustic, Dream Pop, Drone) Download
• Odal - Najis (Noise)
• Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling (Post-Rock)
• Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista (Modern Classical, Ambient, Experimental, Neofolk)
• Stegm - Harm Reduction (Noise)
• Taiga Remains - Ribbons Of Dust (Ambient, Drone) Download

There's a lot I neglected to mention and I guess I could update this over time. There's a provisional list for starters.

National Film Board Of Canada

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Here's an archive of National Film Board Of Canada movies, shorts and animations. What a great, great resource. It's all there. Full videos ready to stream and there's certainly a lot on offer.

It's funny how time passes.

It has been over a year since my last entry. In that past year a lot has come to pass and change. I took up smoking twice since then. And then went on to quit twice. Yes, I am no longer a smoker! I'm also back at University. That could be construed as an attempt to rectify my life. A sort of half arsed effort to being a better person. Don't be fooled; I still drink too much, avoid forming any kind of discernible sleeping pattern and then there's the wholesome fact that I managed to get a job which I kept for a year only to indirectly fire myself. I left due to varying reasons not even worth your time or mine to peruse the finer details. Urban Outfitters, however, are shit employers.

And that's a lot of what being 21 has shown me. A lot of things in this life are, shall we say, less than grand. In fact, practically everything is far from it. We all come to terms with the manageably annoying and the dull or dreadful. It's easy to switch off the television because there's nothing good on and we all have the choice to listen to the music we'd like to listen to. BUT what about public transport?

I pay somewhere up to £10 a day on getting to University and back. Trains. Ugh. In the mornings, I feel like I'm being shipped to a concentration camp. I shouldn't have to pay a fiver every day only to have to stand up like a battery chicken, with the newspaper of the man in front of me in my chest and the crotch of the man behind me digging into my thigh. 7.55am "Uddingston to Glasgow Central", fuck you.

And then there's the bus. I'm almost positive that the only reason we run bus services in Glasgow is for the sole purpose of sheltering the servile, vapid, useless scum that are always prowling down the back seats. "Don't sit near the back", you say? I HAVE to. When you're graced with monstrously long legs then you have no options. It's either sit up the back and be spat upon or sit near the front, sideways, and have everybody look at you like you're one of the backdwelling socially inept gobshites! 255, fuck you.

Anyway, before I go on any longer... I'll have a top rated albums list for 2008 with reviews, songs and honourable mentions. And I'm considering listing some of the better moments of '08 too. Everything isn't so bad, hah.