ZMG - The Sect (2011)

Black Square

8.5

/Dark ambient, Illbient, Sound-art, Minimal, Dysopbient, Microtonal, Neoclassical/

Comment: The dark is rising and atmosphere is filled in with black-and-grey dust before the impending apocalypse through the continuing and approaching collapse of a dying star. In principle, in its restrained yet grave havoc it would be a decent candidate as film score for a horror movie.

Richard Rich & Max Tannone - Selene (2011)

Selene
Max Tannone
Lastfm

8.6

/Hip-hop, Alternative hip-hop, Sci-fi, Conceptual/

Comment: The nowadays mash-up king Max Tannone (Jaydiohead, Mos Dub, Dub Kweli, and the re-conceptualizing of Beastie Boys` album Check Your Head) is back with his new release and fresh "victims". Being inspired by the film Moon by Duncan Jones and its original score by Clint Mansell, however, it is a collaboration act with MC Richard Rich, thereby not considered a mash-up enterprise. Indeed, it sounds as an original hip-hop-moulded workout (hip-hop/rap music, however, bases mainly on samples and loans). More detailly, those sampled sci-fi-hued minutiae make up a solid impression on offset face to face with Rich`s convincing manifestation.

Lockerbie – Laut / Snjóljón (2011)

Bad Panda
Lastfm

8.9

/Post-rock, Epic, Soft rock, Chamber pop, Baroque pop, Ambient rock, Alternative pop, Pomp pop, Experimental indie, Ambient rock/

Comment: Following the appreciated traditions of icelandic songwriting and innovative section of the Scandinavian pop manners (Under Byen, Sondre Lerche, Jens Lekman), this 4-track mini album is a successful effort of grandeur pop hooks and epic sensibility, as a final result having found out a balanced stand of pomp postures and whimsical pop moments. No doubt, the shadow of Sigur Ros is used to strongly hover over it. Yet, I feel I am able to love Lockerbie much more.

Mequetrefe - Play off (2010)

Mequetrefe
Mequetrefe/Bandcamp

9.4

/Alternative rock, Shoegaze, Post-rock, Psychedelic, Space rock, Experimental rock/

Comment: I am not used to think that post-rock in traditional manner (instrumental crescendo-biased rock/up`n`down guitar-based moving) could save somebody`s life. However, quite rare some groups are able to offer a high-stake for the certain genre, i.e coming across the borders of expectations. Mequetrefe is such a quintet coming from Spain, coalescing post-rock with psychedelia, towering exultations of shoegaze, and lush electronic undercurrents. Some post-metal elements are visible here, though, being expressed a bit weaker than the abovementioned influence realms. And even John Barry-esque airy and blissful harmonica snippets are on the screen. This is a potent accomplishment which contains lots of gems indeed. Imagine as if My Bloody Valentine (or Mercromina - the another and actually more famous indie band from the Iberian Peninsula) meets God Is An Astronaut.

Alexei Rafiev, Alexei Borisov, Olga Nosova - Demon Onegin (2010)

Clinical Archives
Archive.org

8.6

/Spoken word, Conceptual, Avant-garde, Minimal electronica, Mystical, Microtonal, Avant-electronica, Experimental electronica, Downbeat, Noir, Freeformfreakout, Minimal techno, Dark ambient, Illbient, Electro-acoustic/

Comment: Duo Rafiev-Borisov continues their way offering a blend of spoken word and digitally processed austere sounds. This time the duo is complemented by Olga Nosova who operates with electronics and sonic effects and plays bass and drums. More concretely, the album is revolving around the texts of great Russian poets Pushkin and Lermontov, which is wrapped up by bent human voices, exalted and resigned declamation, dense drill-alike snippets and its hisses, and of course, "faulty", constantly interrupting electronic soundscapes. It is a spasm-filled oeuvre, moving inbetween acoustic shades and electronic luridness. All in all, at times rigid, sometimes playful.

pous - VPLE (2011)

Noecho

8.7

/Hip-hop, Noise, Crossover, Avant-garde, Psychedelic, Experimental, Avant-hop, Noise-hop/

Comment: This is a crossover issue of psych-out hip-hop, digitally crackling and droning-beaming noise, though, lots of other sounds are adhered with them here as well (cut and paste aesthetics, warped ambient, off-kilter psychedelia). Indeed, all the stuff is built upon rough and bleak sonic skeletons. It is the other sort of hip-hop having no similar intentions with mainstream/gangsta music/rap. It is guite similar to such acts as Dälek, Techno Animal, and Kid 606.

SineRider - Ambivert (2011)

BFW Recordings

8.5

/Ambient, Subtle soundfields, Soundscape, Post-rock, Ambient rock/

Comment: At first, all the kick proceeds off with evolving into soothing and wide-scale yet austere soundscapes, which in the middle of the issue tends to grow upon more post-rock-ish realms, wherein guitar chords are drenched into a dream-filled fog. Yet, the best moment is a track called Dream Sequence which is static and dynamic simultaneously on its own, fluttering in effect-based escapism. The album - which can be called an instance of classical ambient sound - finds its closure in the similar way as it embarked on.

Enko - Dush (2010)

Bypass

8.7

/Experimental techno, Avant-techno, Breakbeat, Abstract techno, Dub-tech, Lo-fi/

Comment: An Ukrainian techno-biased gearhead and rhythmic alchemist goes on his way, in this case exploring the fringes of breakbeat space infected with a strong hit of experimentalism, including lots of pitch effect-aesthetics, elemental layerings, strongly rumbling side channels and cosmic loops. However, it is an example of progressive music of the 21th century. By the way, at times the samples of real bass guitar are exploited for and dub undercurrents and lo-fi-backed pace combinations will be showcased.

Bendle - Tattered Tongues (2008)

Bandcamp

9.0

/Eccentric pop, Avant-garde, Doo wop, Dark folk, Avant-pop, Non music, Experimentalism, Musique concrete, Weird pop, Darkwave, Noir/

Comment: Rob Tarana`s solo effort is a kind of invisible, wraith-alike monster in nowhere man`s land somewhere filled in with vanguard-ish sonic ruins and having impressive while seamless drifts inbetween experimental pop music and just experimental music (experimentalism). By the way, are you loving the sound of Robert Wyatt for instance? Well, in this case you apparently will love this 15-track issue as well. The year was then 2008 and while listening to some murky moments and watching the symbols (triangles, unusual serif typefaces) at the coverprint, might it be the album was a case about witch house/drag music already?

Birds Build Nests Underground - Cold Dreams (2009)

KLaNGundKRaCH
Mediafire

8.7

/Dystopbient, Illbient, Sound collage, Plunderphonics, Avant-garde, Lobit, Film noir, Repetitronica, Hauntology, Acousmatic, Experimentalism, Musique concrete, Microsound, Sampledelic/

Comment: Eeehh...it is an idiosyncratically off-kilter set of two tracks by its formal stand, the last of them running over 33 minutes. The album is "just" about malignant ambient music, near-experimental jazz snippets and a lush repeating film score sample gear, having lots of phase changes over its course. All the sound of a duo is wrapped up by a mighty, hiss-backed mist.

Rebery - Rebery (2010)

Bandcamp

8.4

/Shoegaze, Goth rock, Darkwave, Crossover, Experimental rock, Alternative, Dream pop, Electronic/

Comment: Imagine a strong bound between shoegaze, post-punk, and darkwave, more concretely, a sheer connection between the likes of Slowdive, Lycia, and the Siouxsie and the Banshees. Yet, it is a brainchild of a duo from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

✝ DE△D VIRGIN ✝ - R△▲ (2010)

Bandcamp
Mediafire

8.8

/Witch house, Haunted house, Drag, Darkwave, Noir, Neoclassical/

Altierjinga Lepers - Ghost Friends (2011)

Lepers

8.4

/Alternative, Psychedelic, Psych-rock, Blues-rock, Surf rock, Noise rock, Angst rock, Progressive, Avant-rock/

BOY MTN - Purgatorio (2011)

Bandcamp

8.8

/Lo-fi, DIY, Avant-garde, Post-psychedelic electronica, Primitronica, Experimental electronica, Improvised music, Dada music, Weird pop, Experimentalism, Tape music/

Fine China Superbone - Make-Machine (2010)

Narrominded

Bandcamp

8.7

/Math rock, Math metal, Fusion, Hardcore, Progressive rock, Experimental rock/

ePop014 – Early To Bed (2011)

Eardrumspop

8.7

/Poptronica, Indie pop, Dream pop, Electronic pop/

El Almut - Millan y los Monobestias (2011)

El Almut
El Almut

9.3

/Improvised music, Avant-garde, Drone, Experimentalism, Minimal, Experimental electronica, Neokrautrock, Post-psychedelic electronica, Dada music, Freeformfreakout, Psychedelic/

El Almut (la colita del electrón)

Laura Jorgensen - Feathered Arms (2010)

Laura Jorgensen/Bandcamp

8.8

/New Weird America, Free folk, Singer-songwriter, Weird folk, Experimental folk, Musique concrete, Chamber folk, Baroque folk, Vaudeville folk, Avant-folk, Sailor folk, Electro-acoustic/

Jlnetes Fantasmas - Psychobilly Underground (2010)

Lepork Records
Archive.org

8.4

/Psychobilly, Blues, Rockabilly, Rock`n`roll/

Karnivorous Vulgaris - Karnivora Birahi (2011)

StoneAge

Archive.org

6.5

/Lo-fi, DIY, Alt-folk, Singer-songwriter/

Black Math - Black Math (2008)

Pan y Rosas Discos
Free Music Archive
Black Math
Plustapes

9.3

/Post-punk, Gothic rock, Electro-punk, Batcave, Psychedelia, Art-punk, Shoegaze, Surf/

Juanjo Palacios - Borde Litoral (2010)

Green Field Recordings
Juanjo Palacios
Archive.org
Bandcamp

8.8

/Field recording, Musique concrete, Found sound, Electro-acoustic, Microsound, Sound-art, Phonography, Non music/

Mister Vapor - Warped Essence (2010)

Treetrunk

8.6

/Ambient techno, Experimental electronica, Downtempo, Dystopbient/

Interlard - Tyrol (2010)

9.2

Interlard/Bandcamp
Lastfm

/Brutal metal, Sludge metal, Harsh noise, Noise rock, Rhythmic noise, Motorik, Psych-out, Industrial, Doom metal, Experimental rock/metal, Avant-garde, Non music/

Pear - Young Wings/Embodiment (2008)

Perkunowa
Archive.org

7.2

/Indie, Post-rock, Slowcore/

Omara - Hello (2006)

Zimmer-Records
Archive.org

8.1

/Tech-trance, Club dance, Tekno/

Max Prime & Marc Pause - Prime Directive: Show 'n Prove (2010)

Neferiu

9.0

/Hip-hop, Rap, Sampledelic, Cinematic, Funk/

The Nova Echo - Voyager EP (2010)

The Nova Echo

8.0

/Pop rock, Electro-rock, Dance rock, Electronic, Glam, Synth rock/

Quint Baker - Psychic Cat'z Golden Fleece (2010)

Kill Mommy
Lastfm

8.6

/Experimental indie, Lo-fi, Indietronica, Poptronica, Dada music, Weird pop, DIY, Psycho-acoustic, Avant-garde, Experimentalism/

Mean Lady - Kid Friendly E​.​P (2010)

Mediafire
Bandcamp

9.2

/Folktronica, Poptronica, Experimental folk, Art-folk, New Weird America, Alt-folk, Lo-fi, Primitive pop, Avant-folk/

Porky Vagina - Bukkageddon (2011)

Porky Vagina
Lastfm

8.4

/Black metal, Brutal metal, Grindcore, Goregrind, Speed metal/

puin + hoop - door (2010)

Narrominded
Bandcamp

8.6

/Drone, Guitar ambient, Space rock, Modern classical, DSP, Doomgaze, Sound-art, Shoegaze, Kosmische musik, Improvised music, Minimalism, Electro-acoustic/

The Womb - Suburban Violence ( 2010)

The Womb

8.7

/Britpop, Alternative pop/rock, Dark pop, Half-electronic indie, Indie, Psychedelic pop, Singer-songwriter/

Steve White & The Protest Family - The One Night In Walthamstow EP (2011)

Prosity
Archive.org

8.7

/Folk punk, Punk folk, Anti-folk, Singer-songwriter, Live/

Hundred Grand Brand - We Kinda Nice EP (2010)

Hundred Grand Brand/Bandcamp

8.8

/Hip-hop, Rap, Electro-pop, Soul-hop, Grime, Autotune, Indie-hop, Electronic pop/

The Beehive Spirit - The Beehive Spirit EP (2010)

The Beehive Spirit/Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.8

/Alternative rock, Psychedelic rock, Dance rock, Americana, Southern rock/

d`incise - Cendre Et Poudre (2009)

Antisocial

Mitenand

7.6

/Experimental electronica, Electronic manipulation, Electro-acoustic, Minimal/

Barbagallo - Quarter Century (2010)

42 Records/24

9.5

/Experimental indie, Downbeat, Art-pop, Dream folk, Alternative pop, Indie folk, Folk indie, Baroque pop, Chamber folk, Avant-garde, Psychedelic, Psych-rock, Avant-rock/

Bob Ostertag - Getting A Head (1980)

Bob Ostertag
Seeland

9.2

/Avant-garde, Electro-acoustic, Contemporary classical, Experimentalism, Minimal, Improvised music, Experimental electronic music, Tape manipulation/

Muhr - The forever tunnels EP (2007)

Miasmah
Vincent Fugère
Bandcamp

9.4

/Modern classical, Post-rock, Organic electronica, Film noir, Ambient/

Diablo Swing Orchestra - The Butcher`s Ballroom (2009)

Jamendo

8.5

/Avant-garde, Avant-metal, Symphonic metal, Chamber music, Ethnic, Crossover, Art-metal, Downbeat/

Sally D - Maux 2 (2011)

Jamendo

8.0

/Alternative rock, Funk rock, Blues, Angst rock, Fusion/

Local Living Guy - Michael Foot (2010)

Rack & Ruin

8.2

/Post-punk, Punk rock, Alternative rock/

_oplen_ - _besides 06-09 (2010)

Equaliteq
Archive.org

9.0

/Deep techno, Experimental techno, Dub-tech, Breakbeat, IDM, Experimental electronica/

Man and the Bearded Ladies - Dr. Villagari's Bones (2009)

Man and the Bearded Ladies/Bandcamp

8.6

/Alt-folk, Drone folk, Chamber folk, Art-folk, Dream folk, Sailor folk, Baroque folk, Indie folk, Folk indie, Singer-songwriter, Experimental folk/

Arrogalla - Royal Trunc (2010)

Mime

9.2

/Deep dub, Ambient dub, Dubstep, Remix/

La Rainbow Toy Orchestra - Family Album (2008)

Lo-Fi Error
Free Music Archive

8.8

/Toytronica, Organic electronica, Child music, Baroque pop, Chamber pop, Indie/

R Stevie Moore - Tra La La La Phooey! (2004)

Comfort Stand
Archive.org

9.3

/DIY, Alternative, Psychedelic, Southern rock, Spoken word, Experimental rock, Avant-garde, Art-pop, Soft rock/

Radical Substance - Radical EP (2011)

17 Sons

Bandcamp
Jamendo

7.4

/Lo-fi, Primitronica, Dark ambient, Experimental techno, Ritualistic ambient, Hauntology, Non music/

Opak & Huber T - Pules EP (2010)

Noisybeat
Archive.org

6.5

/Bubblegum techno, Tech-house, Dub-tech, Minimal techno/