Bear Mountain - Daysailer (2011)

Bandcamp

9.7

/Alternative rock, Indie, Glo-fi, Art-rock, Shoegaze, Dream pop, DIY, Singer-songwriter/

Comment: it is said that this is the musical project by the filmmaker Jeffrey Hoyt. Anyway, these 8 ditties (most of them do include just a few rows of lyrics) are truly enthralling in their dreamy, reverb-loaded guitar strums and mesmerizing arpeggio-driven twangs which at times are interfered by harmonica and female vocal-relied harmonies. It reminds a little bit of Slowdive`s quite unfamiliar songs like Richard, and Summer Daze (which are already more inclined toward the aesthetics of Mojave 3) moreover, as if these ones were remixed by Avey Tare-Panda Bear and. Moreover, Hoyt seems to be influenced by the spaghetti western themes and saccharine underground-ish easiness. For instance, listen to Dunes, a blissed-out incantation/insight which sounds like indie-esque Morricone. Graveyard Shift is one of the ditties in 2011 as similarly as Daysailer is one of the albums in 2011. A truly lush shift indeed.

Plasma - Digital (2008)

Off/Bruma
Lastfm

9.3

/Avant-garde, Noise, Abstract electronica, Experimentalism, Drone, Conceptual, Minimalism, Microtonal, Sound-art, Non-music/

Comment: Ian Linter aka Plasma`s Digital (2008) was the first issue under Off/Bruma, an experimental/avant-garde label. As the title hints at the 6-track one`s content it does explore on the borders of digital approach and used to search for possible hidden angles and almost invisible corners within it. More profoundly, it consists of the turbulences of noise which are truly restraint and microscopic being incessantly variegated with the different lengths of bleak, abstract chords and barely audible pulsations below it. In true, due to extensive using of sine-wave oscillators the bunch sometimes resembles more of mathemathics than a kind of music.

Sobre A Máquina – Decompor (2010)

Sinewave
Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.6

/Doom metal, Funeral doom, Post-metal, Drone rock, Avant-metal, Post-industrial, Post-rock, Experimental rock, Avant-rock/

Comment:two months ago I reviewed the Brazilian`s combo sophomore album Areia (2011, Sinewave) which was a quite diverse and colourful release. However, their debut Decompor is more orthodox, monotonous, and mourning. Yet, it is highly beautiful in its melancholy. Indeed, it is f.cking sad on its slo-mo running reminding of Sunn O))), Bardo Pond, Jesu, and Jessamine at times.

Fauxmusica - Ninja Gaiden ▲

Playing with nuns – Everything was…previously (2011)

kultur[terrorismus]

8.7

/Noise, Psych-music, Avant-garde, Noise drone, Experimentalism/

Comment: Ariel Chapuis aka Ahcapap aka Void of Coil can apparently be considered as one of the most prolific artists since 2009 when Buenos Aires, Argentina-based artist made his kick-off (related to 180 albums/EPs/compilations/splits). Here are represented 3 tracks which consist of epic, highly resonating noise and punching drones. Indeed, there can be detected for hazy minutiae of more conventional elements, yet, potent noiseful washes do sweep them away.

Reid Voltus - Spilled Guts (2010)

Hujan Rekords
Free Music Archive

9.2

/Alternative rock, Experimental rock, Noise rock, Ambient noise/

Comment: as we have already been very well aware the Indonesian indie scene is intriguing and diverse. Hujan Rekords has been one of those outputs allowing us to make acquaintance with the biggest muslim country`s guitar rock scene. Reid Voltus offers up a set of 4 tracks which used to run in the vein of Sonic Youth-tinged guitar magic and apocalyptic shouting-moaning. Yet, the last track Sounds From The Grotto ascends up to a new level conveying an example of a sort of music classified as guitar-based ambient noise (compare it with Tore Elgarøy`s guitar raping act at The Sound Of The Sun). Indeed, this instance might be considered visceral.

John Smeck - Surfaces (2008)

Pulsations For You

9.1

/Experimental techno, IDM, Psyambient, Experimental electronica, Psychill, Minimal techno, DIY/

Comment: Evgenij Chebykin aka John Smeck`s 6-track album can be classified as a classic one because of being downloaded lots of times (at Archive.org more than 2000 times) and being issued enough time ago (in the beginning of 2008). As you have already figured out the most important aspect is related to the release`s goodness. More concretely, it fuses some DIY/lo-fi tendencies/vulnerability and gleaming IDM/experimental techno with each other. Beyond it, however, laidback, shamanic psyambient/psychill oscillations can be perceived by the listener either. On the other side, some tracks are accompanied by angry, even chopping-shouting vocals. An interesting album indeed.