City Of Trees - Introspection (2010)

Bandcamp

7.9

/Alternative rock, Gothic rock, Math rock, Pomp rock, Progressive rock/

Comment: This is a quartet from Big Apple mixing together potently stomping hard cored alternative rock and some elements of gothic rock, math rock and progressive rock. All in all, it is excellently produced and played up into an obviously pop-influenced, even bombastic whole where Dan Cerney`s vocal reaches up toward its highest chords being quite playful at times. And the coverprint of the issue is a grandeur one.

Thierry Massard - 20:30 (2011)

Bandcamp

9.2

/Ambient drone, Abstract, Drone, Minimalism, Avant-garde, Sound-art, Microtonal/

Comment: Indeed, he did it again... . The French copyleft music legend and previous noisenik/old school industrial madman Thierry Massard who already started off in 1979 is used to experiment with more "soft" conception nowadays. Herein is a just one, long-running track which incorporates the characteristics of minimal ambient, microtonal buzzing and....ehh...abstract drone. Ok, it might even not to be so much detailed one as described, however, it obviously seems to be a matter of interpretation. Yet, the goodness of the album/track is beyond the question of doubt.

Beko_clandestine (2011)

Beko DSL

7.5

/Lo-fi, Primitive music, DIY, Experimental indie, Shoegaze, Witch house, Drag/

Comment: This compilation of 22 tracks contains the glides of shoegaze music/post-punk, heavy, martial music-alike brooding and punching, substantially rough, even primitive lo-fi/DIY-based electronic/synth-based chords and paces. Here are presented such bands like Meddicine, Mater Suspiria Vision, Petra Schelm and others.

Kevin McCraney - Nightwaves & Dreamscapes (2008)

MODICUM OF SILENCE

9.0

/Microtonal, Musique concrete, Ambient, Drone, Ambient drone, Minimalism, Conceptual, Avant-garde, Sound-art, Experimentalism, Acousmatic/

Comment: Kevin McCraney is a a founder part of the label MODICUM OF SILENCE and being a contributor or member on different albums of the label. However, by himself he has recorded 3 albums, the recent one was his start-off. As the title refers to, indeed, it is an obscure topic, generating and operating with deep, minimal and microtonal soundscapes, droning hisses and inclusive field recordings (yeah, the birds are singing on here). An opulently sensible, soothingly dream-alike, all in all, good shaped in any sense.

Umbra Nihil - The Borderland Rituals (2008/2011)

Free Metal Albums
Lastfm
Umbra Nihil

7.6

/Doom metal, Progressive metal, Death metal, Experimental metal/

Comment: Heavy guitar-riffed metal music with mighty down-tempo rhythms and slightly obscure vocal manner. The ending part of a 5-track issue is interesting via elemental, ambient-filled sounds, some riff swayings and changes of rhythms. Such kind of metal moaning comes from Finland, from the sophomore album by Umbra Nihil. In any cases, take your listening time and think about is it somehow close to borders or not?

Uzumaki - FF8E7 (2009)

Jamendo

7.3

/Industrial noise, EBM, Darkwave, Modern classical, Crossover, Industrial
techno/

Comment: This project comes from Adelaide, Australia, shooting a 16-track set of industrial and noise-infused dance music mixed with stepwise piano chords. Rattle synth riffs do ride on abrasive guitar undercurrents and distorted cadence mayhem. Intense, bombastic and loud. Actually one track comes into greatness (the 11th track which is without the title or just -) combining subtle ambient and harmonic touch obviously differentiating from the rest.

Dala Sun - Sala Dun (2010/2011)

Torn Flesh

8.0

/Stoner rock, Doom metal, Psychedelia, Screamo/

Comment: Dala Sun is a self-assured trio from Patras, Greece being debuted with thisself-released album in 2010 already. Indeed, the three men with vocals, guitar, bass and drums play out a blend of doom metal, stoner rock, and psychedelia. Even some screamo shades and such referring details can be detected for in Haris` vocal line. Though the whole may mainly seem as a tough riff-ridden guitar forging, yet, it could be considered as a background just allowing for psychedelic glimpses to come better forth.

Genox - Hourglass (2011)

Enoughrecords
Archive.org

7.6

/Downtempo, IDM, Electronic pop, Breakbeat, New age, Trance, Dub-tech/

Comment: The recent case is a groundplan based upon diverse faced beats infiltrated and interfering with each other. Indeed, breaking off the ground from electronic pop-based drumming and trance-like brooding to more technical and near-abstract IDM cadences. In the higher layers of the concept can be found out decent atmospheric shimmerings and dusty dubbed-out channelizations. However, it is hard to map the average, cross-sectional area regarding all of this enterprise.

Panorama - Tapete rojo (2011)

Series Media
Archive.org

8.8

/Shoegaze, Soul funk, Dance rock, Progressive, Psychedelic rock, Alternative rock, Experimental indie, Crossover/

Comment: In the previous year I discovered for myself some excellent shoegaze/psychedelic/experimental indie groups like This Lonely Crowd and Inverness from Brazil. No doubt, the Latin American-based music has established a solid aesthetic level amongst the indie music realm, though, having unsung and underrated reputation around the world nowadays yet. Panorama comes from Medellín, Colombia, having recorded since 2001. Their fourth release does veer from ordinary, slightly psychedelic-drenched indie pop (Trampa; Tapete rojo) and atmospheric synth progressions around shoegaze-relied wraiths (Sol brillar; Hola/Adiós) to catchy, danceable soul funk (No encuentro las palabras). By the way, all the songs are spanish-sung.

White Wishes - Today (2010)

Shelflife
Bandcamp
Lastfm

/Shoegaze, Indie pop, Alternative pop, Dream pop, Singer-songwriter/

9.6

Comment: White Wishes is 20-year-old Nikita Pavlov, coming from the area of St. Petersburg, Russia and now sharing his residing place between it and Berlin. His 4-track album Today is just a brilliant, near-perfect indie workout drifting within a realm of dream-alike shoegaze-y pop a la the minor yet excellent hits by Slowdive (Richard, Summer Haze). The lyrics is used to be contemplative going mainly about love without being spiced up into pathetic somehow. Beautiful surges of guitars and melody hooks give it a solid backdrop thereby making me feel really enthralled. And I have no idea how much I have listened to it yet. I can just say the following: let`s wait Pavlov`s new releases. Indeed, he has got a formula how to establish a kind of magic pop.