Collapse - A Mano Armata (2011)

Jamendo

Bandcamp

9.3

/Technical metal, Crossover, Surf rock/

Comment: Collapse introduces this 4-track album with spacey, expressive guitar riffs-gliding (the kind of which could have been an essential part of some albums by Michael Karoli, CAN`s guitarist, for example) which soon will be stricken by tumultuous noodling and frantic power washes full of ferocious but technical metal aesthetics, merciless chug and graceful overdrives which brings forth the influences - surprise, surprise - of surf music. In a word, it is an almost crossover album drifting between turbo-sustained technical metal patterns and infrequent surf pop rays. The collective originates from Firenze/Florence, Italy. Great in its self-awareness and self-confidence.

[Teaser of the day] Minimal Boffin - Grain Shift

Archive

Pillars & Tongues - Epitonic saki Session (2011)

Epitonic

9.4

/Slowcore, Drone pop, Alternative, Americana, Live session, Avant-pop, Experimental indie, Psychedelic pop, Ethereal pop/ 

Comment: this set of 4 tracks does build on a highly enjoyable live session for a fascinating music site, entitled Epitonic. However, Pillars & Tongues` soundscape consists of soothing drone undercurrents, dreamy pronounced singing and soulful vowel effects and loosely throbbing rhythms below the two firstly named constituents above. The last track (which will be finished off at the length of 16 minutes) seems to be biased more toward improvised elements, i.e fusing the elements of buzzing minimalism, slight Americana-related touch and expressive ethereal pop, a subtle batch which in the last section evolves into man and woman mixed vowel experiments involving both shamanic and hypnagogic elements.

Son Of A Bricklayer - Shades Of Grey (2008)

Ground Floor

9.4

/Techno, Trip-hop, Downtempo, Experimental electronica, Cinematic/

Comment: This 11-track album is a good instance of how mesmerizing, dance-appealed rhythms should be interlaced with more affective facets of pop-laden electronica or on the other side providing more thoughtful but vigorous trip-hop/downtempo clatter. More profoundly, the listener can detect elusive, cinematic samples as if being a humble witness for the mesmeric motion of clouds above his/her head; now and then it involves silentful smoky reverberations and hazy, though at times murky contemplations abundant with repetitive chords and suggestive harmonies behind it. In a word, it is blissed-out and spaced-out at the same time. This is a great classic by any intentions.

Violeta Päivänkakkara - Kuu (2012)

La Gramola

FMA

Bandcamp 

9.5

/Forest folk, New Weird Finland, New Weird Europe, Weird folk, Free folk, Singer-songwriter, Organic electronica, Alt-folk, Experimental folk/

Comment: VP is a Finnish artist whose music to this album can be considered a part of the famous Finnish forest folk scene. The listener can be sure an intriguing example related to the genre is played craftily out. She provides a handful of addictive, bucolic tracks which are arranged with the assistance of searching, harmony-coated clambering guitar chords, glockenspiel-alike touches, some slightly bleak keyboard lines, microscopic noises and more or less whispering vocal lines, however all of that is accompanied with concrete sounds and thin air plateaus surrounding it at any corner. Furthermore, possible "faults" which might be found out from within the whole seem to be so affective, organic and concept-related thereby demonstating themselves like the strength on it. By kindred souls there can be drawn parallels upon the likes of Paavoharju, and Keijo (Virtanen), Lau Nau and Islaja. Simply glorious.

Jason "EVIL" Covelli - The Sick And The Psychotic (2010)

 Trashfuck Net 

8.8 

/Spoken word, Conceptual, Avant-garde, Psycho-acoustic, Experimental, Non-music/

Comment: indeed, Jason "Evil" Covelli spells out what does it mean being sick and psychotic, talking of abjection of the existence of a human being and criticizing the appearances in social life. How could we be normal and adequate at all in such societies we are living in at the moment? His speech is essentially impassioned and accentuated. There are presented a pair of monologues, especially the first part stands in the middle of the release because it lasts for a little longer than one hour. So the listener could add the release to the folder of the existentialism or psychology-related topics. So consume this fucking piece of freedom!

Reverend big O - When There Is Only Light To Believe In/Hope For (2012)

23 Seconds
Lastfm 

9.2

/Post-rock, Epic, Experimental rock, Dream pop, Alternative rock, Electronic pop, Kosmische Musik/ 

Comment: the collective comprises Nicklas Nilsson, Jörgen Dahlqvist, Marcus Råberg, Henrik Palmberg, and Lukas Råberg. Before issuing on 23 Seconds they had been releasing music for A West Fabrication. However, the particular set is made up of both bombastic and dreamy pathos oozing out and thereafter ascending higher from the compositions based on the monumental moments of gleaming guitar works and epic drum sequences and lofty keyboard washes. The notches where the power of guitars is abandoned gradually and instead of it synthesizers and treated snippets began to prevail the collective`s music approaches a little to the aesthetics of some representatives of the 1970`s German Kosmische Musik. By contemporary artists there can be drawn parallels upon the likes of God Is An Astronaut, for instance. Moreover, such kind of music can be tagged as an instance of today`s progressive rock.