Number Fifty Two
On my favorite albums of 2014 so far list, number twenty one was Actress' "Ghettoville". Only after posting about it did I notice that I hadn't mentioned it earlier.
Actress is the stage name of Darren Cunningham, an electronic music artist who's been steadily gaining fame, especially after "R.I.P." in 2012, an album that brought him a lot of attention. Truthfully, "R.I.P." felt too disjointed to me. It was uneven in how it was produced and executed.
His newest album, released in January, is a much more concise effort. The overall effect is much more grim, and the feel of the album is more claustrophobic than "R.I.P.", which, in contrast, is tinny and a bit weak. Some of the longer songs on this new album, "Ghettoville", have a grainy quality to them that "R.I.P." had, but it feels more cleanly produced.
I'll put links to a few songs below. The entire album is a great listen, as well.
Favorite song: Rap
Related artists: Flying Lotus, Oneohtrix Point Never, Shlohmo
Number Fifty Three
One of the best sludge metal and noise rock outfits out there at the moment is Indian.
Indian, from Chicago, has been around for a while. Their newest album is their fifth studio LP, which is impressive for a metal band as intense as Indian. Their blend of sludge, doom and black metal as well as noise rock and hardcore punk has been described, very accurately, as "pure malevolence".
The most noticeable thing about Indian's sound is just how loud it is. Even turned down, the music itself is pummeling. The drums and guitar are mixed very well, and mixed at an insane volume. The next thing to notice about this group is their brutal, unrelenting song structures.
Their newest album, "From All Purity", is one of their best albums yet. From start to finish, they hold back nothing. I'll link some songs from it below.
Favorite song: Rhetoric of No
Related artists: Stone Titan, Wolf Down
Number Fifty Four
This post won't be a lot of background on the group, just because of the video I'll be linking below.
This is the video for Spiritualized's song "Hey Jane". It was one of my favorite tracks of 2012, and the entire album, "Sweet Heart Sweet Light" is great as well. The video is long, and seems directionless for a few minutes but quickly moves into one of the best long shots in a music video in a while.
Without ruining too much, the story revolves a parental figure trying to give their children the best life possible, by doing whatever it takes. It isn't afraid to take on difficult, unnerving topics.
It's a bit NSFW, definitely R-rated. Hopefully you like it.
Favorite song: Hey Jane
Related artists: Yuck, Tame Impala
Number Fifty Five
I will not shut up about Young Fathers. Sorry.
There's one Young Fathers song that truly encapsulates their style and sound pretty perfectly. It helps that the song is incredibly catchy and surprising. It is "Way Down in the Hole", from "TAPE TWO", their second EP after their self-released "TAPE ONE".
The lyrical content on this track is Young Fathers at their best as well. The repetitive sung sections give the track a hypnotizing feel to it, and the sudden style switch is abrupt and fantastic.
I'll post the song itself, and then a live version of it below.
Young Fathers - Way Down in the Hole
Young Fathers - Way Down in the Hole (Live)
Favorite song: Really?
Related artists: Shabazz Palaces, Chill Bump
Number Fifty Six
trap n oise
who cares man
hindu-san
rip ms
fav song: what
related music mans: vortex of crap
Number Fifty Seven
It makes sense that every once in a while one post will just make no sense whatsoever. Number Fifty Six was one of those posts. I'm warning you, it's a weird one. Anyway.
I'm not usually a huge fan of Odd Future and the artists related to it. Domo Genesis, Taco, and others really don't do anything for me. But Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator actually bring some stuff to the table.
This post is on Tyler, and the three concept albums he released without a lot of people understanding. His three albums ("Bastard", "Goblin" and "Wolf", in order of release) actually tell a story about multiple personalities and some other pretty unusual stuff. The music itself seems ridiculous when you listen to it, but seeing it in context is impressive as hell.
I'll post the link to the article describing his "Wolf-Bastard-Goblin" trilogy below. If it interests you, give his music a shot.
Noisey's Guide to Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator - Wolf (Full Album)
Favorite song(s): Rusty, Cowboy
Related artists: Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller
Number Fifty Eight
If there's one rule in music, it's this: DEMONIC SHIT IS ALWAYS COOL.
Dan Barrett, the mastermind behind Have A Nice Life and Giles Corey, two of my favorite projects ever, dabbled a bit in black metal once. His usual domain of electronically tinged dark rock and folk was the only thing he had released until Nahvalr. Then it changed.
Nahvalr is black metal with folk influence, something that's been done recently by groups like Agalloch, but Agalloch always forgets the disturbing side of black metal, making the entire thing way too happy for the genre. Nahvalr does it right. The cacophonous production is absolutely perfect on this self-titled LP, and the noise blended in is interpreted really well.
Nahvalr never released anything beyond that, but that makes the album itself even more interesting. Songs like "Let Them Eat Blood" have a fantastic dirge-like quality to them, making listening to the album feel like being buried alive. Oh, it's satanic, too.
It's a good thing, I swear. I'll post a few songs below.
Nahvalr - Black Elk Speaks, Chokes and Dies
Nahvalr - Chorus of the Blasphemes
Nahvalr - Blood Flood
Favorite song: Blood Flood
Related artists: Griefer, Have A Nice Life, Agalloch
Number Fifty Nine
After some kind of freaky posts, it's probably a good idea to post some nice stuff.
Sun Araw is a psychedelic, ambient, rock and experimental electronics band. The project has been putting out work for some time (early 2000's, I think) and got a lot of fame for appearing on the soundtrack for Hotline Miami. Great game, by the way. Their unique blend brought a lot more people into it, and their audience has steadily increased since then.
Their older work revolves around reverb-soaked warm waves of guitar tones, with bass and light electronics providing, essentially, a canvas for the guitar to experiment with. Their newer work, including the new album "Belomancie", released this year, focuses more on darker electronics. Both sides of Sun Araw are interesting, calming, and fun.
I'll post some songs from their older and newer work.
Sun Araw - Horse Steppin'
Sun Araw - Deep Cover
Sun Araw - Remedial Ventilation
Favorite song: Horse Steppin'
Related artists: M|O|O|N, Temples
Number Sixty
In an effort to become more mainstream, this is a dubstep post. Alternative music fans, avert your eyes.
Bassnectar is a big name in the EDM world right now. They've released some of the most exciting and original work in the huge mass of sound-alikes out there right now. Their style is actually fairly unique, combining interesting samples with unorthodox rhythms and beats. Which makes their bass drops actually interesting to listen to.
They released a new album recently, and the songs off it are pretty good. The songs on here have been played at live shows but are now cleaned up and fun to listen to.
I'll post a few songs from it below. Enjoy, hopefully.
Bassnectar - So Butterfly
Bassnectar - Loco Ono
Favorite song: Loco Ono
Related artists: Deadmau5, XKore
Number Sixty One
This post is about the band with the best band name ever.
I Hate Myself is a punk/screamo band from the 90's that never really blew up. Maybe it's because they refused to title any of their songs or releases until the eventual release of their debut LP. But they had many, many EP's and singles, all untitled before this. Maybe it's because their album "10 Songs" actually had eleven songs on it. And so the spread of their sound was essentially impossible. Which is a shame.
They might be the best screamo band from this time period. I Hate Myself's incredible lyrical and dynamic range set themselves head and shoulders above many, many artists. The vocal delivery is also fantastic. The recording is also pretty great.
I Hate Myself is fantastic. That's all I have to say, then.
I Hate Myself - This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
I Hate Myself - Caught In A Flood With the Captain of the Cheerleading Squad
I Hate Myself - Conversation with Dr. Seussicide
Favorite song: This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
Related artists: Fugazi, The Saddest Landscape
Number Sixty Two
Do I even need to explain Hopsin?
Hopsin is a rapper. He's gotten pretty famous off of his series, the "Ill Mind of Hopsin" series, which just had its seventh entry. They essentially explore his ideas and how he thinks, no sugarcoating, and many people regard them as a slap in the face to his fans as well as other rappers and the industry in general.
His latest album, "Knock Madness", was less enthralling. But his "Ill Mind" series is pretty good, especially the ones in the center (five, four). The newest one seems a bit redundant but it's still Hopsin. It's pretty attention-grabbing.
I'll post "Ill Mind" seven and five below.
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 7
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Favorite song: Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Related artists: Apathy, Killer Mike
PS: This post took way too long.
Young Fathers - Way Down in the Hole (Live)
Favorite song: Really?
Related artists: Shabazz Palaces, Chill Bump
Number Fifty Six
trap n oise
who cares man
hindu-san
rip ms
fav song: what
related music mans: vortex of crap
Number Fifty Seven
It makes sense that every once in a while one post will just make no sense whatsoever. Number Fifty Six was one of those posts. I'm warning you, it's a weird one. Anyway.
I'm not usually a huge fan of Odd Future and the artists related to it. Domo Genesis, Taco, and others really don't do anything for me. But Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator actually bring some stuff to the table.
This post is on Tyler, and the three concept albums he released without a lot of people understanding. His three albums ("Bastard", "Goblin" and "Wolf", in order of release) actually tell a story about multiple personalities and some other pretty unusual stuff. The music itself seems ridiculous when you listen to it, but seeing it in context is impressive as hell.
I'll post the link to the article describing his "Wolf-Bastard-Goblin" trilogy below. If it interests you, give his music a shot.
Noisey's Guide to Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator - Wolf (Full Album)
Favorite song(s): Rusty, Cowboy
Related artists: Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller
Number Fifty Eight
If there's one rule in music, it's this: DEMONIC SHIT IS ALWAYS COOL.
Dan Barrett, the mastermind behind Have A Nice Life and Giles Corey, two of my favorite projects ever, dabbled a bit in black metal once. His usual domain of electronically tinged dark rock and folk was the only thing he had released until Nahvalr. Then it changed.
Nahvalr is black metal with folk influence, something that's been done recently by groups like Agalloch, but Agalloch always forgets the disturbing side of black metal, making the entire thing way too happy for the genre. Nahvalr does it right. The cacophonous production is absolutely perfect on this self-titled LP, and the noise blended in is interpreted really well.
Nahvalr never released anything beyond that, but that makes the album itself even more interesting. Songs like "Let Them Eat Blood" have a fantastic dirge-like quality to them, making listening to the album feel like being buried alive. Oh, it's satanic, too.
It's a good thing, I swear. I'll post a few songs below.
Nahvalr - Black Elk Speaks, Chokes and Dies
Nahvalr - Chorus of the Blasphemes
Nahvalr - Blood Flood
Favorite song: Blood Flood
Related artists: Griefer, Have A Nice Life, Agalloch
Number Fifty Nine
After some kind of freaky posts, it's probably a good idea to post some nice stuff.
Sun Araw is a psychedelic, ambient, rock and experimental electronics band. The project has been putting out work for some time (early 2000's, I think) and got a lot of fame for appearing on the soundtrack for Hotline Miami. Great game, by the way. Their unique blend brought a lot more people into it, and their audience has steadily increased since then.
Their older work revolves around reverb-soaked warm waves of guitar tones, with bass and light electronics providing, essentially, a canvas for the guitar to experiment with. Their newer work, including the new album "Belomancie", released this year, focuses more on darker electronics. Both sides of Sun Araw are interesting, calming, and fun.
I'll post some songs from their older and newer work.
Sun Araw - Horse Steppin'
Sun Araw - Deep Cover
Sun Araw - Remedial Ventilation
Favorite song: Horse Steppin'
Related artists: M|O|O|N, Temples
Number Sixty
In an effort to become more mainstream, this is a dubstep post. Alternative music fans, avert your eyes.
Bassnectar is a big name in the EDM world right now. They've released some of the most exciting and original work in the huge mass of sound-alikes out there right now. Their style is actually fairly unique, combining interesting samples with unorthodox rhythms and beats. Which makes their bass drops actually interesting to listen to.
They released a new album recently, and the songs off it are pretty good. The songs on here have been played at live shows but are now cleaned up and fun to listen to.
I'll post a few songs from it below. Enjoy, hopefully.
Bassnectar - So Butterfly
Bassnectar - Loco Ono
Favorite song: Loco Ono
Related artists: Deadmau5, XKore
Number Sixty One
This post is about the band with the best band name ever.
I Hate Myself is a punk/screamo band from the 90's that never really blew up. Maybe it's because they refused to title any of their songs or releases until the eventual release of their debut LP. But they had many, many EP's and singles, all untitled before this. Maybe it's because their album "10 Songs" actually had eleven songs on it. And so the spread of their sound was essentially impossible. Which is a shame.
They might be the best screamo band from this time period. I Hate Myself's incredible lyrical and dynamic range set themselves head and shoulders above many, many artists. The vocal delivery is also fantastic. The recording is also pretty great.
I Hate Myself is fantastic. That's all I have to say, then.
I Hate Myself - This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
I Hate Myself - Caught In A Flood With the Captain of the Cheerleading Squad
I Hate Myself - Conversation with Dr. Seussicide
Favorite song: This Isn't The Tenka-ichi-Budokai
Related artists: Fugazi, The Saddest Landscape
Number Sixty Two
Do I even need to explain Hopsin?
Hopsin is a rapper. He's gotten pretty famous off of his series, the "Ill Mind of Hopsin" series, which just had its seventh entry. They essentially explore his ideas and how he thinks, no sugarcoating, and many people regard them as a slap in the face to his fans as well as other rappers and the industry in general.
His latest album, "Knock Madness", was less enthralling. But his "Ill Mind" series is pretty good, especially the ones in the center (five, four). The newest one seems a bit redundant but it's still Hopsin. It's pretty attention-grabbing.
I'll post "Ill Mind" seven and five below.
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 7
Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Favorite song: Ill Mind of Hopsin 5
Related artists: Apathy, Killer Mike
PS: This post took way too long.
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