Xynthetic / Rambling

http://xynthetic.com/xsnhub.php

Lots of free electronic/ambient/IDM/chillout music available at the above link. I'll provide links to some of the stuff I come across that I like as I listen to it. A lot of it appears to good quality too for freely distributed music - it all appears to be 320 kbps or VBR stuff. Enjoy.

My absence for the past however many days can be explained by a rather worthwhile (and costly) trip I made to London over the weekend to see Boris along with Michio Kurihara, as well as by a heap of work I've had to complete... but that's less interesting so I won't bore you with the details. Anyway, back to Boris. Needless to say they played a mindblowing set - lots of new material from their forthcoming (and leaked) album Smile as well as the usual stuff you'd expect from Pink and Rainbow. My right ear's pretty much only just recovered from the hammering. I'd give a more of an insight if I could be arsed but I'm tired and just about to start thinking about doing some work... for once.

Anyway, I'll be back soon with more musique for you to digest. Sit tight.

Jedi Mind Tricks - The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological, and Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciouness (2002 issue)

"Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) is a hip-hop trio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey. The group is composed of high school friends Rapper Vinnie Paz (born Vincenzo Luvineri, formerly known as Ikon the Verbal Hologram) and Producer/DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind (born Kevin Baldwin). They recruited New Jersey rapper Jus Allah (born James Bostick) for their second album Violent by Design. Though he left after the creation of that album, he was later taken back, as stated by Vinnie. DJ Kwestion is also a part of the group, mainly scratching choruses on the turntable. Kwestion (or Kwes) is also a part of the group Skratch Makaniks. Kwestion was a replacement for JMT's previous tour DJ, Drew Dollars, who inexplicably is no longer affiliated with the group."

AMG: "The debut LP from Jedi Mind Tricks (though it appeared on CD only five years later), The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological, and Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness was recorded in the duo's native Philadelphia but bears all the hallmarks of Long Island phantoms Wu-Tang Clan and their masterpiece of dense macabre, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Jedi Mind Tricks producer Stoupe shares with RZA and Scotty Hard the talent of making the unsampleable sound downright catchy, whether it's water drops and warped guitar (for "Chinese Water Torture") or soundtrack music caught halfway between the Italian underworld and a medieval Japanese drama ("The Winds of War"). The rappers, including Stoupe's partner, Ikon, as well as guests like fellow Philly flowmasters Lost Children of Babylon, prove up to the challenge of these difficult productions; it's high praise indeed that they never fail to convince and entertain, even when discussing interstellar spacecraft probes, biochemical molecular structure, or the minutiae of obscure Occidental mythology. It's clear that an earlier CD edition or, at the least, wider distribution upon its original release would've broken Psycho-Social with ease and vaulted the duo beyond the dozens of metaphysical rappers clogging the rap racks during the late '90s. [The 2002 CD issue includes six crucial bonus tracks, which prove the duo had, as early as 1994, staked out ground later occupied by similar crews like Company Flow and Dr. Octagon.] " 4.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jedimindtricks

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?4wmvn2aft0g

Sounds like... Immortal Technique, CunninLynguists

Tags: (Underground) Hip-hop, Rap

Christie Front Drive - Anthology

"Christie Front Drive was an alternative rock/2nd wave emo band formed in Denver in 1993. Citing as influences Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, Buffalo Tom and Drive Like Jehu, the lineup consisted of Ron Marschall (drums), Jason Begin (guitar), Kerry McDonald (bass) and Eric Richter (guitar and vocals)."

Anthology is a collection of Christie Front Drive's earliest material - their first 12" and 7" releases. Despite lacking much variation (once you've heard one song you'll know the format for the ones that follow) Christie Front Drive have one trick that repeatedly works well. Their music has a cathartic and nostalgic feel to it, invoking an emotional response you can't quite put your finger on. Overall, it's an engaging listen which will stir the senses even if the formula for each song starts to wear a little thin by the end. 3.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/christiefrontdrive

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?2c0cddzh2tt

Sounds like... Mineral, Braid

Tags: (2nd wave) emo, alternative rock

Volta Do Mar - 03>98

AMG: "Volta do Mar are part of the same Chicago experimental rock scene that's spawned bands as varied as Don Caballero and the Coctails. The tricky instrumental math rock of 03>98 has much more in common with the former, mixed with the polyrhythmic fearlessness of Tortoise. Much of the album, particularly the frenzied "Sports Conquest," is a showcase for drummer Tony Ceraoulo, who will never go for a simple snare hit if there's room for wanton abuse of a splash cymbal. His unapologetic overplaying isn't really a detriment, however, since the rest of the lineup (a pair of bassists and a single guitarist) prefer tasteful rhythmic and melodic development that has as much in common with mid-period King Crimson as it does the hipper names in post-rock. Refined occasionally to the point of bloodless, but with enough musical depth to skate past the occasional dull patches, this is a cerebral but entertaining listen." 3.5/5

Download: http://www.badongo.com/file/7819920

Volta Do Mar - At the Speed of Light or Day

"Instrumental rockers Volta Do Mar took their name from the Portugese phrase "turn of the sea," a line in a book by José Saramago. Bassists Jeff Wojtsiak and Mike Baldwin, guitarist Phil Taylor, and drummer Tony Ceraoulo all started playing together in various combinations at an early age in Chicago. They started in earnest in 1998, with broad influences from jazz to death metal. Their intricate, jazzy math rock made its debut on a self-titled EP in 2001, followed by a full-length debut, At the Speed of Light or Day, later that year."

AMG: "At the Speed of Light or Day seems to be a rather brain-twisting album. It's complex in its format, with nods towards Chicago underground instrumental music, prog art rock and psychotic jazz. Sometimes it feels as though the album can barely stand on its own weight. And yet it does, and does so with fair modesty and eagerness. It's as though Volta Do Mar begs you to stick your foot out to trip them and they survive even when you do. By no means is this meant to be relaxing or laid-back. Expect to pay attention and have your mind challenged by the intense ferocity of this album. People who desire that next step from Pele, Tortoise, or the Fucking Champs will no doubt be struck with interest by this project." 3.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/voltadomar

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?duf6cyu0zcx

Sounds like... Pele, Oxes, Hella

Tags: Math Rock, Post-Rock, Instrumental

Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow

"Boris is a Japanese rock band formed in 1992. As of 2007, personnel are drummer Atsuo, bassist/guitarist/vocalist Takeshi, and guitarist Wata. While most commonly associated with the doom metal and drone metal scenes, Boris are also renowned for their ability to regularly incorporate elements of many musical genres while maintaining an identifiable sound and quality. Boris have explored psychedelic rock, noise, ambient, sludge rock, post-rock, stoner-rock and hardcore punk, along with more conventional, mainstream rock styles. Named after a song on the The Melvins' Bullhead, Boris formed in 1992 and released their first album Absolutego on their own Fangs Anal Satan label. Since then, they have released 17 studio albums (including Absolutego), and many EPs, 7" singles, and full-length collaborative recordings, on various record labels across the world."

AMG: "What do you get when you pair the most diverse Japanese power trio with one of the same country's most inventive guitarists? Rainbow pairs Boris, a band who makes so many different kind of records — though all of them in their way are "heavy" — and Michio Kurihara from Japan's longest running freak scene band Ghost, who are also known to change sounds, themes and operational M.O.'s each time they record. The end result is a series of psychedelic songs — yes, songs (albeit sung in Japanese with lyric translations in the booklet) — that provide the Boris trio of Takeshi (guitars, bass, vocals), Wata (guitars, vocal, glockenspiel) and Atsuo (drums) an opportunity to do what they do best: invent spooky, time-shifting soundscapes for Kurihara to play off of without drowning in jam band fever. This does not sound like anything from other Japanese bands like Musica Transonic, White Heaven, Mainliner, or Stars. It's a memorable and disciplined series of songs that feel more like something Ghost would do than anything else, but Kurihara is restrained in his primary band behind Masaki Batoh; here he gets to cut loose with some of his more involved six-string freak-outs and electric humbucking sickness. Parts of this set, such as "Starship Narrator," are up-tempo wailers that go right for the heart of the psychedelic beast. Atsuo's drums are heavy in the bottom end, and a muddy, hissy noisescape provides open space for Kurihara's guitar explorations and extreme wah wah pedal, whammy bar, and finger-flying intensity to break the track into pieces with his solo. Beautiful. Contrast this with the next cut, "My Rain," where the soft, melodic interplay of guitars floats over backmasked tape and subtle outside-the-frame distortions. It's simple, beautiful and brief; a break in the Maelstrom. While everything here is worth hearing, especially since the way the tracks are sequenced makes this feel like an album, one tune leading to another, moving forward into an unknown that is sensual, spacious, multi-textured and beautifully articulated. "You Laughed Like a Water Mark," where acoustic guitars, muted drum kit, controlled feedback and Kurihara's fuzz warped guitar cut through the lyric line to underscore and bring home the poignant words. It's poetic, driven and hypnotic in its seeming monotony, though there is so much going on it's impossible to note it all in one listen. "Sweet No. 1" is pure Boris style freak-out sans drone. It's heat-driven rock that pushes Kurihara to let that knife-like tone soar above before he is driven to his wah wah pedal and complemented by Takeshi playing back in call and response. It's freaking nuts. There are vocals but they are more shouted than sung in the heart of the beast that this wailer is. Rainbow is the most cohesive collaboration Boris has ever done. It towers over their recording with Sunn 0))) and is a completely different animal than anything they've done with Merzbow. It's a sign of their sheer musicality and dynamic diversity as a group. As for Kurihara's place, this album was a vehicle for him to shine as a player, as a creator of textures and tensions, but also to engage with a band that fully "gets" his other side apart from Ghost. This is what great, uncompromising neo-psychedelic rock is all about: it draws from the past and points ever forward into the unknown future. " 4.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/borisishuge
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?5tllej2dlr1

Sounds like... Ghost, Fushitsusha, Comets on Fire

Tags: Psychedelic, Experimental, Stoner Rock

Alive and kicking

Ok, I'm back in business. With a fully restored internet connection in my room. Expect lots of golden musical nuggets to be coming your way imminently. Feel free to make any requests, recommendations, (random) comments and such like. Cheers.

Sorry but I'm not dead...

You may have noticed the updates have stopped. This is basically because the useless piece of shit that is the University network has ceased to function in my room so here I am informing you all via a scummy computer in the Biosciences library. See I do care...

Anyway, I hope to be back soon with more brilliant music (or not so brilliant music, depending on your point of view). Until then sit tight. Oh I saw Alexander Tucker and Fuck Buttons last night. I actually arrived early and was queuing and talking with Alex Tucker until the venue eventually let him and his small entourage in to start sound checking. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

Glenn Branca - The Ascension

"Glenn Branca (born October 6, 1948 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is a highly-influential avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternate tuned guitars, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series.

Glenn Branca's compositions center around multiple guitars — four or more, heavily amplified — augmented by a rock-based rhythm section of drums and bass. In later works, the composer began adding other instruments, including mallet guitar, keyboards, and occasionally a second drummer. Branca's minimalist compositions frequently require unusual guitar tunings — more recent works have them strung with two sets of three strings tuned an octave apart. Many of downtown New York City's more notable experimental guitarists have been a part of his ensemble, including Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of the punk rock band Sonic Youth. Branca studied performing arts at Emerson College in Boston."

AMG: "If one chooses to categorize the music on this recording as "rock," this is surely one of the greatest rock albums ever made. But there's the rub. While sporting many of the trappings of the genre — the instrumentation (electric guitars), the rhythms, the volume, and, most certainly, the attitude — there is much about The Ascension that doesn't fit comfortably into the standard definition of the term. Not only does the structure of the compositions appear to owe more to certain classical traditions, including Romanticism, than the rock song form, but Branca's overarching concern is with the pure sound produced, particularly of the overtones created by massed, "out of tune," excited strings and the ecstatic quality that sound can engender in the listener. Though his prior performing experience was with post-punk, no-wave groups like the Static and Theoretical Girls, it could be argued that the true source of much of the music here lies in the sonic experimentation of deep-drone pioneers like La Monte Young and Phil Niblock. Happily, the music is accessible enough that one can jump right in, regardless of one's direction of approach. Branca's band, unlike some of his later enormous ensembles, is relatively modest (four guitars, bass guitar, and drums), so the sound is comparatively clear and each member's contributions may be easily discerned. The chiming notes that begin "The Spectacular Commodity" are allowed to hover in the air, awash in overtones, before being subsumed into a rolling groove that picks up more and more intensity as guitar chords cascade one atop another, threatening to, but never succeeding in, toppling the whole affair. "Structure" plays with sonic torque, whipsawing between two differently stressed voicings of the same theme, pulling them back and forth like taffy. But the title track is both the consummation of the record and the surest indication of Branca's direction in later years. It begins with a marvelously dense haze of ringing guitars, feedback, and percussion, with a foreboding bassline contributing to the strong sense of disorientation. Midway through, it abruptly shifts to harsh blocks of sound over a rapid rhythm, the blocks differing in texture but played in alternating sections, smacking into each other and further heightening the tension. These disparate sounds eventually coalesce into a pure, ringing tone that, over the last minute of the piece, explodes into a spectacular cacophony, a seism of bell tones, microtonal eruptions, and near orgasmic guitar bliss. An absolutely stunning, jaw-dropping performance. Branca's music has served as a major inspiration to many alternative rock bands that surfaced in the '80s and '90s, notably Sonic Youth; both Lee Ranaldo (who plays on this recording) and Thurston Moore were regularly members of his early ensembles. The Ascension, in addition to being an utterly superb album on its own merits, uniquely invites listening from both adventurous rock fans and aficionados of experimental electronic music. For years, the vinyl release on 99 Records, with its stunning cover illustration by Robert Longo, was a highly sought-after collector's item. It was finally issued to compact disc in 1999 by New Tone." 4.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/brancaunofficial

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?feitgwkhcbm

Sounds like... Terry Riley, Luc Ferrari

Tags: Experimental, Avant-garde, No Wave, Contemporary Classical

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I See a Darkness

"Will Oldham, a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (born 24 December 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky), is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Prior to adopting his current moniker, he performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music (1993-1997). Will Oldham is known for his "do-it-yourself punk aesthetic and blunt honesty," and his music has been likened to Americana, folk, roots, country, punk, and indie rock, although Oldham is dissatisfied with these labels: "I don’t think it’s roots music, though it’s definitely influenced by Western popular music." He has been called an "Appalachian post-punk solipsist" and is notable for "his unique voice--a fragile sort-of warble frittering around haunted melodies in the American folk or country tradition."

AMG: "Bonnie "Prince" Billy's album I See a Darkness seems to pick up where Will Oldham's 1997 album Joya left off; a more melodic style than the veteran Palace listener might be used to. Oldham definitely hasn't abandoned his foundation of mordant lyrics and minimalist arrangements, but he has built a variety of different layers that make this album an emotional and pleasurable listening experience. In "Nomadic Revery," Oldham draws upon his classic Appalachian sound; it's the kind of song that begs you to join in. Oldham has always given the kind of energy to his character's voices that most people are afraid to relate to. This is all too evident in "Death to Everyone," Oldham punches out his bitter poetry in his most somber voice. The album takes its most surprising turn on "Madeleine-Mary," a Celtic-style folk song set to a Rastafarian guitar sound. "Today I Was an Evil One" introduces a horn section that drives home his morbid words in a strangely elegant manner. The album closes with a short and rare love song called "Raining in Darling"; Oldham stretches his voice to its most impressive limits, and the number is touching and hopeful." 5/5

Myspace: www.myspace.com/princebonniebilly
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?fgqq0zdwxja

Sounds like... Smog, Songs: Ohia

Tags: Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Alt-Country

Polvo - Today's Active Lifestyles

"Polvo are an influential indie noise rock band of the 1990s from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. The band was fronted by vocalist/guitarist Ash Bowie and guitarist Dave Brylawski. Eddie Watkins played drums, and Steve Popson played bass guitar. Polvo are considered one of the key proponents of a genre which came to be known as math rock. Their sound was defined by complex and dissonant guitar harmonies and driving rhythm, complementing Bowie's cryptic, often surrealist lyrics. So unpredictable and angular was their sound that the band's guitarists were often accused of failing to play with correctly-tuned guitars. Polvo's songs and artwork frequently featured Asian/"exotic" themes and references. The band's name means "dust" in Spanish; in Spain it also is a slang word for sex."

AMG: "Never a band to follow formulaic musical styles, Polvo once again shakes things up with its twisted song structures of multiple tempos and intricate, distorted guitars. Today's Active Lifestyles goes from the raucous "Thermal Treasure," with its tangled guitars, into the meandering "Lazy Comet," with its singsong, rhyming lyrics, to the spare, melancholy "My Kimono," which features a solo by guitarist Ash Bowie. And that's just the album's first three songs! The band experiments with several ideas throughout the album, and each concept is successful. The album ranges from cascading guitar solos in "Stinger (Five Wigs)" to the straightforward "Tilebreaker" to the catchy, rolling, keyboard-punctuated "Time Isn't on My Side." Overall, it's an excellent album with many layers. You can listen to it over and over again and still catch new things going on in every song." 4/5

Myspace: www.myspace.com/polvotheband

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?8amyd3tyjm4

Sounds like... June of 44, Slint, Drive Like Jehu

Tags: Math Rock, Alternative, Experimental

Merzbow - Metamorphism

"Merzbow (メルツバウ) is an extreme experimental music project created in Tokyo, Japan in 1979 under the direction of musician Masami Akita (秋田昌美) and is recognized as being one of the earliest projects in what has become known as the 'Japanese noise scene'. Highly prolific, Merzbow has released over 300 CDs, LPs and cassettes since 1979."



AMG: "There is no need to argue: Merzbow stands as the most important artist in noise music. The favorite moniker of Japanese Masami Akita appears on hundreds of albums. The name comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' famous work "Merzbau," which he also called "The Cathedral of Erotic Misery." Akita's choice reflects his fondness for junk art (through Schwitters' collage method) and his fascination with ritualized eroticism, namely in the form of fetishism and bondage. All these elements constitute the Merzbow persona. Akita was born in Tokyo in 1956. He grew up with psychedelic rock and began to play the guitar in progressive rock cover bands, in particular with drummer Kiyoshi Mizutani, who would remain a frequent collaborator. After high school, Akita studied literature and visual arts in college. There he discovered free jazz and studied seriously the ideas of Dada and the surrealists (Salvador Dali remained a big influence). Akita gradually withdrew himself from the rock scene and began experimenting in his basement with broken tape recorders and feedback."



Metamorphism was limited to 1000 copies with the first 500 being packaged in a heavy duty marble box. Metamorphism is a powerfully emotional, violently painful, and strangely ambient work. Fused from deep and loud pulses, Merzbow proceeds to wrap all sorts of whistling and buzzing, some abstract guitar strumming and chaotic sheets of static and ear-splitting metallic scrapes over the carefully constructed rhythm. 3/5



Myspace: www.myspace.com/merzbow

Download: http://www.badongo.com/file/7670485


Sounds like... Masonna, Goverment Alpha


Tags: Noise, Experimental

Chapterhouse - Whirlpool

"Five rail-thin longhairs from Reading, England, Chapterhouse was first linked to the space rock likes of Spacemen 3 and Loop — the connection with the former being inextricable during the band's youngest months, thanks in part to vocal support from Sonic Boom. Early on, the two bands also shared the same management and gigged together. As the years transpired, Chapterhouse would eventually be identified as a shoegaze band, thrown in with the so-called "Scene That Celebrates Itself ". Chapterhouse could switch from bliss to dread in an instant, with steady downpours of guitars and buried vocals that were either phased into haunting drones or ecstatic rushes of melodic noise."

AMG: "Victim of a double whammy — caught in the already building backlash to the shoegazer scene at home and completely ignored in the States, as was just about anything else British — once Nevermind and Ten hit the charts Chapterhouse's album debut could have, and should have, won a bigger name for itself. At once more dance-flirting and garage-punky than most recordings by other My Bloody Valentine obsessives that emerged in the early '90s, though suffering the same underplaying in the vocal department, Whirlpool builds nicely on the three earlier EP releases with a similar sense of "what the hey — if it works, try it." As an album, it doesn't per se connect as a unified piece — the final track listing comes from a variety of recording sessions with a large number of producers and remixers, including Robin Guthrie, Stephen Hague, John Fryer, and Ralph Jezzard. As a collection of mostly killer tracks, though, this is mighty fine. "Breather" kicks it off with a rushing shudder that mixes its acoustic and electric guitars well, while "Pearl" throws in trancey beats, John Bonham samples, and some fine art-glazed feedback riffs to create as perfect a nugget of the era as any. "Falling Down" has similar heavy-groove action to it, Madchester as played by Loop. Other highlights are more strictly rocky, like the slow-build/rave-up/freak-out/repeat "Autosleeper" and "April," with a big guitar wash up and out through the length of the song. A gentler version of early track "Something More" closes the album well; the overall effect is strong promise for whatever would come next." 4/5

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Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/chapterhouseinmyspace

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?1e5m0xyitov

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Sounds like... Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, Ride

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Tags: Shoegaze

Hella - Hold Your Horse Is

"Hella is a musical duo from Nevada City, California. They play a technical blend of math rock, noise rock and avant-garde. The primary members of the band are Spencer Seim on electric guitar and Zach Hill on drums (although both are multi-instrumentalists). In 2005, the band expanded their live band by adding Dan Elkan on vocals, rhythm guitar, and synth and Jonathan Hischke on bass guitar. In 2006 Dan Elkan and Jonathan Hischke left the group. The new line-up includes the additions of Josh Hill, Carson McWhirter (of The Advantage) and Aaron Ross."

AMG: "Very few groups have the ability to pull off instrumentals as abstract, as unforgettably chaotic, or as decidedly original as does Hella. The spazz-core style contained within the nine tracks of Hold Your Horse Is is a beauty to behold, yet is certainly not for the meek or close-minded. It should be known that these nine songs are purely instrumentals, that no vocalization is needed, and that no matter what you have heard before, Hella is bound to make an impression you won't soon forget. The enjoyable cataclysm of sound seems to come from a whole orchestra of musicians, yet this wild album was in fact created by only two people, Spencer Selm and Zach Hill. Drawing on classic rock, jazz, electronica, and hundreds of other influences that would take too long to list, Hella has perhaps outdone itself, as Hold Your Horse Is happens to be an album there simply could never be a sequel to. Those familiar with the progressive rock group Dredg may enjoy the hectic sonatas conjured up by Hella, as it is certainly an artistic vision that launches this duo's creative force to weave such intricate, spastic tunes. One of the most intriguing things about this album is that, if you strip away most of it and just listen to the core guitar/drum combination, each song is a solid tune, complete with direction and melody. The way Hill and Selm conceal detailed avant-garde musical emotion beneath a churning veil of noise could be considered brilliant. Unfortunately, this also could be deemed nothing more than two individuals tinkering with their instruments and calling the mangled mess of sound music. Those who think that way should avoid Hella, but those listeners who are a bit more adventurous and interested in hearing a group that is deftly original and remarkably skilled should check out Hold Your Horse Is." 4.5/5

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Myspace: www.myspace.com/hellaband

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?fzy54a9fjz6

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Sounds like... Lightning Bolt, Don Caballero, Maps and Atlases

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Tags: Noise Rock, Math Rock, Experimental, Avant-garde

Deerhoof - The Runners Four

"Deerhoof is a San Francisco musical group, currently consisting of Satomi Matsuzaki (usually vocals and bass), John Dieterich (usually guitar) and Greg Saunier (usually drums). Although typically classified as noise rock, or indie rock due to their having been on an indie rock label (Kill Rock Stars) for the entirety of their career, the mercurial and unconventional nature of Deerhoof's music makes genre identification difficult. But several recurring features can be said to constitute Deerhoof's distinctive sound: unassuming vocal delivery set against hyper-expressive instrumental playing; an elastic approach to group dynamics and rhythm more akin to the rubato of classical music performance practice than rock; odd yet highly memorable melodies; harmonic sophistication and dissonance; disjointed, condensed, asymmetrical and otherwise unconventional song structures; raw and at times strident sound surfaces; improvisation; and general creative restlessness."

AMG: "After seven albums' worth of gleeful pandemonium, Deerhoof calm things down a bit with The Runners Four, a collection of songs that are even more restrained than Milk Man and the Green Cosmos EP. Perhaps trying for the unpredictability of their earlier work got too, well, predictable for the band. Even though the manic intensity that characterized work like Reveille is missed a little here, The Runners Four is still a far cry from typical indie rock; in fact, it sounds more like one of Deerhoof's older albums played at half-speed than anything else. Most importantly, the joyful creativity that radiates from all of the band's other work is here in spades, too: it's hard not to smile at "Twin Killers"' zigzagging riffs or "Scream Team"'s giddy, girl-boy vocals. At the beginning of the album, there's more of an emphasis on pretty, relatively gentle songs like "Chatterboxes," "Odyssey," and "Vivid Cheek Love Song," although even these tracks have enough shifts in tempo and dynamics to prove that they're the work of Deerhoof. However, as The Runners Four unfolds, it gets progressively louder and more overtly playful, with "Spirit Ditties of No Tone," "Lightning Rod, Run," and "O'Malley, Former Underdog" providing some of the album's most irresistible moments. By the time "You're Our Two" and "Rrrrrrright" close out the album, Deerhoof are back to the sugar-buzzing rock of their early days. In between these extremes are the pretty pop of "Running Thoughts" and noisy, experimental cuts such as "Midnight Bicycle Mystery" and "Bone-Dry," which recalls the more elliptical moments of Deerhoof offshoot Curtains. While it's not as clearly conceptual as Milk Man was, The Runners Four also seems to tell an extended, if fractured, story involving murderous twin beauties, spies, pirates, and smugglers. There's a lot to look and listen for in The Runners Four; it's Deerhoof's longest, most eclectic work yet, and more proof that the band can expand its sound without losing what makes it special." 4.5/5

Myspace: www.myspace.com/deerhoof

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?e1whffx2wd2

Sounds like... Animal Collective, Yo La Tengo, Liars

Tags: Experimental, Noise Rock, Alternative

Dälek - Abandoned Language

"Dälek (pronounced 'Die-a-leck') is an alternative hip hop duo from Newark, NJ. The group comprises MC Dälek (vocals) and the Oktopus (production). They have often toured with artists from radically different genres, such as Godflesh, Isis, Prince Paul, The Melvins, De La Soul, and Lovage.

Dälek's music is dark, noisy and atmospheric, equally inspired by industrial music like Einstürzende Neubauten, the layered noise of My Bloody Valentine and the dense sound collages of Public Enemy. Their sound is often constructed through sampling and a musical base atypical of most hip-hop, making it difficult for people to classify their sound."

AMG: "On their fourth record, Abandoned Language, electronica- and progressive-minded rap group Dälek continues their exploration of the netherworlds of hip-hop, where dark, plodding, sewer-gas production churns with MC/producer dälek's nearly spoken rhymes. Beats are moody and delicately urgent, live strings and horns mix in with hollow drums and delayed keyboard chords, and everything is very purposeful, even in the occasional cacophony that folds itself out from amid the slow melody. The same attention to detail and effect is given to the lyrics, which again and again return to the idea of language, both oral and written. It's not a concept album, but it has definite themes that it examines. "The tongues I speak intrinsic/Linguistics lodged in larynx made the words you spit transparent," dälek rhymes in "Isolated Stare," where he hails the power of communication and its ability to guide and direct, while on "Bricks Crumble," he recognizes its longevity, how it can remain while the physical inevitably cannot. "Words strengthen emotions they foster/Bricks crumble under feet of this author," he says, acknowledging that even he is reduced to transience while what he writes goes on. But the MC, despite the fact that his career revolves around his syntactical ability, is also aware of language's limitations. The songs on the album have much more time and space dedicated to instrumental wanderings than to words — "Lynch," in fact, has no lyrics at all — as if he and co-producer Oktopus realize that there are things that just can't be said, that are better conveyed through notes and chords, that sometimes "tongues stick" and stories are "scripted" and "the words we speak are mad tarnished," that mortality and flawed humanity get in the way of pure communication. This certainly is the cause of some conflict for Dälek, heard in the way the saxophones twist with the violins, in the way the vocals distort and fade out, a conflict that is never quite resolved. Instead, the album does what all great art does: guides its audience without giving them concrete answers (or even directions), forcing them to think for themselves instead of blindly following others, and eventually leading them, hopefully, to some kind of greater, albeit more complex, understanding of things." 4.5/5

Myspace: www.myspace.com/dalek
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?avxxykbwumy

Sounds like... cLOUDEAD, Cannibal Ox

Tags: Hip-hop, Experimental, Industrial

Bardo Pond - Lapsed

"Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger (flute and vocals), Clint Takeda (bass guitar), Ed Farnsworth (drums), and Aaron Igler (synth/electronics). Bardo Pond's drug-inspired music is often classified as space rock, acid rock, post-rock, dream pop, noise or psychedelic rock. Many Bardo Pond album titles have been derived from the names of esoteric psychedelic substances. Their sound has been likened to Pink Floyd, Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine amongst others. Allmusic describes Bardo Pond as having "lengthy, deliberate sound explorations filled with all the hallmarks of modern-day space rock: droning guitars, thick distortion, feedback, reverb, and washes of white noise."

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AMG: "With each successive album, Bardo Pond continues to reshape and refine their monolithic sound, drawing ever closer to the oxymoronic ideal of controlled chaos that their brand of supreme noise seems to promise. Lapsed doesn't reach that holy grail, but it takes the group to a new level regardless, expanding into new dimensions of cacophony while sharpening the focus of their music to reflect an increasing emphasis on shape and form; the tension between the melodies of songs like "Pick My Brain," "Flux," and the epic closer "Aldrin" and the feverish blasts of noise which ultimately erupt from them is electrifying. The achievement of Lapsed is that for the first time, it's possible not merely to get lost in Bardo Pond's music, but to let it actually lead you somewhere as well — certainly a trip well worth taking." 4.5/5

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Myspace: www.myspace.com/bardopond

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?cs1ruld1fgu

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Sounds like... My Bloody Valentine, Flying Saucer Attack, Spacemen 3

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Tags: Psychedelic, Space Rock, Shoegaze

Converge - Jane Doe

"Converge is a prolific four-piece American hardcore/metalcore band, formed in 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of extreme metal and hardcore punk, this pioneer punk metal outfit helped define a lot of the rudiments of the fast-burgeoning metalcore and mathcore genres."

AMG: "With the 2001 release of their fourth official studio album, Converge has put the final sealing blow on their status as a legend in the world of metallic hardcore. A relatively logical extension from the chain of events that led from Halo in a Haystack up to their split LP with Agoraphoric Nosebleed, Jane Doe seems completely watertight and flawless. Their churning, chaotic guitars are more dense and layered — fleshed out. Jakob Bannon's vocals seem somehow even more raw in the right places, more beautiful and ethereal in the others. Rhythms are as hectic and ADD-driven as ever, ripping back and forth, locking into mindless grooves, and then blurting back out in a structured mess. Experimentation with texture and mood unravels itself throughout the 12 tracks, yet maintains some cohesive element of undefined focus. Throughout all of the morphing and movement, some element of feeling remains, insisting that this album is an experience — an encyclopedic envelopment of so much at once." 5/5

Myspace: www.myspace.com/converge

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?3xuxm2bougj

Sounds like... Botch, The Dillinger Escape Plan

Tags: Hardcore, Metal

Black Dice - Broken Ear Record

"Black Dice is a noise rock/experimental band based in Brooklyn, New York, USA. They formed in Spring 1997 at the Rhode Island School of Design and are currently signed to Paw Tracks. The group began as a harsh, noisy thrash outift, with a sound far different from the more psychedelic leanings of the last few albums. The release of Broken Ear Record in 2005 and Manoman in 2006 saw the band innovating once again, incorporating elements of Afrobeat and breakbeat into their releases."

AMG: "In the last few years, Black Dice have built an insular world of future imperfect electronic clatter, cosmic guitar, and tribal chattering. The latest report in their ongoing tale is Broken Ear Record. It's less glossy than either of its full-length predecessors, Beaches and Canyons (2002) or Creature Comforts (2004), and in addition to a bit of grit there is a stronger rhythmic center to what is happening here as well. Nowhere is the pulse more apparent than on album-opener "Snarly Yow," which builds around a distorted electro synthesizer line before erupting into harsh electronics and an insistent four-on-the-floor beat. But the Dice are too self-conscious to let it last for long, and soon they're back to riding alternating currents over plateaus of frosted guitar delays and sine squelches. Suffice to say, there's a lot going on here, even within a single track. The only other track to lean as heavily on a drum machine is "Smiling Off"; otherwise, it's the usual bleeping, rumbling blissness that the Dice pull off time after time with deceptive ease. However, the tribal heartbeat of album closer "Motorcycle" indicates that even in the nearly lawless, Lord of the Flies world of Black Dice, a little discipline in necessary now and again." 4/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/blackdicemyspace

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?b2vmt0mxjz0

Sounds like... Wolf Eyes, Boredoms, Lightning Bolt

Tags: Experimental, Noise, Electronic, Psychedelic

Orchid - Live Set

I AM NIETZCHE!!!! I AM NIETZCHE!!!!

Possibly the most intense band ever. Listening to Orchid is like duct-taping a grenade to each ear and pulling out the pins. Their harsh, abrasive sound isn't for everyone but for emotional, chaotic hardcore there were few, if any, equals.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/chaosisorchid
Download video: http://www.mediafire.com/?f2jzdcvmznt

Albums, EP's etc. on the way in the future. Stay tuned.

Tags: Hardcore, Screamo

Bedhead - What Fun Life Was

"Bedhead was a Texas-based indie rock band active in the 1990s (1991-1998). Bedhead's music was generally subdued, with a polyphonic sound based on the interlocking of single-line melodies played by three electric guitars and one electric bass guitar (often played with a capo), nearly always using clean (undistorted) tones, prompting comparisons to the Velvet Underground. The group's vocals were often delivered in such a low key manner that they were quite difficult to decipher. This unusual sound was dubbed by some critics as "slowcore", referring to the slow tempos of many of the band's songs, though the band's members objected to the labeling in interviews. In reality, many of the group's songs do not remain slow and quiet throughout, instead beginning very slowly and quietly and gradually building in intensity and volume. Bedhead also experimented with time signatures less commonly used in rock music, by playing some songs in 6/8 or 3/4 meter."

AMG: "It didn't seem like it at the time, but with the appearance of this, Bedhead's debut, and Low's own first album some months later, the zeitgeist of post-grunge indie rock started to shift toward something more reflective and restrained. Not that WhatFunLifeWas doesn't steer clear of loud moments, to be sure; many of the songs use swelling transitions from quieter to noisier performance and back, all while avoiding the abrupt soft-loud-soft cliché of the time. However, even at the band's most explosive, there's less a sense of getting ripped out of your head on sound than there is a tension between steady, careful performance (drummer Martinez especially so) and more wide-ranging power. The various comparisons to the Velvet Underground, Joy Division, and Spacemen 3 all make a certain sense, but even at this early stage of the band's life, Bedhead have much more of an individual sensibility, something that fuses and looks beyond rather than simply rehashing. Things sometimes can be a touch more playful than expected — "To the Ground" is almost jaunty — but otherwise the moods are calm and often blue, and a large part of that lies in the singing. Matt Kadane's soft, understated semi-drawl doesn't slot easily into comparisons, and its contrast with the band's music is often striking. "Haywire," an epic guitar blast with an almost giddy surge to music and performance, gets additional intensity against Kadane's barely-there vocals. In the quieter moments, like the openings of "Crushing" or even more so, the flat-out lovely "Powder," the intensity level is ratcheted even higher; the overall performance is not so much easy listening as it is a prompting to listeners, who must lean forward to catch everything. Add the intertwined guitar work of both Kadane brothers, who combine power and control excellently, and listeners need ask for little more." 4.5/5

Myspace: www.myspace.com/whatfunlifewas

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?4txgnwagiaj

Sounds like... Low, Codeine, Galaxie 500

Tags: Slowcore

Sickboy - Swinging in the Rain 12"

"Sickboy Milkplus is the performing name of Antwerp, Belgium based breakcore producer Jurgen Desmet. He got the name Sickboy as a dj name and started producing/designing his own music as Milkplus. About his fascination with some specific book and film he says: "I think the way Clockwork Orange glorifies violence is, eh, fun". Sickboy's style can best be described as soundclash or mash-up breakcore, throwing together samples from the most diverse sources alongside some heavy kickdrums and basslines to make you shiver. He sees his music as a direct attack at pop music, copyrights and commerce."

Samples galore in this frantic, hard-hitting vinyl release. A small slice of skull-smacking Sickboy action. Play loud for maximum impact. 3.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/milkplussickboy

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?dey4z0tnx1d

Sounds like... Venetian Snares, Aphex Twin, μ-ziq, Squarepusher

Tags: Mash-up, Breakcore, Electronic

Burial - Untrue

"Untrue is the second album by the anonymous dubstep producer known as Burial. It was released on 5 November 2007 as a 13-track Digipack CD and a nine-track 2xLP from which some of the beatless pieces were edited. The album received a large amount of praise from many publications: It was named the 2nd best album of 2007 by The Wire, the 8th by Tiny Mix Tapes, and 10th by Pitchfork Media. It is also the top rated album of 2007 according to the review averaging website, Metacritic."

AMG: "Untrue finds its anonymous producer streamlining the varied approach of his debut, resulting is a uniform collection of tracks that are subtly evolving variations of each other. Following an untitled, foreboding intro, Untrue kicks off with the simply melodic "Archangel" and culminates 45 minutes later with the majestic "Raver," a summary conclusion. There aren't any MC-featuring tracks such as "Spaceape" as there were on the debut, nor is there any hard-hitting tech-step à la "Southern Comfort"; instead, every track on Untrue seems cut of the same cloth, emphasizing ghostly vocal loops, shadowy ambient motifs, and the warped rhythmic signatures of 2-step. One of the key highlights is "Ghost Hardware," the closest the album comes to genuine dance music. It's followed by another standout, "Endorphin," an ambient interlude that shimmers for three minutes, entirely free of beats, before the sub-frequency bassline of "Etched Headplate," one of the album's most melodic and memorable songs, cuts through the stillness. Untrue is most evocative when listened to in sequence, for the moods and characteristics of each track evolve as the album progresses. Once "Raver" brings the proceedings to a close, though, it's the overall impression of the Untrue that stays with you, more so than any particular tracks. If you can appreciate the style of dubstep employed by Burial, it's easy to fall head over heels for Untrue, an album on which there are absolutely no mainstream-crossover concessions, no ego trips, and no willful stylistic variation — an album where the music, a singular style of it, takes center stage with no distractions or sideshows, where there's never the urge to skip to the next track, because they're all part and parcel of the greater whole." 4.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/burialuk

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?ey2znvvjym4

Sounds like... Massive Attack, Portishead, Skream, Boxcutter

Tags: Dubstep, Trip-hop, Electronic, Ambient

Sans Arc - When Eye Meets Eye

"Sans Arc is a project that creates dense, atmospheric, and moving music that will immerse listeners in layers of sound consisting mainly of (many) guitars, bass, synth, programmed and looped drums, vocals and numerous other common and uncommon instruments."

Sans Arc created one of my most listened to albums of 2007 with "When Eye Meets Eye". Their fusion of shoegaze and electronica to create highly emotive and interesting soundscapes really held my attention. The first half of the album is simply stunning containing some of my favourite electronic tracks of the year. The album, as a whole, is not especially varied but what Sans Arc do, they do well. Very well. This may explain why the third of the album doesn't quite strike me in the same way and occasionally drags a little. It's similar to what's come before it except not quite as good. Not as though there's any shame in that. 4.5/5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sansarc
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?dgzb1ory2cv

Sounds like... Mogwai, Slowdive, Sigur Ros, Cocteau Twins, The Silent Type, Crooked Fingers, The Appleseed Cast

Tags: Ambient, Electronic, Shoegaze, Post-rock