TONEwood's Top 10 Albums of 2019

While preparing the write-up for my top 10 albums of 2019, I realised that most of the albums I had listened to only really felt like top 10 material because, as a whole, I haven't felt very strongly about many releases this year.

I had looked forward to the new albums by Tinariwen, The Budos Band, Death Hawks, Lord Gore, Power Glove, Black Mountain, Grand Magus, and more. But they all sounded aggressively "okay" to my ears.

So, rather than doing an elaborate triple-entendre of top 10 metal and top 10 non-metal albums and runner-ups like I normally would, I ended up deciding on a more concise 10 album format with 5 runner-ups.

From Dungeons Deep - Out September 3rd 2018

Dungeon Synth Compilation Out Soon!
For the uninitiated dungeon synth may seem like just another arbitrary micro genre, but this brand of dark dungeon music is so much more. Taking cues from everything from classic 90s black metal over obscure 8- and 16-bit video games to fantasy roleplaying games and literature, dungeon synth came from humble origins and has since blossomed into a large community, spanning a great deal of influences, styles and sounds.

Dual Cassette Attack - Out July 16th!

New tapes out soon on TONEwood!

On July 16th TONEwood is releasing TT8-1 and TT9-1. The first of those will be Hiemal's 2017 one-track 40 minute album Vespéral, and the latter is Monarch's 2010 EP Netherthrone.

TONEwood's Top 10 Non-Metal Albums of 2017

They say variety is the spice of life. For years heavy metal has been my go-to music style, and to this day it remains the style that I consume the most of. But even if heavy metal has numerous very different subgenres, there always manages to sneak a bunch of very un-metal albums into my consciousness. These are the Top 10 non-metal albums from 2017 according to the Gospel of TONE.

Bonobo: "Migration"

Deeply personal compositions which should appeal to audiophiles and substance-freaks alike

Though Bonobo has already cemented his place among the greatest of chilled out electronica, he drives this placement home fifty times over with his newest opus, Migration. As if the works of Bonobo didn't already suggest it, the title of the newest album also suggest that this composer isn't keeping still when it comes to style and genre. Migration is simplistic yet swelling, not quite as fuzzy as, say, Black Sands, but he definitely keeps to his own general aesthetic, perhaps only more substantial and fine-tuned this time around.

2016 Top 10 - Part III: The EP Top 5

Arguably I haven't listened to that many EPs in 2016 - And the best ones seem to have been classified as demos, which is another Top List entirely! For a relatively short list there is still something for everyone. A little metal, a little funk, a little something-something. The choices for Top 5 EPs of 2016 are as follows:

2016 Top 10 - Part II: The Non-Metal Part

Here is the second Top 10 for 2016 - The non-metal part. Again, there has been several worthy contenders, and some must be left out. After all, there's not much sense in the end of the year list if you're not forced to make some choices. And in 2016, these choices are as follows:

Somnam: "Melancholy's Masquerade"

Appealingly demented ventures into electronics and ambience

Somnam began some time back in 2005 in Finland, but the one-man project has miraculously endured the passing of time with bravour, having released a full length album as recently as 2015.

Nite Funk: "Nite-Funk"

Night-time funk for your favourites-list

The heavenly match that the world deserves, Nite Funk is the union of singer/keyboardist Nite Jewel and jack-of-all-trades Dâm-Funk. The Nite-Funk EP cleverly and seamlessly combine elements of retro and modern in a mix that could best be described as half funky retro disco and half post-modern vocal pop.

Nicola Cruz: "Prender El Alma"

The ethnotronic El Dorado the world has been waiting for

Ecuadorian musician Nicola Cruz' musical upbringing in both Western and traditional folkloric tunes serves him very well on his first full length record, Prender El Alma. Though he started out as a percussionist before becoming the electronic music producer and DJ that he is today, his music is still tightly bound to flexible rhythmics. Cruz testified that his ambition for the album was to be a direct result of his many years of musical exploration, and in that I would say he succeeds.

The Living Dead of Film Scores

The Living Dead of Film Scores

or: The Lasting Appeal and Influence of Horror Film Soundtracks

There is no way around it. The soundtracks and scores for films are among the most powerful pop-cultural rallying points, and have remained so for quite some time. In many ways they help define generations, while in other cases they transcend age groups. John Williams' Star Wars theme seems to be the prime example - Literally anyone knows it right off the bat. Let It Go from 2013’s smash hit Frozen lingers too, and will in all likelihood be this generation's Circle of Life (from The Lion King, duh).

John Carpenter: "Lost Themes II"

The Master of Horror returns with an album both ambitious and extrovert

John Carpenter's films have power and force even just by visual means. Add to his claustrophobic, impactful cinematography those chilling, minimalistic synthpieces he - often in collaboration with Alan Howarth - conjured up, and you've got a recipe for films that not only stand the test of time, but have also influenced countless of other filmmakers and musicians in a great variety of genres over the years. Though Carpenter is in some way retired from filmmaking, he has been keeping busy with music instead. 2015 saw his debut non-soundtrack album, Lost Themes, with the follow up album, Lost Themes II, coming out in 2016.

Slasher Dave: "Exorcisms"

In the name of John Carpenter and Fabio Frizzi, repent!

It is no secret that Slasher Dave, known to some as one of the founding members of Detroit psychedelic death and doom metal outfit Acid Witch, is a connoisseur of old school horror films and sleaze flicks. Other than his terror-inducing escapades with Acid Witch, Horrific and more, he's been releasing his inner darkness through his solo project for a while now. Just from looking at the immensely evocative artwork and the title in dripping blood red lettering. Guess which film inspired this album.

Den Sorte Skole: "Indians & Cowboys"

Den Sorte Skole stand out through the complete dedication to their craft - This is REAL DJ'ing!

Every so often an act pops up that is so tenacious, different and well-crafted that you can do nothing more than stare in awe at what you've come across. Den Sorte Skole from Denmark are one such act, and though they've only been around in this incarnation since 2004, their legacy is already mindblowing. They started out as pioneers of Danish mash-up DJ'ing, captivating audiences with unlikely combinations, but ultimately evolved into the form we see before us today: The duo that sample their way through the history of music.

E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr: "Spiralo"

A journey to 70s Germany with a group of Finns as tour-guides

Some claim that the German music style known af Krautrock (and to an extent the various subgenres the Kraut movement spawned) never quite went out of style. Though Tangerine Dream's mastermind Edgar Froese passed away not too long ago, the group was active right until his death. Others like Klaus Schulze (of Ash Ra Tempel) and the band Faust are still going strong, as if they've forgotten about the passage of time. In addition newer groups are crawling forth from various scenes all over the world, inspired in some degree by the landmark German movement.