Yodh (2016)

Yodh's atmosphere comes along with its songs, rather than being written into them, which means that it is refreshingly devoid of cued ambient bits and post-rock influences (yay!!!!!!). It is ugly and beautiful all at once and this is achieved through the spontaneous act of making, not some compositional contrivance. In an interview with Stara Rzeka the musician opines that black metal and doom metal are devoid of testosterone and more "like a ghost" than anything, which is something I clicked with right away and recalled when listening to Yodh- it is unapologetically a genre piece, but the band finds a ghostly sadness within this, leaving no need for counterpoint

bandcamp

A single person is missing for you, and the whole world is empty (2016)

The Body announced that this would be their pop album and they absolutely were not kidding! Like a productive rapper, each of the band's output is to a large extent determined by whoever they've collaborated with in bringing it about, and whereas their (very good) collaboration with Full of Hell this year had The Body playing 'weird' as a foil, No One Deserves Happiness shifts the focus of their electronics from doomy atmospherics (e.g. handled by The Haxan Cloak) to dorky weird preset keys and sound effects, handled by I'm not sure who, maybe the band themselves. It's full of beats and jarring keyboards, and even reminds of The Ark Work in places for its glaring lack of interest in subsuming bedroom midi bits into a serious metal sound-world, but goes the extra step (forward or backward? I still can't tell) of still containing those serious metal sounds, and in The Body's case, arty excursions and weird collages to go with their very very (very) real fear of being human.

Thinking about Tim Hecker, Andy Stott, and Klara Lewis' 2016 albums there seems to be a trend in electronic music towards untreated sounds and textures (following from 2013's R Plus Seven and Yeezus), even within 'dark' electronics (where the sources have traditionally gone invisible). The Body noticed and consequently No One Deserves Happiness is as bizarre, 'contemporary', and bring the noise spontaneous as one could ever desire.

bandcamp / -o- / thrilljockey / norman

Pèkisyon Funebri (2016)

Segondè Saleco saw Mohammad's landscape trilogy to a close with abstracted elemental power- sounds were processed so that they did not have a human cause- they emerged vibrating with the inevitability of seismic activity rather than some musical composition. Pèkisyon Funebri is free from this conceit but of course the discoveries made through it have become Mohammad's sound, meaning that we are still hearing tones and textures and processing them through space and duration (which is what gives them this imagined physical quality), while Mohammad also allow themselves parts and passages where we can hear the instrument being played (!). The piano in Az álmok itt érnek véget (rész 3) feels earned, while the opening of Qoxra and voices of Ankourajman remind us that rather than being used simply to pigeonhole, Mohammad's music has been described as both metal and folk to better understand their sounds and concepts ('the elemental')- these moments are heavy metal both quieter and louder than expected, and the cello screech in the latter humanises the group which again tends to (obsessively) sound anything but. On that last one the music was neither dark nor light but indifferent as the landscape it was evoking, but Pèkisyon Funebri veers into both doom and sentiment- its grandiose abstractions become metaphysical (rather than superphysical) and its human moments jolt us into the present- this is our funerary passage

stream / buy

PERISH (2013)

I love a good scream and it's a shame that in becoming a sort of staple of heavy music, it's so often reduced to something mechanical, obligatory, or matter-of-fact. Like the distorted guitar, it's frequently used without reflection, missing its potential for the simple empathetic transmission of feels from musician to listener. This year two albums (at least) have re-examined this potential (direct-expression-of-human-suffering-or-feeling)- Master, We Perish and Abandon, returning the scream to something startling, physical, and abstract- my first holy fuck that's a scream moment being the first time I heard Milk It having bought In Utero 'cause it was cheaper, and the nonsense line "doll steak, test meat" meaning infinitely more than any of the singer's sung poetics. On Master, We Perish I'm reminded of the guy singing for Weakling, shrieking in agony trying make his way out of the band's whirlwind of brootal noise. It's importantly human as the instruments shift and change- a tribal drum could turn into a jackhammer, and other voices seem disembodied- whether original or sampled, they become part of Master, We Perish's noisy collage. Vocals more typical of the slightly misleading 'sludge' tag might make it sound entirely like music in a blender, but the ones they've gone for seem to react to the collage's themes of devotion and ritual suicide (rather than say glamorizing or condoning these things), giving everything a real human consequence. The EP is a triumph of efficiency, the band do just about everything they need to in only three songs and each works for its own specific reasons. Also I really like this (is it real?):

bluecollar / insound / mega

The End (2013)

Campbell Kneale (Birchville Cat Motel) farewells Black Boned Angel, his less prolific (only (at least) an album or ep (or both) a year!) genre project (whereas BCM seemed to deal nonspecifically with anything 'abstract'), the genre being drone doom metal. He employs a three step process to let it go without freaking him or his audience out too much- summarization, play, open-ended conclusion. All three components head toward the same point, that being mental/emotional transcendence. Even its most oppressive sounds let the hopeful ones escape and flourish, not competing but working together as they knowingly build Black Boned Angel's final work and ode to the coexistence of beauty, ugliness, hope, sadness, lightness, and heaviness in the best music of this kind.

try / thrill jockey

THE PEARL V2 (2013)

Ensemble Pearl is a group consisting of Stephen O'Malley, Atsuo, Michio Kurihara, and William Herzog. Other than Kurihara, all of these people played on Altar. The group's name comes from a Brian Eno and Harold Budd album from 1984 called The Pearl. On The Pearl, the musicians played quietly and sparsely to give silences a presence and make every detail equally important. Rather than being cosmic, its trick was focus. A microscope rather than a telescope, the effect was nontraditionally or obversely sublime. Ensemble Pearl was conceived by O'Malley as a commission for a theatre piece. The music itself reflects of O'Malley, Atsuo, Kurihara, and Herzog's chemistry, O'Malley's admiration of Eno's/Budd's focussed sublimity, and his life's work playing and pioneering the music he loves. Ensemble Pearl is built from multiple histories but it is also spontaneously rockish. It is allegedly informed by spectral music, but also phenomenology, "stoned discovery," and an intimate "back to basics" creative approach. In its non-competing, that is naturally occurring, intuitive environment/atmosphere, its histories come into play unselfconsciously and are all the while bound by the same vision and focus on a Pearl-ish sparseness. A chamber piece does not feel out of place surrounded on either side by guitar songs. Michio's guitars yearn in that distinctly Michio way, but he has abandoned the individual ego for something bigger. O'Malley mimics Dylan Carlson. He repeats phrases but changes them slightly. We're asked to pay attention but these phrases are returned by a guitar that sort of distracts as its strange playing makes little sense next to O'Malley's rigidity. Ensemble Pearl is not Altar and it is not Monoliths & Dimensions and it is not Rainbow and it is not Hex and it is not surf music or country music or rock n roll and yet it is an unselfconscious stoned discovery/uncovering/interplay of all of these things. It works because of the collaborators' expertise in and dedication to form, and of course understanding of when to merge a sound, offset a sound, sit out for ~10 mins, or lead the others in trying to imitate or channel the wind and waves (oh Michio!). As focussed/collaborative as it is, its images are ambiguous and if they were decided on, its discrepancies come down to each individual. The cover is a planet and a woman and whatever the viewer sees. Not simply a case of microscope v telescope, Ensemble Pearl could be a physical Hex-ish ghost town, a scene of the fury of the elements, or a psychological state (elated or despondent). Its vision/focus is ambiguity, the important thing is whatever the listener hears.

A-

try / buy

Birushanah - Akai Yami (2007)

aka 毘盧釈那 - 赤い闇 (2007)

1. Jyodo 2:13

2. Akai Yami 20:27

3. Kairai 17:39

Traditional Japanese folk instruments/instrumentals PLUS heavyheavy doom? Sounds like a great idea! But they're a band, not just an idea! Are you calling them a gimmick?! Hold up, no! I like this release!

B-

There you go!

buy

Khanate - Capture & Release (2005)

1. Capture 18:15

2. Release 25:03

Maybe their second best after Things Viral. But sometimes I think it's better. Khanate played drone doom metal that focused more on atmospherics than layers (like Sunn). Part of the atmosphere was THE SLOWEST DRUM BEATS ever, part of it was constantly rumbling bass, and the rest was sometimes gross, sometimes beautiful guitars.THE REST of their sound was lyrical and vocal theatrics. At their worst, Khanate played Sabbath gone discordant. Interesting in small doses, but fucking boring when you realized it was still the first track playing. At their most consistent, they played minimalist metal where despite the overall downer vibes, they were engaging. At their BEST, they filled the silences of their minimalist metal with BEAUTIFUL guitars recalling Keiji Haino and Greg Ginn. Their best SOUNDS were on their THIRD best album, because THINGS just weren't as CONSISTENT as on their MID-PERIOD records. Capture & Release is one of those consistent minimalist metal records. It doesn't excite me like moments on Clean Hands Go Foul, but it's better overall. Dubin's theatrics don't scare me like Things Viral or chill me like Clean Hands. But it's never boring. Sure, it's only two tracks long, but that's still three quarters of an hour where they could bore the listener, especially when they're still relying so heavily on long silences. The band somehow keep it together, always interesting, even when it's nothing but clicking for 3 minutes at the start of Release. Do I buy Dubin's vocal theatrics? For some reason, yeah! I do!

I've got a bone to pick
Maybe it's yours

sounds like the intro to a sweet punk song! Cryptically a murder narrative, I like to think the best of our zany frontman and think there's something real to him, and not just (gotta think of another word for) theatrics. Anxiety over his future

Someone said
If you worked hard enough
Ran fast enough
Learned enough
You would amount to something

Impotence

It's cold when birds fall from the sky
It's cold when I'm near you
...
Trying is not enough

Although it all comes back to his SCARY narrative

Trying is not enough
And there I am above you
I won't let go
It's cold when you are down
It's cold when I touch you
And there I am above you
Opened and spoiled
You were blood nothing more

There's more there. If it was all horror antics or worse, wish fulfillment a la Ghostface's Wildflower, then I'm sure it wouldn't all feel so fucking sad. Well done, assholes, instead of scaring us you've made us feel bad. But at least it's not some tedious metal dude misanthropy, right? And at least it's engaging, right?

Bros?

A

buy or here
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Harvey Milk - A Small Turn of Human Kindness (2010)

Some declared A Small Turn of Human Kindness, Harvey Milk's heaviest album since 1996's Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men, a sort of self-parody because it was so heavy and the one before it (Life... The Best Game in Town) was a lot of fun, AND because a few of the band members gave a hilarious interview where they ripped apart every Harvey Milk release, A Small Turn of Human Kindness in particular. But man that shit was self-deprecating and in other interviews they spoke of rock operas and coherence where other albums had been collections of songs recorded and that's all

So A Small Turn of Human Kindness is that coherent rock opera and it's not just a collection of songs and it's probably their best album. Unusual for a rock opera, A Small Turn throws the listener into the end of a relationship with ominous Carver-ian symbols telling the listener (but not explaining) of a couple's emotional and psychological distance, as well as Ford-ian (Richard, that is) details which seem trivial initially but become important as the story unfolds. From what I can tell, the opening song is directed at a third party mocking the banality of the deteriorating relationship one more fish steak night? Yeah, that's fucking funny and then the rest of the album tracks that decline with said Carver-ish symbols and Ford-ish details which is just so damn sad that I can't really handle it. Spiers has stated that the story was written and the music followed, which makes sense, 'cause instruments drop in and out all the time to suit the story, and it's the first time the band's experimented with silences and not just loud-quiet dynamics. Their knack for writing minimalist metal makes me hope they take this stuff further before going ZZ Top again 'cause some of it sounds like Killing Joke by way of Khanate which is just incredible. Any way, there's little symbols through the story, like the narrator tries to convince himself that his issues don't mean much in the grand scheme of the world and finds solace in the eternity of nature, but throughout the story nature is always dying around him and in the end the trees and skies become dead gray ashes and he also notes there was grace- a rather morbid turn where death provides the answers he couldn't find in a cyclical view of the world. A lot of it is Richard Ford's Great Falls gone really Gothic ('cause you need that exaggeration for A DAMN ROCK OPERA). Like the similarly pessimistic Blue Valentine of that year, there are no real events that the listener can criticize or use to make sense of the relationship's dissolution- everything's taking place after the fact. When you ask why don't relationships work? the reply is I don't know, when you ask where did it all go wrong? the reply is I don't know, and when the dude has his go with but I still love you, he knows it's a) inevitable, and b) not enough. Seriously, just like Ry Gos (<33333333), all he can offer is it's not all bad when he really needs to come up with more than that

Like any of Ford's stories, A Small Turn of Human Kindness throws you into the story of a relationship that no amount of affection, pleading, or communication could ever mend. The band have never sounded better, and although Spiers' voice has never been more haggard, he gives it his all and makes it so lines like one more fish steak night are as dark as the magnificent and well-deserved finale. It's slow-building, crushing, depressing, but also magnificent and beautiful. Although I'll always love Courtesy more, Ima call this their best album, and that means a lot 'cause I sometimes claim that Harvey Milk are the greatest band ever

A+

buy
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Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments (1987)

Melvins' first proper album should make most people feel shitty because they're already the second best band ever 'cause they gave it their all (Buzz's vocals!!!!) and made punk rock and Sabbath sound legit satanic or just frustrated, evil, and really smart

A+

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buy

Eyehategod - Take as Needed for Pain (1993)

1. Blank 7:10

2. Sister Fucker (Part I) 2:13

3. Shop Lift 3:17

4. White Nigger 3:56

5. 30$ Bag 2:51

6. Disturbance 7:01

7. Take as Needed for Pain 6:09

8. Sister Fucker (Part II) 2:39

9. Crimes Against Skin 6:49

10. Kill Your Boss 4:16

11. Who Gave Her the Roses 2:00

12. Laugh It Off 1:33

*bonus*

13. Ruptured Heart Theory 3:33

14. Story of the Eye 2:30

15. Blank/Shoplift 3:58

16. Southern Discomfort 4:24

17. Serving Time in the Middle of Nowhere 3:20

18. Lack of Almost Everything 2:28

Of all the slowed down post-Sabbath weirdo (Melvins, Black Flag, Boris) junky (Flipper, Nirvana) depressives (Flipper, Nirvana, Harvey Milk), Eyehategod were not only the most haggard, but (at least on Take as Needed for Pain), the most danceable and fun- possibly because they got the groove of Sabbath right and infused it with the influence of the music and culture of their location- New Orleans- making the riffs bluesier and catchier, so when they're fast they're energetically punk rock and the would-be feel-bad breakdowns are actually the most enjoyable parts. It seems at this stage they were either unwilling or incapable of writing a true bummer, something that would change on the follow-up Dopesick where bottles got broken, things got written in blood, and the music followed suit- maybe capturing the frustration of addiction or more lightly (because I can't relate to addiction), the sensation of throwing up on yourself when depressed and high (curse the feeling!)

You know how when you're in a good mood you laugh at how absurd and inconsequential everything is (teen angst), then on a bad day the gravity of the implication of that wears you down? I like to think Take as Needed for Pain is the band at a more playful stage in their mental/spiritual decline, and Dopesick is where they stop finding comfort in being sad (see what I did there)

Whether it's a failure on their part or not, Take as Needed for Pain is the most fun you can have with sludge outside of a Melvins record and I really can't recommend it more highly despite the band's silly name and how fucking sad they all seem

A

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Boris - Amplifier Worship (1998)

1. Huge 9:16

2. Ganbou-Ki 15:46

3. Hama 7:32

4. Kuruimizu 14:29

5. Vomitself 16:56

Seeing Boris live a couple of weeks ago reminded me that every music blog needs Amplifier Worship on it, even if everyone probably has it downloaded any way

Their best album- the perfect bridge between Lysol-y dirty heaviness and Sunn O)))/Earth like minimalism

Ridiculous heavy shit

A

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Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I & II

Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I (2011)

1. Old Black 8:49
2. Father Midnight 12:11
3. Descent to the Zenith 7:30
4. Hell’s Winter 11:32
5. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I 20:24

Download (FLAC)
Download (MP3 192)

Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (2012)

1. Sigil of Brass 3:32
2. His Teeth Did Brightly Shine 9:00
3. Multiplicity of Doors 13:04
4. The Corascene Dog 8:26
5. The Rakehell 11:51

Download (FLAC)
Download (MP3 V1)

Here are the two latest offerings from Earth! This time, Earth is joined by Lori Goldston on cello (who you might recall from Nirvana MTV Unplugged) and Karl Blau on bass. The two albums were recorded at the same time, but released a year apart.

If you're familiar with Earth's post-2005 fare you'll know roughly what to expect. I found the first underwhelming, but enjoyed the second. However, I've only listened to them a year apart, not as a unified whole (probably the preferable option), so I doubt whether there actually is that much difference.

It might be my imagination, but the production seems worse on the second one. There are a few pops and crackles, but not enough for it to seem 'intentional' — listen to Sunn O))) for counterexamples — so it's just kinda distracting. For music that arguably worsens with conscious listening, that's not great, so hopefully most of you won't notice.

Harvey Milk - Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men (1996)

1. Pinnochio's Example 10:28

2. Brown Water 8:57

3. Plastic Eggs 6:28

4. My Broken Heart Will Never Mend 10:43

5. I Feel Miserable 3:48

6. The Lord's Prayer 3:14

7. Sunshine (No Sun) Into the Sun 7:21

8. Go Back to France 3:04

9. A Good Thing Gone 3:55

10. One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (Cohen) 5:16

11. The Boy With Bosoms 6:59

I promised the last time I posted this that it would be the last time 'cause the cd finally arrived so I FLAC'd it for everyone, but then all our links died (woohoo), and I'm putting up essential stuff today 'cause it's nice to have that around

Harvey Milk are the greatest band in the world, and Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men is their best album. It's sludge but not like you'd expect when you think about Melvins or Eyehategod, and it's doom but not like you'd expect either. There's KISS in there and there's Leonard Cohen but Harvey Milk aren't one of those corny avant-garde metal bands who skip between different influences to cover them all- Harvey Milk have a distinct sound unifying everything instead. Creston Spiers has a voice that makes your stomach and throat hurt just hearing it, and the band play confusing, heavy riffs that wander around and die eventually. It's corny to say, but Courtesy is an emotionally exhausting listen because it's heart-rendingly drunken, angry, and depressed, as well as being disorienting, loud, and extremely heavy

One of a kind sound, you don't really know to recommend it to fans of Melvins, Eyehategod, and Boris, because it's going for something so totally different

A+

v0
support them you cheap bastard