Secret Fun Club - Skull With Antlers (2012)

I had the privilege witnessing these guys last year in the states, then after staying in contact with them I got to play a house party in San Diego California together. A while ago they released their first LP judging by the cover its called "Skull with antlers" through locust front man's record label ThreeOneG. This southern Californian Duo really give something i haven't seen before. Their live show is a full body experience made up of volume and bottom end frequency onslaught, which is pretty hard to produce on a recording, but Secret fun Club give you math rock as if it was being played by John Bonham in outa space. A stella band who have made their music even that little bit more accessible through naming your own price on their Bandcamp site.

Lilacs & Champagne - Lilacs & Champagne (2012)

Lilacs & Champagne is the side project of psychedelic dub rock artists Alex Hall and Emil Amos (Grails). Lilacs & Champagne isn't entirely a new sound for these guys but more of a longevity and exploration of psychedelic soundtrack music of 60's and 70's cinema. This new release is a sample based trip-hop experience with deep reverb occult textures that set sail in the desert plaines of your mind. awesome. 

Lilacs & Champagne

Tracklist:

1. Everywhere, Everyone

2. Lilacs

3. Nice Man

4. Sensations

5. Battling the City

6. Corridors of Power II

7. King Of Kings

8. Laid Fucking Back

9. Moroccan Handjob

10. Midnight Creeper

11. Listener X

Jacaszek - Glimmer (2011)

Glimmer is a beautifully dark eerie composition by polish electroacoustic musician Michael Jacaszek. The ebbs and flows of this recording are very serene with ambient textures closely related to Murcof or Fennesz. what is essentially classical instrumentation such as Harpsichord or my favourite, Bass Clarinet. the digital edits are very emotional and visual. Fans of Kaada will very much love this album.

  

Glimmer

Tracklist:

1. Goldengrove

2. Dare-gale

3. Pod Światło

4. Evening Strains to be Time's Vast

5. Seidene Stille

6. What Wind-Walks Up Above!

7. Even Not Within Seeing of The Sun

8. As Each Tucked String Tells

9. Windhover

The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble - Mr. Machine (2011)

The extremely interesting sounds found on this recording are completely acoustic except for the occasional Moog or keys, Its sounds like German minimal techno but nothing is sequenced or sampled. Think of it as chamber dance music. It is sharp, surreal and fucking tight. From looking some of their live clips they've been able to get dance music in theatres to seating crowds of oldies. Hmmm? come to think of it. my mum would love this.

Mr. Machine

Tracklist:

1. Mr. Machine

2. Bop

3. Pretend

4. You Make Me Real

5. Mi Corazon

6. On Powered Ground (Mixed Lines)

7. Teufelsreiter

8. 606 'N' Rock 'N' Roll

Beach Boys - Smiley Smile (1967)

 

This one is a little treat for all. The Beach Boys 67 release Smiley smile has got to be one of my favorite albums they released. Its goofy, psychedelic, and the harmonies is something you don't hear in music these days, Yes the fleet foxes can suck a fuck. Get your boogaloo on!

Smiley Smile

Tracklist:

1. Heroes And Villains

2. Vegetables

3. Fall Breaks and Back to Winter (Woody Woodpecker Symphony)

4. She's Goin' Bald

5. Little Pad

6. Good Vibrations

7. With Me Tonight

8. Wind Chimes

9. Gettin' Hungry

10. Wonderful

11. Whistle In

Crone - Endless Midnight (2011)

Third post in one day! Crone is the one man band of Jeff Caxide, bass player for ISIS, Red Sparrows. Endless Midnight is recorded by ISIS drummer Aaron Harris who guest appears along side Cliff Meyer (ISIS, Red Sparrows) and Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom, Mamiffer) who also did the artwork/layout. seems like these guys like to keep it in the family. Endless Midnight is a soundscape of droned out guitars and keys with Jeff's signature bass tone being very apparent. The whole albums swoons upwards into a crescendo somewhat similar to ISIS but is far from the metal side of things. 

Endless Midnight

Tracklist:

1. What You Dream Of

2. Ghost City

3. The Silver Hammer

4. Cellar Holes From A lifetime Ago

5. Endless Midnight

Andy Scott - We stay together EP (2011)

Eerie dark techno that sounds more like the rotting corpse of clubbers past. Andy Scotts music drudges along at such a slow pitched down pace it makes you skin crawl. Im not one to listen to much dance music anymore, those days are very much past me. but every now and then something will creep up and squeeze out the very last little drop of the little 4x4 stomping monster inside of me. Maybe its because this recording is more down the line of atmospheric electronic doom then strait out techno that i makes me actually enjoy it. 

Andy Stott - We Stay Together by modernlove

We Stay Together

Sleep - Jerusalem (1998)

I love it that this band had one true legacy that is goes for 52:08 minutes and contains one extended riff. This is the second release of this piece of music after Dopesmoker which got mixed and mastered totally differently to keep record companies happy. If you want the true experience of this gem, please listen to this version. And also i totally recommend you check out the doco Such Hawks Such Hounds Which is about the history of the underground hard rock, stoner, doom scene in the states. 

Jerusalem

Tracklist:

1. Jerusalem (Part 1)

2. Jerusalem (Part 2)

3. Jerusalem (Part 3)

4. Jerusalem (Part 4)

5. Jerusalem (Part 5)

6. Jerusalem (Part 6)

Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass - Passenges (1990)

Oh how new age of me! If your into Philip Glass but have trouble listening to his repetitive compositions, or are into Ravi Shankar  but but want something you can grasp onto a little more, Passengers is for you. I discovered this album during the week when i found all i was listening to was grindcore and needed a soothing break, at least over the dinner table. 

Passenges

Tracklist:

1. Offering

2. Sadhanipa

3. Channels And Winds

4. Ragas In Minor Scale

5. Meetings Along The Edge

6. Prashanti

Conation - Troubled Waters And Fortresses (2003)

Newcastle band Conation was one of the most solid live bands i ever got to see during my teens. Sensible political hardcore with a Aussie twist of grind. their first release in 2001 'The Dichotomy Of The Earth And The Human Race' was a stella album but sounds like ass crack, so I've decided to go with 'Troubled Waters And Fortresses' instead. I'm sure I'll post more of these guys in times to come but for now lets just hope they reform once again like they have in the past few years and give us some more of what was so great back in the day. Enjoy!

Troubled Waters And Fortresses

Tracklist:

1. The Silence

2. When Tyrants Mate

3. Secure Measures

4. They Have Come This Far

5. Slow Motion Catastrophes

6. In Histories Page

7. Bonus