Pandolfo's Blog.

#1 - Agalloch | Marrow of the Spirit

2010-12-30T01:04:00.004-05:00

So here we are at the number one album of the year. Agalloch's Marrow of the Spirit. Although the album did only come out last month, I've still had enough time to develop something to say about this record. I tried to write something about it when it first leaked and a month and a half later here I am typing aimlessly on my blog about it and still am struggling on what to say about it and it's my goddamn album of the year and one of the best metal albums in the last 10 years and could possibly be one of the best metal albums of the next 10 years...

I'll try my best. Bear with me.

A quick introduction:

Agalloch are a rare and special band. They are maybe the most well known unknown band. They are one of the only bands I can think of recently where their entire discography is praised and spoken very highly of. Almost every band has that one or two CDs where almost all of the fan base can agree is the best record, and every band has that one CD that everyone says "...Fucking sucks, what a disappointment."

Yeah, that doesn't happen with Agalloch. The beginning, Pale Folklore, everyone loves. It's raw, unique for black metal, and is beautiful. The Mantle shows Agalloch stepping out and doing new things already, throwing in post-rock influence and even more melody. On Ashes Against the Grain Agalloch turn it up and write heavier songs with tighter production, and still, this fantastic record is not disliked by fans of music.

Not one of these CDs is their "best" cd. Any of these three could be any one's favorite. They're all incredible, diverse, and innovative on so many levels. Before I heard the new record, many people were already stating this may be their best release. I was skeptical due to that just being absurd. That was until of course I finally embarked on the journey...

---

The album is meant to be a journey and it's musically obvious. Marrow of the Spirit begins with you floating in a river or creek in the middle of a frost bitten forest, literally where the album artwork displays.

A cello is heard and foreshadows later melodies throughout the CD. You can feel something huge is going to happen.

So where will this river take us?

After an abrasive analog produced drum fill we are sucked into a vortex of otherworldly and disgustingly frigid black metal. But not the black metal we heard on the previous records. I'm talking about primitive, fuck-all, black metal. When I describe this song as some sort of vortex, I literally get this imagery when hearing this song. I feel as if I'm being sucked into another dimension of music, "Into the Painted Grey".

The song basically rapes you. It penetrates you with its' powerful blast beats, and dry tremolo guitars, makes you want to cry with it's ambient seeping guitar melodies and reverb soaked tremolo guitars, holds you down and suffocates you with utterly dense bass tones and doomy chords, and frightens you with John Hauhgm's even more twisted rasping vocals than ever before and it seems to never ever end and you feel sick for never wanting it to.

This may be the best Agalloch song ever written. But there's still four more songs.

When the 13 minute song finally ends after a two minute blast beat climax, it feels as if time and reality suddenly become apparent in your life again, but you can't remember when both of these things slipped away from you. You only realize suddenly that you're ONLY just listening to music for a second until "The Watcher's Monolith" PERFECTLY introduces itself to you after the beautiful chaos of the previous track.

Somber and powerful melodic doom blankets you, and it's a very, very heavy blanket. It's almost night time and you're walking through the woods. The raw guitar tones sound like their being amplified by the trees. The grass grows out toward you, and the last beams of sun slip through the canopy atop. The depths of nature are composing a song for you.

This song sounds familiar for Agalloch but has a more mature and confident feel to it. One moment, it's heartbreaking, and the next it's triumphant. It's slower, and constructed with perfection, and is phenomenal. It's almost midnight, crickets chirp, and a haunting piano melody plays as the song concludes.

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There are certain AWEsome aspects of life where our brains capacity is reached when we try to comprehend them. This mostly happens for the idea of life itself and trying to figure out who we are and why we are.

When one person is challenged to write about one of the greatest songs of all time, that person may not have the intelligence required to deliver such a feat. One of those people is me.

If you know me you know that when I love something, I love it. I'm PASSIONATE about things, and you can hear it in my voice when I talk about them. The only way I could express my feelings for a song such as "Black Lake Nidstang" by Agalloch would be if I were in the early stages of alcoholism.

Although, I'd make the song sound quite pretentious by doing that, I'd at least get SOMETHING out.

So let me grab a drink...

"Written in the waters..."

"Black Lake Nidstang" is a journey on its own; an 18 minute journey through a forest upon a mountain at midnight that leads to a lake of the dead. The sound of drums echo in the distance through the trees. It sounds like a warning of sorts, or some kind of calling. It could be a warning for what you're about to experience.

The song transitions from a dark and rather sinister introduction of acoustic guitar to seamlessly heart wrenching melodies and seeping wails of ambient guitars until opening up into the main section of the song.

Whispers from the dead occupy the first verse and the melodies are still only a taste of the despair you're about to witness via music.

Literally, the middle of this song is one of the greatest moments in music ever. It resides nearby the last few minutes of "Lateralus" the song by Tool. Except this part doesn't make me want to tear out of my body and become some sort of super being. The middle part of this song is one of the most devastatingly emotional moments you may ever hear. It is the equivalent of watching the saddest scene in a movie, but instead, listening to the most despairingly powerful moment.

As John Haughm's depressive black metal vocals shock your ears, his guitar plays the earlier leads but slightly off tune, just to make the part that much more fucked up. I can't help but get chills every time this part consumes me. It takes me lower and lower with the sludging of the bass line, and shrieking of the guitars. The vocals still overwhelm me every time. I cannot fathom how one recorded these vocals without having tears in his eye. The sound of the Nidstang shrieking out through the night, "YOU CREATED THE STARS AND GAVE BIRTH TO ALL THE HEAVENS; THE DARKNESS OF SPACE AND TIME. SO GO TO THE NIGHTSIDE END BELOW!!!"

Heaven. The darkness of space and time. Quite possibly the imagery you get when the moog sets in moments later, and suddenly a cascading of spacial guitars seeps in, like the edges of nebulas suddenly to fill in the void. Are we still listening to Agalloch? The trance inducing guitars, what sounds like five of them on the most gorgeous of looping reverb suddenly is halted by an onslaught of heavy bass and tremolo and we're brought to the conclusion of this masterpiece. The drums transition several times to heighten the already dramatic and suddenly triumphant melodies and the song finally explodes. The delay guitars over the nighttime crickets fade out the final seconds.

The only issue with this song is that no matter what, the next two tracks could never live up to what you just endured. But you keep moving on, now through snow filled woods to find out that "Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires" is a pleasantly classic sounding piece, filled with post-punk-esque, twinkly guitars. The track sounds like a combination of Pale Folklore and Alcest.

Once the track ends, the journey's end is closing in on us as we're back in the cold waters from the opening track, but this time it's different. "To Drown" clearly is trying to represent the sound of drowning in musical form. The somber acoustic guitars and cello sound remorseful as if they know what's about to happen to you. Suddenly they twist and turn and drag you deeper beneath the ice cold water, the intensity of the cello's strings heightening as your inability to hold your breath becomes stronger. This section of the song sounds like Godspeed You! Black Emperor decided to stop by the studio for a session. Finally the song concludes with you washing up on shore, the combination of the lake and the lakes ripples softly crashing on land, an oddly incredibly satisfying sound to end Marrow of the Spirit.

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So there you have it. The album of the year. Now, I admit, this post was more of a babbling like my original Envy, Recitation post was a couple months ago when I first heard that. It wasn't until I had some extra time with it that I was able to somehow connect with that record on a more personal level other than just really enjoying it. That may never happen with this record, so for now, you got to hear me just express my admiration for the quality of unbelievable musicianship and song writing on Marrow of the Spirit. Maybe one day down the road I'll put this record on my mp3 player and wander deep into the woods at night and have something more personal and interesting to read. But for now, this album is just better than anything else that came out this year and you should no doubt listen to this if you're a fan of music at all.

Happy New Year everybody!

#2 - Envy | Recitation

2010-12-29T02:48:00.006-05:00

Recitation

— n
1.	the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse before an audience.

"Patterns connect the red-starry skies.
The shadow of an evening calm surfaces while I close my eyes.

The warmth came along and I trusted its voice.
Pile up my thoughts on exploited scenery.
The eyes sense the warmth of regrets.
Respected ambiguous words harbored.
The sealed look has vanished.
Smell of the beginning of night.
You once were a vision, but you have recovered over the days.
And learned the whereabouts of an inverted future.
A gaze passes into oblivion.
Lines of people block my sight ahead.
Proof of the days of consolation.
Words of admonition in many ways.
Seven voices I carry, descending.
I tip my shoe up but the contradicting guidance still does not change.
Light and darkness.
Sunlight and the sound of the night.
Dark sky and the surface of water.
They all passed us by and are ahead of us.
A drop of rain announces the beginning."

- "Guidance" | Envy

A good friend of mine and I were recently discussing how particular songs of melodies or just certain music can somehow trigger a memory deep inside of your mind for reasons you aren't aware of. It's something rare but certain albums or songs give me this sense of utter nostalgia to a point where it nearly makes me feel sick with a sense of longing for no apparent reason.

Certain melodies bring me back to certain visions of dreams or thoughts I had when I was very young. One of them being a small house on a small hill. The grass is almost too green. The house is yellow and cute. The yard overlooks the ocean and the sky is blue and perfect. I had a dream I lived in this house and I have no idea why. I hadn't thought of this dream for years. Why would I? What would being this memory back to me?

One day Isis' Wavering Radiant dripped onto the internet. Listening properly and ever so intently, I got to "20 Minutes/40 Years". It wasn't until about 30 seconds in when all three guitars enter the song when suddenly I was hit full force with the feeling of standing on that very hill overlooking the house with the blue ocean back-set and the huge sky over-top of me. I cannot even begin to explain why this happened but it felt amazing and depressing all at the same time.

Besides this, I sometimes get this vision of a landscape I thought up in my head when I was about 4 years old of a beautiful orange-ish, pinkish sunset sky overt-op a vast horizon of ice, with literally nothing else to be seen. I randomly get this vision while listening to various Jakob songs. Again, I have no idea why and at times the music literally takes me there and breaks my heart.

When I first acquired Recitation, I loved it. Envy are one of my favorite bands of all time and I was very excited to be listening to their new record, especially after they released one of my favorite records of all time, Insomniac Doze. You may remember my enormous 'review' about it when I first got it months before everyone else. I was basically just posting premature thoughts on it after a 3rd or so listen. People thanked me and got pissed at me simultaneously. Sorry about that.

It wasn't until a few months later after I was viciously listening to my yet to be number 1 album of the year (TEE HEE) that I returned to Recitation one night just as I was ready to lay down to go to sleep.

Instantly the melodies from "Guidance" sounded more beautiful than I ever remembered. Sure, the melodies on this entire record are some of Envy's best, and most precious, but for some reason, instantly this particular melody affected me more than it ever has.

Then "Last Hours of Eternity" came on, and again, I was blown away but how out of nowhere, the progressions and layers of instrumentation and brilliantly crafted melodies was breaking my tired heart and body.

Next came "Rain Clouds Running In a Holy Night", one of my already favorite songs on the CD. I don't know why this happened but especially the intro, middle section of three gorgeous guitars intertwining the main notes, and the outro made me nearly weep due to the memory they conjured up.

Maybe my first memory I've ever had of my mother was her and I sitting on our living room couch together in upstate New York. Our couch was against the living room window and we sat on it backwards with our knees in the cushions and our arms leaning over the top of the couch gazing out the window. We were looking at the clouds. They were all kinds of different shapes and sizes. I don't remember how long we did this for. It may have just been for a minute, or maybe 5. But I barely think of this memory and it's one I should try to remember more often.

For whatever strange reason, the melodies in "Rain Clouds..." brought me back to that exact moment and I couldn't deal with the sinking feeling of nostalgia I suddenly felt in my heart and stomach. There are tons of songs and bands that give me a sense of nostalgia, just because their music in general gives you that sort of vibe, but it's different when particular melodies literally bring you BACK to specific times or thoughts in your life so vividly that you FEEL it in your stomach. The outro of this song brings me there full force. I can barely even.

After those first three songs, I don't get that feeling too much more, which may be a good thing. I don't think I could handle a full record of songs that make me feel like that.

Beyond that, Recitation is an incredible record full of diverse yet gorgeous music that's consistent throughout its long duration. I'm not sure if Fukagawa has a concept at all for this CD but I get this sense that a lot of these songs, especially the intro and outro, "Guidance" and "Your Hand" are random memories he's had spoken out by female. There is more spoken word on this Envy CD than any before and I think all those moments are connected in some way.

If you want a more analyzed write up about this CD, go back and just find my random blabbering about it when I was just heard it. There's no sense in my explaining how great this band is or how great this CD is. If you know who Envy are, you know they cannot do wrong at this point. This CD is no exception.

"We have repeatedly felt the grief of separation.
Profound fingertips were supposed to have arrived.
The beat of the rain is quick. I recite sorrow into it.
The immortal temperature dwells in blessing hands.
A moment's profile is falling asleep with a dim field of vision.
Felt a faint heart beat, and heard your whisper.
I carry my dragging feet as I turn to go.
The shaking voice has long been forgotten.
Discovered that we have lost the end of a precious feast.
Gentle breath wrapped in Spring.
A sunbeam loop streams through leaves of trees in Summer.
Fallen leaves sway and connect with each other in Autumn.
The morning calm repeats farewells in Winter.
The change of the seasons reminds me of words I never knew.
The steps are even, as they go on. A sign of an end."

- "Your Hand" | Envy

#3 - Rosetta | A Determinism of Morality

2010-12-28T13:59:00.002-05:00

After Isis broke up I was clearly more devastated than I ever imagined I would be. When the band released Oceanic in 2002, people claimed it was the creation of 'post-metal', a genre combining their sludge sound with post-rock elements. I like to just say it's post-rock with sludge moments, but Isis were never just that typical.

Around the time the band broke up, you could sense the ending of the genre in general. Not just because Isis were leaving us, but because it's something that not many bands could nail anymore without just repeating the formula over and over.

Although Rosetta are ultimately post-metal, any time they release something, it still sounds refreshing and new. Their qualities are unlike any other band in sludge. It drives me crazy when people lump Rosetta into the "Neurisis" category because maybe 5% of Rosetta's music sound anything like those two bands.

With A Determinism of Morality, I get the feeling that Rosetta can be the next big thing for music combining softer elements with sludge. Although their unique tones and qualities are back on this cd, and maybe in a more aggressive manner, there is something about the guitars that make me feel like this is the first great shoegaze/sludge fusion album.

Matt's guitars on this CD are INCREDIBLE. The guitars themselves, before Armine's sampling, could give you the spacious, atmospheric imagery that occurs when listening to this band. The leads in "Je n'en connais pas la fin" (which by the way, may be THE best Rosetta song), sound like star beams racing across the night sky, while the overlapping ambiance in "Release" under the clean vocals sounds like Slowdive performing on the moon.

The main guitar melodies throughout "Revolve" are some of the most beautiful you will hear in any post-rock influenced band. The tone is reminiscent of The Cure, one of the bands biggest inspirations, and I feel on this CD, that inspiration is more blatant throughout, let alone this one song.

So why is this number 3 of 2010? Because I listen to this record and want to cry at nearly one point in each song. Although this record isn't as brilliant as Wake/Lift, I feel the overall melodies on this CD are the best the band has crafted. I'm a sucker for melancholic guitar leads, and Matt Weed has put like 4 in each song on this CD, making this one hell of a record up my alley.

Oh yeah, and the bass work, and drumming are fucking out of this world (get it?) awesome throughout and Armine's vocals are the most emotional they've ever been yet (See: The end of "Release", and the title track. Holy FUCK).

Seriously get into this band if you haven't yet. They are truly something unique for heavy music. Don't let Matt Dyess tell you otherwise (asshole).

#4 - Alcest | Écailles de lune

2010-12-27T16:48:00.002-05:00

Some time ago when I first endeavored starting my very own band, I planned out an entire conceptual record based around a timeline of me being with people I love in a place that I loved. That place was the ocean. Not too long after I remember reading an article about an upcoming Alcest record. Neige had mentioned that the CD was strongly influenced by the ocean. The opening song I had written for this CD I entitled "Pier" was actually about a time my friends and I walked out onto the ocean pier very late at night and stared out into the eerie black nothingness.

I remember time stopping, and it seemed that everyone around me suddenly weren't in the same dimension of thought I was in. All sound paused besides the sound of the waves crashing into the old wooded pillars holding us up above the cold black water. I stared out into the void for 10 minutes thinking about how mysterious and scary the ocean can be, yet at the same time, is such a place of joy for people, especially when you can actually see where you are.

I thought about how powerful the ocean was, and how it could take your life away so quickly. I thought about what lives beneath the depths of it; the fact that there nearly is another world down there, and still undiscovered areas with who knows what living in the trenches.

I thought about how shitty human beings are, and how we still manage to ruin this planet even though most of it is made up of ocean, and I wondered what the world would be like if there were even less plates of land for us to live and shit on and just more salty mass. I thought of the idea of being trapped in the middle of the ocean at night and suddenly I got so goddamn startled by that thought that I snapped out of it and back into reality. My friends were all still around me, laughing, gazing out, taking pictures, and smiling, and I stood there with my heart beating viciously. It was if I had some kind of connection with the water, and with its' power. The moon was out that night and I realized how much it can alter the ocean, and our bodies. And that was out I suddenly got the idea for the CD.

I'm not too bummed out it never happened. There are already enough ocean inspired albums, one of my favorite being Isis' Oceanic, which at times literally gives the listener the imagery of being crushed by the ocean's weight and floating helplessly through it, without air.

On Écailles de lune, Neige gives the listener imagery of the ocean but in a different light. The gorgeous classic post-punk guitar tones literally sound like they could resonate throughout the ocean's body, deep in some mysterious trench below unknown areas. His somber vocals give you a sense of nostalgia yet solace and relaxation, and the second part of the two part title track brings me back to that moment I was out on the pier late at night. So curious and dumbfounded at what really lies beyond our sight, just feet beyond the damp wood.

To say I have a connection with the atmosphere of this record is an understatement. But simply, the first three tracks of this CD are FLAWLESS and composed with astonishing brilliance. Although the latter half of the album is rather short, it's still fantastic, with the shoegazey, Slowdive-esque "Solar Song", and melancholic and powerful closer "Sur l'ocean couleur de fer".

I'm struggling to find much else to say besides the fact that Neige is becoming one of the more inspiring musicians to me personally, and is also becoming one of my favorite vocalists in general.

I love this CD and I imagine you would too if you listened to it. It's truly something special.

#5 - Heaven In Her Arms | Paraselene

2010-12-26T19:59:00.002-05:00

Heaven In Her Arms have become a well known and somewhat accomplished japanese screamo band, yet still in the shadow of Envy, who are clearly still the kings. One of the reasons for this is the fact that their releases would all sound like angry Envy b-sides, and there wasn't too much from this band that they could truly call their own.

That was until Paraselene was unleashed to our ears.

This record is one of the darkest, most brooding and dynamic screamo records ever. In fact, it's so dynamic that it's tough to actually call it a screamo record. Every song has it's own unique qualities that are daring enough to do just about anything.

Never before have I heard this much doom in this genre, or this much drone, or this much dissonance, and yes, at some points, this much depressive BLACK METAL.

The pacing of Paraselene is incredible as well. As a whole, the record sounds like it could be one huge ass song. Every track for the most part does indeed transition very smoothly into one another, but what's odd about this CD is that it seems that every song gets BETTER AND FUCKING BETTER as the CD progresses toward the end.

There are no teases on this record. If you're listening to the middle of "Echoic Cold Wrist" and you feel that you're in for something special, you'd be correct. "Halcyon" EXPLODES with agony and aggression and a million chord progressions that all somehow work and make you want to cry. "Halcyon" seeps into "Butterfly in Right Helicoid" which COULD be the strongest track on the record, with a massive middle section of post-rock fused with black metal.

What continues to emotionally destroy me about this CD is the way it totally concludes with "Veritas". This is one of the best performances I've heard from a violin since a Godspeed You! Black Emperor track. This song gives me the imagery of walking through the rain at night in a small town trying to find a place to stay. I'm not sure why. It has SOMETHING to do with the sample of rainfall during the intro, but the rest is history. But nonetheless, this song is soul crushing.

In all, Heaven In Her Arms have totally set themselves apart with Paraselene. The feedback I've seen for this record has definitely been great and I'm proud that people are 'getting' this. In that sense Heaven In Her Arms fans > Eluvium fans.

#6 - Eluvium | Similes

2010-12-24T18:37:00.002-05:00

"OMG GET YOUR FUCKING VOCALS OUT OF MY MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That was generally the overall response to Similes when it first came out early this year. You see this more and more every few years where fans cannot cope with change and compromise to music they enjoy.

It's just like any Tool or Dredg fan who says something moronic like "This band will never be good unless they write another AEnima or El Cielo!" Clearly not true. And although this is a cliche response, why in the fuck would you want a band to continuously write the same shit over and over again you piece of shit asshole human being?

*sigh*

With Similes, Matthew Cooper decided to do a few things differently. For one, there is percussion on this record and that is a first for Eluvium. I think for the most part fans can deal with percussion. There are many minimalistic ambient bands who have songs with some kind of subtle tempo in the background, this is nothing too new.

What really ticked off fans is that Cooper SINGS on this record, and this is definitely the first time there have been lyrics and legitimate vocals on any Eluvium CD.

Now not everybody is going to enjoy his voice, but I'm nearly certain that wasn't even the point. The fact that there were even vocals at all, just in general, pissed people off because it's unique and different for Eluvium and there's apparently some kind of law against any use of the voice box for this project and changing things up a bit is a quality of a musician who needs to spend time in Hell.

Don't listen to any of these people.

Similes encompasses emotion and feeling in music, and a lot of that emotion actually comes from Cooper's words and vocal lines in these songs. The music is as gorgeous as it ever has been, but let's be honest, would "The Motion Makes Me Last" be as incredibly hopeful and depressing at the same time if it didn't have gorgeous vocal lines and lyrics like this?:

"What is it that has my mind so hypnotized?
Evolving on a thought that you've half realized
Life is real only when I am, I am surprised
That shapes are for looking at
And their colors create my mood.

I'm a vessel between two places I've never been."

The answer is no and the consistently great quality of emotion and gorgeous melodies doesn't end there. "Weird Creatures" and "Making Up Minds" are just as great, as well as the ending ambient/drone closer "Cease to Know".

What also pisses me off is that when Eluvium released Static Nocturne only a couple months ago (Which also made my top 10, yes that's right, two Eluvium CDs in the top 10 of 20 goddamn 10), fans joked saying that release was an apology to the fans or a rebound of sorts due to the onslaught of negative feedback from Similes.

NNnno.

That's not how an artist, especially in this style of music works. He or she or the group of people working on this music does not make the music for you, but mostly for themselves. If anything, he wrote Similes for me personally due to the fact that I've fallen asleep to this CD more than any other CD this year.

I hope the next Eluvium CD has more vocals on it. And then I hope he gets signed to Starbucks Records.

Or that he releases THREE CDs per year so I can file them all into my top 10 of next year.

#7 - Anathema | We're Here Because We're Here

2010-12-23T23:41:00.002-05:00

Could you tell Steven Wilson had something to do with this CD?

Porcupine Tree references aside (for now), this album is fucking unbelievably uplifting, refreshing, and brilliant. Over the last two years of my life I find myself scrolling through the list of bands and end up stopping on something that I know makes me feel. Those bands more than likely write melancholic music.

The first time I heard We're Here Because We're Here I was so overwhelmed by how optimistic the music sounded, and how inspirational the lyrics were. It was the first time I had heard anything like this since a Kaddisfly track, and we know that's been a long time. I found my musical moods constantly changing 'cause in the midst of wanting to hear something depressingly beautiful, I wanted to also hear this album, which is beautiful in a completely different way. In a way that made me look at music in a different way for the first time in awhile.

There is not a weak moment on this cd, although some of the earlier songs are clearly better than the later tracks. "Summernight Horizon" and "Angels Walk Among Us" are both highlights but track three, "Dreaming Light" is easy in my top 5 songs of the year. Unbearably gorgeous. It sounds like a combination of Porcupine Tree's "Lazarus" meets shoegaze.

"And you shine inside and love stills my mind like the sunrise"

I cannot

EVEN!

#8 - Jonsi | Go

2010-12-21T22:35:00.002-05:00

You may know Jón Þór Birgisson for the lead vocalist of Sigur Ros, or also one of the most unique and incredible vocalists of our time. Last year he made my charts with Riceboy Sleeps, a fantastic ambient record that sounded like a combination of Sigur Ros and Eluvium.

When I heard he was coming out with a solo record I felt kind of jipped due to the fact that we'd have to wait longer for another 'Ros record. After reading Jonsi's press release for Go, I was intrigued at the fact that all of these songs started as very minimalistic acoustic songs and grew into huge tracks with tons of instruments that required tons of extra musicians.

After hearing the opening track "Go Do" I knew we were in for something special.

Some may say these all sound like Sigur Ros b-sides, and sure, you can't help but think about Sigur Ros when you hear these songs, but if you were to listen to this album more than a few times, and then watch some live videos of these songs, you'd realize that these tracks and this project is completely unique and special.

Every song on this CD is awesome, diverse, and full of emotion. There's songs with electronica influence, combining synthetic rhythms with acoustic instrumentation, clever percussion, and heart wrenching ambient moments ("Grow Till Tall").

In all, the more I listen to this CD the more I love it. Mr. Birgisson is truly one of the most innovative musicians and writers I've ever heard. I cannot wait to hear what he does next.

#9 - Eluvium | Static Nocturne

2010-12-18T03:46:00.002-05:00

You're in a house upon a large cliff on the ocean side.

A storm assaults your peace and shelter, slamming down on the roof. Winds gust, and rain whips fiercely across the windows. Somehow you feel safe and secure. When all is said and done the only thing you'll hear is your front lawn; the sound of waves crashing down upon the rocks, over and over and over. Serenity.

All this time there is a gorgeous piano melody playing somewhere in the distance. Why?

Because you're experiencing Matthew Cooper's idea of music.

50 minutes of BLISS, ladies and gentleman.

Engulf yourself in Static Nocturne. Seriously. I just don't really know what else to say.

#10 - Rinoa | An Age Among Them

2010-12-17T15:09:00.002-05:00

So here we are at the Top 10 of 2010. The best of the best. If your favorite cds of this year aren't in this list of 10, than they're more than likely INFERIOR.

Kidding. Or am I?

----

Holy HELL, what am I hearing here?

It's like Envy and Taken formed into one powerfully emotional and epic force. Some may call this CD cliche or it's already been done before (Envy again, Funeral Diner, etc), but sometimes that doesn't matter to me, as long as the songs are affective and are written well, and on An Age Among Them, they definitely are.

This record is also incredibly consistent throughout. One first few listens the immediate mind blowers like "Sol Winds" and "Past Maidens" stick out, but after more spins, songs like "This is Our View" and the strong finisher "The Gates" begin to shine.

The tone on this album is fantastic as well. One moment it could sound blatantly like a post-rock band, and then the next it's crushing you with bass distortion and crunchy guitars, ala post-metal.

This is one of the greater underrated CDs of this year. Listen to this if you haven't or listen AGAIN if you're neglecting it.

#11 - Circa Survive | Blue Sky Noise

2010-12-15T23:21:00.001-05:00

There will always be a place in my heart for Circa Survive but this was the first time I had really anticipated a release from them.

Blue Sky Noise definitely did not disappoint. Although I do miss some of the darker atmosphere the band would create, this album brings forth a lot of aggression and it's still very easy to listen to, especially considering I listened to it maybe a bit TOO much when it first came out.

Either way, this record is fantastic and is worthy of its spot. Some of the best Circa Survive songs are on this record, such as "I Felt Free" and "Fever Dream". I just wish some of the songs on the b-sides EP could have made this record as well.

#12 - Intronaut | Valley of Smoke

2010-12-13T23:11:00.002-05:00

Valley of Smoke is one of the bigger grower albums of the year for me. It started off as a inferior album to Prehistoricisms and each time I put it on I fell more in love with the bands progression.

Intronaut have basically written an album right up my alley. It's heavy, progressive, and not only atmospheric but SPACEY.

The drumming and bass guitar is better than ever and the duo continues to be some of the best in the genre. A lot of the rhythms on this album are reminiscent of Cynic and that's a very, very good thing.

The addition of clean vocals also works very well. This is an addicting album that I'm glad I let sink in. Truly awesome musicianship and song writing from Intronaut here.

#13 - Lantlôs | .neon

2010-12-12T23:10:00.002-05:00

Yet another atmospheric black metal band, this time from Neige's other band, Lantlos. Although Alcest are much superior, this album is quite fantastic. .neon combines jazz and post rock to truly create a great atmosphere throughout this CD. It's dark and groovy bass lines almost give the album a classical progressive rock feel. Parts of this record literally remind me of Pink Floyd.

It's also somewhat refreshing to hear no neo-folk style in this album. The influence seems directly from post rock bands like Explosions In The Sky, and black metal, and jazz. Neige's vocals are also extremely haunting on this record. More-so than any of his vocals I've heard before.

His clean singing on "Pulse/Surreal" is also fantastic, and is the strong point of the record, with "Minusmensch" very close behind with its' gorgeous repeating outro and driving drums.

What's awesome is that there is still two atmospheric black metal CDs to come that are superior to this.

Can you guess what they are?

#14 - Deftones | Diamond Eyes

2010-12-11T14:16:00.002-05:00

There's been such a huge battle between my #15-#10 spots. I've been listening to all of the CDs heavily as I post them and suddenly I'm rethinking my spots as I'm putting them up. Anyways...

---

Deftones are back and stronger than ever. Diamond Eyes is nearly a tribute to their old sound and it works well for them. What's awesome is that this album leaked way too early yet it was still in rotation long after it came out. This CD is heavy, very catchy, tuned lower than ever, and it brings you back to those very moments when you fell in love with this band.

Check out Diamond Eyes if you're somehow fucking crazy and did not already.

#15 - Cloudkicker | Beacons

2010-12-10T20:40:00.003-05:00

This is easily Cloudkicker's most cohesive and consistently great release. The songs really feel like one complete unity of awesomeness.

I also love the amount of trancy ambiance within and beneath the normal layers of the songs. I really can't wait to hear what else he comes up with in his future work.

I'm drunk, so this is all I'm going to say.

This CD rules HARD. Dig it.

#16 - Devil Sold His Soul | Blessed & Cursed

2010-12-08T12:53:00.002-05:00

I've always liked Devil Sold His Soul. In fact, I loved their debut EP and reviewed that and reviewed their debut full length which I enjoyed but felt was rather weak. The band emailed me and asked further what I did and did not like about the record.

Was this album their answer to me?

Now I'm not sure what you would categorize Devil Sold His Soul as anymore. Maybe metalcore? Post hardcore? Who knows, but all I know is that this CD has moments of pure atmospheric post-metal ala Isis, beautiful post-rock moments reminiscent of This Will Destroy You, and crescendos of soul crushing melodies that could appear on an Envy album.

Yup. Right up my alley. This band went from good to fucking fantastic.

I want to note that the middle to end of "Drowning/Sinking" is one of the best moments in metal music this year.

#17 - Ef | Mourning Golden Morning

2010-12-07T00:41:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know that Ef will most likely never make a record as good as Give Me Beauty...Or Give Me Death! but lets be honest...this is miles better than I am Responsible.

Mourning Golden Morning isn't anything new for post-rock, but then again, what is.

As Greg from Moving Mountains very recently told me: "Post rock is a dead end".

This record is still very solid and very listen-able to me due to tracks like "Sons of Ghosts", "Longing for Colors", both which have beautiful female vocals, and the ending track "Alp Lugens and Beyond" which could have been on This Will Destroy You's self-titled album.

In fact, if it weren't for "Sons of Ghosts", this record might have been in the top 20s, or maybe a honorable mention, but the song is so goddamn good that it brings me back to listen to the entire CD frequently.

In all, this is still the best post-rock CD of the year, as there wasn't much else offered up in 2010.

#18 - Les Descrets | Septembre et ses dernières pensées

2010-12-06T00:15:00.002-05:00

I remember the Alcest/Les Descrets split from earlier this year and me neglecting the Les Descrets songs just because I was too anxious to hear what Neige had been up to. That was pretty stupid of me.

This record is fantastic and is one of a few really great atmospheric black metal CDs to drop in 2010 (the rest are obviously coming). The shoegaze influence in the songs is a huge plus for me as it's something I'm continuously falling in love with; the feminine side of this dark music. Although the parts aren't full on dance 'gaze like some Ameseours songs, there is definitely a wicked catchyness to a lot of these songs within the blatant neofolk sections (middle section of "L'echappe").

One thing that's interesting about this CD is the complete lack of harsh vocals. Everything on this is soft sang, even with blast beats and classic black metal drumming. I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not. It's definitely a CD that a lot of people who can't quite grasp the coldness of black metal could actually acquire either way.

#19 - At the Soundawn | Shifting

2010-12-04T14:19:00.002-05:00

Although parts of this album are rather cliche or too reminiscent of other post metal bands, I still found this record entirely enjoyable and would return to it often. The atmosphere at times is wonderful, mostly reminding me of Jakob, while the tone of the guitars and song writing reminding me of Callisto. It's a good combination.

The straight up clean singing is also refreshing to listen to within this style of music, especially in the opening track.

Check this album out if you're a fan of Callisto, Isis, or Rosetta.

#20 - A Swarm of the Sun | Zenith

2010-12-02T14:49:00.002-05:00

We made it to the top 20!

I know it wasn't long ago that I made a post about this record. There isn't else much to say.

It's dark, somber, and minimalistic. It relies on repetition of sad melodies and every now and then it get's loud.

It's like a mix of Tool, Isis, Post-Rock and Logh.

I also love the reprise of the opening track toward the end of the title track. I'm almost certain that melody reappears more than that one time as well. Awesome CD.

#21 - Memoryhouse | The Years

2010-12-01T16:26:00.002-05:00

Holy shit! Another EP?!?! How could I?!

If the first two songs were the only two songs released for this EP, it would still have made it into the top 30.

Gorgeous dream pop that focuses on simplicity. It's something that I continuously find myself enjoying in music. Less parts. More affective melodies and harmonies.

The female vocals are a huge plus too, as well as the Eternal Sunshine rip.

#22 - Ion Dissonance | Cursed

2010-11-29T17:57:00.003-05:00

Some of the most hilariously shitty lyrics I've ever heard yet some of the most insanely heavy music I've heard IN AWHILE.

Way better than Minus the Talent.

I listened to this maybe too much over the period of two weeks. It's still wicked awesome.

#23 - The Contortionist - Exoplanet

2010-11-25T18:25:00.003-05:00

WHOA?! What is this? Pandolfo still listens to metalcore?

Yeah, only the best metalcore albums of the year. And there was only one really good one of the year.

The Contortionist.

It's like Self Titled Between The Buried and Me meets The Faceless. I couldn't help myself for about a week this summer. This was pretty much on repeat and every once in awhile I still get the urge to just blast the hell out of it.

So to answer that question actually...no I don't still listen to metalcore. It's a rarity. But every once in awhile a good band is still alive somewhere in the sea of shitastic gimmicky bands. This is one of them.

#24 - Periphery | Periphery (Instrumental)

2010-11-24T13:56:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I may seem like a dick for stating that the number 24 album of 2010 is strictly NOT the actual CD with the vocals. As much as I do believe Periphery's vocalist has a great singing voice, and I didn't hate his screaming, the incredible instrumentation on this CD totally gets blocked out when there are constant vocals.

There were several things I noticed on this record that I wouldn't have if they never had released the instrumental album. Plus, there are moments of this CD that are actually much heavier due to the fact that there are no vocals.

Anyways, this was an awesome CD to blast as loud as possible. Although I think it's slightly too long at times, I must say that "Racecar" is an unbelievably awesome track, especially that it's clocking in around 15 minutes. I hope their new stuff sounds more like that.

#25 - Sleeping Peonies | Rose Curl, Sea Swirl

2010-11-22T19:09:00.002-05:00

Well what the fuck is this?

Black metal dream pop?

Yup. And it's gorgeous and definitely unique.

This might be seeming cliche of me to keep saying this but I honestly cannot wait to hear what else this group comes up with in the future. This is their debut EP and I hope it's only the start of some big releases.

"Lighthouse Alight, Stars Aligned" is one of the coolest songs I've heard all year. Devastatingly pretty melodies, synthetic black metal drums, and emotional vocals. The end of the song kill me and it sounds like someone ripped the midi from tabit. Somehow it still sounds so beautiful. Definitely check out this EP.

#26 - Baths | Cerulean

2010-11-21T12:56:00.003-05:00

What the fuck is Glitch Hop, you ask?

Well, other than another stupid sub genre, it's actually quite awesome sounding electronic beats, all created separately and placed properly to the artists' desires so that it can sound proper, or GLITCHY.

It also sounds great on Baths Cerulean.

One dude. Lots of sounds. Awesome beats and great ambiance.

This is definitely a fun CD to listen to. Would love to see this guy perform live and see how he pulls this off.

#27 - Dead Letter Circus | This is The Warning

2010-11-18T00:21:00.002-05:00

One of the bigger surprise CD's of the year for me goes to Dead Letter Circus. HORRIBLE band name, but impressive musicians.

This album sounds like a combination of Lost Prophets, Incubus, and dredg. The vocals are dynamic and catchy, as well as more than half of the songs.

This was a CD I blasted hard for about two weeks straight and was my go to album if I wanted something fun to listen to. These guys have a lot of talent and I'm looking forward to hearing more.

#28 - The Tallest Man On Earth | Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird

2010-11-17T02:09:00.005-05:00

Some may disagree with the idea that I'd choose putting his new EP over the full length in my top 30. For whatever reason this EP just touched home a tad harder than the full length, which is also very good.

I'm particularly fond of his bluesy attempt in "The Dreamer" as it is one of his more unique songs and has a gloriously catchy chorus.

"Like the Wheel" is one of his more simplistic and soothing songs and is also possibly my favorite due to the subtle and nearly depressing chorus. His vocal melodies and his style can be so crushing to your soul.

I am looking forward to hearing anything else from The Tallest Man on Earth in the future.

#29 - Her Name Is Calla | Long Grass EP

2010-11-16T11:32:00.002-05:00

This EP sounds almost like a combination of Bon Iver and folk. The opening title track is gorgeous and somber. Building with acoustic guitars, banjo, violins and longing vocals.

"A Sleeper" is an upbeat campfire sounding song filled with claps, acoustic guitars, and what sounds like 5 or 6 people all singing together. It's fantastic.

Long Grass EP is just three short but sweet songs. It's time for this band to come out with a goddamn full length now.

#30 - The Secret | Solve et Coagula

2010-11-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

Some people may ask how I could possibly enjoy this CD If I fucking despise Converge.

Answer:

This is not an annoying pile of shit.

This is extremely angry, heavy, dissonant, gritty, and ferocious hardcore.

This is also 10 times better than their previous record which sounded like Converge b-sides.

Pissed off Italians are awesome. Moving on...

Top 30 coming...

2010-11-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

I tried writing about the new Agalloch record. It's too huge even for me to produce paragraphs that can actually describe the journey that takes place in your ears when you put on the record.

So in the meantime, I'll be posting my top 30 albums of 2010 starting with #30. A short, and sweet blog post about each CD starting from the top! By the time I get to Agalloch MAYBE i'll be able to brew something up.

Number 30 is coming soon.

Eluvium | Static Nocturne

2010-10-22T23:47:00.004-04:00

Matthew Cooper's Eluvium has already released Similes this year, which still sits somewhere within the 5-10 list of albums of 2010. Although long followers of Eluvium were displeased with the addition of singing and percussion, I felt Similes is an incredibly heartfelt album and I feel like the addition of vocals really helped me fall in love with the melodies even more.

But what do I care about the fans...

If this was a response to the fans or not, Static Nocturne is an incredible 50 minute opus of gorgeous ambient drone and breath stopping atmosphere and samples, and it's completely void of the things that pissed off the fans with Similes.

I shouldn't explain the atmosphere this song creates, although it may be blatantly obvious the musical environment the sounds deliver, I feel every person can find there own unique world within this song.

If you want an idea, read this short paragraph from Matthew Cooper himself:

"I am ultimately a fan of sound in a much larger sense it is from rain falling, the ocean swelling, the wind picking up cars driving by, train yards, box fans, etc.. etc.. etc... the amalgamation of these things creates a wonderful comfort to me and it is in this "static" that ideas and music come to me the mixtures of these elements create the chord changes and melodies or are the foundation by which they are found there is nothing more comforting to me in the world than the flood of this vibration at a constant ....."Static Nocturne" is an ode to the process by which inspiration finds me and an homage, of sorts, to this foundation of noise..."

----

It may be too soon to say but I think I may end up liking Static Nocturne more than Copia.

Intronaut | Valley of Smoke

2010-10-09T23:43:00.003-04:00

1. Elegy
2. Above*
3. Miasma
4. Sunderance
5. Core Relations*
6. Below
7. Valley of Smoke*
8. Past Tense

* - stand out tracks

---

I vaguely remember making a blog post about Intronaut's previous record, Prehistoricisms, which blew me away immediately. It was a giant upgrade from its predecessor, Void, which also kicks ass, just not as thoroughly.

On my first listen of Valley of Smoke I wasn't so impressed. There's now clean singing and a lot more reverby, spacey parts. Sounds right up my alley. In fact, it is my alley. So why didn't this click right away? It's because although the band progressed accordingly with clean vocals and a lot more atmosphere, they didn't progress experimentally. In all honesty, Prehistoricisms may still be the better album due to the fact that this band maxed the fuck out in experimentation, especially for this genre. That record is ridiculously groovy and WEIRD and weird in a very good way.

With that said, on second and a half listens of Valley of Smoke, this CD is fucking AWESOME. Yes, maybe they couldn't expand too much upon what they mind-fucked me on with Prehistoricisms but it's as if they took their own influence from that record, and the parts that really stood out and expanded upon those parts instead.

Although it's not my favorite song, I do want to mention the title track. It is essentially the two best songs on Prehistoricisms combined. The 16 minute "The Reptilian Brain" and "Any Port" merged into a half sized, 8 minute jam. This one featuring Justin Chancellor from my beloved Tool. The guitarist again, like in "Any Port" is jamming the drums on this track, but a full kit instead of two toms. So let me map this out.....two AMAZINGLY talented bassists and two drummers at the same time are ripping your mind apart with endless patterns and signatures on this track. It's not as incredible as "The Reptilian Brain" or "Any Port" for that matter but it's still a wicked track.

Either way, overall, this band still has it. If it continues to grow on me at this pace it may make the top 10 or 15. Dig it.

Hopesfall | No Wings to Speak of

2010-09-27T21:02:00.003-04:00

I'll never forget the day I heard this EP in 2003. I had just gotten into 'hardcore' or any kind of music with screaming in general. A week after playing this EP on repeat I knew it may be my favorite EP of all time.

It's now 2010 and I've grown out of 98% of hardcore.

No Wings to Speak of is still to me the greatest four stand-alone songs recorded for one compact disc.

In words I can't quite describe, I'll simply say that these four tracks encompass the most beautifully aggressive song writing and emotionally impacting lyrics that nearly anyone could relate and feel to. The emotion of the melodies, the vocals, and the lyrics simply are beyond what other bands in this genre at that time we're attempting to do. What's blatant is that Hopesfall weren't attempting to do anything other than what their hearts were writing. This is natural and pure.

If you're into any kind of hardcore and you somehow missed this EP or are turned off by the way Hopesfall transitioned as a band, please go back and listen to this. You will not regret it.

Also, if you're Bill Lohr and you're reading this, your opinion is invalid. You love Pearl Jam.

Highly Anticipated Record: Agalloch | Marrow of the Spirit

2010-09-23T16:36:00.002-04:00

1. They Escaped the Weight of Darkness 03:41
2. Into the Painted Grey 12:25
3. The Watcher's Monolith 11:46
4. Black Lake Nidstang 17:34
5. Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires 09:40
6. To Drown 10:27

----

........

FINALLY. A new Agalloch record. And how I cannot wait to hear this one. The album title, cover artwork, and track listing are all fantastic. Now it's time to hear the overly awaited, highly anticipated tunes these guys have been writing for awhile now. I for some reason have a feeling this could be their greatest record. The Mantle is nearly a masterpiece but I feel if they combined that song writing with the production and overall sound of Ashes on the Grain they could produce an even better album than anyone expected. Hopefully that's what Marrow of the Spirit is.

Quick note: Track 2 is called "Into the Painted Grey". I'm thinking this is referring to the album cover. As if someone were walking into the painting. It reminds me of dredg's "It Only Took a Day" which is metaphorically about a sleep paralysis episode of somebody stuck inside of Dali's numerously named "Sting caused by the flight of a bee" painting (that's the shorter of the three names).

This record comes out 11.23.10. Sooner than I expected although still way longer than I planned on waiting after Ashes on the Grain. Let's see if this album can surpass my absurdly high expectations.

Cloudkicker | Beacons

2010-09-22T19:52:00.003-04:00

--

1. We are going to invert...
2. Here, wait a minute! Damn it!
3. We're goin' in. We're going down.
4. Oh, god.
5. I admit it now. I was scared.
6. We were all scared.
7. Push it way up!
8. ...it's just wide-open field.
9. It's bad. We're hit, man, we are hit.
10. Amy, I love you.

--

After releasing a debut LP and three solid EPs soon after, Ben Sharp finally gave us another full length, Beacons. The hype around this one was much larger due to the fact that he didn't actually just...give this one to us, instead posting little teasers every week. Each release thus far has been a free download on his site, something that I greatly encourage and appreciate, and so do fans. Intelligently, I believe he built up his fans appreciation enough for him to offer this record to fans in a stream, yet they can pay whatever quantity of currency they wish for a higher quality digital release, and he will then ship out physical compact discs of Beacons to those who dished out money. Very cool.

You may be looking at the track listing for this record and think...'What a bunch of stupid titles.' Actually, all the titles are rather eerie and interesting. Each are final or nearly final last words from pilots about to eat shit. What's great about the titles are that each song really resembles the final words. Such as the "We're goin' in. We're going down.", which is a very winding and frantic song that easily gives off panic-y imagery of you being in a plane twisting down through the sky.

The album runs together pretty smoothly although certain sections of the CD are smoother than others. The stand out moment of the record are the two ambient tracks "I admit it now. I was scared.", "We were all scared" which beautifully run into each other and then into the best song on the record "Push it way up", a groovy monstrous track with oozing layers of ambient reverb soaked guitars gushing all over the product. The guitars sound like 3 separate sirens roaring loudly over the music that literally put you in a frozen trance. It's as if something terrible is happening yet you can't move because of how beautiful it sounds. It's a great moment on the record.

In all, this is by far the most cohesive and solid effort from Cloudkicker. As much as I enjoyed his previous releases, this one will easily get more spins from me. Definitely check this out if you haven't already. He is streaming the album right on his website for free.

A Swarm of the Sun | Zenith

2010-09-10T02:25:00.002-04:00

1. Lifeline
2. This One Has No Heart
3. Refuge
4. The Stand
5. Zenith
6. Repeater
7. The Worms are Out
8. Lifeproof Houses
9. I Fear the End
10. Reaper

Two guys from Sweden. Seriously, can the Swedes do ANY wrong?

This record is dark and minimalistic. It's dreary and sad.

And really enjoyable.

It sounds like a combination of Callisto, Tool, Logh, and post-rock in general.

I would recommend it to anybody that likes any of those things.

Stand out tracks are "Lifeline", "Repeater", and "Reaper", the concluding track that makes me want to spend my entire day void of any sunlight, under thick covers. Check this CD out.

Envy | Recitation

2010-08-16T23:42:00.002-04:00

Well look at that. Just a couple weeks later and here we are. I'm posting my thoughts about Recitation, the brand new Envy album. Honestly, I don't think the CD is even close to be fully lodged into my heart, but when that time comes, I can always make another post in the future.

Let's get one thing straight, and get this out of the way...

Personally, Envy will never top Insomniac Doze. Sure, to you it may not be their best record, as most screamo fans will agree that All the Footsteps You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead is their greatest achievement, and I'm sure tons of people who got sucked into this band in 2003 agree that A Dead Sinking Story is their most monumental and iconic album, and extremely nostalgic to say the least. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if there are assholes who think this band died after From Here to Eternity. To each his own. All that I know is that Insomniac Doze is truly that 'album-never-to-be-topped- album, for me. Moving on...

Recitation is incredible.

Recitation is diverse, as well. There are definitely a few connecting aspects of the record though, and one huge thing that I find very new about this CD its' overall mood: dare I say......uplifting?

Envy have been a band literally known to make grown adults cry at live shows. Not many bands are known for doing that. What you might not know is that Envy is a band that can make me cry just from listening to their music on CD or mp3 format. Now I may be a hopeless emotional Italian, and tend to get very moody when listening to beautiful music, but if you're able to make me want to grasp my face and weep into my hands with your music, you are doing something amazing.

Normally, with Envy, especially on Insomniac Doze fills my world with gorgeously painted sadness. The melodies throughout that entire album are filled with so much emotional grief and sorrow. The most melancholic and epic parts intertwined to make one heaping pile of devastation. It makes me want to weep.

On Recitation, Envy make me want to weep tears of HOPE. Something I never imagined weeping about.

Just from the initial notes from the piano on "Guidance", I suddenly get a feeling of a new perspective from the members in this band. Sure, the intro to this CD can be translated as something quite sad, but I see it differently, especially given the song title. Even the slow, and foreshadowing build of "Last Hours of Eternity" fill me with feelings of change happening (although it feels as if this song is actually foreshadowing this band calling it quits soon, hence their long career, and the name of their debut lp). This track also is a combination of "A Warm Room" off of Insomniac Doze, and an epic piece from Mono, another incredible japanese band, strings and all. Needless to say, it's fucking WONDERFUL.

The following song "Rain Clouds Running in a Holy Night" is where the band begins to further pick up tempo and mood. The 'chorus' of the song, which suddenly turns into the climax of the song after the gorgeous, orchestral, three guitar build up, is one of the cheeriest and joyous things I've ever heard from this band. Tetsuya Fukagawa's vocals over this section brings a huge smile to my face. With each Envy album, his voice gets deeper, and with Recitation, there's no exception. Fukagawa's screams are nearly barbaric at this point, yet are still as emotional as they've always been.

After the awesome and almost chaotic "Pieces of the Moon I Weaved" comes another near masterpiece from the band called "Light and Solitude". Structure wise, the song is very typical. Yes, I'll spoil it: it's five minutes of soft drums, guitars playing beautifully until finally drums build up and the whole song explodes at the very end for two minutes. So why consider it nearly a masterpiece? THE MELODIES. And it's amazing how they stick with you. You do not understand until you hear the song finally start to build up. It sounds like heaven and it's so gorgeously cheery and catchy, and does not fail to almost bring tears to my eyes.

"Dreams Coming to An End" is a very welcome and upbeat punk song that I quickly fell in love with. The song is extremely catchy and reminiscent of classic melodic hardcore. It also keeps the flow of the album going from overall softer songs to more faster tempo songs, yet all seem to consistently remain hopeful sounding, despite how soft the songs are.

After "Incomplete", a very quick acoustic guitar intermission which breaks up the first half of the cd from the second half, comes "Worn Heels and the Hands We Hold". This song combines what feels like classic, and epic Envy melodies into a shorter and faster song. Although I wish it were a tad longer, it is a great track. It's not until "A Hint and the Incapacity" that again I want to explode of my own body. Following the typical and similar structure of "Light and Solitude" the guitars once again mingle and play, until suddenly every instrument is united in a stampede, or maybe even an avalanche of post-rock crescendos.

If you thought the band couldn't top their euphoria in the earlier songs, they prove you wrong with "A Breath Clad of Happiness". If the song title didn't give it away, this song literally is the most inspiring and 'happy' sounding tune they've ever done. The tremolo guitars sound like they are crying in blatant ecstasy. The CD comes back down a bit with "0 and 1", which took the longest to grow on me of all the tracks. It turns out, this might be the HEAVIEST Envy song they've ever written. It literally possess legitimate doom with the highly mixed bass, slow and steady drums, and droney guitars. It's an incredibly powerful piece and makes for a good overall conclusion of Recitation, but not until the final notes of the outro, "You Hand" which is a beautiful reprise of the opening track on the record, this time with strings.

Again, this may have been too soon for me to translate my thoughts on this CD into a huge mass of text and typing, but I can't hold back the feelings that this is once again another monumental album from Envy. Throughout the 66 minutes, it seems to encompass and touch base on everything they've tried to achieve over their existence, yet with a whole new and confident vibe. It might be a tad much to handle on the first few listens, especially since this is quite a bit of individual songs, but in the outcome, huge fans of Envy should be exceptionally pleased.

I know I am.

Highly Anticipated Release: Envy | Recitation

2010-08-04T12:53:00.002-04:00

1. Guidance
2. Last Hours Of Eternity
3. Rain Clouds Running In A Holy Night
4. Pierces Of The Moon I Weaved
5. Lights And Solitude
6. Dreams Coming To An End
7. Imcomplete
8. Worn Heels And The Hands We Hold
9. A Hint And The Incapacity
10. A Breath Clad In Happiness
11. 0 And 1
12. Your Hand

-----

Finally Envy are coming out with a new record. One of the bands that drive me emotionally crazy more than you would imagine music to do so. Judging from the two songs I heard, "Dreams Coming To An End", a catchy punk driven song, and "0 And 1" a dark, doomy piece, I believe this will be the bands most diverse record, showcasing all of their sounds in one 60 minute opus. There have been rumors that this will be their final full length. I expect it to be nothing short of unbelievable.

Inception.

2010-07-16T16:01:00.002-04:00

So here we are in 2010 and finally there's a great movie to watch. Ever since seeing Antichrist, now one of my favorite movies of all time, I seemed to have had nothing to look forward to. That was until I saw the trailers for Christopher Nolan's Inception. I purposely didn't follow it too closely, only knowing it involved dream sequences.

Inception is incredibly complex yet not pretentious in any shape or form. Not at one point are you totally lost, but rather you're trying to wrap your mind around the entire idea, while still maintaining to enjoy what's on the screen.

The movie's depth is unbelievable. The moods of the film shift seamlessly, keeping you on edge one second with intense action, then shifting to mindfuckery, then shifting to beautiful melancholic sequences, which are actually reminiscent to Leonardo DiCaprio's visions in his more recent Shutter Island, another film that's secured him into one of my new favorite actors. It's almost like the movie itself jumps from three layers of dreams within one on purpose. Genius.

Being a huge fan of The Fountain, an incredibly under-looked Daren Aronofsky film, I am immensely fond of gorgeous and rather depressing scenes of memory and remorse. Not until I saw Inception has a movie come close to capturing that sadness that Aronosfky did such a good job of portraying.

This movie is also incredibly smart. It forces you to grasp and understand so much information rather quickly as you're watching. If you're caught daydreaming at any point during this movie, there's a good chance that one small, or even big aspect of this movie could make no sense whatsoever.

What I love most about the film is although it's ridiculously far fetched, the almost metaphorical similarities with these futuristic dream sequences with real life dreams are amazing. Nolan's idea of an elevator of memories is one of the most brilliant ideas I've ever seen. 11 'stories' and a basement of absolute painstakingly, relentless REGRET. We all have dreams of memories and things we miss, which are often times tied in with regret. We can't seem to get rid of them. It's almost as if our subconscious locks those things in our mind only for our dreams. And we keep revisiting them. On accident. Only Don Cobb is so good at what he does, he designs these memories on purpose just to drive himself and his subconscious more insane. I LOVE IT.

Other than tie-ins with the dreams in the movie and the dreams of our reality, the movie is pretty literal, therefore, in the end no one should be totally confused. There are a few very small aspects of the film that could be metaphorical that others may think to be literal. Like any great film, there's room for speculation and theories for things left open and I'm glad for that.

Overall, once the movie ended, I was immediately shocked at how good it was but at the same time, I was confused about a few things. It took me some hours and more for the movie to fully sink in and for everything little by little to make so much sense. The reason is that there are so many layers and ideas going on in the movie that there's a good chance that you can become more attached to or distracted by one more-so than the others. Once the movie gets stuck in your head, which is inevitable, all the aspects of the film start to unfold for you in great detail. Either way, it's definitely a movie that deserves multiple viewings, and I'm sure it will be even more rewarding watching it for a second time.

I would go see it again right now if movies weren't so goddamn expensive.

At this point in time, Inception is the movie of the year.

Clouds Collide

2010-07-01T23:57:00.000-04:00

http://cloudscollide.tumblr.com/

Heaven In Her Arms | Paraselene

2010-06-25T01:10:00.002-04:00

Note: I'm drunk.

Over a year ago I made a blog post about Heaven In Her Arms' last release, a very solid four song ep which was a follow up to an even more solid debut full length.

Come June 2010. The new record, Paraselene is now available for listening. For my ears. Will this be another solid screamo record with proper dramatic Envy b-sides from A Dead Sinking Story?

You would think.

Wrong.

In 54 minutes Paraselene showcases one of the darkest cds to come out this year. Don't question. This record is DARK. The atmosphere is unlike 95% of anything the genre of screamo has reached. In fact...this record is essentially only 5% screamo.

Through the 8 tracks on this record, which all run into one another, making it sound literally like it could be one huge ass track, the CD delves into several different genres and sounds that aren't normally apparent in screamo.

Sludge. Doom. Funeral doom. Drone. Atmospheric black metal. Post-rock.

It's a true sit-down-and-LISTEN type record. It deserves the full attention of your brain and the work of your ears. They will not be disappointed.

Heaven In Her Arms attempted at setting themselves apart with this record. They've succeeded. I only hope they receive the recognition and appreciation they deserve with Paraselene. I'm thinkin' top 10 material here. Listen to this record. I mean REALLY listen to it.

If you do that, this will as well appear in your top 10 albums of the year.

I can't...

2010-06-10T03:09:00.003-04:00

When I cannot, or I say I can't or cannot, it can mean a lot of different things. I'll break it down for you.
----
I can't...

believe what I'm hearing.

Comprehend.

I cannot ever amount to the greatness of...

I cannot can.

I can't not feel an unbelievable amount of emotions because of...

I can't wrap my mind around the quality of unbelievable-ness...

So on and so forth.

With Insomniac Doze, one of my favorite records of all time...

I FUCKING CAN'T. I JUST.......CAN'T.

"The Years, They Passed, And So Did We"

2010-05-23T10:04:00.004-04:00

Wednesday night, a bit buzzed, I sit down to relax on the computer before heading back onto the xbox 360 to eventually belligerently play video games with my friends. Searching various forums I contribute to, I see a thread titled "Oh my fucking god.........". Highlighting it, I see it has to do with Isis. A show review, of course! Hardly.

I had to read it a few times, not realizing it was copy/pasted from somewhere, and especially not realizing it was at one point typed up by a member of Isis. The consumption of alcohol did not help my understanding of two large paragraphs and a 'Goodnight' from the band. After it struck me, I gazed into the monitor for 5 minutes without moving. Isis have broken up.

Should I be in disbelief? I knew it was inevitably coming. I just hoped for one more full length. The band has had an amazing career over the 13 years they were together, and although I've only been a huge fan since 2007, I've listened to each release so many times that I was able to fully appreciate such a catalog of music and truly understand how they've influenced and literally changed the lives of music lovers. But never before has a band this quickly influenced me in nearly the same ways.

It's almost hard to describe exactly what Isis do to me when I sit down and listen to their music. How can something indescribable be such a consistent and apparent factor on all five full length albums? Never before have I been so drawn into the sound of a record where I have to stop whatever I am doing and just LISTEN to and feel the music, at least this hasn't happened since a Tool record. In general, Isis are a band that should require attention, but as I sit on the computer, Isis do not just settle for background music.

For every listen, a roller coaster of emotions. I'm engulfed with the feelings of power, sadness, anger, triumph, all at different moments, and at some points, I feel all of these things at once, as if some uninvented emotion has been contrived only through listening to this band. No song since Tool's "Lateralus" has made me nearly break down into tears until almost every time I hear "So Did We". Even at the end of their career, the finale of Wavering Radiant, "Threshold of Transformation" picks me up to the highest of my aggression and then catapults me down into a spiraling hole of despairing beauty, leaving me speechless, with every single listen.

Witnesses Isis live three times was something special, and I feel the need to make it happen one last time, even if I go alone (I wouldn't want to cry in front of my friends at a metal concert). We still have Isis to look forward to as the band plans on releasing a final EP, and more live material in the future.

With that said, I will always love this band with all my heart, and although I was with them for only the end, they will continue to influence and inspire me musically, and throughout every day life for as long as I have my ability to hear. Thank you, Isis.

"Don't look back, Press on."

- 'Hall of the Dead', Isis

A Nice Surprise: Dead Letter Circus

2010-05-17T12:08:00.003-04:00

1	Here We Divide
2	One Step
3	Big
4	The Space on the Wall
5	The Long Hour
6	Cage
7	Reaction
8	The Drum
9	The Design
10	Next in Line
11	Walk
12	This Is the Warning

I love it when people on the internet are aware of my musical tastes and recommend bands and CDs to me. Yesterday somebody told me to check out Dead Letter Circus's debut LP, This Is the Warning. The first thing I thought was "What a horrible band name", but of course just like you shouldn't judge a book by its' cover, you especially shouldn't judge a band by their name (See: Tool, dredg).

So after acquiring the album I started it up rather quickly as I had nothing to do all day but listen to music. Thirty seconds into the opening song "Here We Divide" I knew the recommendation would be somewhat worth it. As the final seconds faded out, the recommendation was ever so appreciated. What was I hearing?! This is amazing! I had to do more research, and upon looking around a bit, I found they were UNSIGNED, which then brought me to realize that this may be one of the best unsigned bands you'll ever hear.

So what does it sound like? It sounds like a mix between dredg, Incubus, Karnivool, Strata and more name drops that I can't put my finger on. It's the most refreshing alternative rock album I've heard in a very, very long time. There are electronics going on, vivid reverb guitar leads, energetic bass and drum rhythms, unbelievably dramatic and catchy choruses all at the same time, and one hell of a vocalist.

The album isn't very diverse but that is actually one of the more fun qualities about it, and I'm sure that like with most bands, any future releases will have a bit more depth and diversity. What is almost shocking about this record is that although it is very samey throughout, each song is great, one after another.

I now pass this recommendation on to you. Listen to this and enjoy it. I don't think many people can dislike this. It's just not possible.

Favorite songs: "Here We Divide", "One Step", "Walk"

2010-04-28T20:49:00.009-04:00

1. Ayil
2. Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin
3. Blue Day for Croatoa
4. Release
5. Revolve
6. Renew
7. A Determinism of Morality

If you've been keeping up with my blog (that's sarcasm; you haven't), you would see that I have a deep and everlasting adoration for Rosetta's Wake/Lift. At the time I heard it I thought The Galilean Satellites was a tad too harsh and repetetive, and Wake/Lift was proving to be perfection to my ears with its perfect mix of ambiance, post-rock, and down tuned low end doom. To this day Wake/Lift still is that near perfect CD for me, so you could imagine my anticipation when I heard Rosetta was recording an album to be released this year.

The band was quick to answer questions about their new sound on their tumblr. The album will be a lot shorter than the others. The songs will be a lot shorter than previous songs. The tempo is going to be faster, etc etc. Upon hearing these things I was initially bummed. It's a hard thing to write consistently amazing long songs and Rosetta have always been one of the few bands anymore that seem to pull it off with ease. How would a short Rosetta song sound like? On their new album A Determinism of Morality, six of the seven tracks are under the seven minute mark, while the finale just barely falls short of eleven minutes. I can easily assure you, Rosetta could write 3 minute songs and I think they'd still manage to blow us away. Enough babbling...let's get to ADoM.

---

The album starts off with a punch in the face with the muscular opener "Ayil" (pats self on back for choice of adjectives here). Immediately you recognize the pace is blatantly quicker than anything on Wake/Lift, and the crystal clear production is also something refreshingly new. Mike Armine's vocals sound angrier than all hell and more passionate than ever. Other things that are immediately noticeable is that the bass sounds much more prominent than previously, BJ's drums are way higher in the mix (a very good thing on this CD), and Matt's wall of noise guitars sound perfectly placed among the rest of the instruments.

The song's massive build up section midway through showcases the first of manytimes you may encounter goosebumps on this record. While BJ goes off on one, you lose count of the amount of guitar tracks that are added even on top of the ambient samples and soundscapes seeping through the bass. After building and building, it finally blasts into an aggressive assault from all 4 members of Rosetta. "RELEASE! REVOLVE! RENEW!" bellows from Armine's throat, even after screaming all three of those words 400 times each on Wake/Lift's closing track, "Monument". Not only is this tying in the concepts of the band, but also foreshadows three tracks coming later in the cd.

After "Ayil" leaves you barely standing after its disturbingly heavy ending, "Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin" begins and may arguably be the best song on the record, and maybe even in the bands career. Words are failing to describe the beauty of this track. An effortlessly flowing build up, a constant crescendo that just doesn't seem to stop getting more and more exciting and gorgeous with each transition. Approaching the end, the song teases, and absolutely delivers. I can't say much else other than this song is perfect. Literally perfect.

If you were wondering if there was any ambiance on A Determinism of Morality, you'll get your fix with "Blue Day for Croatoa". The song sounds like it could be the little brother of the enormous and other-worldly "Temet Nosce" from Wake/Lift. The track is very building but in a trance inducing manner, not getting too loud and saving up any massive exploding endings for remaining numbers to come. The tones continue pushing the bands reputation for being spacey and at times on this song are reminiscent to something Slowdive would do. The band is after all huge fans of The Cure. You'll hear that name drop again later on.

After you're done floating in space for seven minutes, the first of the three Rs begins with "Release". The opening melodies and bass grooves pull you back from space and suck you in to the cohesiveness of the bands song writing. After the first minute or so you'll hear something the Rosetta hasn't done before in their career; clean singing, and it's one of the most airy and beautiful parts on ADoM. Don't get too comfortable though as one of the most crushing things they've ever written lies at the conclusion of the track accompanied by most hair raising vocal performances by Mike Armine. Simply put, prepare to be doomed.

"Revolve" is next and begins with one of the prettiest post-rock-esque parts you could hear in a band like this. It's tough to say how the opening melodies make you feel. At times it seems like the most hopeless and melancholic of notes yet as it builds it seems like the most uplifting and powerful sound you've ever heard. When the melody cuts back in midway through the song, the tone blatantly reminds you of The Cure again, until bursting into the final few minutes of the song. As it flows in and out of triumphant crescendos and hinting at nearly black metal chord progressions, the song finally gives in, barraging you at the end with a bendy, low end assault.

If there was anything that was missing from Rosetta's signature sound, "Renew" is sure to bring everything great about this band into the mix. In fact, "Renew" is the perfect sum up of this bands sound in 6 minutes. From the opening ambiance, to the chill inducing build up, to the layers upon layers of guitars added each measure until finally exploding into what sounds like all the guitars remained in the mix with distortion kicked on, and notched up to 11. Gigantic ending. And speaking of huge endings, this brings us to the title track finale...

Now you may have heard the demo song of "A Determinism of Morality". I was initially bummed after finding out the band showcased a demo of the LAST SONG ON THE CD, but after not listening to it again, the album version was still fresh to me. One thing is for certain, the ending is much, much better than the demo's.

The song begins with lurking atmosphere and a groovy bass line which is soon met up with some oddly timed drums. Matt's guitars build upon the beats and everything starts coming together with effortless flow. Once the melody breaks out, you are floored for the first time in the song, but certainly not the last. The waves of ambiance midway through start one of the best closing build up/climaxes in Rosetta's catalog. Once forgetting where you are, the drums start pummeling there way back into your brainwaves, followed by more layers of guitars. It doesn't take long for the song to kick back in full force, but its only reached about half of its volume as the final two minutes are sure to melt you and crush you somehow simultaneously. Unbelievably POWERFUL ending.

---

So if there were any doubts that Rosetta could write another amazing record, those doubts will be shattered upon hearing A Determinism of Morality. Sure, it's a bit shorter, but the final half of the closing song literally leaves you more satisfied that you can imagine. They've proven that they do not need to write 12 minute tracks to express their epic sound. Although I don't think the band could write a better record than Wake/Lift, ADoM is undeniably incredible, and will most definitely be sitting in my top three records of 2010.

Circa Survive | Blue Sky Noise

2010-04-27T13:07:00.004-04:00

In a previous blog post, I broke down Circa Survive's Juturna and On Letting Go, explaining how I loved Juturna for its haunting atmosphere and nostalgic affect on me, and On Letting Go for its dreaminess and the fact that it has two of my favorite Circa Survive songs on it, until now at least.

Although I do love On Letting Go now, I didn't at first. The two songs I liked immediately ended up being my two favorites in the bands' catalog for quite awhile, and the rest took lots of forced listens for a couple weeks to really appeal to me. With that being said, the moment I heard Blue Sky Noise I was hooked. Hopefully it doesn't have a reverse effect that On Letting Go had.

Circa Survive dropped their slow, prodding, overly drenched reverb style a tad on Blue Sky Noise, allowing it to be instantly accessible to most older fans, and most especially newer fans. There are moments on the record that are obviously signature style for the band such as the instant classic "Frozen Creek" which is probably in their top 3 most popular songs already due to them performing it live for the passed two years.

What's refreshing about Blue Sky Noise are the pop oriented songs such as "I Felt Free", which may be my new favorite song from the band, "Imaginary Enemy", and "Dyed in the Wool". This is where the bands song writing shines more-so than it ever has on all three releases. Maybe this is the type of music they should have been playing the whole time.

A lot of long time Circa Survive fans may complain the band lost their atmosphere and their experimentation, but I will have to disagree while also saying that they are full of bullSHIT. Just because a band isn't overflowing their songs with guitar leads on delay does not mean they lost atmosphere. Just because the band is playing actual chords, and upped their aggression a bit doesn't mean they're not experimental. The song writing on Blue Sky Noise is their best yet, and even though it might be more of an alternative touch, it seems this is where the band shines the most. Either way, Circa Survive are now three for three.

Favorite tracks: "I Felt Free", "Fever Dreams", "Dyed in the Wool".

What I've Been Listening To...

2010-04-14T16:01:00.002-04:00

Circa Survive | Blue Sky Noise

This is technically the best Circa Survive album. I normally would be upset with a band dropping most of their atmosphere and 'spaceyness' but Circa Survive to a good job substituting more interesting song writing with the twinkly delay stuff. It helps the album be their most diverse. Anthony Green sounds incredible throughout, as well. Juturna will probably still be my overall favorite due to sentimental reasons. A full review coming...

Alcest | Écailles de lune

Possibly album of the year. A full review is coming for this as well...

Immanu El | Moen

Immanu El are becoming one of my favorite post-rock bands. I cannot seem to stop listening to this record. It's very short, but because of that I feel I return to it more than I would if it were another 10-15 minutes long. More people need to hear this band and this CD. Its' simplicity goes a long, long way.

Periphery | Periphery

The long awaited progressive metalcore band Periphery have finally finished their debut and it's quite impressive. Although I can't seem to listen to any metalcore album for more than three spins, despite the blatant Meshuggah worship, I will say that this is a band I'd recommend to metal heads over just about 90% of other bands in the genre.

----

What haven't I been listening to?

Pearl Jam.

Diamond Eyes

2010-03-22T23:45:00.004-04:00

"Diamond Eyes"
"Royal"
"CMND/CTRL"
"You've Seen the Butcher"
"Beauty School"
"Prince"
"Rocket Skates"
"Sextape"
"Risk"
"976–EVIL"
"This Place Is Death"

Release Date: May 18th, 2010.

I remember the first time I heard Deftones. My brother and his best friend figured I should hear this band. Laying across the backseat of the car late at night, with the sun roof open, revealing the stars, they put on "Digital Bath". I was in love.

Deftones are one of a few bands that got me into GOOD music in 2000 with White Pony. Before them it was just Foo Fighters and Incubus. Sure, Incubus and Foo Fighters used to be awesome, but Deftones haven't released a terrible CD yet, although many hardcore fans would disagree.

In fact, I believe that Saturday Night Wrist is a great album and a good progression for the band. Either way, I think it's safe to say that a lot of people are going to love Diamond Eyes, if they already don't, due to the frighteningly early leak of the album.

In late 2008, bassist Chi Cheng was in a horrible car accident and has ever since been in a coma. It was right around the time the band was finishing the recording process of a record entitled Eros, which is apparently weirder, atmospheric, yet still very heavy. That record has been delayed and will eventually be released. As a tribute to the bassist who's been with them from the start, the band decided to write a whole new CD with a different art style that better represents them. What came out is Diamond Eyes and is essentially a return to form album, combining sounds from Around the Fur and White Pony with a touch of what Deftones were doing in the last few albums.

Nostalgia is the easiest and best way to describe what I feel when I listen to this record. It seems as if I should be blasting this in a car with my windows down in the summer. The exact feeling I got a decade ago when White Pony was released or of that night laying across the backseat while I was introduced to the band. Songs like "Royal", "Saint", "CMND/CTRL", and "Rocket Skates" immediately remind me of the earlier CDs and it becomes apparent that these songs ARE blatant homages to their own work.

So then what is actually new sounding on this record? Well for the first time I can understand Meshuggah's influence on this band. I'm honestly surprised they didn't title "You've Seen the Butcher", "You've Heard Meshuggah" instead. It's a very welcome sound for the band, especially since they use 7-string guitars and tune rather low.

In all, I have to say that this is most likely the band's best CD since the classic White Pony, even though I am hugely fond of the previous album. The songs are rather stripped down and simplistic, consisting of 3 parts, sometimes even only 2. With most bands this would be an insult, but tight and awesome song writing is what the Deftones developed well from the start, and it especially shines on this CD.

Diamond Eyes will most likely be a top 10 album of the year as I cannot seem to get away from it. It's addicting and fantastic. I can only now just wait patiently for Eros, where I'm sure the entire fanbase of this band will once again bitch and moan.

Stand out tracks: "Royal", "Risk", "Sextape" (Maybe the most beautiful Deftones song ever written).

Year of the Black Rainbow

2010-03-15T02:42:00.002-04:00

Coheed and Cambria have always been a band that I enjoyed. The Second Stage Turbine Blade was an album that I listened to a lot in 2002-3, which got me into the band and i've stuck by them although they have seemed to be trapped in the same sound for the passed three albums...until now. I'll admit, I've never followed the story much, and although I eat up conceptual music, I just like Coheed's music more because it's fun.

One thing that bothered me about the band's progression, or lack thereof, was the fact that although I didn't follow the album's storylines as closely as many others, I still felt the music was a terrible translation of the story and setting of the story. Pop rock songs, pop punk songs, the longer progressive ballads, and a few shout outs to Pink Floyd never really made me think of epic spaceship battles.

Finally, on the new record, Year of the Black Rainbow, the band has found some kind of fitting atmosphere. Claudio has finally purchased a delay pedal, and it sounds like the band gained a synthesizer player. All the music on this CD, besides one or two complete classic older sounding Coheed songs sound legitimately dark, nearly psi-fi-esque, and dedicated to a potential storyline with a setting in outer space.

Not only that, but the band just sounds HUGE on this CD. It might be due to the great Joe Baressi producing it, but this just sounds like a new mature, and confident Coheed and Cambria. There are at times TONS of layers going on in the songs, and I love the use of synthetic beats over the more melodic songs.

Lastly, Chris Penne's presence in this band is not a subtle one. Not only are the drums fantastic on this record, but he has seemed to have made the bassist much better as well. There are a slew of awesome drum/bass grooves throughout the songs. Penne knows just when to go nuts, or when to go more straight forward.

Overall, this is a great record for Coheed and one that definitely surprised me. I was expecting them to write yet another album that sounded exactly like the last ones, and then I would inevitably grow out of them. Luckily, it seemed like the band has progressed in the right directions for me. As for others who might be actual hardcore Coheed fans, they'll probably be upset with this disc.

What I've Been Enjoying Lately...

2010-03-04T15:01:00.004-05:00

Highly Anticipated Release: Circa Survive | Blue Sky Noise

2010-02-23T17:42:00.003-05:00

Release Date: April 20th 2010. (4/20 hehehe)

Track list:
1. Strange Terrain
2. Get Out
3. Glass Arrows
4. I Felt Free
5. Imaginary Enemy
6. Through the Desert Alone
7. Frozen Creek
8. Fever Dreams
9. Spirit of The Stairwell
10. The Longest Mile
11. Compendium
12. Dyed in the Wool

---

Circa Survive is a band that I hold close to my heart. Every time I play them, which is very often, I can't help but sing along to the catchiest of emotions the band portrays. Juturna is a very nostalgic CD for me for reasons I can barely explain. It's not necessarily because of things that occurred during the time it was released, but the sounds of the album itself. Anthony Green's singing just reminds me of how much it made me think of the uniqueness and innocence of his voice back in 2005. He sounds so haunting. He sounds like a newborn or a scared young child, and I don't mean literally in the sense that I could be making fun of his high pitched voice. He sounds amazing.

On Letting Go was instantly disappointing to me. Although I loved two songs immediately, both happening to be now my two favorite Circa Survive songs, it took me several listens for the rest of the CD to click. Now I have a whole new appreciation for the album and the ideas brought up in the record's themes. The musicianship on this CD, although missing the raw touch from Juturna, is exceptional. Some of the most beautifully intertwining guitar parts were composed on On Letting Go.

About a year ago Kaddisfly, one of my favorite bands of all time tried to get a major record deal. They then broke up and the members of the band started another project called Water & Bodies, which I am still not much of a fan of. I recently found out they were competing for a spot on Atlantic Records roster with Circa Survive. Although I am a fan, at the time I would have hoped Circa Survive sent Atlantic Records their shittiest of songs so that Kaddisfly could remain a band.

In the end Atlantic chose Circa Survive over Kaddisfly. And now with a new Circa Survive record coming out this April, I hope the band shows me that they were worthy of winning that spot. At the band's website you can hear the single "Get Out", which at first was a bit tough to figure out, but is now impossibly catchy after several listens. I am very excited for this record and have very high expectations. Judging from the various studio videos, I don't think this should let me down.

Bring on 4/20!

Highly Anticipated Release: Rosetta | A Determinism of Morality

2010-02-10T03:55:00.002-05:00

1. Ayil
2. Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin
3. Blue Day for Croatoa
4. Release
5. Revolve
6. Renew
7. A Determinism of Morality

This is as of now my most anticipated release I can think of. The band has mentioned the songs are faster and shorter. From what I've heard thus far from live footage, demos, and studio videos, this will definitely be another stellar release from Rosetta, although I feel that nothing can top Wake/Lift for me personally.

The band said the album is expected to be out sometime in early May. I simply cannot wait that long.

Anticipated Release: Alcest | Écailles de Lune

2010-01-28T23:46:00.003-05:00

1. Écailles De Lune (part I)
2. Écailles De Lune (part II)
3. Percées De Lumière
4. Abysses
5. Solar Song
6. Sur L'Océan Couleur De Fer

I am extremely pumped for this as the INCREDIBLE song "Percées De Lumière" off their recent split is on this record. I say it's that good and I only heard it once. I decided not to listen to it again because I heard a rumor it was going to be on the full length and sure enough THERE IT IS. Also, the album artwork above looks fantastic. I shall be hunting down a vinyl of this for sure. I don't believe there's a set release date yet.

For an updated list of things I've been listening to lately, just know that I've now heard the new Eluvium album and it's very good. I'll most likely be making a blog post about it in the coming weeks. I'm just waiting on a CD cover for the new Rosetta to make an official "Anticipated Release" or "I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT FOR THIS CD" post.

Immanu El

2010-01-26T01:24:00.002-05:00

As I wait for the many fantastic records to be released this year I have to settle for other awesome records that have already come out. Over the month of January, Sweden's Immanu El has won my heart over with both of their full lengths, They'll Come, They Come, and Moen. Beautiful post rock/indie with heartfelt and emotional singing, shades of shoegaze and 90s alternative. Perfect.

Other bands I've been listening to lately:
The Gathering
Jakob
Isis
Callisto
The Unwinding Hours

2009

2009-12-31T15:33:00.002-05:00

In 2009 I saw dredg twice. I saw Isis twice. I went to Disney, and hung out with one of my best friends in Florida for a week. I met new friends, and built a wiffle ball field in my dads backyard. I turned 21, made more money, and finally began band I've been dreaming of being in for years.

With all that, it's quite easy to say that for me 2009 was the worst year of my life and I can only hope that there isn't a worse overall 365 days for me to experience. I quite simply NEED 2010 to be better.

Throughout this year, due to several circumstances, I've learned a lot of things. A lot of unfortunate truths about life. This hopefully only helps me in the end. I learned that you can't trust the person you love, and that literally nothing happens for a reason. Even this passed week or so I am reminded that life fails to consider logic as one of its characteristics, and offer comfort to me in any sort of way. Things just happen and coincidentally, they're always negative toward me. Why should I be alone out of all of this? I wait and wait and wait for good things to happen yet I am consistently amazed at the misfortune I have. At this point I should just be used to it.

Lately, if I am to consider myself happy, it's because at that moment in time, I just don't care about anything. That's my happiness now. Not caring. This needs to change. Speaking of change...

The biggest thing I learned this year is to except change. I've changed, my life has changed, and things will never be the way they were, and I'm sure this won't be the first time I experience and go through drastic changes like this in my lifetime. At this point and time though, I am certain my perspective on life will not change, and that I'll remain faithless, hopeless, and be perpetually filled with fear.

Luckily, I can transfer all the negativity into acknowledgment and let this further build my character as a strong human being. That is one good thing to come out 2009. Growth.

So here is to looking forward and knowing that time will heal things. Here is to better luck, and better health to everyone. Here is to finding comfort, stability, and happiness. Here is to a new upcoming decade.

Here is to 2010.

Looking Ahead 2: Games in 2010

2009-12-26T13:51:00.002-05:00

Not only are there some highly anticipated music releases coming out next year, but there are a slew of games that are making it hard for me to sleep at night. Check it:

Bayonetta - Jan 5th
Mass Effect 2 - Jan 26th
Bioshock 2 - Feb 9th
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - Feb 23rd
Final Fantasy XIII - March 9th
Red Dead Redemption - April 27th

These are just some of the great games coming out next year. I'm sure there will be lots more that may deserve attention such as Dark Void, the new Prince of Persia, Ghost Recon, Max Pain 3, Fable III etc.

I know that i'm especially excited for Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 coming out sometime in 2010. Be on the lookout for more random posts about the games as I get them. In the meantime, go out and buy Assassins Creed 2. It's possibly my game of the year for 2009.

Looking Ahead: 2010

2009-12-14T03:02:00.003-05:00

In the coming weeks Rabbit Hole Music will hold the top 10 albums of 2009 and on there you will see my write ups and thoughts of my top 10 records of the year and a list of other albums from 11-20 (which I'm still having a hard time ordering). A link will be provided when that time comes.

But I thought perhaps now was a good time before it is too late to take a look into the year 2010 and acknowledge the degree of combustion that will commence within my brain and upon my entire body.

In the year 2010 I am anticipating:

Rosetta
Circa Survive
Eluvium
The Unwinding Hours
Jonsi
Deftones
Alcest
Jakob
Burning Empires
Envy
Novembre
Moving Mountains
Agalloch
Intronaut
Explosions in the Sky

There are many more I am missing as it is late and I had maybe a bit too much wine tonight to fully develop within my mind the entire list of extraordinary anticipations coming out. I can always add more, BUT...

the possibility that Tool may release an album within those 12 months could easily confirm 2010 to be the greatest year in music.

We can only hope.

5th Fortnight

2009-12-11T00:30:00.002-05:00

Head over to this link to read what readers and contributors of Rabbit Hole Music have been listening to lately!

If you're too lazy, here is my write up for Kaddisfly's Did You Know People Can Fly?.

As you may know, Kaddisfly, who remain one of my top 10 favorite bands, went on hiatus about a year ago and started another project which I'm still too angsty to even mention. Just recently, the band posted two demos of "new" songs on their MySpace. The songs are over a year old but they're new to any fans. This got me extremely excited for a possible return to their senses and that the band would get back together to release the final album for the trilogy. Although it seems as if this is unlikely, I decided to listen to their three full lengths back to back. I couldn't help but notice how much I forgot how awesome Kaddisfly's debut record Did You Know People Can Fly? is.

Chris Ruff is still to this day my favorite lyricist, as his words on all three albums are superb, as is his voice, but, while re-listening to DYKPCF?, I realized that I think his singing is the best on this record. The energy and vibrancy of his voice matches the aggressive nature to the songs so well. Some of the melodies on "Midnight in Shanghai" still bring me back to the very first time I heard that song in 2003, that being the first music I'd ever heard by Kaddisfly.

Although I think Kaddisfly as a whole have gotten better with each release (Set Sail The Prairie is in my top 10 albums of all time), I can't help but mention that the songs "Manhattan Loves You" and "Day Disappears With the Absence of Night" are possibly in the top 5 Kaddisfly tracks written.

Anticipated Release: Jonsi | Go

2009-12-07T23:08:00.003-05:00

Sigur Ros are in my top list of bands, and vocalist Jonsi Birgisson is one of the most unique and inventive vocalists of the passed decade. Fresh off of his instrumental album with Alex Somers, Riceboy Sleeps (which is floating around in the top 20 albums of 2009), Jonsi is back at it with a new upcoming solo album titled Go.

From reading the multiple press releases, this seems to be more than just a typical solo album. The record was supposed to be just an acoustic CD that ended up expanding into something much bigger, and dare I say, something of the capacity and meaning of an actual Sigur Ros album. I had no idea about this solo project until literally today, and after hearing the single "Boy Lilikoi", I'm suddenly extremely excited about this album.

I couldn't describe just how vibrant and alive this song is, but i'll try. There's pummeling percussion, and synthetic beats, and schizophrenic string sections, all beneath Jonsi's surprisingly catchy and nearly mainstream vocal harmonies. And he's singing in English. You can hear the song by signing up for the mailing list at the website here.

Early this year I read about a probable new Sigur Ros album coming out in 2010, though now i'm unsure if that will be the case due to what this little solo project seems to have become. Jonsi has already scheduled a world tour for Go. Judging from this one song, I don't think we'll be too disappointed if Sigur Ros is on hold until 2011.

The album drops on March 22nd. Tracklisting is as follows:

1. Go Do
2. Animal Arithmetic
3. Tornado
4. Boy Lilikoi
5. Sinking Friendships
6. Kolnidur
7. Grow Till Tall
8. Around Us
9. Hengilas

Is Kaddisfly Back!?

2009-11-28T21:44:00.002-05:00

Kaddisfly broke my heart when they announced their haitus and went onto create a rather uninspired musical endeavor called Water & Bodies. It turns out that Kaddisfly have just posted two new demos right here, and they both sound awesome. Surprisingly, it sounds a lot like their older material from Did You Know People Can Fly?. Is this a hint at their return?! I sure hope so.

500 Days of Summer

2009-11-27T00:47:00.002-05:00

It wouldn't be surprising to say that I could relate to this movie, because this movie can easily relate to just about everybody. The movie's affective in the sense that the couple in the movie are realistic, and the things that happen are realistic, and it makes you dawn on the unfortunate realistic things that have happened in your past relationships. I'm not entirely sure if the film just made me more pessimistic and faithless than I already am, or if I should take optimism out of it. Will I ever find anyone again? Will it be worth it, considering the pain that will inevitably come out of it? These are questions that are constantly revolving in any lonely person's head, and this movie almost seems to answer them vaguely.

Despite 500 Days of Summer being rather humorous, it overall just really destroyed my emotions, and continues to push on the thoughts I've been having that nothing happens for a reason. The film also does an amazing job of metaphorically displaying how one feels in a relationship, if it's the highs or the lows. The soundtrack is very good due to the fact that there are multiple Regina Spektor songs in the mix. I also noticed an ISIS poster in the movie. Random but cool.

Last but not least: Zooey Deschanel is so outrageously cute here, I can't even.

Wherein There is PC problems...

2009-11-26T02:27:00.002-05:00

The 4th edition of Rabbit Hole Music's Wherein There is Much Discussion of Media Enjoyed This Past Fortnight is FINALLY up. We had some computer difficulties, but Benjamin Rice managed to finally get his shit in gear and overcome small obstacles and post the goddamn article. ;)

This week (or passed two) I've been listening to Rosetta's Wake/Lift a lot (as well as dredg, as you can see two posts ago). If you're too lazy to click the link to check out what everyone else has been jamming, here's my lone submission for the incredible opus that is Wake/Lift:

----------

Metal for astronauts. That may be the perfect three word, six syllable description for Rosetta's sound. The themes are even astronaut and space travel based, but musically, Rosetta are one of the best bands for painting celestial and astrological images in your head with their music.

Most people seem to prefer The Galilean Satellites, Rosetta's debut LP, over their sophomore effort Wake/Lift. Sure, The Galilean Satellites is a superb record and a very strong debut for the band. Maybe it's Wake/Lift's ethereal and overly atmospheric qualities that make it so special to me. The brute force is hidden in the back, along with the vocals, and the mix is analog, giving it a unique yet classic feel. The songs are astonishingly powerful and moving. "Red in Tooth and Claw," over a short period of time, has already become one of my favorite songs of all time. The song in itself is a musical voyage within a larger journey throughout the 65 minutes.

The “Lift” trilogy following the masterpiece of an opener shows diversity within the three parts. The bass grooves fading into part 2's ambiance sends shivers down the spine, until the bass comes back in for the beginning of the emotional conclusion of "Lift," which finally showcases a bit of the band’s sludgy characteristics at the very end.

"Wake" is the song that easily showcases the album’s overall sound, with building grooves, pummeling crescendos, spacious intertwining guitars, and weighty riffs. "Temet Nosce" brings the album way down, in a good way, with 14 minutes of trance-inducing ambience. The song is so effective, at times you forget who and what you're listening to. It's almost like it completely engulfs anything that's happened before it and you forget you're listening to Rosetta. Absolutely mesmerizing track.

After the airy and ambient "Temet Nosce" has put you in a dream world of weightlessness, suddenly the finale "Monument" slams into the ears with a crushing doom introduction. The climax of the song, after what seems to be an endlessly beautiful build-up, feels extra rewarding with the final seconds of twinkly playful guitars wrapping up a massive closer to a massive album.

In the past two weeks I have listened to Wake/Lift quite a few times and I still think if someone were to ask me "Galilean Satellites or Wake/Lift?" I'd have to respond with “WAKE AND BE WHOLE, LIFT AND BE GONE, motherfucker!”

Anticipated Release: Eluvium | Similes

2009-11-25T01:40:00.002-05:00

Looking ahead to the year 2010, it's gearing up to be quite an amazing 365 days in music. I'll save the details why for a future post at the end of this year. However, since Eluvium's Similes has the first confirmed release date for February 23rd, here we have my first anticipated release of 2010 for the blog. The record is stated to have percussion and vocals, which is a first for Eluvium. Can Similes surpass the fantastic Copia? I have faith.

1. Leaves Eclipse the Light
2. The Motion Makes Me Last
3. In Culmination
4. Weird Creatures
5. Nightmare 5
6. Making Up Minds
7. Bending Dream
8. Cease to Know

dredg

2009-11-14T00:45:00.004-05:00

This passed two weeks I re-purchased a copy of Tool's Lateralus (for the third time), as well as El Cielo by dredg. These two albums are my 'masterpieces'. I live and breathe these two CDs. It might be a lot to say that these albums changed my life in any form, but they definitely did and still do have a part in forming my character, and are the reason I am so passionate about music in general.

I will keep this rather short and possibly have separate blog posts about each said album at another time, but this particular blog post is about dredg, arguably my favorite band of all time.

The passed three days I have been binging on the records this band has put out. I have now done this an uncountable amount of times, besides just attempting to overplay each of their cds as they're released. I've recently been falling asleep to playlists of the records on shuffle, as well as driving in the car blaring the albums back to back. I've done this now roughly a hundred times.

My point is, I've heard each of these songs so many countless times, again and again over the years, yet still after each few months pass, I get the urge to do it all over again. Each time, the songs affect me just as much as they always have, rediscovering them each time, even though I've known them all so well.

Even after the unheard of amount of spins, I can still find things that were subconsciously noticeable yet have to think about what I just heard to realize and continuously appreciate the depth of the band. I still find new meanings in the subtle phrases and lyrics. I still notice tie-ins with the concepts of each record and how they can relate to not only the person who wrote them, but you and everyone else.

I still find amazement in the diversity, constantly rearranging my feelings and emotions with each different song, yet fully enjoying it despite its' mood.

Bottom line, my adoration for dredg forces me to ask you to listen to this band, if you somehow haven't already. This is a short summary of my feelings on dredg. If you were to ask me to write a 8 page thesis paper, I could probably bang that out as well.

So listen to this band. If you somehow haven't already.

/fanboyism.

Modern Warfare 2

2009-11-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

Today the most anticipated game of the decade has come out. Have you bought it yet?

New 'This Fortnight'! 11/5/09

2009-11-05T23:55:00.002-05:00

Head on over to the Rabbit Hole to check this weeks' submissions for the third edition of 'Wherein There Is Much Discussion of Media Enjoyed This Passed Fortnight.' Inside you'll also see the long awaited submission for the one and only Matthew Dyess, formerly known as that fucking asshole who gave everyone problems at DecoyMusic years ago. You'll also see my fanboyish write up for Jakob's Solace...but can you blame me?

Night is the New Day @ Rabbit Hole

2009-10-26T23:52:00.005-04:00

My review for Katatonia's awesome new record, Night is the New Day is right here! Check it out and find out for yourself how good this album is when it hits shelves on November 10th.

Paranormal Activity.

2009-10-25T22:50:00.002-04:00

I've seen so many mixed reviews about this movie just from my friends alone that I basically didn't have any bias to either it being good or bad going in. All I know is the hyped trailer for it I thought was extremely cheesy (and it turns out there's something else entirely wrong with it that I can't mention or it'll spoil it for people that want to see the movie.)

I was thoroughly scared during most of the film, biting down hard on my Twizzlers, trying not to jump too bad or choke on them. Midway through, I was pretty certain it was going to exceed my expectations and that I'd be agreeing with the half of my friends who thought this movie was good. Long story short, this movie was quite a let down. Typical, immature, uninspiring, disappointing.

Let's hope The Fourth Kind is MUCH better than this.

This Past Fortnight...

2009-10-23T00:55:00.003-04:00

Head over to Rabbit Hole Music and check out another bi-weekly edition of Wherein There Is Much Discussion of Media Enjoyed This Past Fortnight. In it includes an incredibly hilarious write up of The Fall of Troy's new shitfest attempt at music, written by Zach Roth.

Also, when Savior from the Between The Buried And Me forums isn't wrecking noobs and stomping the feelings of various other troll's, he's doing write ups for depressing shoegaze bands. Check out Ian's submission as well, and of course my shitty write up for M83's Saturdays = Youth.

What else have I been listening to lately? The new Between The Buried And Me, and the new Katatonia records. Expect reviews/articles/write-ups or whatever about those two in the next week or so.

A Month From Today - MW2

2009-10-10T00:53:00.002-04:00

A month from today, the most anticipated video game ever, Modern Warfare 2 will be hitting shelves. It's already confirmed as the biggest media release ever, and is sure to break all kinds of records. I'm extremely excited about this game to say the least. November 10th cannot come soon enough.

Rabbit Hole - Wherein There Is Much Discussion of Media Enjoyed This Past Fortnight.

2009-10-09T01:20:00.003-04:00

Okay so not MUCH discussion yet, but there's a new article we're doing every month of what we've been listening to lately (or this past fortnight) over at Rabbit Hole Music. My write up is about Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago. Head over and check it out.

Zombieland

2009-10-05T00:53:00.002-04:00

Zombieland was not entirely what I expected, but that's not a bad thing. The previews easily gave the impression of a gory and funny movie involving zombies. There's much more to this flick than just funny stuff and zombies though. In fact, although there are a ton of zombies, it almost seems as if there weren't enough. In the end, this was one of the most entertaining movies of the year and I recommend anyone to go see it. Woody Harrelson is the man.

And boy, do I love good cameos.

Daitro | Y

2009-10-01T00:33:00.004-04:00

I had no idea french screamo band Daitro were releasing anything new. With most bands in the genre, they usually write one or two solid releases and then give up. Daitro's Y is the first LP since Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes from 2005, which I loved. The formula hasn't changed much, but the music may be their most consistent yet. I am thankful this band hasn't fell completely off the map just yet.

Stand out tracks: Part II, Part IV, Part VII.

The Incident on Rabbit Hole.

2009-09-24T00:15:00.002-04:00

You can read my massive review/article of Porcupine Tree's The Incident right here.

Anticipated Release: Between The Buried And Me | The Great Misdirect updated

2009-09-18T23:45:00.002-04:00

1. Mirrors - 3:38
2. Obfuscation - 9:15
3. Disease, Injury, Madness - 11:03
4. Fossil Genera - A Feed from Cloud Mountain - 12:11
5. Desert of Song - 5:33
6. Swim to the Moon - 17:54

Here is my second post about this record, now updated with track times and an album cover. You can hear the song 'Obfuscation' right here. Judging from this song, it sounds like this could be a more focused Colors. One thing I noticed in my couple listens was that although there were a few awkward transitions, everything that was performed in this song sounded like they belonged in the song which is a huge plus.

There's also a clear Doom the video game reference in the chorus of the song. At least I think it's a reference. It seems too distinct to be coincidental that the band just wrote the same melody as the music that plays in the game when you're shooting down Imps and Cacodemons.

The Great Misdirect comes out on October 27th. Be on the lookout for preorders soon. I shall be buying this on vinyl.

Katatonia - Forsaker and Tracklist.

2009-09-14T00:17:00.003-04:00

1. Forsaker
2. The Longest Year
3. Idle Blood
4. Onward into Battle
5. Liberation
6. The Promise of Deceit
7. Nephilim
8. New Night
9. Inheritance
10. Day & Then the Shade
11. Departer

Katatonia have released their new single 'Forsaker' from the upcoming Night is the New Day, which has been pushed back a couple weeks to November 10th. The song is fantastic, combining their heaviest parts yet, with the atmosphere and beauty from the b-sides of the last record The Great Cold Distance. I cannot wait to hear the rest.

You can download the song here for free.

Shogun Kunitoki | Vinonaamakasio

2009-09-09T00:33:00.002-04:00

Psychedelic, electronic, and trance-inducing music. Orchestral and trippy. Waves and layers of keyboards circulating inside your ear drums. I only wish it were longer.

Anticipated Movie: The Fourth Kind

2009-09-01T14:44:00.002-04:00

On November 6th, what looks like the most disturbing alien movie ever made is coming out. This morning I watched the trailer for The Fourth Kind and was literally tearing up at the eyes due to how frightened I was watching it. That's never happened to me before while watching a movie, let alone a MOVIE TRAILER. Check out the trailer here.

Anticipated Release: Advent | Naked and Cold

2009-08-20T17:16:00.002-04:00

1. Nothing
2. Overcome
3. Naked and Cold
4. Fatherless
5. Pack of Fools
6. Revival
7. Crown of Thorns
8. Golgatha
9. Peirced With Grief
10. With Anger
11. Out of Line
12. Blackness of Day

One of the only hardcore/metalcore bands around that I still really like. From members of Beloved, you would be surprised to hear just how angry and powerful this group is. Their debut, Remove the Earth, showcases the bands classic 90s metalcore rage mixed with an eerie atmosphere. I've only heard one song, and a demo from the upcoming Naked and Cold, and the music sounds a bit faster, and the vocals somehow sound even angrier. This should be awesome.

Naked and Cold hits shelves on September 8th.

District 9

2009-08-16T01:28:00.002-04:00

I just got back from seeing District 9 and it met expectations, while being a tad different from what I expected, but that's not a bad thing. The trailers and tv spots just left you curious as ever, and really didn't give you any indication to what type of movie this could be and I think they did a really good job splitting what seemed to be a documentary with a really action packed flick. I would recommend going to see this. There are a few moments later in the film that are just absolutely badass.

Constants and Caspian review.

2009-08-13T14:55:00.002-04:00

Head over to Rabbit Hole to read my thoughts on what makes a good post rock album, and my reviews for Constant's The Foundation, The Machine, The Ascension, and Caspian's Tertia.

Deluxe Box Set

2009-08-07T02:13:00.003-04:00

Steven Wilson is becoming known for making long time fans pay loads of cash for the biggest and most badass edition of the newest record of one of his several projects. Porcupine Tree's new record, The Incident is up for preorder all over the world for the standard jewel case $9 at Best Buy version, but also the Super Deluxe Box Set On Steroids edition for over $100. After A LOT of disputing with myself, I decided that I am going to indeed get it as well as the vinyl version whenever they release the details for that.

Luckily i'm splitting it with my brother, who is also a fan. So what comes in this ridiculously expensive box set? Well according to Mr. Wilson...

- Both discs of The Incident
- DVD-A 5.1 mix of the record
- A 120 pg cloth bound book jammed with photographs from Lasse Hoile
- A 40 page book with drawings and sketches to go along with the lyrics

And it all comes cased in a huge slip case as you can see in the picture. Wilson admits it's more expensive than it should be but in order to be shipped to our front doors, it needs to be that much money. Also, we'll be able to have a digital version of the entire record A WHOLE DAY BEFORE IT COMES OUT. Fortunately, I believe we'll have the option to pick from Lossless and FLAC versions rather than just your typical mp3 format, so it'll at least sound better than whatever will leak weeks early.

So call me crazy. I don't care. I'm a sucker for special editions in general and they usually don't come around for music too often. Hopefully this is worth the cash that I'll be dishing out.

The Incident hits stores September 14th but if you wish to preorder this crazy box set or the normal non-fanboy version, you can go to porcupinetree.com and follow a few links and you'll find it.

Anticipated Release: Katatonia | Night Is the New Day

2009-08-06T03:08:00.003-04:00

This October 27th, not only will be be able to pick up Between The Buried And Me's new album, but we will also be looking through the store for the new Katatonia record, Night Is the New Day, which we probably won't find considering I haven't found one of their CD's in any local CD store yet. That's a shame because I've grown to love their previous release, The Great Cold Distance. They rest of their albums are great too, by the way.

Night Is the New Day is apparently their most diverse, and their best record to date, though every band says that once they've finished a new record. I'm personally hoping the direction is more like two of the four b-sides for The Great Cold Distance, "Unfurl", and "Dissolving Bonds", although hardcore fans i'm sure would be displeased if they went to a more angelic, melodic direction such as those two tracks.

Either way I'm sure it's going to be a good record, and we can at least order it offline by the 27th of October. Judging by the artwork, it should be a fitting CD to be released during the season of Holloween.

New Tool in 2010.

2009-07-23T00:10:00.002-04:00

Apparently Tool are in the finishing stages of the writing process for their last record. This is my other favorite band besides dredg. Words cannot describe my excitement and unfortunate expectations. This simply better be really, really, really good.

Preview The Incident

2009-07-13T13:05:00.002-04:00

Head over to www.myspace.com/porcupinetree to hear a 7 minute long sampler of the 55 minute long first disc of Porcupine Tree's upcoming new CD, The Incident, which has been pushed up to September 14th instead of the 21st.

From what I can tell, this album could be every sound the band has managed to produce, thrown into a blender, and then arranged over a 55 minute continuous piece. The heavier parts sound like something off of Nil Recurring, the prettier parts sound brilliant, and there's definitely some homage to Pink Floyd as usual. I cannot wait to hear the entirety of this song/album, as well as the 4 seperate songs on disc 2.

Depths blog.

2009-07-12T01:40:00.002-04:00

http://depthsband.blogspot.com/

There's the blog for my band. I'll be updating it throughout the writing process of the CD.

Head to www.myspace.com/depthsband later this summer to hear some stuff too.

Anticipated Release: Caspian | Tertia

2009-07-10T22:41:00.002-04:00

1. Mei
2. La Cerva
3. Ghosts from the Garden City
4. Malacoda
5. Epochs in Dmaj
6. Of Foam and Wave
7. Concrescense
8. The Raven
9. Vienne
10. Sycamore

I wasn't much of a fan of Caspian's previous record, The Four Trees, but after hearing two tracks from their upcoming CD Tertia, I have a feeling it'll blow it out of the water. Be on the lookout for this CD as it may be one of the best post rock albums to come out this year.

Tertia is out on August 11th.

Highly Anticipated Release: Between The Buried And Me | The Great Misdirect

2009-07-08T17:03:00.002-04:00

Between The Buried and Me are back with a new album out this fall called The Great Misdirect. According to the band, it's better than Colors, but every band says their new work is better than their previous. Apparently the album is also heavier, darker, and weirder than Colors, so in that sense, it may indeed have a chance. The epic track listing is below, and i'll post the cover art when that's revealed. Get stoked! October 27th is the release date.

1. Mirrors
2. Obfuscation
3. Disease, Injury, Madness
4. Fossil Genera - A Feed from Cloud Mountain
5. Desert of Song
6. Swim to the Moon

You Can't Take It With You

2009-07-01T00:08:00.003-04:00

Last week I made a post about one of my anticipated albums of the year. As Tall As Lions' You Can't Take It With You. I've been able to listen to the record only a day or two since making that post. I wrote a short but sweet write up over at www.rabbitholemusic.com. Since writing those thoughts, and already mentioning how it's their best CD, I've listened to the album several more times. This CD is truly AWESOME, and top 10 of the year material. The album consists of their best song written yet ("In Case of Rapture"), their most uniquely depressing song yet, ("Sleepyhead"), their best single yet, ("Circles"), and a few songs that take a few spins to click, but in the end really end up making the album special.

Be ready on August 18th to hear one of the year's best surprises.

Altar of Plagues | White Tomb

2009-06-26T16:41:00.003-04:00

Earth:
1 As A Womb - 12:03
2 As A Furnace - 15:00

Through The Collapse:
3 Watchers Restrained - 9:48
4 Gentian Truth - 13:10

Once again an album pops up with elements of post rock in a genre where it normally doesn't appear, this time in epic black metal. White Tomb is four monstrous songs full of emotional riffs. 'Watchers Restrained' even showcases gritty, low end doom. The atmosphere of this record is reminiscent to that of Wolves in the Throne Room's Two Hunters. Due to the post rock influence, it's also comparable to Agalloch's Ashes Against the Grain, though White Tomb is much darker. Another fantastic surprise album of 2009. Give it a shot.

Stand out track: 'Earth II - As A Furnace'

Logh | North (2007)

2009-06-23T01:00:00.003-04:00

1. Saturday Nightmares
2. Weather Island
3. All the Trees
4. The Invitation
5. Death to My Hometown
6. The Black Box
7. Forest Eyes
8. Thieves in the Palace
9. Sometimes
10. A New Hope

Maybe there's reasons why I don't listen to this enough but this truly is one of the most beautifully depressing albums I've ever heard. It was one of my favorites of 2007 and then I somehow forgot about it and only just rediscovered its brilliance a few months ago. Tonight after listening to the band's debut I decided to re-listen to North again and it's gotten to that point where I just adore every song on the record. I highly recommend this CD to you if you want to listen to extremely nostalgic, melancholy, ambient, and straight up gorgeous pop songs.

Favorite tracks: "Weather Island", "The Invitation", "The Black Box"

Karnivool | Sound Awake

2009-06-22T00:18:00.004-04:00

1. "Simple Boy" - 5:22
2. "Goliath" - 7:22
3. "New Day" - 10:02
4. "Set Fire to the Hive" - 4:29
5. "Umbra" - 3:00
6. "All I Know" - 4:50
7. "The Medicine Wears Off" - 4:00
8. "The Caudal Lure" - 1:12
9. "Illumine" - 5:10
10. "Deadman" - 10:52
11. "Change, Pt. II" - 12:24

Progressive metal/rock with a post rock influence? Count me in. This album rules. Very technical at times. Very pretty at other times. Never once boring. Check this out.

Highly Anticipated Release: Porcupine Tree | The Incident

2009-06-20T01:28:00.003-04:00

Disc 1:

"The Incident" 1.

I. Occam's Razor
II. The Blind House
III. Great Expectations
IV. Kneel and Disconnect
V. Drawing the Line
VI. The Incident
VII. Your Unpleasant Family
VIII. The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train
IX. Time Flies
X. Degree Zero of Liberty
XI. Octane Twisted
XII. The Séance
XIII. Circle of Manias
XIV. I Drive the Hearse

Disc 2:

1. Flicker
2. Bonnie the Cat
3. Black Dahlia
4. Remember Me, Lover

ANOTHER one of my favorite bands of all time are coming out with a new album this year and it looks to be a HUGE one. Two discs, the first being one huge 55 minute song split up into 14 parts (which will be split up into tracks), and a four song second disc. The concept revolves around beginnings, and endings, and several different "incidents" weather they're personal incidents that's happened to Steven Wilson during his life, or ridiculous things we've seen in the news taken into a first person perspective to humanize what we'd only read or hear from news reporters. Wilson stated that the album is the darkest and most experimental Porcupine Tree CD yet.

The album comes out on September 21st. Get ready.

Anticipated Release: As Tall As Lions | You Can't Take It With You

2009-06-19T01:48:00.003-04:00

1. Circles
2. Sixes & Sevens
3. You Can't Take It With You
4. Go Easy
5. Duermete
6. In Case of Rapture
7. We've Been Waitin'
8. Is This Tomorrow?
9. Sleepyhead
10. The Narrows
11. Lost My Mind

As Tall As Lions are finally back with a new record entitled You Can't Take It With You. It's their first album since the Self Titled from 2006. According to the band the new record has a much more live feel and upbeat feel to it. Judging from the new song they've just posted, it sounds very unique, and AWESOME. It's like Sigur Ros meets As Tall As Lions...

The record hits shelves on August 18th. Check out the new song "Circles" at www.myspace.com/astallaslions

Regina Spektor | Far

2009-06-18T13:15:00.002-04:00

1. The Calculation
2. Eet
3. Blue Lips
4. Folding Chair
5. Machine
6. Laughing With
7. Human of the Year
8. Two Birds
9. Dance Anthem of the 80's
10. Genius Next Door
11. Wallet
12. One More Time With Feeling
13. Man of a Thousand Faces

Regina is back with her new record, Far. Her music gets better with each album, and it's no different this time around. Far is by far the most consistently fantastic album to come from her and it contains some of her best songs yet thus far such as "Eet", "Laughing With", and "Human of the Year".

Be sure to check out this album when it hits shelves on June 23rd.

Constants | The Foundation, The Machine, The Ascension

2009-06-17T01:33:00.003-04:00

1. Genetics Like Chess Pieces
2. Damien
3. Those Who Came Before Pt I.
4. Those Who Came Before Pt II.
5. The Nameless
6. The Timeless
7. Identify the Indiscernibles
8. Eternal Reoccurrence
9. Abraxas Pt. I
9. Abraxas Pt. II
11. Ascension
12. ...Passage

Here is some top 10 of 2009 material. This album is a complete package of nostalgic atmosphere, blending emo, post-rock, and at times, surprising low end riffage. The production is extremely raw but essential for the band's style. It almost sounds like it was supposed to be released in the year 2000 or earlier. The vocals are emotional and honest and fit perfectly over the triumphant choruses.

Don't pass up this album. It's something different and it's fantastic.

Stand out tracks: Damien, The Nameless, Abraxas Pt I.

The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion is FINALLY here.

2009-06-09T06:44:00.003-04:00

After 4 long years of waiting, dredg have finally released their highly anticipated record, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion. You've heard it, and you like it, so do yourself and the band a favor and buy the record today.

Sam Fisher Is Back

2009-06-03T01:48:00.003-04:00

Splinter Cell: Conviction

It comes out this fall.

Be prepared for numerous posts about how amazing this game is going to be until then.

Looking Forward...

2009-06-01T14:30:00.005-04:00

Here are some of the things I am looking forward to for the remainder of this year. Some of these I am already losing my mind over.

Music:
New dredg album this month. (even though we've all heard this, and its greatness)
New Mars Volta album this month.
New Regina Spektor album this month.
New Porcupine Tree album in September.
New Katatonia album in October.
New Between The Buried And Me in November.
Possibly a new Novembre album by year's end.
Possibly a new Agalloch album by year's end.

Pretty sure I am missing something.

Again, hoping Envy breaks some news about a new album.

Games:
Prototype this month.
The Bigs 2 next month.
Batman: Arkham Asylum in September.
Modern Warfare 2 in November.
Left 4 Dead 2 in November.
SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION sometime in Q3. (Splinter cell is probably tied amongst my favorite series of games, along with Mortal Kombat.)

Shows:
Isis on Wednesday. I saw them last week and it was probably in my top 3 shows of all time.
dredg - 3 TIMES in 10 DAYS, later in July. Will be amazing, and borderline stalker-esque.
HOPEFULLY Tool sometime later summer. They've posted dates everywhere but the north east, so I'm anticipating I will find out how broke I will be this summer in just a few weeks.

Movies:
Winnebago Man.

Books:
-yeah right.