Fun Stuff > BAND
The M/F Thread 2009: The Quickening
Orcusmars:
Prepare yourself for some quality Black Metal, courtesy of Fen, one of the rising stars of the genre.
Fen - The Malediction Fields
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?ncitzymlmwn
--- End code ---
--- Quote from: From The Dust Returned ---To describe their sound is to describe the very essence of atmosphere and sorrow, because few bands can conjure these in perfect conjunction within the black metal context. Not only do Fen excel, but they do so with a near mint mix and an onslaught of clean chorus like vocals, some acoustics and beautiful songwriting. "Exile's Journey" is an excellent opening track, conjuring directly to the front the band's heavier side with some beautiful blasted riffs under swelling ambient synthesizers. "A Witness to the Passing of Aeons" begins with a subversive, swampy vibe, some flute like sounds and creepy whispered rasp over a plodding bass line, almost as if a corpse were rising slowly to it from the depths of a peat bog, waterlogged and horrifically preserved by natural forces. "Colossal Voids" is a dreamlike post-rock segue which breaks into melodic shoegazing riffs under snarls. "As Buried Spirits Stir" is another glorious track with several captivating layers of subtle melody. "The Warren" is a delightful, bluesy and folkish piece which finally shifts into the driving black form near its climax. "Lashed by Storm" is the most black metal and 'epic' of its kind on the album, and "Bereft" is another haunting but melodic piece which ends the album much as it opened.
This is the very substance of a job well done, a lovingly crafted piece of atmospheric and sad black metal which should appeal to both the kvlt sects of the depressive, tortured style and the multitude of artsy, romantic black fans who adore bands like Lifelover or Agalloch. I'll go out on a limb and say it will also tickle the bearded and braided chins of the epic Viking/folk metal crowd. It's a phenomenal debut album deserving much time and attention, and there is nothing quite like it haunting the weed choked waterways and shadowed glens of the Isles of late.
--- End quote ---
Also, @ Tyler -
I think I just clogged up my intertubes trying to get that whole post at once - Loving that "The Continental OP" album
Metope:
Tyler,
spoon_of_grimbo:
Commence Giant Post-Hardcore Link Dump:
valley_parade, your mention of Chick Magnet reminded me of the similarly named Bitch Magnet. They were a post-hardcore band, active during the late 80s and very early nineties, and would appeal to fans of Fugazi, Jawbox, etc.
Bitch Magnet - "Umber/Star Booty" & "Ben Hur" (1989 & 1990)
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/download.php?1nzzzjjyjmy
--- End code ---
--- Quote from: All Music Guide ---Part of the extended Squirrel Bait family tree, Bitch Magnet was one of two bands that guitarist David Grubbs joined in the wake of his departure. Unlike the other one, Bastro, Grubbs wasn't a charter member of Bitch Magnet, nor was he the leader; that duty fell to bassist/vocalist Sooyoung Park. Much like Bastro, however, Bitch Magnet played a blistering and intellectual brand of post-hardcore punk, which often drew comparisons to Steve Albini's Big Black; they were also grouped with a more direct Squirrel Bait descendant, Slint, albeit more relentless and somewhat less nuanced. Sooyoung Park founded Bitch Magnet in 1986 while a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, joining with guitarist Jon Fine and drummer Orestes Delatorre (aka Orestes Morfin); despite their Oberlin roots, the trio was actually based in Chapel Hill, NC. Bitch Magnet signed with the indie label Communion and debuted in 1988 with the Star Booty 12" EP, which was produced by Steve Albini himself and earned the band some notice on the underground rock scene. For the follow-up, 1989's full-length Umber, they added second guitarist David Galt (a later CD issue appended Star Booty as well). Galt's place was taken by David Grubbs later in 1989, and Grubbs toured with the group in between commitments with Bastro. Grubbs appeared on the EP Valmead and on Bitch Magnet's final album, Ben Hur, both issued in 1990. After Bitch Magnet's breakup late that year, all four members went on to other projects: Park formed the acclaimed Seam; Grubbs returned to Bastro, which evolved into the seminal Gastr del Sol; Fine played with Vineland and Don Caballero; and Orestes Morfin resurfaced in Walt Mink.
--- End quote ---
I found these albums among my uncle's awesome collection of 80s/90s punk/hardcore/etc. CDs. The guy introduced me to Rocket from the Crypt and The Replacements, among others! Personally I find "Umber/Star Booty" to be the better of the two albums, and apparently it's out of print now (although "Ben Hur" is still fairly easy to get hold of).
In Pieces - "Lions Write History" (2005)
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?wtnzcqwz0dy
--- End code ---
These guys play an epic and kinda progressive form of post-hardcore. Imagine a slightly rawer take on Thrice's "Vheissu," but with a little more variation, and the same brooding atmospheres. HERE is a pretty spot-on review, that's a little long to be pasting here. A couple of the ex-members (the band broke up not long after this was released), are now in the post-rock/shoegaze band Have a Nice Life.
Throat - "Knievel Is Evil" (2002)
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?qjoijioz5hf
--- End code ---
The first and only album from this Irish band, who sound like a cross between Quicksand (the riffs) and Jimmy Eat World (the melodies). Also features a cover of The Osmonds' "Crazy Horses" featuring a guest appearance from Neil Fallon of Clutch.
And finally, something a little different... This is a comedy rap album by 50Sniffs, the chav alter-ego of my mate Jim. If you're from the UK, you're probably familiar with the whole "chav" thing, if not THIS WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE sums it up pretty well. It's a bit of a piss-take, but pretty funny if you've ever had hassle from these sort of twats in the street (which, coming from Boston, Lincolnshire, I have had to suffer a LOT).
50Sniffs & The D.K.C. - "Get Laid or Die Tryin'"
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?ygnxgqd1hjf
--- End code ---
^Jim's link, not mine.
michaelicious:
--- Quote from: tommydski on 08 Jan 2009, 12:03 ---I strongly recommend starting with the first Palace records and working forwards.
--- End quote ---
Tommy you should write a piece about Will Oldham like the one you wrote about Chapel Hill for the music blog. Since the music blog doesn't seem to exist anymore, you can just PM it to me.
Thanks in advance.
Tyler:
Will, continued.
Will Oldham - Joya
--- Quote from: AMG ---Retiring the Palace moniker for no reason other than a whim, Will Oldham doesn't necessarily explore new territory on his first official solo album, Joya. He sticks to the simple, slow, acoustic country-folk songs that dominated the latter-day Palace albums, and like before, the songs teeter between apparent sincerity and inscrutable irony. The hushed dynamics of the music and his whispered vocals suggest that Oldham means what he's saying, but his appropriation of American folk imagery and impenetrable wordplay suggest otherwise. As always, there are a few songs that have a quiet power (including "Antagonism" and a collaboration with the Silver Jews' Dave Berman), but the overall effect of Joya is a familiar one -- it's a promising, ultimately unfulfilling record that doesn't quite prove whether Oldham is a songwriter of pretense or genuine talent.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?tzoedew3jy0
--- End code ---
Will Oldham - Western Music
--- Quote from: AMG ---Keeping up to date with Will Oldham's complete output can be an arduous task -- he has always exploited the shorter formats of the 7" and EP, producing a healthy amount of material in between his full-length releases. However, seeking out the 7" and EP formats can be rewarding, as the material often matches -- and occasionally surpasses -- the quality of his albums. The genesis of Western Music (released by the combined forces of two obscure labels for The Affliction Series) is typical, coming from a variety of sessions. Two tracks are solo Oldham, while Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three and former Gastr del Sol member David Grubbs play anonymous roles elsewhere. On nearly every song, Oldham approaches the level of his best work although, ultimately, each has its shortcomings. "Always Bathing in the Evening" relishes in its simple language. "Wade in/Wade in," he sings, as voices in the distance chime in with "Blowing/Jump in/Waiting/Jump in." While there is little lyrical matter to speak of, it sounds fantastic. Western Music's most complete song is "Jump In Jump In, Come In Come In," though even this, with its plodding tempo, feels more like a rehearsal on disc. Inspiration only seems to strike with the final verse. Only on "Three Photographs" (an oddity in a career full of them) does Oldham manage to throw us yet another curve. It's an intriguing, fragmentary story told through pictures. Over the most rudimentary, lo-fi guitar strum, Oldham's voice is sped up slightly, producing a humorous, Paul Simon effect. Western Music came during a particularly prolific time for Oldham, though Joya, his full-length album from the period, is more consistent.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?dnzmojzmote
--- End code ---
Will Oldham - Black/Rich Music
--- Quote from: AMG ---Throughout his career, Will Oldham has returned to the setting of Black/Rich Music. Beginning with his 1994 Palace Brothers album Days in the Wake, some of Oldham's best songs have been recorded solo. Not a great guitar player, Oldham relies on a basic, strummed accompaniment for the acoustic material on Black/Rich Music, and songs seem to have been written and recorded with little editing or refinement. Still, the simply hewn melodies and one-take feel of the performances are all part of what is endearing about Oldham's approach.
The EP is a miniature song cycle commissioned by Estep Nagy for the film The Broken Giant. It consists of four songs (two originals and two covers) linked together by their melodic "themes." Played on guitar and organ, the latter are brief and primitively constructed, so the heart of Black/Rich Music rests in the four songs they revolve around. One "cover" is a lengthy excerpt from D.H. Lawrence's poem The Risen Lord. Attempts to put such weighty material to music are typically unsuccessful and often awkward at best. In this case, it's a rambling narrative set to an unadorned backing of acoustic guitar. For better or worse, the performance is effective, because Oldham's own songs can seem similarly cumbersome. "Black/Rich Tune" passes by, failing to offer much that's musically memorable. The two covers come too close to Oldham on autopilot; thankfully, the best songs here are the two originals. He seems most engaged on "Do What You Will Do," and "Allowance" features the collection's best melody. Stripped of his peculiar vocal inflections in this intimate setting, it's a reminder of why Oldham should continue to record in this manner.
Black/Rich Music definitely has a place in the Oldham fan's collection. For others, he has recorded better material in this vein and the EP should be passed over for his next full-length release.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?ymmzznjqynz
--- End code ---
Will Oldham - Ode Music
--- Quote from: AMG ---Will Oldham's Ode Music, the soundtrack to Kelly Reichardt's film of the same name, takes the simplicity of his style to an extreme -- with just a few simple, endlessly repeated acoustic guitar figures and some muted pianos and organs, he creates a subtly captivating suite of film music. The album's hypnotic nature also makes it pleasant background music; the Eastern music-meets-bluegrass feel of "Ode #2" and the brittle sadness of "Ode #4" are particularly affecting. Though this album lacks the sweep and scope of Joya and I See a Darkness -- or any of Oldham's Palace material, for that matter -- it's still an enjoyable album that will please completists.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?jm2yjzozyzo
--- End code ---
Will Oldham - Guarapero: Lost Blues 2
--- Quote from: AMG ---Guarapero/Lost Blues 2 gathers seven years' worth of rarities from Will Oldham, including an unusual reading of D.H. Lawrence's poem The Risen Lord, with a clunky, cheesy drum machine in the background, as well as a radical reworking of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Every Mother's Son." Several of these songs come from BBC sessions, but the sound quality on tracks like "Gezundheit" and "Let the Wires Ring" suggests they were recorded on wax cylinder and transmitted by a crystal set, which, of course, only amplifies the songs' sparse, timeless feel. "The Spider's Dude Is Often There" and "For the Mekons Et Al" are among the most exuberant Palace songs on Guarapero, while Oldham tracks like "No More Rides" and "Sugarcane Juice Drinker" trace his development as a performer and songwriter. Due to the time span it covers, it's natural that Guarapero/Lost Blues 2 is a bit disjointed; nevertheless, it fills in the gaps for Oldham completists and is an entertaining, if scattered, look at some of his musical sketches over the years.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?ym2d2nzmuin
--- End code ---
Will Oldham - Seafarers Music
--- Quote from: AMG ---One of many non-full-length releases Oldham churned out during his solo career, the four-song, 27-minute EP Seafarers Music is wholly instrumental soundtrack music to a documentary about seafarers in Rotterdam. Each of the four meditative acoustic pieces served as a theme for one of the four sailors profiled in the film. It's the kind of stuff where you can hear the fingers sliding on the strings and the strings hitting the instrument, soothing but not so tranquil that it's devoid of moodiness. It's pleasant, slightly somber ambient music, but not one of Oldham's more notable side projects, the tracks probably working better in the context of the documentary than they do as naked listening.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?lj233vkndvo
--- End code ---
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Black Dissimulation
--- Quote from: AMG ---With his gentle guitar picking and detailed lyrics of heartfelt relationships from yesteryear, Bonnie Prince Billy is actually Will Oldham taking a break from his full-time Palace project. But what makes this alias solo project impossible to separate from the aforementioned band is Oldham's distinctive vocals that never stop cracking. But this "Peter Brady syndrome" is part of his appeal for both Palace and Bonnie Prince Billy -- the later of which also carries a rocking influence of Neil Young. Best listened to alone with all the lights out.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?dyg4ndtdmwm
--- End code ---
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Marquis de Tren - Blue Lotus Feet
No review I could find. A very short, strange, and beautiful EP
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?wuhxzzkmqyj
--- End code ---
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I am Drinking Again
A quirky and dark 2 track single. Worth the 30 seconds it will take to download.
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?ogmnzgy1yan
--- End code ---
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I See a Darkness
--- Quote from: AMG ---Bonnie "Prince" Billy's album I See a Darkness seems to pick up where Will Oldham's 1997 album Joya left off; a more melodic style than the veteran Palace listener might be used to. Oldham definitely hasn't abandoned his foundation of mordant lyrics and minimalist arrangements, but he has built a variety of different layers that make this album an emotional and pleasurable listening experience. In "Nomadic Revery," Oldham draws upon his classic Appalachian sound; it's the kind of song that begs you to join in. Oldham has always given the kind of energy to his character's voices that most people are afraid to relate to. This is all too evident in "Death to Everyone," Oldham punches out his bitter poetry in his most somber voice. The album takes its most surprising turn on "Madeleine-Mary," a Celtic-style folk song set to a Rastafarian guitar sound. "Today I Was an Evil One" introduces a horn section that drives home his morbid words in a strangely elegant manner. The album closes with a short and rare love song called "Raining in Darling"; Oldham stretches his voice to its most impressive limits, and the number is touching and hopeful.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?lggtwqjzird
--- End code ---
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ease Down the Road
--- Quote from: AMG ---Will Oldham has long confused record buyers with his constantly changing monikers. Though the persona attached has remained fairly consistent, his releases under Bonnie "Prince" Billy brought a subtle but undeniable shift. Following the cracked, wayward style he adopted on 1997s Joya, Oldham settled on the steady understated "Bonnie" voice of I See a Darkness. The lyrics became more direct and the narrator's strange mythology deepened. If that album embraced its subject as a necessary, even beautiful aspect of life, Ease Down the Road finds the singer comfortable with this new-found acceptance. Backing Oldham is a cast of new and old faces who deliver their parts with an unusually soft, smooth touch. The singer eases into this setting, singing of his estranged upbringing, plans to construct his own kingdom (through questionable means), and love. The latter is Oldham's biggest preoccupation, finding its way into nearly every song, like the album's subplot. Though unable to choose between the love of one woman and the ability to be with whomever will suit his needs, the narrator is largely unconcerned with the conflict. Ease Down the Road features some of his most direct dealings with the subject on "May It Always Be" and "After I Made Love to You." As the album develops, this material is balanced with the more characteristic musings of "The Lion Lair," "Sheep," and "Grand Dark Feeling of Emptiness": songs that trace the same fictional histories found on I See a Darkness. The end result is the natural and necessary expansion of a unique songwriting voice. Seeming more confident than ever, Oldham's Ease Down the Road is a wonderful addition to a catalog that should earn him a place among the finest songwriters of his age, or any age.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?jgydnyugnkm
--- End code ---
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Master and Everyone
--- Quote from: AMG ---The fourth Bonnie 'Prince' Billy record in six years finds Will Oldham relaxing into a beautiful groove; similar to 2001's Ease Down the Road, Master and Everyone is quite melodic compared to his Palace or self-titled releases, with less of the dire apocalyptic imagery and more reflections from his literate, anti-romantic backwoodsman. Like most of Oldham's recordings, this one rewards close attention, which reveals recording ambience ranging from creaking wood to a soft patting on the floor (a foot keeping time), and, of course, Oldham's half-resigned, half-plaintive croon. Little gets in the way of these songs. Circular lines from an acoustic guitar demarcate the choruses, a cello adds a bit of emotional warmth to one song, and a few others have the wheezing keys of what sounds like a pump organ. Fortunately, the songs stand up to the examination. "The Way" ("Love me the way I love you") is very nearly sweet, stranded between desperation and hope. Elsewhere Oldham is a true fatalist, resigning himself to the inevitable power of love to ruin his life and using the creepiest of old-timey metaphors to get his point across. On the title song, he explains the situation ("You tell me there are other fish in the sea, and another gathers roses for me/On this we will agree"), then uses the chorus to illustrate his worst fear: "I'm now free, master and everyone/Servant of all and servant to none." "Wolf Among Wolves" is especially eerie, with the merest whisper of feedbacked guitar and a wordless vocal punctuating the puzzled lyrics, "Why can't I be loved as what I am?/A wolf among wolves, and not as a man among men." One of the few guests on Master and Everyone is Marty Slayton, who contributes duet vocals to a pair of songs, a surprisingly close crossover to the folk crowd sparked by the success of O Brother, Where Art Thou? Mostly, though, Oldham concentrates on crafting unremittingly introspective and confessional material in a spare, old-timey format. As sometimes happens on the recordings of his kindred spirit Cat Power, however, such unstinting uniformity can be a curse as well as a blessing.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?2hyzo5l11it
--- End code ---
Brightblack and Bonny Billy - Pebbles and Ripples
Will and Brightblack doing amazing covers including the Dead's Brokendown Palace and Donovan's Lullaby
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?cznizgwbde4
--- End code ---
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ask Forgiveness
--- Quote from: AMG ---As 2007 wound down, Will Oldham, as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, entered the Hexam Head studio in Philadelphia with Greg Weeks and Meg Baird and recorded seven cover tunes and a lone original. Given Oldham's delightfully idiosyncratic method of working, one would expect these tunes (titled only by their writers' names, so it's up to you to figure out what songs he's actually singing) to be radically strange versions of songs both popular and somewhat obscure. While it's true that these are not straight-up readings, they are also far from strange. In fact, what Oldham has done is create a half-hour of relaxed -- if sometimes harrowing and melancholy -- personally interpreted music he enjoys performing. Despite the fine sound and full presence of both Oldham and Baird, there is the distance of reverie, memory, regret, and distance in these songs. There are no stutter steps, loose lyrics, or unexpected interruptions that have made earlier records more marginal, and perhaps -- to some -- more interesting. The bottom line is that only a songwriter could read these songs so subtly and yet inflect them with the kind of immediacy that makes them sound as if they were his own. This is no mean feat when some of the tunes here are considered -- in their respective circles -- as having already been read that way. A case in point is Oldham's version of Gayle Caldwell's "Cycles," which is (and will continue to be) utterly defined by the persona of Frank Sinatra reading it. Nonetheless, as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, he and Baird in duet sing it as if it were some self-reflective back-porch ballad looking on the passage of time and the stages of life. Unless you actually knew this tune well enough, you'd never associate the two versions -- though Weeks does a nice job of injecting some of the original's instrumental and sonic tropes.
--- End quote ---
--- Code: ---http://www.mediaf!re.com/?xwmdnzmyzey
--- End code ---
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version