https://reecethomas.bandcamp.com/album/dysphoria-2 Genre: Experimental Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp January 28, 2022 Dysphoria is an abstract dissonant electronic release that’s dark ambient, drone, and noise adjacent but doesn’t fit comfortably into any of these categories. In her bandcamp notes she mentions an intense relationship with the sea. Like Thomas, at the time of this recording atContinue reading “Dysphoria by Reece Thomas”
Author Archives: birddog
Telepathic Mysteries, Vol. 1 by Daniel Carter
https://telepathicband.bandcamp.com/album/telepathic-mysteries-vol-1 Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 4/5 Release date: October 16, 2020 Often we’re looking for free improvisational music to push boundaries of chaos and aggression but this is closer to In a Silent Way than Machine Gun. Bandleader Daniel Carter plays saxophones, clarinet, and trumpet. If you’re not familiar with his music, he has aContinue reading “Telepathic Mysteries, Vol. 1 by Daniel Carter”
Comunione (LUNGS-217) by COMUNIONE
https://ironlungrecords.bandcamp.com/album/comunione-lungs-217 Genre: Punk Rock Rating: 4/5 COMUNIONE aka Alessandro is a punk rock one man show who lives in a mountainous region of Italy known to English speakers as The Marches. I don’t want to project this on his music just because he plays everything himself but it strikes me as lonely and hollow. NotContinue reading “Comunione (LUNGS-217) by COMUNIONE”
Cyberpunk 2022: Alive by Fentanyl Embrace
https://dreamcatalogue.bandcamp.com/album/cyberpunk-2022-alive Genre: Vapor Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp January 25, 2022 In terms of sonic landscape, it doesn’t get better than this. The layers of sound are lush, comfortable, engaging, and very visual. It fills your brain with images and not just because of the vocals. The sound seems to trigger something in your visualContinue reading “Cyberpunk 2022: Alive by Fentanyl Embrace”
Air Phase 空気相 by AWITW
https://boguscollective.bandcamp.com/album/air-phase Genre: Ambient Vaporwave Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp January 25, 2022 I went through a couple records that looked promising this morning before landing on this one. I don’t have many regular readers but the regularity of my daily views does indicate that I have some and I’m steadily, albeit frustratingly slowly, gaining someContinue reading “Air Phase 空気相 by AWITW”
端 by 死亡頻道
Genre: Ambient Rating: 5/5 French vaporwave label Underwater Computing _ released this two or three weeks ago. Spotify identifies it as a 2020 release. Nods and tips of the hats to Underwater Computing _ for getting it into my bandcamp feed because I would have hated to die without spending some time with this one.Continue reading “端 by 死亡頻道”
零花 -Absolute Flower- by 剤電
https://disciplineproduction.bandcamp.com Genre: Experimental Rating: 5/5 released January 18, 2022 First off, this is incredible and beautiful and unlike anything I’ve heard before. It’s brilliant and definitely an AOTY pick. Second, I don’t quite know what else to say about it. The bandcamp notes mention prog and new age revival and I guess that’s helpful butContinue reading “零花 -Absolute Flower- by 剤電”
A Maid of Constant Sorrow by Judy Collins
Genre: Folk Released November 1961 Judy Collins’ debut, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, is a beautiful record of stunning purity. It opens with the title track, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, a variation on A Man of Constant Sorrow, a song with obscure origins but was brought to mainstream public attention by The Stanley Brothers.Continue reading “A Maid of Constant Sorrow by Judy Collins”
Trophic Level Distribution by Paternostro/Burkland/Fiorentino
https://humanhoodrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/trophic-level-distribution Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp January 20, 2022 The weight of this recording is carried by saxophonist Paternostro. We’re dealing with aggressive noisy free jazz in the tradition of Borbetomagus. I want to hear that saxophone punch like Tyson. I want Brotzmann! I want Kaoru Abe! Paternostro comes out swinging. He’sContinue reading “Trophic Level Distribution by Paternostro/Burkland/Fiorentino”
W by Boris
https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/w Genre: Metal Rating: Unrated Review – Highest Accolades released on bandcamp January 21, 2022 First off, it’s important to acknowledge how important Boris is. Amplifier Worship isn’t actually their debut record but don’t try telling my mind that. I was living in beautiful Hirosaki, Aomori snow country Japan but by the time my earsContinue reading “W by Boris”
Acrobatic Thoughts by Panoram
https://runningbackrecords.bandcamp.com/album/acrobatic-thoughts Genre: Electronic Rating: 2/5 The influences fall like rain. So much so that the review on Pitchfork reads like your home room teacher taking attendance. Here and there fleeting moments of delightful lushness give the listener hope only to dissolve into an abstract whimsical cliche. Ultimately, this feels like an intellectual endeavor rather thanContinue reading “Acrobatic Thoughts by Panoram”
creeksoft by GMRadioX
https://fileunder-gmradiox.bandcamp.com/album/creeksoft Genre: Country Vapor Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp December 11, 2021 As far as I know, GMRadioX is the lead pioneer on realizing this idea of making vaporized country music. It’s surprising really considering that for the most part the oldest recorded music dates back to 1927 and the Bristol Sessions, the most importantContinue reading “creeksoft by GMRadioX”
Cybernet Integrations by Agape Horizons
a focus on three tracks Starshine 03:00 Metaphysical Waters 02:50 Treading The Galaxy of Your Spirit 03:29 Bells. The Assyrians were ringing bells at least 9,000 years ago and people were undoubtedly ringing bells thousands of years before that. Bells are universal and no culture has a monopoly on their usage. They represent the earthlyContinue reading “Cybernet Integrations by Agape Horizons”
SICK! by Earl Sweatshirt
Genre: Hip Hop Rating: Unrated Review – World Treasure I know that critics want to take things in stride and not be hyperbolic and to avoid deification but with some artists you have to put that aside. Generally, I’m not just going to come out and say it until it passes the test of timeContinue reading “SICK! by Earl Sweatshirt”
The Other Lies by Tom Jackson / Colin Webster
https://colinwebster.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-lies Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp January 15, 2022 The Other Lies is a collection of six improvised duets performed by Tom Jackson on clarinet Colin Webster on alto and baritone saxophones. Tom Jackson is very accomplished in the fields of contemporary classical music and free improvisation. He also holds a Ph.DContinue reading “The Other Lies by Tom Jackson / Colin Webster”
ANTIDAWN EP by Burial
https://burial.bandcamp.com/album/antidawn-ep Genre: Hauntology Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp January 6, 2022 Mark Fisher would have loved this record. Burial’s most minimalist and ethereal work is their best to date. ANTIDAWN sounds like the permanent time of a day in a bardo and this sounds like the musical memories passed along through spectral telepathy of theContinue reading “ANTIDAWN EP by Burial”
Remote Control Space Mobile by Marie Ann Hedonia
https://marieannhedonia.bandcamp.com/album/remote-control-space-mobile Genre: Electronic Rating: 4/5 This record has two tracks but the first is described as a fragment and is under three minutes so really this a review of the second and titular track, Remote Control Space Mobile. First off, great title. Who isn’t totally freaked out that these things actually work? Although it’s tooContinue reading “Remote Control Space Mobile by Marie Ann Hedonia”
pain mixtape 001 by DARK DESIRE • ダークデザイア
https://darkdesire.bandcamp.com/album/pain-mixtape-001 Genre: Chillwave Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp January 12, 2022 Pull that lava lamp out of the closet. Get a pack of lamb skin condoms. Lathe yourself in shea butter. Buy some fresh silk sheets. Put on some avocado flavored edible panties. Light the lavender candles. And drunk text the one you really wantContinue reading “pain mixtape 001 by DARK DESIRE • ダークデザイア”
Cycles by Pluto Kar ++ & KILLBUNK
https://m.soundcloud.com/plutokar/sets/cycles Genre: Emo Trap Rating: 5/5 This 2020 release is such an incredible lost gem. I was going through KILLBUNK’s material in response to his excellent new single Know Better https://youtu.be/Z1QnYnCf3Ak and I bumped into this treasure and fell in love. I know I’m supposed to be writing about the latest release and all thatContinue reading “Cycles by Pluto Kar ++ & KILLBUNK”
VOLUME III – SEPARATE REGINALDS by Thriftwicker Audio Society
https://thriftwickeraudiosociety.bandcamp.com/album/volume-iii-separate-reginalds Rating: 4/5 Genre: Experimental released on bandcamp November 14, 2021 This recorded is bookended with what I’m assuming are intentionally kitschy skits involving telephone humor. Humor in music is tricky business. TAS does it well, though. It’s not going to have you in stitches but it’s incorporated into the music wisely in a wayContinue reading “VOLUME III – SEPARATE REGINALDS by Thriftwicker Audio Society”
Send Me the Tunic of Early Morning Light by James Robert Foster
https://jamesfoster1.bandcamp.com/track/send-me-the-tunic-of-early-morning-light Genre: Experimental Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp February 16, 2021 Send Me the Tunic of Early Morning Light is a single track release that clocks in at just under half an hour. If you feel like dark ambient and drone releases have become predictable and formulaic this is for you. It’s an aggressive experimentalContinue reading “Send Me the Tunic of Early Morning Light by James Robert Foster”
DS4EVER by Gunna
Rating: 5/5 Gunna makes sure that Atlanta remains the top cultural metropolis on earth with this mesmerizing hypnotic trap masterpiece. His real name is Sergio Giavanni Kitchens and he’s from crime-ridden College Park, Georgia. Fortunately, his potential was recognized by the excellent North Springs Charter High School of Arts and Sciences, a school with closeContinue reading “DS4EVER by Gunna”
Dawn FM by The Weeknd
Rating: 2/5 I’m assuming the cover picture is artificially aged but according to paper https://www.papermag.com/the-weeknd-dawn-fm-cover-2656216542.html?rebelltitem=12#rebelltitem12 it’s really him or at least they seem to think so. Whatever the case, I like the cover. It’s been tough. I’m taking this a symbolic expression of what we’ve all been through. Unfortunately, I’m not as impressed with theContinue reading “Dawn FM by The Weeknd”
Hauntology In UK by Various Artists
https://eighthtowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hauntology-in-uk Lost futures is the nexus of Mark Fisher’s interpretation of Derrida’s philosophical movement Hauntology. Like the organizer of this project, Sonologyst, I too am a fan of Mark Fisher and have be molded to some degree by his book Ghosts of My Life named after the Japan song. Fisher and I are very closeContinue reading “Hauntology In UK by Various Artists”
Editor’s Picks for 2021
I’ve reviewed well over 300 albums for 2021 but that is a drop in the bucket. With the occasional exception I avoided releases that were already garnening attention not because popular releases are inferior but because my goal is to shine a light on the largely unheard. I’m not claiming these are the best ofContinue reading “Editor’s Picks for 2021”
Warmth Highest 