Author Archives: birddog

https://halipalombo.bandcamp.com/album/songs-of-praise Genre: Experimental Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp August 27, 2021 An extraordinarily unique and personal ambient adjacent experimental release. The music / sounds / words are gentle and tender. Even without language the tracks feel very vulnerable and sincere. As this genre and medium continues to mushroom very creative people are running ahead withContinue reading “Songs Of Praise by Hali Palombo”

https://wharflurch.bandcamp.com/album/psychedelic-realms-ov-hell Genre: Metal Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp September 3, 2021 I’m a Georgia boy but have lived in Lower Alabama Florida for years now. There is no place on earth, including Louisiana, that is better than Florida for metaling out in the middle of a graveyard at 3 AM tripping balls on mushrooms. AndContinue reading “Psychedelic Realms ov Hell by WHARFLURCH”

https://tigerbloodtapes.bandcamp.com/album/saudade Genre: lofi instrumental hip hop beats Rating: 3/5 released on bandcamp January 29, 2021 I want to go through at least the 2021 Tiger Blood label releases and that idea brought me here. From what I’ve heard Tiger Blood has pretty tight quality control. You can’t really go wrong exploring their discography. This is,Continue reading “saudade by Silhouettes”

https://globalpattern.bandcamp.com/album/tahitiara Genre: Ambient Drone Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp September 3, 2021 Two fifteen minute tracks both based around an African tribal choral sample. I used to listen to a lot more African trad but most of the best stuff in my physical collection (almost exclusively CDs) aren’t available for online streaming and I neverContinue reading “Tahitiara by ukujula”

Available on Spotify Genre: Rock’n’Roll Rating: 4/5 Released June 18, 2021 It’s stupidly difficult to write a good review for Styx. You have to cleanse yourself of your unfounded bigoted assholery. You have purge the propaganda that you’ve been fed since college that said it’s borderline sacrilege NOT to shit on these guys. Like theyContinue reading “Crash of the Crown by Styx”

These are my favorite releases of 2021 thus far:  Proof by BLOOP (Lina Allemano / Mike Smith) Eternal Screw by ONY Lost Dreams (Chopped and Screwed) by Dj Purpberry Waterfall Arcing in the Still of Night by Tuluum Shimmering In Love & Fracture by C. Diab Burning Apricot by Carnivorous Plants Cyberdreaming by VHS SpectreContinue reading “Editor’s Picks”

https://hudsonlee.bandcamp.com/album/reflex-angle Genre: Post-dubstep Ambient Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp July 30, 2021 Mellow engaging relaxing music that’s hard to categorize. Maybe think Shpongle meets Portishead meets Primal Scream. Actually, now that I’m thinking of it The Future Sound of London’s Lifeforms sort of comes to mind. Whatever it is, it’s easy on the ears. AContinue reading “Reflex Angle by Hudson Lee”

https://venoztks.bandcamp.com/album/light-breaker Genre: Experimental Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp August 26, 2021 Sounds generated from shortwave radio the closest musical relative I can think of for this is Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Hymnen. Shortwave is a great medium because the message, even if indiscernible, monopolizes the frequency. Although it sounds electronic and obviously is electronic it’s also theContinue reading “light breaker by venoztks”

https://pitp.bandcamp.com/album/vanaprastha-the-man-who-went-into-the-woods-to-find-himself Genre: Ambient Drone Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp August 20, 2021 If you’re a fan of this genre you’re probably familiar with Olan Mill. This is the same guy. Past Inside the Present label is without fail consistently very high quality. This is exactly what you expect. Generations of quiet and subtle music hasContinue reading “Vanaprastha (The Man Who Went Into The Woods To Find Himself) by Alex Smalley”

https://kosmogon.bandcamp.com/album/m-ssan Genre: Space Music Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp August 27, 2021 Unquestionably influenced by Klaus Schulze’s Timewind this is so fucking good it could be a goddamn sequel. Both use ARP Odyssey. I don’t know what the difference is but Jean-Michel Jarre used an ARP 2600 on Oxygène. By equating it with Timewind IContinue reading “MÄSSAN by K O S M O G O N”

https://longsword.bandcamp.com/album/divine-radiance Genre: Dungeon Synth Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp August 25, 2021 Lofi recording of synth and drum machine recreating traditional medieval / early Renaissance musical themes. Successfully carries a folk ambiance associated with that era. The mood is very effective and it successfully gets the listener pondering our relationship with time. It’s not justContinue reading “Divine Radiance by Longsword”

https://cartiercal.bandcamp.com/album/intricate Genre: Hip Hop Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp August 25, 2021 Rich deep beautifully masculine hip hop. Hip hop and Delta Blues share the distinction of demanding the most personal vulnerability of all American music genres. The music doubles as literature. Other genres like folk and emo can make a claim but at theContinue reading “Intricate by Cartiercal”

https://heathenhandrecords.bandcamp.com/album/discography Genre: Extreme Metal Rating: 4/5 A smoking hot mash up of almost everything wild about metal. I guess it’s a bit like Naked City but fortunately less contrived than the Zorn stuff. Almost, without fail, I compare all metal I like a lot to Gorguts and the math elements really do push this toContinue reading “Discography by The Severnaya Complex”

https://unfathomless.bandcamp.com/album/poleas Genre: Field Recording Rating: 3/5 releases on bandcamp August 31, 2021 Recorded in the train stations of Buenos Aries this is well organized to create an ambient feel. It’s good. And 3/5 is a good rating but Calarco’s approach is little to minimalist for my taste. insects are by Masayuki Imanishi an earlier 2021Continue reading “poleas by juan josé calarco”

https://willguthrie.bandcamp.com/album/will-guthrie-live-ateliers-claus Genre: Solo Percussion Free Jazz Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp January 18, 2021 Solo percussion along with a cappella music are the purist expressions of art through sound. A favoritism toward the voice may have roots in Western Culture favoritism. Jazz drummers may or may not get their due but too few of usContinue reading “Will Guthrie – live ateliers claus by Will Guthrie”

https://breakfastmakesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/in-bed Genre: Jangle Pop Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp May 28, 2021 When I first started following this neo-jangle movement on bandcamp I thought hey this is a great genre that everyone enjoys it’s going to be gold nug after gold nug but instead I’ve found a bunch of fucking fool’s gold by suckers whoContinue reading “In Bed by Breakfast”

https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/album/the-mark-of-the-adder-lies-dormant-in-the-baltic-sea Genre: Noise Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp January 19, 2021 Pure aggressive alienating noise. Deeply experimental. Avant-garde. Decaying communication strands dancing with grim crippled thoughts.

https://seilrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sui Genre: Ambient Rating: 5/5 released January 12, 2021 Ambient music based around at least one plucked stringed instrument probably a guitar but perhaps something more exotic. Reminds me of a lot of the glitch stuff coming out five to ten years ago but not exactly. Less gimmicky more purely ambient. Does anybody remember TheContinue reading “sui by morimoto naoki”

https://walterphumfray.bandcamp.com/album/ii Genre: Drone Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp August 21, 2021 Maybe you could describe this as Metal Machine Music on Xanax. A lot of it is like that rumbling along in a slow subtle sonic texture. However, tracks I and II can’t really be categorized that way. It’s more like avant garde American primitivismContinue reading “II by WPH”

https://petemurphy.bandcamp.com/album/lay-de-yaled-ambient-noise-drone Genre: Experimental Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp April 24, 2020 Shit. I try to limit my reviews to recent 2021 releases but I but this one sneaked in. I still say snuck tbh. Well, anyway, if you’re going to make experimental music make it interesting. Murphy does that. This is an engaging and fascinatingContinue reading “Lay De Yaled (Ambient / Noise / Drone) by Pete Murphy”

https://genevaskeen.bandcamp.com/album/universal-building-supply Genre: Experimental Rating: 2/5 released on bandcamp August 20, 2021 Mostly frogs and feedback.

https://9128live.bandcamp.com/album/session-one Genre: Minimalism Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp August 20, 2021 Hopefully I’m wrong but I can see this as potentially not receiving near the credit it deserves. This is a dense forest of music that is in no way static. While it’s smooth and never jars the listener it’s also surprisingly eclectic and borrowsContinue reading “Session One by Jo Johnson & Hilary Robinson”

https://nobusinessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pacemaker Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 5/5 Liudas Mockūnas, who makes up half of this duo and probably about 80% of the sound vibrations, plays a variety of reed instruments to some very intense and intriguing affect. Sometimes it sounds like a boar or some sort of animal you wouldn’t want to meet up with outsideContinue reading “Pacemaker by LIudas Mockūnas / Christian Windfeld”

https://maxpenticost.bandcamp.com/album/and-a-stillness-washed-over-me Genre: Beat Ambient Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp July 30, 2021 Instrumental ambient tracks in the tradition of Boards of Canada. These well constructed and compositionally sound tracks evoke a sense of optimism. I almost completely moved away from wanting to hear beats but after quite a few years of almost completely rejecting anyContinue reading “and a Stillness Washed Over Me by Max Penticost”

https://tonguedepressor.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-quarter-column-2 Genre: Drone Rating: 3/5 released on bandcamp June 4, 2021 Music that swings with turbulence but never spins out of control. To continue with the aircraft analogy, it’s like a smooth landing but not a gentle one; you know you’re in good hands but it’s rough conditions. These musicians do not fumble. The musicContinue reading “In The Quarter Column by TONGUE DEPRESSOR”