Tag: experimental
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Garbageface – No FUTUR(E)
For the release of his new album, Karol “Garbageface” Orzechowski has decided to challenge the usual methodology and manner in which music is released. His way flies in the face of how music has been marketed ever since Napster turned the music business back into a singles-driven enterprise again. While everyone else is digitally distributing…
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Asatta – Spiraling Into Oblivion
Milwaukee earned its spot on the doom metal map a few years back, with the Days of the Doomed fest bringing a whole buncha slow ‘n heavy outfits to a small, cozy bar by the airport. I had the pleasure of attending said festival a couple times, enduring up to 14 straight hours of doom…
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SUNN O))) – KANNON
Sunn O))) isn’t for everyone, certainly not for those with bowel control issues if they were to attend one of the band’s notorious ground and venue-rumbling performances, such shows that some fans liken to spiritual experiences. The drone overlords have returned with a reliably thunderous slab that continues to eschew conventional four-piece band structure and…
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Boris with Merzbow – Gensho
OK, so here’s the deal with the new Boris/Merzbow album. It’s actually two records, but you’re supposed to play them at the same time—which is fine if you have two turntables or multiple CD players. For the purpose of this experiment, I’m listening to Boris in Windows’ Groove Music and Merzbow on iTunes. This may…
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The Visit – Through Darkness Into Light
Shiver-inducing. If that isn’t a qualifier of “metal” status then what is? Through Darkness Into Light is a release of goosebumpy highs and deep rumbling lows from The Visit, Ottawa duo Raphael Weinroth Browne (cello) and Heather Sita Black (voice). Listening to the album repeatedly lends newfound appreciation of the emotional wallop packed into this seemingly…
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Round Eye – s/t
Wow. A band grabbing listeners and shaking them by the head just to see the confused look on their faces isn’t a particularly common occurrence anymore (the Mothers Of Invention used to do it, Butthole Surfers were really good at it, Flaming Lips have had some great moments in the mindfuck field too), but no…
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Rwake – Xenoglossalgia (The Last Stage of Awareness)
I don’t deny that I dig Rwake’s later stuff—pretty sure Rest cracked my year-end Top 10 in 2011—but I must admit I’d never heard their ’98 debut before… which was, after all, an extremely limited, independent EP. They raised a few red flags in the liner notes when, by their own admission, they mention “This…
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Relapse Records: 25 Years of Contamination
Now available from Relapse Records: “Celebrate 25 years of independent metal with over 180 tracks from our catalog! From death and doom to grind and hardcore to experimental and noise, get acquainted with our entire roster and help us celebrate a quarter century of contamination!” Right away I got a new discovery, and I was only…
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Xerxes – Collision Blonde
The first lesson that Xerxes‘ sophomore full-length teaches us is that, if you’re going to start something, you’d better see it through. That’s definitely the lesson this critic learned; when I first put my copy of Collision Blonde on my turntable, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect when the needle…
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Northumbria ‘Bring Down the Sky’ to hold release show – Dec 11 @ the Garrison in Toronto
A couple of weeks ago Toronto based drone duo Northumbria released their second full length titled Bring Down the Sky. To celebrate they’re bringing their live improvisations to the Garrison (1197 Dundas St W, Toronto, Ontario) for a CD release show on December 11, 2104 at 9pm. Joining them will be fellow experimentalists Gates and…