THE STORM PICTURESQUE hours

amazingly epic progressive metalcore! 2009.

ABSCISE discography

this is an unoffical collection of known recordings from abscise, louisville's finest ever metal/hardcore band. they incorporated elements from swedish metal, hardcore, punk, etc to create what i consider to be the finest music ever in the straight-up metalcore genre. i knew at least a dozen people who lived and died with this band. the music is so passionate, with pretty acoustic moments in the forefront and heartfelt screams in the backdrop. they use awesome breakdowns, wicked song structures, and some seriously excellent multi-vocal parts (sometimes also using gang vocals). this is so good, and i love this band...i wish they still made music. i saw their last show and videotaped it (i think the cheese metal band 3 Inches Of Blood opened, actually), and it was one of my favorite concerts moments ever. this collection includes 5 songs from their first demo (some seriously epic shit, all multi-part songs with some fantastic metal chops while never sacrificing the overall aesthetic and totally great songwriting) and 4 songs from their next demo (not as epic, shorter songs, more focus on breakdowns, still kicks tons of ass). RECOMMENDED FOR METAL FANS. this band's music should not disappear just because they did! i must spread this around...must be heard...must not fade.

(members of the band went on to be in breather resist, a semi-well-known hardcore band.) 2001-2002.

ANDREW HILL black fire

Exceedingly catchy and tricky at the same time. Especially Roy Haynes' and Andrew's polyrhyrhmic interplay satisfies my sophisticated needs to the fullest, while Joe Henderson adds some smoothe beauty which keeps me melting into the sofa.

not too avantgarde yet and clearly structured, but very ingenious and varied inside that moving structure as well. And Roy Haynes' drumming is not of this world, honestly.

1964.

VIRUS the black flux

music from the future. the label describes this album as a mix of tortoise, slayer, and the residents. you must be sold, right? 2008.

THE EVPATORIA REPORT maar

much like godspeed's yanqui u.x.o, maar feels a bit underwhelming at first. it doesn't have those huge, epic climaxes. it seems more stripped-down. to an untrained ear, it might almost sound like a lazy record. but it's not. like the aforementioned GYBE album, maar still packs all the emotional power of the bands' previous works, only now they are stretched-out and maybe a bit hazier--lots of hills, fewer mountains to climb. all 4 tracks are very lengthy, but all flow together extremely well (even the in-song transitions are stellar and unnoticeable) to create one of those few albums that really must be listened to as its own entity in able to get the satisfaction that the artists intended. don't put this album away after one quick listen. it needs time to expand into what it really is - a full, lush record with copious amounts of emotional weight. a borderline masterpiece. 2008.

THE NATIONAL LIGHTS the dead will walk, dear

this album has really gotten into my brain over the last week or so. at first listen, it may just sound like another pretty (indie?) folk album. but the melodies and harmonies are so haunting that you'll revisit it again and again, each time becoming more engrossed by the various musical layers, the lyrics about death and rape (seriously! and set against such beautiful tunes..), and, again, those lucious male/female harmonies employed on nearly every track. this is a true gem of an album, and one that if enough people heard, i think would be considered a classic album of the genre (sorta like that bon iver album caught on last year). actually, i highly recommend this if you like bon iver or the mountain goats. 2007.

OLD 97'S too far to care

the best album from my latest obsession. the old 97's are an alt-country/rock band with an amazing sense of melody and featuring the genius lyrics of rhett miller.

"This is my favorite Old 97's album, and it ranks with the very best of the so-called alt-country genre. In fact, I'm not so sure that this album qualifies as alt-country, since the "country" dimension has been so thoroughly supplanted by surf-punk guitars, rolling drums, and lyrics about urban life. This album is everything rock and roll ought to be--it's fun and loud, and it rewards multiple listens. There's not a single dud on this album, but my favorites are "Timebomb," "Barrier Reef," "Just Like California," and the scorching collaboration with Exene Cervenka, "4 Leaf Clover.""

it is one of my all-time favorite albums. highly, highly recommended. 1997.

SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE how it feels to be something on

i'll save my last post for the day for an album that i've always loved, but has recently become one of those "top [insert number]" albums for me. this is one of those records that has its own very special feeling and atmosphere about it that you can't get anywhere else (like talk talk, for instance, has a monopoly on pretty much an entire genre of music that only they have played). sure, other bands have combined a midwestern emo aesthetic with indie rock. but no one has ever done it like this, or done it this well. the lyrics are absurdly awesome; the guitar and basswork are so perfect, as is the drumming; and, of course, jeremy enigk's vocal performance is one of my all-time favorites.

here, SDRE go off and just transcend whatever genre they were in before. much like radiohead did with ok computer, and talk talk* did with spirit of eden, they just create an entity unto itself. i consider this an essential masterwork, and i hope everyone in the world one day hears it and loves it. 1998.

* - apologies for bringing up talk talk twice in a post about SDRE, as they really have nothing in common aside from being totally fucking awesome

KOENJIHYAKKEI angher shisspa

outstanding japanese avant-prog/zeuhl. can't really say that much more about it, as it sorta defies words. unlike pretty much anything you may have heard before (and that's coming from a huge magma fan!). 2005.

WILCO summerteeth

my favorite album from the seminal chicago group. here they start branching out from their alt-country origins. lots of great pop sensibility and sonic experimentation. pretty much a perfect album. 1999.

MONO hymn to the immortal world

cuz it's mono, so it's automatically great. epic, orchestral post-rock from the japanese masters. 2009.

ULVER teachings in silence

compilation of the silencing the singing and silence teaches you how to sing EPs (both released in 2001). this is haunting, dramatic glitch/dark ambient work, a particular sound here that the band never really touched on again (there are traces of it in lyckantropen themes and shadows of the sun). these EPs are quite overlooked, and the last 3 tracks (from the silence teaches ep) are especially wonderful. 2002.

ULVER lyckantropen themes

glitch/dark ambient/electronic music from the norwegian group. this is my personal favorite ulver recording; it possesses an incredible atmosphere that i've never really encountered in any other music. very dark and austere, sorta like watching a film noir or listening to tim hecker, but somehow more personal. when the piano bit comes in on the 7th track my soul is lifted to places it has never been before. give it a shot, as i doubt you've heard anything like this before. 2002.

GHASTLY CITY SLEEP ghastly city sleep

one of the prettiest albums i've ever heard. shoegazey post-rocky sorta stuff, but never really getting into the whole mogwai sound. connections to city of caterpillar, majority rule, gregor samsa, and pageninetynine, so you know it's gotta be good. highly recommended.

"it sounds like parachuting into the arctic."

2007.

NEIL YOUNG on the beach

perhaps less acclaimed than the aforeposted NY album, but perhaps more important (and better).

Wow, Neil's flipped out and joined "the family" or something. You might think it could only get better from there, but you'd be wrong. This ain't for rainbows and unicorns here baby, better leave that to T. Rex or somebody, this here is like Alice in Chains in 1974 and I couldn't possibly love it any more than I do.

This album was reportedly made under the influence of honey slides, a rather noxious combination of honey and marijuana invented by fiddle player Rusty Kershaw who played on the album. Apparently this stuff would really put it on you, and the pace and tempo of the album would certainly confirm those rumors, not to mention the fact that they were cooked up at a rate of a reported pound a week. Yeah, that explains a lot.

The songs themselves range from the singular up-tempo "Walk On," through a trilogy of "blues" titled tunes and some other ditties you've probably never heard on Sesame Street I'm betting. They cover a variety of subjects from disillusionment to relationship disintegration and other happy subjects along those lines.

If you are a Neil fan and don't own this go get it now. If you are new to Neil, you better wait on this one. This one here is a different beast entirely than those pretty records like After the Gold Rush and Harvest. This one here is creepy man, be prepared. It's also one of the absolute best in my collection.

essential. 1974.

NEKO CASE fox confessor brings the flood

neko case, known mostly for her work with the new pornographers, also releases fantastic alt-country/singer-songwriter material under her own name. her most prominent asset (aside from her gorgeous red locks) is her mesmerizing voice, and it's on full display here:

If Neko Case isn't the reigning queen if alt. country, I don't know who is. Employing The Sadies, Calexico, and Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, Neko's self-produced fourth solo album is a certain ambiance shift from her last traditional covers laden release The Tigers Have Spoken, despite maintaining the animal imagery. Fox Confessor rides a heavier dark and sombre vibe with Case's lyrics apparently waking up from the disillusionment of the Hollywood propagated notion of some rewardingly presented all encompassing love that's crammed down our throats from a young age (though I don't understand how anyone could believe Jennifer Lopez is even capable of loving anyone besides herself). While legions of accountants and secretaries flock to the banal, unchallenging likes of Jack Johnson, Case wraps her singer-songwriter roots folk vocals and vision around country, twisting it to accept everything from moody psychedelic rock to eloquent orch-pop. The brilliant symphony of a household’s mental downfall, "Dirty Knife" exhibits all the best qualities of where she’s at now. Move aside, Wilco. It's Neko's turn now.

2006.

WHISKEYTOWN stranger's almanac

a brilliant alt-country album from ryan adams and co. the sound is less ryan adams than his solo stuff (imagine that), but the quality is extremely high. this band was fucking phenomenal, and this is possibly their best work. ranks way up there with the best of the genre. originally released in 1997, this is the deluxe edition from 2008 with copious amounts of (excellent) bonus tracks.

CEASE UPON THE CAPITOL cease upon the capitol

extremely passionate and intense screamo with a post-rock influence. there are a lot of bands doing this sort of thing now, but this is certainly among the best. it's strangely really catchy to me, too - when i pop it in, i usually don't take it out for a few days. for fans of daitro, envy, orchid, jerome's dream, etc. 2006.

BOTCH we are the romans

THE definitive mathcore album. this monster will bludgeon you over the head. it's like if converge slowed down for a while. technical, dissonant madness. like dillinger? converge? all those other bands that ripped off those two? well, this band arguably started that shit, and they pretty much perfected it. and, interestingly, some of the lads in this group went on to form seattle indie/math rockers minus the bear. 1999.

SIGUR RÓS ( )

you probably have it, but i can't live without it, so neither should you. to me, it's the icelandic group's best album. 8 intensely beautiful tracks: the first four more on the low-key side, showcasing their penchant for making slow, drawn-out beauty. the last four tracks, though, are as brooding and intense and any music i've ever encountered (listen to the last piece on full volume and get mindfucked!). essential masterpiece, blahblahblah, etc. 2002.

PELICAN march into the sea

2 track ep from the chicago group. i know this band has their detractors ("they're boring" or "that guy can't fucking drum to save his life", etc), but there is no denying that they can make some very powerful music when they want to. and this is them at their best. the twenty minute title track appears on 2007's the fire in our throats will beckon the thaw, but in edited form. and to be honest, it's much better here in it's original version, and it works better for me outside of the context of that album. the second track is a throwaway jk broadrick remix of "angel tears", but this is sooooo worth it for the first song. truly the epitome of EPIC. 2005.

JAKOB solace

the third album from one of the most overlooked post-rock bands. think explosions in the sky if they took a bit more time and listened to more ambient music.

"Instrumental, slow and intense music made by the NZ trio Jakob. The music is built upon minimal rythms, delicate melodies and dilated echoings that develop into majestic and incredibly intense walls of sound. Amazing."

it's great. they need to make a new album. 2006.

HÜSKER DÜ zen arcade

duh. the seminal post-hardcore (?) masterpiece. if you don't have this, you need it asap. sounds brand new, even though it's getting close to being 30 years old. another classic album for all music fans. 1984.

ARVO PÄRT alina

possibly the most beautiful, fragile album ever recorded. minimalist classical from one of the masters. one note says one million things. totally essential in every single way. "an album for thinkers and one for lovers of beautiful music." 1999.

ELEND a world in their screams

amazing, ethereal, atmospheric, dark ambient/neoclassical music from france. this is another one of their masterpieces. 2007.

ALEXISONFIRE watch out!

one of the great post-hardcore albums of the new century. passionate, yet refined, pushing itself to the brink but never dismantling. dallas green's vocal melodies are something to behold--this album has one of the greatest vocal performances i've ever heard. these songs are so full of energy! if you can listen to the opening track "accidents" without cranking up the volume and opening all the windows then you do not have a pulse. the rest of the album is fantastic, too. one of my favorite, most listened to albums ever. 2004.

BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME between the buried & me

progressive metalcore from the masters. this is their first album, and as such it's a bit on the "rough around the edges" side, but that's why it's my favorite album of theirs. i think people like to give this album a bunch of flack because "colors is just so amazing!!!", but this thing fucking started it, baby. no one sounded like this when it came out, and when i heard it back when it came out, i was just flabbergasted by what i was hearing! there are a few bands that have tried to emulate the sound of this record, but no one can do it. awesome breakdowns, badass thrash riffs, iron maiden harmonies, grindcore blastbeats, piano breaks, lounge jazz, three-part harmonies - it's all hear, folks, with btbam at their roughest and best. 2002.

CAT POWER you are free

the best album from the lovely chan marshall. this actually has some of my favorite songs ever, the absolutely heartbreaking masterpieces that are "good woman" and "maybe not". marshall has never sounded better than she does here. she knows when to rock and when to be pensive, and this album is a nice balancing act between her more muscular tunes and her most low-key work. recommended for all folk/singer-songwriter fans! 2003.

DINOSAUR JR bug

another indie rock classic, this one from j mascis, lou barlow, & murph. i can't decide if this is my second or third favorite dino jr album (green mind is my favorite, actually, followed by either this or the seminal you're living all over me). guitar screeches, slacker vocals, rumbling bass and drums...they got the sound right. get it. 1988.

CITY & COLOUR bring me your love

probably my favorite album ever! the songwriting and arrangements are perfect, the instrumentation is perfect, the lyrics are perfect, dallas green's voice is perfect. so many beautiful moments, so many great songs. i can't begin to describe how this album makes me feel and how much i love it. a masterpiece of acoustic-based music, plain and simple. 2008.

BUILT TO SPILL perfect from now on

the indie rock classic. everything built to spill has done is great, and this is perhaps their finest work. doug martsch writes really weird but incredibly catchy and melodic guitar parts. every song is a gem of guitar-driven indie rock madness! essential. 1997.

AAVIKKO history of muysic

here's an obscure treat. aavikko is a swedish band that plays quirky synth based music. lo-fi (like, recorded to cassette lo-fi) instrumental electronic disco/mumba/surf rock with a yamaha pss home organ, along with drums, guitar, and bass. the sound quality isn't bad at all, especially for being recorded analog. there are tons of cool melodies and grooves. it kinda sounds like videogame music, but surprisingly it's not cheesy or lame. check it out! compilation of some non album material. 2003.

CONVERGE no heroes

just as good as jane doe. if you don't love this you are a fucking pussy. 2006.

RAY LAMONTAGNE til the sun turns black

brooding singer/songwriter//folk with some soul influences. love the dude's voice. this is his best album to date. he gets a lot of hype, and this album shows why. "barfly" features the gorgeous and wonderful rachael yamagata. "empty" is one of my favorite songs ever. 2006.

MAXIMILLIAN COLBY discography

"Maximillian Colby was an art rock band birthed in the early 1990s. They combined the intensity and attitude of hardcore punk with the beauty and weightlessness of noise harnessed by shoegazer. Never reaching much popularity outside Harrisonburg, Virginia, they were local heroes nonetheless, establishing a unique sound only recognized years later by bands like City of Caterpillar, A Day in Black and White, Circle Takes the Square and Envy; with their artsy song structures, stop-start dynamics, and minimal use of vocals, in this case, shouting. The band never released a true full length or lp, only a few eps, splits, and compilation features. Unfortunately, Maximillian Colby’s exceptional expression of art was cut dramatically short with the sudden death of bassist, Bob Baynor, in 1995. Following their demise, the three remaining members went on to form, most notably, Sleepytime Trio, as well as Supine to Sit, Bats and Mice, and Rah Bras. A discography of their sixteen recorded songs can be found on Lovitt Records."

"It's an ironic shame that all of thee truly innovative bands who tried to move emo into a realm that meant "progressive hardcore punk with poetic (non-political) lyrics" broke up before their influence could permeate deeply. Thus, thee new millenium is left with thee emo that every middle schooler thinks of instead of pure mind-redefiners such as Max Colby.

This was not simple music with a sappy message; there is technicality 'n' rawness in spades throughout this Lovitt-crammed-full Discography. How many acts of ANY kind were genius enough to not only sample Steve Reich's Come Out but also to structure their trademark song "New Jello" in thee same manner as that man's serious compositions? To me this puts Max Colby at thee crossroads between Trout Mask Replica & Madvillainy. These genres like "emo" perhaps should not be too confining because there is too much on here to be viewed as just another overlooked punk group. Their dynamics change more than post rockers with their structured yet insanely mobile songs. In fact, Max Colby are thee forgotten predecessors of that scene, taking Slint 'n' infusing it with punk's immediacy, showing thee direction that both post rock 'n' emo could have gone (AND SHOULD have, dad'bus'it!)."

sometimes a bit on the "plodding" side, but always full of passion. fans of the aforementioned bands need this. 2002 compilation from splits/eps from as early as 1994.

GROUPER dragging a dead deer up a hill

if cocteau twins' classic albums were boiled down to their spectral essence: those amazing vocals, the simple guitar work, the use of the studio. take that, go to a cave, plug in your record player, hit the needle, crank the volume, and then just let the sounds reverberate all around you. this is a beautiful and evocative ambient/folk album from the brilliant liz harris.

Transmissions from the other side made by a troupe of somnambulistic ghosts.

FIONA APPLE extraordinary machine

her best album. full of life. this album reminds me of laying in bed with my girlfriend - the warm blankets covering our legs, my hand on her soft, warm stomach, the sunlight pouring through the open window, fiona's voice permeating the sun-drenched early springtime breeze.

2005.

POISON THE WELL the opposite of december

i can't even tell you how many time i listened to this album back in high school. i got really into hardcore/screamo/metalcore music, and this became an alltime classic to me and many of my friends at the time, and for good reason. this is one of those albums that defines an entire underground musical movement. this, along with anything converge ever did, is perhaps THE album as far as late 90s metalcore is concerned. this was the album that everyone loved and that every band tried to imitate. but no one did it like this.

Looking for a screamometalcore album that could exceed the barriers of time? Gotta be very pure, a shot penetrating skull, a suicide pain inducer, a suffering liberator...i think this is it.

1999.

TOWNES VAN ZANDT townes van zandt

the classic from singer/songwriter//country artist van zandt.

sometimes i don`t know where this dirty road is taking me
sometimes i can`t even see the reason why
i guess i keep on gamblin
lots of booze and lots of ramblin
it`s easier than just a waitin round to die

1969.

CERBERUS SHOAL homb

the first masterpiece from the boston-based cerberus shoal. experimental post-kraut? they sound like no other band i've ever heard. their sound is so distinct, and they make it work without sounding at all contrived. middle eastern scales, horns, guitars, epic structures. kinda like if godspeed ditched the anarchocapitalist stuff, got baked, and uncovered every lost krautrock classic. highly, highly, highly recommended. 1999.

P.O.S. audition

one of my all time, top 5 hiphop albums. the dude has amazing delivery and awesome lyrical skill. the production rocks. (sidenote: p.o.s. is kinda the ringleader of the spectacular doomtree hiphop collective, based in minneapolis). if you like hiphop (especially that of the midwestern variety), this is a MUST HAVE. if you're kinda new to hiphop and are looking for something to get your jump started, this is a great record to go with. 2006.

NADJA truth becomes death

ambient drone doom. very powerful stuff.

"The ultimate guide to guitar distortion and apocalyptic post-modern soundscapes"

masterpiece. 2005.

THE FALL OF TROY phantom on the horizon

the mathrock/posthardcore darlings go all prog on us, and the results are totally awesome. personally, i thought manipulator was okay, but i preferred their earlier work. i thought they were getting a bit stale, so i didn't have high expectations for this. but goddamn if they dont pull off shit like the 10minute opening track! in fact, i'd say it's the best thing they've ever released! this is really so very good. i think fans of the mars volta will eat this up. whatev, just get it, it fucking rocks, man. 2008.

BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE blach earth

daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark and sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. jazz played at 8 bpm.

Like taking a walk through a dark, foggy alley, the collar of your trenchcoat up, your hat dripping rain in front of your stern face.

if lustmord or raison d'etre made a jazz album. incredible. 2002.

THE NATIONAL alligator

atmospheric indie rock. has this distinct feel to it that i can't quite put my finger on. nostalgic. "daughters of the soho riots", "the geese of beverly road", "mr november", and "secret meeting" are great (the first two being PERFECT and some of my favorite songs ever). the rest of the album is solid. get it for those songs if nothing else. 2005.

THE POSTMAN SYNDROME terraforming

Can't thing of much to describes this, except that:

A) its amazing
B) various parts of the album remind me of Tool, Opeth, Neurosis, King Crimson, and maybe a bit of jazz or math rock like Don Caballero or something.

possibly my favourite album ever.

original and unparalleled modern progressive rock. 2002.

CONVERGE when forever comes crashing

Alright, Jane Doe has its place in the cannon of hardcore, but When Forever Comes Crashing certainly rests next to it. To me this album screams with an even darker passion than anything else Converge has done. It's blood on ancient stone walls, in grimey alleys and forgotten graveyards. It's gothic without eyeliner, it's heart-wrenching without tight pants. It's fucking amazing.

yeah, it's great. 1998.

YOUNG WIDOWS old wounds

completely bitchin' noise rock/post-hardcore from louisville. produced by the legendary kurt ballou (it sounds MONSTROUS!). this will rock your fucking face right off your skull. 2008.

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE stand!

the funk/soul classic. not hard to see why this is considered one of the all-time great albums. every track is killer. 1969.

SONNY SHARROCK ask the ages

definitely the heaviest jazz album i've ever heard (save brotzmann's free jazz experiments). another all-time classic. the guitar playing here is fucking insane. 1991.

MEREDITH MONK dolmen music

stirringly beautiful classical/vocal compositions. the epitome of pure human musical expression. essential. 1981.