Making a note for this amazing soundtrack music for any kind of enchanted adventuring actvities.
Gergely Buttinger – The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing OST
Djrum – Portrait With Firewood
Nice to mention this record right after Tides as this is a great example for the same vibe but with originality that I felt lacking there. Nice atmospheres on the slow-to-mid tempo electronic axis with lots of live-sounding orchestration, even more Floex vibes, but the more complex drum patterns and the post-dubstep bassline aesthetics package it into something fresh and exciting. I really like that this is a moody record without the sadness aspect—it’s like watching rain through the window but with inspiration and wondering. Actually it’s also like a new take on nu jazz.
Abstract Orchestra – Madvillain Vol. 1
This has been my soulful positive energy music for the past few weeks. It delivers instant Saturday vibe on any day of the week.
Alva Noto – Unieqav
This became my go-to album lately, I listen to this literally every day. It is so calming and helps me focus like close to nothing. The interesting bit is that exactly that same recently I started to formulate this idea that I don’t like experimental music that much anymore. Whenever I listen to that noizy-glitchy IDM kind of experimental electronics from the more elitist kinds I feel only annoyance and impatiance. Although all the while I’ve been listening to more ambient than ever before, which often comes with drone and weird sounds. So I’m not sure what makes me stick or bounce. I think I appreciate harmonies now. Nice ambient soundscapes and well balanced patterns both give me that. Harsh noize and non-rhythmic sounds don’t. This record is one of the most sophisticated and masterfully crafted rhythmic noize sets out there. Also, this is one of the leading definitions of literal Intelligent Dance Music.
The Ocean – Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
It has a post-rock atmosphere with prog-rock elements but a metal sound. Apparently this is post-metal or prog-metal, which I’m not too familiar with as a genre, probably should be. But then again I guess Tool could fall in this category, too, I’ve just never thought of them this way. And thinking about it this way I ralize the difference between post-metal and prog-metal. Tool is more on the prock-metal side essentially coming from a prog-rock/art-rock angle just adding more metal weight to instrumentation. While The Ocean is more heavy on the post-rock vibe with epic instrumental spaces where massive and rhythm-heavy riffs bridge calm and sorrow melodic sections.
In any case, this is a fantastic record, takes me on a journey, and I definitely want to follow it up with its successor Phanerozoic II right away.
Riton + Kah-Lo – Foreign Ororo
I recently got a batch of suggestions spread along the interesting-weird axis, and this one stuck with me. British dance beats (mostly house) with Nigerian hiphop female vocals. I have this strong feeling that I’m totally late to this party and hits like Fake ID and Ginger must have spinned their fair share in certain parties and radio shows that I totally missed apparently.
MOLYBARON – MOLYBARON
Leading up to the new album when the first single, Lucifer appeared did I come across MOLYBARON and it was an instant hit for me. The new track got me hooked with its extremely satisfying hard rock flow crossed over with the totally heavy metal riffs and vocals of the chorus. I also love in a rock song when there’s a post-chorus bridge that’s just totally outside the normal flow of the track and takes you on a little trip of its own. That’s also very strong in this song.
So, after listening to Lucifer a mere fifty-something times did I realize maybe this band is not coming from out of nowhere and that’s how I ended up with their debut record. It’s an awesome introduction, I get many more of that above described song structure, and there are surprisingly few tracks that I’d call fillers. It’s a proper hard rock ride. I can imagine a MOLYBARON live concert as a steam-filled two hours long train ride without breaks, I hope that’s true. Anyhow, just based on the two new tracks the evolution and perfectioning of their voice is unmistakeable, so looking forward to the new album quite a bit.
Die Wilde Jagd – Uhrwald Orange
It’s like the love child of Dead Can Dance and industrial music. It’s a krautrock thing and a psychedelic rock thing. And it is amazing. I’ve been listening to this record almost continuously for a while now and it just enchants me. It’s hypnotic and atmospheric and opens up a magical world of its own.
Johnny Jewel – Vapor
One of my go-to focus music for the past month. Cinematic ambient with chiming sounds, dark textures, monumental spaces, it’s quite a journey. I see the full movie playing in my mind. Also great for reading, especially something eerie, mystical, or set in outer space.
Schramm – Nuklear Fetish
Not an innovator but a pretty good industrial electro-metal record, like in the footsteps of Rammstein but more on the party industrial side of things. I listened to a whole bunch of new releases from the industrial and EBM domains, I wanted to highlight some great surprises, but there were not much to mention at all. This one however is easily one that I am happy to relisten.