Showing posts with label Algiers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Algiers. Show all posts

Wednesday 4 March 2020

Algiers "There Is No Year" (2020)


The southern American outfit Algiers have been on my radar since their remarkable The Underside Of Power. This retro intensive sound has the hauntings of Soul and Gospel playing out in a Post-Punk aesthetic that has been remarkable in the past. This third chapter is inherently bleak and downtrodden, a clear stylistic aim into an oppressive darkness. Its rather burdensome with little relief in its run time. Gloomy depressive atmospheres play out with a sense of unyielding dread looming.

In its intelligent self realization, this record fails to give a little leeway on groove and melody for any uplift or reprise in pursuit of its vision. Instead it plays like a grey rainy day without an end in sight. Its damp and miserable, the fog never clears and the injustice mounts. Its mechanical pattering percussion, atmospheric upheavals of guitar noise and the pained soulful singing of Franklin Fisher keep the harrowing mood sharply focused on its descent, the feeling they forge forever grieving.

The tracks roll out with various themes and temperaments. The degrees of desperation tweaked and any composition or aesthetic of interest feels chained too its sunken, defeated feeling. Its a beautiful vision into a shade of darkness but without that uplift my appreciation could only go so far. It took a while for me to make sense of my lack of enjoyment. A lot of the dark music I like channels these things with energy and a counteracting force but There Is No Year is too consistently bleak for me.

Rating: 5/10

Monday 31 December 2018

My Top 10 Music Discoverys In 2018

 
Last year I wanted to tone down the amount of routine Metal records I delved into. I'm still yet to break that cycle but looking back over the past twelve months I am far happier with the short list of new discoveries. Narrowing it down to just ten, we have only three strictly metal outfits! Success... maybe, then again it should be about finding quality music, regardless of type. Anyway my plan for 2019 is to focus my efforts to music beyond what I normally gravitate to and not paying attention to releases from mediocre bands.

(10) Sleepy Sun

I only got into a single record of theirs but what an amazing listen Fever was! This American Rock band pull influences from many of the greats and put together an engulfing experience that ebbs and flows at all musical levels. It was a peach to engross in and Ill be sure to grab another record of theirs soon, I hope it will be as gorgeous as this one!

(9) Algiers

A fond discovery! Algiers are another act similar to Zeal And Ardor in resurrecting century old Blue and Chain Gang singing, fusing aspects with Post-Punk and Psychedelic Rock together, even Industrial accents encroach aesthetically. Its a real cluster of influences that has a clear vision and soul at the heart of their music.

(8) Janis Joplin

She's a legendary name in the history of music from decades gone by and I'm glad I found the connection at last but I am guilty once again of only getting into the one record! Pearl is simply stunning, a treat fueled by her passionate singing, a voice one can't forget easily. No doubt Ill pick up the other record she released soon.

(7) Pallbearer

Doom Metal most certainly goes a little beyond what clicks with me but one can really appreciate what this band do musically even if its not quite your cup of tea. Getting through the Pallbearer records has certainly lured me in closer and I am always fond of these scaling, epic songs whenever they return on shuffle.

(6) Myrkur

I was blessed to hear her angelic voice live twice this year! It was first at Download Festival, a happy accident! I have since worked through their records of which the latest, Mareridt, is the best. This band show huge potential and her singing and cultural roots is at the heart of that. She is as good live as on record!

(5) At The Gates

The name is unmissable at Metal shows and finally Ive haven gotten around to checking them out. Their early records are far more interesting and their later, like Slaughter Of The Soul, firmly fit them into the foundations of the Melodic Death Metal sound I know all to well through bands that came after them. It takes the edge of somewhat but you can still hear the magic of the music at that time.

(4) Steve Roach

My exploration of ambient music is often thwarted by its palatable nature but Structures From Silence and Dreamtime Return are exactly the sorts of albums I seek out. Magical records stemming directly from principle and inspiration that birth magic from minimalism. I was fortunate to hear of Steve, he is a pioneer in the genre and these records are mood transforming magics from the 80s before the connectivity and accessibility of the internet.

(3) Old Tower

I adore the idea of Dungeon Synth. In reality its a genre bogged down with waves of low effort music and releases given the low bar of entry. That's made it hard to discover decent artists over the years and Old Tower certainly started in that low entry range but with The Rise Of The Specter the dutch musician excelled and birthed something unique to give meaning to the Old Tower moniker. Its a uniquely meditative and spiritual take on the sound.

(2) Turnstile
 I cannot get enough of this band right now. Having gotten through all their records Ive found a Hardcore band that excels at being energetic and passionate without barbaric machismo. Their lyrics get in your head while the music continuously propels the momentum. Its infectious and which each record they have grown leading to the fantastic Space & Time with made My Top 10 Albums Of 2018 list this year!

(1) Logic

 Who else could it be? With a firm collection of records in his back catalog Ive spent the year getting through them and growing to really appreciate this artist. His name does not carry as much clout as it should. Being of the Eminem inspired generation I think critics don't give him credit where his technicality outshines originality. Logic also lacks curation but there are plenty gems to be unearthed in his plethora of songs. As records I think The Incredible True Story and Young Sinatra: Undeniable are his strongest. Only a few projects of his left to get through now!

Friday 14 September 2018

Algiers "Algiers" (2015)


Algiers self titled debut record is a similar beast of burden to its surpassing successor The Underside Of Power. Release two years prior, this record plays with the rawer edge and grit you might expect closer to a formation. Its influences, attributes and roots stand more so exposed and open as the union of sounds frequents dark corridors of shadowy, dread soaked atmospheres. Its bleak resentment drags us down to hell as moments of relief and uplift are far and few between here.

The rattle and snap of Blood's percussion echos the chain gang clank its vocals personify. Subtle gospel, soulful choirs hang heads in the shame of abuse and suffering. Its a song that captures the downtrodden mood and tone of the record. Overpowering, dense guitars wail in a wall of sharp distortion and feedback, playing into the conjuring of a hellish, fearful atmosphere. Singer Fisher cries 400 years a slave, 400 years of torture, driving in the nails that seethe.

The track highlights the records darker tone. It and many of the songs lyrics leap from the page, others addressing police brutality and many horrors linked to the era of slavery it draws its inspiration from. Its electronics are also chained to this path, chirpy, punchy sounds of sequenced snappy beats and stabs reminiscent of 80s Hip Hop find themselves sucked into this abandon. Almost all the sounds from this eclectic tapestry of influences find themselves sinking into terror.

Its a brood, punishing listen fit for overcast skies and the cold of rainy days. At its inception Algiers dive deep into the disgust and dismay of slavery, from a very personal and unforgiving angle that Fisher time and time again ties together with his words. I'm not sure how hearing the records in this record effected my enjoyment but the darker direction and rawer tone smothered some of the magic I expected to hear like on its predecessor. Very impressive record but something restrains my enjoyment.

Favorite Tracks: Blood, Iron. Unity. Pretext.
Rating: 7/10

Tuesday 7 August 2018

Algiers "The Underside Of Power" (2017)


I first heard of this record in relation to Zeal And Ardor, referencing the singing which harbors bold accents of chain gang vocals and origin blues vocals. That lured me close and Ive since been sucked into this fantastically dark and rooted musical experience. Hailing from the southern city of Atlanta, Algiers are primarily a Post-Punk band fronted by singer Franklin Fisher, who's voice is a constant pleasure, strong and powerful he acts like the guiding light that unifies the mood and meaning of the instrumentals and gospel singers parading behind him. This is their sophomore album released last year to much critical acclaim and I have to share in their praise of these forty four minute of engrossing musical art.

Firmly at the core of the sound is a Post-Punk vibe emboldened by the dense, punchy baselines that patrol the musics underbelly, making itself known, laying a foundation for the atmospheres forged above. Its tight with the percussion, a refreshingly modern aesthetic that's executed without flash and flare. The tricky shuffles of fast high hats and grooving sub kicks of Trap music is to be heard but the approach is a million miles away from formulaic Hip Hop beats. With a wealth of kit samples, programmed sequences avoid repetition and meld seemingly like a drummer following the musics intensity and complimenting it as such. At times its organic and can appropriately take on a more mechanical Industrial form when its called for in darker times.

Out front, loading the music with texture, dynamism and charisma is an arsenal of instruments. Guitars, pianos, keyboards playing a myriad of synth tones, the saxophone, stringed instruments and even a glockenspiel makes an appearance as the four multi-instrumentalists utilize their talents in the dense web of sound they create together. It can be a lot to unpackage and after many, many plays through the soundscapes still feel like a maze of detail to stair into. Under its emergent melodies play drones, distortions and memorizing rattles of reverberated sounds that somehow don't descend into chaos and broaden the scope of sound.

The record flows with a sense of progression, in its opening phases Fisher commands the music with his empowered, deep, emotive voice, flexing his words with expressive affections that resonate with Blues and Soul vibes. The music is inherently dark in a personal manor, burden and destitute surround his voice, the source of strength and uplift that lurks beyond the pale. There is an almost biblical quality to the epic that is his presence and on the title track we have a moment of gleam and uplift, overcoming the horror as choral gospel chants illuminate his performance rising up above all else. As the record progresses the instrumentals seemingly grow and overtake his importance as the drums get more mechanical and two tracks nearing end have him in absence.

The Underside Of Power is a riveting experience devoid of a weak spot. Its engrossing chemistry of powerful song writing and an energetic textural experience lasts its run time without a hitch. Everything feels meaningful and full of purpose. Without a gimmick or flash in the pan this really feel like an album to stand the test of time. Its place in the musical landscape is unique, its not pushing boundaries in any direction but showing where overlaps are to made, a combination of influences and sounds that becomes more than all its apparent parts. Truly wonderful.

Favorite Tracks: The Underside Of Power, Death March, Hymn For An Average Man
Rating: 9/10