Rune Realms "The Stormcoast" (2016)

 

I find myself in awe again. Next on our Rune Realms journey I picked The Stormcoast. Adorned with a teal stone runic border and painted landscape of mountainous crevasse shorelines, my curiosity for a sea fairing adventure was both peaked and eventually satisfied. Led mostly by long aches of unmovable stoic string sections, accompanied by the soft, distant commands of horns, a mystic sense for exploration of the unknown is birthed. Unsurprisingly its themes echoed The Fate Of Atlantis, produced later but perhaps the soundtrack itself served as an inspiration.

With its theme suggested, the music herein fit the bill. Ones imagination will wonder through natural beauties, unscathed by man. Fantastical terrain, treacherous to traverse, yet gazed upon at a distance, from rivers, streams and coastal regions. Here lies no sea sickness, no sense of endless waters and torrential storms but a curious exploration of foreign lands inhabited by illusive natives who watch unseen.

Much of the record traverses the quiet and cautious. Meager in stature yet gratifying upon inspection, its miniature excursions are delightful, however can pass one by if distracted. Between its many soothing, calmer spells erupts the main theme of exploration and glory! These crescendos of strings, with the sounds of waves crashing and harp or flute melodies, converge to create grandiose magnetic spectacles. They command ones attention with their intense brooding and rock steady pace.

The Stormcoast is another remarkable chapter, found early on. It seems the what I would of hoped to be an evolution of the later records is actually here early on, the ability to lead the music into more nuanced spectacles. The melodies and progressions here work wonderfully with the aesthetics for some nostalgic sea baring that doesn't lean heavily on any tropes. Its really tasteful and so well crafted. Bravo!

Rating: 8/10

A Perfect Circle "Thirteenth Step" (2003)

 

Now a fully fledged Tool convert, it seemed logical I'd enjoy more of Maynard's voice, having grown so fond of his unique persona. A Perfect Circle was formed in union with guitarist Billy Howerdel, while Tool where in their prime and working on Lateralus. Mistakenly I though this was the bands debut, however Thirteenth Step is actually their sophomore which also features James Iha, formerly of The Smashing Pumpkins.

Parallels to Maynard's mainstay are all to easy to state. As a similar ensemble of Alternative Metal, its the later that recoils in the wake of acoustic guitar leads. Wailing and whirling in reverbs, its melodies brood on brown tones and cold shimmering aesthetics. A Gothic echo lingers as touches of Shoegaze noise and Ethereal atmosphere creates a distant emotive cry, often feeling sorrowful without empathy.

The music lingers on its textural flavors. Organic, progressive unravelings of nurtured tensions brew, occasionally sprouting into aggressive spurts. These lively floruishings, Its best moments, are what makes the record so disappointing. After drudging through overcast windy affairs of acoustic drabness, the excitement only seems to emerge upon the arrival of distortion guitars. These moments are etched in the Tool blueprint.

To name the few, Weak And Powerless, The Outside and Pet. All brilliant songs, yet do little to define A Perfect Circle. Everything else that does was simply to dull and aimless. Reasonable to have on in the background but after many listens I simply couldn't find anything deep to latch onto. I may give this journey up already.

Rating: 5/10

Yeat "AftërLyfe" (2023)

 

Following up on last years Lyfë, Yeat returns to hold down a lengthy record on his own. Onboarding two alter egos, the twenty two tracks have only one guest artist. An unlikely cause of my disappointment, yet seemingly fed into the repetitive nausea I experienced. These hypnotic beats, alien and psychedelic by design, persist on a single idea. With no beat switches, little in the way of structure, they make themselves known swiftly. Shuffling Trap hi hats bustle away alongside brief melodies on loop.

Over top, Yeat brings in sleazy slurred flows, breezing off the reverb, toying with plenty of dreamy auto tune vocal manipulations, leaning deep on the slang and sluggish cadence. Of the lyrics I could decipher, little value was unearthed, lots of nonsensical boisterous bars and wealth braggadocio that lacked hooks and repeated itself a lot.

Although this formula yielded some groovy hypnotic beats I return to on occasion last outing, this followup was abysmal, little of the beats landed and the vocals became rather grating as the hour of music dragged on. A note of merit is the closing track Mysëlf. Far from great but at least an attempt to introduce a change of tone with dreary acoustic guitars, piano and soft strings. Overall, a big disappointment.

Rating: 3/10

$uicideboy$ "Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation" (2022)

 Hailing from New Orleans, this independent Rap duo made quite the impression. Muddying between Horrorcore and Cloud Rap, their dark leaning beats and heavy subject matter had its familiarity while introducing new ideas to digest. Its mostly the flows of Scrim and Ruby da Cherry who consistently captivate. Their distinctive navel voices and tight rapid flows hit rhythmically with snappy timing. Endeared by creativity, the shuffling of pace and pitch keeps things exciting. Best of all, the pair have an ear for melody, transitioning into catchy sing raps frequently that nail the mood of a song.

Instrumentally, the variety is decent, delving into different Southern styles with echos of Memphis Rap and the sluggish distortions of Chopped And Screwed. The sampling pull on the esoteric and obscure with odd sounds twisted into solid Rap beats. The darkest moments pull on brooding pianos and melancholic strings, the likes more suited to depressing Classical. Great to hear such an eclectic source of sounds. Of course, its loaded with darkly samples and snippets to beef up the grizzly atmosphere.

The subject matter wades through its share of typically misogynistic boisterousness. Between the showboating emerges a handful of tracks with difficult subject matter, addressing emotional ills, mental health struggles, drug abuse and urban trauma. The expressions are endearing, honest and laid bare, tackling the difficulties of life from personal darkness. Although a fantastic introduction, Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation has waned on repetitions but I've found a few songs to return too.

Rating: 6/10

Rune Realms "Seeking The Lost Castle" (2015)

As master of environmental ambience and subtle suggestion, I next ventured to Rune Realms' early works, to see how insinuations of castle era adventures would manifest. The distinction remains pervasive, a craft imbuing the resonant charm of aesthetics. Ancient plucked instruments, gleaming strings of awe and the foggy lurch of Dungeon Synth keys, all coalesce on spirits of lost majesty among mother natures beauty.

Its opener, Seeking The Lost Castle, dials up intensity and tempo as aching strings and mighty empirical synths cast light on the dawn of kings, queens and castles. Cinematic yet soft, a reoccurring brilliance of multi focal range for ambience and theater guides it well. Ancient Walls Of Stone plunges into foggy ambience at the other end of the spectrum. Between these, a range of varity keeps the music moving.

Its focus's shift too, the pleasantries of fairy-tale adventuring emerge through woodwind and plucked instruments. It arrives with a warm playfulness, protected by the innocence of youth, oblivious to the horrors of warfare that often accompany such places. Equally, distant calls of military and might can be heard when horns and fanfare arrive. Calling through soft murmuring reverberations, they seem like echos.

Occasionally, like on Forgotten Grandeur, tension and foreboding can take hold. Its a rarer occurrence that never veers into darkness and horror. Essentially, casting a rich spell of the era and adventures within from a safe and wondrous space. With its main thematic melody serving as both entrance and departure, the record has a keen phantasmagorical presence, as if conjuring a portal back to a lost moment of time.

Rating: 8/10

Gunship "Dark All Day" (2018)

 

With an enigmatic dystopian eclipse cover and suggestion of darker themes among its title, one might suspect a mood shift towards the more sinister Synthwave machinations of Carpenturn Brut. Alas, the opposite seems true, honing in on Synthpop influences a cheery narrative of uplift against struggle prevails, perhaps best exemplified on When You Grow Up, Your Heart Dies. Its christening bells add a resonant gloss of warmth to a spirited battle against the odds, with warm, fuzzy blurts of sentimental language to uplift spirits wedged into its telephone call interlude.

Dark All Day's atmosphere suits its presentation well. Many of the songs hold this ecliptic tension. Punchy bass synths, lined by meaty percussive grooves hold a mean edge against the soar of warm lead melodies and bright instruments acting as the light around this circular edge. Although Thrasher and The Drone Lacing League lean into nightly territory, its the melancholic warmth of its 80s influences that find dynamics to emerge as the narrative resolution. One of inspiration and uplift from hurt.

Stella Le Page and other effeminate voices featured compliment a stellar variety, breaking up the soaring calls of Alex Westaway who sings with a stride in his tenderness. More would have easily been welcome, their contrast a great dimension. Dark All Day is a rare record for me, where the voices really nail the instrumental theme, guiding the aforementioned tensions to a glistening resolution. They were a key component to solidifying these glossy soundtracks of nostalgic imagination. This one is definitely a shade better than their debut self titled Gunship.

Rating: 7/10

Janelle Monáe "Metropolis: The Chase Suite" (2008)

 

Prelude to The Archandroid and first installment of a conceptual series of records, Metropolis is a fair introduction to Janelle's quirks as an artist. For this listener, the spoils of what follows overshadows its charms. Metropolis plays as another union of instrumentals reaching into a diverse past for inspiration, paired with sharp, groove inducing percussion, its a fantastic reinvention of timeless musical expressions.

With March Of The Wolfmasters, the thematic premise is laid bare, somewhat spelt out. Outlawed robotic romantics, a vision of science fiction imagined future, plucked from the 20th centuries early decades and intermingled with a very human narrative. So to does the music plunder gloriously with trumpeted Swing band elements, theatrical string sections and stabbing horror organ melodies spun to a jovial rhythm.

Although a brief EP, its focus slips at the end with Mr. President. Pivoting to a plea on current social woes, the shift in tone is jarring. Then proceeded by a cover of Smile her incredible voice sadly doesn't quite suite. It was however an excuse to learn about a song covered many times, going far back to Charlie Chaplin. On Metropolis, Its clear the groundwork was laid for great things to follow, however the core three songs that merited this thematic inspiration was ready for more at this point in time.

Rating: 5/10

Len "You Can't Stop The Bum Rush" (1999)

If mid 80's Hip Hop with its clunky grooves, fun but dated rhyming tropes is your niche, then You Can't Stop The Bum Rush might just float your boat. I'm quite partial to the era, however Canadian group Len's millennium offering has little to add aesthetically, essentially a stiff nostalgic resurrection. Its bizarre his how eclectic and interwoven with other genres this record is, however the music isn't all as fluent.

Echo's of classic 70s Electronic music to the likes of Kraftwerk emerge, as a string of songs foray into crossover with Hip Hop the likes of Afrika Bambaataa once flirted with. Loaded with body popping vibes and vibrant 808s, the authenticity should be sky high with legends Biz Markie and Kurtis Blow hopping onboard to lend their voices. Despite this, the lack of reach to new territory has a stale energy about it.

After Cold Chillin the flow looses pace, ditching the Hip Hip beats to explore Rock, Punk Rock, Pop and Jazzy vibes to see the record out. Although its nice to hear such diversity, only June Bug swoons with its easy flow and gentle singing. Of course, the albums star is Steal My Sunshine, a massive hit known the world over. An oddity, considering how little of its charm gets echoed elsewhere. Worth a listen but quite mediocre.

Rating: 4/10

King Geedorah "Take Me To Your Leader" (2003)

 

Operating under the alias of Godzilla's three headed nemesis, the beast King Ghidorah, prolific hip hop entrepreneur, rapper, producer, MF Doom puts his talents to work. Take Me To Your Leader is an oddity, an album standing apart from the norm with its quirky thematic charm. Emerging from the ashes of old Godzilla flicks and Ishirō Honda's "Invasion Of Astro Monster", vocal and action snippets revive a unique vision to life. Monster Zero runs by as a keenly cinematic track, unloading its samples front to back without a verse, as does title track too later on in its thirteen tracks.

Between the instrumental passages of crafty world building, a diverse range of voices drop onto the mic. Mostly rhyme riddled and intricate in nature, lyrical games play out on the bars, adept with flow, woven with tricksy word play and verbal acrobatics, the focus shifts as the album matures. With such talents strutting, the subject material often slips into bombast and prowess as these emcees rhyme hard. In its transitions, the spectacle remains, suiting this novel packaging for a memorable listen.

The beats rapped over are relatively straightforward. Its the source material and obscure movie dialog sampling that gives this production an undeniable charm. The firm mix of Soul and Jazz gets obscured by a string section focus. The occasional Sci-Fi theme's spice up the overall vibe and tend to find themselves paired with stints of sampling as the guest verses end up on the Jazz Hop leaning cuts. Although capable of dissecting its composition, the elements are gripping throughout, making for a record difficult to critique on its own merits. If this suits your preferences, you'll adore!

Rating: 7/10

Skinny Puppy "Rabies" (1989)

 

Where this journey ends, others shall begin. Having occupied a fair portion of my auditory real estate, I've come conclude there is little left for these Canadian Industrial pioneers to offer. Despite legendary status among the Industrial Metal I adore, the unearthing of the disjointed musical ideas that informed them has become a dull drone. On this fifth outing, Skinny Puppy recycle their dissident formula for dystopian soundscapes again. Lined with malfeasant movie snippet samples, inhuman percussion and jolting baselines, Rabies oddly offers the most accessible incarnation yet. Even so, its mediocrity has songs failing to favor themselves with memorability beyond brief surges of unsettling noise and claustrophobic vocal distortions.

A few songs are distinguished with a new dimension for the group. A metallic drive, as Al Jourgensen of Ministry lends his guitar craft to his musical idols. Thrusts of enthused yet blunt distortion riffs grind in repetition to lend a familiar aesthetic. Sadly the meld is a dull one, perhaps peaking with Facist Jock Itch, although its rampant snare drum abuse is a grating one. Other than this chemistry of note, the records aesthetic and atmosphere echos so much I've adored of their influence yet again fails to connect. Warlock manages a special moment, its alien vocals emoting deep pains with fascinating guile. As its concludes, the rising synths birth something unique. It reminds me fondly of Dysmorphik. There are more records in the catalog but currently the exploration seems futile and thus another journey concludes itself.

Rating: 4/10

The Ruins Of Beverast "The Thule Grimoires" (2021)

 

Fancying a dip into darker realms again, a name from years gone by caught my eye, the German one man band known as The Ruins Of Beverast. This sixth installment, The Thule Grimoires, is softens its blow by the crisp sweetness modern productions offer. Its a blessing, an alluring warmness emanates from once shrill guitars and howling blast beats that pave a familiar path, cushioned for an attentive focus on its unruly surroundings. As the musical intensity unravels, oddities emerge at frequent intervals. An intentional alien darkness manifests, with esoteric rumblings ushering in the dusky realms of nefarious deity worship and pagan hardships.

Toying with slanted choral chants, hazy descending guitars awash in reverb and demonic gutturals, convention breaks into hellish limbos of ambiguity. These occult atmospheres come drenched with unease and tensions not aimed at the listener. Its quite pleasant to experience such crafted balance. This peering into demonic depravity plays like an observer watching mystic rituals from a distance.

Although most of the length record resides in this creative space, with a healthy range of compositions, on occasion the music gets tangled in bright melodic leads that don't quite express their purpose to this listener. A small blemish on a solid record I just haven't been in the mood for. The dark arts are not as charming with age.

Rating: 6/10