Fred Again.. "Actual Life 3" (2022)

 
Actual Life 3 plays like an emotive snapshot of life passing by. Plainly titled in full with assumed start and ending dates, the candid selfie cover continues a trend in this series. Its an unambiguous touch to illuminates its personal nature. A social intimacy flows, human voices woven into these compassionate expressions, channeled through a dreamy endless night, intoxicated on the club floor. Slick Downtempo, danceable, rhythmic drives power us through warm Ethereal melodies and uplifting nightly energy. Snippets of casual conversation and private exchanges flicker between tender voices singing on relationship struggles with positive resolve. This all feels like a harmonious reflection of Fred's life, illuminating the human connections.

With a steady and gradual building of instrumental intensity, he steers these songs on an organic flow, never static, always inching towards the next subtle shift. Most songs find a swooning swell to amp up the rhythm to a predictable lively climax, yet always gratifying. Its gravitas is one of escape, a seriousness lingers in its mellow passing demeanor. Tensions unwind, providing release and resolve, lingering on a social maturity. Its forty minutes pass an effortless breeze. Fred never overplays his hand and keeps both mood and groove consistent, leaving all its varying degrees of intensity in anticipation of what flows next. Actual Life is one heck of a breezy listen...

Rating: 7/10

Ziggurath "True North" (2024)

 
With a swift and sudden departure from their prior Jungle Synth effort, Ziggurath pivots again. Now venturing on a chilly expedition, True North tentatively explores desolate atmosphere from a sullen, lone perspective. Glacial pace sets tone as broody bass synths, howling winds and distant gulls guide lonesome melodies on its journey. Pace is sparse, its ninety minutes frequently linger, drawing out its main sound design. The album sleeve feels fitting, a ghostly ship on a lost voyage, the lingering presence of icy death incarnate through a menacing skulls gaze.

Aptly named Hearthfire Inn, fire-crackles and lutes warm the bones, a refuge from the relentless frost that awaits. From here on, only glimmers of cultural instrumentation echo in the distant fog. Howling dogs, swirling winds and rehashes of its brooding atmosphere drag on. Through Halls Of Ruined Splendour offers shimmering sounds of wonder over the backdrop of crashing waves and the creaks of aged floor boards.

From here, iterations on the established sound design intensify, shying away from anything vivid, only offering glimpses of music to latch onto. Then Someone Dies offers a passing funeral dirge, a glum, drained march of sadness. The final track, True North, goes all in, attempting to offer a gratifying conclusion but coming up short. A surge of melodies underpinned by choral synths and soft organ hum doesn't quite land as intended, given the lack of build up to this final concluding moment.

Its obvious to see the intention here, to really lean into this chilling abandon. When giving True North little attention, its somewhat achieves this. Its sparse moments of melody and scenic sounds perk the ears but its sluggish pace and lack of animation doesn't carry much gravitas in the forefront of ones attention. Curation and more musicality could of elevated its presence. Otherwise, this is a soft miss to my ears.

Rating: 4/10

Kid Cudi "Insano" (2024)

  
Keeping steady pace, Kid Cudi returns from Entergalactic with a loose concept. Taking twenty one shots, these shorter cuts seemingly throw out ideas to see what sticks. Linked together by recurring buzzy sub-base lines, the referenced insanity is heard instrumentally as the aesthetic experience explores an unusual spectrum of melodic presentation. Repetitive tunes often run through mild manipulations, playing into an artsy atmosphere. Trap beats bustle harder than usual. Kicks, claps, snares and hit-hats from all directions chime in, amping up the sequenced rhythmic energy. Its these base oriented tracks that mustered my attention as between them, Cudi leaned into his established style, smoothing out the records exit with a string of colorful songs.

Running commentary from a boisterous DJ Drama and lack of lyrical focus gave me little else to latch onto. Insano feels like a round up of studio time spent without direction. Vocally, Cudi spun his style with the records best hooks feeling almost recycled from previous records. Nothing offensive, the record just lacked anything with shock and awe. Electrowavebaby perked an ear for its redesign of Ace Of Base's All That She Wants. That's the second record of 2024 to include this memorable 90s hit. Its a fun track, flush with zany zapping sounds and some endearing singing. The second track Keep Bouncin' is a banger, the baseline melding with crisp pianos is a classy conclusion to its dark, speedy energy. Other than that, its a mediocre record with flashes of distinction that fade among its extensive tracks. Good for a mood tho.

Rating: 6/10

Trevor Something "Archetypes" (2024)

 
My introduction to one man band Trevor Something was through a handful of delightful re-imaginations of 80s Synthpop and Alternative classics. I wasn't pulled into his original music, so this new record of twelve cover songs suited me well.

Trevor's built a unique sound, treading a line adjacent to Ethereal, Synthwave and Electro-Industrial. Like a dream inducing sedative, subdued and sluggish, his soft, distant voice steers us through hazy atmospheres. Layered arrangements of textural synths dance, often with chunky bass wobbles. The usual culprit of echo and reverb masks an otherwise sharp set of steady melodies into a concussive daze.

In this reshaping of originals, a unique soothing, slightly dystopian crooning is birthed. You want to stick around and indulge. Not knowing a track wasn't a barrier to entry either, the warmly dystopian aesthetics, lingering tempo and Cyber-Goth vibes maintain across its duration. Closer and No Ordinary Love where my favorites.

All That She Want's is a surprising throwback but record ends with Change (In The House Of Flies), which I thought would be a lay up. On this occasion, a sterile overindulgence approach lost the original spark. Its smokey, cumbersome stride swiftly dulls. Strange ending to an otherwise unique and enjoyable record.

Rating: 6/10

The Tiberian Sons "Satan's Office Supplies" (2022)

 
Here's a release I overlooked, The Tiberian Sons' first album re-imagining video game music within the Prog Metal format. Anthems Of Liberation was such a blinder, I had to give this a go. Sadly, little joy has arisen from its Paper Mario origins. Once again, I've not heard the originals but one can attest to their thrilling aesthetics and colorful liveliness. Satan's Office Supplies is given a lavish treatment, layered music with punch clarity. Subtle symphonies and jiving synths bustle between the upfront grooves of chomping, snappy drums and Djent rhythm guitar chops. Often stealing the lime light, the lead guitar wails with excitement, delivering key melodies and running away with dazzling solos, vivacious and vibrant, often serving as a voice of expression.

Why this didn't click with me is somewhat mysterious. Perhaps my Prog Metal clock has been run down for the time being. Maybe its the source material not quite matching the intensity. Although this music works, its jovial melodies run counter to a lot of hard hitting rhythm and stints of nostalgic orchestration that melds with a lack of feeling. Origami Castle is a keen example of its ends not quite sticking together.

 King Olly VS Mega Bowser is a similar composition, flutes and airy chorals coalesce around chomping groove and sinister horns, yet the track rides its devilish atmosphere well. The rest of the songs where somewhere in between, its opening five part set of tracks not feeling particularly special. A lot of the record descended into lively rumblings, were a blaze of passing melodies didn't land as they had done last time.

Rating: 5/10

GGFH "Disease" (1993)

 
Weird, wacky... wonderful? This is a zany descent into dystopian depravity. Cold, sterile, emotionless, Disease plays shrouded by bleak, mechanical aesthetics. Embracing quirky synths, wavy baselines and bustling drum machine abuse, the duo known as Global Genocide Forget Heaven forge unsettled stints of misanthropic commentary. I was turned onto them by Dimmu Borgir's Dead Man Don't Rape and the two bands share little in common besides a grim outlook on humanity and morality.

Much of the records charm stems from passages of rhythm that lock in with its synthetic counterparts. In these strides the grim atmosphere carries some passing joy. Otherwise its an unsettling oddity that rarely feels welcoming, a confrontation slog, forcing one to reflect on the dark subject matter at hand. Snarling, distorted soft shouts bark off through the record with a continual rigorous dissatisfaction.

Its an inescapable grasp, a downwards pull as alien melodies swirl around aimlessly. Vocal snippets from horror movies and the like help paint the music with more strange darkness. The atmosphere is vivid and intentional. Only Plasterchrist detours from its core chemistry. Tense lullaby like bells toy with menace, contrasted over top warm symphonic strings. Its within reach of relief and reprise, yet holds firm to its limbo.

 Overall I am impressed by how clearly theme and intention are executed but on a personal level this examination of humanities worst was lacking the musical jive to pull me in. It could be intentional, to keep the music confrontational and inches from comfort. A fun listen but after a few spins I'm good.

Rating: 5/10

Dream Widow "Dream Widow" (2022)

 
Birthed as a fictional band through the Foo Fighter's Studio 666 movie, mastermind Dave Grohl brings his youthful adorations to the limelight. An exuberant testament to the gods of Metal, Dream Widow plays as a love letter to Thrash and Heavy Metal. Churned out with a soft tongue in cheek attitude, this self awareness plays keen. Backed by a consistent onslaught of sharp grooving riffs, its evil thematic comes across fun and playful. Dressed up with moments of metallic extremities, the record initially feels edgier, clearly oldskool Black Metal on March Of The Insane before settling into its cruising altitude of mid-tempo Mastodon crooning Metal.

Dave is pretty fantastic at steering his unique musical voice to these comically darker directions. Half the record feels fully committed to sinister theatrics, yet the other melds his Alternative Rock roots in both singing and writing. This is no complaint, the middle ground is entertaining too but after the shock of its full throttle, screaming and stomping opener Encino wears off, its clear this intensity isn't its firm format. When stepping away from the atypical cheese over the top Metal provides, the music sways with delightful inflections of melody, exchanging verse and choruses that compliment through dynamic shifts from rhythm to lead and all expressions between the two. 

Dream Widow is a cracking record stretched between Dave's expectant self and a mischievous, metallic inner child. Ending with seventeen minutes of sludgy hell, Becoming and Lacrimus Dei Ebrius illuminate his genuine understanding of the craft, as cheesy themes give way to sinister mockeries of the light. Ultimately its forty two minutes are a solid listen. Thoroughly entertaining, yet showing these three or so approaches that could of individually been their own beasts.

Rating: 7/10

Hundredth "Rare" (2017)

 

Opening with shiny crimson acoustics, Vertigo croons on contrasting vibes. Its initial Ethereal glaze rubs against a pacey rhythm section. Thunderous baselines rumble, as lively kick snare grooves set a cruising tempo. Swells of overdriven guitar erupt, reveling in their haze of noisy reverberation. Singer songwriter Chadwick Johnson glides in, calming with breezy harmonization, soothing in his softly presence.

Its a chemistry that persists throughout, as this Shoegazing, Alternative Rock hybrid flickers with fondness for a cascade of influences that inspire an inclusive wall of sound production. Forever sounding like a beautiful fever dream, hints of Grunge, Britpop, Post-Punk, New Wave and Dream Pop emerge in subtle suggestions.

Almost all tracks sail with riveting energy. Ebbing and flowing into colorful lulls, dragged by pounding percussion, leaving room to breath and rebound into epic swells of lead melody and momentous guitar riffs. A consistent experience, yielding a monotone expression. Across its forty five minutes its deeply explored yet spinning the same structures in rotation. Fortunately with such blissful energy it rarely tires.

Early on the music feels uplifting and charged with warmth yet as the record reaches its mid point, both lyrics and emotions tilt to darker subjects. Its a subtle shift, a dreary dourness creeps in, the sprint slows. It feels like the same beast yet moodier, as melancholic acoustics drift in and a vulnerability in Johnson's presence grows.

Rare's merits reside on its songwriting and vision. Initially seeming to fit into a familiar umbrella of genres, the record takes on its own memorable character. I do prefer its opening half, the speedy pace a delight that fades into its brooding counterpart. Overall, Rare is a wonderfully engaging set of songs that don't try to rewrite the rulebook but focus on what works and wrap it up into an inspired aesthetic indulgence.

Rating: 7/10

Love Is Colder Than Death "Mental Traveller" (1992)

 
Proceeding their sophomore Teignmouth, we embark on sullen strides of mournful brooding. Mental Traveller ventures into worldly vibrations, linked by language-less tones of morose suffering. A frequent chemistry between dawning strings and Susann Heinrich's burdensome singing, captivates a moody pre-technological tension. One will be transported with visions of rural hardship lived in the shadow of human sin. A sense of ancient culture and lost religion prevails through these belated downtrodden soundscapes. Perhaps an artifact of my imagination, their gradual groaning, building up to rigged percussive grooves, can't help but evoke this antiquated notion.

My main gripe with the record is its similarity too Dead Can Dance. Many ideas and paths walked feel closely modeled on their music. This feels most obvious when an occasional song shifts gears for uplift and reprise, a little tuneful medieval charm having the same tone and textures as the aforementioned. This is however what I have been seeking, Neoclassical Darkwave. Love Is Colder Than Death have just that. Their approach just lacks a distinction to provide conversation to the genre.

 The second half of the record pivots, Ralf Donis takes over, ushering in Industrial tinged drums that reveal their programmed nature. Like last outing, it leans Electro-Industrial on a couple of tracks, almost birthing some genuine fascination with a grim tone but falling short. Despite all my attempts, this one just didn't latch mentally. 

Rating: 5/10

Myrkur "Ragnarok" (2023)

 
Danish outfit Myrkur had a busy 2023. Not only Spine but this TV show soundtrack too. Surprisingly, Ragnarok is the more straightforward of the two. Rocking rural stints of Heathen Metal, guitars frequently drop in with overdriven power chords, chunky rhythms and a touch of Doom Metal lurches. Bruun's Scandinavian tongue roots its viking feeling when in spoken demeanor, her ascensions into charming sung passes feel like a softly symphonic charm to dress up the rather dirty, gritty guitar tones.

Each Metal song alternates with an orchestrated alternative, softer instrumentation, often keyboards, pianos and strings. Odins Sang offers a Nordic folk chant over primitive percussion. For the mesmerizing Modgunns Tema, a different direction. Deeply calming, mysterious and natural, the gentle lonely notes that glimmer in its lingering reverb feel like a tribute to first light over a pristine snow swept forest.

This shuffling variety is refreshing, creating quite a journey. Initially I was drawn to its softer side but the Metal tracks have a charm in their simplicity. The aesthetic is spot on for conjuring pagan visions and rural hardships worshiping ancient gods. Its subtly impressive and a firm reminder of why I'm still interested in what they might do next. Although completely fitting, Ragnarok is still candidly bewitching, even more so Spine.

Rating: 7/10

Crosses "Crosses" (2014)

Having enjoyed the duo's new sophomore record, I ventured back to their debut, released nine years prior. Feeling very much fitting of its era, the electronic percussive arrangements tilt in a handful of directions, ta Disco House flavor of Daft Punk rears its head early on. The rest mostly an assemble of sluggish Trip Hop grooves and subdued drum patterns. They mostly stir echos from Post-Punks expansive umbrella, far from the hard hitting, cutting edge that its followup leaned into. 

This left Crosses with an expression rooted in the moment, something about arriving ten years late has been tricky to reorient. Led by Chino's charm, that inescapable Deftones feeling is prevalent but this time his partner Lopez crafts moody textural passing of mellow sound. Drenched in ambiguous, airy, soft design, many sounds emerge. Gentle guitar licks, plucked strings, a groaning Sax, broody pianos and riveting organ shimmer, with the occasional metallic riff dialing down its intensity.

The two fall into a sway, grooving on sullen, melancholic strides, mustering occasional bursts of energy on odd songs. The Epilogue was my favorite, cruising with pace and bustling in gated toms for a lively energy, the guitar lick and vocals made for a catchy hook. A rarity, much of the music focuses on mood, highlighting a lack of connection in its absence. Ultimately, the duo focus on a side of their chemistry that doesn't quite tick all the boxes for me. A fair listen but not one I'll come back to often.

Rating: 5/10

Graywave "Planetary Shift" (2021)

Enthralled by Rebirth's swelling descents of darkly Shoegazing magic, Planetary Shift has lingered in its shadow like an egg ready to hatch, not yet finding a final form. Fortunately, I've gotten past this notion. These five tracks are further from the dense, engulfing aesthetics of its successor, they reside closer to the "traditional" Ethereal, Shoegaze, Dreampop soundscape. Crooning in the sombre resonance its shimmering guitar chords echo, each song runs a dreamy trip, usually steering into a familiar distress, yet exploring uplifting phrases too, like on the opening Dreaming, which gleams with a kind warmness. The following Swallow toes the line with soaring ascents to glory before a dreary, distant title track sets up its final two stints.

 

The arch peers into darkness on conclusion, as Like Heaven's catchy chorus bleeds a sombre melody to hint at its closing struggle, which Before delves into. Bringing back that alluring engulfing darkness heard on Rebirth, It is perhaps the catalyst for Jess' natural progression. After establishing its verse chorus loop, the later half ignites with a ferocity as she dials the soaring vocals to another plateau. The music swells, riding its decent into a the void. Stunning music, which again starts from a brighter place. This side has much merit but I find myself magnetized to the darker expressions.

Rating: 5/10

My Top 10 Music Discoverys In 2023

 
Another year, another remark on changing habits. Last year I wrote the more posts than ever, this year I wanted to tone that down and be selective. A lot of my discoveries have been through playlist exploration on Spotify, with less getting the album treatment I would then bring to the blog. Despite that, these new unearthed artists have been solid, with perhaps one exception...

(10) Sleep Token

As the currently hyped band in Metal discussion circles, I was strangely not impressed by the metallic elements on display. It was the singers expression, demeanor and passion that slants in other directions. This is what found me about their music. Are You Really Okay? is the one track that gripped me deeply and happens to be the albums least popular. On that song, I hear a intense meaning, with gravity and weight to it. I'd like to hear them lean into that more.

(9) Bal-Sagoth

There were many more records than the one I covered here, Bal-Sagoth have a fun, fantasy slash cosmic breed of Symphonic Metal. I've now found my way in and could of explored their back catalog. It would have been fun to write about but with a narrow evolution across the years I decided to leave this one brief.

(8) Apashe

This record is on the cutting edge of expression, pulling from opposite ends of the musical spectrum and finding genuine harmony. Apashe even pulls in some rappers to rhyme on his Classic EDM mash ups. Its brilliant, one artist I will be following closely in the future!

(7) Marconi Union

Discovered via a podcast on dealing with anxiety, the Weightless composition embodied all I've heard and loved about ambient music's calming magic. I've not gone much further than the one album but this discovery was a blessing and it firmly anchored the idea of having "go to" music for when feeling anxiousness creeping in.

(6) Këkht Aräkh

A love letter to early 90s Black Metal, Ukrainian one man band Këkht Aräkh actually pulls off the impressive act of avoiding nostalgia and capturing the magic of that era. You could slip in some of these songs alongside Burzum and Darkthrone to an unsuspecting friend and they might not be none the wiser!

(5) Gunship

It was a good time to get into this Synthwave act, as later in the year a new record after a five year gap would become a favorite! This duo left Fightstar with a clear musical vision that;s made for some fantastic neon lit nightlife vibes. Synthwave can quite often feel tired and cliche but this pair made it feel fresh again!

(4) Health

I'm late to Health. They have been around for sometime. Somehow I didn't get pulled in to recently and although I'm not head over heals with their sound, it has a real persuasion when its not your soul focus but the mood setter. In that environment, the downtrodden dystopian atmospheres weigh powerful and heavy.

(3) Potatohead People

Jazz Hop has been re-imagined by many with obvious techniques and tropes, so I was surprised to hear this duo escape that fate. Its a familiar feeling yet this pair of producers bring class, adding in expressive instrument leads between the melodic beat loops. Top stuff.

(2) $uicideboy$

Another double act, these two are a calling cry for an overlooked generation. So much topicality speaks to the struggles of those worse off in a supposedly wealthy society. Themes of mental health and drug abuse are so open and honestly spoken about, its hard not to be drawn to the positivity that comes from facing these demons openly.

(1) Janelle Monáe

This is what kicked my year off, Archandroid! Its been with me ever since. I rarely give a 10 to something that isn't from my formative years. Only three records or so records within the liftime of this blog. This album certainly challenged that form, what a fantastically eclectic assembly of lively sounds, driven by catchy, meaningful words to tie its animated energy together. Janelle has since recreated this genius only  in flashes but in this moment its pure class. Bravo!

My Top 10 Albums Of 2023

Listening habits have changed, I've put more time into creating and as a result, my shortlist was literally these ten albums. I've passed over quite a few records from old favorites too, instead opting to keep an eye on newer artists but even then its familiar names emerging on the list this year.

(10) Aaron Cherof "Minecraft: Trails & Tales (Original Game Soundtrack)" (2023) link

The fallout with C418's timeless soundtrack is saddening but in his shadow, Mojang have managed to pluck some exceptional artists that suit the games atmosphere. This latest addition grows on me with each listen and as the year grew, each return to these new tracks proved how great they were.

(9) Dreamstate Logic "Starbound" (2023) link

One for the temporal playlist, Starbound has a flavor not all distinctive but lasting. As the year went on I found myself drifting back to its magic which turns out to be one of the strongest calmers in Dreamstate Logic's now extensive catalog.

(8) The Tiberian Sons "Anthems Of Liberation" (2023) link

Soundtrack to my ice boat racing, I may now never return to it without visions of skidding across frozen blocky landscapes. The musics tone is familiar but wonderfully animated, that crossover between Progressive and VGM again yielding magic. Its nice to see this group branching into their other soundtrack passions.

(7) Enter Shikari "A Kiss For The Whole World" (2023) link

I commented earlier on passing over old bands still pumping out records. Now twenty years into their legacy, Enter Shikari are one I can't pass up and I'm happy to see them find that youthful spirit again after experimenting with a more subdued approach.

(6) Post Malone "Austin" (2023) link

Its not here for its status as an album but the few favorites that emerged from Austin have been absolute ear worms, bringing hot and uplift over and over. Post has always been a keen talent but here you can hear him actualizing the vision of a songs expression and backing it up with melodic candy.

(5) Gunship "Unicorn" (2023) link

Clearly brilliant but trailing off towards its conclusion, the strong songs of Unicorn has again been ear worms. With Spotify's auto shuffle pushing them after finishing other records, they have become favorites this year. It feels like they really timed this one well, waiting for inspiration to strike after a few years.

(4) Old Tower "Draconic Synthesis" (2023) link

Dungeon Synth has become somewhat stale with my explorations of what its got left to offer. I keep eyes on a few artists and really felt that Old Tower stepped up with another maturity of sound design that yielded some fresh other worldly expressions.

(3) Myrkur "Spine" (2023) link

The uncanny feeling covers has subsided given some research into the musics originality and now I've just been enjoying how curiously strange and wonderful its chemistry is. Bruun is clearly pulling inspiration from different genres and how it all comes together has been endearing and a joy to listen.

(2) Narrow Head "Moments Of Clarity" (2023) link

With nostalgia being on plentiful supply in these times, its great to hear a band so masterfully craft inspirations of times past with a spirit and charisma that escapes that nostalgic grasp. Narrow Head have banging riffs and write songs that don't serve the past but compliment it. Everything came together so well with Moments Of Clarity. Many of its songs have been on rotation through the year.

(1) Olivia Rodrigo "Guts" (2023) link

Often singing about topics quite distant from my own experiences, Olivia's presence, expression and musicality has an allure hard to ignore. Like with Sour, she can pull you in with catchy pop chorus and sincere divulges of personal distresses that paint a picture. This outing, everything felt tightened up and finely tuned, while maturing lyrically too. Guts has me enjoying her catalog while anticipating where she will go next!

Arkhtinn "三度目の災害" (2023)

  

 Pulling no surprises, another intense installment of Symphonic Black Metal plunges into a familiar abyss. Using blast beats as its unrelenting propellant, rattling drums steer an unending wall of sound. Screams howl and distortion guitars roar. Choral keys gleam towards the night sky with an undying sense of rising epic. On occasion, glistening patterns of synths sparkle with astral wonder. The music sways, rarely taking its foot of the gas, predictably finding its way back to calamitous climaxes.

The second of its two twenty minute plus halves is more gratifying. The texture of its ferocity a dangerous concoction. Hopeful lead guitars tinge with shimmers of positive melody yet shrouded by a grim blackness. Its followed by glittery ascending, descending cosmic synths, an interesting arrangement stiring the pot on this frightening brew. After calms and void circling plummets pass by, the lead guitars return to unite the narrative, culminating in a last stand full of dying screams and relentless pounding that gives way to a bleak aftermath of pale distortions.

This track defines itself as the better of two but ultimately feels somewhat stale in the wake of all the other albums before it. Arkhtinn has mastered their own sound but now that mastery offers little new other than the comforts of returning to familiar footings.

Rating: 6/10