Merchants Of Air
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Albums
    • Concerts
  • Interviews

Saigon Would Be Seoul – The Human Stain

25/10/2020

Comments

 
ambient / drone / classical
{int}erprit Null
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
There is something about former Yugoslavia that draws people to it, and I am not talking about the hauntingly beautiful but yet terrorizingly overcrowded cities on the Istrian and Dalmatian coastlines but rather about the inland with the forlorn wastelands of Bosnia-Herzegovina being the center of attraction for some negative reasons as well as positive hopes. Arms and Sleepers’ Mirza Ramic was born in Mostar with all its ancient charm and globally famous white bridge that was destroyed during the Bosnian War of 1992 to 1995. Ramic and his mother fled the country during the war and he has been living in the USA now for a long time; however the memory of his origins never seems to have left him. His solo project Saigon would be Seoul, a project combining minimalist approaches with intimate recordings, circles around his time before, during and after the war that drove his family apart, with his father dying in the war.

The foundation for SWBS songs is the piano, which Mirza’s mother taught him to play since he was 6 years old, that he uses to purvey his emotions of sadness, loss, and sometimes even despair. The minimalist spheres in the backgrounds are often combined with samples from his home. Ramic says that the full-length is basically threefold with the first part being the years before the war amid the turbulence of life in crumbling Yugoslavia, the second being the barbaric years of war and the last part being the years after the war. During the latter part people had to cope with the human stain of not being complete, with the struggle to process all of what has happened and torn apart communities and families. Painful years without any real suture; still obvious if you visit Bosnia Herzegovina. The few vocal samples are often painting blood red atmospheres of a country at war with the enemy and afterwards a society at war with its own trauma. Ramic uses only few samples, most of the songs are instrumental but still telling the attentive listener a lot. 

Ramic uses the synth and the piano to allocate himself within this process of re-living your past and relieving yourself from it. Oftentimes, there are only a few layers used in order to achieve this level of close-ness, of intimacy, of emotional connection that drive the listener on without identifying himself with the horrors. We are witnesses not impersonators. The drones are not low-tuned but high-tuned pitches dragging out, often sounding like a cross between a violin and a singing saw. The effect is that of a dream, not necessarily a nightmare, but definitely a highly emotional look back. 

With highlights like “Form and Feeling” (the prancing piano) or “Normal Jungle Law” the record is full of wordless emotion. Comparing this record to others is difficult, but if you want to have some connections, try Peter Broderick, Aidan Baker or the Bersarin Quartet. The use of a vibraphone and of minor keys create a parallel to Bohren & Der Club of Gore, but this is only through sound not through ideas or themes. This is neo-classical music, not doom jazz, even though it becomes noticeable that the parallels between the two might be bigger than the differences. 

Very different to Ramic’s regular output (this is SWBS’s second full-length) with Arms and Sleepers this new record shows him at his most intimate and most vulnerable.  If you like neo-classical and ambient (or either of both) – try this record, as you will get close to an artist and his own version of his life up to now. 


Thorsten

Comments

Jacaszek - Music For Film

31/3/2020

Comments

 
ambient / soundtrack
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Perhaps some artists don't like to read this, but over the years I found some of my favorite albums in the sales-bin at record shops. Quite often, those albums are slightly different than most releases, a bit off-beat and experimental. That is also where I discovered Polish composer Jacaszek. His 2012 album 'Glimmer' was on sale, along with several other ambient and downtempo electronic releases. I spent quite some money that day and I went home with a backpack filled with CDs. From that batch, 'Glimmer' has become one of my favorites and  since then several other Jacaszek releases have been added to my collection. Now, 'Music For Film' will join them.

So, Michal Jacaszek is no stranger in this household. His approach here, a mix of gloomy electronics, ambient, classical music and often glitchy soundscapes feels otherworldly yet soothing. On 'Music For Film', a collection of soundtrack compositions, that trademark is still present, although sometimes it does feel like Jacaszek had a slightly different audience in mind while working on these pieces of music: the movie critics. Most tracks on 'Music For Film' are listener friendly, pushing the strangeness of some earlier releases somewhat to the back.

​Which does not mean that this is a sweet, easy listening album. Opener '49' explores the piano in a melancholic and nostalgic way, aided by mild strings. 'The Iron Bridge', second in line, is one of the weirder tunes. Although it contains a certain rhythm it might be best to categorize these sounds as "musique concrete". 'November Early' feels like a piece of classical music written for dark jazz fans. That being said, I'm one of those dark jazz fans and I absolutely adore this track. 'Twelve Years' is a slow and gloomy piece of work, driving on a sluggish beat and lingering strings.

'Dance' combines mild noise with a chamber orchestra, so it seems, and 'Christ Blood Theme' takes us to dark monasteries. 'Liina' excels in minimalism while, another one of my favorites here, 'Encounter Me in The Orchard' visits mystical lands and biospheres. For the last two tracks, I'll have to repeat the words dark jazz and classical music. Yet, don't worry, they're equally enchanting and interesting as the rest if this album.

So, this is 'Music For Film', not only an excellent album but also a great argument when stating that Michal Jacaszek can easily compete with the Zimmers and Elfmans of this world. He can, believe me. 'Music For Film' contains pieces from Rainer Sarnet’s 2017 black-and-white fantasy drama November and the 2019 documentary He Dreams of Giants, among others. If you're a fan of either ambient, dark jazz, gloomy electronics or classical music, you need to check this out.


​Serge

Comments

Hvile I Kaos – Black Morning Winter Green

11/11/2019

Comments

 
black metal / neoclassical
Red Nebula
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
A metal quintet consisting of acoustic guitar, electronic bass, two cellos and violin. A quintet consisting of what? Yeah, right four acoustic instruments and an electric bass. 25 years ago most of us would have smirked at such a lineup in context of harder music. But since Apocalyptica “Plays Metallica by four cellos” this is no hurdle anymore. Then a lot of symphonic metal bands followed a path laid out by some bands like Blind Guardian, Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride. As nowadays anything is possible, it is not astonishing at all to hear a band like Hvile I Kaos. The five-piece from the USA call their style of music Black Ritual Chamber Music. The record is to be released via Red Nebula on December 6th.

The sound is dominated by the two cellos which is not a bad thing as their sometimes pretty sharp intonation definitely purveys a lot of darkness that is being enforced by the violin providing a lot of sonorous melodies that lead you onto a path towards the black light. Interestingly, the guitar and the bass are the least-dominant instruments within the ensemble. 

Interesting about the three tracks (not including the spoken word bonus track “Outro”) is that they are not boring but able to take on a journey starting with “An Inviting Afterglow” and proceeding with the second track “Grand Darkness Engulfs” as the centerpiece with its five different parts. It takes you on a path through a blizzard and up the snowy mountain to the summit. On the other side the snow is thawing under a warm black sun and finally along the glacier is melting and everything is swimming away showing the muddy, washed-up Winter Green – the namesake of the final part “A Shock of Winter Green”. 

Whether we can really call this “black” ritual music remains to be answered individually, however, this is not important at all. This is an instrumental album that is more fun than one could imagine when thinking of its predecessors because it can convince with all its harmonies and flow. A well-conceived composition for bleak rituals. 


​Thorsten

Comments

Sweeney - Human, Insignificant

27/10/2019

Comments

 
folk / experimental / classical
Sound In Silence
facebook
Picture
Another return to the impressive stable of Sound In Silence is 'Human, Insignificant' by Sweeney, the solo project of Jason Sweeney (Panoptique Electrical, Other People’s Children and Simpático). Sweeney has been making music for over twenty years, sometimes solo, sometimes with friends.

With this album, spanning around twenty-six minutes, Sweeney delivers eight emotional songs, all gritty, gloomy and accompanied with piano and soundscapes. The result is something so down to earth that you would think it's unearthly. It's folk, shoegaze and ballad pop, but most of all, it's an assault on your tear glands.

The eight songs here all seem to follow a similar path. In the back ground, you can find unidentified noises and soundscapes while the piano is set on "minimal". Then, Sweeney unleashes his fragile, emotional voice. His vocal style is something between singing and crying, which for some people will hit the exact right spot. For others, this might be a bit too intimate to enjoy to the fullest. For those, I will recommend the title track, which could be one of those illegal recordings of Elvis jamming solo on a drunk Sunday night.

In all, 'Human, Insignificant' is a daring album. It could be a big risk to bask in this melancholic sound because truth is, this is not a happy, joyful album. Yet, if you love what people like Luka Bloom do, plus love to dwell into gloomy classical music, this one will hit your right in the feels. Just listen to the alternative tear jerker 'Desire, Decayed' and you'll know what I mean. If you're in for a 26 minutes lasting emotional cleansing, this album is definitely a must-have...


​Serge



Comments

Brieviews 63

6/7/2019

Comments

 
Picture

Maximilian Latva - Nekyia

noise / dark ambient / experimental
bandcamp
Picture
After 'Hrön', released in 2017, Maximilian Latva returns with a new album. Six tracks long, 'Nekyia' is a harsh and often unsetling dark ambient trip with intense synth-scapes and wailing guitars. It's cool to hear how Latva adapts elements of noise into captivating electronic chamber music with a haunting atmosphere. The result is something that seasoned ambient-noise fans can fully appreciate. My favorite track here is 'Sanoista saastunut', a lingering set of distorted synths, perfectly suited for gritty jazz bars and eerie horror movies alike. My advice? Check it out, it'll be worth the sonic journey...

HIN  - Warmer Weather 

electronic
dSound In Silence
Picture
Two school friends, jamming with electronics and creating melancholic yet dance-able indie pop tunes, that's pretty much how this project can be described. This duo comes up with an intriguing EP where electronics meets post rock. Most of the songs on this EP remind me a bit of Worriedaboutsatan but with emotional indie-vocals. Opener 'The Lower Heat' is already a potential top hit and halfway through 'Blue In Alkali' I'm expecting HIN to one day support Depeche Mode. Don't ask me why. This is very interesting modern-day post-whatever with intense electronic percussion and an emotional impact, neat!

Winterblind - Effigy

progressive / metal / black metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
According to their facebook page, Belgian progressive metal band Winterblind is definitely not a pyramid scheme. That's good to know but I think it's more interesting to dive into their ruthless and complex music. 'Effigy' is their second EP, and it's loaded with warring riffs, meticulous drumming and harsh vocals. The result is a six-track EP which is just as baffling as it is confusing. If you're into the technically superior regions of black metal, Winterblind might be one of your new favorites. Speaking of favorites, 'Stride' is my aboslute favorite, although 'Black-Scholes' and the almost Tool-ish 'My Public Anatomy' also deliver the odd goods. Anyway, 'Effigy' is an EP to discover...

Plague 9 - Mr. Ass

heavy metal / thrash metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Coined as "something for headbanging metal junkies", Australian four-piece Plague 9 delivers old school thrash metal in the vein of most of your favorites. Between the intense riffs and the grooving drums we can find influences from Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica and so on. Opener 'Stuck In Hell' might need a few seconds to get used to but halfway through this song I can see a crowd of metalheads fiercely banging their heads. 'Criminal Justice' might be a bit too chaotic for me but 'Flavour Of The Weak' is a smasher and a possible fan favorite. In all, this is definitely something for old school thrashers.

Things That Aren’t There - Vicious Cycles

downtempo / electronic / post rock / shoegaze
facebook
Picture
English electronic post rock duo Things That Aren't There return with another epic two-track EP. I reviewed their preview EP in Brieviews 38 (read) so I was curious about their evolution. Opener and title track 'Vicious Cycles' immediately delivers the goods. Driving on minimal beats and lingering electronics, this song is a modern day shoegaze epic, laced with elements from industrial and post rock. A bit like Worriedaboutsatan but darker and eerier. 'The West Was Won' nudges more towards the post rock spectrum with its dreamy guitars, making it another brilliant piece of music. Recommended? Absolutely!

Wykan - Brigid - Of The Night

psychedelic / doom
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
In Brieviews 39 I was raving about the psychedelic rock meets extreme metal sound of Montreal based act Wykan. Guess what, they did it again. What starts out as something Pink Floyd forgot to compose suddenly and brutally dives into the world of old school black metal. In fact, Wykan regularly drags you from a trip through space into the depths of hell and back again. This is such a bewildering experience. Not enough variation for you? Well, how about some stoner rock riffs, or grinding blastbeats, or ritual doom worship? All of that is in all three of these mindblowing tunes. Be sure to get your ears on this EP.

Radien - Aste

sludge / black metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Beginning with one of the most haunting intros in blackened sludge history, this two-track by Finnish act Radien is one to cherish for a long time. Eerie vocals and throat-singing over slow, lingering riffs and forceful drums, creating an intense, murky atmosphere, right before all hell breaks loose in sheer Yob or Conan style. Yet, now that those comparisons have been made, it's safe to say that Radien somehow manages to lift the level of intensity even higher. Makes me wonder: why is this band not at the very top of the sludge-scene? And the second track simply repeats the whole demolition. Masterfully crafted blackened sludge, nothing more, nothing less...

Peter Jørgensen - Alt i Stykker

ambient / modern classical / experimental
bandcamp
Picture
With a range of acoustic instruments and classically schooled vocalists, Peter Jørgensen delivers an awe-inspiring two-track EP. 'Alt i Stykker' is no regular ambient album, although the overall sentiment is slow and narrative. I think this could better be described as two lengthy pieces of modern day classical music, or sound track compositions for a gloomy film. In all, 'Alt i Stykker' is a remarkable release, not easy to categorize but definitely easy to enjoy if you are into unusual, free form and improvised classical music. Check it out. it's certainly worth your time.

Boobs Of Doom - Sorcerer

drone / doom / noise / experimental
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Scottish doom outcasts Boobs Of Doom are regulars here on Merchants Of Air, and for a good reason too. This duo does things their way, resulting in weird and interesting albums which defy the rules of doom metal, so to speak. In fact, 'Sorcerer' nudges harshly towards the drone and noise scene with four unique tracks. Perhaps you can say that this is the musique concrète version of drone doom. Perhaps you could say that this is a bit too strange for your sensitive ears but fact remains, Boobs Of Doom is a unique entity, walking its own path through the world of sonic composition and quite often, it's worth following that path...

Temple Music - The Unquiet Mind

ambient / electronic
Sombre Soniks
facebook
Picture
Alan Trench & Steve Robinson have been working under the moniker Temple Music for quite some time now and with 'The Unquiet Mind', they deliver a brooding album, inspired by ​Evia, an island at the crossroads of Greek, Byzantine, Ottoman, Venetian and Albanian cultures. Musically, this results in a frenzy of soundscapes, rhythms and melodies which remind me of a mix between Master Musicians Of Bukkake and Tangerine Dream. The five pieces on this album are lengthy electronic music compositions, perfectly capable of taking the listener on a trip. It'll be an unusual sonic adventure but one with many stories to tell, I promise.

Lunden - Lunden

noise rock
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Danish duo Lunden sounds like two members of Melvins getting drunk and jamming on each other's instruments. I'm not sure if that's a compliment but still, this is mind bending noise rock, probably influenced by everything between Sonic Youth, post hardcore and ritual noise acts. 'Bestanden' is way over the top for me but most of the other tracks showcase an intense urge to experiment. 'Ultrapisme' is another weird noise act while 'Screen Walking' and 'Endlessity' scream garage noise rock. In all, this is something for the die-hard noise rock fans, who should already be drooling by now...

Jimbo - Where The Vultures Gather

stoner rock / grunge / alternative rock
facebook
Picture
Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Jimbo throws three pieces of grooving rock music into this eclectic mix. Firmly rooted in the stoner rock scene ('Mama Wava'), this trio is not afraid to experiment with old school doom rock and grunge ('Pyrethrin') or heavy garage rock ('Where The Vultures Gather'). Perhaps not surprisingly for a band who seems to be influenced by acts like Led Zeppelin, Smashing Pumpkins and Alice In Chains. These three songs are quite interesting, especially if you love flashing guitar solos (yeah, let's also list heavy metal as an influence, just for these solos). Now shut up and rock!!!


​Serge
Comments

Martin Mileros - Reminiscence

26/4/2019

Comments

 
ambient / alternative / contemporary / neoclassical
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Reminiscence is an album released on March 28, by Swedish soundscape ambient artist Martin Mileros. Forty-eight minutes long, the album has eleven tracks: 1) Map of meaning; 2) Saudade; 3) Sonoluminescence; 4) Hands holding truth; 5) Eternity in an instant; 6) Take us somewhere nice; 7) A place for shelter; 8) Flutter, chaos; 9) Metamorphosis; 10) Distant lights; 11) She soars over the stillness; a beautiful album with incredibly serene, graceful and calmer songs, Reminiscence expresses the pragmatic, though melancholic delicacy of an artist whose despondent soundscapes seems confined to a symbolic, but paradoxically mordacious periphery of solitary and conspicuous desolation, a vortex of resolute arbitrary thinking, where a resonant soul displaces into its nefarious dissidence a conjuncture of simple, but cohesive harmonies,  fulfilled by an inherently salutary and creative consistence, that displays behind its organic synergy an infinite river of vivacious artistry. 

With fantastically dense and sober minimalist tendencies, the music of Martin Mileros has a vigorous, but deeply concentrated dynamic axis, whose creative impetus departs from the vortex of its own lethargic, but omnipotent desolation.  Despite the fact that the music seems almost frozen at certain passages, there is a passionate and virtuous glory that highlights the everlasting possibilities of its discreet melodic vastness, whose expansive tendencies devises a hyperbolic sense of infinity, that rises within the fantastic sensibility of the artist’s spectacular perception of sensorial splendor.  

Almost designing a perfect world of sonorous tranquility and nostalgia, Reminiscence creates a perception of sound that invariably displays the integrity of its own accessible and gentle grandiosity, without ever appearing megalomaniac, pretentious or egocentric – its genuine beauty unveils a fabulous and sensitive degree of sagacious originality, whose creative majesty revolves around the tenderness of a primordially peaceful and introspective style. With a beautiful rhythmic layout that rises from the horizon of perennial and placid, but primordially delicate musical densities, the restless harmonies that graciously rise from the bottom of this lucid universe of unbreakable serenity definitely open the gates of a kingdom of quintessential elements, whose stagnant echoes glances at the most solemn aspirations of the human heart.  

A gracefully conceived work, whose discreetly diluted symphonies depart from the ghostly features of its own melancholic and lugubrious volatilities, the sensible cantilenas that emerge from the imaginative kingdoms of humane glory that best describe the music of Martin Mileros certainly transpose a fragile, but sincerely ardent victory of pungent artistic splendor. Exposing without fear a passionate vulnerability that revolves around the veracity of the human nature, Reminiscence reveals a formidable degree of sensibility, that unequivocally displays a singular talent on the rise. Definitely, Martin Mileros is a superb artist, whose spectacular level of audacity might surprise us all in the future.  

 

Wagner

Comments

The Pirate Ship Quintet - Emitter

9/4/2019

Comments

 
post rock/ neoclassical / experimental
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Emitter is an album released in March 29, by British neoclassical experimental group The Pirate Ship Quintet. One hour long, the album has nine extensive tracks: 1) First; 2) Companion; 3) Third; 4) Emitter; 5) Fifth; 6) Wreath; 7) Seventh; 8) Symmetry Is Dead; 9) Ninth; a formidably exceptional and majestic album, with beautiful, inventive and creative harmonies, the music of The Pirate Ship Quintet can be classified as something of an otherworldly beauty. Its glorious splendor displays majestic melodic devices, that definitely captures and invites the listener to embark in an everlasting journey of sensible and delightful intensity, within an expansive and lugubrious universe of deliverance and rational grace.

An album that you wish never to end, Emitter has predominantly calmer and serene melodies, that underlines its own atmosphere of striking and profound vagueness. With an impeccable technical structure – that expands from the vicinities of its discreet, but mordacious neoclassical aspirations –, the audacious creativity of the band has no limits whatsoever, as you can hear saxophone and cello occasionally, marvelously diluted into the dissonant and almost somnolent horizon of a translucent, expressive and insurgent coldness. 

With a sonorous indolence that is essentially indebted to post rock, all the general additions the band has incorporated into their musical framework proved to be vital and exceedingly functional elements to conceive a very distinctive and singular style. One hour long, the album is never monotonous nor homogeneous; its fortuitous qualities impregnates the proverbially abundant tonalities of its horizontal creative line, that effectively dissipates over its sober artistic cosmogony such a superb level of authenticity, that it’s impossible not to feel astounded while listening this splendid masterpiece. 

A magnificent and highly impressive album – something extraordinary for a work that is essentially quieter, discreet and serene –, Emitter displays a graceful, even nostalgic, neoclassical atmosphere, that aggregates an interesting concept into its fundamentally unorthodox and unique musical features. With a profoundly innovative and original proposal, The Pirate Ship Quintet reveals itself to be a sensational and tremendously aggrandizing musical group, whose genuine sonorous identity is consistent enough to take the underground scene by storm. 


Wagner

Comments

Āustras Laīwan - Māris Tensīlis

15/3/2019

Comments

 
ambient / neoclassical 
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
With four tracks – Salts Ēnaiss, Wynneta, Māris Dāncis and Winnatautas Pintega – Māris Tensīlis, the latest release by neoclassical sound artist Āustras Laīwan, despite its general conciseness, is a gracious, dynamic and poetic musical effort, deeply authorial, genuine and sensible. As the music flows deeply in the waterfalls of a restless and intuitive creative sagaciousness, the imperial desolation that emanates from these everlasting melodies seems to revolve around centuries of dense and somewhat nefarious sentimental obliteration.


​
The sonorous style prevalent in this album is mostly melancholic and despondent, though a gracious and delicate beauty is always present. The minimalist harmonies can be quite rapturous, as they ascend to a platform of absolute serenity, where no fatalist demise can be properly acknowledged without its respective level of suffering. Nevertheless, there is an abundance of gracious elements of despondent displacement, something reminiscent of an omnipotent sadness, inherent of an endless rainy day, that circumnavigates the brutality of its own acrimonious agony.  

While the album has a mostly dark and dense musical layout – almost mythical in some passages –, the general style is beautiful, emotional and quite original. With a formidable style of his own, Āustras Laīwan, a project solely created and developed by musician Aleks Āulaukis, that is involved in several others musical acts, with deeply authorial and genuine creative layouts, delivers a formidable and translucent paradigm of fugacious, though exceptional beauty, that standardizes a graceful horizon of distinctive features into a distant realm of elegant lethargy and perennial sophistication of sensitive perceptions. 

Beautiful and intriguing, Māris Tensīlis reveals itself a marvelous mosaic of endlessly audacious creative possibilities. With a post-classical outtake on sentimental sincerity that incorporates life delivered as a quintessential form of art, this majestic work deserves to be heard and consecrated as a refined, though modest milestone, that embraces existence as a poetic hyperbole of the human soul. Definitely, this is a work that would leave its audience in rapturous excitement, and desperate for more releases of Āulaukis, as soon as possible.  



Wagner

Comments

Brieviews 59

11/3/2019

Comments

 
Picture

Tim Linghaus - About B. (Memory Sketches B​-​Sides Recordings)

ambient / classical
Sound In Silence
Picture
A nice gem from the ever expanding Sound In Silence label, containing seventeen short yet playful ambient pieces. With the piano as central instrument and gently synths freely floating, Tim Linghaus delivers something I can only compare to the "nouvelle cuisine" of ambient. The tunes are delicious and highly enjoyable but oh so short. Fans of Olafur and Nils will definitely enjoy this and so will everyone who is need of a little breather once in a while. My advice? Purchase this album and let these tunes become your tiny moment of serenity during your busy day. You deserve it, and so does Tim Linghaus.

Antoine Panaché - Endling

experimental / noise
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
The bizarre world of Antoine Panaché is as enigmatic as it's uncomfortable. This project has often found a way to be featured on this pages and with its new output, 'Endling', Panaché once again deals in the opposite of normal. Basically driving on noise, the six tracks on this tape are audio experiments in old fashioned musique concrete style, here and there also influenced by everything Cold Meat Industry has ever barked out. My favorite is closer and title track 'Endling', a mysterious and angsty piece of music. On the other hand, if you like angst, you should certainly start with 'Zwarte Agnes'.

Misty Bliss - Misty Bliss

alternative rock / psychedelic rock
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Right, time for some good old fashioned rock 'n roll, courtesy of Swiss duo Misty Bliss. Inspired by the extravagance of classic rock and the gloomy overtone of gothic rock, this duo throws four great songs in my speakers. Opener 'Misty Bliss' is a strong, anthemic piece of rock music, something fans of everything between Led Zeppelin and PJ Harvey can appreciate. Blues fans will drool over 'Love Confession', at least if they can also appreciate post punk and garage rock. Then there is the punky closer 'Take On The World', the fastest song on the EP but a trustworthy rock 'n tune. Heel yeah!

Thecodontion - Jurassic

death metal
Xenoglossy Productions
facebook
Picture
Hailing from Rome, Thecodontion comes up with something they call "prehistoric metal of death". This four track EP, 'Jurassic' contains four tracks, created by bass, drums and vocals only, with lyrics about fossils and prehistoric creatures. Yet, they do manage to create a rough, chaotic and primitive version of death and black metal, not so much old school as well, pre-school. Then again, back in the glorious days of Pangaea, there was no melody, no flashing guitar solos and no professional recording studios. So, if you like your metal obscure and chaotic, Thecodontion definitely deliver the good.

Wang Wen - Endless (theme song for "Space Challenge")

post rock
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Chinese post rock juggernauts Wang Wen surprise their fans with a ten minutes lasting anthem, a  genre defining theme song in two sections. Kristian Karlsson (PG Lost) produced the song and Magnus did the mastering. Along with Wang Wen's elaborate crew list, the addition of these seasoned craftsmen turns this music into a baffling group effort, one that every post rock fans will surely appreciate. Balancing on the edge between post rock and score music, 'Endless' is yet another one of those beauties by Wang Wen, a long, anthemic and immersive piece of music that can stand the test of time.

Blair Coron - On The Nature Of Things

ambient / classical
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
A beautiful and immersive album by Scottish pianist and sound sculptor Blair Coron, 'On The Nature Of Things' narrates the splendor of contemporary classical music. For the most part, this album brings a minimal but soothing listening experience. It's quiet and gentle but is also contains a few dreamy ambient anthems, like 'R/B/G/' or poetry like 'Ode To The Cimmerian' or the folkiish 'Olives and Marzipan'. In all, this is a surprisingly interesting album and quite varied for something that roams in the world of classical music. My advice? Check it out, you'll definitely found something you like here.

A Vintage Death - Acrid Death Fragrance

doom / black metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Hailing from Italy, one man doom metal band A Vintage Death unleashes a first EP, titled 'Acrid Death Fragrance'. Founded by solo member Carmine, this project combines melodic doom with elements of black and death metal. The result is a rough, harsh version of bands like Saturnus, November's Doom and so on. The four song are decent, excellent at some points but the production value somewhat diminishes the experience, which is too bad. It's obvious that Carmine is a talented musician with good ideas and great songwriting abilities. All he needs now is a professional producer and, why not, a live band. But for now, this EP is an excellent debut.

Ûngrûn - Demo 2019

black metal
Tartarus Records
facebook
Picture
Dutch/Frisian black metal outfit Ûngrûn (featuring (ex-) members of Verwoed / Dool / Kjeld and Lugubre) comes up with two ferocious, skull battering pieces of black metal. Titled 'It Hiele Brânoffer' and 'De Oanstjit Ta Hjar Ûngerjuchtichheit' these tunes will pierce your eardrums and destroy the the final signs of sanity behind it. Mostly driven of hyperspeed drums and shrieking guitars, these tunes are instant favorites for fans of Dodecahedron and many other avant garde black metal acts. This is simply another one of those brutal forces from the Netherlands, which comes highly recommended.

Anna Havoc - Anna Havoc

hardcore
bandcamp
website
Picture
Don't let the band name and the lovely painting on the cover fool you, Russian combo Anna Havoc will rip your eardrums apart and you will love it too. That is, if you're into harsh, intense and chaotic hardcore. In five tracks, Anna Havoc bashes a tremendous amount of stinging riffs, battering drums and fierce vocals through your speakers. The tempos are suffocating and the abrasiveness is pulverizing. Their furious hardcore is infused with elements from sludge metal, noise rock and a hint of black metal or grindcore. The result is one baffling five piece EP with heaps of brutal energy.

Beyond Our Sight - The Void Within

metal / death metal / metalcore
facebook
Picture
New band from Ghent, Belgium, deals in thick as fuck riffing, serial killing drums and ferocious growls. Plus, here and they doomy clean vocals appear, along with a load of other influences, all brutal, obviously. If you're into bands like Lamb Of God, Gojira, As I Lay Dying and Machine Head, you might want to lend these guys an ear and get your hands on a copy of this seven track EP. Personally, I'm not a fan of this stuff, but I know the genre well enough to consider Beyond Our Sight a force to be reckoned with in the near future. Just listen to the pulverizing single 'Strenuous' and you'll know what I mean.

Comments

øjeRum - The Forest Is Sleeping Within The Trees

19/12/2018

Comments

 
ambient
Krysalisound
Picture
Sometimes an album works so inspiring that a lot of words flow through my keyboard without actually describing the album itself. This album, a remastered reissue of  Paw Grabowski's 2015 release, came in for review a while ago. Yet, instead of become the subject of a review, it became the musical guide for the opening scene of my new book, or at least for the atmosphere. While these six gloomy but beautiful ambient pieces floated through my speakers, my mind wondered off and inspiration came in huge numbers. So for that,  Paw Grabowski, thank you. Now, let's go into the music itself, because that is what we're here for, isn't it?


Actually, this review could be very short. 'The Forest Is Sleeping Within The Trees' is a six track album, built around the piano and the pump organ. One of the keywords here is "minimalism" as the sounds of both instruments seem to dance with and around one another. Fans of artists like William Basinski , Tim Hecker or Stars Of The Lid will easily appreciate these six tunes. The whole thing is gloomy, driving on looping organs and quite often repetitive piano touches. The latter give the music a neat sense of pulsation.

It's not easy to select a favorite track, perhaps it's 'Part 1', a somewhat rhythmic and enticing piece of music. 'Part 2' is more experimental, a bit harsher. It still wanders through ambient landscapes, but feels rougher. 'Part 3' is dreamy and seductive while 'Part 4' drags the listening along dark drones and eerie soundscapes. The others are up to you to discover and I really recommend checking out this gem. Piano ambient doesn't often come this narrative and immersive, I can tell you that!!!


Serge

Comments
<<Previous
    Picture
    Support Merchants Of Air, check our our shirts

    Categories

    All
    Acoustic
    Alternative
    Ambient
    Americana
    Avant Garde
    Blackgaze
    Black Metal
    Blues
    Breakcore
    Classical
    Country
    Crust
    Dark Ambient
    Dark Jazz
    Darkwave
    Death Metal
    Doom
    Downtempo
    Dreampop
    Drone
    Drum & Bass
    Dungeon Synth
    EBM
    Edm
    Electronic
    Experimental
    Folk
    Folk Metal
    Funk
    Glitch
    Gothic
    Grindcore
    Grunge
    Hardcore
    Hard Rcok
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Hip Hop
    House
    Idm
    Indie
    Industrial
    Jazz
    Krautrock
    Lo Fi
    Lo-fi
    Martial Industrial
    Math Rock
    Metal
    Metalcore
    Musique Concrète
    Neofolk
    New Wave
    Noise
    Noise Rock
    Nu Metal
    Pop
    Post Hardcore
    Post Metal
    Post Punk
    Post Rock
    Power Electronics
    Power Metal
    Progressive
    Psychedelic
    Psytrance
    Punk
    Rock
    Shoegaze
    Sludge
    Soul
    Soundtrack
    Southern Rock
    Space Rock
    Stoner Rock
    Symphonic Metal
    Synthpop
    Techno
    Thrash Metal
    Trance
    Trip Hop
    Vaporwave

Find us on

facebook
google+
twitter
tumblr
​
minds

About Us

Contact
FAQ
Logos and banners
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.