BLOG O' SMILES

GLENN BRANCA ENSEMBLE - SYMPHONY NO. 6 (DEVIL CHOIRS AT THE GATES OF HEAVEN)

2011-12-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

GLENN BRANCA ENSEMBLE - SYMPHONY NO. 6 (DEVIL CHOIRS AT THE GATES OF HEAVEN)
REPOST FROM WAY BACK IN THE DAYZZ. GOOD SHITS.

BURZUM - BELUS

2011-11-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

BURZUM - BELUS
Played at during this year's annual munching of the TURDUCKEN(OSTANT). Tracks 2, 3, 7, and 8 kill it.

DJ DIGGA - SOUNDSTORM BATTLES

2011-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

DJ DIGGA - SOUNDSTORM BATTLES
Yeah, this stuff is still the jam.

R. KELLY - LOVE LETTER

2011-10-25T00:29:00.001-07:00

R. KELLY - LOVE LETTER
New territory for the Smile. Been listening to this on repeat for the past couple hours. Has to be here. Have your doubts? Watch and learn:

GATEKEEPER - GIZA

2011-10-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

GATEKEEPER - GIZA
More darkwave, though less horror-inspired and more industrial. Good stuff from January '11.

GATEKEEPER "Chains" from Thunder Horse Video on Vimeo.

UMBERTO - PROPHECY OF THE BLACK WIDOW

2011-10-09T23:02:00.001-07:00

UMBERTO - PROPHECY OF THE BLACK WIDOW
Second full length from Umberto. Not quite as good all the way through as FROM THE GRAVE...but good nonetheless.

UMBERTO - FROM THE GRAVE...

2011-10-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

UMBERTO - FROM THE GRAVE...
Like the HALLOWEEN soundtrack kicked up to 11 on the creep. It's horror-inspired darkwave (with track titles like 'Shower Scene' and 'It Came from the Swamp'). Ill.

LOVE, INC. - LIFE'S A GAS

2011-09-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

LOVE, INC. - LIFE'S A GAS

Neon Indian / Era Extraña [2011]

2011-09-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Neon Indian / Era Extraña [2011]

Music From Saharan Cellphones

2011-09-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Music From Saharan Cellphones Vol. 1

From Saharan Cellphones Vol. 2

Soooooooooo good! Holy shit. This is right up there with Cambodia Cassette! Can't stop listening.

(Also, check out the Guardian article below)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/nov/01/music-from-saharan-cellphones-mali

Celer - Menggayakan (2011)

2011-09-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Celer - Menggayakan (2011)

Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage (2011)

2011-09-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage (2011)

320kpbs

M83 - HURRY UP WE'RE DREAMING (2011)

2011-09-05T16:42:00.001-07:00

m83 - hurry up we're dreaming

The new double-album is out.

ODETTA - ODETTA LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL

2011-09-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

ODETTA LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL
This contains the track that was featured in Ounpuu's Temptation of Saint Tony. It's called Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.

Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun- Divine Music From a Jail божественную музыку из тюрьмы

2011-08-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Amazing Tuvan throat singing.

Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun- Divine Music From a Jail божественную музыку из тюрьмы

(320kbps)

Aquarium Drunkard Presents :: Ghost Capital: A Mixtape

2011-08-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

Aquarium Drunkard Presents :: Ghost Capital: A Mixtape

TIM HECKER - RAVEDEATH, 1972

2011-08-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

TIM HECKER - RAVEDEATH, 1972
Good ambient/drone thematically created around the image of music as digital garbage, in particular, an image of a bulldozer pushing thousands of CDs and DVDs into a landfill. I don't know. Whatever.

ICEAGE - NEW BRIGADE

2011-08-12T17:15:00.001-07:00

ICEAGE - NEW BRIGADE
There's been some internet buzz about this album since the beginning of the year and I usually don't get swept up in that shit, but I have to admit: it's been a while since I've been excited about a new punk band. That could also read: it's been a while since I've heard a punk band that isn't just rehashing shit to keep the flame alive. Leave it to some sleeper band of 19 year old kids from Denmark to pick up the slack. For all of the recognizable late-70s/early 80s Brit-punk and early hardcore elements that abound here, there's enough garage, surf, and no-wave revival shit to make it timely and keep you on your toes. If you've ever liked punk, you will like this. Even if you haven't, I could see you liking this. It's a quick 24 minutes of twelve songs charged with severe energy.

SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP - S/T

2011-08-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP - S/T
Sounds like angels being destroyed by sludgy hardcore metal.

SUN O))) - MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS

2011-08-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

SUN O))) - MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS
If you haven't already, download it for track 3, Hunters and Gatherers, if nothing else. So good. So HEAVY. Sidenote: whenever I think of Kristeva's Black Sun, the album art here is the closest approximation to what comes to mind.

BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL - BEAUTIFUL SPEC TRIUMPH

2011-08-06T01:21:00.000-07:00

WASHED OUT - BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL - BEAUTIFUL SPEC TRIUMPH 1
WASHED OUT - BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL - BEAUTIFUL SPEC TRIUMPH 2
EPIC AMBIENT on the Joenado's recommendation (to be synced with the silent film The Last Laugh).

WASHED OUT - WITHIN & WITHOUT

2011-08-04T20:30:00.001-07:00

WASHED OUT - WITHIN & WITHOUT
New Washed Out full length.

MÉNILMONTANT

2011-08-04T02:41:00.000-07:00

MÉNILMONTANT 1
MÉNILMONTANT 2
MÉNILMONTANT 3
MÉNILMONTANT 4
I found this on Karagarga and just watched it and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful films I've seen. Also, I think Carax references it in Sans Titre. It's a short silent film from '26 about two émigré sisters in Paris. There are no intertitles and it needs none, as the acting is so brutally effective and the director, Dimitri Kirsanoff, employs some incredible Soviet-style montage work. BTW, this syncs really well with M83's Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts if you disable tracks 1, 5, and 10. Try starting the sync after the title shot, so at 8 seconds in.

YOU SLUT! - CRITICAL MEAT

2011-07-31T18:07:00.001-07:00

YOU SLUT! - CRITICAL MEAT
SCOTCHMATHROCKSPAZZOUTBITCHFACE
this is so three going on four years ago, but whatever

SLEEPING PEONIES - GHOSTS, AND OTHER THINGS

2011-07-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

SLEEPING PEONIES - GHOSTS, AND OTHER THINGS
The second release of Sleeping Peonies, who plan to release another EP sometime in the next week or so.

GILES COREY S/T

2011-07-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

GILES COREY S/T
"I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to kill myself."

From Enemies List:
"Sometime in the Spring of 2009 I tried to kill myself. Six months before that, I used a Voor’s Head Device for the first time."

This line opens the 150-page book that accompanies Giles Corey, an intensely personal, intimate portrait of depression that took me almost 4 years to make.

We've called this "acoustic music from the industrial revolution," and that's as good as anything. Dominated by the acoustic guitar, the music is a gloomy mixture of Americana influences, snippets of EVP recordings, ghostly choirs and deep, heavy organ. It ranges from very dark to triumphant, hushed quiet to crashingly loud.

The album follows a story arc of emotions that are detailed in the accompanying book, as much a part of this record as the music. The text switches between personal tales of struggles with depression, suicide, and a feeling of being lost, and the story of cult-leader and afterlife theorist Robert Voor. Voor's writings on death and the afterlife feature prominently across HAVE A NICE LIFE's "Deathconsciousness," Nahvalr's self-titled debut, and Giles Corey, making him the unifying factor behind most of the music I've written in the last 10 years.

This record is as personal and raw as anything I've ever done. Thank you for your interest.

MAMALEEK - KURDAITCHA

2011-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

MAMALEEK - KURDAITCHA
i'm feeling too much like shit to write anything cogent about this album. just three things then to get you to listen: it's black metal; they stray from the blast beats and get into all sorts of other shit without being any less metal for it. this was released on enemies list. there.

PICTUREPLANE - THEE PHYSICAL

2011-07-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

PICTUREPLANE - THEE PHYSICAL
On TK's recommendation. Trancey electro-clash stuff from Denver.

WAYNE SHORTER - SCHIZOPHRENIA

2011-06-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Wayne Shorter - Schizophrenia
This is probably my favorite Wayne Shorter album. It's sick post-bop from '67. 256 kbps.

Personnel:
Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
Curtis Fuller – trombone
James Spaulding – flute, alto saxophone
Herbie Hancock – piano
Ron Carter – bass
Joe Chambers – drums

WOODY GUTHRIE - BALLADS OF SACCO & VANZETTI

2011-05-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Woody Guthrie - Ballads of Sacco & Vanzetti

Woody Guthrie's songs about Ferdinando Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two anarchist labor organizers assassinated by the state of Massachusetts.

From the label: Woody Guthrie was one of the twentieth century's greatest poets and songwriters, and his songs about Sacco and Vanzetti include some of his best songs. The murder trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was one of this century's most controversial. Sacco and Vanzetti's story was dramatic; their front-page trial was filled with dubious procedures; and the years of appeals and their eventual execution led to protests around the world. These songs, written and recorded nearly twenty years later, have been carefully remastered from the original acetate discs and are presented with a previously unpublished letter by Guthrie to the judge in the case. Produced by Moses Asch. Reissue compiled by Anthony Seeger and Jeff Place.

PARIS - GUERILLA FUNK

2011-05-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

Paris - Guerilla Funk
One of the best militant pro-black rappers of the 90s appropriates g-funk for his third album (1994).

GRASS WIDOW - PAST TIME (2010)

2011-05-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

mp3 VBR 201-249kbps
Grass Widow - Past time (2010)

For the coming of warm weather. Indie/surf/pop...some of it is instrumental, some has vocals. Stop eating boring tuna. Stop having a boring life.

DAF - ALLES IST GUT

2011-04-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

DAF - ALLES IST GUT

JUSTICE - PLANISHPERE EP

2011-04-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

Justice - Planisphere EP
Planisphere, mechanosphere.

PROPAGANDHI - RECOVERED EP (2010)

2011-03-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Propagandhi - The Recovered EP (2010)
mp3 V0
Booklet

Three songs that Chris Hannah recovered from old 2 inch reels from the early recordings, but which were never released. They've been re-mixed. I've also upped the artwork for the EP which tells the story.

I'm quite happy to hear this version of "gamble", as there was only ever a live recording of them covering it until now.

Tracks:
1.What Price Will You Pay?
2.Leg-Hold Trap
3.Gamble

"The chance is just as fat as a union bureaucrat
That the life you wanna live ain’t the one you’re looking at
There’s more risk in a brain-cell
Than any Vegas hotel
When you can’t find the pit boss, anywhere"

PROPAGANDHI / SACRIFICE SPLIT 7" (2010)

2011-03-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

Propagandhi Sacrifice Split 7 inch
mp3 V0

Copied from elsewhere:
"MB's War On Music issues a split single from two of Canada's greatest, yet most underrated, acts: thrash metal gurus Sacrifice and politi-punks Propagandhi. Opting for something slightly different, each band cover one track from their personal heroes. Sacrifice strip Rush's "Anthem" down to its bones, rebuilding it with tenacity, bile and grit. Venturing into darker territory, Propagandhi tackle "Technocracy," from hardcore punks Corrosion of Conformity's 1987 EP of the same name. While a bit more straightforward, adhering more to the original version, "Technocracy" is no less vicious than its vinyl partner, creating the extreme music equivalent of peanut butter and chocolate: a compelling blend of overt metal and ripping hardcore. Both songs are delivered with the severity, passion and inherent originality that make these bands great.[exclaim]"

BIG BUSINESS - HERE COME THE WATERWORKS (2007)

2011-03-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Big Business - Here Come the Waterworks

..."Scream bloody murder, the mountains are listening
Huntress has left you for dead, bloody
How can you sleep when you can't pull the teeth from your eyes"

While I like the 2009 follow up "Mind the Drift", I think this one is clearly their best album. Huge sound, sick heavy riffs, addictive melodies.

KARP

2011-03-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Karp - Mustaches Wild (1994)

Karp - Suplex (1995)

Karp - Self-Titled LP (1997)

Heavy-fuzzed-out thrash rock from the 90's pacific northwest (washington). Precursors to Big Business, but more raw and angry, and metal-influenced here, while still pulling from the Melvins and the 90's grunge feel where necessary. This shit sounds HUGE, without ever feeling overproduced. Play it loud.

From wiki:
Karp was a rock band from Tumwater, Washington, that formed in 1990 and lasted until 1998. ... They released three full length albums entitled Mustaches Wild, Suplex, and Self Titled LP... Their recordings were released by several Northwest-related labels such as K Records, Kill Rock Stars, and Punk In My Vitamins. Karp managed to mix the terror of hardcore, The Melvins, and Black Sabbath with an ear for pop-influenced song assembly. The band name is inspired from a newsletter/zine that Chris Smith put out in highschool and is an acronym that stands for "Kill All Redneck Pricks". Members went on to play with Tight Bros from Way Back When, The Whip, Dead Air Fresheners, and Big Business (currently playing with The Melvins).

While they're all good, I'm rocking the '97 record the most right now.

BLACK COBRA

2011-03-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Black Cobra - Bestial (2006)

Black Cobra - Chronomega (2009)

HOLY FUCKING SHIT SO HEAVY
as one user comment put it: "better than killing a clown with a cookie sheet"

Black Cobra is a two-piece from California. Heavy doomy bass and wicked riffing that will make your brain melt.

Demdike Stare - Tryptych

2011-03-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

Demdike Stare - Tryptych

Demdike Stare - Symbosis

2011-03-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

Demdike Stare - Symbiosis

From Allmusic.com (because I am feeling lazy): "The project's name is an extension of Whittaker's main act, Pendle Coven, which is named for the infamous 1612 witch trials centered around Pendle Hill in Lancashire. Elizabeth Southerns, better known as Demdike, was one of the central defendants in the case; she herself died while awaiting trial for witchcraft, but ten people, including several members of her family, were eventually hanged. It follows that the duo's music should be suitably creepy, and it is; Demdike Stare's haunting soundscapes, rooted in dub and the stark minimalism of techno, are infused with exotic rhythms and samples, and at times have a disturbingly otherworldly quality, as though transmitted from the other side" – In short, polyrythms, occasional syncopation, vaguely middle-eastern melodies and rhythms + icy drones foreboding whispers and rumbling, textured basses.

I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE: MISSISSIPPI RECORDS COMPILATION 1927 - 1948

2011-02-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE: MISSISSIPPI RECORDS COMPILATION 1927 - 1948
Best summed up by the label itself: "This compilation is our tribute to the music made in the U.S. between 1927 and 1948. We decided not only to focus on traditional genres (blues, old-time, Cajun), but to also show the music that was brought by the boatloads of immigrants coming to these shores. Their music influenced and still affects our culture today. The album starts off with a heavenly example of Greek rebetica from Marika Papagika. Also featured is early Tex-Mex pioneer Lydia Mendoza and gospel duo Two Gospel Keys. The latter gives us our title track. Louisiana Cajun music is beautifully executed by artists Cleoma Falcon and Blind Uncle Gaspard with Dela Lachney. The Blue Sky Boys may be considered old-time, but their haunting, melancholic harmonies belong in their own genre. The Caresser and Wilmouth Houdini bring on the Calypso with that New York jazz flavor. Hawaiian slack key guitar is demonstrated by Mike Hanapi's Ilima Islanders and Mme. Riviere's Hawaiians. Aside from Calypso, NY was also a big hub for Jewish klezmer, as shown by Jacob Hoffman playing with Henry Kandel's Orchestra. Sexteto Bolona is a great example of the roots of salsa and there's even a mystery track by an unknown Indonesian folk singer of the time. The comp ends with blues performer Big Boy Cleveland with his oddly original 'Quill Blues.' A beautiful record from beginning to end."

WOODY GUTHRIE - THE ASCH RECORDINGS, VOLUMES 1 - 4

2011-02-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

From Wiki: Recorded in 1944 and 1945, The Asch Recordings are possibly Woody Guthrie's most famous recordings, conducted over a series of days by Moses "Moe" Asch in New York City. The songs recorded by Asch comprise the bulk of Guthrie's original material and several traditional songs. They were issued on a variety of labels over the years since under the labels Asch, Asch-Stinson, Asch-Signature-Stinson, Disc, Folkways and Verve/Folkways. The tracks for Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads, Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child and Nursery Days were from this session.

Asch Recordings Vol. 1: This Land Is Your Land

Asch Recordings Vol. 2: Muleskinner Blues

Asch Recordings Vol. 3: Hard Travelin'

Asch Recordings Vol. 4: Buffalo Skinners

REBEL VOICES: INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD

2011-02-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Rebel Voices: Industrial Workers of World
Performed and produced in Chicago, these musicians present songs and spoken word of the IWW. The songs often address elementary principles of socialism, scabs, nationalist wars, and working class pride.

DON'T MOURN - ORGANIZE!: THE SONGS OF THE LABOR SONGWRITER JOE HILL

2011-02-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

Don't Mourn - Organize!: Songs Of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill
I always wondered where this slogan came from. The slogan and title comes from a summation of the dying will of IWW songwriter activist Joe Hill, who was murdered by Utah state thugs in 1915. There's a decent wiki on him.

From the Washington Post: Joe Hill's powerful songs moved Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips, Si Kahn, and countless others to blend politics and song. This dramatic tribute to the Industrial Workers of the World songwriter and activist Joe Hill, features songs by and about Hill performed by Billy Bragg, Hazel Dickens, Earl Robinson, Paul Robeson, and others. Compiled by Lori Elaine Taylor.

ANTHOLOGY OF NOISE AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMPILATION

2011-02-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

Devoted to experimental, noise, and electronic music, this five volume collection from the Belgian Sub Rosa label explores the historical bases of electronic music and the slow emergence of noise, from the 1920s to 2007. I haven't listened to it yet; it's huge. 10 part archive below. 192 CBR.
TRACKLISTING
ANEMC 1
ANEMC 2
ANEMC 3
ANEMC 4
ANEMC 5
ANEMC 6
ANEMC 7
ANEMC 8
ANEMC 9
ANEMC 10

SAIGON ROCK & ROLL: VIETNAMESE CLASSIC TRACKS 1968 - 1974

2011-02-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

Saigon Rock & Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974 2-LP SF060

First off, this album cover makes me want to pick up smoking again, so I guess that's good. Second, this makes me pine for spring more than anything. I've been waiting for someone to transfer this from vinyl since it came out last summer.

Sublime Frequencies' description: The long-awaited foray into the Vietnamese Rock, Pop and Soul sound of the late 1960s and early 1970s is finally here. Saigon Rock and Soul delivers the goods International retro collectors have been searching for in vain for many years - and it delivers beyond belief. Every song is a mini-masterpiece be it heavy acid rock psychedelia, horn and guitar drenched funk grooves, or gripping soul ballads reflective of life during wartime. Limited edition 2-LP in full-color gatefold jacket.

LOCRIAN – THE CRYSTAL WORLD

2011-02-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

THIS IS MY FAVE NEW HEAVY RECORD

IT'S VERY DARK

VERY AMBIENT

VERRY MOOOODY

LOCRIAN – THE CRYSTAL WORLD

GO TO THE ABOVE LINK

GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE

AND CLICK 'SLOWER DOWNLOAD'

EARTH - ANGELS OF DARKNESS, DEMONS OF LIGHT

2011-01-24T18:34:00.001-08:00

Earth
The new Earth. Leaked.

The Soft Moon (s/t)

2011-01-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Darkwave delights from San Francisco. This is REALLY good.

The Soft Moon

TAPPI TIKARRASS - MIRANDA

2011-01-19T19:33:00.001-08:00

Tappi Tikarrass - Miranda
Björk's earliest punk ventures, prior to KUKL.

SCORPION VIOLENTE - UBERSCHLEISS LP (2010)

2011-01-15T12:08:00.001-08:00

Uberschleiss LP
mp3 320 kbps

FUCKIN YEAHHHHH....

been waitin a long time for this one to come out. Evil ass minimal post-industrial synth violence. Dark and dirty. So fuckin' good.

VA-Koude Golven (A Collection of Belgian Cold Wave and Punk 1979-1984) 2CD

2011-01-15T11:21:00.001-08:00

Koude Golven part 1
Koude Golven part 2

I'm giving this a home in the Smile because it deserves it. An excellent sampler of Belgian punk and cold wave.

from the label's site:
"After a long exhausting work OnderStroom gives birth to Koude Golven: A Collection of Belgian Cold Wave & Punk. This compilation has it all. Belgian’s best cold wave cult group (De Brassers), Belgian’s biggest new wave export product (Siglo XX), The first cold wave band of Stijn Meuris, a veteran in the Belgian music industry (Gruppenbild), the first punk wave bands (Struggler, Suspects) and many more underground bands to (re-) discover. All bands on the comp are present with their first 7” or 12”. This unique document of time gives a view into one of the most intriguing eras of the Belgian music history. Bass Korg Guitar Vocals."

cd1

01. company of state - discipline 02:40
02. company of state - dark 04:10
03. company of state - jamomine man 04:35
04. siglo xx - the naked and the death 03:31
05. siglo xx - obsession 04:32
06. siglo xx - individuality 03:40
07. gruppenbild - tranquility 03:16
08. gruppenbild - onbereikbaar 05:04
09. gruppenbild - maatschappij 05:48
10. sovjet war - guns for fun 02:38
11. sovjet war - just a story 04:32
12. sovjet war - it became a problem 03:39
13. the new underground entertainment - a 03:47
funeral birthday
14. the new underground entertainment - broken 04:36
window
15. the new underground entertainment - the 03:40
days arrive

cd2

01. de brassers - kontrole 04:41
02. de brassers - en toen was er niets meer 04:41
03. de brassers - twijfels 04:17
04. struggler - night fever 04:47
05. struggler - my heart 04:02
06. the cultural decay - brave new world 03:19
07. the cultural decay - end of the corridor 04:09
08. suspects - this reality 03:59
09. suspects - bombs 04:39
10. day after - ticking away 05:21
11. day after - civilization 04:14
12. day after - desert of time 06:06

Runtime 114:23 min
Size 168,1 MB

(pic is of De Brassers)

Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

2011-01-10T22:58:00.001-08:00

Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

Glitchy, sampling heavy electronic. Kind of like a stripped down, more wistful Four Tet.

Teebs - Ardour (2010)

2011-01-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

Glitchy, instrumental, electro-hip hop, similar to Flying Lotus but more laid back. Also, very good reading music. In fact, I am reading Capitalist Realism to it right now. Enjoy.

Teebs - Ardour

Clubroot - Clubroot

2010-12-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

Clubroot - Clubroot

If you liked Burial, you'll definitely like this. Great london dub step album

Nosaj Thing - Drift

2010-12-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Nosaj Thing - Drift

Great album. Gritty electronics against sultry hip-hop undertones, appropriating a lot of well-known and not so well-known pre-romantic classical music. Great for a listen while reading.

Jeans Wilder - Antiques

2010-12-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

Jeans Wilder - Antiques

The lo-fi trend continues with this meandering muffled bedroom recording, which stands out for its extremely minimal but layered atmosphere. His latest album is even better--I'll post it as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets Indie Culture

2010-12-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Think Differently - Wu-Tang Meets Indie Culture

Don't let the stupid name mislead you. Great album from 2005 with a bunch of tracks from Wu-Tang Clan members, Wu-affiliates and a whole bunch of other hip hoppers. Great production.

Silver Apples - The Garden

2010-11-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

Silver Apples - The Garden (1970)

Silver Apples - Contact

2010-11-29T11:14:00.000-08:00

Silver Apples - Contact (1969)

2010-11-29T10:21:00.000-08:00

Silver Apples - Silver Apples (1968)

First of three Silver Apples albums posted. The music of Silver Apples explored interstellar drones and hums, pulsing rhythms, and electronically generated melodies years before similar ideas were adopted in the work of other experimenters in electronic music. Silver Apples formed in New York in 1967 and comprised percussionist Danny Taylor and lead vocalist Simeon , a bizarre figure who played an instrument also dubbed the Simeon (a primitive synthesized of his own devising), which consisted of nine audio oscillators and eighty-six manual controls...The lead and rhythm oscillators are played with the hands, elbows and knees and the bass oscillators are played with the feet. Definitely worth checking out.

Senor Coconut - El Baile Aleman

2010-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

Senor Coconut - El Baile Aleman

Latin remixes of Kraftwerk. Awesome.

Kashiwa Daisuke - 5 Dec

2010-11-29T08:51:00.001-08:00

Kashiwa Daisuke - 5 Dec

some really great electronic tracks on this. Check out especially track 2 'requiem'

Joe Meek - I Hear a New World: An Outer Space Music Fantasy

2010-11-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

Joe Meek - I Hear a New World: An Outer Space Music Fantasy

This album rules.

From Allmusic.com - "In 1960, Joe Meek -- already thinking in terms that couldn't be constrained by the limits of the day's technologies and marketing strategies -- devised a "concept LP" of sorts that speculated about the nature of life on the moon (this was almost ten years before Apollo 11). Working with a group of musicians he dubbed the Blue Men, this "outer space music fantasy" tried to conjure the mood of the cosmos with the clavioline, a Hawaiian guitar, a rinky-dink piano, and then-futuristic electronic noises and sound effects. Listening today, the largely instrumental work sounds futuristic in a very dated way, especially the electronically sped-up voices that were meant to simulate those moon-men."

BLACK ORPHAN - VOLAR 7"

2010-11-09T19:16:00.001-08:00

BLACK ORPHAN - VOLAR 7"
I wish it was Halloween again, cuz I'd love to put this on and dance with the Smile for tha children on the front porch.

Incredible UK Bass music mix

2010-11-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

So get a quick lesson in the UK Bass scene thru a feature on 'Night Slugs,' a really killer label based in London then dig into these jams -- some of this shit is amazing, particularly the cut by Girl Unit, 'Wut,' which pops off at 41:40 or so. I've been listening to this song every day for like 6 weeks and I think it's really a masterpiece (I also think Derude's 'Sandstorm' is a masterpiece). In any event: this music makes me want to fucking PARTY WITH THESE DUDES.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

SLEEPING PEONIES - ROSE CURL, SEA SWIRL

2010-11-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

SLEEPING PEONIES - ROSE CURL, SEA SWIRL
Is Anthony Gonzalez of M83 having a fucking nervous breakdown? No, this is just BLACKGAZE. And despite the moments where it borders on facile juxtaposition, most of the time it really fucking works well. Released on New Year's Day 2010.

COFFINWORM – WHEN ALL BECAME NONE (2010)

2010-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

ABSOLUTELY UNRELENTING SLUDGE DOOM FUCKED METAL

SEE: 'STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER' AND 'SPITTING IN INFINITY'S ASSHOLE' ∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

BLANK DOGS - LAND AND FIXED

2010-10-19T00:29:00.001-07:00

Blank Dogs - Land and Fixed
The follow-up to Under and Under. I haven't listened to it yet, but for some reason I don't have that much faith in their third attempt. I hope I'm wrong, cuz Under and Under was anything but doo-doo--more like a magic nite highway driven by dizzy stars on cruise control in my head for a solid chunk of time when it came out.

ISIS - CELESTIAL

2010-10-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Isis - Celestial

ISIS - OCEANIC

2010-10-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

Isis - Oceanic
Going through a little pre-Panopticon Isis phase. I want to do an Intro course where we listen to this and read Theory of Religion and Accursed Share.

ISIS - THE RED SEA

2010-10-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

ISIS - THE RED SEA
Isis' 1999 EP, released before their first full-length (Celestial). The CD version is seven tracks long, as the last four are from their '98 demo tape. I really like Oceanic, but I also like to be reminded of how fucking in your face Isis could be before their brand of post-metal became simply-no-longer-metal. The title track here is worth the download by itself. 320 KBPS

2 EPs from James Blake – CMYK and Klavierwerke (2010)

2010-10-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here's some really engaging dub-steppy, Night Bus* jammers from James Blake. While 'CMYK' can surely stand alone as a really excellent, sample-heavy release which showcases Blake's urban music bent, I think his true innovation consists in the way in which uses silence and hiatus as central compositional elements on 'Klavierwerke.' It's beautiful!

CMYK EP

Klavierwerke EP

*Night Bus is like TOTALLY the hottest new/ newest hot thing. It isn't properly speaking a genre... It's basically a constellation of artists who all have built their church, as it were, on a bizarre foundation of musique concrete tropes (sampling, noisiness, sound transposition, etc.) Eno-ambient synthesizer stuff, laid-back hip-hop/ r&b, and other electronic musical elements. The sounds which one might call nightbus are remarkably varied: I would pick Burial's records (see the ambient, richly textured urban sounds of his 'Night Bus,' the ur-text of this shit), the Ikiru soundtrack (which, though perhaps a bit more intense than a lot of nightbus music, would count by my lights – I've got it on mediafire, so I may as well also put it up here), Aaliyah's music, Angelo Badalamenti's compositions, Balam Acab's 'See Birds' EP, and DJ Screw's slowed-down rap cuts as examples.... Surely, the term is borderline vacuous, but it's interesting to try and parse what it could mean to bring these sounds and styles together.

LIGHTNING BOLT - PEEL SESSION (@ ATP)

2010-09-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

LIGHTNING BOLT - PEEL SESSION
Re-upping for peeps. Pulses, shreds, trance-fuckles--this is the only thing that could break my two week long nothing-but-SWANS-binge.

SPERMBIRDS - SOMETHING TO PROVE + NOTHING IS EASY (1986)

2010-09-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Spermbirds - Something to Prove
mp3 192kbps

80's ex-pat skatepunk from Germany. Great record from start to finish.

Sing it with me: "MY GOD...RIDES A SKATEBOARD!"

THE SWANS - MY FATHER WILL GUIDE ME UP A ROPE TO THE SKY (DISC 2, BONUS TRACK)

2010-09-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

THE SWANS - MY FATHER WILL GUIDE ME UP A ROPE TO THE SKY (DISC 2, BONUS TRACK)
The second disc leaked--thanks Thomas! Also, I'm glad the official album art is not the cover that was 'leaked' with the first disc.

Philip Glass, La Belle et la Bete & Les Enfants Terribles

2010-09-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

As per Nealist's request:

La Belle et la Bete

Les Enfants Terrible

None of it Glass's best work by a long shot IMO, but hey, for the completist in you.

SWANS - MY FATHER WILL GUIDE ME UP A ROPE TO THE SKY

2010-09-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
This is what I think is the freshly leaked forthcoming SWANS album--their first in fourteen years!!! I haven't given this a listen yet and it will be interesting to see how the new arrangement works. For more info, check out the Wire article on the band's myspace blog.
Track 6: Eden Prison:
Swans - 'Eden Prison' by theQuietus

HÜSKER DÜ - METAL CIRCUS (1983) (PLUS OTHERS)

2010-09-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

Husker Du - Metal Circus
mp3 192 kbps
Released on SST records in 1983

The lesser known of the three landmark albums by Hüsker Dü in the early eighties, despite the fact that it contains their most frequently covered song, "Diane". According to wiki, "The horrific murder depicted in the anguished 'Diane' is based upon the murder of West St. Paul waitress Diane Edwards by Joseph Ture in 1980". Although this is the album I came here to post today, if you've never fallen in love with this band, you might want to start with the album that followed Metal Circus, Zen Arcade, as their music gets more accessible and melodic as the 80's progress.

Zen Arcade (1983)

This album deserves exceptional mention, not only because it was one of the first great concept albums in underground music Stateside that I know of, certainly one of the first in the punk scene, but also because it broke tons of rules at the time, incorporating genres and melodic song structures hardly found in punk at the time, as well as instruments unusual for the genre. It has been described as a punk opera.

"Originally released as a double album on two vinyl LPs, Zen Arcade tells the story of a young boy who runs away from an unfulfilling home life, only to find the world outside is even worse." -wiki

...and just for good measure, and to consolidate my previous posts, here's the other two previously put up on the Smile:

Husker Du - New Day Rising (1985)

Husker Du - Everything Falls Apart and More (1982)
mp3, 320 kbps
19 songs, 42 mins

The first (studio) Husker Du record. This is their most punk and crazy record. The albums that follow get more rocky as they settle into the style that would eventually define them (already visible here in certain songs such as "Everything falls apart")

ELECTRIC WIZARD - DOPETHRONE

2010-09-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Electric Wizard - Dopethrone
DIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

CCCANDY - LONESOME BERLIN LP

2010-08-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

CCCandy - Lonesome Berlin LP (Avant! Records, 2010)
mp3 VBR 153-306kbps

raw, dirty, minimal post-punky electro.

you can preview the full album before downloading, as it's streaming here (though the bass is way better from the mp3's):
http://soundcloud.com/avant/sets/cccandy-lonesome-berlin-lp

bro's, seriously just listen to the first song. if you're not hooked within 20 seconds, you get your money back.

KOOL KEITH & KUTMASTA KURT - DIESEL TRUCKERS

2010-08-29T04:32:00.000-07:00

KOOL KEITH & KUTMASTA KURT - DIESEL TRUCKERS
YOU *ARE* THE BEST!

Loscil

2010-08-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Will reminded me today how much I love this ambient electronic artist. The first four albums are thematic, and actually form a conceptual progression:

"The theme of his fourth album, released in 2006, continues the conceptual ascent each album has taken, from the sub-atomic level (Triple Point) and watery depths (Submers) to the surface (First Narrows) and the sky (Plume)." -Wiki

2001 - Triple Point

2002 - Submers

2004 - First Narrows

2006 - Plume

He just recently released a new EP and full length:

2010 - Endless Falls

YOU AND I - THE CURTAIN FALLS

2010-08-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

You and I - The Curtain Falls
Repost/Re-Up. Before Tom Schlatter went on to form The Assistant as guitarist/vocalist, he was in You and I doing the same thing. This is ScrEMO, but don't let that scare you.

MY LAI - LEARN...FORGET...RELEARN

2010-08-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

My Lai - Learn...Forget...Relearn

Repost/re-up. If you missed this the first time around, you need to get on this shit. Otherwise, it's time for another shock. Below is the original post.

My Lai typically refers to the massacres of scores of unarmed Vietnamese on the basis of nothing but suspicion during the war. My Lai the band was the Chicago-based grind/screamo-violence outfit that rocked the living shit out of the mid-west during the late 90s. This is their only LP to my knowledge, dating back to '98. This is really danceable. There are change-ups and breakdowns and when they happen, my body just says "fuck you, I'm dancin'."

Oh, and this is a little tid bit on My Lai from fuzzlogic.com:
Extremely diverse stuff from Chicago. Fast and manic hardcore which is interrupted by calm, melodic, rhythmic or experimental parts. There are influences by 90's hardcore (like from the Gravity and Witching Hour labels), but also by the more experimental Chicago bands.

Note: This was transferred from vinyl, since it is available on no other format. The original copy had some pops in it, which you can hear between some of the songs. I don't think it detracts much at all from the listening experience.

PHILIP GLASS - ORPHEE

2010-08-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

Philip Glass - Orphée (Disc 1)
Philip Glass - Orphée (Disc 2)
I've been trying to find all three parts of Glass' operatic triptych. This is the first part, his adaptation of Cocteau's adaptation of Orpheus.
More info:
NY Times review of Glass' Orphée
Oregon Public Broadcasting's report on Portland Opera's production

XASTHUR - A GATE THROUGH BLOODSTAINED MIRRORS

2010-08-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Xasthur - A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors
This is the remastered version of Xasthur's 2001 double-disc demo. People a little too cool for school say this is his best. They're lying. But it's damn good.

XASTHUR - DEFECTIVE EPITAPH

2010-08-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Xasthur - Defective Epitaph
The first use of acoustic drums on a Xasthur album. Though what he says could go just as well for a lot of other Xasthur records, this is the one that Dominic Fox treats in his book Cold World: The Aesthetics of Dejection and the Politics of Militant Dysphoria. He writes,

The aura the music diffuses is one of confused, asphyxiating dread, like an attack of sleep paralysis (or the experience, common among those who believe they have been abducted by supernatural beings, of waking in the darkness and finding oneself immobilized and invaded by a hostile presence). Xasthur, meanwhile, builds on the atonal riffing of Burzum and the disfigured counterpoint of Manes and Mütilation to construct a sound-world in which consonance is continually menaced by intrusions from another harmonic universe. Guitars and synth are deliberately detuned so that complex multi-tracked arrangements curdle and pulse with malign energy. If the hypnotic, tranquilizing texture of the music suggests a return to the womb, the "disharmonic convergence" of Xasthur's compositional approach evokes a fouled and toxic antenatal environment.

XASTHUR - THE FUNERAL OF BEING

2010-08-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Xasthur - The Funeral of Being
The 2003 follow-up.

XASTHUR - NOCTURNAL POISONING

2010-08-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning
The 2002 debut album from California black metal artist Malefic.

Julian Lynch

2010-08-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying these weird, lo-fi folkie-electronic albums.

DYSTOPIA - THE AFTERMATH...

2010-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

Dystopia - The Aftermath...
"Your son is just a piece of shit in dogtags...may his body rot into the fertilizer he fights for." With lines like that, how can you not want to shit in your hand and throw it everywhere? My mind was blown when I first listened to this. My first encounter with the sludge/grindcore combo. Great samples, always rhythmically interesting, Dino's scream is one of my all time faves.
The lyrics are worth checking out

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES - THE SCREAM [DELUXE EDITION]

2010-08-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream [Deluxe Edition] 1
Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream [Deluxe Edition] 2
Includes a bunch of Peel sessions on the second disc, along with a-sides of independently released singles like Hong Kong Garden (one of my favorite Siouxsie tracks, playable below).

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES - DOWNSIDE UP & MITTAGEISEN

2010-08-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Downside Up (Disc 1)
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Downside Up (Disc 2)
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Downside Up (Disc 3)
This four disc set collects almost all of SATB's b-sides. I mostly like the first two discs, since I think it covers the band's best era, but I've posted the first three in case anyone else wanted to explore or thought otherwise (I haven't tried finding the fourth). One early b-side is missing here, 'Love in a Void', so I posted that below on the German version of the single for Metalpostcard (sung auf Deutsche!).

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Mittageisen

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - A KISS IN THE DREAMHOUSE

2010-08-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie & The Banshees - A Kiss in the Dreamhouse (1982)
192 kbps
Melt!, Track Six:

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - JUJU

2010-08-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Juju (1981)
Monitor, Track Five:

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - KALEIDOSCOPE

2010-08-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Kaleidoscope Part 1
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Kaleidoscope Part 2
A remastered version of this 1980 album with some bonus tracks. VBR
Tenant (Track 2)

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - JOIN HANDS

2010-08-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Join Hands (1979)
1979 follow-up to The Scream. 192 kbps
Placebo Effect, Track Three:

LES SAVY FAV - ROOT FOR RUIN (2010)

2010-07-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

LES SAVY FAV - ROOT FOR RUIN (2010)

just leaked. jacked the link, so leave a comment if/when it dies and i'll re-up it.