The Tiger Lillies - The Devil's Fairground (2018)

 

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Over the years every single person I've ever played this group for has had but a single and common complaint, Martyn's vocals annoy the shit out of them. That's unfortunate. I think his voice fits neatly into every song they've crafted. As those years progressed, I've watched the Tiger Lillies continue to produce amazing, high quality music all the while smiling in face paint. Annoying voice or not, this trio puts on an amazing show. This record deserves a nice glass of wine and a joint. Enjoy the music, it's been a good week.

The Devil's Fairground

Lord of Doubts - The Gates of Doom (2011)

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A quick set of droning doom for your Friday morning commute. The snow is melting and the air doesn’t feel like it wants to kill you as much.

The Gates of Doom

Monolord - Your Time to Shine (2021)

 

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I cannot get enough of Monolord. I got turned on to these dudes with their Vænir record and have been riding that wave since. Their latest effort here are 5 tracks of hazy dreams filled with so many riffs, I don’t want to wake up. Everything blends so wonderfully on this one. They’ve managed to hone in on their sound, and now they’re just having fun. Kick your feet up and have a smoke with this one. 

Your Time to Shine

Weedpecker - Weedpecker (2013)

 

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A fantastic debut effort from Poland's Weedkeeper. Hazy guitars, beautiful harmonizing vocals, and extended jams throughout. A perfect midweek soundtrack.  

Weedpecker

Mizmor (מזמור) - Yodh (2016)

 

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There is a perfect balance of black and doom metal on this recording, all packaged together with beautiful acoustic passages. The cover art does really add to the experience of longing, and loneliness this record can sometimes produce. There's a really great article here that explains the relationship between the 2 art mediums. It’s cold and snowy and this is the soundtrack. 

Yodh

Beck - Morning Phase (2014)

 

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A dozen albums in and our friend Beck traded in his maddening sounds for a more peacefully matured structure on this record. I love listening to this first thing when I wake up, as I'm making tea or coffee, and getting the day started. There's a subtle sadness on this recording, but it's delivered so beautifully that I cannot help but feel really great after every spin. 

Morning Phase

Master - Vindictive Miscreant (2018)

 

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This record was my introduction to Thrash legends Master. It's evident that I'm playing catch-up. Ironically they're originally from my hometown of Chicago, but I somehow missed the call on these dudes. I will say that every time I listen to this album I laugh my ass off becuase Paul Speckmann's vocals are batshit crazy. It's pretty obvious he spent his early years spinning the oldschool legends. Take this one for a walk, you'll enjoy it. 

Vindictive Miscreant

Imperial Triumphant - Inceste (2016)

 

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The first time I heard these dudes I thought I was having a stroke. The noise coming out of my headphones was increible. I have never heard anything closely resembling this amount of intensity, while also weaving intricate layers of classical and jazz into the mix. The only other group I’ve heard come close to this would be Painkiller, which will shortly have a write up of its own. The collection presented here are what the group considers the B-Sides to their critically acclaimed 2nd record. 

Inceste

Arctic - Arctic (2016)

 

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If ever there were to be a spinoff of the rebels time spent on Hoss, I would certainly hope this album would be the soundtrack. 5 tracks drenched in stony blue haze for your lazy Sunday afternoons. 

Arctic

Acid Mammoth - Acid Mammoth (2017)

 

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Greece's resident doom masters fuzzy selftitled debut release channels the darkness we all needed in our lives. This record is slow, heavy and killer. Eternal Sleep has to be the leading track for me on this effort. If these guys ever make it stateside, remotely near me, I'm going to be front and center. Grab yourself a stiff drink, something edible, and give this a spin. 

Acid Mammoth 

Allah-las - Allah-las (2012)

 

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Fuzzy psych surfer vibes all over this record. Their self-titled effort offers a dozen sun drenched beach tunes. It's pretty welcoming during these months, when it stops snowing long enough to clear the roads, before it starts again. The production is fantastic, no doubt due to Waterhouse and his love of dated analog equipment. Take this for a spin right after you shovel the walkway. 

Allah-las

Synth Sisters & Nikmis - Synth Sisters & Nikmis (2019)

 

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Collected here is another wonderful set of music from Muzan Editions 2019 Winter release. This tape has a much different vibe then the 2 previous collections, in that it has melody and sound structure as opposed to lush flowing ambiance and droning. 

Side A is 2 beautiful  EDM-esque tracks by the Synth Sisters. Track 1 features a wall of sound driven by a slight heartbeat sound. It reminds me of what it must've sounded like when Roy finally got on the ship and they blasted off into space. All the colors and sounds and vibrations. Disassociated voices floating in and out of his unconscious mind. This means something. 

Track 2 very much keeps to the same theme. Floating carelessly in space. There's huge walls of sound that are complimented by ping-ponging pads that bounce all over your head. This is definitely the part in Roy's trip when he's suspended in deep sleep for the big jump back home to the 3rd Kind's planet. 

Side B starts off with Nikmis creating some big ass mind opening swells that lull the listener into a false sense of calm, before taking off into a bouncing, almost Nintendo soundtrack vibe. This is the last and final stop for our hero Roy. He's reached the planet. He's wondering if he made the right choice leaving all of his friends and family behind. 

As previously mentioned, Muzan is offering this collection and many others on their bandcamp for a name you price fee. Head over there and spend some of those coins you've collected on this trip. 

Synth Sisters & Nikmis

Cheekbone & Hirotaka Shirotsubaki - Cheekbone & Hirotaka Shirotsubaki (2019)

 

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Let's end the month with another beautiful collection of ambient drones brought to you by Muzan Editions. There must be a certain level of chill an artist has exude, and I imagine they'll need to have a permanent relaxed disposition and a slight grin at all times. That's exactly how I feel whenever I listen to anything from this label. 

Featured in this collection, Cheekbone starts Side A with 4 super lush, slow burning vibes that remind me of spring rain, delicious milky tea lattes, and light jacketed walks through the woods with my Wife. It's a collection of nice droning tunes with what I imagine are a bunch of perfectly times windchimes caught in an ever-warming breeze. This shit is beautiful.

Side B continues with Hirotaka Shirotsubaki 3 track run of how I feel Sunday mornings are supposed to sound. A slow-building wall of sound that is gently guiding the sun to rise, warning us basic ass 9-5er's that tomorrow we start this shit all over again, but we might as well enjoy today to the fullest. If you're into American Football, today is also the day that you [or in my case, my wife] screams mercilessly at the television for like 6 hours. Oh, the insults are incredible. 

As previously mentioned, Muzan is offering this collection and many others on their bandcamp for a name you price fee. If you're feeling it, give them some of your coins you greedy bastards.  

Cheekbone & Hirotaka Shirotsubaki 

Shakey Graves - Roll the Bones (2011)

 

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Every few years you'll come across an album that speaks to you on a level that you can't quite explain. You'll carry it around with you, visiting it less and less as time goes on, but it's always there when you need it most. That's how I feel about Roll the Bones. I've been jamming this for the better half of 10 years. It jammed packed full of folksy blues, country tinged almost love songs with just the right amount of cynicism that'll keep pulling you back in for more. Visit his page and explore a bit. He's grown as an artist and musician since this effort, however this is still my all time favorite.

Roll the Bones

Standard Grey & km: (2019)

 

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Muzan Editions has been releasing a series of amazing drone/ambient albums for the better half of 4 years now. This collection presents 4 beautiful tracks, originally released on a 100 tape run in the winter of 2019. Side A features Standard Grey’s 25 minute mind-melting trip that helps dissolve any problem you thought you were experiencing. Side B shows km:’s scattered brained 3 track noise experiments, that further help you to forget those troubles.

There were a number of tapes released during the winter of 2019 that are all worth mentioning, and will eventually make their way here. The collection has long since been sold out, and it’s easy to see why. Their bandcamp does offer a name your price, so if you’re feeling the tracks go on and slide over there and check the label out. It’s well worth the time for lovers of ambient/drone.

Standard Grey / km:

Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race (2019)

 

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This shit kicks from front to back. Banging ass death metal from Denver, this is the quartet's most ambitious project yet. Flooded with driving solos and extended passages or what they like to refer to as cosmic soundscapes, this record rose to instant classic status before it was even released. Let this record blast through those winter chills. 

Hidden History of the Human Race

Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams (2014)

 

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There's nothing more pleasing then cruising at night with the sounds of this album drifting out of your speakers. It has some interesting freak-out moments, some spooky psych, and a whole lot of rock 'n' roll. I'm obsessed with the title track and the horns. They create a lot of tension on what could only be described as a twisted love song. Get this, dim the lights, and take that trip.

Hot Dreams

Jóhann Jóhannsson - Orphée (2016)

 

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There's a certain amount of mourning with this recording. From the stark cover, to the opening theme, everything feels very sorrowful; almost resigning to an end of things. Everything requires an ending. Most are bittersweet, while some things you wished had ended sooner, and a small amount you wished had never happened at all. The cold weather is setting in now, followed by the snow. Every evening is now beginning at 3 PM. The sun is shinning, but from behind a dark cloud. We are healing. Slowly, and with pain, but just a little while longer before we can go back outside and start living again. This is absolutely the soundtrack in Illinois right now.   

Orphée

Leon Bridges - Coming Home (2015)

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It's been a hell of a year. We're staying in and doing new years right with Leon's first record. This is a solid set of smooth R&B and Soul over which Bridges croons like a natural. There's a few danceable numbers, some love songs, and an album ender to remember. This is easily one of our most listened to albums of this year. Put this on, have some drinks and look ahead.

Coming Home

Chelsea Wolfe - Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs (2012)

 

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I discovered Chelsea one night while I was blog surfing and immediately fell in love with the haunting and emotional sound of her voice. That was almost 10 years ago. Damn. Anyway I found her right after she released Ἀποκάλυψις and proceeded to fail miserably for the next decade to see her live. Every time she came to Chicago, which was like almost twice a year for a while, I coincidentally had something happening that same night that couldn't be missed. Once this bullshit year is over and the world starts to see something that resembles normalcy, I will definitely not miss the next occasion to watch her live. 

About the record. This set is a moving collection of mostly acoustic songs from early in her career that were 'orphaned' as she says. Sargent House convinced her to release them as a complication, and hot damn are we lucky she listened.

Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs