n.hir / Rudy Decelière - Alcôve 07 (2022)

 

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With recordings like this, I love nothing more than grabbing my headphones, a pair of large, brightly color sunglasses and laying in a hammock in the park on a warm sunny days. Preferably with a headful of smoke. I'm relatively new to this French label, specializing in ambiance, field recordings, and general loner music. Some music nerds refer to this as lowercase, but who cares. It's great heady music, and the 7th in the series, herein featuring a split by n.hir & Rudy Decelière. Slide over to the label's page and have a look around. They're taking part in the cassette tape revival and I am into that. 

Alcôve 07

Darkenhöld - Arcanes & Sortilèges (2020)

 

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It took awhile for me to warm up to this recording, mostly because of the medieval/viking-esque vibes I get when listening to it. It feels like I'm going into battle, to defend the Kings honor and protect my homeland from the evil cocksuckers who are trying to invade it. 

Arcanes & Sortilèges

Exocrine - Maelstrom (2020)

 

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Clearly the beginning of this year is all about catching up with last years extreme music releases. I was introduced to France's Exocrine this past summer and was immediately floored by their technical work, and the tasty ass jazzy breakdowns. Not to mention the oddly satisfying synth parts that flood this record. Find the ass groove on the couch, sink in, grab some oversized headphones, and float.   

Maelstrom

End of Mankind - Antérieur à la lumière (2020)

 

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End of Mankind fits the theme for the last 12 months. This is their 2nd release inside of a single year. Last year saw their debut release, but due to shutdowns they were forced to quarantine. Instead of moping, they used the time to record the sophomore effort and jam all their frustrations into a fantastic follow-up. This is a solid set, showing growth and maturity, and a bit of experimenting as well. I don't want to ruin the experience, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised. 

Antérieur à la lumière

Alain Kremski ‎– Vibrations - Improvisations Pour Piano Et "Bols Chantants" Tibétains (1984)

 

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It's been a weird week. I slept on a hospital cot and nearly lost my head. Nearly headless Nick? Things are getting better though and I hope they continue to do so, because this has been a year to forget. 

My Wife and I really love this album. Particularly at dinner. It's got some healing, soothing vibes that somehow make the food we eat taste better. Probably because there looks to be what I can only imagine is a giant bronze salad bowl on the cover. 

We could all do with turning off the tube, putting on a record and enjoying our meals with the ones we love, while we still have the chance.

Vibrations - Improvisations Pour Piano Et "Bols Chantants" Tibétains

Asenion - Darwin Among the Machines (2020)

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The epic crunchiness of Death Metal and the story driven extended passages of Progressive Rock, neatly wrapped in 42 minutes of pure genius. I normally don't score, by any means, but this is 5 out of 5, for sure. 

Darwin Among the Machines