Sunday, June 12, 2016

Week 007 - 6/12/16

Week 007 - Sorry for the delay on this post! Fell a bit under the weather and couldn't find the energy to type this up all the way through. Do enjoy, as this week has some of my favorite records on it. 

Les Friction - Les Friction 
Release Date: January 24th, 2012
Genre: Rock Opera
Price: $9.99
For Fans Of: Two Steps From Hell, Queen, Muse, E.S. Posthumus
Recommended Tracks: Louder Than Words, Torture, Here Comes the Reign, World On Fire, Sunday, Come Back to Me
A collaboration between composers Helmut Vonlichten (of E.S. Posthumus fame), Nihl Finch, and vocalist Paint; Les Friction was a loosely intertwined cyber punk concept album that combined vocal elements to rock and orchestral music for one of the most sonically epic soundscapes of all time. From the layered vocal harmonies of the opening track to the loud, moving cheers and drum beats of the closing track, this album is an expansive exploration of various electronica and industrial concepts on a rock opera base. Paint's vocals are loud and soaring, with a strain that shakes the earth with the roar of thunder and instrumentally the album pounds with authoritative drum beats and cinematic wall of sound buzz that gets the hype going strong. An absolute epic of a record, prepare to be blown away by this little project.
Stream Here

Sleep Party People - Floating
Release Date: June 2nd, 2014
Genre: Dream Pop/Trip Hop
Price: £6 ($8.55)
For Fans Of: Bon Iver, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Massive Attack, Panda Bear, Radiohead
Recommended Tracks: Change In time, Floating Blood of Mine, In Another World, Death is the Future, I See The Sun/I See The Moon, Only A Shadow
Possibly one of the most unique projects to come from the new age shoegaze/dream pop scene, Sleep Party People is a project with a sound and inspiration that is difficult to place. The vocals are hazy and slightly disorted, giving a very abrupt contrast to the often warm and spacey style of the hazy instrumental backing. The album can be seen driving down warm sonic venues and take sudden, terrifying turns into glitchy, disturbing, and broken sinister undertones that peel away the uncomfortable happiness of the vile charade. Unqiue in every sense of the word, Floating is a record that you don't want to miss out on.
Stream Here

We Never Learned To Live - Silently, I Them Them Skyward
Release Date: June 22nd, 2015
Genre: Post-Hardcore
Price: £6.99 ($9.96)
For Fans Of: Deadpoets, The Tidal Sleep, Acres, Refused, Sound of Animals Fighting
Recommended Tracks: Shadows In Hibernation, Vesalius, Fragmented Footnotes, You Will Sleep Now, Tasting Paralysis
A surprisingly unknown post-hardcore outfit, We Never Learned To Live have a massive wall-of-sound approach to hardcore music that makes their often emotive and intricate sound design an incredibly endearing listening experience. Theres a hinging feeling of dread through this record, an often suffocating, meaning presence that gives volume to the album's desolate, cathartic soundscape. Vocally the album rings with a softly sung, harshly screamed volume that only further drives the timid off-settledness of the album's overall tone. A rather finely-tuned and masterly mixed record, Silently, I Threw Them Skyward is exactly the hardcore record you are looking for on a bad day.
Stream Here


Florida Snow - Florida Snow
Release Date: December 27th, 2008
Genre: Prog Rock/Folk/Slowcore
Price: €5 ($5.63)
For Fans Of: A Perfect Circle, Porcupine Tree, Dead Letter Circus
Recommended Tracks: Laid To Waste, Dialogue of Reflections, Paper Hearts, November Let the Sun Go, Close to Home
Information on Florida Snow is sparse, unfortunately. Vocally in line with Maynard's work on the early days of prog rock supergroup A Perfect Circle and instrumentally a sound design rather unique to the group. This hybrid of prog rock and folk is a often cold beast of a record that keeps its warm energy in reserve for the few moments where the band maximizes their large, genre blending mixture of rock crescendos to amazing measures. The album also has a sophisticated mixture of simplicity and layered, tight knit "high brow" design that doesn't get too overwhelming or too lacking for a listener looking for an hour or so to kill. A great, obscure record worth the look at.
Stream Here

Moth Equals - One Tusk
Release Date: January 1st, 2016
Genre: Trip Hop
Price: FREE
For Fans Of: XXYYXX, Lost Soul Refuge, Proleter
Recommended Tracks: Cordiform, Aim To Get Caught, Jeunesse, The Heavens Opened and Closed, If It Keeps on Raining, Kami
Another unique act in the trip hop scene, Moth Equals has a very interesting, almost lo-fi flair to his eccentric mixture of Bollywood-esque trip hop and neo-classical downtempo flavoring. Samples are quiet, with a intriguing analogue fuzz that doesn't protrude on the overall mix of each track. Synths wobble and bounce in tune to catchy percussion that snaps in marching lines of hi-hats that hook like earworms. Meanwhile, elements of organic instrumentation give the album a warm, natural feel that fits the entire picture together like a beautiful, vivid puzzle. An interesting trip hop record that keeps overall design sparse and simple, One Tusk will keep any fan of trip hop or downtempo music entertained the whole way through.
Stream Here - Don't forget to support Moth Equals by throwing some money his way or sharing with your friends! <3

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