a few for ThePhanastasio:

sorry i really could not decide which i wanted to send so i decided to send all four

looking through your charts on last.fm i noticed that you seem to really enjoy strong female singer songwriters.....her are two of my favorites

starting with....

Jarboe - Anhedoniac
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Anhedoniac: One who is unable to experience pleasure.

Jarboe was a long time member of the pivotal band Swans....what was great about her is that she brought a strong and powerful female energy to a very male dominated masculine sound....something she continued in her solo career

Anhedoniac is her third solo release and has been and will likely always be my favorite....this album reaches straight into your soul....an absolute exploration of the beauty of pain and despondency.....one thing is for sure....she is in complete control

Lydia Lunch - Queen Of Siam
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again a different twist on the typical female singer songwriter....but one i really think you are going to love

this is Lydia Lunch's 1980 debut and it is a five star album all the way....the lyrics are witty, cynical, and damn right perfect....something that Miss Lunch has never had a problem with....the music is very eclectic....taking form her scummy 'No Wave' roots while also incorporating some really groovy jazz sounds.....

and then to further your education of my beloved Current 93

Current 93 - Imperium
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this amazing album released in 1987 sparked the beginning of a new era for Current 93....and is still i think considered one of their greatest achievements...before this album their albums concentrated on tape delays and loops, noise, and bellowing chants of suffering....creating wonderful ritualistic albums....with Imperium David Tibet concentrates on two things....minimalism and repetition....while first doing what would become the staple of all Current 93 albums.....his lyrical prowess

Current 93 - Earth Covers Earth
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out of all the album released by this band....Earth Covers Earth speaks to me the most.....every lyric on this album is an example of beautiful poetry....actually my favorite track (and possibly my favorite track by the band itself) "Hourglass For Diana' is a poem by seventeenth century poet John Hall and has such a musically building property of both guitar and violin that by the end of the song you have a true sense of empowerment as David bellows to you "How Art Thou Nothing When Thou Art Most Of All!"....its a feeling i still get every time i listen to this song

for the most part this album is what Current 93 becomes....with concentration of traditional folk music and lyrics concentrating on the forthcoming alpha/omega.....this is my favorite time for them....the group itself was comprised of so many great people....funny enough in the liner notes it credits Boyd Rice for scary voices and evil smiles :)

I shall send ThePhantasia(I swear I mess up your name very time, I might just satrt calling you Sara). This:
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Karl Blau-Beneath Waves
She likes Neutral Milk Hotel, she likes lots of Folk Rock stuff, she should like this. Probably the most underrated album eva.

haha, I guess you're right.

I shall be off to get it.

Both good choices! Here's a trivial bit for you: Imperium was actually, according to a book of Indie Hits in The 80's, C93's only album to go into the Top 30 Indie Albums in August, 1987 - For a week, but it was in there. I think it was planned to be part of a 2 album concept wth Nurse With Wound recording the other album, but there was so much to do possibly, and that concept went to Thunder Perfect Mind instead. The construction of the album is good: On one side the epic title track's dreamy/nightmarish sounds (Owning the vinyl, some samples in it play at 45 RPM while some others possibly are played at 78) and the other side's Folk edge.

Earth Covers Earth is my favorite of the two.

Better late than never. :)

You are right, despite my punk-influenced leanings I haven't tried nearly enough hardcore. I have been meaning to get Bad Brains for quite a while, and this might be the kick in the rear I needed.

To be honest, I'm not sure if hardcore is melodic enough for me, or at least this album. I didn't really care for the first four tracks, But starting with one of my personal standouts, 'You're Mistake' (the first one), there is a nice run of catchy tunes. It kinda tapers off for me again though.

Thanks for the recommendation, Bob! You still have one of my favorite tastes on this forum, even if this was a slight miss! :)

6/10

I have so many reviews to write for this, they're coming folks!

That Agnostic Front album 'Victim in Pain' is excellent. I've only heard it as a standalone, not meshed with the other one. I'm no expert on hardcore, but of what I've heard that's one of the best 15 min. of loud, fast and furious. Pretty much perfect, especially being so short. It's over before it starts. Just great!


Yeah me too. I have three albums to report back.

I've listened to all of the albums I've been sent, and I'm working on getting my reviews written up. :)

This is great. I listened to it several times and I already knew from the start, from the first song that I was gonna play it often. As far as the martial industrial and neofolk go, this kind of totally fresh addition to the genre really hits the right spot for me. The same thing happened with this relatively new Italian apocalyptic/neofolk band The Green Man, I ended up loving it much more than a lot of the more 'conventional' neofolk (by that I mean, under a very strong Death In June influence). Like this Italian band which brought a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavor to the sound, Truart brings a very distinct Eastern European feel and color especially with the accordion. It's really no wonder I ate it up so easily :). But, it's not just the accordion, this distinct vibe is even more felt in the contrast of high energy and general upbeat-ness on one hand, and some deep melancholy on the other. There's also the contrast between beautiful solemnity and hypnotic catchy-ness. The first song 'Sky Over the Berlin' has it all and it's definitely my favorite on the album. But what can I say about 'Le Peuple Ouvrier', the opening melody of the pipe(?) sounds like it could belong in some Serbian folk song, that is until those heavy martial beats kick in...very catchy and danceable. 'Le Capitalisme' is another favorite, accordion really shines here adding this carefree, but melancholic bohemian vibe to the strict driving beat. Well, if I mention more favorites I will end up mentioning every track. And they are all good. I think I'm gonna check out more albums by this guy. Thanks, great recommendation.

Well, this is exactly what you said, good punk rock. It's fun, catchy and incredibly uplifting. That's certainly how it starts, with first couple of songs that are some good pop punk. And then it goes into some daydreaming. The best song for me is definitely 'Ashtray Monument', because it has both, beautiful, dreamy melody, slightly off and a fast, noisy rocking. Everything is slightly off here and that makes it even better. Reminded me of a more poppy Husker Du. 'Condition Oakland' is also very good. This one made me think of Dinosaur Jr for some reason. I think it's the riffs and the quick switching between melancholy and energy. This middle part of the album is the strongest, imo. But, beside those mentioned songs, I also liked 'Ache' and 'West Bay International'. Overall, pretty good album. Thanks!

Yes, you were right, this is very unique for a pop album, but I wouldn't really call it pop. This is folk, that's the impression it left on me, but it's certainly a unique one. A sweet girl with an even sweeter voice accompanied by acoustic guitar and a lot of quirky background noises, like some whistles, clapping, bells maybe?...She tries to stuff her long stories into the mostly short songs. It feels like she's always hurrying to tell as much as possible before the song is over. This creates some childlike charm, especially when I pay close attention to the lyrics. And they are so absurd on the first glance, but actually begin to make sense when she sings them. And it's the only way I could listen to this album at once, because it has a large number of very similar songs in structure, that it becomes obvious her stories are the point. That's where this irresistible charm comes from, and I would also say from the way she delivers them. It's just disarming. Thanks Charlemagne, I like it.

Eliminator is one of the finest opening tracks ever to a Hardcore Punk album. How could you not like it? I have a couple of albums on review from this thread. I haven't forgot folks! Just been a bad couple of weeks for dedicating time solely to new music.