Forum Member Album Reviews

[Mondo Bungle]

Still would definitely like some feedback for Math&Science, but I'm much more interested in my new album right now, this ****'s great.

[Machine]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Still would definitely like some feedback for Math&Science, but I'm much more interested in my new album right now, this ****'s great.

If it counts it's my number 11 for best albums of the year on RYM, I love it man. I'm not good at writing a lot though.

[YorkeDaddy]

Awesome review Mondo, you write really well when reviewing ambient music. Thanks a ton dude that was a wonderful read and I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. I'll have your review up tonight when I'm done with classes, I already listened to most of the album

[Mondo Bungle]

I actually think you'd really enjoy this album https://troublesalad.bandcamp.com/album/rejsekammerat

[YorkeDaddy]

Album: Altar Of ZÖN
By: ZÖN aka Mondo Bungle

1. Lucifré: Can't hear anything for a little while. Eventually we find ourselves being engulfed by some very dark drones and little bits of feedback flowing in and out of the mix. I think I hear some light, ethereal vocals in the background. Things lower in intensity later in the track. I really like the light drumming you can start to hear. Overall I liked this track and the dark atmosphere it established but I can't say it made much impression on me beyond that.
2. Dybbuk Communion: This sounds very like...Satanic I guess is a good word for it. Which is definitely cool. It kind of feels like a constant buildup but it's not actually building up if that makes sense, which is a weird feeling and kind of makes me strangely tingly or something. I really like when there's a sort of screaming sound near the end, it's extremely spooky. What I didn't like as much was the length which is a common problem for me with the music of some of the artists here like Mondo and Frownland.
3. Acharonim: Coolest of the bunch so far I'd say, the floating screechy synth/guitar (not sure which) is keeping me engaged rather than spacing out like with the previous two tracks. You've done a great job creating a consistent sense of unease throughout the album which I'm guessing was your intention.
4. Prince Of the Cherubim: Really like how it begins with those sort of delayed percussion hits. Some really nice guitar feedback thrown in. Around 5:30 there's some really neat stuff going on but I'm starting to feel really bogged down by the overall doomy sound of the album. Not the type of album I'd usually sit down and digest the whole way through. I'm liking it overall but boy it's like getting hit by a truck after a while.
5. Lithomancy: Loving the use of the softer guitar in this track. There's some gorgeous haunting atmosphere throughout this track. This is my favorite off the album for sure so far, very well done overall. I love when the distorted guitar comes in to add intensity yet you're still holding back a bit and hitting occasionally acoustic notes and making what seems like a sort of triumphant melody. I feel like I battled through the underworld and am emerging victorious yet absolutely exhausted from the gauntlet I just faced. It ends pretty spookily though as if the battle's not over yet.
6. Swear the Spirit By Laying His Hand on the Sword: Really like the whole vibe of how it starts. However by minute like six I'm getting pretty drained and tired of it and hoping for something new to pop up. Yeah this one's just way too long and is not keeping me very interested at all, I'm afraid.

Verdict: If this had been like forty minutes total I would've loved it, but as-is it's just too long and overbearing for me to ever want to consume as a whole again. There were some parts I definitely loved however and Lithomancy is a seriously great track. I'd give it like a 6.5-7/10 probably

[YorkeDaddy]

Album: Rejsekammerat
By: Trouble Salad

1. Cryoseism: ****ing superb introduction, I absolutely love the crackly ambiance mixed with the very light, subtle percussion hits that I'm making out. Not sure what that is but it's very nice. Some spookier sounding synths enter shortly and they wander around adding nice atmosphere and texture. Things get a little more abrasive in the third minute with some discordant notes being met among the mix. I love how the loops change ever so slightly for the second half and more windy sounds are thrown in. Killer opener.
2. Der Kristall Ist Eis (Paysage d'hiver): A lot more in-your-face than the previous track. What I loved about Cryoseism is how the song gently wandered around and filled in the space with its own ambient beauty, whereas this track almost feels too full to feel "cold" which I think is what Mondo is trying to do here. I do enjoy the slowly waning intensity, you do have a nice touch when it comes to varying that throughout a long track. I definitely didn't love this one a whole lot though.
3. Mountain Village: Really cool stuff going on in the beginning of this track. I feel like your mixing could be improved, like use an equalizer or something unless the grainy-ness is intentional which I suppose could be the case. The whole vibe of this overall is really nice, and I love how it's short and to the point instead of dragging out the same loop for forty minutes.
4. Should You Need A Traveling Companion: Gorgeous opening, that's a very nice wind sound you have working against the beautiful melody that's playing. So far this is definitely in the running for a blue. Again I feel like the mixing and volumes could use some work. We're nearing the end and it didn't continue to blow me away throughout so we're sticking with green. Very nice track though.
5. Snowhead Temple: Starts off very dark. I'm digging the feel of this so far, I can envision walking into a dark temple at the top of a snowy mountain and feeling quite afraid of what could be inside. Doesn't progress too much beyond this but within the context of the album I still loved it so we've got another green.
6. Watcher of the Summit: Very interesting to compare the dark, abrasive feeling of this to the rest of this album and to imagine what you were envisioning as part of this record's "story" here. Have we encountered some sort of unidentified being of a higher power? Very interesting sounds here throughout, although again I'm not liking how it's hard to tell if much has really changed after 12 minutes of the song being on. I'm going to keep it green just because it got me to imagine some weird things, but **** it really should have been a lot shorter.
7. Shed A Tear For Winter's End: I only like winter in short bursts so there's not going to be any tears shed here. Wonderful usage of what sounds like some choir noises off a keyboard to add a really eerie feel to this. I love the extremely quiet vocals, they definitely propel this track from typical spooky-ambient fare into something really interesting. Too long again imo but I doubt you're surprised that this is coming out of me at this point.

Verdict: You were right that I liked this a hell of a lot more than the album I listened to earlier in this thread. There are some glimpses of stuff I seriously adored but many of the same problems I've had with Mondo's stuff in the past still persist here. I'd absolutely recommend this to someone who likes dark, wintery ambient stuff though.

[YorkeDaddy]

Album: Jesus Loves You
By: Jesus the Carpenter (Frownland)

1. Broken Spirit Raga: I wish I knew where some of these song titles came from. Do you just use whatever random name comes up first? Honestly I have no idea. Regardless this is some fun guitar improvisation and I like it quite a lot, it's actually quite beautiful yet cacophonous simultaneously. Was this just one long take? There's some parts that sound fairly intricate.
2. The Return of Shiva: Kind of a cool atmosphere developed by the heavy twang of the low guitar string mixed with the wails of what I'm assuming is the Bradley Pate fellow. Suddenly halfway through it sounds like there's a discernible rhythm and chord progression for a few seconds but then we're back to whatever we were doing earlier. I mean either way though I enjoyed this track.
3. Bridge Hopping: Some neat guitar playing to start this one. I'm guessing this entire album was improvised? To what extent did you plan out the general feeling of each song beforehand, or was none of that done at all? I've messed around with a guitar in a fairly similar fashion before but you make it sound a little cleaner in the execution than I did. This one bored me later on but I'll keep it green because there was still cool little runs happening every now and then.
4. Water Waltz: Can't hear much for like thirty seconds, but then we get some very slow chords. Not really much happening at all, you do hit some pretty chords in a nice order but a ****load of people can do that. Not impressed much by this one at all, I think it would've been loads better if you had added more instruments like some ambient sounds to fill the space while the guitar continues to do those little things here and there. I understand the style of this album is pure guitar improvisation but there was a lot of potential with this one that I think you missed out on.
5. Ruminations: Bit more going on in this one, we're back to the more interesting stuff from earlier on the album. Pretty cool in general
6. Experienced Cleaning Training Sessions: Super cool stuff on this track, I really don't know how you're making some of these sounds. What kind of tool are you using? This is probably my favorite on the album, just some really nice stuff overall. Whoa did you just drop the tool right at the end? Nice touch honestly.

Verdict: I dug it pretty much the whole way through. I definitely wish there had been more going on at certain points but overall you can do some really cool **** with a guitar and I'm assuming some drugs. My favorite I've heard from Frownland for sure.

[YorkeDaddy]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

I actually think you'd really enjoy this album https://troublesalad.bandcamp.com/album/rejsekammerat

I'd be down to check this out sometime soon. Should be cool to compare your styles since I'm guessing this is a lot different than what I just reviewed

[Mondo Bungle]

**** yeah. The last track might even be too long winded for me at times, but I've completed it a few and still dig it phat.
You liked it more than I thought you would tbh

[Mondo Bungle]

One of my ambient -ish efforts. You'd probably be bothered by the length of the second to last track but I kinda am too so its cool. I can't really for the life of me remember why it came out so long.