Sneer's Emporium of Sound
 

Everybody else worth their weight in gold has done this, and its genuinely quite intriguing seeing these lists unfold. Which is why im going to give it a crack. I'll stick to a top 25 and try (being the operative word) to unfurl a new entry every day

Get cracking then son :D

For the sake of it being vaguely interesting im not going to include any albums from Radiohead or The Beatles, im sure people have had enough of hearing others wax lyrical about them

I approve of this thread.

25


One of the loudest bands ive ever heard, and that is no overstatement. With all instruments turned up to the absolute optimum, this is an album which aurally attacks you, but in a good way.

It begins with Bakhatsu, a barrage of distortion and feedback.

Before your brain can reacclimatize itself to its surroundings the driving opening riff to War Machine grabs hold of it will not let go - that is until the song explodes into a cacophony of drums, distorted bass and feral guitar work - by which point theres nothing left to hold. The quiet-loud dynamic is used to powerful effect here, offering brief resbites in the verse as Tim Cedar screams I WAS BORN IN A WITCHES CAULDRON, before the song again comes crashing in around your ears.

The next song, Hello Bastards, is built upon one of the heaviest riffs you are ever likely to hear. It literally explodes out of the speakers, engulfing you in haze of noise which is strangely soothing.

This is an album which to some may sound like an endurance exercise. It really is an acquired taste. The sheer loudness and level of distortion is, at times, uncomfortable. Yet the band arrange their songs in simple structures that manage to attain a sense of accessibility. They implement quiet-loud dynamics to great effect, one minute the album will literally recede to a tiny, barely heard pluck of guitar strings before exploding into an onslaught of noise.

It is also an album set out perfectly. When you think its becoming too intense and relentlessly loud, suddenly a quiet intro or interlude will intersect, before again crunching into chaos.

Regardless of the sheer ferocity of this album, it is laden with riffs and hooks that will bring a big smile to your face, or perhaps more accurately, incite the biggest erection of your life. It is a masterful piece in evoking mood and tension, the imperious Do You Believe In Waiting To Die slowly building in intensity as Tim Cedar questions life and his fear of death - before it literally rips your face off with its ending. Fasto, equally, is 3.50 minutes of insurmountable agression.

There are of course, weaknesses, the end song for one is unlistenable, distortion taken to the absolute extreme, whilst there isnt too much variation or diversity present on the album at all.

Yet if you're looking for an album that will melt your brain, get the heart racing but also leave you feeling strangely calm afterwards, this is it.

Sounds intriguing and nice to see an album in these sort of lists that I have'nt heard of. Looking forward to the rest.

24


It’s a shame they’re associated with Noel Fielding, Kate Moss and the rest of the tabloid chimps these days because I feel it somewhat detracts attention away from their music. Keep on Your Mean Side is, in my opinion, their best album. At times infectiously aggressive, at other times poignantly introspective, its simplicity is its strength. The paradox though lies in the fact that the pair manage to cram in a myriad of influences and styles. From primal, blues-driven garage punk circa Cramps and early White Stripes to psychedelia, folk and velvet underground-esque noise pop. Hotel’s guitar sounds like it’s just been put through a cheese grater, whilst Alison Mosshart’s vocals imbue a sexiness which just draws you in.

Songs such as Pull A U, Fried My Little Brains, Superstition, Hitched and Cat Claw rattle along with a pulsating urgency, whilst the dark, psychedelic Kissy Kissy succeeds in taking the listener to another place. The last track, Gypsy Death & You is a folky gem, highlighting the lyrical prowess of the band.

At times they can come off as pretentious, the pointless interlude in the middle only succeeds in spoiling the flow of the album – but overall it’s a wonderfully dirty and lo-fi effort that chugs along at an exuberant, satisfying pace.

Do you have an up for Part chimp perchance?

Unfortunately the album is only on my ipod, i cant for the life of my figure out how to transfer music from ze pod onto ze comp

iTunes doesn't allow you to do it but if you're on a Mac you can try downloading the free program Senuti. I'm sure there are similar programs for Windows but I don't know the names.

Right, well i'll see what i can do, give me a couple of days

I look forward to seeing the rest of this list. Looking good so far.

Heard many a good word about the Kills over the last year or so, so I've been meaning to finally get hold of some of their stuff for a while now. Good to know where I should be starting. Part Chimp sound really interesting too, though I've not heard of them before.

Good thread man, looking forward to some more.

Part Chimp, nice one.

I love that album, reminds me of Unwound at times (my favourite band). Have you ever seen Part Chimp live? Ferociously intense show, I saw them at a Rock Action xmas party thing, they were incredible. Stuart from Mogwai dj'd afterwards as well.

Can't say I've ever listened to the Kills though.

I havent, they are a band i would absolutely love to see as well, i can imagine it made your ears bleed?

i have never heard of part chimp but they sound good and i like that artwork

If you could sort me out too i'll be ever grateful :D

Good call with The Kills, some great modern blues though i do prefer the latest album.

Will do. I had to think about it, i do love Midnight Boom, it has more of a pop sensibility about it and the music is more accomplished i think, Cheap and Cheerful for example is just perfect pop. But KOYMS just has this raw, primal dirtiness about it that gets me every time.

Next one up later btw.

Before i continue, i need to stipulate that 25-10 are not in order of preference, i find it impossible to do so.


23


I got this album four years ago now, and it took me a good 3 to fully appreciate this shimmering dream-pop gem

From beginning to end, this debut album plays like a hypnotic out-of-body experience bathed in surrealism, and its warped, ominous undertones are shaped as much by the blues as they are by the noise-pop influences of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. It is a piece that manages to both seem detached from reality yet simultaneously dragged from the deepest, most visceral confines of the heart - tinged with a melancholy that manages to never become over-indulgent.

You cannot really pick out 1 or 2 songs as highlights, its an album that needs to be heard in its entirety. Throughout the piece, Greg Edwards coaxes both meticulously crafted, fuzzy-edged feedback and whirring buzz saw sounds from his guitar; Eugene Goreshter caresses the music with heavy, rumbling bass patterns that pack the power of a detonating depth charge; and Carla Azar anchors the material by propelling it along its path with an intense but at times intentionally lumbering clatter of percussion. This triple whammy assault, combined with the collective’s dreamily detached vocals, allows the group to create a moody ambience that churns with the deliberate, slow-moving intensity of molten lava.

Granted, the formula employed isn’t entirely unique, but the manner in which it is performed screams with a hallucinogenic fury that far and away exceeds the multitude of similiar acts that have been mining the same territory with significantly inferior results. Of course, only time will tell if Autolux can move beyond the stylistic emulation of its heroes, but this is an excellent debut.

^^^

This album is win. Only just got it but it's hit straight away. such a lazy swagger about it.

*Apologies for the lack of ups thus far, im still to download the software to do it, i'll put alll the ups people want up as soon as.


22


Widely regarded as the best album ever released on the peerless Def Jux label (although i personally disagree as you will see later on in the list), The Cold Vein is an exceptional display of production and wordplay, a high watermark in underground hip hop

Harlem duo Vast Aire and Vordul Mega proceed in setting down lyrics that resonate through the deepest chasms of the mind, they are lyrics that, regardless of race, sex, social class or political stance, are relevant to the listener. They deal with the moral fabric of human existence, the thought processes that form the basis of every day life - they highlight human nature in its grittiest, harshest form.

El-P's production though makes the album. Highly unconventional time signatures and complex, challenging beats litter the album. These beats both manage to sound like they're gliding along silk and being scraped across pebbledashing simultaneously. Synth strings and deep, booming percussion interspersed with sound effects from the very edges of outer space create an errie, cold and desolate atmosphere that runs consistently throughout the album. Coupled with the lyrical content it is consequently quite an intense, challenging listen at times. But i promise its one you will ultimately enjoy.

The songs Rasperry Fields, Iron Galaxy, Pigeon and Atom are particular highlights, but to be honest there isnt really a weak track.

Is this album anything like Midnight Boom because that album sucked.

Well I will definitely give this a listen tonight and report back to you shortly.

No, Midnight Boom is The Kills going cleaner and embracing a pop sensibility to an extent, KOYMS is dirtier, edgier and more primal. It has somewhat of a lo-fi aesthetic. I happen to like both but they're very diiferent.

Really do, i'm creaming over it right now.

Good to see some less common but equally deserving choices in your list Stu; don't have the debut but 'cat claw' by the Kills is a candidate for best single of the noughties I think (and the B-side had a cover of 'dropout boogie'). These bands all got lumped into the 'garage-rock revival' at the time but they make for refreshingly raw listening now, Part Chimp included, I remember them from an old compilation, loud as f*ck. Like Raw Power loud.

Definitely prefer that Cannibal Ox album over El-P's solo work with the exception of Company Flow. He's a great MC and all but his production coupled with Cannibal Ox in particular is just superior and totally unique from anything I've ever heard in hippity-hop.

21


A lot of people believe the self titled debut is Neu!'s best album, indeed its very good, but '75 takes it for me, it's one of the best albums to come out of the 70s in my opinion.

Having taken a break from the band, Rother and Dinger got back together to start work on the third album. However, Rother wanted to take a more ambient approach whilst Dinger was interested in a more aggressive, rock-orientated style. So as a compromise the album is split into two sections, and **** me does it work.

The first half consists of Rother's ambience. It begins with the excellent Isi, a track that trundles along to Dingers trademark motorik beat as a synth twists and weaves playfully through ethereal sound effects. Seeland begins on a sombre, ominous note. Its a slow, atmospheric piece that launches a lumbering drumbeat to a whirl of sampling and lingering guitar chords. The third track, Leb Wohl, is amazing. This due mainly to the fact it samples natural sounds such as waves and wind to create a lush, deep atmosphere. Its supposedly a love song, and the emotions it evokes are as rich and fulfilling as you can possibly get i think. A piano plays over the top as the track delicately ambles on.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a guitar chops in aggressively and that driving motorik beat hammers out of the speakers. Hero is definately one of the albums best tracks, Dinger snarls over the driving rythm as the relentless aggression of the song shakes away the tranquility tenderly carressed upon the listener from the first half of the album. That pounding ryhtm continues with E-Musik, as the guitar and synth aggressively fight for space amongst the composition. Another sample of natural sound interrupts the constant barrage of motorik, the sanguine sound of wind flows effortlessly out of the speakers as what i can only describe as one of them growling conveys an utterly otherwordly mood. After the welcomed break the album kicks into overdrive with the final track - the closest thing Neu! get to writing a punk song. After Eight is highly decent song to finish on, the sudden silence that greets the listener at the end after listening to 25 minutes of relentless motorik is a strange, numbing experience.

This album isnt for everyone, it takes a good few listens to really appreciate it i'd say, but the transition from ambient, soothing krautrock to highly unconventional, aggressive 'rock' music is both startling and highly innovative for the time. Its an album that needs to be listened to as a whole, the sampling and phasing gives it a deep, lushious texture that, coupled with the transition in musical thematics, makes it a rewarding listen IMO

I would like to also but having trouble finding it.

If you can wait a day or two i'll have it upped for you

That would be great thanks.

Got a link if anyone wants it.

^ Or that. Seriously, everybody should take the opportunity and listen to this album, so damn good.

I don't have this one. :(

I've got the one with Hallogallo ('72 I believe?) and it's great. Guess I'll try to pick this up as well...

Again, i can sort you out once i've finished converting all my music. Give me the weekend

Im able to up now, who wants what if anything?

20


Sadly, this band split up in 2006, but fortunately their brief existence spawned two great albums. Many prefer Love In A Fascist Brothel, indeed i thoroughly recommend it, but for me this is the better album. The reason for this is primarily the fusion of punk and jazz i feel is more apparent here than on their latter work.

The album begins and ends with poetry excerpts from Kailani Amerson, but in between this calm reflection is 30 minutes or so of uncontainable energy and aggression. The strength of it is its unpredictability. One minute the album will burst into a flurry of power chords and fuzzing bass lines before suddenly, without warning, receding into a slow, sanguine jazz improv with a sax solo... before again exploding with punk intensity.

The band were known for their confrontational, wild live shows. This is conveyed perfectly on the album. There is an urgency and desperation, evident in songs such as For Marcus and Safety Is Of..., that underpins the entire duration of the piece. Consequently, you cant take your ears off of it as it twists, weaves and at times pummels its way through post-punk, spazzcore and all out noisecore influences.

Yet for those thinking this album sounds like a melieu of different styles and genres meshed into one, incoherent, disorientating whole, you'd be incorrected. Yes, its intense, yes its unpredictable, but there is a maturity both in the songs and the layout of the album as a whole. Complex time signatures, purposefully placed jazz resbites and at times an accessable,well choreographed pop sensibility (listen to Attached To The Hip for a great pop song drenched in a punk aesthetic) make this album hugely rewarding to the listener IMO.

Downloading now, sounds awesome.

Sweet, what do you think?

Highly recommended for people who like Nation of Ulysses and Ultra Dolphins. Sounds almost nothing like both but feels the same. Great album. I can help give out links for this one if needed.

The Nation of Ulysses comparison is spot on. Do you have any Ultra Dolphins stuff Swim? I've got William's Nightmare and i love it, but cant find anything else.