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01-24-2010, 06:29 PM | #41 (permalink) | |
MB quadrant's JM Vincent
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Washington, DC
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01-24-2010, 10:23 PM | #42 (permalink) | ||
Quiet Man in the Corner
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pocono Mountains
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Brenoritvrezorkre is just plain weird. It's made up of members from Les Légions Noires. It's pretty much experimental ambient.. VERY dark experimental ambient. Quote:
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01-25-2010, 10:46 PM | #43 (permalink) |
Quiet Man in the Corner
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pocono Mountains
Posts: 2,480
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Richard Skelton - Landings
Label : Sustain-Release Release : December 2009 Songs : Noon Hill Wood, Scar Tissue, Threads Across The River, Green Withins Brook, Of The Last Generation, Undertow, Voice Of The Book, Rapture, Pariah, River Song, Remaindered, & The Shape Leaves As is the case with most of my favorite Ambient, pure expression takes the forefront and accessibility isn't really considered. That's for pop music! Luckily, Landings is full of it. Skelton has his own style and creates a mixture of Ambient and "Modern Classical". It opens with the gorgeous Noon Hill Wood. It evokes imagery of a rain soaked mountainside with somber shades of green. It reminds me of a dark and foggy day in Delaware Water Gap. Those were good times.. okay well that's enough of the reminiscing. Scar Tissue is much darker and maybe even a bit discordant. It's not a very long song.. only 1:44 in length. A pretty short story, but well written. Threads Across the River begins with a fair amount of tension. The tension is drowned and subsides into an aching sea of hollowed strings. The tension he created in the beginning of the song is fantastic because it makes the rest of the song so welcomed. Green Withins Brook is the smoothest song off the release yet. Free of tension and pain.. just pure euphoria. Weightless and uplifting gorgeousness. The sort of song you would listen to when you want to think everything will be O.K.. and in return a silent nod of reassurance. Of the Last Generation is another masterpiece that is similar in tone to the first song.. but darker. Could it just be Skelton's style or may he be expressing some kind of disdain? Who knows? :o Undertow is almost like the antithesis of Greens Within Brook. The strings almost seem to create that "lump in my throat" feeling. Not like an unhealthy or debilitating sadness.. but more of a feeling of important insight. Like the realization of something you overlooked so often and took for granted.. but there's an underlying sense of hope because you still have plenty of time to fix things. Voice of the Book is definitely a different animal than the other stuff so far. Skelton is either using the same instruments and merely using a new technique or he's being a trickster and is using a different one.. but there's something that's creating a sort of "air" sound. It's damn near impossible to explain.. but it sounds fascinating. This fades and then is replaced by a horrosonant cacophony of Skelton greatness; the darkest passage off the album yet! Rapture seems to be an homage to Skelton's love of nature. Subtle string work is paired with bird's singing and the recognizable sound of a woodpecker; a snapshot in the day of some innocent well meaning forest animals. Pariah introduces us to something we haven't heard yet.. a guitar! Although it has strings as well so it doesn't sound too out of place. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be as successful at creating an atmosphere as the other instruments.. but it's enjoyable nonetheless. River Song is back to the sound that that was prevalent in the other songs. It's dark, wailing and hypnotic. When I had went back to check the title it seemed it only had just started but in fact was half over. Remaindered begins with a beautiful sound that is much like that of wind chimes. Like the formula of the other songs, this subsides and is replaced by strings singing in sepulchral tones. The last song, The Shape Leaves, finishes off the album and has the same dark feel that the rest of Landings so successfully creates. Piano work is also in the mix and gives the song some differentiation from the other tracks. Overall: 9/10 |
01-30-2010, 01:45 AM | #44 (permalink) |
Quiet Man in the Corner
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pocono Mountains
Posts: 2,480
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Brenoritvrezorkre - Vasagraèbe Éakr Vatrè Brenoritvrezorkre
Label : N/A Release : 1996 Songs : Aaprab Vergz Varbadre, Eakre Uatre Zurgtapre, Berv Tre Mve, Vermyapre Zuerkle Uatre, Kloarbe Vurtrue Zuerkle Goebtre, & Uatr Borvuatre Zuerkle Droer Raw Black Metal nowadays has lost its atmospheric luster. What used to be an underground, reclusive, and obscure genre is now pretty much commercial as any other type of metal. That's a shame.. a sad shame. Of course, that doesn't mean the classic stuff is still gone, like this album for example. Brenoritvrezorkre is a side project of Vordb Dréagvor Uèzréèvb, co founder of Les Légions Noires (which is comprised of various projects like Beltekre, Vagézaryavtre, and Peste Noire). Instead of going for a classic Black Metal sound, it's so distorted and filled with indiscernible noise that it's pretty much bordering on Dark Ambient. Aaprab Vergz Varbadre, Eakre Uatre Zurgtapre, and Berv Tre Mve are all short tracks similar in style but slowly building and becoming more and more dissonant. Vermyapre Zuerkle Uatre then comes on and takes the stridence to a whole new level; complete with a bizarre fun house sounding melody and tribal drumming that sounds fitting for a grotesque middle of the woods ceremony. Kloarbe Vurtrue Zuerkle Goebtre is the last jarring, disconcerting track before the conclusion of this truly unusual work. Uatr Borvuatre Zuerkle Droer is easily the most discomforting track. It's filled with classical elements that sound right out of a slasher movie, growling and guttural noises, and screaming all layered together over drowned drumming with heavy, heavy amounts of distortion. In a word, perfection. This release is not for everyone, in fact, it's the complete opposite.. it's for hardly anyone. There's the material that's overlooked and forgotten but may have become popular if it had gotten some attention and recognition from big names or the masses.. this isn't one of those cases. It's for a select few that can appreciate music as a true art form and an outlet of pure expression. With a band with as weird a name, dark a background, and lyrics supposedly condoning satanism (despite any human being able to hear discernible words), this piece of work was destined for unpopularity. Just like Black Metal should be. |
02-17-2010, 12:29 AM | #45 (permalink) |
Quiet Man in the Corner
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pocono Mountains
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Back to my roots for this one!
Trance: DNS Project feat. Johanna - Mindful (Progressive Mix) Label : S107 Records Release : February 22nd, 2010 Other Versions : Radio Edit, Progressive Dub Mix, Whiteglow Vocal, Whiteglow Dub, Ronski Speed Mix, Ronski Speed Dub, Ronski Speed Radio Edit Of late, Trance music has been seeing a resurgence of TRUE sounding releases. Commercialism had pushed it into some weird conglomerate of Electro, Dance, House, and a faint echo of Trance. Thankfully though there were artists who remained true like Akesson, Aly & Fila, Daniel Kandi, etc. It's still being played and is still alive and well. This track really piqued my interest because of how well it was produced. The melody is familiar and is similar to the one that seemed to be created by Dash Berlin.. who used it in both Man on the Run and Till the Sky Falls Down. Luckily, the vocals are good. Epic Trance can be iffy.. the most euphoric and beautiful tracks can be absolutely ruined by horrible vocals. The break is filled with lush pad synth greatness and Johanna's fantabulous vocals. There's not much else that can be said.. it's pretty much PURE Progressive Vocal Trance. And it's amazing. 8+/10 Cosmic Gate - Barra (Extended Mix) Label : Blackhole Recordings Release : February 14th, 2010 Cosmic Gate! Ahh so many memories are tied to that name. The Wave is one of the first Trance songs I'd ever heard and loved. They, as many other artists, went through the Epic phase and then the Tech.. but now have found their own style. Which I love. Barra is a new track that will be featured on their upcoming compilation album called Back 2 Back 4; a follow up on, you guessed it, Back 2 Back 3. It definitely harks back to their old Epic style but definitely has modern sensibilities. It's somewhat restrained and isn't too melodramatic or cheesy which can happy sometimes. It almost reminds me of Blueprint from Stoneface & Terminal. Not because of any REAL similarites, but in that they are both Epic and gorgeous but are perfect in the elements and how they all transform and create that feeling that Epic Trance is known for. The main melody is a bit weak though, and I find to be a bit too "airy". I'd prefer it to have some more substance. Having said that, I DO think it'd be perfect for Spring and Summer because it really has that club sound. All in all, another great track from Cosmic Gate.. but I would probably change the main melody just a bit. 7/10 |
04-04-2010, 10:48 PM | #46 (permalink) |
Quiet Man in the Corner
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pocono Mountains
Posts: 2,480
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Depressive/Suicidal Black Metal:
... - Somebody Save Me E.P. Label : Self Mutilation Services Release : 2009 Songs: Beyond, The Tears Of An Anguished Soul, I Can Reach The Stars..., Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division Cover) Ahh yes. The joys and splendor of the most unusual genre that I enjoy listening to. Depressive/Suicidal Black Metal is quite an interesting name for a genre but it gets the job done and lets you know what it's about. In the board room it won against "Really, really sad Metal" and "Music to die to". I think out of any genre, this one REALLY doesn't hold itself back. It's bound to be underground because, well, music that condones and is pretty much exclusively about depression and suicide just doesn't seem to sell well. "..." is the classic lo-fi, drone with the moaning and groaning that, as my friend Heather puts it "sounds like he's getting murdered". The opening track "Beyond", which is 13 minutes long, starts off sounding very dark and has an intro in a different language. All I can make out is "electro shock"; more than likely referring to the treatment. Afterwards, there's about 11 minutes filled with basic, distorted, and unremittingly languid guitar melodies and indiscernible vocals. The whole release can pretty much be summed up like that. "Tears of an Anguished Soul" is somewhat more upbeat.. if that's at all possible. It has more breathing room and is much shorter. "I Can Reach the Stars..." is seemingly a combination of the two and the whole release ends with a fitting cover of a fitting song and is probably the "happiest" song off the E.P.When all is said and done, it's probably my favorite release from the genre. A definite 8+/10. Note: I don't condone suicide |
04-09-2010, 06:16 PM | #47 (permalink) |
Quiet Man in the Corner
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pocono Mountains
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Progressive House/Trance:
Ferry Corsten - Once Upon a Night Label : Ultra Records Release : March 29th, 2010 Songs: Too many to list here (there's 2 CDs) Ferry Corsten. One of my favorite electronic producers ever! There's something about his style that seems more genuine than the other big names. Him and ATB both seem to have stayed with their same general style while Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, and Tiesto seemed to have strayed off into commercialism. He was combining Trance and Electro back in 2003 while only NOW are other artists trying that. Back in the commercial days of 1997-2001 he was probably the most played artist out of anyone; his remixes are innumerable as are the aliases he used. But even after all that it doesn't mean I like all of his material. I've never liked ALL of anyone's material.. ever. Then this compilation came along. I was excited by the name (I love nighttime) but I was left somewhat embittered by Thrillseekers' Nightmusic compilation so I didn't know what to really expect. When I first get a CD I never listen to each song because I'm very sensitive to certain notes and things. If I get a "feeling" from a song that creates an image I don't like I simply won't listen to it.. so usually I'll skip through each song and scope out what each one is like. For this CD I didn't skip one song. The tech songs are rhythmic, catchy, and have a fair amount of that trance-like atmosphere that seems to be left out of some productions. The progressive house songs are chilled, melodic, and so positive. The pure trance songs are modern while still not sounding contrived or commercial. Supposedly some of the tracks in this album were actually made just for this album. I was pretty surprised by that but considering Ferry Corsten being one of the biggest names in Trance I guess that's to be expected. Even Joni Peter Ljungqvist who's style just isn't for me, has a song on here that I ADORE. This is amazing. I'll be playing the HELL out of this in the summer. THIS is the electronic music that I adore. 9.9/10 (For sure, the highest rating I'll ever give) |
04-13-2010, 04:34 PM | #48 (permalink) |
Quiet Man in the Corner
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pocono Mountains
Posts: 2,480
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Modern Classical/Ambient:
Le Lendemain - Fires Label : Home Normal Release : October 23rd, 2009 Songs: Fiore, Petrichor, Linden, Att Andas, Narbonne, Lois, Paus, Le Fleuve, & Even With Eyes Closed If there was ever a soundtrack for a rainy day, I'd think this would have to be it. The whole album from beginning to end exudes a sense of longing and personality; it's like you're in the room where it was produced. I couldn't imagine playing this loudly as it seems to me like one of those albums you reach for on a quiet day. Le Lendemain is a duo comprised of Library Tapes' David Wenngren and Danny Norbury of The Boats. It's style is much like that of Library Tapes' older material like Höstluft; quiet and minimal. The songs vary in feeling from that of non emotional, ambient, and dulcet tone like Att Andas to tracks like Lois which seem fitting for a dirge. There's not much brightness or cheeriness about Fires but it never comes across as melodramatic or contrived. I'd say this ranks in the top 3 modern classical albums that I've ever listened to. Alas, there's no tracks on YouTube so if anyone wants a link, send me a PM or a comment 9+/10
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Your eyes were never yet let in to see the majesty and riches of the mind, but dwell in darkness; for your God is blind. Last edited by CanwllCorfe; 04-15-2010 at 10:39 PM. |
04-13-2010, 04:50 PM | #49 (permalink) |
It's my Mau5head!
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: UK
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I have to say thank you for recommending this album as I probably wouldn't have got it without this review. I have to agree that it is absolute quality and I'm glad that I got it, it's definitely on par with Anjunabeats at least!
Looking forward to more entries
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