Sunday, October 11, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: David Borden
Sunday, October 4, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Rupert Lally's Stephen King Aural Interpretations
I think calling Rupert Lally's Where the Dark Speaks a 'Stephen King' tribute is both accurate and an understatement. In the notes for this record (which you can read in full HERE), Lally beautifully states, "Stephen King's books took me to places so vivid it seemed like I'd actually been there," and when you listen to the tracks on this record, the depths of Lally's travels into the Kingverse show. However, the record also completely stands on its own as a beautiful little slice of atmosphericic Heaven, perfect for October and the Halloween run-up.
But back to the King...
All the songs on Where the Dark Speaks are named after places from King novels - whether it's the Marsten House from Salem's Lot, the Overlook Hotel from The Shining, or, from a more recent novel, The Institute, from King's 2019 novel of the same name, these tracks submerge you in Lally's imagination's interpretation of King's work, and it's glorious!
Finally, look at that cover art, by Eric Adrian Lee - wow! Check out his website, too, for more glorious retro and wholly original visual landscapes.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp - OGRE Sound - The Field Recordist's Guide to Summoning Lesser Demons
With a name like this, there was probably no way I wouldn't like this record, which I have heard of before but erroneously attributed to being one of the many musical projects of Nivek Ogre, which it is not. No, OGRE sound is the work of Robin Ogden. I fell sideways back into this album this morning through a story on Bandcamp about Ogden and Dallas Campbell's just released score for the classic George A. Romero film Night of the Living Dead. The article, written by J. Edward Keyes, can be read HERE and very much has me thinking that when I do my annual watch of NoTLD on Halloween, I'll be scoring it with this.
But back to Lesser Demons. This is a super creepy, super inventive use of field recordings arranged for keyboard/synthesizer. Parts remind me of the Italian classic Ain Soph - Rituals album, other parts remind me of a nightmare, or the score to a seriously well-done cinematic nightmare, take your pick. Either way, wow.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Dance With The Dead
As the wait for the next Perturbator records near neigh interminable lengths, and the knowledge that James Kent is leaving his former 'genre' behind, I've begun to clamor for more dark, brooding synthwave. Bandcamp remains a fantastic place to find what I'm looking for. Case in point, this week's Sunday Bandcamp spotlight on Dance With The Dead. I haven't made it very deep into their discography, but after absorbing Near Dark yesterday, I intend to do so in the very near future.
Sunday, September 13, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: New Album from Exhalants!
I missed the pre-order on the vinyl for Atonement and now I'm kicking myself. Regardless, the entire album is fantastic, and I can't recommend a band more at this stage in their career. Support Exhalants HERE.
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Ainoma
I stumbled across Ainoma's 2019 release Manhunter purely by accident. After reading THIS a few days ago, I've had Richard Stanley's 1990 Techno-Horror masterpiece Hardware on the brain, and the cover art for Manhunter bares more than a passing resemblance to that film's murderous robot, the M.A.R.K.-13. That, coupled with the description "Grim Music from the DEAD CITY" caught my attention, and I like what I've heard. Ainoma hail from Russia, and you can pick up both Manhunter and its predecessor Necropolis on their Bandcamp HERE.
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Ritual Chair
A happy accident that while looking up music by another band, I stumbled upon a Daily Bandcamp article by Jordan Reyes spotlighting Ritual Chair's music. The name caught my attention, but the music is what caught my breath. I started with 2017's Pain and Decay, and quickly found I could not work my way away from Ritual Chair's bandcamp. Each successive piece I listened to helped grow a seed of horror and anxiety inside me, which is a good thing when you see where Hailey Magdeleno's music comes from, what motivates it, and where the proceeds go. By the time I arrived at this piece, which incorporates what the artist describes as a "random tape called Africa Praise 1" - which appears to actually be released as a different project by the same creator - I feel like I should have been ready for the harrowing funnel of sound that enveloped me, but I was not. This made for a distinctly unique listening experience, one I will probably attempt to recreate down the line, but will most likely fail.
Another thing that absolutely blew me away, and seemed like the best example of an artist giving a well-deserved 'Fuck you' to a deserving party who has thus far escaped the maximum desecration he deserves, is Ritual Chair has a release titled "Brock Turner."
The album art is his smug, cunt face, and the description is a terse indictment of his failed humanity. Mr. Turner deserves far worse than having an album named after him, but it's my long-held belief that sound and idea, when sculpted from outrage, anger, and frustration, can act as a kind of Sword of Will. Perhaps if enough of us listen to and talk about this recording, it will gain the power to steal his breath while he sleeps, leaving only a lifeless shell in his place.
One can hope. In the interim, all proceeds from this, and quite a few of Ritual Chair's other releases, go to The House of Ruth.
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Iress
This one takes me places. Far off places, that sift and swirl with dark but life-affirming energies. I have a feeling I will be hanging out with this band for a large part of the week while writing. Fabulous stuff. Pre-order upcoming album Flaw HERE.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Psychetect
It's been a minute since I revisited Psychetct's Extremism. I bought this back around 2015 or 2016. I haven't been the headspace for this kind of thing for a while, but stumbling across it again on my old iPod earlier today, I couldn't help but be transported into a landscape of digital madness. The focus and restraint showed in Extremism's creation and continuity is a bit baffling to me, in all the best ways.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Dead Swords
Holy shit, where has this been my whole life? I stumbled across New Jersey's Dead Swords while tripping off this awesome record that Heaven is an Incubator posted a few days ago. Talk about an algorithm!
This album goes deep, so strap on some ear goggles and disappear to another dimension.
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Sunday, July 19, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Dead
An awesome two-piece I found while snooping around at the Wäntage USA label's Bandcamp page. These chaps are from Australia, and they make some heavy freakin' tunes.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Mannequin Pussy
While snooping around online for a copy of Pygmy Shrews' The Egyptian on vinyl, I stumbled across a cross reference to the band Mannequin Pussy.
Awesome band name made even better by the fact that the band is pretty awesome, too!
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Sunday Bandcamp: Turquoise Moon - Midnight Demon
For our second installment of Sunday Bandcamp, I'm sticking with another Spun Out of Control release, however, this time things are not quite what they seem. After discovering Turquoise Moon and their OST from Midnight Demon, I became interested in the band. However, it appears - as in I may be incorrect - that this is actually a side project of Andy Fosberry, who is credited with re-mastering the "Original 1983 tapes" created by Terry Ferrello and Frank Heisenberg, the credited members of Turquoise Moon. That's from the bandcamp HERE. Other than that, there is no information of Terry and Frank, Turquoise Moon, or Midnight Demon anywhere online.
THIS is the kind of thing I LOVE - bands or artists that cultivate mystery. And I feel like it just doesn't happen anymore. Also, really cool album.