Need music recommendations | 1 year challenge

[moches]

please listen to Typhoon's White Lighter.

https://soundcloud.com/rollcallrecor...white-lighter/

[Arkuski]

jeez can't wait to hear your thoughts on Floral Shoppe after that review

[t-rogdor]

that or eccojams lmao

[Arkuski]

Originally Posted by t-rogdor

that or eccojams lmao

I've pretty much been listening to both of them every day for a week straight. Floral Shoppe is starting to drag on when I listen to it, but eccojams has been hitting the spot. It's all over the place and really hits hard in the most unexpected places. Like A6 and B5, those tracks are awesome but where the hell do they come from?


Also I have two you can add to the long list or whatever:

Fall of Troy - Doppelganger
Mr. Meeble - Never Trust the Chinese

[noname219]

Day Six - December 6th, 2013
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Room(s) by Machinedrum (recommended by Coolboyrulez0)

1. She Died There
2. Now U Know tha Deal 4 Real
3. Sacred Frequency
4. U Don't Survive
5. Come1
6. Youniverse
7. GBYE
8. The Statue
9. Lay Me Down
10. Door(s)
11. Where Did We Go Wrong?

You lucky Coolboyrulez0. Having a second recommendation so early, you can thank the randomizer for that.

So, Machinedrum is the solo project of Travis Stewart, also a member of Sepalcure (I think I heard that name somewhere). He was making music since the early 2000s, but he wasn't really known since 2010-2011, around the time Sepalcure was started and when Room(s) was released. He embraced a lot of different genres since his debut, incorporating Glitch Hop very early, introducing Wonky, IDM, Future Garage and Dubstep elements progressively during his career.

I can describe Room(s) as the result of his personnal evolution, mixing a lot of different influences. It's a unique sound, but there's a close vibe with UK's Future Garage artists. What's more interesting, is the path the songs are taking over the album. Each of the songs have slightly different moods and that helps staying focused on the music.

It's diverse and very complex in the first songs. She Died There at the end of the spectrum of pattern complexity. It's a hard hit and somehow, the vocals helps getting yourself accustomed to the music. Now U Know tha Deal 4 Real is a bit softer, but there's still a lot going on. Sacred Frequency might not be as impressive as the first two. It's overall more smoother and really close to what Flying Lotus is doing. U Don't Survive has a cool lounge sound, very relaxing and more repetitive than the others. Come1 is my personnal favourite, engaging, with a soft finish. GBYE (Godspeed Black You Emperor ?) is even more energetic, with a good progression, better overall than Youniverse at least. The Statue, Lay Me Down and Door(s), are lovely crafted, following the same dynamism GBYE was aiming for. Finally, Where Did We Go Wrong? is the most unique and most atmospheric song of the album, with a pleasant ambient sound, a fitting closure.

I can see the possibility to make a parallel between the evolution of the tracks and his musical career. That would make an interesting text to read, I just don't have the time to write anything exhaustive about this. Another point, the vocals serve mainly as another instrument, often distorted or cut in small successions. Overall, he has an extremely positive energy. It's high-class chill-out music. Not a hard album to get into if you have listened to IDM in the past.

My rating : ★★★★★★★★☆☆

[moches]

Originally Posted by moches

please listen to Typhoon's White Lighter.

https://soundcloud.com/rollcallrecor...white-lighter/

hey there! just hoped you didn't miss this (got top-paged rofl)

a few more:
65daysofstatic - One Time For All Time
Go Radio - Close The Distance
Morningbell - Boa Noite
Maria Mena - Weapon Of Choice
Dorena - Nuet
The Dear Hunter - Migrant
Hellogoodbye - Would It Kill You?

ps my birthday's May 24

[noname219]

Thanks for reminding, I missed it. Also added Arkuski.

[moches]

thank YOU for embarking on this gigantic project! Godspeed, sir.

[Coolboyrulez0]

Glad to see room(s) is your most enjoyed album so far at least according to the numeric scale \o/

not in recommendations for you to judge but rather as an extra assignement, his syndrone project might appeal to you also (idm)

[AlexDest]

I want to recommend 2 more.

Serph - Heartstrings
Secede - Tryshasla (since choof cut this one out of his recommendations, lol)

[Master Aqua]

I'd like to recommend one

My favorite album,

Emarosa- Relativity

[noname219]

Added everything so far. Will look into Syndrone but I won't make a review.

@ Master Aqua : didn't find your birthday, I can reserve your recommendation for that date

[t-rogdor]

yo i don't think i've hit my recommendation limit yet so, you should review Can- Monster Movie

[Master Aqua]

Well my Birthday just passed xD Its October 6! So its gonna be a while :3

[noname219]

Day Seven - December 7th, 2013
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Nuojuva Halava by Ous Mal (recommended by Kekeb)

1. Marraskuu
2. Parveke
3. Tuulensuoja
4. Viima
5. Vaskiset Kielet
6. Kumiseva
7. Kotiin
8. Merilaulu
9. Ystävä
10. Talviaamu
11. Aamubussi

This will be a light review.

Ous Mal (Olli Aarni) is a finnish musician specialized in sampling ambient landscapes. In 2011, he decided to change his name to Nuojuva, a name shared by his second album Nuojuva Halava.

It's a very moody album. Textures have a strong presence, drones are used as background, a lot of various sounds for the foreground. There's maybe too much of a dissimilarity between those different sounds everywhere. It creates confusion along the way, not the impression I was hoping for. Most of the time, the album is enjoyable and natural. Very few times, it becomes oppressing, like in the extremely noisy end of Kumiseva. Very contrasting with the majority of the album. The use of the acoustic guitar (a kantele probably) is pleasant albeit not dominant.

Marraskuu sets the mood very well. A very subtle melody hiding behind a discordant wall. In Viima, the use of the vocals gave it a very post-rock sound. The change of atmosphere in Kumiseva at 2:55 is greatly timed, but soon after, at 5:45, the disc scratches are deeply unpleasant. Merilaulu is the most cohesive. Violin and piano always work together and this song is no exception. A bit later, you hear drums for the first time, for a short time. One of my favourite here.

There were some good passages on this album, they come and fade away slowly. Agreeable, but didn't move me a lot.

That was a light album.

My rating : ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

(should be 6½ stars, I just don't want to use halves)

[freakysnots]

Here are some bands not mentioned yet.

Buckethead - Electric Sea

The Cult - Sonic Temple

[Kekeb]

Originally Posted by noname219

Agreeable, but didn't move me a lot.

That was a light album.

You pretty much summed up my feelings on the album. Although the sounds that aren't cohesive (like within the ending of Kotiin or Kumiseva) are what allow it to stick out, in my mind, more easily than a typical ambient release. Thanks for writing your thoughts.

[XCV]

you've probably already heard a couple of these, but hey

Amon Tobin - ISAM
Anamanaguchi - Power Supply
Aphex Twin - SAW 85-92
Apparat - Walls
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing.....
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Tortoise - TNT
Various Artists - Homestuck volume 8

my vaginal egression day is the seventh of the tenth

[noname219]

Day Eight - December 8th, 2013
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Weapon in Mind by Maria Mena (recommended by moches)

1. Interesting
2. Fuck You
3. All the Love
4. I Always Liked That
5. Madness
6. I Love You Too
7. You Make Me Feel Good
8. Caught Off Guard, Floored by Love
9. You're All Telling Stories
10. Lover Let Me In
11. I'm Only Human
12. You Hurt the Ones You Love (I Don't Believe That)
13. The End

Maria Mena, a pop singer/songwriter, is well-known in Norway, her country of origin. She had a number of hits since her first album in 2002, receive a couple Norwegian Grammy trophies, several international award nominations and even made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

I'm not surprised she gained this notoriety. It's very accessible contemporary pop music pleasing to the masses. The instrumentation (mostly piano, some orchestral moments, a few electronic passages) revolves mainly around the vocals. She has a nice tone of voice, although not hugely powerful, like in the chorus of Interesting where her voice is close to break. An exception because on most of the songs, she doesn't go beyond her capabilities. She's aware at what she can achieve and that is perfectly fine. The songwriting is consistent, but nothing extraordinary. It's slightly superior to most pop musicians, assuming she writes everything all by herself.

The vocals were, at times, treated electronically. See the chorus of All the Love, it's weird and interesting at the same time. Or, in You Hurt the Ones You Love, it's subtle, but creates something. It's those little things I wished she could embrace more into her music : that would makes her more unique and noteworthy. Madness shows some cool reverbed-guitar chords, crossing the line with indie pop. Too bad we don't hear any of this anywhere else. You're All Telling Stories has an appealing vocal trance induced section. And, the orchestra in You Hurt the Ones You Love sounds way too minimal, it should have more span.

So in the end, the music shows some potential even though it's not really my thing. I think she's trying to please to the most people possible and that makes her music suffer, it comes out bland. Excepting the songs I've bolded, most of it is skippable.

My rating : ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Btw, 3 birthdays in a row in October (5 to 7) : Crazyjayde, Master Aqua, XCV.

[noname219]

Day Nine - December 9th, 2013
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City of Evil by Avenged Sevenfold (recommended by Poison-)

1. Beast and the Harlot
2. Burn It Down
3. Blinded in Chains
4. Bat Country
5. Thrashed and Scattered
6. Seize the Day
7. Sidewinder
8. Wicked End
9. Strength of the World
10. Betrayed
11. MIA

Avenged Sevenfold is an American band fusing heavy metal with metalcore. Their lineup changed a bit, their drummer (The Rev) notably died from an overdose in 2009, Mike Portnoy replaced him for a short period of time until they found a permanent drummer. City of Evil was released in 2005.

I had some preconceptions about the band prior listening to this. I never found them particularly good. I remember them as moderately annoying even if I knew they could pull off some good tunes from time to time. After giving this album one spin, I can't say my impressions changed. There's no very bad songs on this album, there's even a few standouts. Beast and the Harlot is the highlight of the album, their best song probably. Bat Country has a strong chorus with a memorable melody. Thrashed and Scattered is enjoyable with a decent guitar work. In my memory, Seize the Day sounded more cringeworthy than I though, but it's actually a nice ballad with a stellar guitar solo. In MIA, at 4:10, the singer screams out of tune, not once but twice in a row. Soon after, another outsanding guitar solo.

What irks me about the drum is the snare. It probably comes from the smallest drum kit ever. Really not fitting and a source of distraction. The singer has the type of voice you either love or hate. Personnally, I didn't like his voice. He sounds whiny : it's more evident in the verses of Burn It Down or in the middle of Strength of the World. What really stand above the rest of the band is the guitarist. His parts are really what give the band its flavor.

My eyes are burrrrrning btw, gonna stop my review there. I said pretty much everything I had to say.

My rating : ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆