Though Test Dept. ended their days as a sub-rate techno band, selling out to the dance floor, their fans remember their more brutal and primal material.
[Music] John Zorn – Nosferatu: The Stalking
[Music] Imandra Lake – Küll süda teab (singel)
If My Bloody Valentine left a love child in the Baltic states, that child would grow up to be Estonia’s coolest indie band, Imandra Lake.
[Music] Marta Ren & The Groovelvets – Stop Look Listen
Portugal’s got soul! Marta Ren is part of a worldwide neo-soul wave which groups like Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings got rolling several years ago, and her take on the genre is a marvel to listen to.
[Music] Robert Görl – Love In Mind
Sunday’s listening was good enough with Robert Görl of DAF, but add to this a gorgeous, floating, dancing Anna Karina, and you have the visual stimulation for a delightful evening’s viewing, too.
[Music] Destruktionsanstalt – Swedenborg
Though it must amuse my confessors to no end, I grew up enjoying the bleakest of sounds in early Industrial music and the black ambient music which followed about a decade or so later. The best of the lot seem to be growing out of the calm climes of Scandinavia, and the best of that lot is coming, these days, from Denmark. Per Najbjerg Odderskov, known by aliases like Destruktionsanstalt, Liller_Per, God Cancer, Left Hand Of God, Lidane Livering, and The G.R Orchestra, has a long, storied history in the saga of black ambient music.
As Destruktionsanstalt, Per graces us with one of the most beautifully bleak compositions I’ve heard in quite some time. In a scene where children think they’re being cute by inverting a cross (sorry, St. Andrew beat you to that one) and turning on a vacuum cleaner, and then having the nerve to try to sell this to an unsuspecting sucker, it is good to hear a master craftsman carve the equivalent of a Caravaggio out of pure black matter.
Going through the tracks, one can feel a lot of heavy vibes, deep emotion, and perhaps despair. This isn’t meant to make the CD sound like a gruesome experience, however – far from it, in fact. There’s a beauty even in the darkest of music, as the act of composition itself is a life-bringing experience. The packaging for this CD is also quite exquisite, done more to look like a book or a piece of art rather than a mere jewel-case.
For connoisseurs of black ambient, it’s quite an honor to present to you a crowning jewel for your collection.
[Music] Abul Mogard – Staring At The Sweeps Of The Desert
Abul Mogard is a Serbian composer and former steel mill worker whose work I came across three or so years ago. Understated but powerful stuff.
[Music] Twilight Fields – Further Up, Further In!
Never, ever allow anyone to tell you that there is no good music being made today. Ever!
Twilight Fields is a band out of Northern Canada, but you wouldn’t know it judging by the influences they’ve sponged up into their body of work. One can easily hear touches of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, the acid folk of The Incredible String Band, and more modern psychedelic fare from groups like Spacemen 3 and Spectrum.
The crisp recording adds to the pleasure of hearing this recording on a great set of headphones. A highly recommended release.
[Music] Disemballerina – Poison Gown
‘Poison Gown‘ is a release which came to me via my inbox, and I find it to be a wonderful stroke of luck that Myles Donovan and his bandmates in Disemballerina decided to ask me for a review.
The release sets itself quite favorable with bands who do this type of gothic/classical hybrid. The tracks tend to be dark but delicate, and, should the band decide to aim their focus in this direction, they could produce a perfect soundtrack to any Tim Burton movie.
[Music] Benjamin Clementine live at the Burberry Menswear January 2016 show
I have about zero interest in Burberry Menswear. It’s not my thing, though I can see where it would appeal to those who get a kick out of clothing. This video was supposed to highlight Burberry’s line of clothing, but that gets smashed immediately by the arresting voice of Benjamin Clementine, a man who, shockingly, spent part of his teenage years living as a homeless person. He’s really got quite a future ahead of him.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 