Review: No-xygen and Mike Radice – From Darkness to Renaissance

Label: Eg0cide Productions
Catalog No: Eg0_052

The latest collaborative effort in the Dark Ambient cosmos has emerged from the atmospheric masters No-xygen and multi-instrumentalist Mike Radice. They have presented us with a soundtrack for the ultimate journey of humankind. Their concept surrounds our struggle to relinquish the darkness and dessication within us and be reborn in an enlightened existence.

These subterranean compositions feature catatonic orchestral progressions that flow in between avant-garde bursts of Industrial despair. With various tones from all over the globe, these movements fuse our anguishes together and give us all a common goal to reach for. Genres clash into each other as Drone intertwines with ethnic beats. The end result is a sui genereis affair that covers the entire atmosphere. From the deepest cave to the exosphere, waves of Ambient murmurs drape over everything, covering our souls with a comforting despondency.

The collaboration consists of four songs from each artist. They each take one end of the spectrum: No-xygen forges the difficult and sorrowful uphill climb out of dark times while Radice shows us the ethereal beauty that awaits us at the top of the mountain. Each song exhibits the yin and yang of their concept. They each contain sentient beauty alongside daunting torment. From this we learn that even though we are in dark times there is still beauty everywhere. We must also not forget that when we are reborn there will be still be desolate gloom to combat. As eternal beings we cannot live without one or the other. In order to evolve we must find the delicate balance between darkness and renaissance.

Rating: 4 stars
Standout track: Renaissance

http://www.archive.org/details/eg0_052
http://eg0cide.com/2012/01/29/eg0_053-no-xygen-and-mike-radice-from-darkness-to-renaissance/

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by sethmol on 22/03/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 22/03/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/from-darkness-to-renaissance/

SML022 w.x – Hailstone

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As the Northern Hemisphere hides from the frigid forces of nature, creative energies are regenerated and sow the seeds for glorious times ahead. Hailstone was created by harnessing the darker aspects of weather and forging them with a wide-eyed optimistic view of the future. It sends us on a journey to find true happiness in our lives, no matter what desolate horrors lie in front of us. We can all channel the dark energies of the evil surrounding us and transform them into a positive reinforcement.

Hailstone utilizes subterranean drones drenched in delays that slow down time and immerse us in a rejuvenating environment. Place headphones on and slip into a dimension created solely for us to experience rebirth. The dark and cold winter is a chance every year to reset the controls and start anew with a wiser insight and more level spirit.

This is the last release under the “w.x” name. Keep in touch as bigger and better things await us all in the future.

Tracks:
1. Glacial Mass (4:05)
2. Black Hole At the Center of the Earth (5:52)
3. Whirlwind (4:17)
4. The Vanishing Sea (5:22)
5. Petrified Forest (6:12)
6. Wings Melting (4:46)
7. Denouement (7:00)

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by sethmol on 24/02/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 24/02/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/sml022-w-x-hailstone/

Review: Palancar – The Tender Hand of the Unseen

Label: Buddhist on Fire
Catalog No: BOF-016

The soft waves of the open sea glide onto the beach, casting a molecular drone ashore. This serves as the foundation for an orchestrated ceremony saturated with dark looping textures and elaborate echoes. Overlooking a cliff that stares into the ocean, the sounds collide with nature in a repetitive cycle and showcases the beauty and suffering of this existence.

Palancar is the man behind the Ambient netlabel Earth Mantra which has tantalized our ears with sweet sounds from other worlds. On this release Palancar puts our feet on the ground and drowns us in a harsh reality. These seven sweeping movements circle around the concept of pain and what it can teach us. The extreme suffering of our beings is something we never want to confront; we would much rather not think about it and be free from all pain. One thing we must learn is that we need to understand suffering before we can be free from it.

The solemn nature of these tracks does not inflict a pain many of us are used to. The mournful tones penetrate your skin and gives your soul something to weep about. You can feel your heart slowly melting away and the sounds murmur past you, dragging time into an infinity that’s constantly repeating itself. There is a desolate feeling, as if everything has been forsaken, leaving you to sink to the bottom of the sea. This album gives us understanding of the pain our souls feel every day. We must learn to care for them, heal their spiritual wounds so they can help guide us to wherever it is we are supposed to go.

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Standout Track: Bitter Potion

http://www.archive.org/details/bof016
http://buddhistonfire.com/2012/01/16-palancar—the-tender-hand-of-the-unseen/

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by sethmol on 10/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 10/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/the-tender-hand-of-the-unseen/

Review: Morphine Bandit – Inside the Steel Dome

Label: Eg0cide Productions
Catalog No: Eg0_051

This full-on minimalist assault for the ears is well worth a listen. You are treated to dark textures crawling across the muddy ground, dragging electronic pulses and swells behind them as it all unfolds into a bleak landscape of sound. The sprawling drones feel like they could extend forever, touching the furthest reaches of our perception. All of the sounds blend into each other in a seamless connection, a conjoined bridge between life and death.

Drones and quivering shrieks echo around you in a stifling metallic fashion. They spin about and screech ever so slightly, like catching a radio signal in a metal bowl. This release is a morose enlightenment plunging you into a deep sensory deprivation. You see patterns of grey and dark emotions wash over, sweeping through the crevices in your brain. You feel ready to descend deep into the junkyards of the human wasteland, lost forever.

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Standout Track: Across the Frozen Circles

http://www.archive.org/details/eg0_051

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by sethmol on 09/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 09/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/inside-the-steel-dome/

Review: Viral Implications – Tears of Glass EP

Label: On-Mix Media
Catalog No: onmp188

Viral Implications is making a quiet entrance into the new year with this five track EP. Mixing downtempo beats with worldly electronic vibes, a chillout experience has been manifested. You can fluidly weave in and out of the beats and feel the constant motion of everything around you. You get wrapped up inside a warm cocoon spun by lush tones and it makes you want to nestle inside and wait for your metamorphosis.

The mild poignancy of the songs shows us a human side to mechanical warblings and robotic drum patterns. The task of attaching emotion to lifeless computer sounds is difficult and this release makes the process seem effortless. There is an unfortunate inconsistent gap with some of the songs. The lack of proper transitions takes away from the fluid flow of the music. It is a subtle reminder that you are only listening to music and not experiencing a total rebirth.

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Standout Track: A Homeless Farewell

http://www.archive.org/details/onmp188
http://www.on-mix.com/5134/viral-implications-tears-of-glass/

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by sethmol on 08/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 08/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/tears-of-glass-ep/

Review: Alister Flint – City Nights

Label: Treetrunk Records
Catalog No: treetrunk199

The quiet lull of a dormant city opens the door to a new world of imagination. While millions around you are descending into other cosmic planes, you are free to roam around with a choice few who are still awake. You can ride an empty subway car for hours without anyone getting on. The air seems more clear and the flow of ideas is always smoother at night.

Alister Flint has used this inspiration on his latest release, City Nights. These nine tracks were composed entirely at night, feeding off the energy seeping through abandoned streets. He gives us a glimpse of darkened street corners and a wonderful sense of solace amongst thousands of square miles of concrete. Though you’re staring at the cityscape of the metropolis, you feel like you are the only living soul for miles around.

By employing various sounds such a tribal drums, ambient soundscapes and sound collage, Flint carries the soundtrack for an evening out and about. Walking around an empty city at 3 o’clock in the morning you experience the same feelings that this album presents. There is a wide-eyed excitement but also reserved contentment, a distinct knowledge that although you feel completely alone there are millions around you that, in some form, are having the same experience right now. The serene tones of the music float around, lifting you up from the sidewalk and over the tall buildings. You can soar through the clouds and burst into a million lights as the sun slowly glides above the horizon.

Rating: 4 Stars
Standout Track: Lush Mornings

http://www.archive.org/details/Alister_Flint_City_Nights
http://treetrunkrecords.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/alister-flint-city-nights-treetrunk-199/

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by sethmol on 06/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 06/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/alister-flint-city-nights/

Review: Mizontiq – A Room Without Mirrors

Label: Dusted Wax Kingdom
Catalog No: DWK116

An abandoned house, hollow and decrepit. Adjacent to a junkyard littered with forgotten lives. The hollowed out cars and discarded refuse are more of a comforting home than any concrete foundation ever could be. An eerie vibration of sound falls over this grim scene. Dark beats begin to pulsate inside your veins, sending this new found drug straight to your brain. You fall victim to its spell and there is nothing you can do except listen to the music.

Russian producer Mizontiq has combined trip hop elements with a deep sorrowful electronic mood to create a ghostly myriad that reveals the monsters under your bed. There is a supernatural emanation, as if Mizontiq has opened a forbidden box allowing certain demons to roam free. By mixing warm and profound synths with sullen drum programming he has shaped a cinematic grandeur, heartwarming and scary awareness of human alienation. You come under a hypnotic enchantment that freezes your emotions and hold you hostage. You want to run and hide but you are forced to hear the sufferings of the world through these songs.

As a whole this album presents sullen theatrics and a bittersweet taste. The songs themselves are hit and miss as some are very jumpy; the beats tend to go haywire and lose their rhythmic hypnosis. They create a momentary lapse in the spell as if for a brief moment you feel the grip of the music letting you go. Its clutches are relentless and mesmerizing, slicing your heart open and releasing some of the pressure. A Room Without Mirrors is a sigh of relief, like a serious operation that you need to survive. The whole time you are lying there helpless, ghastly images flashing before your eyes. Afterwards you are refreshed, reborn. Sometimes in life you need that insurmountable obstacle to overcome, just to see what’s on the other side.

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Standout Track: Heart in the Air

http://www.archive.org/details/DWK116
http://dustedwax.org/dwk116.html

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by sethmol on 05/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 05/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/a-room-without-mirrors/

Stellardrone – Echoes

Label: Energostatic
Catalog No: Stasis009

The clouds up above shroud the stars from our view. The sun slowly emerges from behind the mountains, shining heavenly light on everything you can see. Colors blossom before you as your mind and body prepare for another beautiful day in this existence. You are rested, peaceful and eager to experience everything the world has to offer.

These are the first thoughts generated when listening to Stellardrone’s Echoes. This Lithuanian composer has joined forces with nature, space and music to create stunning ethereal soundscapes. The drones paint an abstract landscape across an atmospheric canvas. The sounds are very gentle and calming. They shelter you from a cold rain while still giving you opportunity to look out upon the wondrous spectacle nature is creating. An Ambient flow is unceasingly felt as sounds effortlessly flow back and forth into a beautiful spectrum of tones.

Stellardrone’s orchestra of the spirit is a placid journey, taking you through the space up above and the space around you. It guides you across barren terrain’s as you get a birds-eye view of the world through a different set of eyes. The whole experience puts your own vision into perspective as you slowly learn that what you see is not all that’s really there.

Rating: 4 Stars
Standout Track: Nightscape

http://stellardrone.bandcamp.com/album/echoes
http://www.archive.org/details/stasis009

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by sethmol on 04/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 04/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/stellardrone-echoes/

The Shimmer Effect – Uranometria

Label: Bushmen Records
Catalog No: bush30

In the current world of music, it is very common to come across an artist that is very fluid with their choice of genres. These days contrary genres are being fused together to create new sounds, be they good or bad. The Shimmer Effect have taken elements from an array of genres, including Ambient, Techno, Hip-Hop and World Music and threw them all into a high-powered blender. After blending on pulse for what seems like endless hours, a vibrant collection of songs pours out. Colorful, flavorful and very chilled, this is one concoction that is good for you.

This duo have layers upon layers of unique sounds on this release. They use beats inspired by Hip-Hop and Techno and add dreamy soundscapes, accentuated manipulated samples from countless sources. The entire collaboration melds together, forming a cohesive bond surely meant to bring all the music lovers of the world closer together. There is a little something for everyone here. The whole thing puts you in a very chilled out mood. It’s still carries some intensity though. You keep getting a feeling like something is right around the corner waiting for you, but you are in too much of a laid back state to care. You possess the knowledge that whatever it is cannot hurt you and just wants to join you in the listening experience.

The ultimate challenge here is trying to find a distinct consistency. Though some songs flow into each other and are very complimentary, there are others that spring out of nowhere and lack a direct connection. That jumpy feeling that something is about to get you looms and you’re just not sure when it will come. I think it adds to the overall experience. They have created something new and are forcing us to experience new feelings that best explain what we are hearing. There is still a flow throughout the album, it’s just always changing. You can sense the fluidity inside as you slowly become one with the music.

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Standout Track: Paranormal Activity

http://bushmenrecords.co.za/2t1/uranometria.html
http://www.archive.org/details/TheShimmerEffect-Uranometria

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by sethmol on 03/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 03/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/uranometria/

Review: Guided by Voices – Let’s Go Eat the Factory

The latest in a series of reformed bands, Guided by Voices return to their roots. Still hanging onto their garage echoes and short but sweet pop tunes, they give us another overwhelming array of songs that go by too quick. Like all their previous albums, there are songs that I just don’t understand and probably should have been omitted and then ones you wish would last just a little longer.

The lineup from their heyday has reconvened with just a few more wrinkles and nothing to show for it. Robert Pollard’s aging voice is about the only thing that has changed for these guys over the past 20 years. There are a lot more slow and morose ballads but they all end up sounding the same. The jumpy rhythms are still present. The crazy guitar sounds and overall weirdness stills pours sweet indie goodness down your throat. The album as a whole is an inconsistent bowl of lumpy mashed potatoes that’s only good with lots of salt and butter. There are a few great songs that are still worth hearing but it takes a lot of weeding through lumps.

Any vintage indie hipster or 90s indie connoisseur will love the similarities to their classic albums like Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes but there is no progression. They merely picked up where they left off but unfortunately the world moved on. There is no more need for their thoughtful feel good jaunts. Our musical brains need a different kind of nourishment now and these guys might any tricks up their sleeve.

Rating: 3 Stars
Standout Track: Doughnut for a Snowman

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/18/143507341/first-listen-guided-by-voices-lets-go-eat-the-factory

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by sethmol on 01/01/2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by sethmol on 01/01/2012

http://sethmol.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/lets-go-eat-the-factory/

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