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User
Reviews 6
Approval 99%
Soundoffs 84
Album Ratings 2218
Objectivity 85%
Last Active 12-19-21 9:42 pm
Joined 02-09-17
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| cylinder's EPIC 2023!
i listened to over 400 albums from 2023. these were the dankest. loosely ranked. usually i do reverse order (for the anticipation!) but since i wrote these descriptions starting with 1, they make more sense when read from 1 to the bottom. top 100 plus 10 Honorable Mentions and one compilation not part of the ranking (TECHDOG 1-7). | | 1 |  | Seijiro Murayama / Eric La Casa
Supersedure 2
5s
field recordings/free improv/sound collage
This is the follow-up album to La Casa and Murayama’s Supersédure, from 2009. Both albums are strikingly singular works of sound collage, combining field recordings with live instruments – or rather, instrument, because while La Casa provides the field recordings, Murayama improvises on only a single snare drum. But as rare as it is that the sequel is better than the original, I would say that’s the case here. The first one was already amazing, but this one is even more otherworldly. It expands upon what was started by the original and takes it to exhilarating new territories. It’s the hardest album on this list to describe, as it makes me feel things I’ve never felt from music before. The album cover reminds me of the side of a racecar, and the album rushes by in a similarly speedy and unassuming fashion. What makes it feel like it’s over before it really begins? I think it’s because the intersection of all these erratic field recording fragments and a single live instrument grounded firmly in the present (and the center of the mix) creates a strange, disorienting limbo between initiation and arrival; memory and the present; existence and nonexistence.
The field recording snippets feel like memories themselves by the way they enter during their middles and exit before they’ve completed. And there’s no guiding aesthetic here, not really. There’s no pattern, no homage to anything recognizable. The sounds you’d least expect are already there before you’ve arrived, before you even had a chance to expect them, staring at you blankly, as if to say “Yeah… what?” Separate, unrelated field recordings rub up against each other, creating whole new alien environments that seem to vanish as soon as they come into view. And then there’s that snare drum, right in the center, conducting the whole affair with the authority and resounding crispness that snare drums have come to be known for. That snare is so loud, so primal, so dry; each smack cuts through the mix like the swing of a machete. But it’s not only smacked; it’s rubbed, rolled, dinged; it seems to me as if here, Murayama has wrestled every possible sound you could get out of a single snare drum. And the effect of this one instrument being the only thing keeping the senselessness of the surrounding field recording-collage grounded twists a tightness in the stomach; a feeling like the only thing keeping one tethered to reality is a single frayed thread. When you listen to the album closely and nitpick the details, it’s clear that the mixing on this thing must’ve been painstakingly meticulous to make it sound this way. But when you simply lay back and let the whole wash over you, it sounds like it’s building itself as it goes, almost like it was one big accident. The fact that this thing was constructed – that it didn’t just happen – is an absolute marvel. When you hear it, I think you’ll get what I mean. | | 2 |  | Koobaatoo Asparagus
"Greatest Hits"
harsh noise wall/ambient noise wall
Koobaatoo Asparagus is one of, if not the very most prolific artist I’ve come across. Throughout all of last year, he was putting out multiple albums a week and shows no signs of slowing down – and I have no idea how long he’s been active. Most of his releases are two 20-to-30-minute tracks of to-the-point harsh noise wall, always all the more hypnotic for their simplicity. However, there are also some occasional shorter cuts spread about his discography. I would’ve never found them myself in the massive pile of material he’s put out; that’s why I’m so grateful that the head of Abhorrent A.D., a noise label I discovered last year, decided to curate this compilation of his 12 favorite shorter KA tracks (8-12 minutes), and that KA himself approved the compilation.
The label head definitely did a good job on the track selection, because this is one of the best noise releases I’ve ever heard. It’s uncanny how high-quality it is through its entire 2+ hour duration, considering the tracks really have no relation to each other; they were all put out on separate past releases; and yet they bleed into each other seamlessly. KA begins with a typical harsh noise approach; humming, churning feedback walls made up of chunky lows and occasional higher squeals. What sets him apart though, at least regarding the tracks on this album, is his tone selection and the way that each track eventually finds itself becoming ambient, rather than remaining the aural assault they may initially appear as.
KA apparently has a unique knack for taking what are, at face value, very harsh sounds, and numbing them, deadening them to the point where they become numbing for the listener. And there are no stop-starts or arbitrary twists; he’s incredibly disciplined in how once he begins a track, he just lets it sit, letting the natural motion of the running feedback dictate what sounds are found next. (Vomir-esque in that way, but as I mentioned earlier, a much more satisfying tone selection.) I think that’s what makes this album so mysterious and so captivating. When you’re listening to it, it’s almost like there’s no human involved, like you’re just locked in an incidental storm that goes through its motions until it’s over. When you’re about halfway through one of these tracks, a truly unsettling feeling creeps up on you, this feeling of being faced directly with the unknown and not knowing its intentions; what new magic is being conjured between these layers of infiltrated signals, what demon shall be released by the end of the conjuring? When I close my eyes and give in completely, I start drifting out of my body. Not much out there can do that. | | 3 |  | Francisco Lopez
untitled (2021-2022)
field recordings/musique concrete
This was my first encounter with Francisco Lopez, who I am now aware is one of the most revered sound artists of our time. This album alone was enough to show me why. Constructed of carefully manipulated field recordings, this album constructs a terrarium around you. It’s its own place you can wander in. The way the tracks are arranged is almost devious at times; here, Lopez will let a single field recording sit so long, that when an abrupt shift to a new one comes, I feel like I just teleported. You’ll be sitting in a forest, hearing the wind rush through the leaves and the chirping of all the birds and insects, feeling so serene you’re about to fall asleep, then suddenly, bam! Rushing water and only rushing water.
There are enough similarities between all the field recordings chosen to help them feel like they’re all part of the same place, but there are also enough differences to help the album feel like a journey from one side of the place to the other, rather than just sitting stationary on a park bench, listening to all the sounds around you. Many of the field recordings are clearly recordings of nature, but there are also some that present sounds I don’t even recognize. There are some incredibly deep, cavernous passages that are so ominous and spooky they don’t even sound earthly. These passages are an extremely effective counterpoint to the (supposed) calm and serenity in the nature recordings, and they’re often slid into so gradually that I find myself wondering how I got there.
By the end, the album almost feels like a sort of cautionary tale; a reminder that it may well be that nothing is what it seems, that anywhere, there could be a trapdoor you might slip and fall into, never to return. This idea was reinforced by repeated listens; since I was remembering those deep, dark, cavernous passages that I now knew lay ahead, I found myself no longer so blindly trusting of the supposed serenity of the nature passages. I started wondering what dark forces might be lurking there, too. And the magical thing is that this effect is largely created by what is happening in the recordings themselves, not by anything Lopez is doing. He made the field recordings and arranged them shrewdly, but what it is you’re actually hearing is Earth, and all the ghostly forces that may well be passing through. | | 4 |  | Patricia Taxxon
TECHDOG 1-7
glitch pop/IDM/experimental electronic/ambient/drone/noise
This entry isn’t part of the ranking, as I don’t think it would be fair to the other single albums on the list to rank a 7-album compilation above them. This to provide context for the next entry, the last album in the series, and to gush a bit about the staggering ambition of this project. TECHDOG is easily the most epic multiple-album series I’ve come across. The albums are unified in how they’re all exercises in some form of experimental electronic music, but they’re completely distinct from each other as well. Each album is themed around a certain feeling reflected by the expressions of the dog on their covers, and together, the 7 albums create an emotional, transformative journey that begins with “feeling excitement” and ends with “feeling nothing.” Taxxon summed it up this way on her Bandcamp: “TECHDOG is a portrait of the strange and beautiful puppy that I lost in the storm, and the long process of regaining an affection for that part of myself which I can never get back. It's an album about not knowing what of myself remains. It's an album about me.”
Each album consists of 11 tracks, and the lengths of every track extend with each following album. On TECHDOG 1, the tracks are all about 2 minutes, then on the next album, 4, then 6, then 8, 10, and 12, and then we reach TECHDOG 7, where the track lengths range from 14 to 40 minutes. So, we started with an album under a half hour, and ended with an album over 4 hours. And of course, the music changes over the course of the albums as well, to reflect the feeling being explored on that album. The first three albums are generally bright and happy (“feeling excitement,” “feeling curiosity,” “feeling at ease”), and this is reflected in the fun, catchy glitch-pop/bubblegum bass-adjacent tunes found on these albums. TECHDOG 4 is still mostly this way (“feeling like myself”), but it is also when the series begins to depart from the carefree nature of the first 3 albums, and starts sliding into a more contemplative, mysterious mode. TECHDOG 5 and 6 are when things take a hard turn (“feeling fear,” “feeling pain”). These albums are truly alien, a bit frightening even. On these, Taxxon creates a unique brand of dark and glitchy progressive electronic, so meticulously chopped-and-screwed that it borders on noise. They’re incredibly compelling for how no two moments are quite alike, and for the palpable, mystifying tension they create.
Then we arrive at TECHDOG 7, “feeling nothing,” which except for the last track (the finale), is pure drone. The shift from the oppressiveness of 5 and 6 to the seeming utter emptiness of 7 is breathtaking. And this is where the series ends. From excitement to nothing. Might this be the journey we all must make? We go through our lives fighting to feel something, until one day, we simply accept our existence and start going about our tasks the same way a plant does. We are simply just here – every feeling we feel is created within us. “Feeling nothing” sounds scary to someone who hasn’t seen much of life, but to others who’ve been around longer, it probably sounds like something more akin to relief. | | 5 |  | Patricia Taxxon
TECHDOG 7
ambient/drone/reductionism/experimental electronic
If you were to listen to this album without hearing the previous 6 albums first, you’d probably be a bit confused, or if not confused, then just bored. It’s the journey of the entire series that makes this album such a monumental finale. You’re taken aback by the quick shift from glitch-noise to drone, which catches your attention. And then you start zoning out. This is some of the subtlest, most expansive drone I’ve ever heard. This album was given the “reductionism” tag on RYM, and honestly, that’s accurate. Each track is threaded by long silences, and Taxxon really pushes the limit as to how long a silence can last without affecting the momentum built by the few sounds that are there. It’s an album that truly makes you forget about time; it’s like you’re walking across a barren planet with no signs of life anywhere, and the only sounds besides your footsteps are the wind and the slow, gentle motion of the clouds. And then the last track appears. I don’t want to give too much away, but it departs from the drone of the rest of the album in favor of recalling other elements that helped make up the whole series, making for an extremely satisfying conclusion. What else can I say? TECHDOG 7 is the new textbook example of an epic finale, and TECHDOG as a whole is the new textbook example of an epic concept-series. To think all 7 of them came out in a single year is mind-boggling. | | 6 |  | SIR E.U
I Will Never Let You Go
experimental freestyled hip-hop
I first encountered freestyle rapper SIR E.U as a guest on ‘Plonk IX,’ a song from Huerco S.’s 2022 album Plonk. I was so swept away by the way that he raps; how coolly and cleverly he dodges every stereotype; his deceptively lackadaisical delivery and the cuttingly perceptive, almost free-associative nature of his lyrics, that once that album finished, I said to hell with the queue and immediately hopped over to SIR E.U’s page on Spotify. There, I found this album, and it became my main obsession for the next several months. This album was recorded in a studio normally used for podcasts, in the lobby of the LINE Hotel in Washington, D.C., where SIR E.U is from. And not only is SIR E.U freestyling for the album’s entire duration, but he’d never even heard these beats before. When you keep that in mind while listening, his performance elevates from what would already be a compellingly unique rap performance to something not even of this world. (And once I learned that he’s always freestyling, then I understood why he sounded like that on ‘Plonk IX.’)
This man has a true gift for letting his thoughts flow uninhibited, and an equally strong gift for being clever, deep-seeking and hilarious all at the same time while doing so. He seems to see each song as an opportunity to start from scratch; in every song, his verses and the parts that might be construed as ‘hooks’ are built by a different structure and a different cadence; it’s almost like he’s playing a new character on each song, though of course they’re all just facets of the multifaceted SIR E.U.
And the beats, as always when it comes to SIR E.U’s work, are on the very cutting edge of hip-hop production. I know that’s something you hear a lot, but I really mean it here. On other albums of his, which usually aren’t recorded live like this one was, they’re even more unconventional. He works with a number of different producers, most often Tooth Choir, but no matter who’s producing, his beats are always a strange, beguiling concoction of influences, employing electronic elements, incidental noise, intentionally overpowering effects, and obscure, astutely selected samples, among other odd and endearing quirks. The beats on this album, done by Jack Inslee and Wreck Tech, aren’t as dense and packed with detail as those on his other albums; here, they’re sleeker, more electronic-heavy, and contain more negative space within them, which suits the atmosphere of the live recording. SIR E.U’s vocals sound distant, while at the same time strangely contained. I’m not sure if that’s due to the mic used or how far SIR was standing from it, but either way, the fact that the beats are so open and sleek lets SIR’s performance shine despite the recording’s limitations; in fact even more so, because the limitations + the performance create a fresh, novel, and intriguingly ‘outsider’ kind of atmosphere the likes of which I’ve never heard on a hip-hop album before. There are even moments when you can hear passing cars outside and people in the lobby of the hotel, on the other side of the recording room, and these sounds are worked into the production. Despite this, the flow of the album’s narrative is never disrupted. The focus remains on SIR’s performance, and even while he’s going all over the place creatively, the songs are still kept tight and cogent, and any subtle details in the production are simply scenery. They add to the vibe even if you don’t know you’re hearing them; there and not there. Despite how short the album is (10 tracks, just over 20 minutes), it still feels like its own little world. A genius performer and a couple genius producers came together in a quite unlikely setting, and what came out was an unforgettable, utterly inimitable hip-hop experience. | | 7 |  | RXKNephew
Till I'm Dead
trap
To me, seeing an album like this this high on my year-end list is a sign of how far I’ve come in broadening my musical horizons over the last several years. It probably sticks out like a sore thumb among the other albums in the top 10. What should be considered though is that an album like this takes a very different approach from most other albums this high on the list. If we divide music into the two categories of “serious” and “fun,” this definitely leans more toward the latter, as opposed to almost every other album on this list. However, it doesn’t fit completely into either category, which is what makes it so interesting. If you’ve followed RXK Nephew at all in the past few years, you’re familiar with the absurd amount of material he’s put out and the absurdly steady rate at which he releases albums. He put out six albums in 2023 alone. And when you’ve heard several of his albums, it’s clear that he doesn’t put much deep thought into his work. His approach is very loose and spur-of-the-moment; it’s not quite freestyling, but it definitely doesn’t seem very “written” either. He gives the impression, with his words and his attitude, that he’d rather rely on the instinct he has in the moment than pore over a song for too long, at risk of the song coming out contrived and ingenuine. However, the lexicon of his subject matter is a bit limited. It’s usually typical trap stuff; he relies on his sense of humor, his unique sense of - or maybe disregard for - the zeitgeist, and his knack for left-field references to set him apart. So, when his lexicon largely never changes, and with the massive amount of material he’s put out, how does one tell which albums are that inspired? Because ‘Til I’m Dead immediately stood out to me as by far the most inspired thing he’s done since 2021’s Slitherman Activated, and there’s nine albums between the two.
If I were to try to answer that question, I’d say it’s because of how unabashedly far he takes his schtick here. It’s familiar subject matter, but here it really feels like he’s giving it his all, rather than just going through the motions. He’s always funny, but here he’s even funnier. He’s always clever, but here even more so. And he always brings a solid dose of energy, but here he gives a trap performance for the ages. The thing I like most about him as a performer is how unabashedly genuine he is and how self-assured he is of the way he sees the world, and while I haven’t heard every single album of his, this one is by far the most quintessential example of these traits out of the many I’ve heard. The production doesn’t hurt either; Nephew gives the impression that he’ll work with anyone willing to work with him, but he and Brainstorm seem to have a special kind of partnership, a la so many other famous rapper/producer partnerships. Brainstorm’s beats always seem a bit more suited for Nephew’s rapping style than other producers’. And this is by far the most eclectic offering I’ve heard from Brainstorm; all these beats are pure trap at the core, and yet they achieve a very shimmery, modern feel by subtly working in a number of different electronic influences (‘Critical,’ an album highlight, is basically a house-styled jam). It doesn’t sound like generic trap; it sounds much more akin to what you’d imagine the new generation of this music to sound like; novel and trend-setting. However, when this album is on, it’s Nephew that I’m paying the most attention to. The beats are sort of there-and-not-there; they provide interesting, twinkly backdrops to pique your interest, but they remain just that – backdrops- behind Nephew and the starkness of his performance.
I mentioned earlier that this album doesn’t fit neatly into either the “serious” or “fun” categories; that’s because Nephew doesn’t force himself into a box; he just is who he is. He might start a song with a joke, but before you know it, that could lead to a reflection on the violent nature of his upbringing and back again. He presents a sort of stream of consciousness that paints a rich, multilayered portrait of the lives of those with similar stories; images of the worst life has to offer delicately balanced out with humor. Not only is his wit and his I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-you-think attitude a blast to listen to, but I also find it empowering. He doesn’t let himself get distracted by petty drama; he keeps his eyes on the prize, which is his own self-actualization – which apparently, he’s already achieved at the ripe old age of 28-29: “‘Til I’m dead, I’ma talk my shit and I’ma stay the same.” Some might argue this album is just a junk buffet, the wasteful result of a performer with limited technical ability putting in too much effort. But that’s not what I hear. I hear a work of art, in the sense of art being pure self-expression. Nephew isn’t always posturing; many braggadocious claims of his are based on reality. He came from nothing, and all on his own (well, and with the help of Rx Papi), he built a following of hundreds of thousands of listeners, all without a record label. Other trappers present their success in a cockier light; like “Well, of course I’m successful. I’m awesome.” Whereas with Nephew, it’s more like you’re watching him discovering his own success and reacting to it in real time. Despite all his tough talk, there’s still obviously a very pure, fleshy center, a sense of beaming wonderment at how far he’s come from where he started. Listen to the genuine, starry-eyed glee in his voice in ‘Long Song,’ when he says “I’m boomin’, I’m bunkin’, my phone goin crazyyyyy!” It’s enough to make you start tearing up, and how common is that in the stale and hardened world of trap music? | | 8 |  | Taku Unami
bot box boxes
free improv/musique concrete
I don’t know how to describe this album other than: it’s three near-hour long suites of free improv made completely from cardboard boxes, and it’s somehow enthralling all the way through. A whole new musical language found in the unlikeliest of places and a black-diamond challenge of improvisational skill. | | 9 |  | Deathbed Tapes
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia... (Various Artists)
4.5s
harsh noise/harsh noise wall
Full title: Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia: The Fear of the Number of The Beast
This is easily one of the best harsh noise releases put out in the last several years. It’s a various artists compilation themed around Satanic cults and atrocities they’ve committed. It consists of 6 tracks by 6 different artists (among them harsh noise wall masters Vomir and Black Leather Jesus!) all exactly 6 minutes long, and they all absolutely reek of evil. In the endless sea of uninformed, half-baked, amateur Bandcamp noise, this release immediately stood out to me as how harsh noise is supposed to be made. Each track is so dingy and grimy they sound like they were recorded on cassette tape that was already recorded on a hundred times over. And each track has so many layers; so many buzzing demonic frequencies being twisted, mutilated and shat upon; one thinks this is what the collective noise of all the screams from the pits of Hell itself must sound like. The release really feels like a culty artifact; a document of things you’re not supposed to know left inconspicuously behind by the Devil himself. There are also samples of news reports speaking on the exploits of Satanic cults worked into the maelstrom, which adds another heaping dose of discomfort and fear to the already unsettling soundscape. Not for the faint of heart, but if you’re into this kind of thing, this is definitely for you. | | 10 |  | 7038634357
Neo Seven
ambient/ambient pop/noise
The one release from this artist I was familiar with before hearing this album was 2018’s No Hate is a Cold Star, which was more in a post/deconstructed club style. Apparently, he’s gone in more of an ambient direction since then, and this was my first encounter with it. It’s very hard to pin this album down, though. It has the overall effect of ambient, but the simple, catchy chord progressions, the ethereal tones, and the subtle, melodic vocals are still enough to remind one of a sort of electronic pop. Deceptively repetitive in that despite its leaning on certain chord progressions for long durations, each single note has such depth that it allows for slight variances between each repetition. The depth of each single note is something to behold; each track is time-stopping both in the beauty of their tones and in the assertiveness of their minimalism. That is, until the couple of sudden, rapturous noisy moments, which are equally time-stopping. An incredible release; unclassifiable, yet undeniably evocative. | | 11 |  | Trichomoniasis
Makeshift Crematoria
experimental brutal death metal/free death | | 12 |  | The Humble Bee
Lichen Cloak on a White Stone
ambient | | 13 |  | Andy Guthrie
Blemished
field recordings/singer-songwriter
A blend of some of the most intimate and affecting singer-songwriter music I’ve ever heard with field recordings made in the places that inspired the songs. A whole new kind of folk experience; a walk through a place, then a song begins. Guthrie’s performance is so strikingly intimate; so hushed, yet so loud; other various electroacoustic sounds around it further exposing the sorrowful emptiness of the environment around them. As transporting as it is tear-jerking; utterly unique. | | 14 |  | Graham Lambkin and James Rushford
Gondolas
musique concrete/field recordings/pianos n synths | | 15 |  | Marek Pospieszalski
No Other End of the World Will There Be
avant-garde jazz/modern creative
Classical works by female Polish composers reimagined as avant-garde jazz. | | 16 |  | Billy Woods and Kenny Segal
Maps
experimental hip-hop
I have a review of this album in the works. So instead of going into a lot of depth, I’ll leave you with the (current) last paragraph of that review:
Thankfully, the album never veers too far off its path, or should I say, its trajectory. Nothing is distracting enough to take you out of the picture completely, and the picture is completed in the end, resulting in what is overall a brilliant work of art and in my view, one of the most important hip-hop albums of the new millennium. I’ll let you hear the last song for yourself instead of quoting, but I’ll say this: the picture painted in the end is one of a man not emboldened by success but worn down by it. A lingering guilt, a relief in coming home, an admission of forfeit. A sobering sign of where we are now. I’ll quote the essence with a different song, “Agriculture:”
“It’s land on either side of the car.
It’s places no one knows who you are.
It’s faces we never wore, people we couldn’t be before.
There’s still things we never saw, but I don’t wanna see more.
I let the dog out the screen door.” | | 17 |  | Maruja
Knocknarea
post-rock/art rock/post-punk/art punk
The sound of a revolutionary parade emerging from the ashes of a war zone. The vitriol of a rebel expressed with the precision of a warrior. A saxophone woven into post-punk/art-punk that actually feels like it belongs- hell, not only that, it's the star of the show a lot of times. Fresh, epic, cerebral, triumphant, one of the best debuts I've heard in years. | | 18 |  | SEAR (US)
Grief In V Stages
blackened hardcore/skramz
A show-stopping blend of hardcore and skramz with a blackened tinge. As beautifully atmospheric as it is starkly bleak. A 15 minute burst of elegant vitriol that will leave you winded. | | 19 |  | Graham Lambkin
Aphorisms
musique concrete/sound collage/field recordings | | 20 |  | Jeph Jerman and Ted Byrnes
Passenger
free improv/musique concrete | | 21 |  | Nondi_
Flood City Trax
footwork/ambient/juke | | 22 |  | Nithing
Agonal Hymns
experimental brutal death metal | | 23 |  | X or Size
Aether Ore
ambient dub | | 24 |  | Gabi Losoncy
Lieutenant
EAI/free improv | | 25 |  | Patricia Taxxon
TECHDOG 6
glitch/IDM/experimental electronic/noise
See entry #4 | | 26 |  | Patricia Taxxon
TECHDOG 5
glitch/IDM/experimental electronic/noise
See entry #4 | | 27 |  | Kraus
Anything Else
shoegaze
The best nighttime gaze I've ever heard. | | 28 |  | Various Artists
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Encenathrakh
experimental brutal death metal/free death
Encenathrakh are often considered the pioneers of the "free death" movement. "Free death" is essentially brutal death metal, but played more like free jazz - sometimes completely improvised, This album is a bunch of free death bands covering Encenathrakh songs. Of course, recognizing an Encenathrakh song by someone else playing it would be a feat. But if you were to compare these covers to their originals, you would be able to recognize them. And on top of that, each band's interpretation of their covers are so distinct from all the rest. These original songs were already so completely unhinged; hearing even crazier bands filter them through their respective oddities not only makes the originals more insane, but it also reveals the the structure that remains of the original composition. So there is some method to the madness after all! | | 29 |  | Trha
av◊ëlajnt◊ë£ hinnem nihre
experimental lo-fi black metal/ambient black metal | | 30 |  | Trha
lhum'ad'sejja
experimental lo-fi black metal/ambient black metal | | 31 |  | Trha
§ºanωë Aglivajsamë Cá Nëlh¶iha
experimental lo-fi black metal/ambient black metal | | 32 |  | Liturgy
93696
experimental black metal | | 33 |  | Jeromes Dream
The Gray In Between
skramz
Classic skramz band goes through a weird post-punk phase, disappears, then comes back years later with their old skramz sound, only this time 10x more lucid and refined. One of the best comebacks ever. | | 34 |  | Dario Zenker
Reflection
ambient techno/broken beat/dub techno | | 35 |  | Cognizant
Inexorable Nature of Adversity
grind/deathgrind
Top 10 grind album of all time. Literally what it would sound like if Ulcerate played grind. | | 36 |  | Sa Pa
Atmospheric Fragments
4s
ambient/ambient dub/field recordings | | 37 |  | Joe Colley
Pleasure Pressure
noise/power electronics | | 38 |  | Taku Sugimoto
Falls
onkyo/field recordings | | 39 |  | Chuquimamani-Condori
DJ E
epic collage/Latin electronic/indigenous Andean music | | 40 |  | Skee Mask
ISS009
breakbeat/techno | | 41 |  | Tara Clerkin Trio
On the Turning Ground
ambient pop/ECM style jazz/chamber folk | | 42 |  | Gorgeous Children
Trench Connection
trap/cloud rap | | 43 |  | Trance Map+
Etching the Ether
EAI (plus saxophone and trumpet) | | 44 |  | Tokinogake Collective
Time Series Processing 1 (Various Artists)
experimental electronic/electroacoustic/glitch/noise/”extreme computer music” | | 45 |  | Tokinogake Collective
Time Series Processing 2 (Various Artists)
experimental electronic/electroacoustic/glitch/noise/”extreme computer music” | | 46 |  | John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy
Evenings at the Village Gate
post-bop/avant-garde jazz
A live album by these two jazz masters recorded in 1961 that had been hiding in the archives until just last year when it was discovered. The fact that it had been hiding for so long despite its undeniable quality is shocking. Makes you wonder what other gems are out there waiting to be found. Full story here: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2023/07/28/how-pair-unreleased-john-coltrane-tapes-surfaced-nypl | | 47 |  | Arthur Russell
Picture of Bunny Rabbit
avant-folk/ambient pop/post-minimalism
A similar case of unreleased recordings discovered and released posthumously. I tend to be a bit skeptical of releases like these - there's always the possibility that it's just an empty cash grab - but that is definitely not the case here. These tracks definitely reflect Russell's most inspired period, and they stand alone in their own ways as well. Interesting he never released them himself considering how good they are. Essential for Russell fans and highly recommend to all who are into this kind of music. | | 48 |  | Serration
Simulations of Hell
metalcore
A very short, but nonetheless devastating metalcore record, as catchy as it is nasty. Like Rolo Tomassi but even heavier. Highly recommended to all (real) metalcore fans. | | 49 |  | Abhorrent A.D.
Life is Fucking Stupendous! (Various Artists)
harsh noise | | 50 |  | ostraca
Disaster
skramz/post-metal/post-rock | | 51 |  | Trha
Rhejde Qhaominvac Tla Aglhaonamëc
experimental lo-fi black metal/ambient black metal | | 52 |  | Philip Jeck and Chris Watson
Oxmardyke
field recordings/musique concrete | | 53 |  | Surgeon
Crash Recoil
industrial techno/acid techno | | 54 |  | Relay Tapes
Debris
shoegaze/dream pop/alt rock
Absolutely delicious nighttimey shoegaze. The production is crisp enough to hear all the details without sounding too clean. And the melodies are beautiful without drawing too much attention away from the overall ethereal effect. Highly recommended for all fans of these styles. Definitely a band to keep your eye on. | | 55 |  | Patricia Taxxon
TECHDOG 3
experimental electronic/glitch/IDM/bubblegum bass | | 56 |  | Aoki Takamasa
SOUNDS for IDVSBL_SBSTC
minimal techno/microhouse/ambient | | 57 |  | Susanne Sundfor
Blomí
singer-songwriter/chamber folk/art pop | | 58 |  | Fabricant
Drudge To The Thicket
death metal | | 59 |  | Arnaut Pavle
Transylvanian Glare
black metal/blackened crust | | 60 |  | Octi and Wintercastle
Superstardom
bop/Chicago drill
Like doing a line of coke after popping 2 beans and downing several shots of vodka. Somehow balances a sugary sweetness with unabashed hedonism. The production is endearingly messy; akin to the feeling of being at an overcrowded party, on way too many drugs at once, feeling the myriad of sensations inside you and around you collide into one giant puddle of mindless euphoria. Despite the messiness though, it still sounds so slick and shimmery you can't help but be whisked away. Best enjoyed turned/turnt the fuck up! | | 61 |  | Crusty Old Toad
King Cryptid
melodic black metal/comedy | | 62 |  | Nana Horisaki on the Ridge
ただの動き Mere Motion
math rock/post-rock/folk | | 63 |  | Trha
alëce iΩic
experimental lo-fi black metal/ambient black metal | | 64 |  | Titanic (MEX)
Vidrio
chamber jazz/art pop/post-minimalism | | 65 |  | DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ
Destiny
house/plunderphonics/dance-pop | | 66 |  | Sulfuric Cautery
Suffocating Feats of Dehumanization
goregrind | | 67 |  | So Long… Partner
...and you're just an amber speck of grain
skramz/folk punk/bluegrass | | 68 |  | Molested Divinity
The Primordial
brutal death metal | | 69 |  | Molly Tuttle
City of Gold
bluegrass/americana | | 70 |  | Panopticon
The Rime of Memory
atmospheric black metal/post-rock/folk | | 71 |  | Urug
Urug
harsh noise | | 72 |  | Green Tea
Snowblower
3.5s
harsh noise/ambient/”psychedelic harsh noise” | | 73 |  | Living Room (USA-OH)
Shitting Gold
noisecore | | 74 |  | The Fun Years
Realness Converts
chillout/ambient/idm | | 75 |  | Gia Margaret
Romantic Piano
ambient/impressionism/new age | | 76 |  | Stella Research Committee
Killed Alive
no wave/noise rock | | 77 |  | Purelink
Signs
ambient dub/downtempo/ambient techno | | 78 |  | Abby Lee Tee and Philip Sulidae
Troca Iônica
EAI/field recordings | | 79 |  | Inarticulate
Perspective Manipulator
harsh noise | | 80 |  | Sofia Kourtesis
Madres
Latin house/Latin electronic | | 81 |  | Slow Transits
Trans-Atlantic Test Flight
post-punk/electronic | | 82 |  | Commuter (USA-OR)
No Longer Penitent
harsh noise/field recordings
The follow-up to his first album, Inner SE Industrial. Both are harsh noise albums combined with field recordings made in the South East Industrial District of Portland, Oregon. The recordings are meant to convey the bleakness and overall destitution of this area; homelessness, drug abuse, dilapidated infrastructure, etc., and the creepy, haunting nature of these recordings suit the surrounding blasts of harsh noise perfectly. I think I may slightly prefer Inner SE Industrial - that one seemed a bit more potent to me - but this still delivers and then some when you're in the mood for something like this. | | 83 |  | Thin
Dusk
mathcore/grind/emoviolence | | 84 |  | Anita Velveeta
NOW THATS WHAT I CALL NIGHTCORE
mashup/nightcore
Hilarious mashup mayhem made up of 2000s singles sure to evoke some heavy nostalgia from any unsuspecting millennial/zillennial. Did you ever wonder what Soulja Boy would sound like going into a sped-up Staind? Well now you know. To quote a fellow user's soundoff: "Revealing my age but I would absolutely lose my mind at this house party." Haha same! | | 85 |  | Kassa Overall
ANIMALS
jazz rap/nu-jazz/neo-soul/experimental hip-hop | | 86 |  | August Traeger and Chefkirk
Works of Sound
musique concrete/”skonk”/”technoid noise” | | 87 |  | Yannick Dauby
Alang Skadang, Summertime
field recordings | | 88 |  | The Motifs
I'm the one you love...
twee pop/indie folk | | 89 |  | Full of Hell and Nothing
When No Birds Sang
atmospheric sludge metal/shoegaze/”doomgaze” | | 90 |  | Cody Brant and Carl Kruger
Taunted Who Snot
musique concrete/tape music/”skonk” | | 91 |  | Yara Asmar
synth waltzes and accordion laments
ambient/electroacoustic/modern classical | | 92 |  | Maria BC
Spike Field
psychedelic folk/singer-songwriter | | 93 |  | bar italia
Tracey Denim
indie rock | | 94 |  | NHOMME
種の過音
skramz/math rock | | 95 |  | Patricia Taxxon
TECHDOG 2
glitch pop/IDM/deconstructed club | | 96 |  | III
.076
ambient harsh noise | | 97 |  | Xiao
Burn
hardcore/fastcore/powerviolence | | 98 |  | Rollercoaster
Rollercoaster
field recordings/ambient noise
This album is made completely of recordings of the sounds of rollercoasters. The sounds are recognizable at first, but eventually blend together into something new; a sound more akin to ambient noise than a field recording. Very unique and interesting stuff. | | 99 |  | Yungwebster
Yungwebster
cloud rap/ambient rap/experimental hip-hop | | 100 |  | hand model
Will Life Reign Supreme Even in Death
post-industrial/glitch hop | | 101 |  | park zero
The Burning Sky as Our Campfire
power noise/post-industrial/breakbeat | | 102 |  | Sen Morimoto
Diagnosis
Honorable Mentions
neo-soul/indie pop/hip-hop | | 103 |  | Hannah Diamond
Perfect Picture
electropop/bubblegum bass | | 104 |  | Fossilization
Leprous Daylight
death metal/doom metal | | 105 |  | Octi
2Famous Mansion 2
bop/Chicago drill | | 106 |  | Laurel Halo
Atlas
ambient/modern classical/third stream | | 107 |  | Trichomoniasis
Harvest of the Killing Fields
experimental brutal death metal/free death | | 108 |  | Dead and Dripping
Blackened Cerebral Rifts
brutal death metal | | 109 |  | G Jones
Paths
hybrid trap/future bass/wonky | | 110 |  | Menstrual Vampires
Menstrual Vampires
brutal death metal | | 111 |  | if i promise
On Departure
ambient | |
zakalwe
04.21.24 | We all feel like that (23) when we are busting for a piss love | myri14
04.21.24 | ^ Too true. Nice sprinkling of styles here! Looks like you had a pretty noisy year filled with intense thoughtful stuff. Good to see! | cylinder
04.21.24 | descriptions coming soon | Hawks
04.21.24 | Sickkk. | cylinder
04.21.24 | more descriptions to come. lol the ones here are basically reviews | Winesburgohio
04.21.24 | fuck yesssssssssssssssss. been waiting for this!!! | cylinder
04.22.24 | woooo!! thanks for the feature!!
yeah this has been in the works for a while. i might add a few more short descriptions later but i think this is good for now | Winesburgohio
04.22.24 | really on-point analysis of 1, captures the many ways in which it succeeds. so good | lols
04.22.24 | ngl rx nephew ain’t been good since like 22 | Winesburgohio
04.22.24 | what did u think of the new(ish) 703 tho | GiaNXGX
04.22.24 | Czeching dat trance map tks | brainmelter
04.22.24 | ayoo finally! I had no idea 35 was a thing, their 2016 release goes hard. worthy feature, going to check out 1 and 4 :) | SmurkinGherkin
04.22.24 | biggup Sophia kourtesis loved that release | cylinder
04.22.24 | @Wines
thank you! that means a lot, cuz that album was so hard to describe. and the only 703 releases i've heard are No Hate and Neo Seven, i should def check the rest tho. are those other recent ones in more of an ambient vein as well? | AsleepInTheBack
04.23.24 | Literally turn some of these into reviews you’ve done most of the work get some threads set up | Demon of the Fall
04.23.24 | This is a ridiculous effort (in a good way)
I'm very confused by its content, just congratulating you for a job well done! I would promise to check stuff, but I'm overwhelmed! | lols
04.23.24 | “ what did u think of the new(ish) 703 tho”
tickles the proverbial itch but I miss the post-trance/decon club era
no hate and sugar armor forever til I die | cylinder
04.23.24 | @Asleep
I really should! All I'd have to do is make some minor edits to the sentences referring to the list haha
@Demon
Thanks for the congrats, man! There was def a lot of planning and brain-wracking writing involved in this. Take your time, it'll always be here! I'm sure there's more than a few things here you'd be interested in - and maybe some good introductions to styles you're not familiar with yet! | AsleepInTheBack
04.23.24 | Also intrigued by 4, seen to do the rounds on rym electronics charts. Is best place to listen Bandcamp? | cylinder
04.23.24 | yeah, Bandcamp's the easiest i think. | cylinder
04.23.24 | insane that she put up the whole 7-album compilation for name-your-price | Winesburgohio
04.23.24 | @cylinder v. welcome, i was so pleased to see it at #1! try "Electric" for something in the same vein, although Neo Seven is definitely its own thing | lols
04.24.24 | did u catch the new dj nj drone the end of last year?
a tru banger of a tape | lols
04.24.24 | https://mindclub.bandcamp.com/album/you-will-burn-once | cylinder
04.24.24 | i didn't, this is dope tho |
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