AngelofDeath
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Last Active 05-11-22 11:58 am
Joined 09-17-08

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Angel Picks Fifty

Ah, feels nice to be back. In honor of my return from my forced hiatus, I've taken the liberty of picking fifty albums from my library that span a wide variety of genres to share with all of you. Hope you actually take the time to look into at least some of this stuff.
1Paysage d'Hiver/Lunar Aurora
Split

One of my favorite black metal splits from two great artists in the ambient and atmospheric department. If you like either of these guys (or black metal in general), get on this shit pronto.
2Mimosa
Hostilis

Some pretty chill dubstep.
3Laura Marling
Alas, I Cannot Swim

I had a girl introduce me to this lovely lady, and for that I'm eternally grateful. Think female Nick Drake plus female Bon Iver.
4Boris
Vein (Hardcore Version)

Leave it to Boris to fuck with people by releasing two different albums under the same name. "What? Your copy doesn?t have screaming?" Here we're treated to some really awesome hardcore/noisecore and crust with a bit of drone. The 2.7 average rating on here is inexcusable.
5The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Jazz Impressions of Japan

One of the very finest jazz ensembles plays oriental-tinged jazz that's really damn good.
6Florence and the Machine
Lungs

This is one of those few instances in which an artist gets the attention and acclaim that he or she deserves. Take Adele's soulful voice (only much better) and pair it with Kate Bush's unique songwriting and delivery. Absolutely phenomenal record. And seeing her live Friday solidified my hopes of the new album.
7Nostromo
Ecce Lex

Pretty solid metalcore out of Switzerland.
8 Edvard Grieg
Peery Gynt

Chances are that you?ve actually heard at least part of this via old Looney Tunes episodes or other television or movie outlets. Very beautiful and evocative piece.
9Ceremonium
Into the Autumn Shade

Probably one of the best death doom albums there is. Just a really gripping album from start to finish.
10Citizens Arrest
A Light in the Darkness

Friends don't let friends listen to gay hardcore (as many of you here are guilty of). This is how its done.
11Leftfield
Leftism

A progressive house masterpiece.
12Doom Formation
Definition of Evil

Hey, guess what. You need to check out this awesome death metal demo before I skull-fuck you.
13Low
I Could Live in Hope

Of all the great alternative and indie stuff to come out of the early and mid '90s, this is one of the most powerful and hard-hitting. The simplistic, melancholic drone and earnest vocals create an atmosphere worth getting lost in.
14Troum
Objectlessness

One of the very best ambient artists around, Troum's stuff can range from dark and droning to cinematic and beautiful.
15God
Possession

Such a unique band. God blends industrial, free-jazz, and hardcore seamlessly into one of the most forward-thinking albums of the early '90s.
16 Gantz
Les jours se suivent et ne se ressemblent

I?m not very well-versed in the arena of screamo, but its seems to me as if the French were born to play this stuff. Truly beautiful album.
17Morcheeba
Big Calm

While this may not be Endtroducing, Dummy, or Mezzanine, this is another great album to put in your trip-hop rotation.
18Ganon
As Above, So Below

There doesn't seem to be many bands that can succesfully build on the post-metal foundations already brilliantly laid by Neurosis. This too lacks some originality, but it is pretty well executed and an enjoyable listen for fans of the genre.
19The Congos
Heart of the Congos

I honestly don't know much reggae outside of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, but this is a really great record that's just as much a classic as their stuff.
20Robert Rich & B. Lustmord
Stalker

Beautifully eerie and mesmerizing, this a fantastic dark ambient collaboration one would expect from two titans of the genre.
21Cripple Bastards
Desperately Insensitive

Some great Italian grind to punch you in the sack.
22La Casa Fantom
Ingen Ny Dag

Really, really good post-hardcore out of Norway. It's time someone besides me, alachlahol, and Pit listened to this.
23Crow
Bloody Tear

Some crust from Japan that should be melodic enough for most people to get into. Rules pretty hard.
24Tsuneo Imahori
Trigun: The First Donuts

They've put some great music in anime over the years from The Seatbelts' marvelous jazz contributions to Cowboy Bebop to Nujabes' hip-hop stylings in Samurai Champloo. This just takes the cake for me, though. Or donuts, should I say? The range and diversity throughout this collection is absolutely mind-blowing. Spanning from Western guitar plucking to industrial to simple arrangements of piano and flute, any mood, emotion, or imagery can be evoked at the change of a track. Truly powerful stuff that I urge everyone to give a spin, fans of anime or not.
25 Truly
Fast Stories... from Coma Kid

A grunge classic. If you like Mudhoney and Screaming Trees and all that good stuff, do yourself a favor and pick this up.
26Johnny Winter
Second Winter

Early blues rock at its finest. Mr. Winter puts on a slide guitar shredding clinic with his most consistent release and, like Hendrix, outdoes Dylan at one of his own with "Highway 61 Revisited".
27Prince
Parade

One of my absolute favorite artists, Prince really redefined what pop music can be and pushed the envelope with groundbreaking fusions of various genres. This is one of his strongest efforts with a consistent collection of tracks like the heartbreaking "Sometimes It Snows in April" to one of my all-time favorites, "Kiss".
28Bark Psychosis
Hex

One of the great early post-rock albums that helped define the genre. The haunting "Pendulum Man" has to be one of the most epic songs in post-rock.
29Juno Reactor
Shango

This is a really tight trance album with a bit of a dark and gritty edge that sets it apart as one of my favorites.
30Pale Saints
In Ribbons

There seem to be enough people that like shoegaze on here, but it still seems like all I hear about are My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. This band is basically one of the genre?s originators and could use a bit more love. In Ribbons may not quite be of the caliber of Loveless and Souvlaki, but it?s very, very good nonetheless.
31Breach
Venom

This is a great combination of melodic post-hardcore and post-metal. Seeing as how loved both genres are around these parts, some of you are bound to really love this.
32Ash Ra Tempel
Ash Ra Tempel

Whether you call this krautrock, space rock, psychedelic, or drone, one thing's for sure: this is awesome and way ahead of its time.
33Kazumoto Endo
While You Were Out

Why do the Japanese make the best noise?
34The Exploding Hearts
Guitar Romantic

Modern pop punk that unabashedly channels its influences and harkens back to the golden age of classic punk.
35Popol Vuh
Hosianna Mantra

I feel like I whore this band out a lot, and it doesn't really do any good. They've covered an immense amount of sonic territory incorporating various forms of prog, krautrock, ambient, and world and religious music. Anyone even remotely interested in ambient needs to give this album a go. Just breathtaking.
36 Barn Owl
Conjurer

Really good psychedelic folk drone. Basically, if you like Natural Snow Buildings or Six Organs of Admittance, you'll totally dig this. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, commence to checking out all three bands immediately.
37Alphataurus
Dietro l'Uragano

Old-school Italian prog that is basically as epic as the album cover suggests.
38 Deathrow
Deception Ignored

A lesser known thrash gem out of Germany that completely slays.
39Soundtrack
Metroid Prime & Fusion: Original Soundtracks

If you like electronic music at all, this is a must-hear. This is music that not only perfectly matches the game for which it was made but also makes for an absolutely enveloping listening experience on its own. Easily a top-five video game soundtrack.
40Nucleus Torn
Nihil

Beautiful European neofolk with a just a dash of progressive metal. The male and female vocals are quite superb. Seriously, this is, like, really good. Get it now.
41Dusty Springfield
Dusty in Memphis

This album blows my mind. I believe it's pretty much all covers, but the killer soulful vocals and smart arrangements make them the best versions you'll hear anywhere. You might actually be familiar with the "Son of a Preacher Man" cover from Pulp Fiction. This is soul, R&B, pop, and other genres all wrapped up in one great package.
42Vintersorg
Odemarkens Son

Haven't seen this band brought up in ages. Awesome folk metal for those that don't know. This is probably their most consistent release. Really, the only thing I have against it is that it doesn't have "Till Fjalls".
43Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf
Big Shots

Great laid-back old-school hip-hop. Yeah, hyphens.
44Tim Hardin
Suite for Susan Moore and Damion

Blues and folk seamlessly fused together.
45Nature and Organisation
Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude

It shouldn't really come as a surprise that this rules, given the people involved with the project (members of Current 93, Death in June, and Nurse with Wound). Just like one would expect being familiar with those other bands, what we have here is winding, experimental neofolk with just a touch of industrial.
46 Edith Piaf


Easily one of the greatest voices of the twentieth century.
47Otesanek
Otesanek

Hard-hitting sludge out of Philly. I think this is the only full-length they put out before splitting up. Also check out the split they did with Coffins. Pretty good stuff.
48Nils Frahm
Wintermusik

There's about a million pianists out there trying to sell albums, but this guy is the real deal. Nils is both a gifted pianist and composer and has a unique emotive style.
49The Residents
Duck Stab

This is probably one of the crazier early post-punk bands. Perhaps it's why I regard them among the best.
50Rush
Caress of Steel

Do I really need to explain why this is awesome?
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