Syd Matters – A Whisper And A Sigh (3rd Side/Because, 2003)

Spektrum – Enter the Spektrum (Playhouse, 2004)

Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic, 2004)

April 5, 2004 by A.S. Van Dorston

With the great but criminally underheard Rob and Benjamin Biolay, France is likely harboring many more musical talents. The debut of Syd Matters affirms this. Those who miss the Eels before Mr. E. tried to become a tough rocker and Grandaddy before they became insipid, A Whisper And A Sigh should satisfy those cravings. This is ornate American-style psychedelia with generous dollops of keyboards, xylophones and the sort of whimsical electronic effects that could accompany a soundtrack to a Tim Burton production of Alice In Wonderland (hint hint, Mr. Burton). “Bones” and “End And Start Again” are particularly enchanting meetings of surreal imagery and magical sounds. Elsewhere, extended instrumental passages lean too much towards soundtrack atmosphere rather than captivating songs with wider melodic range. But beautiful moments like the delicately haunting conclusion to “Morpheus” makes up for the occasional lapse in clarity. Is France under some sort of quarantine? Why don’t these artists come out and play? We’ll gladly kick the Francophobes out of office if they’ll come.

Posted in: Bandcamp, New Album(s) of the Week, Reviews

Tagged: A Whisper and a Sigh, folktronica, indie folk, indie pop, psych folk, Syd Matters

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Starsailors of Uncharted Seas: The Sound & Adrian

Starsailors of Uncharted Seas: The Sound & Adrian Borland
Revisiting my favorite post-punk band to never make the UK charts, and the new book by Simon Heavisides, Destiny Stopped Screaming on Adrian Borland & The Sound
When I wrote about the Renascent reissues of The Sound albums in 2005, I said they were the most unfairly ignored post-punk band of all time. Renascent was the first label to ever issue the albums on CD, a good fifteen years after most other bands. Since then, however, things have gradually changed. UK magazines featured them, and word of mouth spread via blogs and fan sites. Crowd sourced music curating/rating site Rate Your Music has Jeopardy at #12 for 1980 and From the Lions Mouth #13 for 1981, the sort of hindsight adjustment that feels satisfyingly just for albums that never even touched the UK charts when they were released. Even The Comsat Angels, who had shared a lot of parallel challenges in their career, reached #51 with their second album, Sleep No More (1981), and their next two, Fiction (1982) and Land (1983), broke the top 100. Most of their contemporaries made the top 100, whereas The Sound had a handful of champions in critics awarding five star reviews, and a fervent fanbase throughout Europe, particularly the Netherlands. Edsel’s two boxed sets did end up both reaching #17 in the UK charts in 2014 and 15. In 2016, director Mark Waltman released the documentary Walking in the Opposite Direction.

https://fastnbulbous.com/starsailors-of-uncharted-seas-the-sound-adrian-borland/

Favorite Bands of All Time: Addendum Two bands sta

Favorite Bands of All Time: Addendum
Two bands stand out as ones that I felt would be my favorites, if only I could just hear them. I discovered The Comsat Angels and The Sound around 1983 in The Trouser Press Record Guide, but couldn’t find their albums for nearly five years, when I got used vinyl copies and played them heavily on my post-punk college radio show. The band was always highly regarded, with Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover one of the more passionate advocates, but they seemed to be destined to be forgotten until Renascent finally reissued them on CD for the first time in the 00s. BBC film critic Mark Kermode, in reviewing Control (2007), the biopic on Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, said the Comsats were “the band that Joy Division should have been.” Maybe for those first three albums. Land (1983) and 7 Day Weekend (1985) were their attempts at commercial success. They weren’t bad, but ironically mainstream pop star Robert Palmer, at the peak of his popularity, was a superfan and got them on Island for Chasing Shadows (1986), a return to their beautifully dark, existential post-punk. They also had a great third act in the 90s, and again were ignored when they should have been given a hero’s reception.

#thecomsatangels #comsatangels

https://fastnbulbous.com/favorite-bands-of-all-time/

Favorite Bands of All Time: Addendum Also the reci

Favorite Bands of All Time: Addendum
Also the recipient of reissues by Renascent in the 00s, The Sound got a bit more belated attention thanks to a rabid fanbase in the Netherlands, the documentary Walking in the Opposite Direction on Adrian Borland, who took his own life in 1999, tributes on YouTube, and most recently the biography, Destiny Stopped Screaming: The Life and Times of Adrian Borland by Simon Heavisides (2023). Now the first three albums are getting reissued for the third time by Rhino in September. In recent years, a lot of people are rating their mid-80s albums over the first three. I wouldn't go that far, but it's good to see their greatness recognized.

https://fastnbulbous.com/favorite-bands-of-all-time/

Favorite Bands of All Time: Addendum If I’m trul

Favorite Bands of All Time: Addendum
If I’m truly honest with myself, some of the bands that bring me the most joy may not have the most perfect of extended catalogs, but they do matter more to me than more widely known bands. Hence moving up The Comsat Angels, The Sound and The Chameleons. After three colossal albums that didn’t sell a bunch but were a big influence, their reunion albums are more ordinary. But that can’t take away my excitement when I get a rare chance to see Mark Burgess and whoever is backing him up live.

https://fastnbulbous.com/favorite-bands-of-all-time/

Summer Albums, Chronological Order, Part Four The

Summer Albums, Chronological Order, Part Three X

Summer Albums, Chronological Order, Part Three

X – Los Angeles (Slash, 1980)
Thirteen years after The Doors ruled the Sunset Strip, punk was marauding the streets of L.A. The best of the batch were X, and Ray Manzarek recognized this, passing the torch by producing and contributing organ and keyboards, where they also do a lively cover of "Soul Kitchen."

Soundtrack - Dance Craze: The Best of British Ska...Live! (2 Tone, 1981)
The 2 Tone ska revival in the UK was the first and best wave, because pretty much every single band involved were brilliant and had original spins on the genre to the point where none of it was really ska, but it was inspired by it. The live Dance Craze soundtrack to the movie is as good as anyplace to start that have most of the bands, especially for the inclusion of Bad Manners' "Lip Up Fatty" and "Inner London Violence." Also essential are the following albums:

This Are Two Tone (2 Tone, 1983)
The Selecter – Too Much Pressure (Chrysalis, 1980)
The Specials – The Specials (Chrysalis, 1979)
English Beat – I Just Can't Stop It (Sire, 1980)

Agent Orange – Living In Darkness (Posh Boy, 1981)
Surf punks are go! Bringing in a hardcore punk edge, Agent Orange actually became an important band for another sport created by surfers who wanted to glide on a board on land -- skateboarding, as well as BMX biking to an extent. A cover of Dick Dale's "Miserlou," was their statement of purpose. Actually Dale just rearranged the song that was popular with Arabic, Greek and Klezmer musicians in the 1920s. The band didn't release another album until five years later, with the underrated psychedelic post-punk This is the Voice (1986).

The Go-Go's – Beauty & the Beat (IRS, 1981)
"We Got the Beat" ruled the airwaves in 1981 a sort of surfy new wave/punk hybrid of "Wipeout" and "Louie Louie" in it's perfect simplicity.

Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club (Island, 1981)
On a break from Talking Heads, rhythm section Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth accidentally achieved way more success than their main band ever did with the hit singles from these joyful Compass Point sessions.

Men At Work – Business As Usual

Summer Albums, Chronological Order, Part Two Justi

Summer Albums, Chronological Order, Part Two
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Jezebel (Island, 1976)
One of the most underrated reggae albums ever, from the greatest year for reggae, this is my favorite. There's just a sweet soulfulness that exudes sunshine on this album.
Blondie – Blondie (Chrysalis, 1976)
Blondie's debut is kind of underrated. Because of how overplayed later singles are, this one sounds more fresh to me, invoking summer fun via Brill Building girl group pop and surf rock. It takes the pop culture trash left behind by New York Dolls' Too Much Too Soon (1974) and The Dictators' Go Girl Crazy (1975) and make something new (wave) out of it.
Third World – 96 Degrees in the Shade (Mango, 1977)
Engineered by the great Sylvan Morris, this is one of the best sounding reggae albums of that era, with some of the best musicians. With their crossover with soul, pop and some jazzy chops, they're like a Jamaican Steely Dan. The albums evokes both smooth, relaxing sounds, and sweltering summer heat.
Starting with their self-titled debut in 1976 through their third album, Journey To Addis (1978), Third World incorporate a more polished production with infusions of blues, soul, rock and funk. Not unlike Toots and Marley really, but just taking it in a jazzier direction along the lines of Steely Dan. Keyboardist Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper and guitarist Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore are classical musicians who formed Inner Circle in 1968, and left to form Third World in 1973. While the debut was really good, things really click on the second album when vocalist William ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clark joins the band fresh off a solo album produced by Lee Perry. And of course, Sylvan Morris lent a hand on the board. Cat Coore’s guitar lines and the smooth but agile musicianship is infinitely listenable. Considered by some as not ghetto enough, and therefore inauthentic that is such a steaming pile of bullshit. There’s room for diversity within reggae, and Third World were top tier musicians who pushed the limits of expectations and inspired other bands like Steel Pulse, Zap Pow and Aswad. I wish there were even more Third World acolytes.
Radio Birdman – Radios Appear

Orange Goblin - Science, Not Fiction (Peaceville)

Orange Goblin - Science, Not Fiction (Peaceville)
The spawn of Lemmy have been doing well. Among the sons of Motörhead, Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Matt Pike and now Ben Ward have all released some of their best work this year with The Obsessed, High On Fire and Orange Goblin. It's not just the gargling-with-nails vocals that link them, but the steadfast pursuit of a singular vision of gritty hard rock. Some (like Ward) call it heavy metal, others biker or stoner metal, and Lemmy preferred just rock 'n' roll. Whatever you call it, Orange Goblin have managed to release their tenth album, 30 years into their career, at the peak of their powers, just like Motörhead did with Inferno (2004). It's all thanks to deceptively intelligent, clever lyrics, killer riffs and an inexhaustible work ethic to perform and sound the best they possibly can. It's early days to say how this ranks with the rest of the catalog, but while their last album, The Wolf Bites Back (2018) has recently grown on me, this feels like a progression from that.

https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/science-not-fiction

The Volcanics - Volatile World (Ghost Highway) The

The Volcanics - Volatile World (Ghost Highway)
The surprise release of The Volcanics' sixth album is a fortuitous coincidence as I had just gotten their previous album, Black Door (2019) a couple days before, as I'd totally missed it. Since I wrote Between The Cracks: Aussie Garage Punk in 2018, bands like The New Christs and Hits have been dead silent. Thankfully, the likes of Civic, Stiff Richards, Amyl and the Sniffers, A. Swayze and the Ghosts, Smarts and Perth's The Volcanics are on hand to carry on the Aussie garage punk tradition rooted in the Stooges, MC5, The Saints, Radio Birdman and Scientists. While they have stuck pretty consistently with the basic Stooges/Birdman formula, they seem to be getting more and more tightly wound on the last few albums to the point where their latest features The Volcanics at their most scorching, particularly the molten rock & roll of "Red/Blue Day," it's bass 'n' tom heavy drumming thunder brings to mind early Screaming Blue Messiahs. Those seeking melodic vocal hooks and complex emotions should look elsewhere. This is fueled by spite and probably a fair amount of Australian lager.

https://thevolcanics.bandcamp.com/album/volatile-world

Dream Phases – Phantom Idol (Coconut) Brothers G

Dream Phases – Phantom Idol (Coconut)
Brothers Graham reach new songwriting heights with hidden depths on their third full-length of California psych pop.

There’s something iconic in how brother bands like the Beach Boys, Sparks and Redd Kross have epitomized facets of California. Brothers Brandon and Shane Graham formed Dream Phases in 2016 with Keveen Baudouin and Anthony Marks, with help from many other musicians associated with the L.A. psych/power pop scene that includes Levitation Room and the Blank Tapes, who Brandon has worked with. Since then they’ve produced a consistently great batch of songs between two EPs, two albums and a load of singles. For their third album, they hooked up with producers Rob Schnapf and Matt Schuessler, who’s worked with Elliott Smith and Beck. Already with a wide range of influences from the Byrds, CSNY, Laurel Canyon folk and the Rain Parade, the band sought to add some kosmische, post-punk and shoegaze into the mix, as well as perhaps a shade of surf noir underneath the sunny psych pop surface. The title evokes a certain eeriness, even if it could have been a title of a Nancy Drew or Three Investigators mystery, The Curse of the Phantom Idol. Hey, I haven’t been a kid for several decades, and I’d read the book, see the movie and buy the soundtrack.

More: https://fastnbulbous.com/dream-phases-phantom-idol/

Summer Albums, Chronological Order, Part One The

Summer Albums, Chronological Order, Part One

The Ventures – Walk Don't Run (Dolton, 1960)
In 1960, The Ventures THE band that created the twangy template of what summer music should be, invoking surfing waves, beach parties and tiki torches.

The Beach Boys - Best of the Beach Boys (1966)
While Pet Sounds is their best album, Today! and Summer Days, both from 1965 have more summer vibes. But really, you have to go with a compilation to get all their best summer anthems. When you grow up with this being the only Beach Boys record in the house, this is THE album. For many others, that's Endless Summer (1974)), but then you won't get "Little Honda."

Martha & the Vandellas - Greatest Hits (1966)
Of all the Motown artists, Martha & the Vandellas is most evocative of summer with not only their best song, "Heat Wave," but also "Nowhere to Run" and "Dancing in the Street."

The Doors – The Doors (Elektra, 1967)
The Doors may not be associated with the beach, even though they started when Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek bumped into each other on the Santa Monica Beach, but they do epitomize summer after dark, as experienced on the Sunset Strip, where they played the Whisky a Go Go alongside Love and Buffalo Springfield, as well as The Troubadour. They also haunted spots all around LA, from Laurel Canyon to West Hollywood, where they set up camp at the Alta Cienega Motel and hung out at the dive Barney's Beanery. I wasn't born yet, but that's in my top three of places I'd visit if I could time travel, as well as swinging London during the brief peak of the psychedelic UFO club.

Donovan – Donovan's Greatest Hits (Epic, 1969)
Many of us Yanks didn't appreciate how viscerally insulting Bob Dylan's patronizing, asshole treatment of Donovan was in the Don't Look Back documentary. Yes, Donovan looked up to Dylan as even the Beatles did. But he was also the MAN when it came to psychedelic folk in the UK, and his body of work is no joke. As a kid, my introduction to both artists were greatest hits albums that my mom had, and for a long time I preferred Donovan.

Albums that are 10 years old. At the time I though

Albums that are 10 Years Old 1. Syd Arthur – So $Albums that are 10 Years Old 1. Syd Arthur – Sound Mirror Syd Arthur are a psych prog band from Canterbury, England. Given their name, one might assume the band partake in complicated, extended prog jams with inscrutable lyrics along the lines of perhaps Gong and Caravan. Despite what it’s title seems to indicate, even their first album On And On (2012), has an average song length of just over three minutes. Brothers Liam, Joel and Josh Magill and multi-instrumentalist Raven Bush (yes his auntie is THE Kate Bush) came from a background of forest party raves. They are equally comfortable with technology, bucolic elemental mysticism, otherworldly musicianship, jazz inspired improvisation and disciplined songwriting. With their arpeggiated keyboards, guitars and tricksy time signatures, of course they were chosen to open for Yes on a tour leading up to this album's release. Far from difficult listening, the music drifts easily, not like a sea breeze, but rather the delicate fog of the Westbere Marshes. They were by far my favorite performance at Riot Fest in 2016, but since then, the band has been conspicuously missing from the world other than backing up Jack Hues' (Wang Chung) jazz fusion excursions. No one else gets close to the particular goosebump-inducing vibe this band induces, therefore they must return. https://sydarthur.bandcamp.com/album/sound-mirror-3 2. Truckfighters – Universe 3. Motorpsycho – Behind The Sun 4. Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate 5. Spiders – Shake Electric 6. The Sea Kings – Woke In The Devil’s Arms 7. Swans – To Be Kind 8. Witch Mountain – Mobile Of Angels 9. Shellac – Dude Incredible 10. Dark Blue – Pure Reality 11. Papir – Papir IIII 12. The New Christs – Incantations 13. Colour Haze – To The Highest Gods We Know 14. Lola Colt – Away From The Water 15. Floor – Oblation Spoon – They Want My Soul Bask – American Hollow Purson – In The Meantime EP Nothing – Guilty Of Everything TV On The Radio – Seeds Blues Pills – Blues Pills The Oath – The Oath Spidergawd – Spidergawd Purple Hill Witch – Purple Hill Witch Serpent Venom – Of Things Seen And Unseen Electric Wizard – Time To Die Protomartyr – Under Cover Of Official Right D’Angelo and$

Albums that are 10 Years Old 2. Truckfighters – $Albums that are 10 Years Old 2. Truckfighters – Universe Those who have seen them are treated to one of the best, most energetic live shows in rock. Singer/bassist Ozo (Oskar Cedermalm), with his moppety blonde hair, stature and voice, reminded me a bit of Kurt Cobain when Nirvana were touring Bleach with TAD. Back then, it could have been conceivable had Nirvana continued to pursue their Melvins, TAD and Sabbath influences that they could have developed along the lines of Truckfighters. But none of those bands had a Dango. What’s a Dango? Dango (Niklas Källgren) is their secret weapon, an overly caffeinated Captain Caveman armed with a mind-blowing arsenal of fuzzy guitar tones and brilliant riffs. After seeing them the first time, I bought the tour t-shirt that proclaimed them “Probably the best band in the world.” It may be tongue in cheek, but as far as a band that you can still see in a small club, I wear it without irony. https://fastnbulbous.com/truckfighters-universe-fuzzomania-2014/ 3. Motorpsycho – Behind The Sun 4. Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate 5. Spiders – Shake Electric 6. The Sea Kings – Woke In The Devil’s Arms 7. Swans – To Be Kind 8. Witch Mountain – Mobile Of Angels 9. Shellac – Dude Incredible 10. Dark Blue – Pure Reality 11. Papir – Papir IIII 12. The New Christs – Incantations 13. Colour Haze – To The Highest Gods We Know 14. Lola Colt – Away From The Water 15. Floor – Oblation$

Albums that are 10 Years Old 3. Motorpsycho – B $Albums that are 10 Years Old 3. Motorpsycho – Behind The Sun Norway’s venerable psych-prog institution Motorpsycho are just getting better with age, and more prolific than ever. When it’s become common for many bands to take 2-5 years between albums, Motorpsycho has been cranking them out, with 7 albums in the past 9 years, with remarkably consistent quality and ambition. The double The Death Defying Unicorn (2012) was one of their best, and while Still Life With Eggplant (2013) was less cohesive than usual, it still offered many highlights, featuring Reine Fiske of Swedish psych prog legends Dungen as practically a full-time member (check out the riffs on “Hell, Parts 1-3”). Great news for Dungen fans, Fiske’s guitar playing is featured on the majority of the new one too, and it’s a great one, emphasizing all of the band’s recent strengths, from pastoral prog to hard rocking stoner psych. Bent Sæther’s vocals are featured higher in the mix than usual, bringing to mind at times both Mercury Rev and Yes. “Cloudwalker (A Darker Blue),” “Ghost” and “The Promise” are some of the best songs they’ve done, with the rest of the album holding up with such strength many will find their own favorite highlights. A perfect introduction to this band’s huge catalog. 4. Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate 5. Spiders – Shake Electric 6. The Sea Kings – Woke In The Devil’s Arms 7. Swans – To Be Kind 8. Witch Mountain – Mobile Of Angels 9. Shellac – Dude Incredible 10. Dark Blue – Pure Reality 11. Papir – Papir IIII 12. The New Christs – Incantations 13. Colour Haze – To The Highest Gods We Know 14. Lola Colt – Away From The Water 15. Floor – Oblation$

Albums that are 10 Years Old 4. Wovenhand – Ref $Albums that are 10 Years Old 4. Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate After the influential Sixteen Horsepower, David Eugene Edwards kept up a prolific pace with Wovenhand, releasing over a half a dozen albums in 12 years, all worth hearing. On the latest and greatest, the basic elements remain, a spooky, gothic mix of Americana, country, folk and gospel, but with a much heavier dose of post-punk. Think Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds/Grinderman, Gun Club, Joy Division and Swans/Angels of Light, but with extra apocalyptic hellfire and brimstone. It's no wonder this album attracted a strong fanbase among metalheads. https://deathwishinc.bandcamp.com/album/refractory-obdurate 5. Spiders – Shake Electric 6. The Sea Kings – Woke In The Devil’s Arms 7. Swans – To Be Kind 8. Witch Mountain – Mobile Of Angels 9. Shellac – Dude Incredible 10. Dark Blue – Pure Reality 11. Papir – Papir IIII 12. The New Christs – Incantations 13. Colour Haze – To The Highest Gods We Know 14. Lola Colt – Away From The Water 15. Floor – Oblation$

Albums that are 10 Years Old 5. Spiders – Shake

Albums that are 10 Years Old

5. Spiders – Shake Electric
Spiders were (are, though it's been six years since their last album) a Swedish hard rock band made up of one-time members of both Graveyard and Witchcraft, lead by guitarist John Hoyles (who served in both Witchcraft and the great Troubled Horse) and his wife Ann-Sofie Hoyles on vocals. Of their trio of albums, Shake Electric remains their high point, a potent mix of proto-metal/garage/glam energy (Kiss, Heart, UFO) and melodicism (Fleetwood Mac). There were a lot of bands named Spiders, but theirs was tribute to the original name of Alice Cooper, which confused my ROON, which includes an old 60s pic of Spiders-era Cooper. They covered "Under My Wheels" as a b-side to "Fraction" in 2011. Still holding out hope that they'll record and tour again.

https://fastnbulbous.com/spiders-shake-electric/

6. The Sea Kings – Woke In The Devil’s Arms
7. Swans – To Be Kind
8. Witch Mountain – Mobile Of Angels
9. Shellac – Dude Incredible
10. Dark Blue – Pure Reality
11. Papir – Papir IIII
12. The New Christs – Incantations
13. Colour Haze – To The Highest Gods We Know
14. Lola Colt – Away From The Water
15. Floor – Oblation

THE RECORD WALL I don't have them up all at once.

THE RECORD WALL

I don't have them up all at once. There's only 18 spots. I switch them out to have different album art to stare at.

Albums that are 10 Years Old 6. The Sea Kings –

Albums that are 10 Years Old

6. The Sea Kings – Woke In The Devil’s Arms
I just about lost my mind when I first heard the lead single from Glasgow’s The Sea Kings’ debut album. “Bible John” sounds like a long-lost single from 1984, a supergroup collaboration between The Smiths and Postcard groups like Aztec Camera, The Go Betweens and Josef K. Despite its celebratory ebullience, it’s actually a sinister tale about the 1960s Glasgow Barrowland killer. That’s pretty much the band’s m.o., tales about horrible things. Nick Cave would approve. The title track that kicks off the album is especially indebted to Cave, and also underrated Australian band The Triffids. Dark, heavy and brooding, it’s a magnificent start to the album. “Moonlit Range” is a plodding death waltz that made me wonder when they were going to pick up the tempo again. It turns out nothing else on the album remotely resembles “Bible John.” After adjusting expectations, the album’s brilliance spreads through you like the warm burn of a double Scotch. “The Night Of Broken Glass” takes place in 30s Germany where a young man fatally attempts to defect. “Is Paris Burning” has some particularly evocative imagery as a tragic love note from a jail cell. The band citing writer Alasdair Gray as an influence turns out to be no joke. These are truly literary songs. The album ends with another highlight, “Across The Coals,” a ghostly murder ballad with Ennio Morricone undertones and strings, like The Dirty Three with an excellent lyricist. You’d think the arrival of a colossal talent like this would call for some fanfare, but eh, it was 2014 and everyone had their heads so far up their arses in their own particular micro scenes, no one was going to catch this. Had I not been on the lookout for something like this for a while I might have missed it too, just as I missed their first Some Dark Matters EP (Iffy Folk, 2010). But if one catchy riff is enough to fuel a decade plus career for Interpol (“Say Hello To The Angels”), “Bible John” should have brought similar attention to this well-deserving band.

https://fastnbulbous.com/new-albums-of-the-week-2014-08-05

Albums that are 10 Years Old 7. Swans – To Be K

Albums that are 10 Years Old

7. Swans – To Be Kind
At the time when Swans came out with back-to-back double albums, The Seer (2012) and To Be Kind, I called them difficult listening for old men. Not to be dismissive, but just that Swans were always a lot to take. First it was the abrasiveness of their noise rock that took the baton from the no wave scene and added a nasty industrial edge, serrated with rust and dripping with gore starting with the self-titled 1982 EP and Filth (1983). They almost sounded civilized by tenth album Soundtracks for the Blind (1996), and on this, their thirteenth, they're just as experimentally adventurous as ever, with an album so highly regarded it competes with Soundtracks as their peak. But the sheer weight of the music, and over two hours, can be daunting, with track four, "Bring the Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture" alone clocking in at 34:05. So not something that plays well with others on a singles playlist, and demands a lot of focus, and a full quarter of a work day. A decade later, the work paid off and it still holds up.

https://swans.bandcamp.com/album/to-be-kind

8. Witch Mountain – Mobile Of Angels
9. Shellac – Dude Incredible
10. Dark Blue – Pure Reality
11. Papir – Papir IIII
12. The New Christs – Incantations
13. Colour Haze – To The Highest Gods We Know
14. Lola Colt – Away From The Water
15. Floor – Oblation

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