Poltergeists: Week of November 28, 2016

Michael

Weak Wrists - “Wither”

Weak Wrists is a combination of two of my favorite music genres, which has been accurately coined “emoviolence” (emo/screamo and powerviolence). “Wither” features some of the great elements bands like Oathbreaker and Fvnerals brought to my previous Poltergeists: powerfully chaotic sections, a break into more structured aggression, a wonderful breakdown with clean and mournful vocals, and a great chant at the end. The self-titled debut is a well-balanced mix of intense tracks like “Trail Stained” or “Leave,” which come in at 44 and 28 seconds respectively, and tracks that give the album atmosphere and space like “The Weight” or “In The Tangled Branches,” where time is set aside for the quiet and clean moments. It has a great impact on the album’s layout.     

Weak Wrists is an emoviolence band from North Carolina. Their self-titled debut is out now on their Bandcamp page digitally.

Chrysalide - “All Demons”

Chrysalide has been a perpetual source of influence and solace, especially in times like these. I recently went back and listened to Don’t Be Scared, It’s About Life and Personal Revolution back to back, which I highly recommend for anyone who has not heard these albums, or if it has been a while and you’ve forgotten what they sound like. “All Demons” was the first track that I heard from Personal Revolution (because the promo copy I received digitally from the PR company was in alphabetical order) and it was a jarring but compelling transition from the tracks on Don’t Be Scared, It’s About Life. There are trap and other modern electronic music elements mixed with a pointed and very personal message, which prevails throughout the entire album. I don’t think there has been an album, or band, that has more accurately echoed my own views or experience overall. Tracks like “It Gets in the Blood” and “I Had a Dream” are so personal and seemingly secretive testimonials. It is really something special and great.    

Chrysalide is a noise industrial project from France and all of their albums are the best, end of story. You can get their music directly from their label, Audiotrauma Records.

Wes

Nico Muhly, Nadia Sirota - “Viola Concerto Part. I”

Dipping into classical music can sometimes be a nice break from the musical realms I normally operate in. To that end, this release that I found through Bandcamp Daily exemplifies all the things I love about classical music that I find missing from much of the other music I listen to.

This concerto starts out so beautifully; the swells and pizzicato combine to build a feeling not dissimilar from waking up. Over the course of the song the dynamic range is quite broad - there are moments of relative quiet and calm that are interrupted by bombastic stanzas filled with horns and percussion. The song is a story told in its sounds, the way the violin moves, the way the bass swells. It is a fantastic reminder of the things that music can do.

Nico Muhly is a contemporary classical composer; Nadia Sirota is a viola player and member of Alarm Will Sound, a chamber orchestra from New York. Their collaboration, Keep In Touch, can be found on the Bedroom Community’s Bandcamp.

Ganser - “Strategies for Living”

On such a good release, it was hard to pick just one song to write about. “Strategies for Living” is a fantastic piece. Starting with chunky basses and chaotic guitars, the song has a feeling of unease - a feeling accented by the soft buzz and squelching in the background. That feeling of unease gives way to a more direct aggression as the song fully kicks in. The vocals float above the mix, pulling back on that aggression just a little bit, creating a mood that I can’t quite define. “Strategies for Living” is a good example of how This Feels Like Living differs from Ganser’s earlier Audrey; where Audrey felt a little more classic post-punk with chorused guitars and floaty pads, This Feels Like Living feels far more driven by its guitar work.

Ganser is a four-piece post-punk group out of Chicago. Their latest release, This Feels Like Living, is available on their Bandcamp.

Poltergeists: Week of November 30, 2015

Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.

Michael

Electronic Substance Abuse (ESA) - “Men Will Only Break Themselves”

Electronic Substance Abuse (ESA) has been an artist that I have followed since the iVardensphere/ESA/W.A.S.T.E. tour some years ago. Penance is a wonderful addition to the Themes of Carnal Empowerment series. It goes without saying that ESA has a very firm grip on technical programming and noise. “Men Will Only Break Themselves,” the introductory track, brings an entire ensemble of samples and elements into its structure for a meticulous payoff. At six and a half minutes, the tension breaks into a hypnotic dance beat that had me going pretty hard in my chair at work. I try to keep it together at work, but this is one of those songs that, when the break comes, you lose yourself.  

Lingouf - “Pierre Noire”

I am one of those people who judge a book/album/movie by their cover. This is not my favorite cover and I am embarrassed to admit that I skipped over this album for a few weeks. This was a big mistake and I consider it a lesson learned. Oeuvre au Noir is a chaotically wonderful album. “Pierre Noire” is a track that I think most accurately previews the entire album. There are moments when I have no idea what is going on, or how it is happening in the song. These moments are followed by incredible breakdowns and rhythmic breaks that bring me right back on board with the song. For fans of: early Chrysalide, Twinkle, or 100blumen.

[Fun fact: “In Yourcenar's own words, ‘In alchemical treatises, the formula L'Oeuvre au Noir, designates what is said to be the most difficult phase of the alchemist's process, the separation and dissolution of substance. It is still not clear whether the term applied to daring experiments on matter itself, or whether it was understood to symbolize trials of the mind in discarding all forms of routine and prejudice. Doubtless it signified one or the other meaning alternately, or perhaps both at the same time.’ " (via Wikipedia)]

Wes

Chrysalide - “Anger Is A Show”

There’s a few albums that I always return to; the Good Life’s Album of the Year, Deafheaven’s Sunbather, and this, Chrysalide’s Don’t Be Scared, It’s About Life.

Lately, I’ve been returning to this album a lot; it was a very important album for me when I found it. It’s slow, brutal pacing, synthesized guitar sounds, texutres… it totally reshaped how I viewed the music I was listening to, and the music I was making. I didn’t think you could make music feel so aggressive without being fast, but Chrysalide’s heaviness showed me that aggression and anger could be shown another way. It could walk you down and crush you instead of coming in blitzes. It’s a weird sort of destructive beauty, this album. If you haven’t checked it out, please give it a listen, front to back.

Keluar - “Instinct”

I think I first became aware of Keluar through Zoè Zanias’ contribution to DSX’s Shifted EP. That EP led me to search out Zanias’ other work, which led me to this great set of tracks. I love the minimalist construction of the songs. It reminds me a bit of Haujobb the way it feels like the songs were stripped back until only the bare necessities were left behind. And even though it feels so pared back, you still have a strong beat, wonderful little plucks, and interesting textures carrying you throughout the song. Zanias’ vocal delivery feels like it fits perfectly with the underlying music as well; it haunts the melody with its mood.

Poltergeists - Week of October 20, 2014

Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.

Michael

Chrysalide - “Keep Calm”

Keep Calm Chrysalide ℗ 2014 Dependent Released on: 2014-10-10 Composer: Arnaud Coeffic Lyricist: Arnaud Coeffic Original Publisher: Mandarah MV Auto-generated by YouTube.

“Keep breathing, you’re strong, I need you beside me.”

The new Chrysalide album Personal Revolution is everything that I knew it would be! It is unique in sound and presentation and maintains a constant message that I wholly support. When we spoke to Chrysalide they said that they were turning this album inwards into their own personal issues and focusing on changing themselves at the roots of the problem - which is the only way to combat something - personal revolution.

“Hold on, Hold on even if your world is fucked up.”

This song is catchy and brilliantly executed, I really love all of the elements that come in and out of the mix. From the spoken vocals, to the robot overdub, everything falls into place just right to create somber chaos.

Chrysalide - “Question Everything”

FREE DOWNLOAD : http://www.dependent.de/media/audio/mp3/chrysalide_-_question_everything.zip Format: CD/Album Catalogue Nr.

Another Chrysalide track! I love it so much. This was the first preview track released from the new album and honestly I was kind of worried that it was so different than the last album, but I see now that it fits so well with the sounds used in the rest of the album and that it is a great song to preview because the message is not only meaningful, but an example of what the album will be primarily about.

Wes

Chrysalide - “We Are Not Cursed”

Album : Personal Revolution [2014] This is for promotional use only. I don't have any rights for the music and I'll remove it immediately if the copyright holder request it. Buy the artist's cd's and support them at their live performances.

Y’all know I had to talk about the new Chrysalide. It’s no secret that Chrysalide is one of my favorite acts out there, and I’ve said many times that I think Don’t Be Scared, It’s About Life is one of the best albums I’ve ever heard.

I’ve listened to the new album over and over since they sent us a review copy, and for the most part I love it. I chose this particular track to highlight because I think it represents the whole of the album fairly well. Chrysalide is excellent at building danceable tracks that blend in enough interesting sound design to keep them exciting, and this track is no exception. The lyrical content reflects the themes of the album - the need to self reflect, responsibility for the self before demanding change from the outside. These themes threaten to be over trodden, but Chrysalide manages to breathe life into them by keeping the song personal and genuine, rather than as a flag of pretension.

BADBADNOTGOOD  - “Velvet”

Guys, BADBADNOTGOOD is my jam. They released their third album, titled III earlier this year, and I have been bumping it on repeat since I finally picked it up last week. Then, I see that they put out a single, “Velvet” on Soundcloud. And folks, I am a sucker for those snappy, grooved beats and that sharp electric piano. I am a sucker for those whining horns, and that clean bass. I love how the song starts out with kind of a quick groove, a move that sounds like it would work for the opening theme of a family show in the mid 80s. I love how that transitions into a song that wouldn’t be out of place in a dystopian John Carpenter movie in the middle. And I love how it flips the script again, moving into an e-piano solo that, with increasingly frantic drums, just drives the whole thing home. If you haven’t checked out BADBADNOTGOOD yet, take this opportunity.