We had the chance to talk with Steve Gaynor of The Fullbright Company! We talked about living with coworkers, seeing an entry into game design, finding inspiration, then Wes goes hard on Stonewall Jerky. Oh, and we talk about Pokemon Dick Pics.
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Recently featured guests VOWWS have a debut album out and it is great! I had the pleasure of catching them last week in Portland at the Ash Street Saloon. Not only were they really awesome people, but their live show was engaging and fun to watch. The dynamic they have on stage is as unique as their sound, which is hard to capture with recording. “It’s You” is one of the slower tracks on the album, but I love it because it plays on all of their unique qualities - there is a catchy guitar riff folded into many layers of distortion, delay, and choirs. I look forward to the next time they are coming through town.
Wes turned me on to Luminance recently and it has come in and out of rotation over the last two months. Really solid production and a lot of different genres all blended up into one new sound. “The Grey” reminds me a lot of Clan of Xymox’s album Medusa (specifically “Back Door”). Another track that is probably the slowest on the album, but I really like the emotional weight of the lyrics and how minimal but impactful the synth lines are. “Visions of death. It’s always the same.”
I’ve been enjoying this for the past week. It’s an interesting mix between some more traditional electronic music and some nice dark tones. The kick has a really nice feel to it, and I love the use of a sort of rolling percussion through the song - a kind of echoing click that moves back and forth. What really makes the song feel nice and dark, though, are the play between the sort of held back vocals and the soft pads. The pads create this constant undercurrent that cuts at the seemingly upbeat little guitar hit and plucky synth that pops in. The vocals feel pulled back, like she can’t fully commit to belting, but in a very effective, purposeful way.
Then, halfway through, the song changes completely. The vocals drop to a spoken word section, and the music starts to feel almost like a How To Destroy Angels track; there’s this weird unsettling metallic sound happening, this great little repeating riff, and the distorted percussive hits force your attention. It’s really a great track, from a really interesting album, and I would recommend giving the whole thing a listen.
I can’t remember how I came about these folks, but I am glad I did. An Autumn For Crippled Children has a really interesting mix of genres going on; I think this song is a particularly good example of this. The group seems to be taking a lot of post-rock influences, mixing these open melodics riffs with piano and synths, before dropping into what is clearly their primary influence - black metal. The vocals howl through distortion behind tremolo picking, only for the song to open back up into big melodic set pieces. The only downside to the group, in my mind, is that I wish the guitars were a little less noisy so you could hear more of everything, but it’s a small issue in an otherwise great song, and fantastic album.
This week Michael talks with renowned author John Scalzi! They talked about how book and music tours can be similar, how to narrate non-gendered characters, familial franchises, and some reading recommendations!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
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.
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)]
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.
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.
This week we talk to Danish doom blues trio Baby in Vain! This was a super fun interview, where we talk American TV in Denmark, Harry Potter sins, the weirdness of opening in Denmark, and racist immigration policies!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
I spoke with Michael Holloway of Dead When I Found Her in the winter of 2014, nearly a year ago, when he broke through the barrier of this album. He told me that it was dark and heavy, far more extreme than previous Dead When I Found Her releases. Knowing that Michael has a really great sense of sound and rhythm, I was looking forward to this release. I pre-ordered it when it was posted (which is not something I usually do without hearing anything) and I kept away from teasers or samples. Until yesterday. Sonic Seducer had an exclusive stream of the bonus disk and I just couldn’t stop myself from checking it out. “The Bottom” is the third track on the bonus disk, but is obviously the one that sticks out as: “Oh! Yeah! This is way different in the best way.”
All The Way Down is being marketed as a bleak look at aging, death, and dying. The tagline is “What if the last part of your life is the worst part of your life?” It is a complete concept that you can really feel in the album. I chose “Threadbare” for this specific review because it is a great example of the new album’s pace. The album breathes wonderfully. It takes its time. It is a mature step for Dead When I Found Her and I can’t wait to get deep into this album. Its atmosphere, which is something that is important to me, is dark, bleak, and true to the theme. It is chaotic at times - as death, I am sure, will be - and it feels lonely at other times.
Michael did a wonderful interview with our friends at I Die : You Die. He said that “Downpour” was the pop song on the album and that it is closest to the last few albums in structure (verse, chorus, break, verse, etc.). This track is bold and has a lot of elements that I really enjoy. With a solid beat, this is the most club-friendly track, but it still manages to maintain the kind of bleak and dark feeling of the rest of the album. Michael also said in the interview that he wanted to create a feeling of conversation between the samples and the different vocal styles used in the album. This is most apparent on tracks like “The Bottom” or the previously mentioned “Threadbare,” but still holds true in “Downpour.” It is an interesting technique for communicating a storyline - or concept in this case - and is reminiscent of Chrysalide, or Skinny Puppy in its delivery.
Go check out the full album, and its bonus disk on the Dead When I Found Her Bandcamp, or buy the bonus disk edition directly from the label at Storming the Base.
by The Good Life
I realized I have never written about The Good Life’s Album of the Year, which considering how much I listen to it, is almost a criminal break from the premise of Poltergeists. This is hands down my favorite song from the album. It is definitely more powerful in the context of the full album - the album is a concept where each track represents about a month of a relationship - but even without the full context of the previous songs, this song manages to tear me up. There’s something about how the song slowly builds from simple plucking of the guitar and soft vocals, something about the painful lyrics, that tugs at me, making me feel in a way that most music fails to.
The new Haujobb has me in a spot where I can’t talk about the whole album yet; I’m a huge fan of Haujobb, and the sound of the album as a whole has been unexpected, in a way that has me unsure how I totally feel about it. That said, I’ve really enjoyed this song every time it’s come on. I love the simplicity of it. The piano has a great emotional feel to it. It’s dark, melancholic, and when paired with the low hum of the bass and atmospheric elements it begins to feel almost aggressive in a way that was surprising the first time I listened. Pair that with the whispered vocals and the whole thing feels a little disconcerting; there’s a tension that’s created where you kind of expect it to blow up at any moment, but it never really fully does.
Back to Wes missing from the interviews this week as Michael chats with VOWWS in their van! They talked about behind the scenes business, why failing in front of small crowds is harder, and...Wife Swap? VOWWS also just put out their new album!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Distel - “Nothing to Mend”
I have written about Distel before, but this album is particularly interesting and deserves to be pushed. The second full-length album from the Dutch project comes with a theme - Autumn and funereal moods - two things that are particularly relevant this time of year. Zand, when compared to their first album, is equally as unique and interesting, but with a touch of the morose. The entire album plays on deep analogue textures and subtle percussions. There are no real extreme moments, which I think makes for a stronger and more in-depth album. “Nothing to Mend” begins with a plucky, simplistic progression and builds with deep bass elements and wind-like pads coming in and out of the mix. There are a lot of witch house and analogue electronic textures that are familiar in this track, but it still manages to keep with the unique and subtle tones of the entire album.
You all don’t know this yet, but one of the biggest influences for the music that I am working on now has been neofolk. I have written about a few neofolk bands here, Musk Ox and Disemballerina, and Ulversang falls in there with my favorites. “The Purge” is a collection of field recordings and acoustic orchestrations. The different parts fit so well within each other, creating wonderful melodies and a complex architecture of sound. There is a part about a minute in that introduces a soft male chant that I think is really impactful to the track.
Sci Fi Sol - “Twist Her”
I’m really digging the sort of sinister feel to this song. The soft, effected vocals mixed with the slowly rolling bass line and an almost heart beat kick make this song feel like it’s moving at you, slowly walking you down. The percussion is heavy, and somehow manages to sound aggressive while being totally unaggressive. It just pounds away, creating a feeling of insecurity through consistent, slow attack.
Everything about how this song is put together feels really thought out and pared back. There are no elements that don’t feel like they they are needed; it almost feels brutalist in a way; it is raw, minimal and cold.
Ever since Brant of ∆AIMON wrote about Dolor, I’ve been hooked on the stuff. The bass Dolor achieves sounds so clean and clear. It rolls along, punctuated by wonderfully constructed little snare rolls and snaps. I love how the vocals in the song seem to be used more as an instrument than as vocals; due to the heavy reverb and processing, they seem to provide sort of an atmosphere to play against the bass and percussion, achieving almost the effect that a pad might have in a more traditional construction. I’d love to see another EP or album from Dolor; hopefully this new track is a sign of new things to come.
This week we talked with Taneka Stotts! That's right, "we". WES IS BACK ON THE SET. We chatted with Taneka about free seances, Portland's own Spiderman, slam poetry, and getting into web comics! You can find Taneka's work on her website, and her anthology at Beyond-Press.com!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
from "Scraping the Flesh" 2004
DWA is re-releasing Die Sektor’s debut album, To Be Fed Upon, and it is chock-full with bonus songs from that era of the band and many new remixes! I am very excited about this release because To Be Fed Upon, along with Grendel’s Prescription Medicide and Wumpscut’s Bone Peeler, was an album that really shaped the way that I saw industrial music. The album is diverse and has a depth to it that I wasn’t able to find at the time - it really impressed me. “Your Deception” is a track that I often go back to with great pleasure. The elements that filter their way through the different breakdowns and verses of this song really are unique. Die Sektor also has a new single up this week called “These Broken Shields,” which is also on DWA, and amazing.
I usually leave the steps, traps, and futures to Wes but this week I have been really dancing around to this track. Pulled from bandcamp’s “witchhouse” tag, this song also has some distorted bass and strange arrangements that make it stick out to me. This remix really reminds me of bands like Knife Party and Justice. It is definitely a departure from the original track, which I also like, with some filter-cuts and slowly rising claps.
I found this little album about halfway through this past week, and it has been on repeat since I found it (hat-tip to Majbritt Levinsen, my source for all the good metal I find). I love the slow, clean guitar riffs that start out the track; they provide a nice introduction to slow brooding riffs and orchestral underlays. The track also has a lot of movement in it; it is constantly changing progressions in ways that don’t seem to interrupt the flow of what’s already happening. Everytime the progression changes, it feels like Hinayana is building on an idea, moving it forward, rather than changing for change’s sake. The track is great, but definitely give the full album a listen; the track is even better in context.
I am looking forward to the upcoming KANGA release. The production on this track is super rad; the EBM bassline growls along quite nicely, the beat bangs, and the little dissonant piano touch in the background has a nice soft touch. Even the sort of guitar sound is nice, and I am generally not a fan of guitars mixing with synths. There’s some points where the vocals remind me of AAIMON a little but, but largely the delivery sounds a lot different from what I’m used to hearing, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s a nice poppy take, without sounding out of place with the music.
This, our final Terminus episode, is with High-Functioning Flesh! Michael chatted with the guys on the final day of the Festival about how they've enjoyed the festival, how they got started, a love of 13 bit sampling, and the winding road they took to Dais Records!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Architect, Sonic Area, and Hologram_ all on one release! When I saw that this release was being put together, I was expecting a few tracks on an awesome EP. Nope! This is a full 12-track album of amazing tunes from some of my favorite artists. I love this album because you can tell that they had fun with the sounds and composition of each track. When you hear that Architect (Daniel Myer AKA DSTR, AKA HAUJOBB, AKA EVERYTHING), Sonic Area (Arco Trauma also in Chrysalide, and EVERYTHING), and Hologram_ (Martin from Republik of Screens, Cheerleader 69, and Dexy Corp_) are setting out to make an album under the new moniker We Are The Alchemists, you think “These guys could really break music,” and (I am not saying they didn’t) I am just glad that this is a fun mix of a lot of electronic elements. I chose “The Great Voyager” because it is such a peculiar track that reminds me a lot of a Skinny Puppy filler track, which were always my favorite. It is a great track to end the album with.
The latest series of releases from Moscow-based Fraunhofer Diffraction have delved deeply into dark ambient territory. “Todesopfer I” (German: Casualty / Fatal Victim) is an extremely morose track that embodies the texture and romance of death in my mind. There are sections of the song that go through a funeralian marching rhythm while the sound of a rainy night bleeds into the background only to be met by beautiful passages of violin and dark pads. Fraunhofer Diffraction have taken all of the elements that I enjoyed about their previous releases and channeled them into a darker undertaking.
Also released this week were Clod#2.5 and Clod#3, which are not quite as dark, but equally compelling. If you haven’t been following Fraunhofer Diffraction, you definitely should!
It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for Haujobb. This being the case, I am obviously very excited for the upcoming Haujobb release, Blendwerk, from which this new track is taken.
I love the start to this song; I usually am listening with headphones and there is something about the opening little whirls of sound that always make me double check that my headphones are plugged in. The sound is far away, and when the piano comes in, so present and forward, it marks a beautiful contrast. Speaking of the piano, Zinovia Arvanitidi’s work on this track is great. It provides such a beautiful, natural contrast to the digitized voice and sharp minimalist drums. As always, the beat construction is on point, and the sound design flows wonderfully. I can’t say that I have a single complaint about this track, and I’ve listened to it as many times as Bandcamp would let me on my phone.
Taking a totally different tack, I cannot stop listening to this song from Lebanon Hanover’s 2012 Why Not Just Be Solo. I’m not super huge on the more swirly of goth musics, but there’s something about Lebanon Hanover that I really enjoy. Maybe it’s the lyrics: “People say they like me / but how can I believe // when they also like you / and you’re exactly the one I hate.” How can you not love that opening line? I’m sure that to people more versed in this vein of music, Lebanon Hanover may sound a little too much like a prior age, but as someone unversed, I just really love the minimal approach to the music, light vocals, and plucky bass lines.
This week we continue our 2015 Terminus files with Michael's interview of power noise legend Dirk Ivens. They talk about process, hardware versus software, driving Route 66, and how the record industry has changed over the course of Ivens' career.
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Kim Larsen (:Of The Wand & The Moon:) brings his mystical arrangements to a slightly different project that bills itself as “psychedelic folk.” I am a new fan of :OTW&TM: and am not qualified to speak for their discography but am deeply in love with the self-titled Solanaceae album from 2013. The acoustic elements in each track are well constructed and the perfect balance of complex and enchanting. I am easily wooed by creatively dark and strange lyrics. If you have an obscure title and an acoustic guitar, chances are pretty good that I will enjoy what you are putting out. But this is an expert crafting a very real feeling through music.
This song instantly hooked me. I am a big fan of slowing down fast dance songs and making the complex layers of the speedy original drawn out and even more complex. 2 Methyl has managed to take a track that I was alright with, look through the dark layers, and make it a track that I have listened to every day this week. Horskh originally released the Dawn EP as a good look into what they had to offer as an Audiotrauma label debut, but this extended version really grabbed my attention with remixes from Näo, LOSS, FLESH, and Hologram_.
Azure Ray - We Are Mice from Hold On Love Directed by Nik Fackler
This song, and actually a lot of other Azure Ray tracks, have been on repeat for me for probably a month, maybe a month and a half. There’s a lot of elements that I just keep coming back to - the tonal static creating rhythm, the melancholic piano chords, the soft vocals, seemingly vibrating through sheer sadness. In addition to the beautiful melody, I have been a sucker for Azure Ray’s lyricism as well. At some point I just gave up on listening to lyrics, and Azure Ray has been a helpful reminder of the poetry songwriting can have.
"Come Back" by Deafheaven from the album 'New Bermuda,' available October 2nd. Pre-order and receive downloads of "Come Back" and "Brought to the Water" now. Pre-order on iTunes: http://found.ee/DeafheavenNewBermuda Pre-order on CD and vinyl: http://found.ee/DeafheavenNBstore Official Site: http://deafheaven.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deafheaven Twitter: https://twitter.com/deafheavenband Instagram: https://instagram.com/deafheavenband/
I was feeling a little apprehensive about posting this track, as I’ve already written about the upcoming Deafheaven album, but I am just enjoying it so much that I decided I’d make a note of it anyway. One thing that I really enjoy about Deafheaven is a use of dynamic range (or at least the illusion of it; I haven’t actually looked at the waveform or anything). This track starts out fairly quiet; there is a slow, clean guitar riff, content to let most of the space be empty. It drops from that riff into what you’d expect, roaring riffs and blast beats, which carry you for several minutes, before dropping back to clean chords and slower drumming. This fuller echo of the introduction carries out the rest of the song; it comes back to those sad slow chords, and allows its relative quiet to contrast the chaos of the middle section.
This week we start our Terminus episodes! Michael had the opportunity to talk to Perturbator in a hotel lobby up in in Calgary. They talked about border hassles, metal fans loving outrun, the ease of being alone, and wait times on record releases.
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks. This week Kathleen Chausse of Voidstar Productions shares tracks she’s excited about for Voidstar’s upcoming festival!
The first time I saw Author & Punisher live was at Halloween Industrial Festival in 2012. I was working door for the event; I was also making funny faces at the guy who was across from me at the band merch table. I went into the main room to check out the performance of who was on. The guy I was making faces turned out to be Tristan of Author & Punisher. I stood there in awe of how he became a machine. It was a fascinating transformation. I went to see him again years later in Burlington. His show evolved and included visuals beyond himself. It was still brutal. His sound was so massive it made the paintings shake. Fast forward to Cold Waves festival last year. Even in a massive venue, he owned the room and your attention. I'm excited to have him back at a Voidstar Festival and to hear new material from his latest album.
End.user is one of the acts that really stood out to me at C.O.M.A 4 festival. That festival was the first industrial festival I attended. It really opened my mind to the different genres and sounds in our thing. I remember dancing so hard to Iszoloscope and get punched in the back of the head three times and yet still dancing my hardest. I remember panting for breath after that, then End.user went on. I forced myself to keep going and dance right through. Now, it feels like it's become full circle. From the first festival to booking him for a festival! At this performance, End.User will be joined by Kurt Submerged of Ohm Resistance label as a special treat for the festival!
Voidstar booked a last minute show with High-Functioning Flesh on their first tour to the east coast. It was really great seeing that show come together and getting to experience their energetic stage presence. It confirmed our plans to book them at the festival. When we announced that they were playing festival, Jared, one of DJs, requested hearing this track on our event wall. Here's a small shout out.
The Bowles Given, Side A, 2011, Dead Voices On Air 2oth Anniversary Series
Mark Spybey was one of artists at the last Voidstar festival. I spent the weekend telling him awful puns. Somehow, he ended up finding it endearing. He was kind enough to gift me one of the 7’ singles. Edward Ka-Spel has such unique delivery in his vocals, and if it's not his vocal delivery that catches you he'll get you with the lyrics. Ka-Spel is always bringing interesting poetry to the table which compliments Mark Spybey's signature ambient soundscapes. I'm looking forward to having this artist, and seeing how long I last before making a bad pun.
This week we have two thirds of Qu-Bit Electronix, a modular synth manufacturer based out of Portland. We caught them at a local hardware night and knew we wanted to hear their story! We talked about how they got into hardware, video games, and at the end they gave us a little demo of some of their synths!
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Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
iVardensphere + Future Bass = Tribal-bass-drop-future-glitch. Review finished. Nothing else to say. Music is done. We all quit.
I really enjoy this brief step away from the normal for iVardensphere, and in a trilogy no less! There are so many iVardensphere-ian elements in this song, but it is very clearly a different part of Scott’s brain that needed to be exercised. One thing that I often have a problem with when I listen to future bass stuff is that the rhythm is not something that appeals to me easily. Too many glitchy elements lose me or something. “Aether” is not one of those songs. It has a really nice groove to it. I look forward to more of this.
I know that I Die You Die did it already (we try not to overlap with our awesome Canadian counterparts) but I feel like I have some things to say about this track, and single for that matter.
Haujobb is a very popular project. I am sure that you have a story about how nice and funny Daniel Myer is because it is infinitely true. Sometimes I feel like Haujobb is a project that gets that automatic hype, much like Aesthetic Perfection or Suicide Commando. People are going to buy it no matter what it sounds like at this point because they have been satisfied in the past, and it is comforting for them to know that they will most likely enjoy whatever comes out. But! Take a minute and listen to this track. It is minimal but full, and epic but mellow. It is the perfect combination of elements that I didn’t know went together. The subtlety of some of the elements creates a tension that you may not really even notice because they are just the various textures underneath the more abrasive patterns, and as a musician I am instantly hooked. I find new elements every time I listen to the song, which is what keeps drawing me back to Haujobb. Daniel and Dejan are both extremely talented musicians (check their various personal projects) and I appreciate that they continue to come together and make songs that push what is the most popular style at the moment to the side. It is inspiring.
I am also addicted to the Schwefelgelb remix.
Oh man I am stoked for this! I really loved Deafheaven’s Sunbather; it is one of the few albums that I find myself dipping back into over and over again. In the first half of “Brought to the Water”, Deafheaven seems to depart somewhat from some of the big post-rock feelings that were present in much of Sunbather in favor of a more traditional black metal sound; big open chords are largely traded for chugging, fast lines; tremolo picking and blast beats are out in full force. Once we get to the back half there’s some progressions in here that almost give me a melodic hardcore feel. I’m not quite sure who I’d compare it to, and I’m happy about that. After listening to this track a few times I’m fully ready to hear the new album in October.
There are 488 items in my Bandcamp wishlist. The first thing that I added to that wish list was the album Sorry by White Lung, and you know what? That album is still dope as fuck to go back to. The opening track, “Take The Mirror,” gives you a pretty good idea what you’re in for. Frenetic guitars are paired with a powerful vocal delivery; the song manages to never let up while also evolving enough over the course of the track to never strike as boring. I’ve been listening to this album off and on for three years now, and I’m still loving it every time I rediscover it.
This week we talked to Portland person Andrew Dobbels of Volt 9000 over Skype! We talked about Aftermath, video games, doing bad band interviews, and things you can get in Portland that you can't get when you leave!
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Download this episode.
Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
This is the perfect Ant-Zen style experimental industrial track for me. It goes from chaotic and noisy with an oddly syncopated beat to structured and epic in the most emotional way possible. You really don’t get the feel of this track unless it is loud, which I think is pretty magnificent. I am But the Sum of my Conditions, LOSS’ 2013 release on Ant-Zen, sold me on the deeply emotional noise with a track that had a break-up-esque voicemail playing in the background and cut in with Dan Fox, of LOSS, saying in very distorted vocals “It wasn’t that much to get over.” “Sick” follows the same deeply emotional vain and I find it easy to sink my noise-teeth into it and get sad, which is what I think Dan wants.
Bandcamp-trolling has led me to my new favorite micro-genre, blackgaze, which, if we are being honest, is just the left hand to Cascadian black metal and bands like Agalloch or Wolves in the Throne Room. Avoid The Light are a mix of neofolk, shoegaze, and black metal, which creates a really interesting atmosphere. I am not a big shoegaze person, but all of my favorite nu-goth bands are heavily influenced by it, so I respect where the genre is coming from. “Godspeed!” is an instrumental but powerful track that starts off nice and melodic. Some clean guitars and crashes. Could be a gothy-shoegaze song. When you hit about the one minute mark it starts to get really good, just a solid rhythm section and a nice riff. Skip ahead to two minutes and twenty seconds and bam! Fast, distorted guitars and the double bass kicks. I am sold.
I cannot stop listening to this. I have probably listened to it twice a day since it came out. minimal violence is a great take on minimal techno; they maintain the sparseness, repetition, and slow evolutions of the genre, while also managing to inject a certain sort of darkness into it. Clicks and percussive strikes create an unsettling feeling; at times I almost start to get a giallo feel from the percussion elements. I can’t get enough of this release, and I recommend checking the whole album out.
This band is really impressing me. Michael and I just went to see them, and they blew us away. Their music is pretty fun; it mixes a kind of bluesy sensibility with an almost doomy sort of heaviness. Slow, hammering riffs marry with a back and forth between the two vocalists/guitarists; absent is any bassist, which is interesting. Normally I would be suspicious of a lack of bass in any music but Baby In Vain manages to achieve a fullness of sound that I wouldn’t have expected without bass.
As good as their recordings are, their live performances are even more on point. They have an amazing stage presence; they didn’t talk to the crowd much, but the interactions between band members mixed with the sheer technical skill gave you everything you could want from a live performance. If they’re coming through your town anytime soon, be sure to check them out.