So Bolsters has told me it's time for my second roulette, so I guess it's time to accelerate the pace a bit
20JudgementAnathemaI guess covers like these were popular back in the 90s...Yup, you guessed it. Another mothafucking grower. One of those I couldn't remember a single note of it after a few spins, yet not I have memorized most of Judgement even today. Heh, funny how life works. This is a 90s classic and Anathema's most praised record, or at least the fan's favorite. But their discography is so consistent you could say virtually any of their albums ia you fav and I wouldn't mind because I might love that record too - sadly, couldn't include them all on the list. Not again
Probably their darkest effort, might seem similar to the previous one,
Alternative 4, but this is on another level. If you like dark, atmospheric rock, this is your thing.
Recommended song: One Last Goodbye19The Devil And God Are Raging Inside MeBrand NewFantastic coverIn the end, it's all about the feels.
This last year has brought me new questions, new solutions to be found. As I'm finishing the freshman year, and look back at these last 12 months, it's incredible the amount of things that happened to me. Expanded my tastes, not just in music, but in other arts and even in certain aspects of life. One of those I've noticed is that now I have a big attraction towards feels in music. If back in 2014 I could have said, for example, that Steven Wilson's HCE was meh
because it wasn't creative or innovative, it would have seemed fair to me. But it's my 2015 AOTY because of all the hard-hitting emotions contained on it - feels like a very personal album to Steven, and I definitely connect with it. But it has been a tough period too. Thus it's not surprise I ended up loving
The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me.
The album is a self-reflective portrait of not just teenager times, but life and all the wrong things that come with it. It's an emotionally deep, and in depth, look at religion, love, loneliness, isolation, sex, abuse, angst, and overall just
pain. It's mature, gripping, and almost emo in nature but never stretching to those extremes. The first 5 songs, are absolute masterpieces, among my favorites of all time. They are perfect examples of everything wrong with the trials of life. The guitar chords and progression are masterful and the drumming is perfectly in tune with it. Top it off with the brilliant lyrics and resonating vocals that just give this album such a haze like feeling. To me listening to this record is like sitting in a dark empty room, naked in the cold ground, looking for heat, while staring outside into the evening sky. But my body gets warmer, bit by bit, slow but consistent. Call that crazy, but that's exactly the feeling I get - it may make me feel like a piece of shit, but in the end, it serves as a cathartic experience that leaves me in peace.
This is how I feel emotional music should be - honest, raw, without cheese. It's not for everyone, and only for the faint of heart because of the mood it leaves you in, but if you want a unique experience, this is it.
Recommended song: Limousine (MS Rebridge)18Pressure & ObsessionRuined MachinesThis guy deserves more loveOh boy, where do I start with this one? Maybe from the beginning. Ok.
This is the first "proper" album I ever listened to. Long time ago, I used to make some tutorial vids on YouTube on how to use emulators and such (those were... interesting times
), and because I couldn't use copyrighted music, started to look for some some royalty-free stuff. Found Jamendo, the biggest site for that. Around that time I'd also started to slowly get into prog, but admittedly didn't use to listen to full albums, just individual songs. So I looked for some instrumental progressive rock that I could use as background music. And this is what I found. Wow.
The first thing that I noticed was how it didn't sound like anything I'd heard at the time (yet I still think the same today). And that speaks of how hard a time I have trying to describe Ruined Machine's style, for it is instrumental, with some big post-rock and space rock influences, and some electronics and metal, yet it doesn't really sound like any of those genres. And I became attracted to its underlying nostalgia, and it's still something I can relate to.
It baffles me how this guy didn't get more recognition, because while his Jamendo account registered thousands of free downloads, his Bandcamp has just a few supporters. I'm one of them, of course. Also worth noticing that, for an album that didn't have such a big budget, and has some virtual instruments, it sounds pretty clean.
Pressure & Obsession is more of an experience, a journey that's not mute, for the music speaks for itself.
Recommended song: The Extremist Heart17OK ComputerRadiohead/mu/coreOh boy, talking about growers. THIS is one of the biggest growers ever recorded. While I was slowly expanding my tastes outside prog, I was checking come top 50 lists that seemed very interesting, and a few featured Ok Computer. Didn't think much about it at the moment, but later I saw it as #1 on Rateyourmusic, and read that critics praised it on release as an instant classic, so I was definitely intrigued. "The fuck is this crap?" was me after a first listen. "Overrated as hell". Even discussing with friends that loved it, I couldn't find any appeal on it: annoying singer, noisy production, weird sounds, ugh.
But, you know... I kept getting back to it. Why? I could hit my head against the wall all day long, but I wouldn't remember why. Something... attracted me to it. Was it the atmosphere? The occasional mellotrons? The catchy yet noisy tunes? Maybe it was at the same time I got into Sigur Ros, so I started to appreciate Thom's vocals. Then the production didn't bother me. Even the songs I had disliked kept growing and growing. Now, after relistening while writing this, I wonder if it should be higher on the list.
Recommended song: Exit Music (For A Film)16Shadows Of The SunUlverI've always been fascinated by this cover...Ulver are one of the most fascinating acts out there, one of the very few capable of making masterpieces on very different styles and genres. Anyone into black metal, specially the most atmospheric branches of it, knows their debut, Bergtatt, is a classic. Fans of experimental electronic music praise Perdition City for its noir atmosphere and seamless blend of sounds. I don't consider myself an ambient lover, but I'm pretty sure anyone who is into that kind of music, will find in Shadows of the Sun something more than worth listening. Yes, they've made all those styles, and while some members have come and gone, their leader is still the same, musical genius Kristoffer Rygg (aka Garm).
What they've crafted here makes the label "ambient" feel very restrictive, because while Shadows of the Sun has a big focus on atmosphere, it's not the whole picture. Yes, there is some seriously heart breaking tonality here. Yes, the vocals as somber, and hoarse, which ties in with a grief-laden theme... But that's just part of it. A bevy of instruments come together to enhance the album's variety, such as a trumpet, theremin, cellos, violins/violas, and various guitars. The atmosphere is consistent, the instrumentation, the vocals, the songwriting, they are all consistent, yet each track has something different to offer, whether its ambient bliss like the fantastic opener EOS, or some explosive experimentation with heavy percussion like Let the Children Go.
The clean production, paradoxically, makes such a bleak record sound warm and comfortable. Garm's deep voice is soothing, and at times is just part of the layers and the atmosphere, like another instrument. These guys are fantastic.
Recommended song: EOS