Faustiandan Albums of 2015 - No.5

Floating Points - Elaenia

A series of Progressive House Eps didn’t really point towards this universally well received electronic jazz debut from Floating Points. Elegant synth work and brushed drumming create a lush and beautiful record that presents an artist exhibiting a fully realised vision on his first full length. Influences nod towards Tortoise, Nicholas Jaar, numerous Krautrock bands (especially Tangerine Dream) and, unmistakably clearly, Manuel Gottsching’s E2—E4. Ostensibly modern but wearing its retro influences proudly.  

Faustiandan Albums of 2014 - No.1

Current 93 - I Am the Last Of All the Field That Fell

Please – maybe the easiest decision I have had to make all year. Not just because I’m an unashamed, diehard fan-boy; this is also a truly great avant-folk record. David Tibet’s idiosyncratic vocal stylings are in fine form, as are his occult/quasi-religious lyrical rants. Musically, it retains some of the simplicity of the Michael Cashmore golden period, but with a free form psychedelic rockband sensibility (the drums are particularly effective throughout the record). Throw in the obligatory roll call of heavy weights from underground music queuing up to work with them (including a brilliant turn from John Zorn) and you have an undeniable Current 93 classic on your hands.

Faustiandan Albums of 2014 - No.2

Swans – To Be Kind

This is the third epic release since the Swans returned in 2010. They remain both brutal and powerful, a brooding colossus in the realm of experimental rock. After more than 30 years producing records, it is obscene how good this is. Yes, To Be Kind is a marathon to listen to and subsequently not easy to digest, but it is worth the effort.

Faustiandan Albums of 2014 - No.3

The Soft Pink Truth – Why do the Heathen rage?

I can’t think of a better way to irritate prejudiced, true black metal fans than reinterpreting some classic tracks as electro hits. In doing this, Drew Daniel of Matmos fame has not shirked away from the themes and style of black metal; in fact, it is more accurate to say he has emphasised them. This results in a record that often falls into parody and, by doing so, dissipates the more sinister elements of the genre. It is even more amusing to hear some tracks result in being, quite frankly, camp; another irritant for your true black metal fan. Yet most importantly, this is an engrossingly enjoyable record that has reconstructed black metal in a captivating way – transcending the KVLT!

Faustiandan Albums of 2014 - No.4

Scott Walker and Sunno))) – Soused

Scott Walker remains one of the few artists who consistently releases uncompromisingly uncomfortable, but equally breath taking records. The end of his contemporary trilogy, Bish Bosch, provided a logical conclusion to The Drift and Tilt. This collaboration doesn’t move far from that template, but has a level of accessibility (relatively speaking) not heard since Climate of the Hunter. Walker bombards us again with a punishing, yet exquisite aural palette, and his demented baritone voice is in fine form. What ties it together more neatly than Bish Bosch is Sunno)))’s complementary drone metal emphasis driving each track. Highly recommended - downright frightening!

Faustiandan Albums of 2014 - No.5

Francis Harris – minutes of sleep

Having a taste for microhouse and minimal techno, I always like to grab a couple of records in these genres each year. What I didn’t expect with this release was the emphasis on live instrumentation. This is still DJ production designed for the bedroom instead of the dance floor, but it stands out because of its Jazz sensibilities. It’s like a jazz band has been submerged under an ocean of distortion and intermingled with distant, deep beats and drones. Certainly rewarding for the patient listener.

Best Albums of 2013 - Number 1: Forest Swords – 'Engravings'

The Neo-pychedelia of Matthew Barnes’ Forest Swords brought an emotional, dreamlike haze with this ambient dub record. Spinning the similar dark atmosphere of previous records, this maintained Barnes’ ethereal beauty but with a starker experimental edge. Hard to call with so many great releases (James Holden, The Haxan Cloak, Dean Blunt, Julia Holter) but this was my album of the year.

Best Albums of 2013 - Number 2: James Holden – 'The Inheritors'

IDM pumped full to bursting with Krautrock, Holden’s brilliant release is both knowingly retro and strikingly contemporary. Probably the coolest record of the year. 

Best Albums of 2013 - Number 3: The Haxan Cloak – 'Excavation'

Dub Dark ambient that is a concept record about what happens after we die. What we get is a compelling, immersive decent into a dark, gloomy afterlife drenched in deafening fear.

Best Albums of 2013 - Number 4: Dean Blunt – 'The Redeemer'

The experimental dub of Dean Blunt is both intimate and immediate whilst being barren and removed. This is sensual pop/electro with outstanding production and a hugely distinctive vibe.

Best Albums of 2013 - Number 5: Spektr – 'Cypher'

French Black metal has always tried to push boundaries, and Spektr’s ‘Cypher’ is no exception. This is certainly a long way from traditional black metal; no vocals, clear electro influences and hypnotic structures. Spektr offer up an eclectic, industrial tinged atmospheric journey not to be missed. With excellent releases from Altar of Plagues and the ever consistent Oranssi Pazuzu, it is not lightly I call this the metal album of the year.

This one will get him in your Lastfm top 10.

Not even Dan wants to write on here. Well, we should save it for special occasions, and here is something very special for you and your love of music. Max Richter, who's name should at least ring a little bell, is about to release a new album after being approached by a small German record label. Their request was for him to take the reins of a re composition. The work in question, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. The result, a stunning success. The best Vivaldi has ever sounded, and the best Richter has ever recorded. It is verging on perfection.


Thanks for all the suggestions this year Dan.

Past Muso Club Recommendation

Pinch & Shackleton - Pinch & Shackleton

When Burial was defining what intelligent, studio based Dubstep is all about circa 2006, these two producers were putting their own stamp on the genre. Although not as groundbreaking, their work stands as excellent exemplars of an exciting current of noughties underground electronic music. Paired together on their self-titled release I'm surprised to have not seen this on any best of lists for 2011. Whilst hardly being dubstep, this is a worthy statement of bass music in a new decade. It is also a pretty exhilarating listen!

Past Muso Club Recommendation

Exuma - Exuma I

In my continual trawl through the world of alternative folk I am constantly seeking out the holy grail of experimental quality to match the mighty Comus. I think, and this is brave, Exuma is some way on the way to achieving this goal. Inspired and thematically linked to Voodoo Caribbean religion (Obeah), this feels both spiritually authentic and reverential. It's exotic nature never feels contrived nor does it feel inaccessibly alien. Intriguing, catchy, bizarre and thoroughly gripping.

Muso Club March Recommendation

Evangelista - Hello, Voyager

Voyagers! Open your cramped legs locked in that flying suit of lights.

There’s a visceral raw edge to Carla Bozulich’s avant-rock ‘Hello-voyager’. But highlighting its rawness only tells half the story. This is at times haunting and eerie, moving through moments of beauty into utter madness. The list of female experimenters she has been likened to seems endless, and many rather fitting – Patti Smith, Kate Bush, Laurie Anderson, Diamanda Galas. Yet Evangelista and Bozulich clearly have a sound which is uniquely theirs.

Still I stand before you, dear stranger and I say: Yes!

The album moves through a variety of styles and levels of aggression. Where ‘For the L’il Dudes’ is a beautiful, string driven instrumental, ‘Smooth Jazz’ is a militaristic rock number, ‘Frozen Dress’ moves into dark ambient territory whilst ‘Blue room’ is a haunting ballad driven by Bozulich’s outstanding vocals. In fact, the variety is impressive, and the quality of each track never falls short. Yet, there is a feeling that these tracks exist to build towards the closer which makes for a jarring and dramatic climax, a real highlight of the album.

There's only one word that has hasn't dried completely in your parched throat. Can you say it with me? The word is love.

Its haphazard percussion landing like stray fire on a battlefield makes for an aggressive and unstructured backdrop punctuated by heavy riffs of fuzzed electric guitar and Bozulich’s fierce diatribe on the alienation involved in love. She is a genuinely moving voice in experimental music and this album makes a welcome exploration of where rock can (and perhaps should more frequently) go post-rock, somewhere both menacing and apocalyptic. Hello voyager is an adventure into the dark recesses of insanity – as such it is highly recommended.

Open your eyes. You are with us now.

Muso Club Feb/March Recommendations

Alain Goraguer - La Planete Sauvage (Fantastic Planet OST)

This is the psychedelic OST to René Laloux’s cult classic, La Planaete Sauvage - The Fantastic Planet or, more accurately, The Wild Planet. Goraguer is a composer worth paying attention to, whose credits include working with and orchestrating many albums for Serge Gainsbourg in the 60s. That should give you enough of a rough idea of his arrangements in general, but with La Planete Sauvage, Goraguer reached a creative peak. This score is both progressive (in a 70s rock way) whilst being laden with a funk vibe. The result is a dense and trippy affair which combines impeccably with the surrealistic realisation of the film; which itself has a Terry Giliam-esque quality but avoids Gilliam’s obscure, non-linear experimentation and is less manifestly comedic. The music is driven by electric synthesisers and a heavy dollop of wah-wah guitar producing a majestic slab of 70’s experimental prog that oozes cool, slow grooves whilst maintaining a tense foreboding atmosphere. Being a soundtrack, the record has a repetitive quality through references back to key themes, but the strength of these key pieces only adds to the enjoyment. Approaching La Planete Sauvage, I’d strongly recommend watching the film first. Of course, the music stands confidently alone, but it was specifically composed to accompany the film, and so it is only fair to listen to it in its intended habitat.

Muso Club January Recommendations

Peaking Lights – 936
No surprises here – this was released on the ever engaging Not Not Fun label and does not disappoint. Retro sounding and Hypnagogic just when we thought the hypnagogue craze had to die. This is exactly what I want from a comforting, psych pop trip – so much so it was one of my albums of 2011!

Muso Club January Recommendations

Disco Inferno – The 5 EPs
Disco Inferno are a band who, indebted to Post-Punk, take a rather British spin on Post-Rock. They are certainly experimental with enough pop sensibilities to maintain the interest of a curious mainstream listener. All this is rather nice, but this recommendation is more of a project for all of us. This release comes highly recommended and draped with superlatives – perfect, way too smart, forward-looking, mind-boggling – and even took a coveted ‘record of the week’ at Aquarius records on its release with them saying:
“Amazing collection of long out of print eps from this seminal London post punk trio, whose sound was a brilliant mish-mash of sample-based technology, post-punk intensity, and a profoundly British mope, that influenced so many bands we love, from My Bloody Valentine to Stereolab, from Notwist to Animal Collective and beyond...”
Although I have enjoyed it, I don’t quite get it. So, let’s try and crack it together.

Review: Holger Czukay & Rolf Dammers – Canaxis

Approaching any album that is accompanied by a recommendation extolling and eulogising its merits, poses a number of specific difficulties. This can’t be some half listened to response, an under masticated pronouncement of the qualities contained within. Add to the mix the complication of a direct connection with Kraut rocking uber lords Can, a favourite of any discerning music listener regardless of genre persuasion, and we end up with a piece of music which requires repeated, careful attention employing all music appreciation faculties.

Fine – I considered the challenge accepted, especially as I am counted as one of those discerning music listeners with a penchant for Can. But then the project became more muddled on first listen. For Canaxis, it became immediately obvious, is a journey of ritualistic proportions that needs to be taken in one full dose and has a rather limited recommended prescribed amount; i.e. you can’t listen to this on repeat! This didn’t bode well as, to truly do justice to a potential 10/10 listen, listening to this on repeat was pretty much a necessity. So, over a month later, and having clocked up 7 listens, a pronouncement has been attained.

The two parts of the album neatly sit together to form a cohesive whole, but are suitably different to warrant individual attention. Boat-Woman-Song feels like a sacrificial lament. It is composed of ambient sound experimentation inflected through choral loops. Add to the mix an unintelligible female wail, which I like to assume is the boat woman, the overall impact of the track is one laced with a creepy, ominous air which adds a slightly unsettling under taste to the hypnotic sacrosanct vibe. The guitar driven mid section to the track offers little rest-bite from the monastic atmosphere, which returns minutes later with a fervent sacred force. This is a hypnotically beautiful track; It’s interesting to note that, although presenting the singing of Vietnamese peasant women, there is something of a monastic Christian flavour throughout.

Title track Canaxis maintains the first track’s ambient experimentation, this time providing a haze of otherworldly sonic noodling. The punctuation at the beginning and later again by a hazy gong adds a stark attention grabber through the repetition. The chanting here is less monastic than before, feeling like a soundtrack to some forgotten Japanese surrealist masterpiece. The layering of strings in the middle of the track once again ensures this is ambient music that is hard to ignore. The tension from the Boat-Woman-Song gradually returns throughout; there’s a feeling of anticipation and impending realisation throbbing behind the entire record that makes Canaxis riveting in its plodding repetition.

How to rate it? I leave that to your discretion. You couldn’t argue with a 10/10 rating for Canaxis, but equally you couldn’t criticise someone for filing it under ‘save for later’ after a first listen. The only definite here is that this is an album I urge you to own, experiencing it will make your life just that little bit better. All that is left to do is drift off into the soothing, hazy jazz ending... nice.

Muso Club: Round 4 Results

Faustiandan’s choice:

Sieben - Ogham Inside The Night

Now brothers, there is something I’ve been meaning to share with you for some time and I think, perhaps, this might be the forum. It is my endless love of Neo-folk. I know I have shared this with you verbally and my last fm account is a testament to it; so I don’t mean I want to simply tell you how good neo-folk is. I am also acutely aware of your shared interest in the genre; both of you being fans of some of the stand out artists– Current 93 and Rome spring to mind and also, if you follow a logical musical path, Laibach. So I don’t want to share this with you in an ‘introducing’ kind of way. I simply want to share with you how big a part of my listening habits neo-folk accounts for. So I am using Muso Club to represent what’s been taking my interest – and Neo folk albums are always grabbing me.

The album in question is a one man band, which in itself is quite strange. But from this singular creative force comes a swell of ingenuity and beauty – driven by Matt Howden’s captivating voice and haunting violin, this is a shining star of what Neo-folk has to offer – RYM said “Every so often you encounter music that you know is a masterpiece the first time you hear it”, this is one of those albums!

Mega Matt Mega Matt Mega Mega Matt Matt’s choice:
Textbook of Modern Karate 'Needle'

Obviously I was lead to this album because of our shared love of Thee Maldoror Kollective. This is as experimental as the original if not more but maybe with less catchy rifts in it. Does anybody know what the women is crying about on “A Gibbet Rootwork”, she disturbs me! I have listen to this quite a few times and although there is some brilliant elements it does not gel together so does leave one a little confused.

The Meads of Asphodel 'The Murder of Jesus the Jew'
Interesting introduction, I was wondering where this album may be going but by the start of the second track it was all clear, so I thought until half way through this track and then the only thing clear was that this was going to be a ride. I am not expect in this genre, if this falls into one, but I found the album amazing.

Tim Sim’s Choice:
Bjork and The Dirty Projectors – Mount Wittenberg Orca

Can I jump in with my next selection a little early? I have many I want to do, but listening to this last night I though yes yes yes yes. Get hold of a joint effort between the always delightful (in a way) Bjork and the dirty projectors. The album is called Mount Wittenberg Orca. It has everything you want from bjork mashed into this springy showmanship, almost broadway sound of the band. There's multiple vocals all balancing each other wonderfully.

Extras - Ulver 'The Wars of the Roses' & Solar Bears 'She was coloured in'

Faustiandan’s choice:
So, what am I recommending? I am going for a selection of two rather popular albums. The reason I have to submit two albums is because Tim has mentioned the new album that has most excited me of late, James Blake’s eponymous debut album. What is fascinating about this album is its bizarre mass appeal. He’s a classically trained pianist playing around with Dance music; producing more artistic numbers rather than floor fillers. His work to date labels him as Dub-step but his EPs aren’t really; they are more influenced by Dub-step or, better, can be seen as making a knowing nod towards the genre, post-dub-step if you will. So he’s a dub-step producer who’s not really a dub-step producer who then has moved onto baffle us further by releasing an album of vocal tracks in a ‘singer-song writer’ mode. Safe to say this album could not really be classified as ‘singer-song writer’ (whatever that means) nor can it be called dub-step. What you have instead is a soulful, uber-produced and ultra modern take on pop song music with experimental electronic programming throughout. It is haunting, interesting, uncomfortable and breathtaking in equal measure and, above all, it is universally praised. From the main stream through to the underground, everyone is wetting themselves about how good this is. What’s really funny about this admiration is the fact that it is really not very easy listening; in fact it is often quite uncomfortable. There is nothing that tickles me more than ostensibly underground music getting mass attention. I like to imagine those poor teenie boppers getting it home and listening in bewilderment as the album unfolds.

Anyway – for whatever my view is worth, the hype is more than justified. This is brilliant and will undoubtedly feature in many people’s top albums of the year. Check it out bros. My other option, as I know Tim definitely has the album above, is another popular release this year which I’m also certain will appear in many top albums of the year come December. The album in question is the new release from PJ Harvey, Let England shake.

Mega Matt Mega Matt Mega Mega Matt Matt’s choice:
And finally, after an unfortunate wait, it's time to offer up my selection. I have picked The Jade Motel by Zeigeist. It's an up tempo electro pop album from scadanavia and much in line with the Knife sound.
**Note – this album has been deleted as an official selection due to an incident of identity theft. An enquiry has been launched regarding this issue.

Tim Sim’s Choice:
I have decided to head down the contemporary jazz route and offer one of my favourite modern jazz records. Nik Bartsch's Ronin, the album is Holon. He is a Swiss pianist and composer, and this work is of the highest quality. It certainly is a builder of an album, meandering along slowly to start, but it really gets going at points. It manages to be relaxed and excited all in one journey.

Muso Club 2

Faustiandan’s choice:

I have opted for a little gem I read about in my trawl through the best of 2010, Umberto’s ‘Prophecy of the Black Widow’. This is synth driven music reminiscent of horror soundtracks from the 70s and 80s; i.e. Goblin and John Carpenter. What raises it above the bar of other retro sounding bands plying a similar trade (e.g. Zombi) is it’s compositional quality and abundance of ideas. Also, for a pretty experimental record it is very engaging whilst still reaping the rewards of continuous listens.

Mega Matt Mega Matt Mega Mega Matt Matt’s choice:

Now I have already shared this with Dan when he came down but the intense first track with the balance of the 2 vocals just blew me away.

Tim Sim’s Choice:

My suggestion is a little blues number by John Fahey. Check out 'Legend of Blind Blind Joe Death'. On reflection I suppose it may prove a little blues niche and perhaps not for general consumption. I love it though, it's got the structure of classic delta blues, but a refined, layed back approach. It's peaceful.

Muso Club Round 1 Results

FaustianDan’s choices:

Flower Travellin’ Band – Satori (1971)
Japan’s answer to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, this is catchy, heavy and psychedelic. One of the most exciting albums I have heard for quite some time. It’s complex yet easy to listen to; trippy as you like yet still rock and roll. Dislike this one and you might as well admit you are a tasteless philistine!!

Klaus Nomi – Klaus Nomi (1981)
OK, admittedly this guy has a voice that may lead many to disregard the album wholesale. This isn’t helped by the sound production which, to the untrained ear, could sound a little dated. But wait my friends – persevere and you will see this is catchy, majestic and spews genius out of its many orifices. Influenced by Kraftwerk in its electronic programming, the greatest complement you can give to this is to acknowledge that without his work David Tibet would be a completely different artist and Antony and the Johnsons simply would not exist.

Mega Matt Mega Matt Mega Mega Matt Matt’s choices:

The Builders and the Butchers - Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well (2010)
There is nothing ground breaking with this album at all. Acoustically very main stream and I bet big in the states. However, lead vocalist Ryan Sollee has a very soothing, reassuring voice.

Infected Mushroom - Legend of the Black Shawarma (2009)
As far as Israeli psychedelic trance goes, there is no finer. I found some tracks get a little lazy but then again a lot of trance can but this they do produce some unique quirky sounds that are worth a listen.

Tim Sim’s Choices

So my first choice is the jazz act When with the homage to Sun Ra. You know you love it, you know you love the intergalactic musical mystic. Brilliant.

The second and final choice (oh how I wish I could have 4 or 5). It's from that old Japan super slick, super dude, David Sylvain. As Dan is the one who suggested this guy to me some time earlier this year, I'm sure he's already checked out the top albums. In this instance I want us all to give some more, dedicated focus to the work made in collaboration with another Japan connection, Japanese master pianist and electropop pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The album is called Forbidden Colours. I suppose it's not quite an album, more an EP, but with so much music to digest in such a short time, this was an additional factor in my choice. The choice which hit third place is about 90 minutes long, so we can be grateful to my logic.

Decade is Now!!

The last decade has been hugely eventful musically, dominated at the beginning by the might of Ulver, Laibach, Kraftwerk and Arcturus to be later joined by the irrepressible Current 93 amongst others. However, to my surprise, I am beginning to think my album of the decade is Robert Wyatt’s Comicopera. Any way, here is a list of some important albums:

Ulver – Blood Inside (2005)
Ulver – Perdition City (2001)
Arcturus – Sham Mirrors (2002)
Laibach – WAT (2003)
Current 93 – Black ships ate the Sky
Robert Wyatt – Comic Opera
Scott Walker – The Drift
Burial – Burial
Bohren & der Club of Gore – Black Earth
Solefald – In Harmonia Universali
Antony and the Johnsons – Antony and the Johnsons (2000)
cLouddead – cLouddead (2001)
The Meads of Asphodel – The excommunication of Christ (2001)
Manes – Vilosophe (2003)
DJ Signify – Sleep no more (2004)
Enslaved – Isa (2004)
Sage Francis – A Healthy Distrust (2005)
Bobby Conn – King for a day (2007)
Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum (2007)
Thee Maladoror Kollective – Pilot (2007)
Virus – Carheart
Bar Kokhba – Lucifur: Book of Angels Vol.10 (2008)
Current 93 – Aleph…
Ephel Duath – The painters Palette
Om – Conferrence of the Birds

Things to note:

This is more than 20
This is by no means a definitive top 25
I’ve included WAt where as Tim excluded it yet found space for Volk and Kunst; very interesting.
The more I look at the list the less happy I am with it.
I hope there is something here new to you which you pursue and learn to love.

A Decade in Sound

OK, so with the close of the decade and a chance to reflect I have been through my music collection and tried to pull out albums of the decade. This is a very hard job and surprisingly frustrating. I really thought I had a large music collection, but it turns out that my regular demotion of music to long term storage has resulted in the last 10 years only holding perhaps 100 albums to consider. This is disappointing because I thought I had my finger on the musical pulse, but it appears that on some level it’s the older sounds that get me ticking over.

Maybe this is due to the fact that music that is older than 10 years has had time for reflection and relative analysis. This has allowed critics and amateur reviewers the chance to lose the fads and the crazes and only keep reminding us of real gems. So one can have more faith in an albums quality when people are still biggin’ it up 15 years on, where as your hot two step and punchy dub of 2 years ago may have had the headlines in it’s day, but will we really want to get people filling their brains with Ket for a night of classic Burial in a decade? I don’t know, and this is why my modern music collection is somewhat lacking.

I say this, but I still had a load of excellent music to sift through and I have tried to provide a top 20. They may not be in actual order, but as close as I could think of as I became slightly bored with this job.

I haven’t given any notes to the albums cause quite frankly I have other things to do in life. This has been rewarding however and I hope you will follow suit soon.

1. Arve Henriksen Chiaroscuro
2. Max Richter Blue Notebooks
3. Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses Perils
4. Lawrence The Night will last forever
5. Andy Votel Vertigo Mixed
6. The Knife Silent Shout
7. Laibach Volk
8. Tom Waits Alice
9. Radiohead Amnesiac/Kid A
10. Nick Cave No More Shall WE Part
11. Ulver Perdition City
12. John Tejada The Toiling of Idle Hands
13. Thomas Brinkmann Where Horses Die
14. Robert Wyatt Comicopera
15. Dopplereffekt Calabi Yau Space
16. Bar Kokhba Sextet Lucifer: Book of Angels, Vol 10
17. Murcof Mantes
18. Booka Shade Movements
19. Nik Bartsch’s Ronin Holon
20. Laibach Kunst der Fuge

On another note, I have been busy setting up a new life and writing details of my adventure on another blog. I am slightly saddened that this blog is being somewhat ignored and it's time the pair of you got busy writing.

Happy days everyone