In Pieces - Lions Write History

In Pieces were a post-hardcore band with members from With Honor and Have A Nice Life (Dan Barrett actually created HANL after In Pieces). I got their sophomore album Lions Write History whilst I was utterly obsessed with all projects Barrett has been involved in. As far as post-hardcore goes, it dominates everything from the genre as of late mainly due to it's originality. In fact, it's so far from most post-hardcore bands that I don't even want to call it post-hardcore (but I will, because it is). All the songs are written incredibly well, mixing heavy sections with clean interludes tastefully. Most of the songs are around 5 minutes with awesome build ups and some great epic climaxes. One of the main attractions for me personally are Barretts's vocals, where he sings very uniquely and well. Also, the parts where he screams are fucking awesome.

Anyway, just check it out.

Lions Write History (2005)

Amon Tobin - Foley Room

If you're looking for creative and awesome electronica music, look no further.

The album's beats are made from field recordings, but they are mixed so well it could almost be a shitty drum kit. I mean this in the best possible way, as the beats are the standout on this cd for me. 

Some strange piano and violin work keep this album interesting, best showcased in the opening track Bloodstone. However along with the strange comes the epic, particularly the final track which has a violin sample that made me lose my shit.

So if you're into IDM or just down for something new and experimental, this is a great album to check out. I've also heard he has quite a solid discography so checking out some of his other stuff would not be a waste of time.

Foley Room (2007)

dälek

I wouldn't call myself a professional when it comes to hip-hop, but I can safely say this duo shits on most hip-hop you're currently listening to.

In terms MC Dälek's voice, he has the perfect mix of calm and passionate. There are few moments where you can hear how much he gets into it, namely the end of Classical Homicide where he practically screams:

"Amplify brainwaves to condense my thought

Bends the dark

Why question my art?"

Production-wise, some of the best samples and beats I've heard in hip-hop. Some really noisy and dirty sounds, which is a good thing to hear compared to the squeaky clean production most mainstream rappers go for nowadays. On From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots there is some really weird electronic music, particularly on the 10 minute song Black Smoke Rises. As they have progressed though, they have incorporated some dreamy atmospheres in their music, the title track off Abandoned Language is a great example.

Basically if you're into underground hip-hop or just aching for some rap with actual though and musicality, definitely check out dälek. I'm posting the link for the 3 albums I have but they have one more from 2009 called Gutter Tactics, which I'm yet to hear.

From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots (2002)

Absence (2004)

Abandoned Language (2007)

My first hip-hop blog...hopefully next time I will know what I'm talking about a bit more.

Cheer up, Charlie

These are some of the albums I tend to listen to when I'm feeling down, or even just to go with my good mood.

Deerhunter - Microcastle (2008)

The beautiful shoegaze moments and the huge atmospheres created on this album always make me feel heaps better. Every song is solid and enjoyable, making one listen all the way through enough to cheer up anyone.

The Audition - Controversy Loves Company (2005)

Pop punk/Pop rock at it's finest. It's basic, repetitive and really not that well written. But the songs are so catchy and ridiculously fun that it's hard not to smile when listening to it. It will always be a guilty pleasure of mine.

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (2001)

Some of the best Indie tunes are on this album. As soon as Caring is Creepy starts, I always am instantly put in a good mood. Really cruise-y, chilled out songs that will get inside your head and force you to feel good.

mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister (2005)

Their next album It's All Crazy... is clearly a happier record, but this album cheers me up more just because of the sheer amazingness of it. It's passionate and beautiful, and reminds me just how capable and creative the human mind can be.

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

If you've heard this album then you love it, if you haven't then you will download it right now and then love it. This album pretty much created the Shoegaze genre and is possibly the closest music form to the word Love, which is ironic considering the album title.

Portal - Swarth (2009)

I know it's cheesy and a bit over the top in the happiness department, but this feel good album really could cheer up anyone. The overuse of the major scale and the serenity of the vocals make this one of the happiest albums I've ever heard.

Well there you go, these albums always put a smile on my face. Mostly Indie stuff for some reason, but I think just lush sounds and chilled out atmospheres are what turn my moods.

I don't want someone who's depressed to take the Portal album as serious advice and listen to it, because it will probably just cause you to kill yourself and everyone within a 50 mile radius.

Karnivool

My favourite Aussie band, and they performed one of the greatest shows I've ever been to last night.

I've never seen a band so tight on stage. Everything they played was clear and flawless. The ambient parts were beautifully lush and the heavy parts were hea-vy. Such a huge sound.

In terms of stage presence, they were awesome as well. They didn't go over the top crazy, but for the music they play they were appropriately active. As you can see from the photos I had a wicked view of the whole band and took heaps of photos. Each member delivered perfectly and I really can't say enough for how well they played. Honestly, just so fucking good.

Anyway if you haven't heard any of their stuff, download their 2 albums and be amazed (and then also upset you didn't see them last night).

Themata (2005)

Sound Awake (2009)

I wore 3 condoms in advance for the show... I should have worn more.

Deathconsciousness

Since my last few blogs have been about bands that I think are pretty good but not amazing, I thought I'd do a blog about one of my favourite albums of all time.

Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness

One thing people need to know about me is my love for 2 things in music: Epic finishes to songs/albums and Major Third progressions. I'm not sure what it is about the Major Third progression but the interval is just so fucking good that every time I hear a song with it in it, I go nuts. Anyway, this brings me to how I first heard this album. My mate showed me the last song Earthmover which ticks both boxes for me: Massive Major Third progression to finish the album in the most epic way imaginable. As soon as I heard it I was compelled to hear the entire thing. On first listen, I thought it was really solid and good to chill out to. Sure there were moments that got pretty heavy but for the most part, it was a relaxing album. Over time, I started hearing new things with each listen, small things that seemed insignificant at first. Before I knew it, I was in love. Deep, Deep love (no pun intended, although by saying this it's pretty clear that it was intended). Every song was so appropriate in the mix of the album, leaving no moments of boredom. At times I could just sit there relaxing and soaking up the dreamy atmospheres created, and at other times I couldn't help but bop my head or stamp my feet to the beat. I've never had so much chills in my body from one single album. Basically, I had found an album that had songs for every mood I could possibly be in, and in turn had found one of the most amazing albums I had ever heard.

Basically this description I've given you doesn't really tell you anything about the album, other than the fact that I kiss it's arse every day. But in all seriousness, I really struggle to describe this album technically. The only thing I could thing to do is tell you how it makes me feel, so hopefully that is enough to make you want to hear it. Genre-wise, Have A Nice Life have stated that they make "Depressive Post-Industrial Doomgaze" music, which sums it up pretty accurately. Pretty much you just need to hear it for yourself, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Deathconsciousness Disc 1 - The Plow That Broke The Plains (2008)

Deathconsciousness Disc 2 - The Future (2008)

To give you some reference as to how much I am obsessed with this album, track 3 is called The Big Gloom. Go figure.

Hopeless

Local Melbourne hardcore band Hopeless have just released their latest 7" EP called Human. For those who don't know, Hopeless are a fairly new band with members from Carpathian and Bear Trap. 

Their previous album Dear World... was a pretty good effort, but seemed to lack something. It also seemed a bit slow and generic at times but all in all was a fairly enjoyable hardcore album.
Living in Melbourne myself has been good in the sense that I have seen these guys at least 6 times in the last year, which has also given me the chance to see their growth. As musicians, they don't really do anything too special and technical, but they provide a strong hardcore sound with plenty of opportunities to chant the lyrics, which are one of the best parts about the band. Needless to say, I've been pretty excited about their latest release since all their new songs sounded awesome live. The production is certainly better than on Dear World..., and the songs just seem to flow much better. Dear World... had a lot of filler tracks that didn't really add anything to the album, but with Human only being 5 tracks, all 5 tracks hold their own making it their strongest effort yet.

If you're a fan of hardcore, definitely get Human. If you like what you hear, feel free to get Dear World..., but as mentioned I personally don't think it's as good.

Dear World... (2009)
Human 7" (2010)

I promise my next blog won't be about hardcore.