I’ll readily acknowledge I’m something of a dilettante when it comes to metal -- despite a long history with it and a general affection, I never really dove into its depths. You’ll have to forgive me for not knowing exactly how to categorize “LD 99” by Jessica B. Kelly (aka @jessica ) and the Void Conspiracy. What I can tell you is that guitars chug along like classic thrash ...(continued in next post)
... the double bass drum beat is relentless and punishing and the aggro vocals are a step or two in clarity above a death metal growl, but still pretty brutal. That’s good metal, in other words! The remainder of the brand-new LP offers four more songs in a similar vein, plus 7 remixes of the title track. Hear it all here:
Experimental music doesn’t have to be scary, or even all that weird. Take “Lucky Number” from @jankhambrams for example -- there’s not a lot here to frighten anyone away, but this is a track that goes its own way all the same. Built around a spiraling piano motif that goes up and down and up again -- the effect is something like an aural rollercoaster ride -- contrasted against some quiet, distorted beats, bits of fuzz and buzz and a few groovy sound design moments.
@jankhambrams The track is certainly pleasant, if pretty weird; a groovy little workout that shows you can explore new ideas in structure and sound without descending into noise or noodling.
Can’t get enough dark, dystopian future sounds? @syntheholfm has what you need. Tales of Morro Rock is explicitly inspired by #Cyberpunk2077 but even if you’ve never played the game you’ll recognize this edgy, #industrial-kissed #synthwave as a natural evolution of the genre. Opener “Japantown” blends classic synth sounds and subtle samples into a lean, almost funky vibe, taking us on a journey through neon-streaked nighttime streets...
@syntheholfm ...Whereas “Clouds” is a slightly heavier, slower workout with a muscular groove, some nice fuzzed out sound design and just a hint of an aura of menace. Perfect tunes for hacking the mainframe, breaking ICE and all your other futuristic, questionably legal #cyberpunk activities.
From @thisoccasionalsociety's By Sea album: “Habana” offers a subdued blend of strings, quiet handclaps, a flute-like synth line and some mellow swells, all wrapped around snippets of historical recordings about refugees from the Spanish Civil War. There’s just a hint of an edge to the music, but in concert with the spoken-word elements it definitely paints a melancholic, somewhat uncomfortable sonic picture.
@thisoccasionalsociety “Hypoxia 2” combines a stuttering, shuffling IDMesque beat to some piano, bits of static, synth strings and a distorted, guitarish lead for somewhat more comforting results. This one sounds like the score to a film -- an introspective scene of some kind, maybe a bit sad but with an undercurrent of perseverance and hope
Whichever one of you glorious folks spent today listening to most of my back catalog, I just wanted to say THANKS. Especially as I see mostly/nearly all complete listens/no skips!
I typically focus my promotion on my latest material, so it's always gratifying to see someone has, of their own volition, decided to engage deeply with my older work.
If that was you and you see this, holler, I want to give you some free download codes if you want them.
Entering the last 2 hours or so of my pre-#BandcampFriday sale! HALF OFF anything/everything in my catalogue! Use code EGRET at checkout to get 50% of any purchase, up to and including the full discography!
Happy Monday! Thanks to everyone who saw one of my posts asking for listeners and checked me out this weekend. Had a really nice few streaming days! I'll be running a sale later today/over the next few days, so go poke around and see what you might want to buy...
Buckle up, shit's about to get W E I R D. Adventurous and eclectic, Antología Siglo XXI from @PseudoNovalis is a veritable bazaar of the bizarre. Shambolic noise rock jams, MIDIfied jazz freakouts, audio collages, barely recognizable covers, autotuned spoken word -- all in a days work and barely scratching its surface. Not for the faint of heart, but deeply rewarding for those looking to step (far) off the beaten path.
Two very different tracks show off disparate sides of @jjmickey 's expansive catalog (almost 80 tracks!). "At the Bottomless" is a sleek, propulsive and hypnotic cut of techy minimalism led by a hypnotic bell pattern. "Chocolate or Never" is a wilder ride, full of weird twists and turns, from its chiptune intro to the tabla rhythms populating its back half.
Clever, cheeky and fun, "easter island" by @rx1f is a golden slice of glittering electro pop goodness. A bouncy beat, chillwave vibes and a a vocal about the titular island come together to great effect. Sounds like Neon Indian joined early Human League and made a supergroup. Delightful.
Glitchy, funky and just weird enough to keep things interesting, "C2C - Down The Road (Flear Bootleg)" by @officialflear is a quick musical slap in the face -- but the good kind, that wakes you up! Clocking in at just over 2 minutes, this track will (ear)worm its way thru your brain and booty before you know what hit you -- but you'll probably be left wanting more.
#MusiciansOfMastodon I've been lazy and uploading music directly to my Mastodon instance; it's convenient immediately, but much less so when people ask me where they can hear other songs/noodling from me. So, Fediverse, where should I be uploading my one-off tracks/noodling to?
Heavy, brutal and strangely beautiful, @CCirco's D!5R_PT||0_S (Mangled Mix) is a mashup of a previous full-length album into ten minutes of dark beauty. Make a Venn diagram of the darkest ambient, heaviest techno and most experimental industrial you can find; the overlap is this album. Impressive and immersive, this is a stellar advertisement for the full album.
Get your folk-pop whimsy on with "Mystery Horse Show" from @Dace. An acoustic-guitar led, mellow folk arrangement sets the stage for a silly and clever little ditty about, well, a mystery horse show. Puts me in mind of classic Robyn Hitchcock -- even sounds a tiny bit like it! As a nice bonus, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it electric guitar solo that definitely could have gone on longer. Fun and lighthearted.