Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo Magellan

U.S.A., 2012

Watch them get away with their pizzicatos and harp-like sounds. And broken but so beautifully voice-led harmonies. Maybe defining something I can't categorize but stands in between the cliché-ed indie term and more progressive and mathematical music. Read something about the frontman being a genius but don't care. Good inspired music.

Playlist:
1. Offspring Are Blank
2. About To Die
3. Gun Has No Trigger
4. Swing Lo Magellan
5. Just From Chevron
6. Dance For You
7. Maybe That Was It
8. Impregnable Question
9. See What She Seeing
10. The Socialites
11. Unto Caesar
12. Irresponsible Tune

Link.

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Miasm, The Dark Roads

USA, 2012

Miasm is the latest project from musician and sound sculpture artist Jeremiah Savage. A journey of dreams extracted from the void, lusty connections in the miasm of thought; shaped by philosophy, art, literature, science, myths, emotions, and life experience exploited in tandem through progressing music structures that evolve with ideas. Structures are familiar like a broken memory or a remembered dream but progress like a poem, book or film. A world inside, created with eyes closed. 

Playlist: 
1. Origin of Nothing
2. Cradle Void
3. Face on the Water
4. Elysium
5. The Ninth
6. The Multiverse

Link.

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Belbury Poly, The Belbury Tales

UK, 2012

Belbury Poly is a two-man project that makes awesome rhythmic, synth-driven, avant-garde electronic/experimental music from the 60s, except it's not really from the 60s.

Playlist:

1. Belbury Poly Logotone B
2. Cantalus
3. Green Grass Grows
4. The Geography
5. A Pilgrim's Path
6. Now Then
7. Chapel Perilous
8. Unheimlich
9. My Hands
10. Goat Foot
11. Unforgotten Town
12. Earth Lights
13. Summer Round

Link.

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blueneck, Repetitions

UK, 2011

blueneck released Repetitions in September 2011. This record is absolutely soothing and beautiful, yet simultaneously chilling and intense. The haunting vocals and lulling melody make up for a definite must-listen for any post-rock fan.

Playlist:
1. Pneumothorax
2. Sawbones
3. Venger
4. Sleeping Through a Storm
5. Una Salus Victus
6. Ellipsis
7. Barriers Down
8. The Last Refuge
9. Lopussa

Link.

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Ghost, Opus Eponymous

Sweden, 2010

Ghost is a Stockholm-based heavy metal band with psychedelic influences. So far they have only released one album, Opus Eponymous. Ghost are vastly known for their eccentric appearance as their vocalist sports a cardinal outfit and a skull mask on stage while the remaining band members, referred to as the Nameless Ghouls, wear black robes à la Sunn O))). The band is also recognised for their unwillingness to reveal their identities and their Luciferian lyrics. I like to describe Ghost's music as what Satan would listen to if he were in a good mood.

Playlist:
1. Deus Culpa
2. Con Clavi Con Dio
3. Ritual
4. Elizabeth
5. Stand By Him
6. Satan Prayer
7. Death Knell
8. Prime Mover
9. Genesis

Link.

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Wolves in the Throne Room, Celestial Lineage

USA, 2011

Celestial Lineage is the fourth full-length studio album by American black metal band Wolves in the Throne Room. It was released through Southern Lord Records on September 13, 2011.
This album might not impress you the first time you listen to it, but it will most likely grow on you.

Playlist:

1. "Thuja Magus Imperium”

2. "Permanent Changes in Consciousness”

3. "Subterranean Initiation"

4. "Rainbow Illness"

5. "Woodland Cathedral"

6. "Astral Blood"

7. "Prayer of Transformation"

Link.

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Mothlite, Dark Age

UK, 2012

Daniel O’Sullivan releases his second album under the Mothlite moniker on May 14th through Kscope. ‘Dark Age’ is the follow-up to 2008’s ‘The Flax Of Reverie’ (Southern Records).

"This is prevalent in the lyrical content, which denotes a catharsis throughout a period of hysteria and emotional turmoil”. He describes ‘Dark Age’ as “Dark megalomania, contradictions and paradoxes, and general bleakness”, yet rarely does such subject matter get delivered with the soaring pop aplomb as on the album’s twelve tracks, flitting from sparkle and rumble of ‘The Blood’ to the epic washes of ‘The Underneath’ and beyond. The album has allowed O’Sullivan to break free from the confines of genre, taking influence from the likes of Tears For Fears and Kate Bush from his parents’ record collection through the industrial and gothic textures of DAF, The Cure, Coil and Dead Can Dance to the hardcore punk of his own personal roots. - last.fm

Playlist:

1. Wounded Lions

2. Disappear

3. Seeing in the Dark

4. The Blood

5. Something in the Sky

6. The Underneath

7. Zebras

8. Dreamsinter Nighspore

9. Milk

10. Dark Age

11. Red Rook

Link.

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Cynic, Carbon-Based Anatomy

U.S.A., 2011

Following up on the last post (that was a prog-metal one), we have the recently released EP from Cynic.
Highlights on this one: they dropped the growly vocals, focusing on Masvidal's trembly but melodious and emotional vocals with a more reduced but pleasing pitch-shift here and there. Amazing work from the three founding members, counting on Reinert's beautiful musicality on drums, delicious timbre from Malone on the bass, and Masvidal's great guitar work, sipping on jazz and whatnot.
Apart from the minor fact that a couple of the songs are re-hashes from previous sideproject Æon Spoke, this is a delightful release.


Playlist:
1. Amidst The Coals
2. Carbon-Based Anatomy
3. Bija!
4. Box Up My Bones
5. Elves Beam Out
6. Hieroglyph

Link.

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Arch/Matheos, Sympathetic Resonance

U.S.A. 2011

IMO, an excellent release from Fates Warning founders, guitarist Jim Matheos and vocalist John Arch. Matheos' unmatched ability to balance excellent riffs with an unexuberant technicity along with Arch's great musical positioning and vocals harmonies, make this album reek of early FW releases – though with a better sonic production – and a very unsurprisingly cohesive one at that.
Expect nothing less than great tracks out of this record – fair share of repetitiveness included –, having in mind the personnel included: Matheos, Arch, Joey Vera and Bobby Jarzombek.


Playlist:
1. Neurotically Wired
2. Midnight Serenade
3. Stained Glass Sky
4. On The Fence
5. Any Given Day (Strangers Like Me)
6. Incense And Myrrh

Link.

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Kimbra, Vows

Australia, 2011

Amazing artist, amazing voice. Unwilling to span to the kind of clichés spreading throughout the internet about this album, I'll just say it's a very good musical effort, from a very promising young artist who's obviously not afraid to stretch out beyond boundaries. Pop music certainly, but much much more. I'd also advise to check out her music videos.
Ready to let you get under my skin.


Playlist:

1. Settle Down
2. Cameo Lover
3. Two Way Street
4. Old Flame
5. Good Intent
6. Plain Gold Ring
7. Call Me
8. Limbo
9. Wandering Limbs
10. Withdraw
11. The Build Up

Link.

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(end of) hiatus

First post in a long while. A reason for this is that, personally, I've been dealing with several issues that demand time – such as dissertation research and teaching –, as I imagine my fellow bloggers from SC have too. I hope I can liven up this blog as much as I can, as the opportunities to do so arrive.
Also, I won't be able to guarantee posts from my colleagues, so I apologize if my posts and tastes don't correspond exactly to the standard you've been accustomed to, from this same blog. However, the variety of genres will be maintained, as much as possible.

I also hope that the few followers which still have us in their radar understand this shift in focus.
In my following posts I'll try and be succinct – even though the frequency of posting may be sometimes scarce –, synthetic about the information or links and, as much as can be, more personal.

For now, I thank you if you're reading this and still care.
Warmth

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Digitalism, I Love You Dude

Germany, 2011

I'd unconsciously waited for this for a bit so I wasn't expecting when it came out.
Thumping and driving, this sophomore album: I was very surprised with the maturing of this electro "dance punk" duo — in terms of both sound and musicality — as I hadn't really loved Idealism except for "Anything New".
I Love You Dude is a great album, cohesive and fun to listen to. Sometimes a rare combination as it obviously tells a musical story, akin to Daft Punk's Discovery. Their concept of social critique and imagery in their music evokes gets you to feel both bright and dark moods (sometimes in the same song) and, come on...
...what basslines.


Playlist:

1. Stratosphere
2. 2 Hearts
3. Circles
4. Blitz
5. Forrest Gump
6. Reeperbahn
7. Antibiotics
8. Just Gazin'
9. Miami Showdown

Link.

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