arf's may 2022 haul
The rules are simple: I listen to as many albums as possible, and report back to sputnik with a selection. Some will be new releases, some will be old stuff I'm discovering, some will be stuff I already know from long ago that I gave a proper listen again. Aside from personal favs, I'll try to avoid anything that's getting attention otherwise already. |
| 1 |  | Blut Aus Nord
Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses
My AOTM pick for May. Lovecraftian. Do I even have to introduce this one? I wonder if next month it's finally a non-metal (or metal-adjacent) release that I liked the most?
[ psychedelic black metal ]
2022-05-20
https://blutausnord.bandcamp.com/album/disharmonium-undreamable-abysses |
| 2 |  | Cloudays
Flowers of July
This one came very much as a surprise; it wasn't on my radar on February and only by pure chance did I put it on when I saw it in youtube suggestions. It's a quite simplistic dreamy shoegaze one man band record but damn it's deep and striking if you are in the right mood. "Moscow is a state of mind" - Russian astronomers.
[ gothic shoegaze / dream pop ]
2022-02-18
https://cloudays.bandcamp.com/album/flowers-of-july |
| 3 |  | Brii
Corpos Transparentes
Caio Lemos (of Kaatayra)'s electronic side project. On the 3rd album the electronic influences are perhaps closest to drum'n'bass? Rich sounding fusion as always.
[ atmospheric black metal / drum'n'bass ]
2022-05-13
https://brii.bandcamp.com/album/corpos-transparentes |
| 4 |  | Gnome (BEL)
King
Stoner metal with playfulness of the 70s.
[ stoner metal ]
2022-05-06
https://gnome.bandcamp.com/album/king |
| 5 |  | Ash of Ashes
Traces
"Skaldic metal" - this is more on the folky side of viking metal. I've been a fan of the band since stumbling upon the debut, Down the White Waters, quite randomly, and I wasn't disappointed in this one.
[ viking metal ]
2022-05-13
https://ashofashes.bandcamp.com/album/traces |
| 6 |  | Einvigi
Yö kulje kanssani
Contender for the title of best Alcest album of the year (against Sylvaine - Nova). Nothing new, but those Finns pull it off great.
[ blackgaze ]
2022-04-22
https://einvigiband.bandcamp.com/album/y-kulje-kanssani |
| 7 |  | Elyvilon
Drums in the Deepwood
Might be the best troll folk (is that a genre? it should be) record since Fintroll - Visor om slutet. Elyvilon was great when delivering chivalric style dungeon synth on Nimueh's Gift last year, and he excells again.
[ dungeon synth / troll folk ]
2022-05-20
https://elyvilon.bandcamp.com/album/drums-in-the-deepwood |
| 8 |  | Fen Walker / Scrying Glass
Behold! Visions From the Scrying Pool!
Fen Walker (with his distinct percussive style) and Scrying Glass (with his 70s prog inspired songwriting) join forces for this out-of-ordinary dungeon synth record.
[ progressive dungeon synth ]
2022-05-06
https://fenwalker.bandcamp.com/album/behold-visions-from-the-scrying-pool
https://scryingglass.bandcamp.com/album/behold-visions-from-the-scrying-pool |
| 9 |  | Dvar
Metah
What a comeback! I would've missed it if it wasn't for me relistening Dvar's classic releases which were were the bee's knees, this one is more nocturnal, I guess that's what moths listen to.
[ avant-pop / dungeon synth ]
2022-03-02
https://dvar.bandcamp.com/album/metah |
| 10 |  | Rodent Epoch
Hidden Temple
"THIS IS FUCKING DISGUSTING!" Yeah it's another one of those gritty black metal releases with a dash of raw punk energy.
[ black metal ]
2022-04-30
https://thetruerodentepoch.bandcamp.com/album/hidden-temple |
| 11 |  | Marina Herlop
Pripyat
Chopped up folksy electic female vocal pop. I kinda wish this record had a little bit more of zeuhl in it (there's a little bit of it showing up in the singing style at times, but apparently that's just coincidental influence from Carnatic vocalization), but oh well.
[ avant- / glitch pop ]
2022-05-20
https://marinaherlop.bandcamp.com/album/pripyat |
| 12 |  | Mary Halvorson
Amaryllis
Groovy modern jazz with a lot going on - up to 10 people are playing at a time on here. Technically this is a double album with Belladonna (where it's just a string quartet and Mary Halvorsson on the guitar), but I don't like the other one too much - do I just not get it, or is it actually just random notes at times? This one feels more coherent, even though it's harmonically just as out there. Oh well. Recommend to fans of post-rock who want to expand their musical horizons a bit, but have the same issues with a lot of jazz as me (note salad that doesn't go anywhere).
[ avant-jazz / fusion ]
2022-05-13
https://maryhalvorson.bandcamp.com/album/amaryllis |
| 13 |  | Spintria
Bacchanalia
Ironically, the next recommendation from me is... a chaotic note salad. But it goes somewhere. Therefore I like it. Band is a metal trio (with a saxophonist guest on the second half), which shares two members with Skin Tension (which is kinda popular on here, similar to this but more brutal) and two members with Primeval Well (tremendous appalachian black metal, also recommend from me).
[ free jazz / metal ]
2022-05-20
https://spintria.bandcamp.com/album/bacchanalia |
| 14 |  | Strange Horizon
Beyond the Strange Horizon
Solid traditional doom metal. Debut album, they deserve some attention imo.
[ doom metal ]
2022-05-06
https://strangehorizon.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-strange-horizon |
| 15 |  | Peth
Merchant Of Death
Old school, bluesy occult themed heavy metal. Another promising debut.
[ heavy metal ]
2022-05-27
https://peth.bandcamp.com/album/merchant-of-death |
| 16 |  | Arthuros
Ultraromance
The new Arthuros is less ambiental and more epic. Sounds like a soundtrack to a forgotten 80s animated fantasy movie...
[ dungeon synth / synthwave ]
2022-05-14
https://arthuros.bandcamp.com/album/ultraromance |
| 17 |  | Void Stasis
Ruins
Another good dark ambient release from the Cryo Chamber label - follow them for that genre. Co-written and performed by an analog synth trio.
[ dark ambient ]
2022-05-24
https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/ruins |
| 18 |  | Adolf Plays The Jazz
Low Life | We Can't Lose. We Have Already Lost.
Nocturnal jazzy lush post-rock.
[ post-rock / doomjazz ]
2022-05-03
https://adolfplaysthejazz1.bandcamp.com/album/low-life-we-cant-lose-we-have-already-lost |
| 19 |  | Da Captain Trips
Maths of the Elements
Psychedelic and spaced out synth heavy instrumental rock jams.
[ space rock ]
2022-05-06
https://dacaptaintrips.bandcamp.com/album/maths-of-the-elements |
| 20 |  | Astodan
Évora
Dynamic vocal post-metal. Goes hard, but not as heavy as, say, Cult of Luna. Got on my recommendations list thanks to the 3rd track.
[ post-metal ]
2022-05-06
https://astodan.bandcamp.com/album/vora |
| 21 |  | Stjarnfalt
Lapporten
Deserves a mention. Not as grounbreaking as Brii, but also similar in that it successfully combines atmospheric black metal with electronic style - in this case, the synths are distinctly trance-y.
[ atmospheric black metal / trance ]
2022-05-06
https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/lapporten |
| 22 |  | Fjara
Kuušiveneh
Kantele-based neofolk from Karelia, in the vein of Finnish Nest and Tenhi.
[ neofolk / finnish folk ]
2022-05-06
https://fjara1.bandcamp.com/album/kuu-iveneh-ep-2022 |
| 23 |  | Archaia
Harmonie Solaire
Apparently another Archaia album was dug out, recorded after the debut one but never released. It's perhaps a bit more conventional than the first one, but it's still alien sounding, haunting and transcendental. The sound I'd say is essentially halfway between stripped down zeuhl and krautrock.
[ minimal zeuhl / electronic ]
2021-12-17
https://mutantembryorecords.bandcamp.com/album/harmonie-solaire |
| 24 |  | Billy Odal
...and the search for Agartha - Part 1
"Billy Odal was born on the Moon.. came to Earth in 1969 to find Agartha." Appropriately occult sounding, similar in sound to early goth rock bands.
[ occult rock ]
2021-08-18
https://billy69.bandcamp.com/album/and-the-search-for-agartha-part-one |
| 25 |  | Alconaut
Sand Turns to Tide
High energy stoner (or is it boozer?) metal. Lyrics have kind of a Sleep vibe. Very fun listen. (First of the two Corsican releases on this list this month - both are older stuff I only just learned about. Huh.)
[ stoner metal ]
2019-12
https://alconaut.bandcamp.com/album/sand-turns-to-tide |
| 26 |  | Amahoro
Flowering Of The Spirit
The most unlikely of combinations, two Japanese new-agers, one on kora (west african harp), the other on esraj (north indian fiddle). Meditative but never boring. Perfect for warm summer nights.
[ new-age / "world music" ]
1995
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2I4CwfZHTs |
| 27 |  | Attwenger
most
Attwenger's first two albums (this one and pflug) are what I've been looking for for a long time - combination of Central European folk music with raw punk energy. A duo of a drummer and an accordionist thrashing and yelling in thick Austrian dialect. I haven't checked out the rest of their output yet - from what I gather, they turned more towards alpine hip-hop after the early days. Which is not what I've been looking for, but sounds just as interesting.
[ alpine folk / punk ]
1991
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kGVIRha6nhSj3TK58jpJduyIEFFdfUSuI |
| 28 |  | Rialzu
U Rigiru
Corsican avant-prog band that recorded a single album in 1978 (similar to Archaia's story). The style is somehow halfway between zeuhl and Italian symphonic prog scene, perhaps also due to some influence from local Corsican polyphonic singing tradition. The original LP included 3 songs, the CD re-release on Soleil Zeuhl adds two live recorded tracks to that.
[ zeuhl / symphonic prog ]
1978
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMmK9eXuDI4 |
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