Hello dear readers,
I have decided to post an update on this blog, after writing two posts for the first time in almost three years. Well, some first words: life has really gotten in the way. Listening to music used to be an hobby for me, something that I considered constructive and that brought me a lot of joy. Well, then graduate school happened. Crazy to think I am actually really close to being an actual scientist!
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Dawn FM scratches a specific itch: the pop current landscape is flooded with music that tries to revive the futuristic, analogue vibes of the 80s, but with nowhere nearly has much inventiveness. Dawn FM takes risks, and ends up being a polarizing album for most, but it exactly for that reason that it is great. It is inevitable to compare it to Daft Punk's music: I like both of those for the same reasons. The production is impeccable, the vibes are solid, the performance passionate.
Seminal release by Swedish band Cult Of Luna, The Mariner, is impeccable. In this effort, Cult Of Luna reinforce their catalogue of Atmospheric Sludge with a collaboration with American singer Julie Christmas. With only five songs, the later half of this record is packed with 10 minute plus compositions. In fact, every next track in this record is longer than the last. However, the music does not overstay its welcome: in some cases, ten minutes is too short of a time.
This 2018 release by German collaborative project The Ocean Collective (a.k.a. The Ocean) takes a very interesting approach to conceptual music: The record is themed around a geological era, and the songs represent the different geological periods the era contains. This, along with the collective's willingness to experiment and thread new waters makes Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic an intriguing listen.
It is 1997, and the world is in shock following the release of Radiohead's legendary album OK Computer. Some call the band's seminal release the best album ever, the peak of a career, the apogee of Radiohead's creativity. While I would disagree, OK Computer is still one of my favorite records ever, and 20 years after it's initial release, Radiohead remaster and compile the album and b-sides in the entitled OK Computer OKNOTOK, which I consider the best way to experience the album. The fact that the b-sides alone could stand alone as one of the best albums ever published speaks for itself.
From Finland, the demonic Oranssi Pazuzu make their debut on Nuclear Blast Records with Mestarin Kynsi, their fifth LP. The band's name literally translates to "Orange Pazuzu", referencing a mythological entity from Mesopotamian myths.
Formed in 1993, New York's Afterbirth is not a newcomer to the brutal death metal scene. Despite its longevity, Afterbirth's discography is surprisingly short; consisting only of a tape and an EP in the 90's, an LP in 2017, and in 2020 the latest release Four Dimensional Flesh. Moving away from its slamming roots and towards a proggier territory, Four Dimensional Flesh is one of my favourite 2020 releases in extreme music. If anything, this album leaves me anxious for further releases of this unexpectedly ambitious project.