Limited Express (has gone?) - Makes You Dance!

2004; 13 tracks

Groovy and schizophrenic music in the likes of Afrirampo and Melt-Banana (maybe even some DODDODO too). It has some lovely poppy moments and plenty of noise rock elements, which is why I can never be bored listening to Makes You Dance!

Limited Express (has gone?) was a Japanese experimental/noise pop duo formed in 1998 who toured worldwide and made three albums and a mini-album. This is their second album.

HOPPING

Troy von Balthazar - How to Live on Nothing

2010; 14 tracks

Exquisitely sad folk-inspired rock and electronic music by multi-instrumentalist Troy von Balthazar (Chokebore). There are some really powerful songs on here, and some equally enjoyable and beautiful ones, too. It is fine music to listen to in an abandoned train station.

the body is a universe of feeling

Organ - Apoplexy in Six Parts

2004; 10 tracks

Organ is "an experimental post-metal band from Oslo, Norway containing members of the black metal band (V.E.G.A.). The bands only release to date is Apoplexy In Six Parts." I personally enjoyed it very much, and strangely enough found some very Alcest-like moments among the experimental black metal multifariousness.

Apoplexy in Six Parts
01 Part I
02 Part II
03 Part III
04 Part IV
05 Part V
06 Part VI
Non-Intentional Devices
07-10 Untitled

Download.

Need New Body - U.F.O.

2003; 23 tracks

This is seriously an amazing album. Repetitively mind-numbing, yet beautiful. Complete randomness... glorified. You might want to call it spazzcore.

Need New Body was an avant-garde/experimental/jazz band from Philadelphia active during the early 00s, and U.F.O. is their second album. Enjoyyy.

you are the pumpkin of my eye

EDIT: "Moondear" is probably my favorite track in the entire universe that is under 2:00. God daammnnn.

Men's Recovery Project - Bolides Over Basra

2000; 14 tracks

For the first post of December, here is the second and last full-length by the punk/experimental band Men's Recovery Project. It is definitely my idea of perfection - recommended if you like The Residents!

What is this bump on your head?
What is this strange taste in your mouth?

Savage Republic - Customs

1989; 8 tracks

Savage Republic was a tribal/noise rock/experimental/post-punk band hailing from the 80s L.A. underground scene. Their sound is a mixture of many elements - psychedelic drones, middle-eastern cantillation and tribal rhythms. Influences include Einstürzende Neubauten, Joy Division, Sonic Youth, Throbbing Gristle, and others. Customs, their last album before splitting then getting back together with a different line-up, can accurately be considered a masterpiece.

I know that much, much more could be said about Savage Republic, and I find myself wanting to go through their entire discography (which is quite large), but standing alone Customs is a terrific album.

"Their brand of ritualistically tribal exhibitions blurred the boundaries of post-punk and industrial music. Their music incorporates minimalist bass rumbles, exotic and/or militaristic drumming, Arabic melodies, primal chants and even a bit of surf guitar."

guilt is a luxury I can't afford

Dead Elephant - Lowest Shared Descent

2008; 8 tracks

It is slightly difficult for me to describe this, but I will try. Dead Elephant is an Italian group specializing in vicious noise rock-infused post-hardcore. You might like them if you like Cherubs, or Neurosis, but I have never before heard something quite like it.

Psychedelic and sludgy, sometimes incorporating elements of noise rock, black metal, post-hardcore, doom jazz ("Post Crucifixion"), and even industrial, Lowest Shared Descent really does stand apart from the rest. "Black Coffee Breakfast" is a highlight, the melodic lines particularly captivating (and preeetttyy).

Download.

Vinicius Cantuária & Bill Frisell - Lágrimas Mexicanas

2011; 10 tracks

Bill Frisell and Vinicius Cantuária's Lágrimas Mexicanas epitomizes the junction of extraordinary musicians. Though the music of both artists have clear and distinct origins, their styles are complelementary. Through the combination of emotive rhythms and harmonies, and the mixture of classical and experimental sounds, the two artists have found the perfect mix of classical, jazz, and experimentalism.

As a guitarist, composer, and bandleader Bill Frisell is a recognized visionary talent in American music, best known for his innovative and improvisational guitar playing. The singer, guitarist and percussionist Vinicius Cantuária flawlessly merges the sounds of bossa nova with contemporary music, creating distinctive compositions and arrangements.

Having played together on many occasions during the past 25 years, Lágrimas Mexicanas is an opportunity to work together in a complete project.

When he came to New York from his home in Brazil, Cantuária discovered an amalgam of sounds from the streets of the city. What influenced him, particularly, was Hispanic diversity. Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Mexicans and many others were a rich multi-cultural collage. When these sounds filled the hearts and minds of Vinicius, he began writing Lágrimas Mexicanas in his apartment in Brooklyn.

Similar to the bossa nova movement of the 50s and 60s, Cantuária and Frisell's collaborative album merged Mexican traditional Latin rhythms with jazz improvisation methods. Bill understood the vision of Vinicius, and spontaneity inspired musical orchestration. While Vinicius wrote the lyrics in Portuguese, Spanish and English, both musicians went into the rhythm and together wrote the arrangements. At the heart of this album, Frisell and Cantuária demonstrate their ability: Frisell experimenting with arrangements and poetic lyrics whil Cantuária weaves the rhythms into motion. Together, these two great guitarists create a sublime, beautiful and accessible musical universe, one that will communicate a passionate sense of optimism, opportunity and hope.

Also, the title track fucking owns. I KNOW I've heard it in a movie at some point in time, but I have no idea which one! :(

Download.

HTRK - Work (Work, Work) / Eat Yr Heart ♥ Sweetheart

2011; 10 tracks
Listen. *


2011; 2 tracks
Listen. *

The Australia-based group HTRK's two most recent works are incredible perfection. I know I was raving about Marry Me Tonight earlier, and I'm still unsure whether I like these new works better or just the same, but it really shouldn't matter. Starting with the full-length, Work (Work, Work), there is an incredible sense of rhythm associated with it - cold atmospheres and pure, unfaltering pulsations. At odds with each other, groovy, club-like beats accompany the sexy vocals of Jonnine. Eat Yr Heart ♥ Sweetheart is three tracks ("Eat Yr Heart" also appears on Work) of a same, piercing quality. "Eva" is eerie, and "Sweetheart" is a masterpiece (it is a cover of the song by Suicide). Ugh I can't explain how much these two releases rule. Favorite tracks: "Bendin'" off of Work (Work, Work), and "Sweetheart" off of Eat Yr Heart ♥ Sweetheart.

* Download links taken down upon request.

Azalia Snail - Burnt Sienna

1992; 13 tracks

Azalia Snail is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Or at least, that's what Wikipedia says. She has quite an assortment of albums and other releases, but Burnt Sienna is her second full-length. It's really folky and dreamy and nostalgic, like stepping through time into your childhood bedroom to watch yourself sleep. Dream-catchers on the wall, a jar full of bugs on the dresser, drawings on the wall, your favorite blanket and stuffed animals cluttered around your bed. This is, for lack of better words, a very pleasant album.

Download.

Frank Zappa - The London Symphony Orchestra, Vols. 1 & 2

Kent Nagano / London Symphony Orchestra

Volume I
1983; 6 tracks
Download.

Volume II
1987; 3 tracks
Download.

"Something magnificent to move the air in your room around. Frank Zappa's compositions performed by the LSO, conducted by the now-well-known Kent Nagano. These are some of the most intricate compositions in all of Zappadom; even with the LSO working at full strength, Zappa has noted that it took many hundreds of tape splices to get the pieces just right. Along with the grandeur of 'Bogus Pomp' (much-expanded from its original appearance on Orchestral Favorites), there's the rich melodicism of 'Sad Jane' and the many musical nooks and crannies of 'Mo 'n' Herb's Vacation.'

Tracks from this session were originally scattered among two vinyl albums and one CD. This new and expanded edition includes all the LSO tracks on 2 CDs. Other highlights include 'Strictly Genteel' (also reworked from Orchestral Favorites) and 'Bob In Dacron.'"

A guy in my class who, apparently, is studying jazz and guitar asked me if I liked Frank Zappa a few days ago. I said that I did, but have only heard a small portion of what he's done. He asked me what album(s), I said We're Only in it For the Money. He shook his head and said that I had to hear his orchestral music, as well as his live and posthumous work. The London Symphony Orchestra albums and The Yellow Shark were the two he told me to start off with, and I was super excited when I found these in the library! This music, written for the orchestra, is insane and unpredictable. It is like watching a mind unravel through instruments, or like wandering through a universe simultaneously black and brightly colored, with shapes and ideas and thoughts floating past at various speeds and with various saturations. I am not a Zappa-expert, nor do I care much about what the general opinion of these works are. I was moved by their originality and I wonder if you might be too.

HTRK - Marry Me Tonight

2009; 9 tracks

This. This is seriously the most amazing thing that has ever reached my ears. It will pound in your head and you'll never want it to stop. I was unsure of it at first, but no more. This is the best no-wave/experimental/noise album I've heard in nearly 18 years.

Where is my sun to keep me warm? *

* Download link taken down upon request.

Polvo - This Eclipse EP

1995; 5 tracks



This is MELODIC and EDGY and BRILLIANT. Those are in ALL-CAPS because I am EXCITED about this album. YAY for POLVO.



bombs that fall from your eyes

Cosmonauts Hail Satan - Hellraiser & Cape Cannibal Skull Island Apocalypse

1993; 2 tracks





1998; 12 tracks



Here are two releases by the mysterious 90s noise rock outfit Cosmonauts Hail Satan. Hellraiser was two tracks dedicated to the first Hellraiser film and "Coil's shamefully unused soundtrack." I'm not sure how well these would have worked with the film, but one can speculate. Cape Cannibal Skull Island Apocalypse was their final work, a compilation of sorts, featuring my favorite track, "Serious Business."



Download.

70 Gwen Party - John Peel Sessions 1, 2, 3 & 4

1995; 19 tracks



Politically charged underground industrial duo from Britian. last.fm



Download.

Rah Bras - Ruy Blas!

2001; 12 tracks



Ruy Blas! is one of the most lovely, strange albums I've ever had the chance to listen to. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am insanely infatuated with it.



Rah Bras was a trio from Virginia consisting of brothers Boo and Jean Rah and Isabellarah Rubella that disbanded in 2007, but plan to return to the music scene in 2037. B. and Jean Rah were also members of Men's Recovery Project at one point.



They are noisy and nonsensical. While listening I couldn't help myself but think of their overwhelming similarity to The Residents, even though it is clear they are two totally separate entities after all. With mysterious changes in mood and atmosphere, Ruy Blas! rarely meanders in the direction you expect it to. Isabellarah's voice is very beautiful and foreign-sounding, and I especially love her part in "Civic" (and how she says the word "hummingbird"). From a techno-infused, neon-lit night club, one might be swept instantly to, I don't know, a marketplace on some alien planet where noisy bees accompany even the most James Bond-like melodies. That probably made no sense. Truthfully, though, this is an incredible album of experimental electronoise, I guess you could call it. "Hardvard" and "Bitchin Fissure" are probably my favorite songs.



"Consisting of a gigantic keyboard, bass, and drums, Rah Bras layer provocative vocals over tight little riffs and throbbing tempos. Ruy Blas! is an audacious concoction of pop presence and electronic abrasives that gallops the gamut from gamelan to garish."



Download.

Puka Puka Brians - Love Warrior

2001; 25 tracks



This is the fourth album by Majikick label's Puka Puka Brians, the brainchild of Japanese musician and songwriter Ueno Takashi (or Takashi Ueno), along with the addition of several other members (including his wife). With influences in the likes of Frank Zappa and other experimental rock artists, this is a very unique release. Takashi is also one half of the husband-wife duo Tenniscoats, but there are hardly any similarities between the two bands.



The vocals are hard to describe, and while they are sometimes off-key, sometimes unrecognizable, they are still very well-paired with the music. Using various instruments and nearly no consistent structure, Puka Puka Brians have created a diverse set of tracks varying in style, rhythm, and nearly all else. Love Warrior starts off with "Love Warrior," a really awesome track with a cool riff. I can't think of what else to say right now, but I really enjoyed this.



"... Allegedly, 'puka puka' is Japanese slang for floating, and 'Brians' refers to Brian Jones, the Rolling Stone who drowned."



the spinning musical instruments are multiplying

Polvo - Celebrate the New Dark Age EP

1994; 7 tracks

Polvo is a North Carolina-based indie/math rock band from the 90s. Some call them the originators of the "math rock" genre, something I don't think I'm very familiar with, but this release does seem to contain the integral qualities of "math rock," according to Wikipedia: "rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock." Polvo work on many different levels, their sound being highly complex and sometimes even hard to follow. It is constantly evolving, transforming and creating something new out of the disorder that just was. The greatest part of Polvo, if I may argue, is the lyrics. They are every bit as circuitous as the music. Look at these, taken from my favorite song on the EP, "Every Holy Shroud":

-

Celebrate the new dark age with us
Calculate the irony with someone you can trust
Feel the holy shroud that keeps us warm
Show me something round and I'll analyse the form
Give us something brown that sticks like glue
I'll recognize the taste and appreciate it too
This is how it works when we write well
Let me hear a bomb I'll compare it to a bell
I don't understand why you don't get it
I can take the time to insure that you regret it
We are seeing through your weak designs
Fellow connoisseurs flip a coin and make a sign

-

This is most definitely a release not to miss. Polvo are a band whose masterful creations, both intense and lovely, are labyrinths in and of themselves.

Download.

ルナパーク・アンサンブル (Luna Park Ensemble) - Mushi Kui Mandala

1998; 17 tracks

"Uber-whimsical art rock screwiness from the endlessly fascinating 80's Japanese undeground. This CD compiles material from their two very rare LP releases and presents a group with a pronounced affection for After Dinner-like delicate pop discombobulation."

Here we have a creative ensemble of sounds from various styles - free-form psychedelic, dazzling and fantastical pop-inspired jazz. It is ingenious, it is fun, it is great.

01 スクランブル・スーツ
02 虫喰いマンダラ
03 今夜視る夢
04 たきびが消えた
05 傘とお弁当
06 わたしの宝物
07 森の抜け道
08 恋の中毒
09 葡萄の蔓
10 ワルツ(ああ,だめだ)
11 可愛い私のドッペルゲンガー
12 水晶宮殿
13 抗うつ済
14 ネッカーズ・ワルツ
15 パノラマ島
16 青空落下
17 無題

Download.

Happy Flowers - I Crush Bozo

1988; 16 tracks

"Happy Flowers were formed in 1983 with two members of hardcore funband The Landlords. John Beers adopted the name Mr. Horribly Charred Infant and Charlie Kramer named himself Mr. Anus."

"Humourous and fun; unlistenable and terrible: Happy Flowers occupy a strange niche. Most tracks here are characterised by a single repetitive riff, or piercing feedback ‘experimentalism’ whilst drums pound and lyrics are spat or spoken. The lyrics are really where Happy Flowers shine though."

"All songs recorded LIVE in the studio, no mixing, no dubbing, no synths."

This is raw noise rock, as unbearable as it is entertaining.

The irony of the Flowers.
The irony of history.
The irony.