Damn

Click on the pic to enlarge it.

It took me around 20 minutes to connect all this crap and about 10 minutes more to adjust the sounds how I want it so finally I started rehearsing and someone came in and was all "WTF IS THIS SOUND TURN IT OF". :(

Clara Rockmore - The Art Of The Theremin

Theremin is an very interesting instrument. Actually it's the only instrument in the world that you don't need to physically touch to play it. To play it you move your hands around the antennas, controlling frequency (pitch) and amplitude (volume) which is really awesome. There are some schematics that are floating around telling you how to construct it. I think it would be an awesome noise instrument and I would really love to try it out but the construction is not so simple. Anyhow this instrument can usually be heard in horror movies or some certain rap songs. Nevertheless Clara Rockmore took this instrument to an entirely different level by playing classical compositions with it. This album is an compilation of her covers by various composers. Under her control, the theremin sounded like a blend of the violin and the human voice. Be sure to check this one out!

Tracklist:

01. Vocalise (3:44)
Composed By - Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff
02. Song Of Grusia (4:15)
Composed By - Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff
03. The Swan (2:56)
Composed By - Camille Saint-Saëns
04. Pantomime (3:44)
Composed By - Manuel De Falla
05. Hebrew Melody (5:22)
Composed By - Joseph Achron
06. Romance (4:45)
Composed By - Henryk Wieniawski
07. Berceuse (3:06)
Composed By - Igor Stravinsky
08. Pièce En Forme De Habanera (2:41)
Composed By - Maurice Ravel
09. Berceuse (4:12)
Composed By - Piotr Illitch Tchaïkovsky
10. Valse Sentimentale (2:06)
Composed By - Piotr Illitch Tchaïkovsky
11. Sérénade Mélancolique (7:40)
Composed By - Piotr Illitch Tchaïkovsky
12. Chant Du Ménestrel (4:00)
Composed By - Alexander Glazunov

Download.

Aiko Shimada - Window

If you like jazz and female vocalists then this is the thing for you. Although this is not really pure jazz with female vocalists (like for example Billie Holiday) there are other genres mixed in the bunch. All the songs have this great relaxing sound of guitars and a calm Aikos voice that blends with the sound perfectly. Great for chilling out.

Tracklist:

01. Silent (1:25)
02. Me (2:27)
03. Bye Bye (3:45)
04. Tokiwasugi (3:13)
05. Mother's Day (3:33)
06. I'm No Longer Her Friend (3:16)
07. Spell and Destiny (4:02)
08. Where the Sun Shines (2:14)
09. Into the Ocean (4:15)
10. Will I See You Again?
11. Sister (2:36)
12. Window (5:08)
13. Now Is (3:34)
14. To Wake From a Dream (3:27)
15. Simple (1:17)
16. Black Moon and a Wooden Face (3:18)

Download.

Lair Of The Minotaur - The Ultimate Destroyer

Lair of the minotaur is a sludge band hailing from USA. This is possibly my favorite sludgy band that I have encountered so far. They released new album this year but I'm a little disappointed over it. This on the other hand is amazing. Filled with lots of catchy riffs and powerfull yelling vocals and it never gets boring. Certainly worth checking out!

Tracklist:

01. Juggernaut of Metal (04:34)
02. Behead the Gorgon (04:38)
03. The Ultimate Destroyer (03:42)
04. Lord of Butchery (00:53)
05. Grisly Hound of the Pit (03:56)
06. Cannibal Massacre (05:45)
07. Horror (03:23)
08. Engorged With Unborn Gore (04:24)
09. The Hydra Coils Upon This Wicked Mountain (07:13)

Download.

Insect Warfare & Carcass Grinder Split

An amazing split between Insect Warfare (Canada) and Carcass Grinder (Japan). They both play fast thrashy grindcore that we all know and love.

Tracklist:

Insect Warefare side
01. Mind Ripper 01:27
02. Pestilent Excruciation 01:31
03. City Of Enemies 01:12
04. False Grind Alienation 00:02

Carcass Grinder side
01. Yoisyo (00:32)
02. Burakouda (00:36)
03. Pansy (01:18)
04. Hagane (01:07)
05. Fuckoffanddie (01:33)

Download.

Angel'in Heavy Syrup - IV

Angel'in Heavy Syrup is an all girl psychedelic rock band from Osaka. This is the only release that I managed to find the rest simply won't show up anywhere. ;( ...anyhow this was released in 1999 and packs a small number of songs. I guess the most memorable is the first song with such a nice voice the vocalist have it just can't get out of your head and you'll be forced to repeat it for a long time, or at least I was. Interesting fact is that the guitarist from this band collaborated with Masonna.

Tracklist:

01. First Love (6:43)
02. Space Conquest (4:21)
03. A Series Of Water Mind ~ Rubens And The Cathedral (7:39)
04. ADIOS In Those Days (5:32)
05. Voyage (3:33)
06. Fate (11:04)

Download.

Boredoms - Ichi The Killer Soundtrack

Ichi the killer was at first an manga that started around 1998 and finished in 2001, which means it ran for a very long time. The plot revolves around two main characters. One is a guy called Ichi who looks like a normal guy and does everything normal people do but acts like a total pussy. The good thing about Ichi is that when someone makes him cry he turns into a psychotic killer with razor blades on his boots and starts to cut everyone and everything in a nice gory way. The second character is Kakihara an yakuza masochist who seeks Ichi because he is fascinated by his violence. The manga later got an movie adaptation and Boredoms made a soundtrack for it! Since this is the only Boredoms album I listened (yes I'm ashamed to admit it) I can't really compare how this album is different from their other works but nevertheless this soundtrack is great filled with tribal like drums and has an quite good jazzy feeling throughout the album.

Tracklist:

01. Ichi (1:00)
02. Ni (3:28)
03. San (2:45)
04. Shi (1:58)
05. Go (2:14)
06. Roku (1:23)
07. Shichi (0:37)
08. Hachi (2:24)
09. Ku (2:20)
10. Juu (7:31)
11. Juuichi (0:38)
12. Juuni (2:43)
13. Juusan (2:44)
14. Juushi (1:23)
15. Juugo (5:02)

Download.

A good movie review can be found here.

Shinki Chen - S/T

Shinki Chen was an psychedelic rock band from Japan that was active in the 70s. As far as I know this was their only release and much later re-released under the name Shinki Chen & His Friends. After first kinda noisy ambient track the album drifts into a vast land of psychedelic riffs and dreamy vocals which lasts to the end of the album.

Tracklist:

01. The Dark Sea Dream (4:49)
02. Requiem Of Confusion (4:21)
03. Freedom Of A Mad Paper Lantern (3:10)
04. Gloomy Reflections (3:56)
05. It Was Only Yesterday (4:30)
06. Corpse (5:14)
07. Farewell To Hypocrites (12:53)

Download.

Doi - Sing The Boy Electric

Doi is a five-piece Danish innovative post-rock group whom released their debut album ‘Sing the boy electric’ on danish indie label Quartermain records in October 2006. It was backed up by several excellent reviews in the danish media. Unlike post-rock bands who mostly concentrate on their guitar works Doi concentrates much more on using electronic/ambient sounds in their music and they do it very well. Great for listening in the morning.

Tracklist:

01. The Sea (2:09)
02. In Your Sigh (5:03)
03. Missing (5:57)
04. Cars. Alarms. (5:37)
05. Beneath The Breeze (6:00)
06. Where Rivers Turn (5:01)
07. Ponds (6:36)
08. Grained Departures (6:59)
09. Unraveled And Tangled (3:15)
10. The Unlikely Event (5:23)

Download.

Deathspell Omega - Kénôse

Deathspell Omega is perhaps my favorite black metal band. This is mostly because they are not so boring like most of nowdays bm bands. They have this special and unique style which captivates me each time I listen to this band. Kenose is their EP and perhaps their best release. Kenose or kenosis is an act of "self-emptying" his own will and desires and become entirely receptive to God and his perfect will.

Tracklist:

01. I (15:45)
02. II (11:25)
03. III (09:09)


flac:

Part 1
Part 2

Ballgag - S/T

Ballgag is an rather unknown band that comes from Texas. They play groovy death/grind mixture in a classic way. On this EP there was only an drummer and guitarist/vocalist (or so I hear) but currently they have a full line up with bassist and another vocalist. Nevertheless this short EP is still quite amazing and packs some really great songs.

Tracklist:

01. Twenty Inch Rim Jobs (0:46)
02. Slut Chunks (1:20)
03. Messy Faggot (0:52)
04. Douches Wild (1:15)
05. Shit Kabob (0:47)
06. Shitbag (0:26)

Download.

Bill Wells & Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Osaka Bridge

Uniting the disparate elements of Scottish jazz-guru Bill Wells and Japan’s willfully amateur Maher Shalal Hash Baz ensemble, ‘Osaka Bridge’ (Karaoke Kalk, 2006) is an album that doesn’t shirk from it’s lofty aspirations - bringing a juxtaposition of styles together and reigning them into collaboration without losing either party’s creative finger-print. The music is full of youthful optimism, with broken pop jangles played alongside splashes of classic jazz tones. With the brass section joyfully oblivious to bum notes and missed cues, an endearing rolling rhythm over uplifting wind sections. Songs share both the imagination-run-riot ambition of the dream world and the inevitable melancholy of being rudely re-inserted back in the desert of the real.


Tracklist:

01. Rye & Guy (4:53)
02. Tipsy Cat (2:43)
03. The Dust Of Months (2:38)
04. Duck (1:04)
05. On The Beach Boys Bus (1:47)
06. Oddults (1:46)
07. Liqourice Tics (2:14)
08. Poxy (4:53)
09. Time Takes Me So Back (3:51)
10. Family Sighs (1:42)
11. Stabbed in Hamburg (1:49)
12. The Williams Sisters (0:37)
13. Cowtail Calypso (1:38)
14. Banned Announcements (1:57)
15. The Beach Boys Bus (Reprise) (3:29)

Download.

Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli - Souvenirs

The two artists that defined French “Hot Jazz,” Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli were the first European jazz greats. Reinhardt was the more innovative and original artist of the two, regularly stunning audiences with his swift guitar phrases that anticipated the bebop innovations of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Grappelli’s achievements were perhaps less remarkable though he was a fine player and was one of the first violinists to be featured in a small jazz combo. Interesting thing is that Django was missing one finger on his left hand so he had developed an unique style of his own playing.

Tracklist:

01. Honeysuckle Rose (2:56)
02. Night and Day (2:45)
03. Sweet Georgia Brown (3:09)
04. Souvenirs (2:47)
05. My Sweet(2:57)
06. Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) (2:55)
07. Stomping at Decca (2:34)
08. Love's Melody (3:11)
09. Daphne (3:12)
10. Lambeth Walk (2:48)
11. Nuages (3:04)
12. H.C.Q. Strut (2:59)
13. The Man I Love (3:15)
14. Improvisation No. 2 (2:43)
15. Undecided (2:34)
16. Please Be Kind (2:48)
17. Nocturne (3:16)
18. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (2:33)
19. Louise (2:40)
20. Don't Worry 'Bout Me (2:59)

Download.

The Stalin - Stop Jap

The Stalin/ザ・スターリン was the most revolutionary and innovative punk rock band of the early 80’s and blew away all other attempts at Japanese punk rock with their unique and radical style. Former leader and the only constant member of the band was Michiro Endo, a 32-year-old social activist. The name STALIN is deeply hated by most Japanese people, so its a good name to create the right image, as Michirou explained when questioned about the controversial name of the band. He further explained that because of his socialist stance that the band name encapsulated the downside of every good idea. This band is terribly underrated.

Tracklist:

01. ロマンチスト (2:09)
02. Stop Jap (1:51)
03. 極楽トンボ (0:46)
04. 玉ネギ畑 (2:27)
05. ソーセージの目玉 (1:16)
06. 下水道のペテン師 (1:57)
07. アレルギーα (0:55)
08. 欲情 (1:45)
09. Money (3:29)
10. Stop Girl (3:56)
12. 爆裂(バースト)ヘッド (2:40)
13. Miser (2:44)
14. 負け犬 (2:04)
15. アレルギーβ (0:57)
16. ワルシャワの幻想 (5:32)

Download.