The Year End List, Part 3: Honorable Mentions, The Worst Albums of 2009

There’s always those albums that you really want to include on your list, but just can’t find enough love for them to work them into the top ten position. I found a lot of these on-the-fence albums this year; I knew they weren’t top ten material, but they were close. So, in no particular order, here are the other albums I was digging this year.

The Honorable Mentions

Ahab – The Divinity of Oceans

Russian Circles – Geneva

Daïtro – Y

Extreme Noise Terror – Law of Retaliation

Baroness – Blue Record

Native – Wrestling Moves

Irepress – Sol Eye Sea I

Paria – The Barnacle Cordious

The Red Chord – Fed Through the Teeth Machine

The Appleseed Cast – Sagarmatha

The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Worse Than Alone

Between the Buried & Me – The Great Misdirect

The Worst Albums of 2009

1. I See Stars – 3D

2. Atreyu – Congregation of the Damned

3. The Devil Wears Prada – With Roots Above and Branches Below

The Big Three – Dirty Projectors vs. Grizzly Bear vs. Animal Collective?

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

3. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

That’s it! The end of 2009. As I write this, the first day of 2010 has almost passed. I hope you have a great year and live life to the fullest in this new year.

The Year End List, Part 2: The Top Ten

I think, on the whole, that 2009 has been a good year for music. We’ve seen some albums heavily lauded, some declared album of the year directly after their leak, and some that will be timeless for completely different reasons. After taking on the task of listening to as many albums of 2009 as I could, I find that I appreciate each album released for what they are more than when I only hear certain ones from the year. I’m not sure if that makes sense.

It hasn’t been a good year for other stuff, however. There have been few good horror films released; Merzbow’s put out around 15 records, none of them overly fantastic; we’ve had a terrifying number of celebrity deaths, many being young at the time of passing (see The Rev from Avenged Sevenfold, who just passed – RIP); and the economy does not seem to be looking good. But let’s enjoy what we have, and let’s get on with it.

10. Blacklisted – No One Deserves to Be Here More than Me

Yep. Blacklisted unleashed a furious but refined album late in the year which blew me away. At first, I thought I was hearing another Every Time I Die album, but I got used to the shouted vocals and let the music wash over me in a wave of angry, experimental hardcore. It may not be the Blacklisted that people are used to, but it’s definitely one of the best hardcore releases this year in my book.

9. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

The competition for album of the year between Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, and Animal Collective is moot to me. Grizzly Bear released a catchy, folk-tinged masterpiece that’s bubbling with joy and dramatic in its sadness. Lush soundscapes shimmer over anything Animal Collective wrote this year. But I think it’s just my preference (and yes, I do like Animal Collective – I just didn’t think Merriweather was anything that amazing).

8. sunn o))) – Monoliths & Dimensions

sunn o))) present a grim trio of songs from the very beginning, putting me directly in the dark, Satanic forests of Young Goodman Brown. That’s exactly where I want to be, and coupled with the new brass section and the angelic yet creepy female voices, sunn o))) have upped the ante on their drone and I’m really excited to see where it takes them. And then, a turn for the better, more uplifting on “Alice!” It’s a fantastic twist to sunn o)))’s bleak repertoire. This doesn’t top Black One in my opinion, but it is a great sign of things to come from the droning group.

7. Loma Prieta – Dark Mountain

A twist for me, considering I didn’t even know about this release until I accidentally stumbled upon it. But Loma Prieta have provided a fantastic one-two punch of aggression and emotion that doesn’t normally stand out to me in other screamo groups. Check this one out, if only for the amazing song “Ghost Shadow.”

6. Converge – Axe to Fall

A blistering, chaotic record that goes in every direction that made me love Converge in the first place. There’s no blatant breakdowns here, just a tendency to experiment in the hardcore style more than most bands are willing to go. Fortunately, it works on Axe to Fall, and the two ending songs, which stray into more sludgy territories, are the standouts for me.

5. PsyOpus – Odd Senses

I love technical metal, and I’m a drummer, so the grinding, shifting work of PsyOpus directly appeals to me. Chris Arp and company have come up with new ways to stun me, whether its complicated start-stops, catchy breakdowns, or ridiculous harmonics solos. The thing that holds this album back from being higher on the list are the two frustrating tracks toward the end, “Boogeyman” and “Choker Chain,” which try to experiment too far and end up becoming disjointed.

4. Into the Moat – The Campaign

And in a way, that is why Into the Moat beat out PsyOpus – Into the Moat’s brutality and technicality is present in every song, with shifting time signatures and tempo changes becoming instantly memorable, somehow. Into the Moat has always been a favorite of mine, and The Campaign may not be better than Into the Moat’s earlier works, but its progress is noted. Plus, it was about time they released a new album.

3. Cursive – Mama, I’m Swollen

I had really high hopes for this. I was impressed by Happy Hollow but wanted more, and I wanted Cursive to go back to the direction they started with The Ugly Organ. I know that’s hoping for too much; they’re not even the same band anymore, and since Tim Kasher’s songs are directly related to his emotional life at the time, it’s too much to ask. Mama, I’m Swollen is not my favorite release by Cursive. At first, I was pretty mad, too. It wasn’t what I was looking for from the band. But after giving it a few listens, letting it sink into my brain, letting the catchy yet discordant riffs pervade, I found Kasher and co. a little changed, something lost, something gained. It’s not a bad thing – we must embrace change. Just let “What Have I Done?” speak to you; get lost in the jangle of  “Caveman”; let Tim Kasher’s wavering voice bring you into his life.

2. Kylesa – Static Tensions

Never been a huge fan of Kylesa – I can listen to them, but they never really captivate me. Well, that is until I heard Static Tensions, perhaps their best album. It’s sludgy, doom-laden, but it’s so totally exhilarating as well, never relying on the same techniques to get the next high. Try “Running Red” on for size. It’s a different beast from anything Kylesa has tried, and it will blow you away.

1. Napalm Death – Time Waits for No Slave

This may seem like a strange album to top my list, but give it a chance. Napalm Death have done everything right this time: brutal grinds; slower, down-tempo blasts; a ripping ride through over 15 songs, which are actually quite long in comparison to other grindcore bands; and best of all, ridiculously catchy songs for a band that utilizes quick tempos and complicated rhythms. This leaked in late 2008, yet I’m still listening to at the close of 2009 more than any other album. That tells me something; but even more, I’ve still got “Larceny of the Heart” stuck in my head. That’s an accomplishment no other band has done this year. Keep it up, ND.

***

So that’s it – my top ten list. Tomorrow, I’ll have some more goodies, like an honorable mentions list, the worst of 2009, and the biggest disappointments.

Please feel free to agree, disagree (and I know there will be some huge grievances), or just comment. Keep in mind that I love the metal genre more than others, so there’s a bias there. Thanks, and have a great New Year.

The Year End List, Part 1: The Albums I Heard This Year

Yes, I realize this blog has been neglected as of late – terribly sorry and all, but my other, earlier baby, The Moon is a Dead World, has been taking up much of my time, and the thing that I started working on for this blog took up the rest of my listening time. You’ll see in a second.

I’ve noticed that everyone has begun to compile their list of the best albums of 2009. Unfortunately, 2009 is NOT OVER YET! I feel sorry for those bands who are releasing things late in the year, because honestly, those are going to be overlooked in the rush. Sorry guys.

This year I took on a challenge for myself – to compile a gigantic list of albums that I listened to from 2009, and then, after careful deliberation, come up with a top ten list. It would be varied and chaotic, I knew, but it would be worth it. Turns out it was a huge, time-consuming task, and one that, no matter how hard I tried, could not include everything from 2009, even some of the most important albums.

I attempted to give everything more than one listen. Sometimes it happened, and sometimes it didn’t. Part of the reason I wanted to give a list was to allow the reader to see what I had and hadn’t listened to. There is sometimes a gap when one reads lists, such as Pitchfork’s, between what they’ve heard and what they haven’t. I feel like my list is much more varied than their’s; but what counts is what I could factor into my top ten list, because there will always be albums one could not hear.

For part one of the year end list, I am posting what I listened to for this year. Soon, I will post my top ten list, with some added extras.

1. March 12 – Trophy Scars – Bad Luck 5 listens
2. No date – …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – The Century of Self 4 listens
3. No date – Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion 5 listens
4. No date – Black Dice – Repo 4 listens BOUGHT
5. No date – Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague 5 listens
6. No date – Cattle Decapitation – The Harvest Floor 7 listens
7. No date – Cursive – Mama, I’m Swollen 11 listens
8. No date — DOOM – BORN LIKE THIS EP/DEMO 3 listens
9. No date – Extreme Noise Terror – Law of Retaliation 10 listens
10. No date – Kylesa – Static Tensions 7 listens
11. Feb. 17 – Merzbow – Somei 2 listens
12. No date – Napalm Death – Time Waits for No Slave 17 listens
13. March 7 – The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Worse Than Alone 6 listens BOUGHT
14. No date – Thursday – Common Existence 8 listens
15. No date – Wolves in the Throne Room – Black Cascade 7 listens
16. No date – Zombi – Spirit Animal 4 listens
17. No date – Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest 4 listens
18. No date – The Appleseed Cast – Sagarmatha 9 listens
19. No date – Psyopus – Odd Senses 13 listens
20. March 14 – Handsome Furs – Face Control 4 listens
21. March 15 – Into the Moat – The Campaign 12 listens
22. March 15 – Pomegranates – Everybody, Come Outside! 4 listens
23. No date – Irepress – Sol Eye Sea I 5 listens
24. March 17 – Joan of Arc – Flowers 4 listens BOUGHT
25. March 17 – War From a Harlots Mouth – In Shoals 6 listens BOUGHT
26. March 18 – Isis – Wavering Radiant 4 listens
27. March 23 – Paria – The Barnacle Cordious 4 listens
28. March 25 – Merzbow – 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 3: Yurikamome 2 listens
29. March 28 – Mastodon – Crack the Skye 3 listens
30. March 31 – Impending Doom – The Serpent Servant 2 listens
31. March 31 – The Bled – Mouthbreather/When Exiting Your Vehicle Demos 1 listen
32. April 6 – Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Agorapocalypse 7 listens
33. No date – City in Fiction – Laughing in the Dark 6 listens
34. April 7 – Gigantic Brain – World 3 listens
35. April 8 – Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South 3 listens
36. April 9 – HEALTH – Die Slow 7” 3 listens
37. No date – Khanate – Clean Hands Go Foul 4 listens
38. April 15 – mewithoutYou – It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright 4 listens
39. April 16 – Graf Orlock – Destination Time Today 2 listens
40. April 17 – Dolcim – Guillotine Ride 3.5 listens
41. April 17 – Kaospilot – Shadows 3 listens
42. April 18 – As Cities Burn – Hell or High Water 2 listens
43. April 25 – The Devil Wears Prada – With Roots Above and Branches Below 2 listens
44. April 26 – Oceano – Depths 2 listens
45. April 26 – The Serpent and the Siren – Posthuman EP 1 listen
46. No date – Caligine – Minimalia, Vol. 2 2 listens
47. May 3 – Zao – Awake? 4 listens BOUGHT
48. May 5 – Comadre – A Wolf Ticket 3 listens
49. May 5 – Kylesa – Unknown Awareness 7” 1 listen
50. May 6 – The Saddest Landscape – I Don’t Want to Miss You Anymore 7” 3 listens
51. No date – Esgharioth – Asylum of the Wretched 2 listens
52. May 9 – Mono – Hymn to the Immortal Wind 1 listen
53. May 11 – The Chariot – Wars and Rumors of Wars 7 listens BOUGHT
54. May 18 – Sunn O))) – Monoliths & Dimensions 4 listens BOUGHT
55. May 21 – Riceboy Sleeps – Riceboy Sleeps 1 listen
56. May 21 – Coalesce – Ox 3 listens
57. May 21 – Hewhocorrupts/Phoenix Bodies Split 2/3 listens
58. May 21 – Pelican – Ephemeral 2 listens
59. May 22 – Tortoise – Beacons of Ancestorship 2 listens
60. May 25 – Magrudergrind – Magrudergrind 3 listens
61. May 28 – Devourment – Unleash the Carnivore 5 listens
62. May 31 – It Dies Today – Lividity 2 listens
63. June 1 – Merzbow – 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 5: Uzura 1 listen
64. June 3 – Dinosaur Jr. – Farm 3 listens
65. June 4 – Bone Awl – Night’s Middle 3 listens
66. June 8 – Suffocation – Blood Oath 5 listens
67. June 13 – Alexisonfire – Old Crows / Young Cardinals 4 listens
68. June 14 – Vomitory – Carnage Euphoria 3 listens
69. June 16 – Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca 1 listen
70. June 17 – Gorod – Process of a New Decline 3 listens
71. June 17 – Arckanum – ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ 2 listens
72. June 18 – Ingested – Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering 2 listens
73. June 18 – Molotov Solution – The Harbinger 3 listens
74. June 19 – Ash Pool – Saturn’s Slave 2 listens
75. June 21 – Suicide Silence – No Time to Bleed 4 listens
76. June 21 – Girl Named Vegas – The Perception of Humanity 1 listen
77. June 22 – Artillery – When Death Comes 3 listens
78. June 23 – Job for a Cowboy – Ruination 4 listens
79. June 23 – Owen – The Seaside EP 4 listens BOUGHT
80. June 26 – Poison the Well – The Tropic Rot 4 listens
81. June 29 – Nachtmystium – Doomsday Derelicts 1 listen
82. No date – The Golden Sores – A Peaceable Kingdom 3 listens REVIEW COPY
83. June 29 – Loma Prieta – Dark Mountain 5 listens
84. July 2 – I See Stars – 3D 1 listen
85. July 6 – Behemoth – Evangelion 3 listens
86. July 8 – Clutch – Strange Cousins from the West 1 listen
87. July 8 – John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs 1 listen
88. July 8 – August Burns Red – Constellations 1 listen
89. July 9 – Arsonists Get All the Girls – Portals 2 listens
90. July 9 – Merzbow – Hiranya 1 listen
91. July 19 – Modest Mouse – No One’s First and You’re Next 1 listen
92. July 19 – Mew – No More Stories Are Told Today, I’m Sorry, They Washed Away, No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I’m Tired, Let’s Wash Away 3 listens
93. July 22 – Matt Henshaw – I Stay In, I Move Out 1 listen
94. July 23 – Merzbow – Don’t Steal My Goat 1 listen
95. July 30 – Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring 1 listen
96. August 7 – Jesu – Infinity 3 listens
97. August 8 – This is Hell – Warbirds 4 listens
98. August 8 – Trapped Under Ice – Secrets of the World 2 listens
99. August 8 – Agoraphobic Nosebleed/The Endless Blockade Split 7” 4/5 listens
100. August 9 – Winds of Plague – The Great Stone War 2 listens
101. August 10 – Werewolf Jerusalem – The House of the Yellow Carpet 4 listens BOUGHT
102. August 10 – Alpinist – Minus. Mensch 3 listens
103. August 11 – Trainwreck – Of Concrete Canyons and Inner Wastelands 4 listens
104. August 11 – Battle of Wolf 359 – The Death of Affect 2 listens
105. August 13 – Heal These Wounds – Ambitions 2 listens
106. August 14 – Deviator – Mighty Black Inner Flame 1 listen
107. August 15 – Novembers Doom – Into Night’s Requiem Infernal 2 listens
108. August 16 – Caliban – Say Hello to the Tragedy 3 listens
109. August 16 – Werewolf Jerusalem – Nang Nak 2 listens BOUGHT
110. August 17 – As Tall As Lions – You Can’t Take It With You 1 listen
111. No date – HEALTH – GET COLOR 3 listens
112. August 20 – Vader – Necropolis 2 listens
113. No date – Jungle Rot – What Horrors Await 3 listens
114. August 20 – We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls 1 listen
115. August 21 – Merzbow – 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 7: Kujakubato 1 listen
116. August 22 – Emmure – Felony 2 listens
117. August 22 – Ease of Disgust – The Shell 3 listens
118. August 24 – Culted – Beyond the Thunders of the Upper Deep 2 listens
119. August 24 – 3 Inches of Blood – Here Waits Thy Doom 3 listens
120. No date – Merzbow – Camouflage 1 listen
121. August 25 – rega – Million 3 listens
122. August 26 – Odio Vestri – Darkness of Sorrow 2 listens
123. August 26 – Oh, Sleeper – Son of the Morning 3 listens
124. August 26 – Skeletonbreath – Eagle’s Nest, Devil’s Cave 2 listens
125. August 28 – Merzbow – 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 8: Kokuchou 2 listens
126. August 30 – Lightning Bolt – Earthly Delights 4 listens
127. August 30 – Fen – The Malediction Fields 2 listens
128. August 31 – Salt the Wound – Ares 2 listens
129. September 1 – Putrid Pile – House of Dementia 2 listens
130. September 1 – Hellwitch – Omnipotent Convocation 2 listens
131. September 2 – The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate 4 listens
132. September 3 – Megadeth – Endgame 2 listens
133. September 4 – Baroness – Blue Record 4 listens
134. September 4 – OM – God is Good 4 listens
135. September 5 – Eagle Twin – The Unkindness of Crows 3 listens
136. September 5 – Phish – Joy 1 listen
137. September 6 – Every Time I Die – New Junk Aesthetic 3 listens
138. September 7 – Werewolf Jerusalem – Murder Made 2 listens BOUGHT
139. September 8 – Saosin – In Search of Solid Ground 2 listens
140. September 10 – Infested – 1000 Doors 2 listens
141. September 12 – Kids Like Us – The Game 2 listens
142. September 14 – The Used – Artwork 1 listen
143. September 14 – Dying Fetus – Descend Into Depravity 1 listen
144. September 14 – Protest the Hero – Gallop Meets the Earth 1 listen
145. September 15 – Random Orbits – Safety Meeting 3 listens
146. September 21 – Despised Icon – Day of Mourning 4 listens
147. September 22 – Ahab – The Divinity of the Oceans 3 listens
148. September 22 – Russian Circles – Geneva 4 listens
149. September 23 – Nile – Those Whom the Gods Detest 3 listens
150. September 23 – Black Pus – Down Down Da Drain/Bark of the Tree 7” 3 listens
151. No date – Owen – New Leaves 2 listens BOUGHT
152. September 26 – Suis La Lune/Osceola Split 3/3 listens
153. September 27 – Infernal Revulsion – Dead But Breathing 2 listens
154. September 27 – Kidcrash – Snacks 3 listens
155. September 28 – The Fall of Troy – In the Unlikely Event 2 listens
156. September 30 – Daïtro – Y 4 listens
157. October 1 – Arroyo – Individuum & Massen 2 listens
158. October 4 – Gigantic Brain – I Swallow 16 Red Planets 2 listens
159. October 4 – Pelican – What We All Come to Need 3 listens
160. October 4 – Converge – Axe to Fall 4 listens
161. October 4 – Portraits of Past – Cypress Dust Witch 2 listens
162. October 6 – Merzbow – Tempi / Matatabi 2/2 listens
163. October 6 – Funeral Goat –Mass Ov Perversion 3 listens
164. October 8 – Jesu – Opiate Sun 3 listens
165. No date – Werewolf Jerusalem – The Reincarnation of Isabel 4 listens BOUGHT
166. October 12 – Skeletonwitch – Breathing the Fire 3 listens
167. October 13 – Vaulting – Modus Humanis 2 listens
168. October 13 – Splatter Whore – City of the Sleazehounds 1 listen
169. October 15 – Eat A Helicopter – The Pessimist 2 listens
170. October 17 – Wizard – Thor 1 listen
171. October 18 – Portal – Swarth 1 listen
172. October 23 – Between the Buried and Me – The Great Misdirect 4 listens
173. October 25 – The Red Chord – Fed Through the Teeth Machine 3 listens
174. October 25 – Slayer – World Painted Blood 2 listens
175. October 25 – Merzbow – 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 9: Hiyodori 1 listen
176. October 29 – pg.lost – In Never Out 2 listens
177. October 30 – Brobdingnagian – Machines of Unrelenting Terror 5 listens BOUGHT
178. November 1 – Bone Ritual – Bone Ritual 2 listens
179. No date – Crash at Every Speed/An Innocent Young Throat-Cutter/One on Top of the Other/Savage Broadcast – Richard Ramirez 1/1/2/2 listens
180. November 2 – John Zorn – Femina 1 listen
181. November 2 – The Almost – Monster Monster 1 listen
182. November 4 – Coalesce – OXEP 1 listen
183. November 6 – Grunt – Petturien Rooli 1 listen
184. November 8 – Repulsive Dissection – Cut Open the Aberration 1 listen
185. November 8 – Stinking Lizaveta – Sacrifice and Bliss 1 listen
186. November 8 – Atreyu – Congregation of the Damned 1 listen
187. November 8 – Heads and Heads – Heads and Heads 2 listens
188. November 9 – Bane – Dublin 11:58 PM 1 listen
189. November 14 – Ghostlimb/Fischer Split 2/2 listens
190. November 15 – The Chinese Stars – Heaven on Speed Dial 2 listens
191. November 15 – The Contortionist – Apparition 2 listens
192. November 15 – In the Midst of Lions – Out of Darkness 2 listens
193. November 25 – Nadja – Belles Bêtes 1 listen
194. November 27 – The Saddest Landscape/Trophy Scars Split 1/1 listen
195. November 27 – Merzbow – E-Study (Remastered) 1 listen BOUGHT
196. November 29 – Native – Wrestling Moves 2 listens
197. November 29 – Pretend – Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil 2 listens
198. December 1 – Boris – Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 1 2 listens
199. December 1 – Septycal Gorge – Erase the Insignificant 1 listen
200. December 6 – Blacklisted – No One Deserves to Be Here More Than Me 3 listens
201. December 14 – Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind 1 listen
202. December 14 – Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult – Saldorian Spell 1 listen
203. December 15 – Frosty Eve – Polar Night 1 listen
204. December 15 – Merzbow – 13 Japanese Birds Vol. 10: Niwatori 1 listen
205. December 16 – Brand New – Daisy 1 listen
206. December 16 – Rooftops – A Forest of Polarity 1 listen
207. December 17 – Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport 1 listen

A Christmas Bouquet by Suzanne Barrett, Kate Holmes, & Vera Munn

I’m not much for romances, but I’ll gladly accept any novel when it centers around Christmas, especially during the Christmas season. That’s why I picked up A Christmas Bouquet, actually – it puts me in the holiday spirit.

The book is actually a trio of Christmas-themed stories from authors signed to Zebra Bouquet Romances. Suzanne Barrett gives us a nearly-miraculous tale of a woman and her son who move to a small town, hoping to start a new life during Christmastime, when a nice new man comes into both of their lives to stir things up. Kate Holmes offers up my favorite in this collection, about a woman who meets an unlikely rich suitor living next door to her during a Christmas shopping trip, leading to both love and a newfound appreciation of the Christmas spirit. Last is Vera Munn’s story of a woman who, while attempting to get business for her new shop during the holiday season, attracts a handsome man who differs in her opinions of Christmas economics.

Love is, of course, in the air in each of these stories, but more importantly, so is the presence of Christmas cheer. Barrett’s story has only a slight hint of Christmas, but the others all smack of the graces of the holiday. Fortunately, the authors are skilled enough to combine the romance aspect with all sorts of holiday activities that propel the tales into more interesting areas than most romances. This is not to dispel the fact that the stories do follow the same patterns of generic romances – each character has a chance encounter with a man and it is almost always love at first sight. But these stereotypical plot devices can be overlooked because, during the holidays, it is easy to believe that miracles like those of A Christmas Bouquet can happen.

The stories aren’t perfect, however. Barrett’s story becomes slightly tedious after her main character again and again refuses to let the man in her life. It prolongs the story, but it adds unnecessary conflict and frustrates the reader in the process. Munn’s short incorporates some interesting ideas on Christmas selfishness, but it also feels almost too good to be true. The relationship’s problems are almost insignificant compared to, say, having no home at Christmastime or a cheating husband. The only story that I found no difficulties with was Holmes’, mostly because she takes the story of a scrooge and updates it with a surly yet likable man.

And yes, while the stories have a few corny romantic elements, for the most part, each does its part to put the warmth of the holidays into written form. The stories are unrealistic but strangely rewarding, affecting the piece of us that accepts the goodness of the holidays.

Got some stuff that I’ll be working on

Well… I know I haven’t been updating here as much as I would like, but I’m pretty busy with The Moon is a Dead World and my college work.

BUT! I do have a few items that I’ll try to review when I get a chance. I’ve been on a buying spree lately from Werewolf Jerusalem, Richard Ramirez’s static noise project. I find that his noise can be both rewarding and utterly boring when listened to in the right mindsets. Most of the time, though, I find his static hypnotizing and pretty interesting, especially from a horror-fan standpoint.

So far, I’ve picked up four of WJ’s releases this year – Nang Nak (CD), The House of the Yellow Carpet (Tape), Murder Made (Tape), and The Reincarnation of Isabel (Tape). I’ve yet to listen to the last, but I would certainly like to review these soon.

I’ve also got a couple releases I’ve had for a while that I just haven’t given a proper review. Sixes’ Cursed Beast, The Cherry Point’s Black Witchery, Wether’s Y, John Wiese’s Soft Punk, and Black Dice’s Repo. That’s a lot of stuff, and I don’t know if I’ll get to all of it, but I bought them all so I have all the time in the world to write about them.

Thanks, and I am still accepting drone/noise/ambient/experimental/industrial releases for review, any format. I’ll even accept any death metal, hardcore, crust, sludge, or other extreme releases. If you’re looking to be reviewed, I’ll take it on. Thanks for reading!

New Shapeshitter track – Shit Shaping Live From the Cellar

Good news – I finally got up the initiative to make a new track, this time live and with a lot less drone and a LOT more noise. My equipment is pretty minimal – I had a wireless mic connected to a Peavey XR 5000 mixer, plus a Peavey XM 6 mixer for buzz, both connected to a Peavey amp. I also used an audio cable connector to hook the mic into to create some high-pitched assault.

A few things before you listen – this recording is minimal, and it’s not going to hit you over the head with a wall of noise. Instead, you’ve got some buzzing and some feedback pitches snaking through the mix, with a little bit of vocals towards the end. THIS IS LOUD AND HIGH-PITCHED. You should probably turn your volume down a bit.Think of it as a cross between Prurient’s Roman Shower and Dead Machines.

On that note, I hope it blows your ear drums out. I know mine were when I was making it. Enjoy.

Check it out!

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My Sister’s Keeper got picked up to become a movie before I even knew it was a book. I’ve never read a Jodi Picoult novel, though her books are my girlfriend’s sister’s favorites. I didn’t know what to think of her; at times, I feel like she just writes a lot of romance novels.

But my opinion changes with my reading of Keeper, an finely crafted book about a family’s fight to save their daughter Kate from the leukemia she has suffered from through most of her life. Her sister, Anna, is a perfect donor match for Kate because she was biologically engineered to be one – all of Anna’s life has been devoted to giving lymphocytes or bone marrow to Kate, making her life just as hectic. Now, Kate’s kidneys are failing and she needs Anna to donate one, but Anna wants to be her own person. Told through each character’s own point of view, we are presented with the subsequent court battle over morals and ethics, of who and when has the right to their own medical choices, but also a mental battle of what is right for Kate.

Rarely in this novel is there a moment without emotion; Picoult’s words are crafted so delicately and precise that each character feels fresh and different as we switch between them. Humor, sadness, anger: all come together to blend into a scenario that is so unique and shocking that the dispute between the family feels close to home.

Reality, though, is always just a step away for Picoult’s book. The characters progress just as people would, growing with their experiences and being moved by those around them. People will find favorites to befriend here; it’s human nature, especially since these characters are so three-dimensional. But what stands out as a touch of unfortunate realism is the ending, which I will not divulge here. A bit coincidental, perhaps, but for those who know the ending of the story, the quick way in which the event happens is so much like life – life does not catch up with us, we catch up with life.

Emotionally moving and fantastically searing, My Sister’s Keeper is written with finesse and wit. Picoult always ends with an emotional line, some unforgettable. Her prose moves quickly while maintaining that psychic weight. We are carried along on a tide of writing, barely wondering about what’s coming next as we are so caught in the moment – almost as if Picoult meant us to be, mimicking how Anna and her family are ferried along by Kate’s sickness.

Now accepting noise/drone submissions

I am again accepting anyone’s submission for review of their stuff, including noise and drone but also not limited to that, as I will take anything grind, death metal, metalcore, or things of that nature. I will not accept offers to review country or pop or rap or hip-hop, as that’s just not my thing.

The Golden Sores – A Peaceable Kingdom

From the opening moments of A Peaceable Kingdom’s first track, “Double Gyres,” it’s difficult to pinpoint just what will become of The Golden Sores’ new record. Will the droning organ discard its slow buzzing sustain for a more prominent melody? Will the tones that take the forefront become a lead-in to post-rock leanings? How many layers will they use, and will they combine together in an effervescent climax?

As is soon apparent, though, The Golden Sores bring about an uplifting drone concept. Fuzzy, shifting, and pulsing layers push and pull, finally converging together in most songs to create a swell that is often magical and high-spirited. Oftentimes, drone can be a very dark genre, focusing more on the low end of the audial spectrum rather than higher notes. The Golden Sores prove that bleak, grim songs are not the only compositions to entrance a listener, however, as their hypnotic brand of peaceful (as the title suggests) and exultant drone is so effective in inducing trance-like qualities in the listener that it serves less as ambience and more as a sense of enlightenment.

Most of the songs on this disc tend towards a simple setup – start with a slow-moving rhythm, preferably one with sustained chords, snake in a more melodic and generally louder layer, and gradually move towards a crescendo of shimmery bliss. But while almost every song on the album follows this format, it doesn’t get repetitive simply because of how varied each song becomes. There’s something to be said about Steve Fors’ and Chris Miller’s virtuosity with their keyboards and their push-pull duality. When the layers are apart, they are constantly thriving around and through each other, where the listener loses no focus on either part. When they are together, it feels rightfully so: an inevitable convergence of two patterns that creates a stronger whole.

One may be thinking that The Golden Sores’ more upbeat, optimistic sound would lose their interest; part of the draw of some noise and drone is its confrontational demeanor. A Peaceable Kingdom may be peaceful as a whole, but a brooding tone encapsulates parts of the lengthy songs. “The Awful Rowing Toward God” starts out menacing with low bass-y notes, only to escalate into a more joyous eruption. “We’ll Wield Fire” begins with ominous buzzing, only to slowly work in a lulling organ. And most importantly, not all of the songs collide with each other into an ecstatic climax. “Klonopin” is content to hum away in aural bliss, acknowledging the fact that it needs no flashy conclusion. For those who like their music a tad harsher, The Golden Sores deliver as well. The mix for some of the songs’ crescendos can get very loud, a suitable dynamic for the album’s more triumphant heralds. There’s a lot to like and pick out here over repeated listens, mainly because some of the more subtle layers can hide their natural elegance on first listens.s

A Peaceable Kingdom delivers its title with a grace and finesse that emphasizes the lamb that graces the album cover. Even the simple picture exudes the album’s main feature – a shimmering mass of pleasant drone that leads one to believe there’s a bright future ahead of the two artists, one that hopefully includes more of their brand of fresh, epiphanic sound to stand out in the dark wash of bleak drone.

Buy it here, please

Gimme Sound artist profile

Even with only two songs, I’ve decided to make Shapeshitter a profile on gimmesound.com. You can check it out here: http://www.gimmesound.com/Shapeshitter/

This is a music-sharing website where artists or labels upload their music for free, and when users download a song the artists get a certain profit from ad revenues. It’s a pretty sweet deal, especially for bands or artists who are trying to get known, so check it out!

Anyway, I’ve got my two songs up that I’m sharing on here and Box, but hopefully I’ll be working on some more songs, more intricate and advanced as I get used to the software. And, more importantly, I want to be making actual physical music sometime soon as well.