tollund men - autoerotik.

Tollund Men - Autoerotik

46:44

90.47 MB

1. Born In Hell

2. Esoteric Criminal

3. Spell Of Deception

4. Adrastea

5. Autoerotik

6. Mausoleum Of Desire

7. The Inmost Self

8. An Insect

9. From Chaos

10. Kiste

11. Himeros

12. Poisoned Robe

13. Suffocating Heart

14. The Garden

don't judge me, I couldn't resist posting this.

first tollund men full-length, courtesy of bleak environment.

I'm glad these guys waited out the darkwave fad before releasing a full-length...they were always one of the best (along with body of light), and with a less-cluttered landscape today than, oh, say, two years ago, this album stands out even more.

that's not to say it couldn't stand out in that more crowded marketplace...but the moods, rhythms, and melodies here are so great that I'm glad it doesn't risk getting lost in the shuffle.

copies of this one are long gone...I think it took a matter of hours...and so is everything else, too...so, yeah, keep an eye on discogs.




(everything is obviously sold out.)


(for preview purposes only.)

natural assembly - with silence and tears.

Natural Assembly - With Silence And Tears

11:59

22.49 MB

1. When We Two Parted

2. Foundations

it's been a while since natural assembly released any new material, but zen zsigo and jesse cannon have finally graced us with two new tracks.

having been a huge fan of the "torn from infinity" seven-inch, I was obviously excited to grab this one. and although shipping is pricey from the united kingdom, everything zen's involved with is pure gold, so I didn't even try to resist.

musically, this is in the same vein as previous natural assembly material, but there's a real and tangible sense of excitement, almost optimism, that was missing from torn from infinity.

things are much more upbeat and uptempo and I for one hope this means more great material is to come in the new year.

if for some reason you're a fan of body of light or tollund men but haven't heard any natural assembly, check this out right now.

copies are sold out from the label so keep an eye on discogs.




(for preview purposes only.)

social junk - give up.

Social Junk - Give Up

42:14

78.92 MB

1. Untitled

2. Untitled

3. Untitled

4. Untitled

5. Untitled

6. Untitled

7. Untitled

8. Untitled

9. Untitled

10. Untitled

here's one more from the january program...and maybe the last one I'll post, too. the others that I have, they don't totally fit in with the rest of this blog, but maybe I'll put one or two up if I'm desperate for content...

anyway, social junk appear to have a pretty lengthy discography which I'm ashamed to say that I'm completely unfamiliar with. even after perusing the shadiest of russian torrent sites, I've been unable to track down any full-length rips of their earlier material...so if any of you have any of said material, I'd love to take a listen.

nevertheless, let's consider this release simply on it's own merits: it's noise, it's ambience, it's post-punk, it's anything and everything, often all at once. and while the specific sounds can vary wildly from track to track, it's a very cohesive release on the whole and I've been really enjoying it ever since it showed up in my mailbox.

interestingly, it appears that this release was originally offered up for free from the band a few years ago, but like most mediafire links, it has since gone dead. and the hard copy is sold out everywhere - even mount analog is out of copies.

so here it is. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.




(for preview purposes only.)

body of light - limits of reason.

Body Of Light - Limits Of Reason

46.94 MB

25:08

1. Is It Lost

2. Limits Of Reason

3. Silhouettes (Beautiful Trees)

4. Modern Sympathy

5. To Destroy Sin

body of light never cease to amaze with their brand of catchy, poppy, synth-y darkwave...or whatever you'd prefer to call it. either way, they excel at crafting dark music that's filled to the brim with hooks, great vocals, and strong production.

and guess what, there's even a straight-up noise track on here to close things out with a (harsh) bang.

overall, an excellent tape. and although this might be sacrilege, I think I prefer body of light to tollund men. obviously their styles do have some distinct differences, but if pressed, I'd pick the former...I guess I'm just a sucker for a catchy hook.

since this tape was part of ascetic house's january program, it's no longer available...but keep an eye on chondritic sound's webstore, vacation vinyl, and maybe mount analog...if there's any retail outlets might receive copies, I'd bet on those three.




(for preview purposes only.)

tollund men - donar's oak.

Tollund Men - Donar's Oak

20:21

37.16 MB

1. Donar's Oak

2. Roots

3. The Night

4. Body Problems

this is the new tollund men tape courtesy of ascetic house's january program.

every day throughout all of january, ascetic house posted one tape that was available for only twenty-four hours. when those twenty-four hours were up, that tape was taken down and a new one was put up for order.

donar's oak was the fourth such release and there isn't much to say about it - if you're a tollund men fan (and who isn't), you'll definitely enjoy this tape. and if you're not, well, give it a shot anyway - they haven't disappointed yet.

obviously no longer available from the source, keep an eye on discogs. and maybe a couple distros will get some copies soon...so be on the lookout.




(for preview purposes only.)

croatian amor - mercure.

Croatian Amor - Mercure

9:49

18.71 MB

1. January Is August

2. Club 406 ft. Kristy Long

you should all know what to expect here, especially after croatian amor's recently-release debut full-length: dark and dreamy synths paired with droning, haunting melodies.

originally issued as a cassette by posh isolation that was limited to just nineteen copies, this 7" version, released by lithuanian label terror, is much easier to come by.

although I got mine from total black, brett has since sold out of both his initial stock and a re-stock. plenty of copies are available on discogs so be sure to grab one - every croatian amor release seems to be pretty collectible.

and the music pretty enjoyable, too, so if you enjoyed that full-length (and who didn't), pick this one up asap. and be sure to check out terror, too, as they've got releases from crown of cerberus, dead body collection, vomir, and black leather jesus.




(for preview purposes only.)

youth code - keep falling apart.

Youth Code - Keep Falling Apart/Tiger's Remorse

7:09

17.86 MB

1. Keep Falling Apart

2. Tiger's Remorse

picking up right where their demo left off, youth code is back with a new, short but sweet two-track seven inch to tide us all over until the release of their full-length later this summer on dais records.

hailing from los angeles, youth code's sound is hard to describe - there are elements of industrial, techno, noise, and darkwave, everyone's current flavor-of-the-month. but everything melds together so cohesively that genre tags quickly become irrelevant.

the first track, "keep falling apart," can also be found their first demo tape, and the second track, "tiger's remorse," is brand new.

by purchasing this you not only get two excellent tracks and help a completely independent band pay their bills, you also get an absolutely stellar package. everything here is hand-crafted - the logos have been hand-stamped, the zine with live pictures and lyrics has been hand-stapled, and each one has been hand-numbered. plus, you also get a nice little logo patch to add to your collection. and there are at least four different color combinations, so even the vinyl itself will be a surprise.

grab this one fast - according to the band's facebook page, copies are in short supply and will be gone soon. los angeles-area residents can try to grab one at vacation vinyl, but their supply may be gone by now. unfortunately all the band's other merch has sold out too, including that first demo tape, but keep an eye on discogs and the youth code store - it'll probably (hopefully) be repressed at some point soon.



(buy a copy from the band.)


(for preview purposes only.)

bandcamp roundup, part four - odds and ends.

for my final (for now) bandcamp roundup, I've picked five different labels representing a wide variety of music. darkwave, black metal, noise, power electronics - they're all here and of the utmost quality. some of them were missed while compiling past posts while some were only recently discovered, but they're all worthy of your time and money.

aurora borealis recordings - where to start...aurora borealis has a stellar lineup of releases available. sutekh hexen, menace ruine, blood of the black owl, dead raven choir, thisquietarmy - they're all here and worthy of your attention. definitely check out sutekh hexen's collaboration with andrew liles, "breed in me the darkness" and menace ruine's "union of irreconcilables."

diskret records - home to black metal, noise, and other experimental music, kr grauwacke's "slag heap" has been getting a lot of positive reviews all over the internet lately and it's definitely worth a look, especially if you're a fan of noisy black metal. also be sure to check out both cornered rat albums.

annihilvs - the brainchild of lee bartow, annihilvs has released his theologian recordings, his navicon torture technologies recordings, and several other collaborative efforts. all of it is first-rate, and I can't recommend it highly enough. my pick is NTT's "the church of dead girls." also be sure to check out his webstore for merch and hard copies.

hanson records - featuring albums from wolf eyes, skin graft, hive mind, and founder aaron dilloway's own solo recordings, hanson's bandcamp is a treasure trove of noise and experimental music. although the label's been around since 1994, the bandcamp page only went up fairly recently, so be sure to check it out. paid downloads include full-color artwork. my current favorite is skin graft's "dystrophy" - a track from this one, "blood gutter," was featured on steel trap.

beläten - this swedish label specializes in avant-garde and darkwave. while fairly new, they've already got several great releases under their collective belt. I haven't listened to everything yet, but so far my favorite is xiu's "possession" - excellent downtempo, dreamy darkwave that should appeal to fans of sans issue and avant! records.

bodi of light - wayside city.

Bodi Of Light - Wayside City

27:05

59.19 MB

1. Inner City

2. Leaves Just Disappeared

3. Door

4. Wayside City

5. You Bleed Too

whatever you want to call it - darkwave, cold wave, minimal wave - there's no denying that it's the hot underground genre right now, with bands and dedicated labels popping up everywhere. before we jump into this release, here are few of the best elsewhere on the web.

sans issue has released both natural assembly's "torn from infinity" (which can be downloaded here) and the tape edition of "minus one" by the kvb - definitely two of my favorites.

chondritic sound put out pure ground's "daylight" cassette which can be streamed here, and the physical release itself will make a fantastic addition to any collection. avant! records has another natural assembly release, "arms of departure," as well as multiple releases from lust for youth, who have also put out tapes through posh isolation. last, but in no way least, is the inimitable nostilevo, who released the ritual howls tape, my girlfriend's current favorite, as well as the latest tollund men tape and the excellent "nothing ever changes" compilation.

all are putting out some of the best this genre has to offer.

this tape, by arizona's body of light (it's spelled with an "i" on the j-card, so that's how I've labeled the files), was released on ascetic house and it stands up with the aforementioned torn from infinity, ritual howls, and minus one as easily the best darkwave I've heard so far. the formula is pretty much the same as other, similar bands - dark synths, melancholy vocals, drum machines - but the songwriting and melodies elevate it to another level.

after a lengthy, ambient intro that builds by gradually layering synths and beats on top of each other, "leaves just disappeared" kicks in. this one grabbed me right from the get-go - gently swelling synths backed by a catchy melody and very ian curtis-esque vocals create the perfect soundtrack to a cloudy, dismal fall day. and that's just the first side...

as for purchasing this one, I haven't found many options. I got mine at mount analog in los angeles, but online options are hard to find. it might be available from chondritic sound here - but there's a banner at the top saying it's a "demo store" and orders won't be fulfilled, so proceed at your own risk.

for more on ascetic house, bookmark their (currently sparse) website and keep an eye out for future releases. I'm sure they'll be worth the price of admission.


(for preview purposes only.)