Top-10 albums of 2014 (part.2)

Let's dive straight in to the remaining 5 albums that made my year a tad bit better. Remember that these are all my personal opinions and favourites.



#5 BADBADNOTGOOD - III

I've been into BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG) for about a year and a half with my first touch to them being the cover of Limit To Your Love from their sophomore album BBNG2. They continue to amaze me with every release and song they put out and I seriously cannot name a bad track by them. BBNG's sound is so distinguishable even among the vast genre of jazz. 

III is a step out from the last two cover-filled albums and features only original material written by the trio. And that's the key-thing in this album. There is no playing around with other people's material like in the previous albums - improvisation and solos are left out almost completely. To me this album focuses more on developing the sound of BBNG; what the band can achieve with a setup of drums, keys and bass. And this is where they succeed! Vibrant pianos, the mix of both acoustic and electric bass and somewhat lo-fi drum sounds are all featured perfectly. The trio is accompanied with their longtime friend and collaborator Leland Whitty a couple of times playing saxophone and some strings. Some guitar-work and other instruments are also utilised in making backgrounds more layered. 

Every song on this album takes me to a whole new world. The track Can't Leave The Night is filled with a hazy feeling of a club. It even features some sub bass to accompany the beat and feel of the song. On the other hand the track Kaleidoscope starts with a mystical feel which then breaks out to the theme of the song which somehow almost reminds me of something out of a Miyazaki film's soundtrack. Follow this up with an amazing bass solo and you have me hooked. 

Different, Still is a straight up jazz song with an old-time's vibe. Brings memories of Kind Of Blue to my mind. The song features an utterly beautiful piano solo of which is just out of this world. The last three songs Since You Asked Kindly, CS60 and Sustain feature more of BBNG's experimental side with weird synth sounds and other tidbits that create a really moody and otherworldly feel.

Over all, III is a solid album and a great jazz-experience for those interested in what happens in the world's jazz-scene these days. 

Favourite track(s): Kaleidoscope; Eyes Closed; Hedron; Differently, Still






#4 Night Lives - Shadow Of Man

Being a HUUGE post-metal fan I had to check out Night Lives' debut album the day it was released. Though the album is mostly melodic hardcore with just a hint of post-metal and metalcore influences it got me hooked from the start. The sheer emotion mixed with aggression is the driving force of this album. 

You can read my deeper thoughts on this album in this earlier post: http://bit.ly/13kPbOL

All in all Shadow Of Man is a great album that made me take a closer look at the hardcore genre. 

Favourite track(s): Vows, Shadow Of Man, Dawn 







#3 ∞ - Emme Näe Elämää

First of all a link to my review of this album: http://bit.ly/1z3YBHc

Emme Näe Elämää has definitely been playing constantly through these last two months on my iPod. I've grown to love this album even more than I did at first. The album just has this feel of sadness and longing all over it but also a thin veil of arrogant attitude in the mix. The lyrics and the sounds are somewhat romanticising too (the song Aarresaari particularly in my opinion has a feel of young desire in it). 

Eight's sound is something that I have yet to hear in any other band. Their delicate playing is so emotional it almost always gets me all goose-bumped. Eight definitely doesn't get the attention and respect they should be getting already with Emme Näe Elämää being their third full-length album. They've polished their sound through the years from almost a straight hardcore band filled with Converge-influence to a post-rock-ish post-hardcore band with beautiful lyrics and utterly amazing songwriting. 

Favourite track(s): Every single song







#2 Cassie - Old Light

My earlier thoughts track-by-track on this album from last March: http://bit.ly/1H5cF7C

I've been listening to this album for over a half a year already and it still gives me all the emotions it did the first time listening. All the little things that made this album great: the beautiful strings, post-rock crescendos, delicate vocals, feature by Jani Ala-Hukkala. It's all there. Even though Old Light is only three songs it features a ton more than a lot of albums did this year. Great compositions with versatile sounds. 

I'm so saddened that Cassie has come to an end after the release of this album. Would've loved to hear them live.

Favourite track(s): All three







#1 Totorro - Home Alone

Now where do I begin with this album...a perfectly solid piece of 8 songs that I can't find anything bad to say about. Great sound design, all the instruments sound amazing, clever writing, energetic playing, rhythmic playing of this world and all around dynamic and playful album that gets me joyful every time I listen to it. Post-rock and mathrock at their finest.

Home Alone starts with the title track that builds up really fast to a fast-paced phase. When the vocals kick in they are left almost as an effect in the background of the song. The song ends as fast as it starts and continues perfectly to the next song Chevalier Bulltoe (the first single off of this album that got a music video also). The song is a bit more calm than the intro track but it still keeps its big and energetic sound throughout the song. After the 1:40 mark the song takes a turn to up the tempo. The song then ends to a perfect state of calmness which then carries to the intro of the third song Tonton Alain Michel. This song features a great rhythmic guitar arpeggio in the beginning which then grows to yet again a great energising theme that keeps on growing and growing until a break near the two minute mark. The song then picks up the pace again to bring up the potential energy even more. The second break then slows the song down again and brings the dynamics to the ground again where it can start growing once more to a huge climax. The ending then hits you hard in the face and you're left with a perfect experience of the first three songs of the album. 

The fourth song Festivalbini starts out sounding like a calm post-rock song but it has an ace up its sleeve. Not much can be said but the song is once again a huge display of emotions and talented songwriting mixed. The latter half of the album begins with the song Motte-rock which develops around a bass pattern repeated for almost the whole song. The sounds around the bass-line make the song interesting and intelligent. The song then traces to a polyrhythmic mathrock part which ends the song. 

The next track Osao San features once again some clever rhythms once it gets trough the intro. After a break the background vocals are once again thrown in the mix..Just beautiful. The second to last track Eric Colson brings immediately some Explosions In The Sky to my mind with it's melodies and carefree vibe. The last song Tigers & Gorillas wraps the album with a last bang which fades to a noise-like outro. 

This album is an experience from start to finish and it doesn't leave (at least not me) anybody cold. 

This concludes my year of 2014 and I have to say that this year has brought me a LOT of great albums that didn't make the list, so I made a little list of some honourable mentions:

Mastodon - Once More ‘round the sun

Rosetta - Flies to flame

Mid-American - Ancillary Colors

Maybeshewill - Fair Youth

MNTTT - Menetetyt

Whirr / Nothing - split 12’’

Skyharbor - Guiding Lights

The Algorithm - Octopus4

Pat Metheny - Kin

Periphery - Clear

Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden

Kiasmos - s/t

Botanist - VI:flora

The Chant - New Haven

Code Orange - I Am King

Tiny Moving Parts - Pleasant Living

I'm anticipating some great albums next year like the new Lapko, Callisto and Periphery albums. I also cannot wait to get my hands on some new bands while also working with my own bands upcoming release. Cheers to everybody and have a great end of the year.

Peace and Love 

- Matti

Album Review: Code Orange - I Am King

Time for a new album review of an album that came out a couple of months ago already (I know I'm a bit late on this one but who cares). The new Code Orange album I Am King is a mix of metalcore and hardcore with a hint of sludge. The sounds are familiar to any fan of Converge as the album was released by Converge's frontman Jacob Bannon's own Deathwish Inc. and produced by none other than Bannon's bandmate, guitarist Kurt Ballou.

I came to I Am King completely blind (or preferably deaf), without knowing or hearing anything about the band and I was pleasantly surprised with the rich but raw guitar and bass sounds and some mindblowingly great production by mr. Ballou. The compositions instantly trigger memories of classic Converge albums like Jane Doe to my mind. The songs are heavy but also cleverly composed with unique twists throughout the album. Little things like tempo and time signature changes make things interesting for me in this album. Of course typical metalcore-breakdown riffing can be heard on I Am King but it's not abused too much in my opinion.

The vocals on this album are greatly performed by three of the band-members: drummer Jami Morgan and guitarists Eric Balderose and Reba Meyers. Their vocals range from screaming and shouting to spoken-word kind of muttering and even clean singing.

While Kurt Ballou did a great job engineering and producing this album it almost, just almost falls to the point of being overproduced, especially with the drum sounds in my opinion. The bass drum sounds really flat and lifeless, though that's what it's supposed to be like I guess. To me it just feels like a plug-in bass sound. More unique drum sounds could've made this album an even more enjoyable experience.

The overall energy of the album is ungodly big. Each song brings something new to the table, and that's saying a lot in genres like hardcore and metalcore which are filled with bands that copy each other to the grave.

Favourite songs: I Am King, Slowburn, Bind You
8/10

- Matti

Album review: ∞ - Emme Näe Elämää

Wow.. I've been waiting for this album for quite a while already and finally it's here. The new ∞ (eight) album Emme Näe Elämää feels like a fresh breath of cold air after their earlier masterpiece Näyt Kauas from 2012. The new album seems to continue from where the last one left yet the sound seems to head more towards the screamo elements mixed with post-rock and away from post-metal when comparing the two. 

Eight sticks to the same elements sound-wise in this album as the last one. The vocals are as great as they were last time with melancholy-filled moaning and screaming that really give me the chills. Not only are the vocals improved, so are the instrumentals; drum and bass sounds are varied and dynamic ranging from quiet and distant to crushing and shrill. 

"Kuinka kauan kestää toukokuun lumi?"

Compositionally Eight keeps it's quality with utilising varied elements of alternative genres. The post-rock-esque crescendos and clean guitars mix once again perfectly with the contrast of crushing style of hardcore. I was personally intrigued by the little bit of noise in the outro of the song Tuntemisaisti. Even some always-welcome blast beat action was carried out in the climaxes of the songs Kuuron Laulu and Juostaan Ylös Vuorelle. Kuuron Laulu features more aggressive and fast-paced riffs in the first half of the song. It then takes a long time building up to a crushing ending with blast beat and tremolo riffing. 

The lyrics of the album are very poetic with themes of solitude, dreams and a lot of metaphorical storytelling. I especially love the lyrics of Lohdutusseremonia which seems to tell of life and death and dealing with loss. The whole song is a melancholic piece which starts with a sad melodic guitar and a groovy drum beat. The song alternates between soft and hard with a great crescendo in the middle of the song which then comes apart and goes back to where the whole song started. 

As a fan of post-rock, hardcore and post-metal this album doesn't let me down the slightest. Every song is a story and an adventure to experience. 




Favourite songs: Lohdutusseremonia, Kuuron Laulu, Antakaa Meidän Nukahtaa

8.5/10 

Clearly one of this year's strongest albums to me. 

Indie Shoutout vol. 7

A Troop Of Echoes is a Providence, Rhode Island -based post-rock/mathrock group with a touch of jazziness and a lot of potential. Their newest full-length album The Longest Year On Record was released last June. The core band consists of a guitarist (Nick Cooper), a bassist (Harrison Hartley), a drummer (Dan Moriarty) and a saxophonist (Peter Gilli). The album also features almost 20 guest artists on strings, horns, percussions etc. 

At first listen The Longest Year On Record seems like a breath of fresh air on a sunny but cold autumn day. The melodies and rhythms are both mellow and upright at the same time. The pace of the album seems to be carried by a change of energetic and calm parts. 

The album's opener Manifest and Legion is a beautiful song which utilises the bands capabilities from the get-go. Groovy drums, beautiful guitar melodies and jazzy saxophone playing along with "the feels" of post-rock. The ending which consists of a rumbling wall of all kinds of drums and toms and such leads the song to the second track Small Fires which is an energetic piece. To me the only downside to this track is that at times the saxophone melody seems like it should be a vocal melody..only it's played on a sax. The highpoint is when the sax gets a little boost from a reverb and plays some high notes. Small Fires was a good choice for a single release. The third song Arecibo doesn't really bring a lot more to the table other than some crunchier bass-lines and a tad more distortion on the guitar.

Further down the album the song Severna hit me totally. This was the point in which I knew The Longest Year On Record was a good album. It starts off with a beautiful saxophone melody which then leads to the rest of the band coming along. The song has a great saxophone solo by Gilli. I also have to give credit to the drums on this track. The first half is groovy and the latter gives the song a lot of dynamic potential...I mean a LOT. The next song Constellation is also a favourite of mine. A great crescendo leading to a guitar melody that breaks out of typical keys to bring the song an interesting touch. The ending is another crescendo in the feel of the first one adding once again some great dynamic drum play. 

The title track of the album comes second to last; after a beautifully constructed sort of an interlude-like song Broadway Ghost which carries the album onward nicely. The Longest Year On Record is yet again a very dynamic track. It doesn't really introduce anything new other than a tempo change and some chorus singing. A very enjoyable track which grows throughout the track. 

The ending song Pure Alexia (is silent in this room) is almost a perfect ender in all it's subtlety. The sounds of the piano and the sax fit well together in this one. After the end I'm left with a great, refreshed feel of satisfaction. The only gripes I had with this album were minor out-of-tune saxophone parts (or maybe it's just me) and I wish the bass was mixed a tad louder. 

All in all a great album and worth at least a download. A Troop Of Echoes has the album available for digital download, CD and an upcoming vinyl release. The download and order is possible through their bandcamp site @https://atroopofechoes.bandcamp.com 

Love

- Matti

Panopticon - A Throwback To A Greater Time

It's time to talk about my all time favourite album: Panopticon by ISIS. Ipecac Records put out a remaster to celebrate Panopticon's 10th anniversary earlier this year and I've been going back to that numerous times during the summer. To me the remaster wasn't such an improvement over the original as I thought it would be (considering the Celestial remaster a few years back from ISIS) but of course I enjoyed the album as much as the good old Panopticon from 2004. All the changes I noticed after a good amount of listened between the two versions was that the synths seemed to be clearer and more upfront in the remaster and some of the vocals seemed to be pushed down a bit. 

Anyway, I was here to talk about my opinions on the album itself. First of all I have to tell, the artwork of the album is absolutely and completely amazing and fits the themes of the album perfectly. Whenever I listen to the album all I can think of are industrial settings and blue (I wonder why??).

Panopticon starts out with So Did We, which I consider the epitome of ISIS to me. The structure of the song is beautiful. The creeping guitar sounds and tight drums accompany each other amazingly and the eerie but still aggressive vocals are nicely blended to not be the lead "instrument" of the composition. The so-called breakdown of the song where the harsh riffing cuts down and the clean guitar melodies paint a gorgeous landscape only to progress into the last crushing riff of the song which always send chills down my spine. At the end of the song I feel somehow pumped up for the rest of the album which I know is going to be as amazing as this was.

Backlit starts out a lot friendlier and progresses through the song with both quiet and loud points to a groovy break with and awesome baseline. The song also ends with a bang. Aaron Turners vocal performance is shining in Backlit as he changes back and forth with clean and harsh vocals. At this point I also have to mention the raw-like drum sounds which play a huge role in the album's grooviness. 

Next comes In Fiction which is one of the bands most notable songs with a great music video. The song's structure is a basic post-rocky post-metal song structure which starts out quiet and continues to grow until a breakdown which brings the song to ground level once again. I have to mention the moment when the drums shift to a hit on the snare rather than a sidestick is a great point in the song. The breakdown isn't the end of the song though as it teases you by raising the momentum bits at a time only to grow to a crushing guitar riff. The song ends by going back to it's opening motions, the clean melody.

The next song, Wills Dissolve is the shortest song in the album and it starts with an eerie clean motion followed by a groovy drum beat. The same theme continues with a distorted guitar and more heavy drumming. The vocals hit the song just barely after the four minute mark with a raspy clean melody. The rest of the song progresses to a heavy ending which crushes even harder than the earlier songs. 

Wills Dissolve ties well with the next song Syndic Calls which continues straight from where it was left. The guitar groove in the beginning has stuck in my mind since the first listens. The crescendo towards the end of the song is what post-metal is to me, distorted sound which somewhat still sounds like the most beautiful thing in the world. 

The opening riff of Altered Course shows how a good groove can be made with just a guitar and the drums. After the bass hits the song it becomes even more groovy. The song makes me nod every time I listen to it. Altered Course feels a lot more philosophical (if you can say that of an instrumental song) than the other songs. The melodies and the construction seem thought provoking and interesting. 

The ending track Grinning Mouths sums up all the feels of the album; the sadness, the energy and all the blue colour in the world. The song starts with a very creepy guitar melody.  When the heavy hits of crushing guitars and toms hit the scene only to carry the song on to the next section which - to everybody's surprise - isn't a crushing riff but a continuation of the creepy sound. Only after a brief break is the song lifted up and up to the heights of the sky. The tremolo melody leads the song to the heavy riffage and harsh vocals. After that comes the moment which is a very non-ISIS-like move; a sudden break to a strumming chord. The next riff is probably one of my favourites from the whole album accompanied by a perfect distorted melody. The same motif continues through the rest of the song which ends to a bang. 

That concludes my thoughts on Panopticon, an album so meaningful to me. I remember the day my brother introduced the album to me. The same day (or a couple days later) I just had to buy the CD and listen to it many times through. I can't wait to find an album to top Panopticon, though it seems highly improbable.

 

-Matti

Indie Shoutout vol. 6

Night Lives is a fresh sound in the music scene of Joensuu, Finland. Their hardcore sound instantly triggers an image of the hardcore monster Converge in my mind. Night Lives released their debut LP titled Shadow Of Man this month. The album contains 8 strong hardcore songs with a bit of sludge and post-metal thrown in the mix for some personality.

I had heard of Night Lives in early 2014 when I heard a couple of songs from the upcoming album from their bandcamp-site.

Shadow Of Man is divided into 2 sides as it's only released as vinyl and digital download (links below). The A-side starts with a track called No Dawn which demonstrates the band's contrast-filled sound of hardcore and post-metal. The second track Burn Tradition was probably the first track I heard of this band. This track brings more of that hardcore punk element to the album which then continues in the track Vows. Strong riffs and the vocal sound accompany each other through the track which ends on a melodic and melancholic lead guitar melody/riff. The last track on the A-side is called Break which is pure Converge-styled HC.

We then switch to the B-side which starts with a mellow and eerie intro to the song First Tide. The song develops into a huge crushing explosion. The song then connects itself to the next track Last Wave which continues with the energy-filled punk riffs. After that the record calms down to the title track Shadow Of Man which starts with a cello intro giving the song some distance from the rest of the album. Shadow Of man is clearly my favorite track of the album as it sticks out the most of the eight songs. The last song Dawn is a slow closing track that has a lot or melodic guitar leads and post-metal-ish crushing.

Over all the album reminds me a lot of the epitome-record Jane Doe of Converge. I will definitely check Night Lives out in Ilosaarirock this summer

Shadow Of Man is available for download for only 6€ @ nightlivesband.bandcamp.com.




Peace
- Matti

Indie Shoutout vol. 5

Cassie is a Finnish post-rock band with much potential to grow over the barriers of ordinary post-rock. Their newest release is an EP titled Old Light which was released February 2014. The band's sound is very typical for the genre with dreamy guitar leads and long crescendos. The female vocals which are not so typical for post-rock bring a nice touch and the sound of the lead vocalist Sofia Thurén fits the sound of the band so well. Believable and beautifully emotional lyrics are a key point in the vocals also.

Old Light EP

Post-rock is known for bringing "non-rock" instruments to the mix and so does Cassie with the inclusion of a string quartet. The almost-a-cliche "post-rock tremolo" -sound is amazing combined with the tremolo violins in the opening track of Old Light. 

The first track simply called Old Light Is a pretty typical post-rock song with a long crescendo which erupts in the end. What makes this track for me are the beautiful vocal melodies and the AMAZING quest appearance of Callisto-vocalist Jani Ala-Hukkala. Being a huge Callisto fan I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw he was in this track. His screams create a post-hardcore-ish vibe to the high-point of the track.

The second track Keep Your Kings In The Back Row starts out with a nice groove. The song has a nice tone to it with the strings bringing a nice touch of comfort. The track is very enjoyable and beautifully arranged to the point of myself failing to see any (even minor) problems.

"You are so afraid of life and I only have courage for myself"

The EP ends with a track titled White Waves. The track starts with a bang which sounds much like a Caspian song but then it continues with a beautiful melodic and dreamy part. The vocals carry the song towards the calming latter half of the song which starts out with a guitar lead. The song proceeds to a beautiful "explosion" of vibrantly colorful sounds again much like a Caspian song and continues to an even more tough part with a slow blast beat which erupts the whole song. The track ends and the listener is left with a complete expression of the bands sound. 

Overall the EP is a great piece of art with much potential for the future. What comes to the quality of composition, arrangement and production the sound of Cassie is on par with bands like Caspian, Explosions In The Sky and other epitomes of post-rock. The vocals are a major pro from me and I just fell in love with the vocal melodies of the album. The Old Light EP made me take a closer look on the band's earlier stuff which i have earlier considered as too cliche'd. 

I hope Cassie continues their effort to make more amazing releases and wish them luck on their tour which takes place both in Finland and the UK.

Love

- Matti

ps. more stuff coming soon as I'm done with my matriculation exams.

Top-10 albums of the year (part 2.)

Back to business! :D

#5 Rosetta - The Anaesthete 

Rosettan uusin levy The Anaesthete on astetta energisempi ja nopeatempoisempi verrattuna bändin aikaisempiin tuotoksiin. Space-rockiksi/ space-metalliksikin lajiteltu Rosetta tuo jälleen kerran ainutlaatuisen äänimaailmansa esille post-metalliin sekoitetuilla mausteilla. The Anaesthete ei aivan nouse edellisen kokopitkän A Determinism Of Morality:n tasolle, mutta kaukana ei olla. Albumi on ladattavissa ilmaiseksi osoitteessa http://theanaesthete.bandcamp.com/.

Lempikappale albumilta: Ryu / Tradition

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Rosetta's newest album The Anaesthere is a bit more energetic and uptempo in comparison with the bands earlier releases. Often categorized in space-rock/space-metal, Rosetta brings once again a unique soundscape through post-metal mixed with some personal spices. The Anaesthete doesn't quite reach the level of their last long play A Determinism Of Morality but it's not far away. The Anaesthete is free for download at http://theanaesthete.bandcamp.com/.

Favourite song: Ryu / Tradition






#4 TesseracT - Altered State

Viime kesän kuunnelluin albumi omalta osaltani. TesseracT:n edellinen albumi One iski pari vuotta sitten niin kovasti, että jäin koukkuun bändin nerokkaisiin biiseihin ja laulaja Daniel Tompkinsin ääneen. Tänä vuonna jännitti miltä uusi TesseracT kuulostaisi uuden (jo kolmannella) laulajan Ashe O'Haran kanssa, ja voin paljastaa, en pettynyt. Ashen uskomaton ääniala sekä heleän kaunis äänen sointi rikkoo progemetallille (tai metallille ylipäätään) tyypillisen karjumisen ja matalamman äänialan. Ashen herkkä, mutta vahva lauluääni ei kuitenkaan mene hevikiljunnaksi, vaan kuulostaa uskomattoman tunteelliselta. Kitara-, rumpu-, ja bassosoundit ovat nykystandardien mukaiset - autentisuutta saa etsimällä etsiä, mutta se sopii TesseracT:in futuristiseen tyyliin loistavasti. Sitäpaitsi Chris Baretton saksofonit luovat mukavan kontrastin parissa biisissä bändin muutoin puhtoisen tietokonemaiseen soundiin. 

Altered State on jaettu neljään osaan (Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality ja Of Energy), jotka kuvaavat nimiensä mukaisesti ihmisen ulkoista sekä sisäistä muutosta. Myös bändin sisäiset ja musiikilliset muutokset näkyvät ja kuuluvat; uusi laulaja, vain puhtaita lauluja, kokeiluja uusilla instrumenteilla ja efekteillä. Pakko ostos progemetallin ystävälle.

Lempikappale albumilta: Of Matter - Retrospect

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Last summers most listened album personally for me was Tesseract's Altered State. Their debut album One blew my mind a couple of years ago so hard I was instantly hooked on their ingenious songs and the singer Daniel Tompkins' amazing voice. This year i was really excited to hear how their new album sounded with a new (already third) singer Ashe O'Hara and i was not disappointed. Ashe's incredible vocal range and bright sound breaks the typical metal growl and lower range. His vivid but strong voice is incredibly sentimental and not at all typical high pitch heavyscreaming. The guitars ,drums and bass all sound on par with contemporary standards - zero authenticity. Yet it works perfectly with TesseracT as they have this beautiful futuristic sound to them. Besides the saxophone parts of Chris Barretto create a nice contrast in a couple of the tracks with their otherwise clean and computer-like sound.

Altered State is divided into four pieces (Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality and Of Energy) which all tell (as suggested by the name) of alterations of life both inside and outside. Also the band's inner and musical changes show and hear out; the new singer, only clean vocals, experiments with new instruments and effects. A must buy -album for a prog-metal fan.

Favourite track: Of Matter - Retrospect

#3 Consciousness Removal Project - Tacit

Vuoden paras post-metal albumi Tacit on uskomaton kokonaisuus ja se välittää konseptin kuulijalle täydellisesti. Kerroin jo aikaisemmassa postauksessa Tacitista ja se Consciousness Removal Projectista, joten sieltä voi lukea lisätietoa albumista. 

Lempikappale albumilta: Colossus II: Thrashing

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The years best post-metal album Tacit is an amazing whole and it passes the concept and story on to the listener perfectly. I already wrote about the album and Consciousness Removal Project in an earlier post so if you wish for more information on the album, read there.

Favourite track: Colossus II: Thrashing

#2 Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal

Aluksi Sempiternal ei vaikuttanut niinkään hyvältä levyltä, mutta muutaman kuuntelukerran jälkeen albumi aukeni minulle ja tykästyin sen aiemmasta BMTH tuotannosta eroavaan tyyliin. Oli Sykesin "puhdas" lauluääni vaatii totuttelemista deathcorekarjumisen jälkeen. Melodisemmat ja elektronisemmat kappaleet ovat luonnollinen suunta BMTH:n tyylille ottaen huomioon nykypäivän keskivertojen deathcorebändien ylipursuavan lisääntymisnopeuden. 

Sempiternal on kuuntelijaystävällinen vaihtoehto BMTH:n ystäville. Elektro-soundien lisääminen tuo dynaamisuutta, mutta kitarariffit ovat silti murskaavia tuttuun BMTH-tyyliin. 

Lempikappale albumilta: Can You Feel My Heart

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At first Sempiternal didn't seem like a good record but after a few listens the album opened up for me and I fell in love with the new style which broke out of the earlier BMTH style. Oli Sykses' new "clean" vocals need some time to get used to after all the deathcorescreaming. The more melodic and electronic songs are a natural path of evolution to BMTH's style especially considering the overflowing reproduction of modern mediocre deathcorebands. 

Sempiternal is a more listener-friendly choice for someone new to BMTH. The added electro sounds dd dynamics but the good old crushing guitar riffs are still there.

Favourite track: Can You Feel My Heart

#1 Sigur Rós - Kveikur

Wow...ei muuta. Kuuntelin Kveikurin ensimmäisen kerran vasta sen jälkeen, kun olin nähnyt Sigur Rósin keikan Ilosaarirockissa tänä kesänä. Kveikur on taattua Sigur Rós -laatua eikä jätä kylmäksi millään tasolla. Aivan edellisen albumin (Valtari, 2012) tasolle se ei kuitenkaan nouse. Live-kokemus paljasti albumin moniulottuvuuden. 

Kveikur poikkeaa tyyliltään hieman bändin edellisestä tuotannosta, sillä siinä on hetkittäin painostava ja raskas tunnelma ja siinä on jopa hyökkäviä motiiveja. Toki yhtyeen herkkä puoli tulee myös esiin (esimerkkinä kappale Stormur, joka on jopa viattoman kuuloinen). Jokainen kappale tuntuu omaltaan ja on kuin oma itsenäinen teoksensa. Kveikur on taidemusiikkia parhaimmillaan. 

Suosittelen lämpimästi.

Lempikappale albumilta: Hrafntinna

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Wow...nothing else. I listened to Kveikur only after i had seen Sigur Rós' gig at Ilosaarirock-festival last summer. Kveikur is once again guaranteed Sigur Rós quality and it will not leave you wanting more at any level. Still it doesn't quite reach the level of the last album (Valtari, 2012). The live-experience revealed the albums multidimensional levels to me personally. 

Kveikur sticks out a little from Sigur Rós' earlier material as it at times has a intense and heavy tone and even some aggressive motives. Surely the band's sensitive side shows also (for example in the song Stormur which sounds somehow innocent to me). Every song feels like its own and is like its own independent work of art. Kveikur is art at its finest. 

I warmly recommend.

Favourite track: Hrafntinna

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Siinäpä se lista nyt olisi. Jokin toinen päivä saattaisin muuttaa mieltäni järjestyksen suhteen mutta pitäydyn päätöksissäni. 
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There it is now. Some other day i would probably change my mind on the order of the albums but I will stick to my decisions. 

Tässä vielä muutamia mainitsemisen arvoisia albumeja vuodelta 2013:
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Here are some honorable mentions from 2013:

- PMMP - Matkalaulu
- KoRn - The Paradigm Shift 
- Adept - Silence The World
- God Is An Astronaut - Origins 
- Hammock - Oblivion Hymns
- Russian Circles - Memorial
- Blessthefall - Hollow Bodies 
- Cult Of Luna - Vertikal 

Now we have covered the year 2013 and are ready for new albums in 2014! I can hope for new albums by Lapko, Callisto, Periphery and Opeth but only time will tell us. 

Peace and Love
- Matti

A little about my soloproject

I started writing songs like almost 5 years ago when I was in junior highschool. At the time I didn't have my own guitar or anything... I had to resort to my dad's old acoustic guitar (which my brother had actually used for composing some post-rock a few years backwards) and Guitarpro 5. My first songs were not that good (well I guess you can't expect to write masterpieces right away). With time I got better and got used to writing with my equipment. I experimented with different genres and styles differing from electronic to rap to metal and even some classical-influenced but somehow post-rock and post-metal just stuck with me.

A photo of me with my acoustic Landola from early 2012

In early 2011 I had bought my first electric guitar and even upgraded to GuitarPro 6. I started composing and arranging my first album. Some pieces didn't fit to each other and some of the songs were not yet completed when I decided to record the album. During 2012 I had recorded Remedy (part.1) with my brother. I bought some recording equipment and started working on the recordings in November 2012 and decided to try to release it in time for Christmas as a present for my girlfriend. I composed Remedy (part.2) during the recordings and the whole Solitude, My Friend song was an experiment I did one day with recording different sounds on top of an ambient pad loop. 

The concept of the album kind of wrote itself. The songs tell of my loneliness in junior high when I didn't really have many friends and the title of the album Remedy For Solitude refers to my girlfriend who I got to know during my last year there (and we've been together since). 

Front and back cover of my album.

Only 10 physical copies of the album were made and I numbered them by hand

I've been working on new songs for a second release but I feel like I'm having a writers block as I have to write and do everything alone. Finding bandmates would help much with writing. 

You can download my album for free at bandcamp (http://untoldmemories.bandcamp.com/) and follow me in facebook (https://www.facebook.com/untoldproject). By donating money you can help me get new equipment to help me with the next release. 

I really don't feel like translating this all to Finnish :S 

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Peace and ΓΟΛΕ

 -Matti

Indie Shout Out vol.2

Toinen loistava löytö tänä syksynä oli suomalainen yhdenmiehen bändi/projekti Stars As Lights, jonka uusin julkaisu As If Time Had Stopped on huikea kymmenen kappaleen post-rock teos, jossa jokainen kappale kertoo oman tarinansa.

Stars As Lights on jyväskyläläisen Lauri Paavolaisen sooloprojekti. As If Time Had Stopped on kaikkine post-rock -kliseineenkin juuri täydellinen taidepläjäys minunlaiselleni musiikin ystävälle. Albumi erottuukin joukosta edukseen juuri sävellyksen ja tuotannon puolesta. Koko albumi on rauhoittavan kaunista kuunneltavaa alusta loppuun eikä yksikään kappale kuulosta samalta. Albumin kokonaisuus tuo mieleen Explosions In The Skyn alkutuotannon.

As If Time Had Stopped kuuluu ehdottomasti tämän vuoden parhaimpien post-rockjulkaisujen joukkoon Sigur Rósin ja God Is An Astronautin uusimpien albumien rinnalle.

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Another great discovery from this fall was the Finnish one-man-band/project Stars As Lights whose newest release As It Time Had Stopped is an immense ten track post-rock work in which every track tells its own story.

Stars As Lights is the solo project of Lauri Paavolainen from Jyväskylä, Finland. As If Time Had Stopped is just the perfect piece of art for a music lover like myself even with all its post-rock cliches. The album sticks out from the crowd with its amazing compositions and production quality. The whole album is restfully beautiful from the beginning all the way until the end and none of the songs sound too much alike. The album as a whole brings to my mind the earlier works of Explosions In The Sky. 

As If Time Had Stopped belongs easily to the top post-rock albums of the year alongside the new albums by Sigur Rós and God Is An Astronaut. 

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Also the artwork is absolutely amazing! :)

- Peace And ΓΟΛΕ - 
Matti