Hail Yourself

[Luigii]

[Anti]

So I still have to get to the Orb's new album. It definitely will get a visit by the weekend, Sunday the absolute latest. I did however get to this album because it seemed very fitting for the weather I was experiencing and studying for my exam I took Monday:

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Autumn Bells by Gidge

Gorgeous microhouse with some ambient techno that will be getting some revisits and will more than likely increase in rating. I added it to my albums to study to playlist and RYM list. I love when albums include nature recordings; it makes for a very therapeutic listen. Check this out if anything we said sounded interesting.

I did take a bit of a break from music after my exam because I felt slightly burnt out. However, I just found out that Paysage d'Hiver's newest album leaked onto the internet. He hosted a listening party in January and the attendees received a USB containing the album that was encased in an engraved wooden box. I guess one of the attendees broke a promise and leaked it to the internet. I'll admit, I do feel pretty bad listening to the leak because he sounded disappointed that someone would do that to him on his Facebook page. However, the impressively high RYM rating and album length had my curiosity peaked. I just had to check this thing out.

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Im Wald by Paysage d'Hiver

For those not familiar, Paysage d'Hiver is a one man atmospheric black metal act from Switzerland and has been in the game for quite sometime. His first release was in the late 90s and has been active ever since, despite some periods of silence. He has an identifiable sound compared to other black metal acts, because his records are extremely lofi and chaotic with some lengthy songs that can reach over 20+ minutes. His name translates to "Winter Landscape" and it appropriately fits the atmosphere his music creates. Practically all of his albums sound like a hellish blizzard. The freezing temperatures seep right into your earphones at you listen. It's honestly amazing.

After reading up on this album as I was downloading it last night, I discovered that this is his first studio album. I guess everything prior to this release was considered a demo, which makes sense. Most of them debuted in cassette form, and the lofi recording makes it feel like a demo. However, these demos are so stellar that calling them demos feel a bit of an injustice. They do a better job at promoting escapism than a lot of black metal albums would dream of. Plus, this thing is his longest release yet, at least to my knowledge. It's 2 hours long, which did leave me concerned with how well it would hold my attention span. I'm familiar with his style of recording. I know it can stretch to 80 minutes on some demos, and at the end of those I am left a bit exhausted. Can he handle a 2 hour release?

Hate to spoil it for you, but yeah he fucking can. While Im Wald has "Paysage d'Hiver" written all over its sound, it does stand out a bit compared to his other works. The recording quality is a tad bit clearer and more dynamic, so I can better make out some of the guitar progressions and his vocals. It's 13 tracks and the majority of these songs have a length around 10 minutes, with a few shorter tracks that serve as ambient interludes. These compositions are very well put together and very exciting to listen to. Particularly, the intro and outro tracks are some of the best tracks I've ever heard him put to tape. The characteristic lofi has is still there to give the album that hellish blizzard quality Paysage is known for and the ambient tracks nail a perfect introspective and eerie mood I look for in some atmospheric black metal releases. It's all very thrilling and an excellent example of what atmospheric black metal should be.

So, yeah, as of right now this is my favorite release of the year. It's a bit of a demanding listen, but black metal fans should definitely give this a shot when it officially releases. I do feel bad for Paysage that the surprise was spoiled, but in return I will purchase a physical copy of this masterpiece. It definitely deserves the support.
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...and for dessert!

[Anti]

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Abolition Of The Royal Familia by The Orb

Finally got to the new Orb album, and it was very good. I wasn't expecting it to be this good because while I do think their debut is incredible, I thought their sound would be dated after being around for 30 years. I did some research and it looks like there has been a couple lineup changes since then, so maybe I could expect something fresh.

And I did listen to something fresh. This is a great ambient dub record. The dub jams are excellent and the ambient portions of the album are beautiful. It's a lengthy 77 minute record, but it didn't feel exhausting. It's upsetting to see this album get neglected. It is very underrated, at least on RYM and P4K. Thank you Luigii for the rec, this was an amazing record and it slid up to one of my favorites of the year.
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...and for dessert!

[Luigii]

[LedZep]

Haven’t heard of that Swiss bm boi, but it sounds eight up my alley. A solid recommendation, thanks anti.

And yeah, even though I’ve only been listening to it for a few weeks, that Gidge record is high up my 2010s chart and it’ll likely keep on climbing. One od my favourite electronic (broadly speaking) records of the last 10+ years.
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[Anti]

[Anti]

I want the focus of my diary to be of lesser known gems or forgotten classics that need to be remembered, but I do want to acknowledge the new Fiona Apple record due to its hype. Yes, it is very very good. I know Pitchfork slapped it with a 10 (I had no idea they would ever give one out again tbh), and it is worthy of the praise it's getting. There hasn't been anything on here so this next statement is not geared towards anyone on BEA: Down the road, when it comes to AOTY lists and all, I hope people don't get shit for calling it their favorite record of the year. For some reason, there is a stigma within the music nerd community when someone makes an album that receives soooo much acclaim their favorite album of the year. I hate going on social media or RYM and seeing people get ripped on for that reason. Another thing that upsets me is when they get ripped on because their favorite album by a particular band happens to be their most popular record. I don't get it. Is it a rule that in order to be a true fan of a band, your favorite album must not be their most iconic? Idk, that's a whole 'nother rant I could go on that may not even be worth spending time on. Just know that the new Fiona record is very very good and worth a listen.

Anyways, I just finished this record and it was also very very good:

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Mestarin Kynsi by Oranssi Pazuzu

I loved their 2016 record Värähtelijä, it's currently on my overall. Some of the trippiest black metal I've ever heard. They do an excellent job blending psychedelic and space rock into their craft, and Varahtelija is the record where they found their sound. Mestarin Kynsi shows that they took the time to reflect on their strengths from Varahtelija because it sounds like an ideal follow up. I'd even say it's trippier. I would not be surprised if this album becomes my favorite by them with more listens.
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...and for dessert!

[Anti]

School and relationships (no need to mention the current pandemic) have me stressed at the moment. Might as well indulge in some soul blues to ease the pain.

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Born Under A Bad Sign by Albert King

Excellent soul blues record I discovered off RYM. The electric guitar playing is so passionate and I love Albert King's vocals. Plus, the lyrics are so memorable, such as on the title track, "If it wasn't for bad luck, you'd know I would have no luck at all." Like, DAMN. I love this record.
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...and for dessert!

[Anti]

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Melee by Dogleg

I wasn't expecting this much enjoyment from this record. Some all killer, no filler and extremely potent post-hardcore emo rock. This band isn't reinventing the wheel or anything, but it's just a really good emo album. The guitars sound razor sharp and the melodies are very captivating. The slight harshness to the vocals add to the passion of the record. Again, it's not a groundbreaking record by any means, but it reminds me of the newest Strokes album in the sense that it's just an album of very good songs. Definitely worth checking out for your 2020 discoveries.
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...and for dessert!

[Anti]

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Grandeur Of Hair by The Goslings

Just fuck up my hearing, fam. This blend of noise rock (noise?) and shoegaze is tremendous. It sounds so massive, like "Earthmover" off of Deathconsciousness, but for an entire hour. The vocals are so haunting yet sweet. This is absolutely up my alley.
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...and for dessert!