Addaura - Discography

 

Genre: Black Metal 

Country: United States

Addaura is a band I've loved since the very first moment I discovered  them in 2010. Along with Alda, Skagos, and Fauna, Addaura were the front-runners of the burgeoning Cascadian black metal scene that began in the late 2000's. Though the other bands were certainly good, Addaura were always very much my favorite. Their WIITR inspired sound was absolutely perfect, and their demo is one my favorite black metal releases ever. Black metal has always based around nature-worship, and the Cascadian black metal scene took that concept even further. Musically, I love their repetitive ebb and flow, and the very subtle changes their music featured. It all felt so organic and in the spirit of what they were trying to achieve. Although she's now departed, their vocalist at the time Chantal was fantastic, and her hoarse rasp played a huge part in my love for them. It was a shame that she left, but it was still clear that Addaura had a bright future ahead of them. 

In 2012, the group released their first full-length Burning For The Ancient ,and again I was in awe of what they were able to create. It wasn't a departure of their previous sound, but rather a refinement. Though the songs were longer, their sense of flow had improved dramatically, with each track building and building until it hit its epic climax. Once again repetition played a large role, but because the melodies were so strong and the arrangements so tight, there was never a moment where any section felt like it overstayed its welcome. Guitarist Ryan had taken over the role of vocals, and though I was initially a bit scared, upon his first wail he quickly laid those worries to rest. Not only were his shrieks as good as Chantal's but he was able to deliver monstrous gutturals, adding yet another dimension to the group's sound. Once again, Addaura proved to be step ahead of their peers.

This brings us to 2015, and after a seemingly eternal three year wait Addaura dropped their ...And The Lamps Expire EP. At first, I didn't really know what to think of it. However, the more I listened, the more I began to appreciate what they are attempting to do; finally forging their own sound. Though elements of the Cascadian style (and therefore WIITR) still remain, ...And The Lamps Expire is very much Addaura beginning to create a style of their own. To a degree they've abandoned the repetition and subtly of their previous material, but it really fucking works. Rife with more folk and experimental touches, here Addaura displays a sense of dynamics I would have never expected from them. The more furious black metal segments certainly still sound like them, but now they've expanded their sonic palette, accentuating the strength of the more aggressive moments as well as the softer ones. Overall, it's a great release and I'm certainly looking forward to whatever they do next. 

SQRM - Rodeo (2010)

Genre: Noise Rock/Hardcore
Country: United States

A few years back I wrote a ridiculously hyperbolic review for this album, where I meticulously deconstructed every aspect of it, from the cover, to the closing notes of "You Still Can't Live"; needless to say that review was a pretentious piece of shit. I went on to state how SQRM would change the face of hardcore with their downtempo and depressive style, and though I was DEAD WRONG, this is still one of my favorite hardcore albums ever. I love how fucking ugly it is. The album drips with a palpable sense of loathing - both self and outward; this is not your dad's hardcore record. The guitars drag themselves hopelessly from one transition to the next, moving to the beat of primitive percussion and asylum-worthy howls. The lyrics on this are either genius or ridiculous; it walks the line so perfectly, you're only left with the ambiguity. That's kind of what makes it so special though. Highly recommended (unless you're depressed, than you may want to steer clear.)

I'M A FUCKING FREAK, SPIT ON ME

Alle Totmachen! - Demo II (2010)

Genre: Black Metal/Noise
Country: Germany

Hailing from Germany, Alle Totmachen! play a pretty basic, yet enjoyable form of black noise. My favorite part of this release is definitely the deranged, almost feral vocal performance, which rises above the near-indecipherable onslaught of stomping punk-influenced black metal and cacophony of ear-shattering static. This is some seriously abrasive shit, but recommended if you, like myself, are a little off-center.
blakk noiz

The Brave Little Abacus - just got back from the discomfort—we’re alright (2010)

Genre: Midwest Emo

Country: United States

So this has getting a little more attention lately but it still only has roughly 4000 listeners on last.fm and that's an injustice to one of the best emo albums in recent years. If you're really into Cap'n Jazz style emo (lots of energy, whiny vocals like John Galm from Snowing, a mix of somewhat ambigious lyrics and unabashed honesty) then you're most likely to like this. What makes them sound fresh in a such a derivative scene is that they have some blatant Bomb The Music Industry! influences from the horns and the bouncy synths. It's basically if BTMI! wrote an midwest emo album. I could go on and on about what I love about this album, the lyrics, how well it flows, the well-placed Malcolm in the Middle samples, but I'll leave it as that. If you've got eponymous discomfort, you really should listen to this. Even if you don't, listen to it anyway.

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Hayaino Daisuki - Invincible Gate Mind of the Infernal Fire Hell, or Did You Mean Hawaii Daisuki? (2010)

Genre: Melodic Thrash / Grind
Country: Japan

With the final installment of Jon Chang's illustrious career pretty much ringing in my ears almost constantly since release day (i'm obviously talking about Gridlinks third and final album Longhena), i've been dipping back into other installments of mr Chang's work that also adorn my collection.  This the second of the two ep's released by Hayaino Daisuki is creeping back into heavy rotation also, 4 tracks over 13 minutes if hyper speed thrash grind with a melodic edge that can't help but put a massive shit eating grin on your face.  As fun as it is fast and chaotic, great stuff.

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SKYWLKR - Strawberry Cough (The Instrumentals) (2010)

Genre: Instrumental Hip-Hop
Country: United States

SKYWLKR is probably more well-known for his work with other rappers rather than as sole producer. On Strawberry Cough, SKYWLKR manages to catch the the listener's attention without the use of a rapper to give the beats personality. The beats here tend to be of the cloud rap variety meaning that they are great for letting your mind drift for a bit and just relaxing to.

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Nasty Taste - Рисуя свой мир... (2010)

Genre: Hardcore Punk
Country: Russia

Another chaotic hardcore punk band tinged with mathcore influences drawn from bands like Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan using screeching and dizzying riffs sprinkled over breakdowns. One thing worth mentioning that they have a female vocalist who's a pretty great screamer and not a bad singer but the singing is used sparingly so it doesn't break the momentum this album has throughout its run-time.

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RiLF - Ferris Wheel (2010)

Genre: Post Rock/Ambient/Dream Pop
Country: Japan

Just think Sigur Ros with more ambient sections and less use of vocals along with spacey vibes and then you have RiLF. This album clearly influenced by Sigur Ros' ( ) using sparse passages throughout the album and is actually structured in a similar way (happier first half that leads to a more darker tone in the second half). Not the most original band out there but at least the music is done well and sounds incredibly lush.

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