Strand of Oaks - Pope Killdragon

So I finally got around to posting this! Sorry it took me a lifetime. Anyway, bottom line is this is a wonderful listen, and one of the most replay friendly albums I've heard. Nothing hear sounds particularly foreign, but the at the same time it is unlike any other 'sad' folk album I've ever heard. The lyrics especially strike me as original for this type of music, despite being perfectly fit.

One thing I've found with this one is that while some tracks jump out right away (my personal favorite, 'Last to Swim', being the main culprit) all of these tracks have something to offer, and this album has a way of revealing itself slowly. Which is great, because I kept on wanting to go back, and I just ended up liking it more and more. Hopefully it has the same effect on you.

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Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (2010)

Oh look, I creeped your wishlist too! :P I've only listened to this once so far but from what I remember it sounds like if David Bowie made really catchy porn music. Yep.

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Bark Psychosis - Hex (1994)

I've been meaning to post for a while, but I'm convinced Mediafire hates me because it never works. So I'm using Megaupload for now.

I know I've put enough post-rock on here but this is too good not to share. It was actually a review for this that coined the term "post-rock" and is considered very influential to the genre along with Talk Talk's last two albums. This is often compared especially to Talk Talk's Laughing Stock (which is one of my all-time favourites) but to me this is definitely more melancholic and atmospheric. Something tells me you'll really dig this.

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Kate Bush - The Hounds of Love

So this one took some time to sink in. Its pretty accessible, but the sound wasn't something I'm used to or particularly fond of regularly. This came out in 1985, and believe me, the synths sound like it. Luckily fantastic songwriting saves it, as there are plenty of gems here. Its experimental and emotive all at once, and is carried by Kate's fantastic and unique vocal style.

The diversity here is what makes this several cuts above the 80's pop that springs to mind when you first listen. The first bit is excellent pop songwriting that is fairly easy to wrap your head around. But as the album progresses, you get more and more twisted and things get pretty daring.

While not the greatest track, Waking the Witch is pretty damn metal for a female pop album. That statement alone should tell you this woman wasn't making pop by the book.

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Galaxie 500 - On Fire

So I saw that you have this wish-listed, so I thought I'd help you out and post it! It is an awesome slowcore/ dreampop album. I can't really pick any standout tracks yet except the first, though they all seem good. The whole album blends together as sort of one cohesive whole, feeling like drifting along on a cool day.

Everything is very simply put together, but this works well and it manages to create a really pleasant atmosphere with it. They call these guys slowcore, but I don't see them as close to Red House Painters or Low. They are slow, but the atmosphere is a little different by my reckoning, closer to something like My Bloody Valentine. Anway, hope you enjoy.

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Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit (2010)

Each new album Agalloch releases seems to sound completely different than anyone was expecting. So it makes sense that with Marrow of the Spirit they’ve decided to do a lot of things they’ve never done before.

First off, this is definitely their heaviest album to date. Into the Painted Grey starts off with guns blazing, blast beats and tremolo riffs a plenty. It’s black metal Agalloch style, and they do it beautifully. Secondly, they’ve actually taken a step back from their work so far and actually incorporated some familiar sounds from their earlier albums. The acoustic strumming from The Mantle is all over The Watcher’s Monolith, and we have some Pale Folklore-ish electric guitar picking on Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires. For a band that has constantly changed their sound from album to album, I think that’s pretty cool.

I don’t know if this is better than The Mantle or Ashes, but it certainly comes close. The fact that they’re still putting out the best metal music out there and have been doing so for more than ten years is just awesome, and from this it doesn’t look like they plan on stopping. See you in London boys.

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