death's dynamic shroud.wmv - Heavy Black Heart REVIEW

For a genre that started out as an ironic joke among internet forum-goers, vaporwave has undergone a stylistic revolution in the five short years since the genre broke into the underground with Macintosh Plus' Floral Shoppe, widely considered the genre's ur-text (ur-album? Ur-listen? Whatever.). Initially consecrated and characterized as a bizarre offshoot of plunderphonics (that is to say, music synthesized from existing samples cobbled together) with a sardonic anti-capitalist subtext, various producers and projects have latched onto both the genre's existence and its aesthetic, and, in the process, vaporwave has gone from loquacious inside-joke to a post-ironic genre into itself. The popularity of "Simpsonwave" last summer, which even prompted a Pitchfork article, is the ultimate proof that the genre has gone from vaguely unnerving slowed-down Donna Summer songs to something with broad appeal. More anecdotally, Blank Banshee, one of vaporwave's patron saints and the forerunner of the needlessly niche "vaportrap" sub-subgenre, sold out most shows during a North American tour earlier this summer, indicating that what some people dubbed the first "post-internet" genre is encountering a lively childhood.

Yet even as the genre grows in popularity and moves further away from its roots in sampling obscure 80s/90s muzak, there's another half to the equation, as a handful of underground projects push the genre to its experimental limits, dissecting the genre's aesthetic and technique. Among these latter explorers is Philadelphia project death's dynamic shroud.wmv (DDS). The project first came to my attention in 2015, with their record I'll Try Living Like This, which eschewed the sugary, sterile atmosphere of a vaporwave record with a more cloying, pervasive sense of tension, assisted by glitched-out production and an almost strident, urgent feel to the record's numerous songs. Two years later, DDS have released a new record, Heavy Black Heart which, while it lacks the ghostly unease of I'll Try Living Like This, provides an intriguing, multifaceted listen.

Heavy Black Heart's most striking features aren't the glitched-out vocals that seem to writhe and stammer on top of tight, compressed beats, nor is it the almost sound-collage-y assortment of samples that blast into being from the first few seconds of the record and continue at an off-kilter, irregular pace - all of those could be seen as a natural, albeit jarring, evolution of the repurposed elevator muzak of vaporwave's genesis. Rather, it's the record's mounting sense of chaos that builds and pervades every second of Heavy Black Heart, contrasted against the spic-and-span samples and throaty, Rick Astley-like vocal clips (albeit in Japanese).

Newer vaporwave outings have had a tendency to toy with ambient, immersing the listener in the strange, idyllic, self-contained microcosm that advertisements seem to exist in. 2814's Birth of a New Day, one of my favorite releases from 2015, nailed the sentiment perfectly, transporting the listener into a hazy, rainy Japanese late-night journey. This is not the case with DDS, and certainly not with Heavy Black Heart, whose glitchy production, especially the vaguely danceable 'Life Should Be Easy', forces a more cerebral experience. What's more, the release toys with that latter's ambience, with the delicate synth lines that open 'You at Night' being interspersed by gnawing noise and goofy, out-of-place vocals before exploding into a punishing, bass-driving, drawn-out beat. Ultimately, the song collapses in on itself, before re-igniting into the almost-industrial-tinted 'Pennington Acres'.

Heavy Black Heart isn't going to be making it into compilations of chill lo fi anime beats any time soon, but ultimately it represents a far more experimental take on the sample-based origins of the genre, representing a further refinement of its aesthetic, albeit in a warped, esoteric, and oftentimes gloriously cacophonous way. DDS have never made easy-to-listen music, but Heavy Black Heart is its most daring, experimental outing yet, and ultimately begs third and fourth listens in order to ply its deceptively deep crevasses.

[Thee] Oh Sees - Orc REVEW

Usually, I'd start a record review with a brief discussion of where this album fits into the overall stylistic evolution of a genre. But, unfortunately, that's not quite possible here. It might not occur to most people, but psychedelic rock is one of the longest-lived extant styles of rock music in total. With a genesis in the mid-to-late 1960s, psych rock outstripes even heavy metal, which in fact diverged from the former at the dawn of the 1970s. As such, placing a modern psych rock release into context in the nearly 55-year history of the genre is exceedingly difficult, since psych rock has been in a continuous state of evolution even as it has influenced every subsequent style of rock to come after. While that sounds like a nightmare for someone trying to write a retrospective of psych rock, it's actually incredibly freeing - the genre's monolithic influence and history are so diverse, so omnipresent, that almost any artist, band, or project purveying it can, in most cases, be considered in a near-vacumn, connected only to their direct influences.

Enter Oh Sees, formally with a "Thee" in front of their name, an exceedingly prolific psych rock act out of San Fransisco that have been putting out at least one record a year without fail since 2008. Orc, their thirteenth album in nine years, sees the band purveying breakneck, fuzzed-out rock riffs that competes with phantasmagoric interludes, during which the band toys with psychedelic arrangements. The interplay between both, reminiscent of Australian band King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizzard, helps to break up the record's seeming endless barrage of top-tier riffs. Orc's first half is an angular, unpredictable listen that left me surprised on my first listen multiple times. The mid-track tempo-change on 'Keys to the Castle', where the band veers from mid-range groovy guitarwork into a much slower, drum-dominant section, and finally into a stoned raga-rock finale, nearly gave me whiplash.

Orc's second half, however, sees the band screeching to a halt abruptly, as 'Cadaver Dog' abruptly pulls the rug out from under the chugging riff-train, and the band recommences at a glacial pace. Penultimate track 'Drowned Beast' is the record at its most torpid, as the thick guitar leads grind to a near-halt, hashing out and repeating themselves, with vocalist John Dwyer's vocals adopt a liquid, distorted twist. 

As with prior [Thee] Oh Sees outings, the band runs the gamut of different styles, influences, tempos, feelings, and textures, tied together by vocalist John Dwyer's vocals, which veer between gruff grunts and more intimate crooning. Despite sounding uniquely like themselves, sections on 'Nite Expo' echo Melt Banana's frenetic, unhinged, distorted assault; Orc kicks off with a pop-y distorted guitar line in the vein of the aforementioned King Gizzard on 'the Static God'; and the drone-y conclusion to 'Keys to the Castle', as the sitars collapse in on themselves, brings Earth's later records to mind. 'Jettison', which features intricate drumwork courtesy of Paul Quattrone, features a nearly jazz-like break in between distorted guitar lead licks. 'Cadaver Dog', which sees a Hammond Organ form the backdrop against which the guitars rage, is another altogether unique case.

In summary, Orc brings the sonic variety [Thee] Oh Sees have been known for throughout their prolific career. Orc appeals equally to my metal-honed riff-o-philia, as well as my soft spot for jam-tinted psych explorations. Comparisons to King Gizzard's Nonagon Infinity may be unavoidable, but in the absence of a King Gizz record able to top last year's output, Orc may be one of the finest fuzz-addled psych release of the year.

Orc will be released August 25th via Castle Face Records. The entire album can be streamed here.

Don't call it a comeback - Idiot In Remission's Top 10 Albums of 2017 (so far)

Hello internet. It's been a while. Miss me?
Probably not, but I certainly have missed you. In the 2+ years since I (ostensibly) shuttered Idiot In Remission, things have changed - I left a two-year relationship, finished university, started graduate school, developed a passion for powerlifting (of all things) and, as of yesterday, submitted my thesis, effectively concluding almost twenty consecutive years of education as I await formal recognition of my Master's degree by the university. As  I enter a new chapter in my life - namely, bidding Montreal, my home of six years, farewell - and find myself confronted with the existential horror of being in my mid-20s and attempting to break into the job market, I've decided to reactivate Idiot In Remission.

Looking back on my posts from 2014 (and earlier) brings me a mixture of nostalgia and embarrassment - this blog was a pivotal outlet for self-expression during a tumultuous time in my life. Perhaps I'm seeking to recapture that juvenile spirit, or perhaps I'm simply yearning for that self-expression. Regardless, it's 2017, and I have a lot of ideas for Idiot in Remission that I'm itching to bring to fruition. But for now, let's break the blog back in with my top 10 of 2017 so far:



10. Hellripper - Coagulating Darkness

Coagulating Darkness is the debut LP from Scottish one-man black/speed metal project Hellripper. The genre fusion, epitomized by Venom's rabid, seminal, NWOBHM-on-steroids approach, has proven a fruitful one, with plenty of modern acts such as Midnight, Chapel, Omega, and Black Fast churning out fist-pumping, razor-sharp heavy metal riffs accompanied by throat-shredding vocals with the subtlety of a jet engine. Hellripper, a relative newcomer, nevertheless hits the ground running with 'Bastard of Hades'. The record is a too-short tour-de-force chock full of catchy riffs, excellent songwriting, and a surprising amount of groove. It might lack the brooding, dejected atmospherics of its black metal contemporaries, but Coagulating Darkness' strength comes from its obtuseness. In a genre where minimalism is king, Hellripper's guitar solos, speed metal riffs, and the unbridled insanity of its songs are a breath of fresh air. This project has huge potential, and I can't wait for what comes next.

Stream Coagulating Darkness here.

9. Old Tower - Rise of the Spectre

Old Tower is a secretive dungeon synth project hailing from the Netherlands. Now, I know what you're thinking - what the hell is "dungeon synth"? Thankfully, someone did a better job of explaining than I ever could. Go read this. In short, dungeon synth is an offshoot of dark ambient that evolved concurrent with black metal, but never really experienced as much of an explosion as the latter. Think the cheesy synth opening to Burzum's Det Som Engang Var, or Summoning's Lugburz. Regardless, Old Tower delivers a droning, haunted, ominous experience that straddles the oft-fine line in dungeon synth between too cheesy and sublimely beautiful. This is dusty, melancholic music that could be the accompaniment to silent horror movies in the vein of Nosferatu. Droning, plaintive synth lines punctuated with subtle symphonic elements and an echoing bass drum round out the experience. This is one of Old Tower's finest releases yet.

Stream Rise of the Spectre here.

8. Sorority Noise - You're Not as ____ as You Think

Emo revival is an extremely polarized genre for me.  The discrepancy between the genre's best and the rest is one of the most stark I've encountered. I'm not ashamed to say that I can only really tolerate modern adherents to the genre when they fuse the oft-maligned hardcore offshoot with pop punk - the apex of which I will maintain was the Hotelier's 2014 release Home, Like No Place Is There. Three years later, however, Connecticut's Sorority Noise delivered their third full-length You're Not as ____ as You Think, and completely blew me away. This is the genre at its absolute strongest - huge guitar leads, heart-wrenching lyrics delivered in a morose baritone, and driven, tight songwriting. In a sense, what I enjoy most about Sorority Noise is their ability to maintain an emo aesthetic while avoiding the fixtures of the genre I cannot abide -  namely, the nasal, whiney vocals and the math rock theatrics, which I find clash horribly with the atmosphere and subject matter of a genre that's short for "emotional hardcore punk".

Stream You're Not as ____ as You Think here.

7. Oiseaux-Tempête - AL​-​'AN ! الآن (And Your Night Is Your Shadow - A Fairy​-​Tale Piece of Land to Make Our Dreams)

What a title. French experimental post-rock collective Oiseaux-Tempête, inspired by a journey around the Mediterranean, the recent political turmoil in the west, and the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, released their fifth studio album this past April. Making post-rock in 2017 usually means one of two things: either you're an old fixture of the genre continuing to explore your own vision (see the new Godspeed You! Black Emperor LP set to drop in September), or you're a part of the now-tired third-wave that took inspiration from Explosions in the Sky and are releasing tired, cookie-cutter instrumental rock with faux-emotional delivery. Exceptions, of course, exist, but Oiseaux-Tempête (and the new Grails, but we'll get to that later) prove that the divide isn't as clear cut as you might think. Sure, the project purveys yawning, droning sonic soundscapes, but those seemingly-hackneyed musical choices are balanced with the project's striking blend of sitar, 'oud, tabla, and traditional rock instruments. Far from being gimmicky, the unique instrumentation on AL-'AN! creates an atmosphere that's beggars comparison; transcending the sample-based tension of their previous outing Utopiya. This is a truly unique sounding record that can't be adequately described in a brief review.

Stream AL-'AN! here.

6. Black Cilice - Banished From Time

 Mysterious Portugese black metal project Black Cilice is notable for one thing that becomes apparent within the first few seconds of listening to their new release Banished From Time - that this is black metal at its most inaccessible, most cacophonous (although the new Obskuritatem gives Black Cilice a run for its money), and most uncompromising. The guitars sound like they were recorded into a computer microphone, and the crash of the drums is almost utterly lost in the grainy fuzz of the atmosphere, and yet there's something intriguing about Black Cilice's music that keeps drawing me back in. It's an intriguing mix of total sonic maximalism and minimalism. The music resolves into a pulsating morass of guitar riffs, punctuated with the frenetic pound of snare and bass drums. Vocals are soaked in reverb, and practically inaudible, railing against the wall-of-sound produced by the guitar and drums. Ultimately, while it may scare away Deafheaven fanboys, Black Cilice's music is one of the finest examples of raw black metal done right.

Stream Banished From Time here.

5. Elder - Reflections of a Floating World

The fourth outing from Massachusetts-based band Elder has the band continue to do the impossible - making stoner/doom interesting. For a genre that has struggled to fill the massive shoes left by Electric Wizard, Cathedral, and Sleep for so long, Elder are one of the finest modern iterations of the genre, and have been masterfully blending the riff-based drive of stoner rock with the slow, thunderous pace of doom metal. Reflections of a Floating World, like its predecessor Lore, makes excellent use of progressive rock elements as well, reconciling the thick, Iommi-like drive of Kyuss with the more theatric virtuoso fluorishes of Yes. The result is a stunning journey through riff-based soundscape that only ever lets up for clear-skied atmosphere to shine through. Barring a surprise release from one of the genre's greats, this may be the greatest stoner rock/doom outing of 2017.

Stream Reflections here.

4. All Them Witches - Sleeping Through the War

Nashville psych quartet All Them Witches bring their signature jam-band-meets-blues-meets-experimental-meets-stoner-rock to heel on their newest outing, Sleeping Through the War. Swaying between gentle psychedelia and fuzzed-out distortion, All Them Witches have always been notable because of their jack-of-all-trades approach to their sound, which evades both comparison and imitation. Opening song 'Bulls', which introduces the record with a gentle guitar chord before launching into a heavy riff, demonstrates the band's strengths perfectly. As the band's fifth release, Sleeping Through the War sees the band continue their meticulous ability to transition between influences, moods, and textures. Their requisite desert rock banger 'Bruce Lee' aside, the album is a masterful synthesis of various different styles. In this regard, it's short-sighted to call All Them Witches a master of none, because in the fertile niche they play in, they are the undisputed masters. 

Stream Sleeping Through the War here.

3. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me

Mount Eerie, the project behind lo-fi and indie folk figurehead Phil Elverum (also of the Microphones), are notable for their vast, diverse catalogue over a career spanning nearly a decade. The project's latest release, A Crow Looked At Me, arrived earlier this year a few months after the death of Elverum's wife Geneviève. As such, to call it heart-wrenching would be an understatement. A Crow Looked At Me is deceptively minimalist - most songs feature Elverum's crooned vocals, his guitar, and not much else. Even Elverum's lyrics are stripped back, as he numbly recites his experiences dealing with his wife's death - meeting with their counselor, at first walking hand-in-hand, then driving when his wife became too weak; receiving a backpack in the mail for his daughter that Geneviève had bought in secret, among others. The defining feature of this record, thus, is its ability to convey Elverum's raw, unfiltered grief. Perhaps abetted by the bare-bones instrumentation, forcing the listener to pay attention to Elverum's voice, this is one of the most emotionally visceral releases I personally have ever heard. A Crow Looked At Me's ability to elicit such a powerful emotional response makes it difficult to sit through more than once - arguably its most striking quality is its ability to convey emotion through music. In this regard, A Crow Looked At Me is one of the most emotionally raw releases of the year, and potentially of all time.

Stream A Crow Looked At Me here.

2. Havukruunu - Kelle Surut Soi

  Two years after the release of their sleeper hit Havulinaan, which lit up the black metal underground with its breathtaking black/folk metal fusion, Finland's Havukruunu return with an even more brazen sophomore LP on Kelle Surut Soi. Havukruunu's formula is as simple as it is effective - channel the general instrumentals of Primordial, Drudkh, and Horn, distil the atmospherics into misty, yawning soundscapes, hammer them home with folk riffs that would make Isengard blush, and wrap things up with unique vocals that sound like a Berserker gearing up for battle. While the project favors longer songs that allow them to show off their songwriting and riff-writing mettle, Kelle Surut Soi never suffers from boredom. This is black metal at full speed, and never falters for a moment. More notably, Kelle Surut Soi eschews the darkness Havukruunu toyed with in the past, in lieu of anthemic, upbeat folk metal rooted within a black metal context - think Hammerheart if Quorthon used more blast beats. Even as folk metal lapses further into "melodeath with violins", the black metal underground manages to keep folk metal alive and well, and nowhere is this clearer than with Havukruunu.

Stream Kelle Surut Soi here.

1. Slowdive - Slowdive    

Speaking of comebacks, twenty-two(!!) years after their third LP Pygmalion led to the band's untimely end, British shoegaze pioneers Slowdive return with a new, self-titled LP in what's become one of the most divisive reunions of the year. The biggest question that has emerged around Slowdive's newest release has been, namely, how can a band who achieved fame via adolescent angst (even by the band's admission) possibly live up to the hype and semi-mythical status Souvlaki has earned in the underground? A precedent exists with My Bloody Valentine's m b v, a flash-in-the-pan 2013 release that achieved only lukewarm praise, and was unable to follow up the legendary Loveless. Nevertheless, Slowdive's reunion LP, in my opinion, stands by itself as a unique blend of old and new. Straddling the divide between the dreamy, goth-inflicted melancholy of Souvlaki and the minimalist, more experimental Pygmalion, Slowdive delivers a mature, meticulous sound that manages to reflect the nearly twenty-year gap between albums - it's unmistakably the band that wrote 'Souvlaki Space Station', but the adolescent despair has been replaced with a more measured, yet equally emotional feeling. I was fully prepared to be disappointed, but Slowdive, in my opinion, managed to deliver on the hype.

Stream 'Sugar For the Pill', from Slowdive, here.

Honorable Mentions:

Blanck Mass - World Eater
Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
Ride - Weather Diaries
Drab Majesty - The Demonstration
Crurifragium - Beasts of the Temple of Satan
The Cherry Wave - Shimaru
The Black Angels - Death Song
Forest Swords - Compassion
Emyn Muil - Elenion Ancalima
Tchornobog - Tchornobog
Algiers - The Underside of Power
Xiu Xiu - Forget
Brand New - Science Fiction
Incantation - Profane Nexus
King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizzard - Murder of the Universe
[Thee] Oh Sees - Orc 
Toro Y Moi - Boo Boo
death's dynamic shroud.wmv - Heavy Black Heart

Upcoming releases I'm excited for:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers

Dälek - Endangered Philosophies

Street Sects - Rat Jacket

Archgoat - LP 2018

Airiel - Molten Young Lovers

The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Always Foreign
Converge - The Dusk in Us
Midnight - Sweet Death & Ecstasy
Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrice Woven

And that's all for now! I hope to do a bunch more with the blog in the near future, including expanding a little bit more to my other hobbies.

Reviews for death's dynamic shroud.wmv and Oh Sees' new records coming soon! Stay tuned...

~-IIR