The Rock Blogger

Emperor. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. 1997. 4.5 stars.

While I was searching through the stacks at Sonic Temple Music in North York, I came across Emperor, which has been cited by many critics as being one of the leading forces in the Black Metal genre, influencing many like-minded bands around the world. I was initially surprised by the brutality of this album, with its impossibly fast drumming, walls of guitar noise and guttural vocals. There are also dramatic symphonic elements accompanying the savagery as well, with complex keyboard arrangements adding to the layered density of the songs, giving them an epic and overpowering atmosphere.

The maddening complexity of Emperor’s onslaughts is what makes Anthems a landmark record, with its powerful riffs, dynamic keyboard progressions and the painstaking level of detail within the compositions. Amid the insanity of the band’s dark lyrical themes and chaotic dynamics, there is a certain beauty to it all, as Emperor’s meticulous attention to atmosphere and melody is at a level rarely seen within modern metal. For its orchestral underpinnings and unforgiving intensity, Emperor’s opus has certainly earned its fair share of acclaim, raising the bar for which atmospheric metal bands have been judged. While Emperor’s symphonic elements may deter the lo-fi purists within some critical circles, they will be missing out on the sheer artfulness of this record.

Plants and Animals. Parc Avenue. 2008. 4 stars.

Yet another musical gift from the indie oasis that is Montreal, Plants and Animals bring bombast and warm vibes to their epic debut. While the arrangements on Parc Avenue’s tracks are lush, classically inspired and eclectic, they avoid the tragedy and harrowing drama found in their contemporaries The Dears and The Arcade Fire, producing a masterpiece that is laid back, adventurous and drunkenly optimistic.

From the stunning, hard hitting piano on the opener “Bye Bye Bye” you can tell that Plants and Animals are no strangers to ambition, leading the listener into an extensive pop jam complete with a chanting backing chorus and lyrical themes dealing with change and restless anticipation. The impressive introduction sets the stage for the album’s summery wanderings, including the energized longing on “Good Friend”, the hippy shimmying on “Faerie Dance”, the psychedelic soloing on “Feedback in the Field”, the communal shouting on “Mercy”, to the stirring string arrangements lining “Keep it Real”.

Parc Avenue is an incredibly fluid and consistent album that successfully incorporates elements from classic rock, jazz and even world music to produce songs of great emotive clarity and enticing originality. In short, Parc Avenue is an instant indie-pop classic that is sure to generate much deserved hype in the surging Montreal scene and beyond.

Agalloch. The White EP. 2008. 4 stars.

Hailing from the misty forests of Portland Oregon, Agalloch has earned themselves a substantial cult following with their blend of atmospheric black metal that incorporates folk and ambient elements, producing several critically acclaimed albums and EPs over the last decade. The White EP continues on with the band’s distinguished tradition with a renewed emphasis on the neo-folk aspect of their sound, mostly relying on acoustic guitars, hushed vocals and atmospheric effects to get to black heart of this dark genre.

Taking a step away from the growls and punishing instrumentals often associated with metal, Agalloch’s ambient exercises mark a significant departure from convention. The shift is dramatic without betraying the quality of their past (heavier) work, as the acoustic compositions express Agalloch’s organic approach toward crafting evocative sonic landscapes, focusing on an aesthetic that sets the group apart from their many contemporaries.

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This is “The Official Ironman Rally Song” from Under the Bushes Under the Stars, the 7th Guided By Voices record I now own.

This is easily one of the better GBV releases, featuring some of the more focused and memorable efforts from their extensive discography. Also check out these other GBV Videos

Teenage FBI Live

I am a Scientist

Have a Nice Life. Deathconsciousness. 2008. 5 stars.

Sometimes, the conditions are just right for the appreciation of new music. I first started exploring Have a Nice Life’s double album debut as I was leaving my house at 5:45 am last Saturday, still in a somnambulist daze, feeling the cold winter night across my face while overlooking the city lights of Toronto from the lonely hilltop leading my street to the empty road heading south. It was in those moments of dreary isolation, where it felt like the only living souls were miles away in the distance, that the early moments of Deathconsciousness began to seep in. This is record, though far from perfect, delivers an emotional wallop that seems unparalleled. A mysterious synthesis of post-punk, shoegaze, metal and post-rock, Have a Nice Life’s ghostly ruminations aren’t just careful homages to their favorite genres and influences, they instead push the boundaries of them to get to their dramatic core, presenting a perfect summation of where the underground has been and where it will be going.

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Vic Chesnutt. North Star Deserter. 2007. 4 stars.

I had just recently discovered Vic Chesnutt, the celebrated folk/rock songwriter from Athens Georgia, after learning that A Silver Mt. Zion, one of my favorite post rock bands, lent their orchestral stylings to this harrowing album. Recorded at the now legendary Hotel2Tango in Montreal, Chesnutt’s collaboration, which also includes members of Fugazi and Godspeed You Black Emperor, fits beautifully among Constellation Record’s rustic yet avant garde catalog.

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image from www.theskyscrapers.org

A shout out to my fellow lycanthropes…
A night of portents and omens, read from karma’s cards…
Anyone see that lunar eclipse last night?

Burzum Filosofem 1996. 3 stars.

Man, did I ever have to grapple my conscience when I approached this record. Burzum was a pioneering force in atmospheric black metal, the brainchild of Norway’s notorious Varg Vikernes who is currently serving a prison sentence there for murdering a fellow metal musician as the result of a brutal confrontation. He has also been accused of several major arsons which saw the destruction of historic Norwegian churches. While I find these acts repugnant, I couldn’t help but be curious towards the acclaim surrounding this album, celebrating its ambient and experimental overtones and dark, frosty atmosphere - it’s been hailed as one of the genre’s most beautiful works.

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Yesterday was Ontario’s first annual Family Day Holiday, which I assume was introduced to placate those who really wanted Valentine’s Day off. The new statutory holiday was put in place last fall shortly after the Ontario Liberal party swept the provincial election. This is what we did with our day…

One of my favorite tracks from Band of Horses‘ 2007’s Cease to Begin. I’ve had this in my head all bloody weekend, so I’m going to try and play it myself (I also found tabs for “Is there A Ghost”). Does anybody out there know what LRC stands for anyways? It would be cool to know what this beautiful song is actually about.