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.
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.
“We have resumed rehearsing (meeting up and talking rubbish and occasionally playing music” -Stuart Braithewaite of Mogwai
As reported by Chart Attack, Scottish post-rockers Mogwai are working on a follow up to last year’s epic Mr. Beast which is currently under the working title “The Hawk is Circling“. The band has recently announced that the new work will be released sometime in the autumn of 2008. The only announced track name so far is “The Precipice”. Hm, sounds deep I’m sure it will be just as explosively psychedelic as their last work.
To tide you over until its out, here is the awesome video for “Travel is Dangerous”, from Mr. Beast (2006).
I’m sure it will be just as explosively psychedelic as their last work. 
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med sud... did anything else come out this year?...
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