The Rock Blogger

The grand finale.

10. Njiqahdda. Nji Njiijn Njiiijn. Full Review
Njiqahdda (pronounced Nee Gee Kaa Daa) is a mysterious black metal/psychedelic act from Illinois that focuses on abstraction, experimentation and a dense layering of sounds to produce their ritualistic compositions. Underneath the drawn-out shoegaze riffs, bizarre percussive trances and waves of distortion lies an album rich with spiritual and musical concepts. Like the equally obscure offerings of Velvet Cacoon, Njiqahdda speaks its own artistic language far removed from decipherable convention - there are no allusions to nationalism, satanism or the occult to be pulled out from here. What remains in these 4 incredibly long tracks is pure and all-consuming catharsis, a rare and raw specimen of rock completely separated from image and meaning, one focused only on the exploding pools of color inside the mind’s eye.

9. Genghis Tron. Board Up the House. Full Review.
This is easily one of the most innovative and satisfying albums I’ve come across this year, in any genre. If Jesu, Battles, and Between the Buried and Me had all collaborated, they might have produced something as technically brilliant and stylistically unique as this. Genghis Tron mix blistering electronic touches with grinding metal riffs, establishing an awe-inspiring “cybergrind” sound of their own. Interwoven between their tight mathcore assaults are sublime ambient passages, melodic vocals and crisp IDM breaks. The sonic diversity within these complex compositions is wondrous to listen to, as the many shifting moods and textures draw you into explosive psychedelia.

8. The Gutter Twins. Saturnalia. Full Review.
This stunning alternative album is a collaboration between grunge legend Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age) and Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs) who have been working together on this project for over three years. The result is a refined, post-grunge masterpiece that boasts stellar songwriting, strong vocals and powerful rock hooks, drawing you into a murky and blues-inspired emotional trip.

7. Fleet Foxes. Fleet Foxes (Ragged Wood) Full Review.

Seattle’s Fleet Foxes offer a beautiful slice of Americana with their debut album, playing warm psychedelic folk songs full of glorious harmonies and earnest songwriting. While there may be some immediate comparisons to contemporaries My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes expands on the rural sound with a more open and optimistic approach, crafting something that truly has an air of timelessness. These songs are full, lush and exquisitely executed, centered on gracefully finger-picked guitars and Robin Pecknold’s stunning falsetto which is often supported by soothing harmonization from his band mates. The incorporation of banjos, pianos, flutes and even the mellotron also add to the sweeping drive of this record. Its not grand, epic or pretentious, but rather inviting and melodic, as these progressive elements help illuminate the sunny imagery conjured up by the serene vocals.

6. The Tallest Man on Earth. Shallow Grave. Full Review.
Sweden’s Kristian Matsson is The Tallest Man on Earth, a finger-picking virtuoso who plays inspired Dylan-esque folk songs. Matsson’s unique, crackling voice, lyrical imagery and complex guitar work puts him head and shoulders above the genre’s current mainstays, delving into a nostalgic and timeless sound. The songs here convey a feeling of weather-beaten discovery, where runaways and wanderers trace highways and open plains.

5. Wolf Parade. At Mount Zoomer. Full Review.
After the much beloved, high-strung, art-pop weirdness that was Apologies , these fellows had a high watermark to surpass, and they have clearly met it with this geyser of creative energy. From the opening keyboard jittering of “Soldier’s Grin”, you can tell that the band have found their sound, combining whacked-out, electronic dabbling with charismatic indie-rock artiness, wrapped around strange evocative lyrics and undeniable charm.

4. Krallice. S/T. Full Review.
When I first heard Mick Barr’s impenetrably fast guitar shredding on his experimental Ocrilim project, I thought his wall-of-sound technique would be perfect for atmospheric black metal. Now, just a few months later, Barr has found just the right niche for his unconventional style with Krallice. Each of the six punishing tracks here run long, most over 10 minutes, extending into suffocating fits of mania.
The trace-like effect of Barr’s wailing riffs, along with the pounding drums and raw, distant screams is quintessentially black metal, yet startlingly unique at the same time. Barr doesn’t just play with impossible speed, he plays as if he is hypnotized, scaling across patterns with an almost inhuman precision. While this may all sound very cold and detached, the fluidity of Krallice is incredibly powerful, carrying you along its relentless current rather than drowning you in a wash of white noise.

3. Agalloch. The White EP. Full Review.
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.
The White EP essentially calls for a return to nature, as the songs conjure images of snow covered wilderness (”Birch White”), contemplative seclusion (”Isle of Summer”) and paganism’s worship of the elements (”Sowilo Rune”). The whole experience, made complete with natural sound effects like chirping and rustling, is meditative and comforting, conveying a deep and eternal connection with our natural surroundings.

2. Sun Kil Moon. April. Full Review.
With Sun Kil Moon, Mark Kozelek has lived up to and extended the legacy he built for himself with the shoegaze/rock band Red House Painters in the 90s, further developing the slow, brooding sound that once made them so endearing.
In April, Kozelek remains in a deeply reflective mood, drawing the listener into his dark pools of memory, vividly illustrating scenes of dusty city streets, night skies and small towns where love had once blossomed. While I won’t go into too much detail here about the lyrics, as my descriptions can’t possibly capture the alluring spirit that hides within them, but I can tell you that they are indeed moving and will be sure to stir romantic visions of long lost muses, moments and longings.

1. Have a Nice Life. Deathconsciousness. Full Review.
This record 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.

The album, sprawling across two discs, conveys the black spirit of Joy Division, The Cure and Killing Joke with stark, lo-fi production, pulsing bass lines and gritty drum beats while also pushing the post punk aesthetic into deeper abstraction, leading to long and ethereal bursts of droning noise and menacing reverb. The vocals are serene, distant and beautifully harmonized, adding a layer of sentimentality to the crushing sadness these compositions. The hypnotic atmosphere, existential themes and stirring climaxes make Deathconsiousness one of the greatest artistic statements to grace the alternative scene since Radiohead’s Kid A.

Well, that’s a wrap everybody. I hope you enjoyed the list. The full version is linked at the top right hand corner of the blog, and it’ll be there for a while. Let me know if I’ve missed some crucial releases here, I would love to listen to some overlooked material. Thanks for reading.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 7th, 2008 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.