Splintre

I have not the words.

Autre Temps

Silenzio

In celebration of my adoration of the proliferation of feckless lists (as well as my having just finished watching Watership Down), I present Pat's list of sweet non-Disney animated movies everyone should see:


- Grave of the Fireflies [Truly one of the greatest movies ever made]
- Watership Down
- Secret of NIMH
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- Flight of Dragons
- Metropolis
- The Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Spirited Away
- Waking Life
- A Scanner Darkly
- Ghost in the Shell


And because Rich was listening to Pachelbel's Canon earlier this morning, a list of classical music everyone should well be aware of:


Pachelbel's Canon - Johann Pachelbel
Nessun Dorma from Turnadot - Giacomo Puccini (Performed by Andrea Bocelli)
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor - Franz Liszt
Moonlight Sonata - Ludwig van Beethoven
Movement 2 from Symphony No. 7 - Ludwig van Beethoven
Sous le dôme épais (Flower Duet) from Lakme - Léo Delibes
Requiem Dies Irae - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
O Fortuna from Carmina Burana - Carl Orff
The Planets [Movements I through VII]- Gustov Holst
Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, 'Morning' - Edvard Grieg
Symphony No. 9 in D Major [Movements I through IV] - Gustav Mahler

I know there are a few crucial components missing, but I will attempt to iron those out after a few hours of sleep. That, or I will forget to add anything whatsoever (a far more likely scenario).


Until next time.

Thrène

My new Lord of the Rings game is all scratched up and is no longer much in the way of anything useful or exciting, so hello folks.

Seeing as how I have little else to say really...


Viten Og Mot (Sindighet) - Helheim (Cold complexity, variant progression, refreshing orchestration. Helheim is good shit)
Her Withering Petals - The Fall of Every Season (I too often forget the lamenting grace and doleful artistry of this album)
Songs of Moors & Misty Fields [Album] - Empyrium (An elegant and gracefully melancholic sample platter of symphony, folk, and doom.)
Gnosis - Agrypnie (Agrypnie continuing their refusal to disappoint me)
... Na Memória - Inverno Eterno (DSBM with melody? And Portuguese no less... I'm sold)
Ironbound - Einherjer ("Everytime this song is played, someone is struck by lightning")
Autumn Breath - Kladovest (Roman Blagih a.k.a. Thurios doing what he does best; tenderly invigorating my soul with the chill whisper of a crisp autumn breeze)
My Birds of Misfortune - Raventale (Rhetorical tautology through song)



And, seeing as how I have neglected my faithful five for a few weeks now, an homage to Canada as I see fit this week:


The Forest - Spirit of the Forest (If not for the drummer, I probably wouldn't care much for this song. That being said, this song is fucking great)
Le Cerceuil - Sui Caedere (An album as steeped in emotion as any threnody before it)
Journey to Ever-Eternal Stars - Dark Forest (Who needs an iPod when you can buy this album and a discman?)
Blossoms Will Sprout from the Carcass - Skagos (O Canada...)
Leviathan - Nebucadnezzer (In a better world where Nebucadnezzer were still making music...)
Terra Hiberna - Black Lotus (Where atmosphere and folk collide)
Nenia Solemnis - Veneficium (Driving black metal set beautifully to delicate piano and atmospheric keyboard symphonies à la Emperor c. 1994)

Take care.

How do you say Happy Halloween in European?

I am getting far too antsy about these weekly playlists. I now spend my weeks doing little more than sifting through masses of albums in an attempt to find you the very best (metal) music has to offer. I can't take all of the credit for myself, so I should send out a very general thank you to anyone who has ever recommended a song over the internet. I'm not sure I have had a more fulfilling week for discovery of both the old and new than these past five or six days:

Beyond Embers & The Earth - Falloch (My week has been steeped in music from the UK. Few - if any - songs better than this. An elegant blend of folk and metal all wrapped up with a big ol' post rock bow. Fittingly named for the striking Falls of Falloch, their music exudes every fallen drop of water that inspired this album.)

Where We Believe - Falloch (Panflute. Enough said)

We Are Gathering Dust - Falloch (Just listen to Falloch...)

Earth: As a Womb - Altar of Plagues (The album that inspired one of my latest written endeavors, revisited finally after a few unexplained months on the back burner. The United Kingdom has, for now, fettered my heart.)

A Valley Thick With Oaks - Winterfylleth (How fitting it is to end October with a band whose name once denoted the years tenth month.)

Wayward Souls [Album] - Splinterskin (An alluring and masterfully written neofolk album. I feel much of the atmosphere is lost if not considered as a whole)

Infernal Sun - Septic Flesh (Unarguably the consummate Septic Flesh album. An album that flawlessly weaves a wall of death metal through a valley of well-orchestrated symphony. However, their most recent work, The Great Mass, might digest a little smoother.)
Trapped in the Closet - R. Kelly (Oh my god a rubber.)

Happy Halloween folks.


By the way, Mark's and my badass pumpkin:



-badass

Kaunis suru

I have a small few additions to this weeks playlist. I have been trying to keep these lists to a very select few songs in the hopes maybe one person perusing them will find a few spare minutes to lend an ear. However, earlier this evening, two songs came on shuffle back to back, both of which really struck a chord in me. I realize metal is not exactly the most aurally accessible form of music for most listeners, and I can entirely understand the majority of hesitation surrounding it. Black Metal especially not being by any means tied to a lesser form of skepticism. This being said, these two songs have really carried the last hour for me:


Далекий Крик Журавлів (Distant Cries of Cranes) - Drudkh (A beautiful cross-section of Drudkh's expansive musical career, following so well the hopes envisioned when first hearing an album entitled Microcosmos)
Sömnlösa Nätter - Apati (To recycle the words of a great music reviewer, autothrall, "with a guitar sequence so emotional that I can listen to it for hours on end and never stop feeling sad". The final two minutes of this song are two of the hardest hitting musical moments I have yet laid ears to.)

Goodnight folks.

Bedövning

Wow.

 I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Shane Koyczan's performance this evening alongside my brother and good friend Rich. Having been an avid listener for a few years now, getting the opportunity to witness him in the flesh was truly astounding. Everything I could have hoped for and beyond.

The show was held in a small lecture hall on the ground floor of the Glenbow Museum; the very place that had inspired each of the readings he showcased. Even before his entrance to the podium, as he was introduced by an In Residence representative, his humour rang through the hall, setting the first of many moods he would guide us through for the next hour and a half. The poetry itself (as anyone would expect) was stunning in its delivery. As my brother noted, his tempo shifts (as follows his poetic style) carried each word so fluently into the next. Every poem interlaced with both laughter and deep, overwhelming emotion. Flirting with every corner of the crowds heart, lightly strumming each string as he passed by, creating a resonance of emotion that echoed silently throughout the hall. Each poem was interluded by a brief introduction, carefully laying the foundation for the next work. I would love to recite a few lines from the show, but I feel with my shoddy memory I might end up twisting his words. The show, however, was recorded and will be posted on youtube, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, keep an eye open. 'Shane Koyczan Glenbow Museum' should eventually elicit a result or two.

By the way, midway through the show he played a small animated short he had collaborated on entitled Swiftly:



I suppose with youtube having been mentioned, you can find most of his works on there if you are interested in browsing through.

Also, he announced a new album will be released with The Short Story Long around March or April, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that.

Anyway, I had one hell of a night, and I hope you all did as well. Take care.

Det stora språnget

As I sit in the corner of an overcrowded room donning headphones and a much-too-large hood, doing my best to look like I`m not actually mad at the world (or moreover the sliver of it that is currently drinking around me), I can`t help but notice just how amusing it is to watch eleven people sans-volume. Descriptions aside, its quite enjoyable. Also (unsurprisingly) its quite distracting. So beyond the last few sentences, and my now apparently weekly list of songs that you should listen to and love below, I have little else to say.


Nyktalgia - Nyktalgia (Another clear example of what a band should expect of their namesake track)
Natal Day - Tulus (Not exactly what I had expected when I was first told to give Tulus a go. Oddly pleasant)
Nirnaeth Arnoediad Part 1 - Aldaaron (A fitting war tune indeed. Somebody will get this reference, I just know it)
The Eclipse - Fractal Gates (The remainder of the album aside, this song is fucking great)
Coma - Lantlôs (I can't seem to step away from Neige's caustically beautiful vocals. Old Silver Key anyone?)
Самітність (Solitude) - Drudkh (A gaze to the past, albeit a relatively recent one. Old Silver Key anyone?)
Dawn of End - Nachtvorst (Black metal steeped in thick sludgy undertones. Oh, the Dutch)
Blood of the Hermit - Mortualia (Cold and unforgiving. Award goes to Mortualia for 'least corresponding album artwork of the decade')
From the Black Coffin Lair - Sargeist (Just for a second (brilliant) dose of Shatraug)
Und Pan spielt die Flöte (Desîhras Tagebuch Kapitel II) - Nocte Obducta (Somehow I always manage to let this song slip through the cracks. Finally fished from the fissures and set back in its rightful place as one of the best songs ever recorded)

Abschied.

Lumi

I'm not sure who else may have caught a glimpse, but this morning bore the seasons first fleeting flakes of snow. Scattered and short-lived as they may have been, they fell. Ahhh winter.

I guess first off, I would just like to send a thank you through the aether for the heads up on Shane Koyczan`s coming to Calgary. You would make excellent company for it, but that is neither here nor there. Speaking of Canadian poetry, I read an excellent collection (Emergency Codes) today by Ian Williams, currently a professor at Fitchburg State College. 

Anywho, I have little else to say, but it`s about time for the soon-to-be infamous 'songs I really like this week' portion of my suddenly somewhat frequent posting:

Into the Painted Grey - Agalloch (Whats a blog post without some Agalloch. Beyond that, 7:15 onward is all I really need say)

Out of the Wind - The Man-Eating Tree (I'm pretty sure this is Finland's version of a The Cranberries tribute band)

The Echo of Her Cracking Chest - Acranius (Unfortunate song title aside, this song is fucking aces)

Vortex Omnivium - Obscura (Rush meets a good version of Necrophagist. And by Rush I mean space and astronauts and stuff)

Stone to Wake a Serpent - Isis ( I'm pretty sure I don't listen to enough Isis)

Choose - Rotten Sound (I really don't like grindcore. I really like Rotten Sound's album, Cursed. Where does this leave me?)

And with that I bid you adieu. 

Chaps says it best:

Sarah Palin Cut out = 2 Chappell & Pat = 0

Not-so-normal Activity

I've hardly been as satisfyingly freaked out in my life more so than I am right now. Lets back this story up a little bit.

A few years ago, my now roommate Chappell and a good friend of mine Cory decided to check out Paranormal Activity in theaters. With little trepidation we gathered our necessities, purchased our tickets, found ourselves seats and plumped down to what would ultimately be the weirdest night of our lives. As the movie rolled on, I noticed each of our hoodies seemed to climb a little further over our faces. Somewhere along the way, we had convinced ourselves it was real footage, and this was terrifying. I'm one who loves the thrill of a good spooky movie, but it had been years (probably around seeing Jurassic Park or my first glimpse of The X-Files when I was no older than a toddler) since I had felt quite so jittery from a movie. In recent years, I have become more and more open to the idea of the supernatural and that movie really creeped a nerve. Even after the movie was over, the three of us went back to what is now my house, but the movie seemed to follow. All of my senses were running in overdrive, my hearing as acute as I could ever imagine it to be. Every creak, rustle, light waver, seemed to emanate with an energy beyond whitenoise. Cory and myself popped outside on the back deck for a smoke, while Chaps mulled around inside. After a few minutes, there was a small thump in the garage behind where we stood, followed by what sounded like a cupboard door shut inside. Chaps bolted to the back door asking us if we had heard the noise. The three of us stood silent for a few minutes before going back inside. Everything seemed to subside from there.

A while later, another movie seemingly in the same vein, Insidious, was in theaters. Again, we gathered our things, Chaps adding a large bag of popcorn to the fray this time 'round, purchased our tickets, found our seats and plopped down, this time with a little heightened anticipation. Once again, the movie did not disappoint, with Darth Maul even making a harrowing appearance. The afterhours however, were not quite so adventurous (perhaps beyond Chaps somehow driving a good stretch clean down the center of the sidewalk).

Fastforward to tonight. After an episode of the Files (and a bit of an eerie one at that), Chaps and myself decided it was about time we pulled up Netflix and finally got around to watching Paranormal Activity 2. Best worst idea we have ever had. Lights out, sound up, Robs door closed, we started. Going into it, I had some hesitation as to whether it would pack quite the punch the first one had. It packed and it punched. Another gem of a movie done in much the same fashion, but far from redundant or predictable. Just the smooth, gradual build up, and the believability of these movies chills my marrow. In the most warming fashion possible. So here we sit, wide awake at five am, gearing up to watch The Fourth Kind. Thank you October.

cheers.

Keine Hände

If there is one thing last night taught me, it’s that I certainly should not be a dream sequence geography teacher. From Bahrain’s island being centered by a large marble bust of Santa Claus towed on sleigh by his eight festive sheep, to Tehran’s true location laying beneath the basement of Your Father’s Moustache restaurant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to baba ghanoush’s ongoing battle to stop India from constructing the Middle East “I-way” through Iraq, Iran, India and Israel. Why I was standing in Blythe, California preaching to a small “class” for the entirety of my dream last night, I don’t know. Why I was outright lying to them, I don’t know. I think it’s safe to say I have had more exciting dreams in the past.

Hello.

So as I sit here at Purple Perk with my good pal Rich (currently deep in study for his midterms), I would like to take a moment to say, thank god for the casual buzz of coffeeshop conversation on a Wednesday evening. For the past while I have been holed up back at my parent`s house (who graciously took me back in for a few days of rest and healing), immobile and near catatonic. Last week sometime I struck ill with what has been narrowed down to a severe case of either Strep or Tonsillitis. Nothing too out of the ordinary for Calgary this time of year, but fuck… not fun. I wish I could sit here and proclaim a clean bill of health but that’s hardly the case folks. Just day one my aches have allowed me movement further than the garage for a ginger ale refill (which is one of the countless liquids I could not swallow and had to resort to swirling in my mouth by the sink and spitting out just to get a hint of flavour).

My woes aside for now, on Saturday I finally satisfied one of my greatest urges and saw Alcest and Enslaved play live, together, in the same night. This likely came at further detriment to my health, as I had already been quite ill for a few days prior to the show, and Sunday when I woke I might as well have slept on an operating torture rack, but it was beyond worth it. Neige put on a fantastically laid back set in so much the way I had imagined he would. He may just have been more lost in the music than I was. Every second of his enchanted lullabies drifted longingly through the crowd, warming the hearts of even the most stalwart black metal fan. As I (and I imagine any other Alcest fan in the venue) foresaw, Neige ended the set with the powerful Percèes de Lumière, really setting the stage for one hell of a night. A smoke and a few whiskey’s later, Enslaved climbed the stage and put on hands down the best performance I have ever seen from a single live act. Grutle just carried the crowd on his back for over two hours of pure, honest, emotionally driven black metal. Everything from his extended intermissions with the crowd to his (and the rest of the bands) energy while the music weaved a warm, twisted blanket of hard-hitting music. Grutle and Ivar have been doing this Enslaved gig for a long time (since they were 17 and 13 respectively), and you could see every second of it on stage; from the opening of Axioma Ethica Odini through Giants and As Fire Swept Clean the Earth, to the final shimmering notes of the always epic Isa. I was also shocked at just how big and awesome Ivar and his beard are. Shouldn’t come as a surprise from a man who had a hand in defining metal at the ripe age of thirteen, but still. He also might just have the daintiest voice I have yet heard from a man’s vocal chords; a voice he graced us with while asking for a plate of chicken wings. All of this bleeds awesomeness. Needless to say, this was inarguably the most amazing show I have had the pleasure of attending.

This, for possibly the first time ever, actually turned out to sound blog-y. A true journal entry if you will. Its been about a week since my last, so I suppose another rendition of songs I like this week is in order:

Descending - Descending (Any artist's namesake track should be this good)

Age of Demons - The Sarcophagus (Niklas Kvarforth proving once again his vocals can make me giddy)

Misconception in a Devouring World - Purest of Pain (Dutch pseudo-core in the vein of Fuck Your Shadow From Behind. In the vein of, and better than)

Cry of the Blackbirds - Amon Amarth (Mmmmm. Amon Amarth)

Where Do My Bluebird Fly - Tallest Man on Earth (Mmmmm. Tallest Man on Earth)

Countless Skies - Be'lakor (Severely underrated. Ten minutes of doom laden, Australian bliss)

Percèes de Lumière - Alcest (Even prior to seeing this gem live, would sweeten any days playlist)
Isa (or the rest of Saturday's setlist) - Enslaved (Mmmmm. Enslaved)
Life is a Bad Joke - Sufferage (About solidifies my recent adoration of death metal)

"Farewell good fellows, your ways are not for me"

Deutsch-Titel sing süß

Hello again five followers,

Although I have been far too busy ignoring my other blogs to write anything of substance for you here, I feel two posts in one sitting might do something in the way of satiating the thirst you must by now have acquired for my have-you-hanging-on-to-every-word style of slapdash blogging.

First off, I am still reeling from the realization nearing 23,000 hits on a blog in under eight months is an astonishing personal feat (and no, the 12 hits a week on here aren't quite getting us there). One I continue to cast aside and forget on a daily basis. To have so many people already tuning into anything still so much in its infancy is astounding. So thank you, I suppose, for apparently enjoying our proliferation of everyday antagonism.

Secondly, I am sitting here stubbornly refusing to take my iPod off of shuffle even with its incessant refusal to play what I am hoping it will, disappointing me ceaselessly at every songs turn. This might seem a trivial matter, but herein lies my struggle: I have had my iPod on shuffle for nigh six days now in an ever-failing attempt at listening to its contents through, leaving freewill and volition behind. A feat it would truly be for a man as often impulsive as myself where music is concerned. On any other given day, if but the thought of another song trickled into my brain (sometimes before the previous song had even begun to ride its own momentum), with the skill and dexterity of a mongoose, I would strike forth for my iPod and dial myself up the auditory expedition I felt to embark upon. I should probably have stuck with my initial sentence (Music + Me = ADD), but that doesn't have nearly the confused, rambling touch to it. I keep rereading this paragraph and I'm not exactly sure I fully understand what it is I just said either.

//writersblock
should I have hashtagged that? #writersblock #hashtaginmyblog #writersblockwhenallIamdoingistryingtovoicemypureunadulteratedthoughttotheinternet

If Brand New comes on once more when I am writing on here I am going to claim conspiracy.

I've lost all train of thought.

I feel about as disconnected lately as the last few sentences of this post. And wouldn't you know it, Fantomas has made its disjointed appearance on my iPod.

Goodnight, with love.

Verzögerung Verzögerung Verzögerung

So, just to dive right in here, it has been far too long since I have posted anything worthwhile, and I'm sure it will be a longer while more. With that out of the way, I am bored, overtired, and in a mood for something mindless. So, without further ado, I present yet another list I expect you to no more than skim, if not ignore entirely.

Songs I really like this week:

To Find Solace... Where Security Stands - Winterfylleth (But ten minutes of this albums inspiring saga)
Teutonic Terror - Accept (How are they still making music this good?)
The Bald Cadaver - Cerebral Bore (I can't seem to find my face)
Bring Me Back - I Create (Simplicity at it's finest)
Eld - Skogen (Breathing atmospheric black metal with a folky touch)
Einhärjar - King of Asgard (Soldiers of Ragnarök born into song)
The Trees Part Two - The Morningside (Couldn't wish a better introduction to autumn)
Höstdepressioner - Lifelover (A band I have managed to overlook, regrettably)
Disposition - Tool (I had, until a few days ago, been avoiding this song vehemently)


For those of you who aren't Rich, a few of these have been somewhat self-plagiarized from my secondary Twitter alias.

For those of you who actually read through (and maybe even enjoyed) this post, tune in next week to find out this won`t be a weekly thing I do.

Blogger App

Neat.

Könnten wir jemals zurück?

Wonder what it says of me if the sexiest few words a woman has spoken in the past few months are "I'm not one for hanging out with too many people."

Родион Романович Раскольников

Is I.
Metaphorically speaking

Wake Up!

And listen to John Legend and The Roots album

boldog születésnapot

...e parabéns

Resurfacing

I am but your ghost.

Echoes

Chi dara fine al gran dolore?



L'ore.

Extirpation

Oh abrupt uprooting, how I feel your slow wearing.

The Ghost of Summer's Past

There is a comfort in longing for
Something that's gone forever
It shows how much that something meant to you
When it was here

To a person who claims
To never having had anything
They can be confronted by
The empty space where something once was

I could only remember feeling so bad
When the present time was passing by
Looking back now I realise
That the best and worst times in my life
Could coincide

My greatest achievement is also my greatest loss
The best thing I ever had is forever gone

It is a dark and fulfilling feeling of frustration
To reminisce and feel the opposite of anticipation

It is a talent of the soul
To discover the joys in pain
Thinking of moments you long for
Knowing you'll never have them again

A moment of euphoria
Inspired by a photograph from that summer
I remember how we hated everything
And in that we managed to find comfort in each other

Those days are gone, my heart goes on
I long for the way it used to be
When summer comes it will return
That feeling will become again
It comes on strong and so fast
But you know that it won't last
It's just the haunting of
The ghosts of summer's past

And though they are far behind me
I can still hear them calling
As if they were right beside me
Tempting my comfort in longing

I Can't Stop...

...I Can't Stop...

...Listening to this mix.

Thank you.

Speaking of Rapture..

I seem to have missed out.

Plugged

Ah how I have once again neglected my writing. Hopefully tonight was something of the spark I needed to refocus myself. All it took was a simple Rob. Who, if anyone has decided to peruse, is pretty well shaping up to be an extension of my own day to day observations. Just to go ahead and plug myself to any potential reader I have garnered here:

http://robabout.blogspot.com/.

If ever you have the desire to read short blurbs about a (personally) fascinating creature molded from the workaday thoughts that percolate in my mind (marked by abrupt endings, generally nonsensical and feckless observations, and a drowning redundancy), give it a browse. It may or may not make more sense to read it from the ground up. I'm not entirely sure if it will make sense at all. Don't care much to be honest.

In other (far less exciting) news, I have an MRI scheduled later this week. Also, unrelated to the MRI, still waiting on a slew of test results from ever persisting ailments I had thought were behind me. Feels good to say it aloud (somewhat). But thats about enough of that.

It was brought to my attention today that I use the word 'rapture' a fair bit in my writing. Got me to wondering whether or not I use it enough. Rapture. Almost as slick as 'anathema'. Or 'scintillate'. Scintillate. I have recently taken to the words 'banal' and 'fecund' as well.

I bought a Boris album. Which goes against everything I said about Boris awhile back. I am told its not their best. Doesn't matter its still fuckin' great.

We didn't read it in a big book

Big Book

Big Book!

Shook shook.

You are what you nibble

All I want for Christmas is a Nudibranch. More specifically a Blue Dragon Nudibranch. Anything that sustains itself by slurping up the poison released by a Man o' War Jellyfish is sweet in my books.

Or this fox would be cool too...

http://www.thingsthatmakeyougoaahh.com/images/223-681_the_real_firefox.jpg

I am the Voynich manuscript

http://www.cracked.com/article_16871_6-insane-discoveries-that-science-cant-explain.html

I should probably reread The Code Book someday. I thoroughly enjoyed that. And Cryptonomicon of course.

Itchy Ears...and back to the top we go

So, inspired by Burzum's latest release, Fallen, I have decided to compile something of a list of favorite albums. Not particular to any set guideline, just whatever category I feel has an album to represent it. Likely start off with a few long standing favorite artists, and go from there.

So first off, favorite Burzum album (why not):


Filosofem: Actually a tough choice for myself, as both Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Dauði Baldrs are also stunning atmospheric albums. All in all, 'Dunkelheit' and 'Jesu Død', coupled with the epic (and severely misunderstood) 'Rundtgåing Av Den Transcendentale Egenhetens Støtte', add up to far too powerful an album to deny preeminence. Honourable mentions: everything down to Hliðskjálf (personal low point, and still an album worth giving a listen)


Favorite Darkthrone album:


A Blaze in the Northern Sky: Another stumper (a near four-way tie), with Soulside Journey, Under a Funeral Moon and even Transylvanian Hunger all vying for top honours as the quintessential Darkthrone album. All near-perfect albums front to back, but any album opening with a song half as good as 'Kathaarian Life Code' deserves a place in my personal music history. Honourable mentions: Panzerfaust, Frostland Tapes.


Favorite Agalloch album:


Ashes Against the Grain: Although another band who has yet to disappoint with any release to date, this was a bit easier. Ashes Against the Grain represents the purest form of what I believe Agalloch means to capture with their music. Each song seems to emanate with the very resinous, woody aroma of which their name alludes. Easily one of the most influential albums in my collection. Honourable mentions: The White EP, The Mantle, Pale Folklore, Marrow of the Spirit

Favorite Neige album:



Écailles de lune - Alcest: When it comes to a man so accomplished in the many subgenres of black metal, I find myself having something of an internal struggle with finalizing an absolute victor. Having a hand in (or all of) such bands as Alcest, Amesoeurs, Peste Noire, Mortifera, Lantlôs, Forgotten Woods, Valfunde and Phest, none of which lack an album of note, Neige has certainly carved for himself a varried and expansive name in black metal of the past decade. I personally think Écailles de lune is a beautiful cross-section of Neige as an artist, so here it stands as my mover and shaker. Honourable mentions: Ruines Humaines EP (Amesoeurs), .Neon (Lantlôs), Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde (Alcest) and La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la dégénérescence (Peste Noire) to name a few.

Favorite Hip-Hop album:



Illmatic - Nas: Yup. The groundbreaking debut of rapper Nas that will live on in hip-hop legacy. The shattering influence and message of the album really, in my mind, sets it far above and beyond any hip-hop album to date. Consideration was of course given to such albums as The Blueprint and The Black Album (Jay-Z), The Chronic (Dr. Dre), It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Public Enemy), Straight Outta Compton (N.W.A.) and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Wu-Tang Clan), but, for me (someone who has very limited hip-hop taste), Illmatic has by and large stood out as something special.

Favorite metal album of 2010:



Monument to Time End - Twilight: How much I would love to put Marrow of the Spirit(Agalloch) or Belus (Burzum) in its stead, but this, the second release from American superband 'Twilight', left absolutely nothing to be desired. Twilight is a band comprised of members from every corner of the American black metal scene, so it doesn't come as too much of a surprise that this album kicked some series fucking ass. Far from average 'raw', 'old-school' black metal, this album really took a giant leap in the right direction. As long as this side-project doesn't spell the end of such bands as Nachtmystium, Isis (a man can dream), Kreig or Leviathan (USA), I can definitely find myself onboard for the future. Honourable mentions: What Once Was... Liber I (Blut Aus Nord), Streams Inwards (Mar De Grises), Axioma Ethica Odini (Enslaved), Island (Island), Norrøn Livskate (Solefald), 16[485] (Agrypnie), The Mercian Sphere (Winterfylleth)

Favorite non-metal album of 2010 (aka other favorite metal album of 2010):


Власть Зимы - Хлад: Okay, okay its metal. But only just a little bit. And I will keep telling myself this because I really want to mention this album somewhere, and this seemed like my best chance. To the best of my knowledge, this appears to be the third and latest release by Russian ambient black metal artist Хлад (which translates roughly as "chill", please correct me if I am wrong). Anywho, I really just wanted to get this album out there as it really is special.

Actual favorite non-metal album of 2010 (fo realz):



Surfing the Void - Klaxons: Why? Fuck if I know, its just an amazing album. Something about it nabbed me. I could probably put thirty albums in its place, but a combination of all around solid music, and the years best album artwork swings Klaxons into top spot. Very honourable mentions go to Heligoland (Massive Attack), Infinite Arms (Band of Horses), Recovery (Eminem), Have One on Me (Joanna Newsom), Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings (Prophecy Productions), You Will Not Survive (The Saddest Landscape), Freigeist (Fuck Your Shadow From Behind), and so many, many more I cannot think of

Favorite album of Calgary's local scene way back in the day:


The Quiet One And The Lonely One - Beija Flor : Damn. Now that was a question wrought with indecision. Why did I chose to pluck this blurry photo out of the depths of some long forgotten local blog and paste it here as top dog over the years of local shows? I suppose its persistence as a staple in my iTunes library. An album that came out in 2005 (has it really been that long?), smack in the middle of the cherished days of donning safety pins and innovative hairstyles. How things change drastically in six years. Don't get me wrong, this was a troubled decision, and one I still feel I may not be 100% in agreeance with. But, for now, it stays. Again, very honourable mentions: Mending Our Broken (Nikola Tesla), 1936 (The Martyr Index), The Zombie Chainsaw Massacre (The Suicide Boys...to be honest this album was fucking terrible. Just had to mention it for the song 'Knowing Doesn't Make it Easier'. Good fucking song), The Silent Auction EP (The Silent Auction), The Incand Essence (Sudden Infant Dance Syndrome...if only for the genius of the name), Modern Youth (The Skitzos) and so many more I have grown to forget entirely it seems. Please, anyone feel free to refresh my memory on any keystones I have missed here.

Favorite Bathory album:



Hammerheart: Fuck yeah. Probably should have been a more difficult decision due to the slew of amazing Bathory albums (Blood Fire Death, Under the Sign of the Black Mark, Twilight of the Gods, Nordland I, etc...), but fuck yes 'One Rode to Asa Bay'. Sold. Money song, money video, money album. Enough said. Honourable mentions: Discography, save maybe Octagon, but I am pretty sure nobody even recognizes that as a Bathory album anyway.

Favorite post-hardcore album:



Catch for Us the Foxes - mewithoutYou: Oh baby, yet another category that took some solid hardwork and genuine willpower to shrink down to one elite album. It was yet again an exercise in tenacity to pinpoint which album had the oomph, but I think i got there. Any of these are subject to change at my will, so be weary. Honourable mentions: discography (mewithoutYou), pre-2008 discography (Alexisonfire), pre-2003 discography (Thrice), Relationship of Command (At the Drive-In), The Fall of Troy (The Fall of Troy), Put on the Wooden Overcoat (The Glass Ocean), Means of Escape (Mach Tiver), All We Are Is Now (I Create), The Old Road (Mesa Verde), All is Apologized for All is Forgiven (The Saddest Landscape), They're Only Chasing Safety (UnderOath)...hmm turned out to be quite a list. And yes, I realize not all of these bands stick to strict post-hardcore qualifications, but they are all more than close enough for my giving a shit.

Favorite Cradle of Filth Album:



Cruelty and the Beast: I'd just like to start off saying yes, I fucking love Cradle of Filth. I don't really understand the whole 'black metal kvlt=CoF suxx' thing people have going. Transitionally one of the most surprising and interesting bands around and the lyrical themes are almost outmatched in music. Cruelty and the Beast being, in my opinion, the best representation of both. Also, I have this awkward love affair with anything surrounding Erzsebet Bathory. All in all, a stunningly poetic album from an often stunningly poetic band. Honourable mentions: Nymphetamine, Midian, Damnation and a Day, Bitter Suites to Succubi

Favorite Album by a band beginning with the letter 'C':



Misanthrope(s) - Celeste (France): Bear with me on the title of this category. I had just realized I had yet to mention a single band in honourables or otherwise that begins with the letter 'C'. So here we are. And damn, there are alot of good bands with the particular letter up front. Celeste just seemed to pop out at me as I have been listening to them, and particularly this album, non-stop over the past few months. An enticing blend of black metal and hardcore, unlike anything I have heard. Some bands (not specific albums) that gave a hard run: Castevet (CSTVT), Comeback Kid, Cryptic Wintermoon, Caïna. Oh, totally just realized I did an entire category (about 5 minutes ago) on Cradle of Filth, who indeed begin with the letter 'C'. Oh well, ma bad.

Favorite Idjarn album:



Hardangervidda: Ahh Ildjarn, the epitome of hit-or-miss it would seem. Personally, I am a huge fan of most, if not all, his work, especially the Ildjarn-Nidhogg recordings (something I think most listeners would agree on). Hardangervidda is one of these, and one of the most underrated ambient metal masterpieces I have ever had the pleasure of coming across. Although admittedly it took me a few listens to really discover the beauty hiding within, I'm glad I gave it the chance it undoubtedly deserves. Unconventional in its own right, with unexpected melodies constantly dissolving into one another. Definitely worth a mention in my ever-growing list of musics finest. Honourable mentions: Strength and Anger, Forest Poetry, Det Frysende Nordariket (yeah yeah, its a greatest hits compilation. But its a damn good one)

Favorite Split Album:



The First Step Towards Suicide - Happy Days/Eindig: Can't say this was too tough a decision. Don't get me wrong, there are more than a fair share of wicked split release albums out there. This is just one that hit heavy and hard for me. Both bands bringing four beautiful tracks to the table. Not to mention the bad-ass bassline in 'Clinging Onto A Chance Of Happiness', setting the background for one of the coolest voice-overs (Clive Owen and Jude Law from the movie Closer) ever to open a song (or album for that matter). As you have probably concluded, this is a dsbm album, and therefor certainly not for everyone. Honourable mentions: Zapolyarie (All the Cold / Zebulon Kosted), The Split Program (Caliban / Heaven Shall Burn), Nikola Tesla & Except My Life (Split LP), None Shall Escape the Wrath (Krieg / Eternal Majesty / Judas Iscariot / Macabre Omen), What We've Built (Parkway Drive / Shoot to Kill / Think Straight), Wyrd & Häive & Kehrä Split

Best EP/Demo:



Squatta's Paradise - Choking Victim: Oh fuck yeah I almost didn't include this album here at all. Honestly, until a few minutes ago I had forgotten its existence entirely. Anywho, amazing album, amazing EP, pretty much enough said. Honourable mentions: Crime as Forgiven by Against Me! (Against Me!), Of Stone, Wind and Pillor (Agalloch), Ship of Relations (Yesterdays Rising), The Grim Visage of Death (Welter in Thy Blood), Pikul (Silversun Pickups), Fuck Me Jesus (Marduk), I Am Alone With You (Hypomanie)


I am, for now, going to post this as somewhat of a stub to be completed at whim.

Ta-ta,
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