xLooking Forwardx - What This Means To Me [2004]

Genre: Hardcore Punk/Straight Edge

Tracklisting:
01 XLFX
02 Cop Out
03 Talk is Cheap
04 Molding Myself
05 Drama Queen
06 Shameless
07 Best Days
08 Sundown
09 What This Means to Me
10 Life Preserver
11 The Death of Me
12 Tuning You Out
13 1117
14 Roll The Dice

Very good straight edge hardcore. Fast tempos, characteristic vocal, a few breakdowns... Very enjoyable. Songs Cop Out and Tuning You Out are the best, actually.

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take a listen on spotify

Seabound - Beyond Flatline [2004]

Genre: Futurepop

Tracklisting:
1. Transformer 5:09
2. Contact 5:45
3. Soul Diver 4:45
4. Digital 3:48
5. Poisonous Friend 5:03
6. Separation 2:32
7. Torch 6:23
8. Go International 3:51
9. Watching Over You 6:09
10. Icarus 4:09

I got a problem with this release. At first glance - it's uncommon, ambitious futurepop with great depth, not typical like other EBM records - just hard beat, few melodies and harsh vocal. Beyond Flatline sometimes gets more instrumental, sometimes has spoken or just softly sung vocals. I'd like to give it something like 4.0, but unfortunately the songs are not as enjoyable as they could be, like in The Soul Is In The Software for example. This album is like IDM in all those electronic genres - deep and inspiring, but sometimes just not pleasant enough.

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Gomeisa - Birth-Giver [2009]

Genre: Ambient/Drone/Post-Rock

Tracklisting:
1. Birth-Giver
2. Imitation of Perseus
3. Harbinger (live)

I found it coincidentally on some site with thousands of links. Fortunately, it turned out to be a great piece of ambient drones. Reminds me June Nadja's gig with thisquietarmy as support - the third track sounds exactly like some of the live drony improvisations of young Eric Quach [thisquietarmy only member]. The whole CD sounds like Nadja playing post-rock. Memorable.

As we read on Gomeisa blogspot, we see, that Birth-Giver is "a collection of re-worked/re-recorded scraps from the 'The Ecstatic Half-Life' sessions. A much more subdued affair, and a breather before the noise that's coming yr way in the following months." It's a free download. The next album is now avaible, though: here. The next-next one is almost ready - waiting for it!

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Magrudergrind - Magrudergrind [2009]

Genre: Grindcore

Tracklisting:
1. The Protocols Of Anti-Sound
2. Pulverizing Hate Mongers
3. Rejecting The Militant Promise
4. Assimilated Pollutants
5. Abuse of Philanthropic Self Gain
6. Fools Of Contradiction
7. Heretics
8. Bridge Burner
9. Cranial Media Parasite
10. Excommunicated
11. The Price Of Living By Delinquent Ideals
12. Built To Blast
13. Lyrical Ammunition For Scene Warfare
14. Rise And Fall Of Empires Past
15. Heavier Bombing
16. Martyrs Of The Shoah
17. Bonus Track

Solid piece of this year grindcore. Ultra fast tempos, heavy guitar riffs just like in Nasum, muted screamy vocals like in Discordance Axis... What more recommendation do you need?

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D.O.A. - Hardcore '81 [1981]

Genre: Old School Hardcore Punk

Tracklisting:
A1. D.O.A.
A2. Unknown
A3. Slumlord
A4. Musical Interlude
A5. I Don't Give A Shit
A6. M.C.T.F.D
A7. Communication Breakdown
B1. 001 Loser's Club
B2. Fucked Up Baby
B3. The Kenny Blister Song
B4. Smash The State
B5. My Old Man's A Bum
B6. Bloodsucker Baby
B7. Waiting For You

Genious old school hardcore album, even better than previously posted Minor Threat's discography. Fast tempos, raw vocals, catchy melodies - recommended.

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Unsane - Visqueen [2007]

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Noise Rock

Tracklisting:
01 Against the Grain
02 Last Man Standing
03 This Stops at the River
04 Only Pain
05 No One
06 Windshield
07 Shooting Clay
08 Line on the Wall
09 Disdain
10 Eat Crow
11 East Broadway

Awesome post-hardcore with slight sludge metal influence (slow tempos, etc) and noise rocky arrangements and sound. Mind-blowing.

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Carl Craig - More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art [1997]

Genre: Detroit Techno

Tracklisting:
1. Es.30
2. Televised Green Smoke
3. Goodbye World
4. Alien Talk
5. Red Lights
6. Dreamland
7. Butterfly
8. Act 2
9. Dominas
10. At Les
11. Suspiria
12. As Time Goes By (Sitting Under A Tree)
13. Attitude
14. Frustration
15. Food And Art (In The Spirit Of Revolution)

Some piece of detroit techno classic Carl Craig. Genre originated from house, it's groovy, funky, mild and chillout - and so is the album. Solid work, got great songs like Televised Green Smoke, Butterfly or As Time Goes By (Sitting Under A Tree).

download part1, download part2

Immortal Technique - Revolutionary Vol. 2 [2003]

Genre: Political Hip Hop/East Coast Hip Hop

Tracklisting:

01. Intro
02. The Point Of No Return
03. Peruvian Cocaine (Feat. C-Rayz Walz, Pumpkinhead, Loucipher, Tonedeff, Diabolic & Poison Pen)
04. Harlem Streets
05. Obnoxious
06. The Message And The Money
07. Industrial Revolution (Feat. Roc Raida)
08. Crossing The Boundary
09. Sierra Maestra
10. The 4th Branch
11. Internally Bleeding
12. Homeland And Hiphop (Feat. Mumia Abu Jamal)
13. The Cause Of Death
14. Freedom Of Speech
15. Leaving The Past
16. Truth's Razors
17. You Never Know (Feat. Jean Grae)
18. One (Remix) (Feat. Akir)

Awesome piece of controversial political hip hop from Peruvian rapper and political activist Felipe Coronel. He represents left wing view on today's political and social events. Besides, he got fantastic beats, supported sometimes with acoustic guitar playing some latin flamenco stuff.

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MF DOOM - Born Like This [2009]

Genre: East Coast Hip Hop/Hardcore Hip Hop/Abstract Hip Hop

Tracklisting:
1 Supervillain Intro
2 Gazzillion Ear
3 Ballskin
4 Yessir (feat. Raekwon)
5 Absolutely
6 Rap Ambush
7 Lightworks
8 Batty Boyz
9 Costume Foolery
10 Angelz (feat. Tony Starks)
11 Cellz
12 Stil Dope
13 Better Than Beer (feat. Kurious)
14 Microwave Mayo
15 More Rhymin'
16 That's That
17 In Ya Dreams
18 Thank Ya

MF DOOM (known as Victor Vaughn, King Geedorah, Madvillain) is certainly one of the most recognizable people of the underground hip hop scene. His, hm, let's say, intelligent (I mean not trivial) beats could be instrumental as well, and the album would still be very good. For example, Lightworks is actually J Dilla's beat from album Donuts. Happily, Born Like This doesn't have many instrumental, boring interludes, so that it's a really nice listen.

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Sally Shapiro - My Guilty Pleasure [2009]

Genre: Synthpop/Italo-Disco

Tracklisting:
01. Swimming Through the Blue Lagoon 2:29
02. Looking at the Stars 5:28
03. Love in July 3:48
04. My Fantasy 3:44
05. Let it Show 5:43
06. Moonlight Dance 4:05
07. Save Your Love 3:16
08. Dying in Africa 4:55
09. Miracle 4:58

The new Sally Shapiro album. Less retro than Disco Romance, more... mature. Anyway, still got the awesome synthpop songs with slight 80s italo-disco influence. Really nice, get it.

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Minor Threat - Complete Discography [1989]

Genre: Old School Hardcore Punk/Straight Edge

Tracklisting:
1. Filler 1:32
2. I Don't Wanna Hear It 1:15
3. Seeing Red 1:03
4. Straight Edge 0:46
5. Small Man, Big Mouth 0:55
6. Screaming at a Wall 1:31
7. Bottled Violence 0:53
8. Minor Threat 1:29
9. Stand Up 0:54
10. 12xU 1:04
11. In My Eyes 2:45
12. Out of Step (With the World) 1:20
13. Guilty of Being White 1:14
14. Steppin' Stone 2:12
15. Betray 3:02
16. It Follows 1:50
17. Think Again 2:18
18. Look Back and Laugh 3:16
19. Sob Story 1:51
20. No Reason 1:58
21. Little Friend 2:18
22. Out of Step 1:16
23. Cashing In 3:44
24. Stumped 1:55
25. Good Guys (Don't Wear White) 2:14
26. Salad Days 2:44

Compilation of all Minor Threat songs - 1 album and 2 EPs. Because their songs are like 1-2 minutes long, there's no problem in getting the 'Complete Discography'. The songs are actually as good as short :) Old school, raw hardcore punk with bad production (that isn't disadvantage, though). By song 'Straight Edge' they defined the... yeah, straight edge movement, what a surprise.

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Nas - Illmatic [1994]

Genre: East Coast Hip Hop/Hardcore Hip Hop

Tracklisting:
1. The Genesis
2. N.Y. State Of Mind
3. Life's A Bitch
4. The World Is Yours
5. Halftime
6. Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park)
7. One Love
8. One Time 4 Your Mind
9. Represent
10. It Ain't Hard To Tell

This time something completely different. Awesome hardcore hip hop from the east coast rapper Nas. Great beats, lyrics, has something special. Similar style to that of his peers from Wu-Tang Clan, but milder and more easy-listening.

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Thee Maldoror Kollective - Need the Needle [2009]

Genre: Avant-Garde Metal/Avant-Garde Jazz/Industrial Metal/Dark Ambient

Tracklisting:
1. The Burglar, the Herdsman & the Jew
2. Major Problem in Washington DC
3. A Gibbet Rootwork
4. The Saigon Reduxes
5. Clearwater Mumbo Jumbo
6. 3 Pennies National Messiah
7. Pushers from Shangri La
8. Comin' to a Town Near You
9. From Railroad to Skyline (Tokyo 1975)
10. The Siamese Eraser
11. Vita Cruda
12. Sicilian Lunch
13. Pink Boogeyman at the Speed of Light
14. Burn Lucy, Burn
15. Sorcellerie Bruitiste

New Thee Maldoror Kollective album. Certainly more crazy than the previous, varying from jazz and blues to some extreme industrial metal and dark ambient themes. Great experience, but something missing, though I don't know exactly what.

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Sigillum S - Studs and Divinity [1989]

Genre: Old School Industrial/Noise/Death Industrial/Experimental

Tracklisting:
1. Priesthood Of Whore Kaosdom
2. Two Miniskirted Scorpions Digitally Mating On A Platform
3. Chewing A Just Used Condom In Her After Coming Bliss ... Ageing And Death Of Masses
4. Draw The Spleen Of Divinity
5. Five Or Six Corpses
6. DNA Spilling In A Swine Car
7. Night
8. A Violin Is Kissing A Decomposing Liszt
9. Plague Privilege Plug

Total madness. Power-electronics-like death industrial with lots of and experimentalism. Got orchestral samples with huge noise improvisation, also some minimalistic parts, as well as old school industrial, more friendly tracks. Madness.

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Icon of Coil - Icon of Coil The Soul Is in the Software [2002]

Genre: Futurepop/EBM

Tracklisting:
1. Comment
2. Thrillcapsule
3. Violations
4. In Absence
5. Access and Amplify
6. Everything Is Real?
7. Faith: Not Important
8. Other Half Of Me
9. Love As Blood
10. Disconnect

That's the funny thing. Andy from Combichrist used to play in this project. It for sure isn't anyhow dark or something. It's just kitschy futurepop, extremely danceable. But is it a barrier to make awesome songs...? Holy shit, I really like it.

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Iron Halo Device - The Collapsing Void [1996]

Genre: Electro-Industrial/Experimental/Dark Ambient

Tracklisting:
01. Eyespark, The Man [Introduction] (12:04)
02. Intruding The Skin [Penetration] (10:37)
03. The Collapsing Void [Reflection] (15:41)
04. An Empty Anthem [Completion] (9:15)
05. The Abduction Of Winter [Creation] (5:55)
06. The Expanding Void [Evolution] (4:19)
07. Red Memory [Observation] (3:32)
08. A Passion Vessel [Contemplation] (3:30)

"Tracks 1-4, titled "Pulsating Flesh," were recorded live at the Hurricane in Kansas City on July 31, 1996. Tracks 5-8, titled "Spliced & Segmented," were compiled from home demos recorded in August and September 1995."

The first 4 tracks were composed entirely of samples taken from other bands. You can easily identify the obvious cuts borrowed from Nine Inch Nails, Dead Can Dance, Skinny Puppy, Coil, Curve, Lords Of Acid, SPK, etc. Tracks 05-08 were recorded in the same technique. Generally, The Collapsing Void is based on a slow percussion, heavy drones and dense electro-industrial backgrounds. To encourage - you can hear for example Lustmord in The Abduction of Winter.

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Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care [2009]

Genre: Synthpop

Tracklisting:
1. Parallel Lines
2. Work
3. Bits And Pieces
4. Dull To Pause
5. Hazel
6. Sneak A Picture
7. The Animator
8. What It’s For

Now something extremely different. New Junior Boys album. Certainly a bit worse than previous So This Is Goodbye, but nice and enjoyable. Still mawkish and catchy at the same time, with minimal electropop-backgrounds.

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Swans - Cop [1984]

Genre: Noise Rock/No Wave/Industrial/Sludge Metal

Tracklisting:
A1 Half Life 4:18
A2 Job 4:46
A3 Why Hide 5:50
A4 Clay Man 5:05
B1 Your Property 4:48
B2 Cop 6:47
B3 Butcher 4:02
B4 Thug 5:12

Sounds like some beginnings of sludge. Slow, noise rocky riffs, heavy percussion, dirty, hateful vocals. Somehow monotonous, but in a positive way, makes the impression of total hatred.

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The Retrosic - Nightcrawler [2006]

Genre: EBM/Electro-Industrial

Tracklisting:
01. Unleash Hell
02. Revolution
03. Desperate Youth
04. Bloodsport
05. Deathdealer
06. The Lucky Ones
07. Quid Pro Quo
08. Silence
09. Bomb
10. Exit
11. Hidden Track

Dark and gothic. Great EBM kept in Combichrist's Everybody Hates You style. Abrassive, heavy beats, electro-industrial backgrounds plus some catchy tunes. Truly recommended. First two songs rock.

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Combichrist - Today We Are All Demons [2009]

Genre: Harsh EBM/Electro-Industrial

Tracklisting:
01. No Afterparty
02. All Pain Is Gone
03. Kickstart The Fight
04. I Want Your Blood
05. Can't Change The Beat
06. Sent To Destroy
07. Spit
08. New Form Of Silence
09. Scarred
10. The Kill V2
11. Get Out Of My Head
12. Today We Are All Demons
13. At The End Of It All

New Combichrist album gets extreme different opinions - some say it's their best album so far, some that it's epic collapse of Combichrist, some say yet another things... My opinion slightly connects all the ideas altogether - yea, it actually is a bit worse than for example Everybody Hates You, but it's definitely not bad - some songs are one of the best in the genre - All Pain Is Gone, Sent to Destroy. Today We Are All Demons links harsh beats and lack of melodies with melodic, electro-industrial refrains. This kind of contrasts greatly fits the music on this album.

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Swayzak - Snowboarding in Argentina [1998]

Genre: Tech-House/Deep House

Tracklisting:
01 Speedboat (Original Mix) [08:49]
02 Burma Heights (Original Mix) [06:52]
03 Blocks (Original Mix) [06:52]
04 Low Rez Skyline (Original Mix) [06:48]
05 Fukamachi (Original Mix) [09:25]
06 French Dub (Original Mix) [03:40]
07 Skin Diving (Original Mix) [07:37]
08 Cone (Original Mix) [08:02]
09 Bueno (Original Mix) [14:23]

My favourite Swayzak record so far, though I haven't heard all his works yet. Seemingly static tech-house compositions are being more lively by the small, comfortable depth. Haven't heard good house recently? Here you go!

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or
download part1, download part2

Njiqahdda - Taegnuub - Ishnji Angma [2009]

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Tracklisting:
1. Purnakalamanna (04:46)
2. Silvaan Mortaa Esk Aal (03:50)
3. Njiuni Elova (05:20)
4. 'U Finuug Vraam (04:12)
5. Ishnji Angma (03:53)
6. Taegnuub (10:18)
7. Aski (07:04)
8. Nil Fyan Utopiia (14:24)

Generally black metal discourages me to itself, because all the 'different' projects actually sound like everything else. It's really hard to find something great in this genre. And this is that kind of 'gem' - great atmosphere, many layers of heavily distorted guitars making it little shoegazer, sounding somehow similar to Nadja. Ambient parts make the album more atmospheric, giving some progressive elements to the music, but actually they could be a bit shorter.

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Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind [1996]

Genre: Experimental Rock/Drone/Post-Rock/Experimental/Spoken Word

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
1 Red Velvet Corridor 3:04
2 I Was a Prisoner in Your Skull 6:39
3 Helpless Child 15:47
4 Live Through Me 2:31
5 Yum-Yab Killers 5:07
6 The Beautiful Days 7:49
7 Volcano 5:19
8 Mellothumb 2:45
9 All Lined Up 4:48
10 Surrogate 2 1:51
11 How They Suffer 5:52
12 Animus 10:42
Disc 2
1 Red Velvet Wound 2:02
2 The Sound 13:11
3 Her Mouth is Filled With Honey 3:18
4 Blood Section 2:39
5 Hypogirl 2:44
6 Minus Something 4:14
7 Empathy 6:45
8 I Love You This Much 7:23
9 Yrp 7:46
10 Fan's Lament 1:28
11 Secret Friends 3:08
12 The Final Sacrifice 10:27
13 Yrp 2 2:09
14 Surrogate Drone 2:09

Drones. Many drones filled with rock instrumentarium. Guitars, uneventful atmosphere, post-rocky tracks, narration. Apocalypse?

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Lawrence - The Absence of Blight [2003]

Genre: Microhouse/Minimal Techno/Deep House

Tracklisting:
01 Fifteen Minutes With You
02 Shelter
03 If You Can't Understand
04 -
05 Last Friday
06 Colts Foot
07 Neighbourhood
08 Thieltes
09 Winter Green
10 Somebody Told Me

Clear, atmospheric minimal techno with microhouse modesty and pleasant depth. Lawrence, privately, is a gardener. It somehow influenced the music. The Absence of Blight features many enjoyable, nice melodies, just as if you were on a meadow, staring at the grass, plants, trees...

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