Külföldi torrent oldalak What.cd | WCD The What.cd Fifth Birthday Celebration: Day Four

The What.CD Fifth Birthday Celebration: Day Four

Our celebrations continue! You guys know how this works by now, so let's get into it.


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irridentia's stats project continues with three updates today! First is an addition to the collage statistics series, this time focusing on Chart-type collages. Head on over to check out the Top 102 Releases by Chart Collages. Best of 2011: September 2012.

Next is an update to last year's trivia post. The Trivia posts collects odds and ends from all of irridentia's other stats work, and contains fascinating details about the biggest, best, worst, and first what.cd has to offer. What.CD Fifth Anniversary Trivia!

Finally, irridentia has really outdone himself with this year's Graphic Superfluity of What.CD statistics, October 2012. Stats and more stats! 5ive Years Anniversary Edition. What artists are truly the most popular? What are our favourite genres? What codecs generate the most traffic? If these are the sorts of questions that interest you, we've got answers. Prepare for an overload of graphs, spreadsheets, extensive analysis and even math.

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We hope everyone enjoyed the Rippy the Ripper costume competition. We had many great entries, but the grand prize goes to

• 1st Place: P1um for Rippy's Skull - Mystery merchandise prize (large). Custom Rippy remark. Custom title. Guest pick.

Look forward to P1um's design appearing on Halloween night! Congratulations are also in order for

• 2nd Place: gradientOverlay for PSY Rippy - Mystery merchandise prize (medium). Custom title. Guest pick.
• 3rd Place: minamato for Rorschach Rippy - Mystery merchandise prize (small). Guest pick.

We'd like to thank these users for their hard work, as well as everyone who submitted a design. We'd also like to remind the community to check out the two remaining stages of The Tracker of Terror Contest. You have a few more hours to submit pumpkin carving photos, and about one week left to submit your horrifying Halloween costume photos! Be sure to read the rules before participating. We look forward to seeing what you have to offer!

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And of course, five more freeleech tokens! If you're not familiar with tokens, they allow you to pick albums that you can download for free. Please read the token wiki for more details.

As always, the token total you see in the header is cached, and can take a few hours to update. If you're still having an issue with your token totals not updating after this time, please log out and log back in.

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Welcome to another huge dose of guest picks! Enjoy almost thirty picks from the site's VIPs and TMs. These picks are Neutral Leech selections. Be sure to comment on the picks you like in this update's discussion thread (or on the torrent pages themselves)!



KS's VIP Pick

Fairuz (فيروز‎) - La Gardienne des Clés

Genre: Arabic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=366525

Review:

Fairuz has performed in many opera's, and this is one of her best. She plays the part of a village girl who resists the local dictator; all the other villagers have left, and have entrusted her with the keys to their homes. Fairuz fights the dictator, and in the end has one persuasive argument: 'You may have implemented your regime, but you have no people left to rule over.' In the end, the dictator softens up, and the villagers return.

Since it's an opera, there's not only songs but also discussion and monologues. Interestingly, even if you don't understand Arabic, the tone of the conversation makes it quite clear what the discussion is about: Fairuz ridiculing the dictator, etc.​

Seasnake4's VIP Pick

Guido - Anidea

Genre: Dubstep, Electronic, Grime

Torrents: torrents.php?id=765190

Review: The Guardian wrote:

Of the plethora of producers currently mining the post-dubstep terrain, Bristolian Guido stands out as one of the most gifted. He arranges sound with an elegant precision, as though painting a still life; finely judged beats are overlaid with broad, lavish synths, with the results ranging from the delicate staccato strings of Cat in the Window to the disorientating squall of Mad Sax. Like the best R&B, it is also geared towards a kind of emotional opulence: Orchestral Lab is as heart-tugging as abstract electronic music can get. Anidea also features actual R&B vocalists: on Beautiful Complication, Aarya is torn between succumbing to the thrill of the crush and panicking at her loss of control. "Every time he smiles at me, I gotta talk about it," she gasps, as Guido sets off electric shocks around her.​

999999's VIP Pick

L'Arc~en~Ciel - Clicked Singles Best 13

Genre: Alternative rock, pop rock, progressive rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=153951

Review:

Clicked Singles Best 13 is a compilation album released by L'Arc-en-Ciel on March 14, 2001. As the titles suggests, it collects previously released singles, with the addition of a new track, "Anemone," written and composed by vocalist Hyde. Recording sales of over 1.25 million copies, this is currently their last album to hit Platinum level.

Included tracks were decided via an online fan vote conducted in eight various countries (Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines). Each country received their own unique released based upon the top tracks selected in their respective country's fan vote, thus creating a multitude of unique releases. In addition, a Korean version was created in 2004 with two additional bonus tracks to commemorate South Korea's new policy that allows for the sale of music CDs with Japanese audio tracks, creating a ninth "+2" version.

Track 13, "Anemone," is a new song that was only unveiled during the previous year's dome tour "TOUR 2000 REAL" and first appeared within this compilation. It was an exclusive track found only on this compilation album, until the appearance of the "QUADRINITY ~ MEMBER'S BEST SELECTIONS ~" album.​

dugas's VIP Pick

Steinski - What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective

Genre: hip.hop, plunderphonics, experimental

Torrents: torrents.php?id=104538

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/26586/Steinski-What-Does-It-All-Mean/ Review:

[...]By listening to What Does It All Mean?, you're giving yourself a vital history lesson, a blast of fun, and above all, some 130 minutes of fantastic music. It's been a long time since I've heard an album this long that's so easy to listen to in one sitting, so what's not to appreciate about this near-vital collection?​

Vanillos's VIP Pick

Message to Bears - Folding Leaves

Genre: acoustic, folk, ambient, post-rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72120845

Review:

Folding Leaves, the latest record from Message to Bears, takes the idea of something rustic and organic and tenderly crafts it into musical origami: something complex and detailed, yet gracefully simple.

Jerome Alexander, the multi-instrumentalist behind MTB, combines layers of rustic strings, crisp acoustic guitar and a warm, almost wordless vocal melody – a sound which builds throughout each song and across the whole album. The resolution of each crescendo – after the communal, folksy accumulation of voices, strings and other instruments – is either triumphant, or left to crumble away on a breeze of bird song and crackling ambience.

The effect is an album that is unfolding in two ways: both as an old letter or map, unfurling to display detail and emotion, or disappearing, as an origami swan pulled at two ends loses its creases, becoming as formless and unassuming as it began.​

LarryLevan's VIP Pick

Noiserv - A Day In The Day Of The Days

Genre: Folk, Alternative, Indie, Experimental, Leftfield

Torrents: torrents.php?id=824173

Review:

LebensStrasse Records are proud to present "Mr. Carousel" from the bracing Portuguese project Noiserv. A diary, written at dusk, which refers to a road simultaneously stretching between city streets and ethereal space of dreams.

Noiserv is undoubtedly one of the most creative and stimulating musical projects of the last decade in Portugal. Its route has been marked by minimalistic pieces capable of reaching every individual in his/her own intimacy, reminding the experiences, moments and memories locked between reality and dream. It has also been shaped by concerts of elevated intensity where the audience gets caught in a resonant web, created by a vast set of unusual instruments.​

Six66Mike's VIP Pick

Undying - The Whispered Lies of Angels

Genre: Metalcore, Metal

Torrents: torrents.php?id=203894

Review:

Formed and comprised of ex-members of such acts as Day of Suffering, Prayer for Cleansing, and Catharsis, Undying’s hard-earned reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the underground scene (with nothing but a demo in hand) landed them a deal with fledgling Fifth Column Conspiracy, who released the band’s debut EP This Day All Gods Die, which went on to sell out two pressings before the label folded. Garnering the attention of Belgium’s Goodlife Recordings, the band’s first full-length, The Whispered Lies of Angels followed, cementing their position as one of the genre’s most emotionally charged and powerful acts.​

PossiblyBob's Torrent Master Pick

Lorn - Ask the Dust

Genre: Hip Hop, Electronic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72213249

Review:

Lorn returns with a new full-length album, his debut on Ninja Tune, and it’s a huge stride forward since Nothing Else (released on Brainfeeder, June 2010). Listening back to his first album, Lorn says it now seems “cold and strict.” Ask The Dust, on the other hand, is “haunted, oily, smeared,” and with this description he captures something of the intensely felt, visceral aliveness of the music.​

EugVV's Torrent Master Pick

Pitom - Blasphemy and Other Serious Crimes

Genre: Experimental Rock, Surf, Klezmer, Jazz-Punk, Noise-Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71935775

Review: Tzadik wrote:

In their second CD for Tzadik, a sonic homage to the Day of Atonement, Yoshie Fruchter and his remarkable band Pitom continue their exploration of the New Jewish rock sound with their unique blend of punk, noise rock, metal and jazz filtered through the Jewish tradition. Echoes of the Melvins, Mahavishnu, Zappa and Masada make this a fiery and soulful CD that you will listen to again and again. Intense new Jewish Music from this exciting quartet of punk rebels.​

Samadhi's Torrent Master Pick

Evan Marc & Steve Hillage - Dreamtime Submersible

Genre: Dub Techno, Deep, Ambient

Torrents: torrents.php?id=155829

Review:

By Zach Mills - The Silent Ballet

It is music that is designed to drift to the back of your mind, slowly working to overpower it and take your full attention. The experience is an odd one, something that most music isn't really capable of giving, and can only be attained after a few full listens – but I can't stress enough how excellent it is.

I've rarely heard an album that can capture the essence of a single, unadulterated experience like this one, and those are exclusively the works of ambient masters like Stars of the Lid and Tim Hecker. For a techno album to reach up to this level is quite astounding, as it the fact that it loses none of its accessibility for all of the depth on display here. Evan Marc and Steve Hillage, you have my regards – you've made what is undoubtedly one of the top albums of the year. Please don't let this be the last collaboration – techno needs you. We all do, really.​

daftpunk99's Torrent Master Pick

Food Pyramid - III

Genre: Psychedlic, Electronic, Krautrock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71948320

Review:

Bringing their trilogy to completion, Food Pyramid's latest cassette for Moon Glyph, "III" captures the trio at their most sweeping - inviting fourth and fifth members into the mix and adding an array of sensations to their palette of kosmsiche-inspired compositions. Having played out consistently for a year or so, "III" is a recorded portrait of the group performing at an invigorated level of adventurousness. Note the arpeggiated guitars on "Last Light" and "Last Shuttle to the Red Planet," "Cycloscope"'s synth-euphorics and the unbridled sax- and piano-playing in the album's final moments. On display is a duality that owes much to the group's improvisational core: this collection of tracks serves not only as a summation of the first two records, but also as a gaze into Food Pyramid's future.​

truther92's Torrent Master Pick

Winterlight - Hope Dies Last

Genre: Electronic, Ambient, IDM, Shoegaze

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71976518

Review:

Winterlight manages to unearth a sense of nostalgia that temporarily converts darkness into light, sharpness into haze, and grittiness into serenity. These surreal audio elements skitter along like cottony tones peppering the landscape with sweet and tranquil complexity. (igloomag)​

morqueozwald's Torrent Master Pick

Bruce Haack - The Electric Lucifer

Genre: Electronic, Experimental

Torrents: torrents.php?id=113414

Review: AllMusic wrote:

After hearing late-'60s rock & roll from his friend Chris Kachulis, Bruce Haack added acid rock to his already diverse sonic palette. The result was 1970s Electric Lucifer, a psychedelic, anti-war song cycle about the battle between heaven and hell. The underlying concept of this concept album is "Powerlove," a divine force that not only unites humanity but forgives Lucifer his transgressions as well. But though this album extols the healing powers of peace and love, Electric Lucifer uses often menacing music and lyrics to get its point across. "War" depicts the battle royale between good and evil with a martial beat and salvos from dueling synthesizers; a child's voice murmurs "I don't want to play anymore, " and a funereal synth melody replaces the electronic battle march. Haack's marriage of rock rhythms and his unique electronics creates a sound unlike either his previous work or the era's psychedelic rock, but songs like "Incantation" and "Word Game," with their percolating beats, buzzing synths and vocoders, are much trippier than most acid rock. The strangely forlorn "Song of the Death Machine" sounds a bit like a short-circuiting HAL singing "My Darling Clementine," while "Word Game" features cool, dark electro-rock and brain-teasing lyrics like "Ray of sun/Reason/Knowledge/No legends." Kachulis sings on both of these tracks, and his deadpan vocals complement the weirdness going on around him nicely. His involvement with Electric Lucifer also includes aiding the album's release on Columbia Records; though it was Haack's only major-label release, Electric Lucifer remains musically innovative and subversive.​

Impyy's Torrent Master Pick

Oscar Key Sung - Tape Voice

Genre: Electronic, rhythm and blues, soul

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72186105

Review:

Oscar Slorach-Thorne of Oscar and Martin has released a beautiful and haunting EP under his solo moniker, Oscar Key Sung. The first time I listened to this 4 track release on my stereo I had 10 minutes of that feeling – which goes as quick as it comes – that everything is going to be OK. It’s like love lost, but you’re alright with that because you fought your hardest. Or that thing that happens when a smell wafts past, and it reminds you of a time you can’t pin down but you know it was good. It’s nostalgic deja-vu.

Slorach-Thorne takes no short-cuts in his shoulder-rolling music. Each layer is placed perfectly amidst apparent discord, and each sound is balanced and loud enough to hear only what you want to hear. The reworked track ‘All I Think About’, from Oscar and Martin’s For You, is an example of Slorach-Thorne’s impeccable grasp on the interactivity of space and sound; and just when you thought the track couldn’t get any more sincere, too. Listen to this EP with your ears and heart open. Although by the end you will probably have no choice.​

craggyisland's Power TM Pick

a.P.A.t.T. - Black & White Mass

Genre: Experimental, alternative, indie, Avant-garde

Torrents: torrents.php?id=216321

Review:

It's not easy to find a review of this, because not many people, it seems, have heard it. It's a strange record, for sure, but probably the strangest thing about it is how quickly it moves between styles, approaches and feel. A record where you genuinely don't know what will happen next.​

rusak's Power TM Pick

Various Artists - Harbour Boat Trips 01 (Copenhagen by Trentemøller)

Genre: Folk, Psychedelic, Experimental, Post-Rock, Shoegaze, New-Wave, Electronic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=465017

Ben Hogwood wrote:

Trentemøller has a straightforward agenda - to share with us some of his favourite tracks, while putting others in a different context. We therefore have the unusual idea of his remix of someone else's cover version, as well as two tracks melded together for a crowd pleasing finale. Also dotted around are some lovely, woozy late night numbers in which to immerse. [...]

You'll gather from all this that the first Harbour trip is a revealing and occasionally remarkable musical journey, revealing ever more content with each voyage. As we arrive back to shore with a rather clever link up of Copenhagen Collective and Soft Cell, our ears are suitably enriched.​

knicksgames's Power TM Pick

Porcupine Tree - Voyage 34 - The Complete Trip

Genre: progressive rock, rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=736906

Review

This was the first CD I listened to in FLAC. I sat in the dark, and listened to the whole thing with no interruptions. I finished the CD and felt changed some how. I love this album for that sheer fact alone.​

Silentrev's Power TM Pick

Dear Reader - Replace Why With Funny

Genre: Indie, Folk, Pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=399529

Review:

The great thing about the record is its ridiculously simplistic nature that it holds so blatantly on its sleeve. There are breaks and cuts and a few sweeping moments dotted throughout the musical topography but the production grounds every track and makes sure they never over-indulge themselves. The Same features backing choir-like vocals and a gradually building foreground that could've almost fallen flat but is kept at the limit by the groups relaxed take on their own music. If there's no need to go one step further or up the epic-factor then don't do it, it's as simple as that and these guys know it. "I want to strip you down to the core, take off your shirt, hat, shoes and trousers. Erase my head, all the books that I've read, the language I speak, the customs you keep" she whispers before allowing the music to take centre stage. Its not exactly genius but its thoroughly enjoyable.​

hulkkar's Power TM Pick

Anthony Rother - In Electro We Trust - A Datapunk Compilation

Genre: electronic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=230766

Review:

Talking machines, engine room, insomnia and syncopated beats: you enter the tortured world of Electronic music. Originality qualifies this compilation, Anthony Rother asked his mates to make an exclusive track for this compilation but the machines have taken their freedom and impose their own pace to the world. Welcome to the Robots. ​

Theophagus's Power TM Pick

Kevin Ayers - Whatevershebringswesing

Genre: 70s, Progressive rock, Rock, psychedelic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=62990

Review: David Ross Smith of AllMusic wrote:

Melancholic and reflective, Kevin Ayers' third solo effort, Whatevershebringswesing (this time sans the Whole World as a collective), finds the ultimate underachiever languishing in a realm of ballads, free (for the most part) from the façade and pretensions of prog rock that plagued the previous project. Released in January 1972, Whatevershebringswesing was Ayers' most commercially accessible album to date. The opening track, the "There Is Loving" suite, was both apropos and deceptive. The song picks up nicely from the previous album, linked by its Soft Machine/prog rock sound and fronting the lyrics from the single "Butterfly Dance"; however, for the very same reason, this was a deceptive opener for an album that was far removed from the prog subgenre.​

jdp's Power TM Pick

Hybrid - Classics

Genre: Breaks, Electronic, Progressive House, Progressive Breaks, Orchestral

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72265639

Review:

Since bursting onto the scene in 1999 with the now classic album 'Wide Angle,' Hybrid has gained recognition as one of the most cutting edge and technically skilled acts in electronic dance music. After four extremely well received albums and over twenty singles, plus countless remixes and a raft of movie & game soundtrack work, it is time to reflect on some of the bands numerous highpoints. Hybrid's music not only features expansive song arrangements and electronics, but also the liberal use of live orchestration, especially strings. Their skill at uniquely merging these sounds has opened up an entire new world for Hybrid in the area of music production for television and feature films. As frequent collaborators with major film composer Harry Gregson-Williams, Hybrid has music production credits in many major blockbuster films including Total Recall, The Taking of Pelham 123, Wolverine X Men Origins, The Chronicles Of Narnia - Prince Caspian, Deja Vu, Domino and Man on Fire. Hybrid have also composed the entire score for films including Catacombs and computer game scores for Ghost Recon. This compilation brings all of our favorite Hybrid elements together; the cinematic, the euphoric, and of course the classic.​

Stephe's Power TM Pick

The Bird and The Bee - Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates

Genre: electronic, indie, pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=718497

Review:

The very title of Interpreting the Masters suggests that the Bird & the Bee are digging into a catalog of a widely respected pop songwriter -- a Burt Bacharach, perhaps, or a Jimmy Webb. That’s not the case: children of the ‘80s that they are, singer Inara George and producer Greg Kurstin have chosen Daryl Hall & John Oates for the first volume of Interpreting the Masters, a sly move that reveals both their age and intended audience -- i.e., ex alt-rockers raised on new wave and now settling into a tasteful, hipster middle age, hauling around kids dressed in Ramones t-shirts -- and a reflection of Hall & Oates’ increasing reputation as soul-pop songwriters and record-makers. The Bird & the Bee don’t dig deeply into Hall & Oates catalog -- there’s none of the burnished folk-rock of Whole Oates, nor do they pluck album tracks like “Looking for a Good Sign” off of Private Eyes -- they simply choose the biggest hits, then give them a slyly modern update, one that consciously recalls the modernist new wave productions of the duo’s biggest hits yet fits within the Bird & the Bee’s nicely tailored AAA pop. So if Interpreting the Masters, on the surface, provides no surprises, why is it such a wonderful surprise as a whole? Perhaps it’s because the Bird & the Bee manage to make these very familiar hits sound fresh without radically reinventing them. That in itself is a much trickier move than turning these all into slow acoustic dirges, but it’s better still because these arrangements are true to both Hall & Oates and George & Kurstin. The Bird & the Bee illustrate just how much they’ve learned with their introductory original “Heard It on the Radio,” a song about the tunes they’re about to sing that holds its own with the covers, but the heart of the album lies in these covers of ‘80s staples: they shift the spotlight just enough to prove how good both the original song and singles are, and by never drawing attention to their own performance and arrangements, the Bird & the Bee prove just how good they are too.​

Anandh2460's Elite TM Pick

Various Artists - Josie & The Pussycats - Music From The Motion Picture

Genre: Power Pop, Pop/Rock, Punk Pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=55694

Review

Great pop songs done with the perfect amount of catchy rock'n'roll. The "perfect pop song" only comes along once every couple years, but many of these songs come awfully close, and they're all fun! The soundtrack is definitely the real star of the film (but I liked the movie a lot too).​

saxon48's Elite TM Pick

Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra

Genre: krautrock, ambient, progressive rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=22370

Review by Piero Scaruffi:

Among the many German musicians who in the 1970s "traveled" (in person or just spiritually) to India and the Far East and absorbed Eastern spirituality in the format of western music, Florian Fricke is likely to be the greatest. His work has been a constant exploration of the same theme: how to express the most personal, profound, austere spirituality by the means of western classical music, western sacred music and profane rock music. It was a marriage of East and West, and a marriage of past and present, made on Earth. In fact, it was made in Germany, and it bears the stigmata of German history. Almost inevitably, Fricke ended up denying the fundamental tenet of German music of his age: electronics. The humble, peaceful tones of acoustic instruments served his purpose better than the majestic complexity of synthesizers and sequencers.

In 1972 Fricke converted to both Christianity and Hinduism, and decided to move even further away from electronic instruments, preferring the most humble acoustic instruments over high-tech devices. A new line-up, centered around the angelic wails of Korean soprano Djong Yun, recorded Hosianna Mantra (Pilz, january 1973) in a Buddhist meditative tone, showing a solemn and elegant way to bridge the Western mass and Eastern meditation. Fricke on keyboards, Amon Duul II's guitarist Conny Veit, Between's Robert Eliscu on oboe, Fritz Sonnleitner on violino, Klaus Wiese on tambouras build up ascetic atmospheres that catapult the listener into Tibetan or Gregorian monasteries. Most of the interplay is between the piano (tenderly caressed by Fricke) and the guitar (whose phrasing simulates the Indian mantras). The other instruments add evocative power to the music, rarely altering the flow, in a manner similar to renaissance music. The key difference between this music and classical or rock music is the repudiation of rhythm: Tangerine Dream was removing rhythm (i.e., Time) from its cosmic soundpainting, and Popol Vuh removed rhythm (i.e., Time) from its spiritual soundpainting.​

denti's Elite TM Pick

Wim Mertens - Moment

Genre: Minimalism

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71879923

Review:

Belgian minimalist's first decade or or so of albums, remastered and never sounding better. Superb collection.​

CmdrChesticle's Elite TM Pick

Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Remedy: Live at the Village Vanguard

Genre: jazz

Torrents: torrents.php?id=644061

Review:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/18159-the-remedy-live-at-the-village-vanguard-kurt-rosenwinkel

Easily the most original guitar voice of the decade, Kurt Rosenwinkel continues his ever-upward climb with this brilliant live outing, recorded in January of 2006 during a weeklong engagement at the hallowed Village Vanguard. His seventh as a leader and debut for the fiercely independent and visionary ArtistShare label, The Remedy once again pairs Rosenwinkel on the frontline with his longtime partner, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, who at this point is to Kurt as Bird was to Diz (“the other half of my heartbeat”). Their intricate intervallic leaping and impossibly tight unison lines on rollercoaster numbers like “Chords” and “Flute” are executed with breathtaking precision and an eye toward melodicism. Pianist Aaron Goldberg, a singular soloist himself, is the harmonic provocateur and contrapuntal foil throughout while bassist Joe Martin (whose working relationship with Rosenwinkel goes back to 1999’s Intuit) provides a minimalist low-end anchor. The remarkable drummer Eric Harland, who cuts up the beat as energetically and creatively as anyone on the scene today, fuels the proceedings with his rhythmic ingenuity and infinite capacity to swing.​

maledine's Elite TM Pick

Milhaven - Automata

Genre: post-rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72120381

Review:

There is something intuitive and natural about the music of Milhaven. It communicates that sense of effortless simplicity that few bands can really pull off, and which leaves listeners with the impression that one could just pick up a guitar, throw in some delay and write a Milhaven song. Of course, it’s not that easy by a long shot, and the consistency with which Milhaven has been delivering transcendentally emotive instrumental rock since 2005′s Bars Closing Down is testament to a powerful and deep aesthetic.

Clocking in at just over half an hour and available for free streaming or download from their Bandcamp site, Milhaven’s latest EP, Automata, is a mesmerizing set of melodic and hypnotically dark post rock. Kicking off with the epic DRZ, the band showcase their knack for crafting ear catching hooks as well as their willingness to stand aside and let the music speak for itself. Here, a melancholic melody evolves to its distortion heavy breaking point, which though expected is neither rushed nor too obvious. At 16 minutes and change, the tune develops with expert pacing while remaining continuously engaging throughout. Though only half as long, the companion pieces, Zombi and Automata, are still epic by pop standards and beautifully demonstrate that sense of pacing and thematic development that characterizes Milhaven’s songwriting. Zombi in particular builds to an evocative and touching climax that even after repeated listens continues to surprise and move me. All in all, this is an incisive and thought provoking release from a visionary band. Audiophiles may want to consider grabbing a copy of the limited vinyl edition.

Unless you live in Germany, Milhaven will not soon be on tour near you. That’s too bad, too, because I would enjoy seeing these songs and the band’s previous output interpreted in a live setting. However, as the netlabel scene evolves more and more towards commercial business models, Milhaven remain among the best of the bands who are still willing to make their music freely available. We can hope in the near future to see more of both their generosity and their genius.​

dirto's Elite TM Pick

Johnny Nocash - Dagger Road

Genre: acoustic, rock, punk, alternative, indie

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71962666

Review: Johnny Nocash wrote:

Way back not so long ago, when I was a little shit, I picked up the guitar. I didn’t want to take lessons since that would mean I’d be learning through someone else’s eyes using someone else’s ideas - so I basically taught myself. Playin’ by ear was the only way that I could learn the stuff that I liked to listen to. After a couple of years of closet playing, I got together with a buddy who played drums and we started turning out ‘some damn decent tunes’. Pretty soon we got a base player and formed the band Spitting Teeth. The band lasted four years – we had a lot of fun and had a great following - but like all good things, it came to an end. Ego’s got in the way and it disappeared like burnt paper.

Bands came and went but nothing seemed to match the chemistry and authenticity of Spitting Teeth. I decided to take a new approach. I put down the guitar, picked up a mic and learned about the vocal structure required to “pitch” a song. Overall though, nothing seemed to work for me musically – so I packed my bags and headed west.

By this time my taste in music had changed. It went from “crusty who gives a fuck if we’re in tune punk rock” to “brutally tight complex and technical metal”. I hitched up with a band out of Victoria where all the guys were serious about their music. This helped fine tune the live stuff and gave timing a whole new meaning. The band had a good sound and a respectable following, but again came a parting of ways.

Frustrated with the whole music scene, I set down the guitar & stopped singing. Odd jobs brought me a little money while I hung out with the bad and the ugly, the clowns and the crazies and saw a side of life that was in your face raw with no pretentious layers.

Finally, after 12 years of searching for who I was and what I wanted, came Dagger Road.​

medium's Elite TM Pick

Gas Lamp Killers - Gas Lamp Killers

Genre: hip.hop, trip.hop, abstract, psychedelic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=168717

Review: Flying Lotus wrote:

This is how it all started for me..

My first real glimpse into the mind of The Motherfucking Gaslamp Killer.. [...]​

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