Indefinite Hiatus?

Listen. I’m fine now; my ear is no longer plugged. Ideally I should be writing more blog posts because I HAVE been listening to a lot of albums. However, I am questioning this blog’s existence.

Once you dig deep and unravel the nitty-gritty truth of the graveyard-like music shareblog business, you start to doubt whether it’s really worth it. I mean, come on! Is it really worth it?

Thus to explain my point, here is an example:

You write the perfect post. You publish it. Four hours later, BAM! Your post has been deleted. Why? Because of infringing content.

I know that what I post is of illegal nature, but I was not aware that Big Brother is undergoing, day in and day out, diligent surveillance of user content. Now I know; whatever I post, Big Brother knows. And when Big Brother doesn’t like what you post, he calls his trusty minions and shuts you down.

Listen Big Brother. I know of my wrongdoings and as much as I hate saying this: “I surrender”. For now…

Now, guys. This open ended dilemma has left me with two (count them), TWO options. Here they are:

IDEA NUMBER ONE

The ancient [insert ancient civilization or tribe HERE] used to say:

Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day,
Teach a man HOW to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

I am proud of my abilities to find just about every album, song, EP (and so on) of any artist, thus the idea lies in secretly teaching (via a super secret post) how to do just that, and blog-wise, I will create a new blog in which I’ll only post legal-friendly information about interesting bands in the hopes that you (the reader) will find the material by yourself.

IDEA NUMBER TWO

Shut this whole thing down and blog about something that will never get me into problems, like atheism, abortion, woman rights, racism, North Korea, the Middle East, you know: friendly themes that DO NOT stir up anger and that will NEVER get me into trouble.

So yeah. This blog is pretty much dead and I leave in your hands and those of Bog And All His Holy Angels to either revive a pussy version of it, or let it die a silent death.

So, yeah…that’s it. Bye.

 










[image via xkcd]

A Few Problems…

A couple of days ago I received a notification by Blogger about some obviously illegal content posted here which I had to take down. Although I knew it was inevitable it kind of bummed me out.

But the worst thing that’s happened to me lately is that my right ear seems to be “plugged” and I’m not certain of the cause. For what I understand after reading about it, I may have either plugged or inflamed the Eustachian tube, which causes to distort the equalization of the sound. It apparently goes away depending on various causes, so I’m going to the doctor on Monday to get it checked out.

I can however, still listen to music, but on my right ear it sounds as if I mostly hear between the frequencies of 400-2000 Hz. It is very annoying to me as an avid music listener, so until my ear “pops” I’m afraid there won’t be any reviews.

Hopefully I’ll get better so I can keep up suggesting and posting music. See you all later…

“Takk…” by Sigur Rós (2005)

Sigur Rós’ breakthrough fourth studio album not only manages to please more like its predecessor records, but it also shines upon the band a subtle outburst of popularity. Juggling between Icelandic lyrics and “Vonlenska”, Takk… stands out as one of present day’s most accessible representations of the Post-Rock genre.

On this installment, it seems as if the band tears down the boundaries of perception employed by abstraction, and instead flourishes an intense yet delicate sound concentrated by divinely beautiful melodies and arrangements. Utilizing the combination of a surreal and chilly atmosphere, tear inducing strings and they’re trademark falsetto vocals, Takk… emerges victorious from the difficult task of transmitting the emotion brought by minimalism but in a blood pumping rock oriented context.

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Preview Glósóli

“( )” by Sigur Rós (2002)

Icelandic Post-Rock band Sigur Rós’ anticipated third studio album was released in 2002 and consolidated the band internationally. ( ), which is often referred to as “parentheses” or “the untitled album” features 8 untitled tracks sung in “Vonlenska”, [a term used by the band] which consists of meaningless syllables in a fashion similar to that of scat singing.

( ) turns out to be the least album to feature the ice cold ethereal sound, and quite contrary, infuses the songs with an ironically refreshing heat induced barrage of uncontrollable emotions. The album marks its own line, dividing optimistic songs at the beginning with melancholic songs at the end, which proves to be a great formula as it appears to progressively escalate until the record’s final minutes of pure and epic bursts of masterful sound bombarded fireworks.

Get ( )

Preview Untitled #4

“Ágætis byrjun” by Sigur Rós (1999)

Slowly spreading by word of mouth, Icelandic band Sigur Rós’ second album became a hit and is probably well known for introducing to the world the basis for they’re [later more widely known] ethereal sound.

Whereas Von displayed an aural ambient sound influenced primarily by Nordic landscapes, Ágætis byrjun creates a fusion between Dream Pop and the serene and forgiving quality of Iceland’s nature. By utilizing interesting brass and strings (specifically the electric guitar played with a cello bow) the album finally consolidates the band’s sound which feels almost like soaring through Iceland’s skies sitting in a cloud while the cold wind slowly moves an iceberg towards a silent crash ashore.

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Preview Svefn-g-englar

“Mil Siluetas” by La Unión (1984)

After impressing two members of Mecano, Spanish Pop-Rock band La Unión finally got signed to a record label and released they’re debut album in 1984.

Although rarely heard outside of the Rock en Español scene, the band has managed to be remembered primarily by a few of they’re singles (especially the ones contained in Mil Siluetas), which generally speaking, boast an overwhelming mixture of musical styles, ranging from New Wave, Electro Rock, Piano Rock and Jazz. To be perfectly honest, the record seems a bit under developed in terms of composition and engineering, but what is undeniable are the tracks catchiness and emotive melodies, which propelled La Union as one of Latin Rock’s most recognizable exponents in the eighties.

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Preview Lobo-Hombre en Paris

“Closer” by Joy Division (1980)

 

After the success of Unknown Pleasures, Manchester band Joy Division recorded they’re consummate second album titled Closer. However, lead singer Ian Curtis’ health was failing due to his epilepsy and personal problems; so on 18 May 1980, he hanged himself in the kitchen of his house.

Where Unknown Pleasures established the band as the defining sound of Post-Punk, Closer goes a step ahead and creates a powerful masterpiece that would stylistically serve as inspiration for generations to come. The album was once again produced by Martin Hannett, spawning along with the band a pioneering dark melodic vision with quirky synthesized sounds that would later embody the music of the New Order. Closer is more than just a record, it’s an accurate depiction of Ian Curtis’ morbid mental state; Requiescat in pace Ian Curtis.

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Preview A Means To An End

“Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK” by múm (2000)

Icelandic Glitch group múm’s debut album went pretty unnoticed when it was released back in 2000, but due to the band’s popularity scaling, it has become a cult classic.

This texture rich Electronic album is a humble and honest Experimental creation by very talented people who manage to entertain you with inventive twists and turns. The music lends itself to various interpretations, but what is truly amazing is that every single sound behaves like its coming alive while they surround you in they’re dreamy aura. Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today is OK is an ingenious production that instead of shoving sounds into your head, it reaches into your deepest memories and gives you the tools to make sense of it all.

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Preview There is a Number of Small Things

“The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan” by Bob Dylan (1963)

Following the debut of his first album, Woody Guthrie pupil Bob Dylan went on to write an album that would feature songs written by him, instead of covering and arranging old folk tunes. Thus, in the midst's of the Civil Rights Movement emerged a true masterpiece of songwriting; one that would position itself among the most important recordings of our time: The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

What can I say about this chef-d'oeuvre that has not been said before? I don’t know, but I will say this: hold this record tight to you and try to understand it, within it lie powerful words that compose an inspirational letter dedicated to all of humanity; a letter that must never be forgotten.

Get The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Preview Blowin' In The Wind

“Von” by Sigur Rós (1997)

After getting a record deal with Sugarcubes-owned label Bad taste, Icelandic Post-Rock band Sigur Rós (meaning “Victory Rose”) released they’re debut album titled Von (which means “Hope”).

Structurally, the album behaves as a minimalist recording, utilizing rock instruments to produce simple melodies that exhale an ethereal sounding representation of Iceland’s landscapes and emotions by taking elements of Dream Pop and Ambient music. Thanks to post production, the record’s supernal sound is magnified by adding another layer of celestial sounds to it, and all of it summed up with lead singer Jónsi Birgisson's trademark falsetto voice.

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Preview Myrkur