Music favorites of March 2021

Let’s start with one I promised last time.

Necronomidol: Vämjelseriter

I have much more to say about this now than month ago. Couple weeks after album was released at least one member has left the band. One is not sure about leaving or staying. Third one is in hospital without certainty if she will be back. Necronomidol has lost at least two members soon after last two EPs or full length album releases. This release seem to continue the trend. Himari is only one who certainly continue. She was only one who continued last time when everyone else left. What comes to music this is their worst release since From Chaos Born. Since that EP their releases have had mostly really good songs. This has couple good ones, some of them are new versions of older songs. But there are too many fillers. Problem could be Necronomidol has become Himari and others instead of four or five equally important members. I expected more based on videos they released. Don’t know what to expect from them in future.

Lana Del Rey: Chemtrails over the Country Club

Chemtrails over the Country Club came out of the blue. We had to wait Lana Del Rey’s previous album for ages after first videos were released. I learned about this after it was released. I had not seen any videos before it. Had I seen the videos my expectations wouldn’t have been too high. I was bit hesitant to buy this because I didn’t like first video I checked but bought it because I liked her previous albums so much. I put this official audio video because this worked best first time I listened the album. Afterwards I have started to like album more. Even those songs which I didn’t like that much first time.

Carbon Based Lifeforms: ALT:01, ALT:02 and 20 Minutes

Bandcamp Friday findings. 20 Minutes was released just before Bandcamp Friday. I mean the extended version which lasts 20 minutes. ALT:01 and ALT:02 were released earlier. ALT albums contain alternative versions of previously released songs. This is my favorite song from albums.

Koldovstvo: Ни царя, ни бога

I haven’t got many black metal albums since I unsubscribed Avantgarde Music. Also I am not biggest fan of lofi black metal. Bought this because it felt it could start to work with more listening. And it did. It was last album I got from last Bandcamp Friday. It was recommended by another artist from Bandcamp. There is one black metal album waiting for next Bandcamp Friday and I probably should check what Avantgarde Music has released lately.

Crippled Black Phoenix: Champions Of Disturbance (a rough guide to CBP)

Crippled Black Phoenix has put at least couple albums out every Bandcamp Friday. This compilation was released last time. Got it even though I already had all the songs. If you don’t listen the band this is good place to start.

Chubby Wolf: The Darker Sex

I don’t remember if I have mentioned Chubby Wolf before. I have bought her music every now and then. There are quite a few album on Bandcamp but I have soon bought all of them. Recommend checking her music if you are into this kind of music.

Hilyard: Division Cycle

I think I promised this last time. Hilyard released other album On the Sorrow of Firn this year. It is so underground it didn’t have video on Youtube. This is from Cryo Chamber. Don’t know what more to say about them. I wish they had subscription. I buy everything they release anyway.

Murder By Death: Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon

I found Murder By Death when I searched similar bands to The Dead South and Devil Makes Three. This is not as country as those bands. Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon is their most popular album. Will be checking their other albums later.

Danko Jones: I Want Out

I Want Out is first single from upcoming Power Trio album. It felt like good video to end this list.

Sari - Mawaru

Sari left Necronomidol early last year. She had been with them since the start or at least from when they released their first videos. Last autumn she released first demo of her music. It was followed by fifteen minute live video. Five months later she releases her first music video and single.

Her music is quite a departure from Necronomidol’s music. It is more dream like and not metal at all. Was going to say experimental but Necronomidol’s first singles had quite experimental music in them. Now they are closer to traditional heavy metal. I am looking forward Sari’s next releases. This was really good start.

Best Albums of 2019 - Supplementary

This list contains music I found 2019 and music by band who released only EPs or singles 2019. To qualify for this list video has to be something I haven’t shared in this blog earlier. I will start with something that probably should have been on Best Albums of 2019 list.

Angel Witch: Angel of Light

This is bit embarrassing. I really liked the album when I checked it first place. I liked it so much I went to check everything else they have released. Angel Witch is not the most versatile band there is. Listening too much of them in short time made me burn out to their music. It happened before I bought this album. So I don’t have this yet. I have listened it enough to know it should be on the list. If I needed one more album to list I would have added this one even though I don’t have it yet. I will get it soon.

Yukueshirezutsurezure: BrightDark

If I made another Japanese or Asian edition this would have been on it but that would have been cheating. BrightDark is YukueshirezuTsurezure’s re-recording album of their old song with current members. It even has re-recordings of songs from last year’s exFallen album. It being cheap and kind of best of album it is good introductory album for anyone new. This song is on album but not this version. They haven’t released any videos of new versions. So I used this original video from 2017.

Necronomidol: Scions of the Blasted Heath

Necronomidol didn’t release full lenght album this year. They released Scions of the Blasted Heath ep and came to Finland. I never thought I will see them live. Now I have seen them and there is change to see them again next year if they are still willing to come back next year. I feared Sari couldn’t be replaced but Michelle has been excellent as weird one of the group. Not trying to be like Sari but being her own kind of weird. This would have been part of first idol edition if video was released when I wrote the post. Video was released quite long after the ep.

DreamSpirit: Warriors of Heaven's Descend

I found DreamSpirit this year. Got all their releases. They didn’t release full length album this year. Only Warriors of Heaven’s Descend EP. DreamSpirit is big reason why I made this post. They were one of the bands who blew my mind this year and they deserve to be brought up. I am not fan of power metal but this works.

Suld: The Memory of Nomadism

After I found The Hu I wanted to find more similar music. Suld is one of the bands I found. DreamSpirit was another but Suld is Mongolian Folk Metal like The Hu. The Memory of Nomadism wasn’t released 2019. Suld was band I found this year.

Nine Treasures: Wisdom Eyes

I am probably telling too much about my music buying habits. I tend to check lot of bands. If I get really excited I buy albums right away. If I have just bought something I add albums to very long wish list and get back to them later. I was pretty sure I had bought Nine Treasure’s albums already. I was shocked to see they are still on my wish list. I corrected the mistake. Listening the album now I don’t understand why I didn’t buy it when I found it.

Heathen Apostles: Bloodgrass Vol. I & II

Heathen Apostles released Dust to Dust this year. I don’t have it and they haven’t released any videos for it. I have last year’s Bloodgrass Vol. I & II. Album is named like that because both parts were relased as EPs first. Heathen Apostles was this year’s findings. I will buy their albums every now and then. Haven’t got to Dust to Dust yet.

Rykarda Parasol: Against the Sun

Rykadra Parasol was this year’s findings. She didn’t release anything this year and there is good change she won’t be releasing anything any more. I bought all here albums in quick phase after I found her. My favorite song of her is “Atheists Have Songs Too”. After hearing it I had to get her albums. It is second track of Against the Sun. Cloak of Comedy is the first.

Chubby Wolf: Turkey Decoy

I am not sure if Rykadra Parasol will release anything anymore. I am sure Chubby Wolf won’t be releasing. It makes you sad to find talented artist who has died so young. In Chubby Wolf’s case she managed to make lot of interesting music before she went away. I found her music ten years after her death.

I can’t put video for last artist I want to mention. I can’t find any videos from Youtube which would even remotely look like it is legally there. You can find tons of his music from Youtube but if there is anything legally uploaded there it is hard to find. Some of the music is also hard to find if you want to buy it and it won’t be cheap. I know because I spent too much money for it earlier this year. When there is no digital releases and physical releases are rare prices tend to go up. Artist’s name is Akira Yamaoka. If that doesn’t ring any bells name Silent Hill might ring some bells. Akira Yamaoka made music for first seven Silent Hill games. You can find soundtracks for last three in iTunes. But for first four I had to buy as cds and those were released in limited quantities long time ago. It wasn’t cheap but now I got all seven soundtracks. This made Akira Yamaoka my most played artist of 2019.

My Favorite Albums of 2018: Idol edition

I made three posts of my favorite albums of 2018 at the end of the year. I said I might do one more. This is that one more. I joined Alternative Idols Facebook group and found few interesting bands from there. Some of those bands released good albums year 2018. First I though I add music from them to this year’s list mentioning their 2018 album I liked. But then I found group which hasn’t released anything on 2019. So it made more sense to have this post.

In this context Idol means Japanese idol culture where someone creates group of teen girls to perform music and dance to it. Sometimes results are just what you expect. But because this is Japan and band doesn’t make the music results can be interesting. Group could be based on weird idea which somehow works. Like Necronomidol which performs Lovecraft themed songs.

Necronomidol: Voidhymn

I had Necronomidol in original list and I wrote how they were best thing at the moment. I thought I never see them live. But then they came to Oulu earlier this week where I saw them. They didn’t play this song there which was bit odd since it is their latest music video. They played songs from their latest ep Scions of the Blasted Heat. That ep could be on this year’s list if they release music videos from. Their Oulu show was amazing. Venue was packed which I didn’t expect and audience liked what they saw.

Broken by the Scream: An Alien’s Portrait

This is first of the new findings. Broken by the Scream is good example what Idol group can be when done correctly. It mixes death metal with pop music staying more on death metal side. It could be good I don’t understand the words. Death metal parts could only style but it works when I don’t know what they sing about and they go full to death metal. Those parts could be on normal death metal song. I like how they mix two styles of death metal vocals.

Maison Book Girl: yume

This is the one non-metal group of the list. For someone new to idol culture most idol groups tend to melt together. Music is so generic and music videos look similar. Maison Book Girl doesn’t have that problem. Everything they do sounds and looks like Maison Book Girl. I almost like to say they are Radiohead of idol groups. Both give similar vibes. Yume has weird sound experiments in between songs. I had originally different video for this but changed it one which is now here because it shows better experimental nature of Maison Book Girl.

YukueshirezuTsurezure: exFallen

I could say almost same of YukueshirezuTsurezure as I said Broke by the Scream. YukueshirezuTsurezure is more sophicated than Broken by the Scream and less death metal like. Their other songs are closer to Broken by the Scream than this. YukueshirezuTsurezure use screaming parts more creatively for the needs of the song. Like in this one where screams are limited to one part. exFallen is YukueshirezuTsurezure’s second album. First one is good too but in exFallen everything falls in correct place.

There will be more Japanese music in favorite albums of 2019 list. I wanted to put these here so I don’t have to figure out way to include these groups because they released really good albums 2018.

My Favorite Albums of 2018 part 2

These are not in order. You can find first part here.

Necronomidol: Voidhymn

Did you expect me not including this one? I wrote whole post telling Necronomidol is best thing at the moment. Only disappointment was album included so many previously released track. Including Strange Aeons which was originally released Strange Aeons EP. Which was also released this year.

Thom Yorke: Suspiria soundtrack

I haven’t seen the movie. As Radiohead fan I was curious to hear what Thom Yorke can do as soundtrack composer. I wasn’t disappointed.

Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats: Wasteland

First part had few bands who don’t seem to be able to make bad music. Here is one more. Wasteland was Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats’ 2018 album. What can I say? They just keep on doing what they are good at.

Atrium Carceri: Codex

Time for more Cryo Chamber. Guy behind Atrium Carceri is the guy behind Cryo Chamber label. This year he released new album under name Atrium Carceri. I am not sure which album I bought first from Cryo Chamber. If it wasn’t ProtoU’s it could have been Atrium Carceri’s. Both were one of the first ones.

The Sword: Used Future

I found The Sword when they made doom metal. They have moved closer to ZZ Top since. I don’t have all their albums between their doom days and Used Future. Decided to give the album a change and it worked.

Clutch: Book of Bad Decisions

I am not saying Tuska Open Air Metal Festival was correct venue for Clutch but damn they were good that day. Since that day I have listened lot of Clutch. They will be my most listened band of 2018 even when I found them this summer. You can say I like the band.

The Prodigy: No Tourists

I am not biggest dance music fan but I like The Prodigy. It is like punk made with electronic instruments. New album has enough good tracks to get it to this list.

Ghost: Prequelle

I like Ghost’s first albums more than their current glam rock but Prequelle still has some really good songs like Rats. I had to wait for release date because I bought special edition with Ghost’s version of Pet Shop Boys’ It’s a Sin. Otherwise I could have pre-ordered the album and got this song weeks earlier.

There will be at least one more part. It will come in few days. Maybe that one album get released before I have gone through this list.

Best thing at the moment - Necronomidol

First time I heard about Necronomidol was in Cracker article. You should check it if you want to know more about insanity that is Japanese pop music. Back then they had released four eps and were about to release their first full length album. Back then they were weird curiosity with few interesting songs like one below. I bought two eps because to be honest those were quite uneven and forgot the band when first full length album didn’t impress me.

But I didn’t unsubscribed their Youtube channel. About month ago they released video for Strange Aeons. I watched it out of curiosity. I was blown away how good the song was and how they had found their style without losing what made them interesting first place. They were no longer interesting weird Japanese band. They were actually good metal band. When I checked their previous albums I found they released their first really good album right after I forgot them. Song below is from that album From Chaos Born.

If you want to check the band after watching these videos any record after From Chaos Born is good start. I don’t understand language. I assume they sing about similar topics in other songs as they sing in videos which have subtitles. Not understanding lyrics hasn’t stopped enjoying the music. In some cases it is even better if you don’t understand lyrics. Not saying it is in this case. My favorite Necronomidol song is Ithaqua. Thanks to subtitles I know what they sing about.

I wrote this before Necronomidol announced Sari and Hina will leave the group. I am not sure what to think about it. Group has had several members during its life time but Sari has been there from the start and she is big part of the band’s image. Group will continue to be what they have been but I will miss Sari for not being part of it.