Kero's Music Dump Archive

Album title - Artist/Band
Genre(s)
Ffo (For fans of): if you like these guys, this rec is for you (or check them out as well idk)
Links to [YouTube], [Spotify], you get the point. might include additional links if necessary or if i feel cheeky about it.

And under here I'll insert your typical commentary or extra stuff, who knows? Maybe an unwanted opinion or two!

The Height of Callousness - Spineshank
Nu Metal, Industrial Metal
Ffo: Static-X, Psiheya, The Shizit, Markets
[Spotify] [YouTube]

One of the first things I noticed when I returned to this account for the first time in 2 years was that a lot of you really dig nu metal, even to this day. And that's great, really great!

Some of the more nerdy dudes in the back might recognize these guys as the authors of "New Disease" which was a pretty popular track, but I gotta say that the whole damn album that it came from goes hard as well; ideal stuff for edgy cyber teens and lovers of that futuristic sound that gets a lot of tricks from the industrial style.

Группа крови (Blood Type) - Кино (Kino)
Post-Punk, New Wave
Ffo: Joy Division/New Order, early The Cure, Siekiera, The Chameleons
[Apple Music] [Bandcamp] [Spotify] [YouTube]

How about some Russian post-punk? These guys were already a big deal in Russia so it was only fair that, after the collapse of the soviet state, this thing would find a whole new audience through digital sharing. Cold, haunting Slav rock that really encapsulates the atmosphere of decadence around Eastern Europe at the time.

Influential as fuck, even outside the hardcore punk scene for its innovative, raw sound that even laced itself with reggae at some points. I wouldn't suggest going around there calling yourself a punk if you haven't checked these guys out. Essential shit.

One album, one song. 35 minutes and 16 seconds is all it takes to experience one of the most beautifully crafted and stellar records to come out of Japan, blending psychedelic rock with sounds of dub and dream pop for an ethereal, blissful experience equivalent to summer rains.

Chill Out is considered a classic amongst ambient electronic fans and for very good reasons, as it presents a masterful sampling work and concept presenting a night-time journey by train through the U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana, even though both KLF members have claimed to never been to any of said places but felt that recordings had a very deep, personal evocation to the Deep South.

And while this continuous, singular piece is to be enjoyed on a single take just like Long Season, I'd like to point out this one section called Madrugada Eterna that really takes my breath away every single time it hits. Translated as "eternal early morning", that damn pedal steel guitar always gets me. Always.

An emo album so damn ancient that some people are going to complain either that it's not real emo because it isn't like what you associate with SpaceHey/MySpace scenecore or too "entry level". Either the case, the truth is that this record (and this song specially) have a strong influence on emo bands to come with its passionate, raw yet heartfelt energy that isn't grunge nor metal, but an angst of its very own kind.

English power electronics pioneers Sutcliffe Jügend were in the middle of an extended hiatus when they decided to form the short-lived yet intense side project known as Bodychoke. While it served to motivate a second run of SJ in 1995, this band shined with a bright of its own. Yes, it is as noisy and ugly as Kevin Tomkins and Paul Taylor were on their main gig but Cold River Songs is an unique experience for its "refined" sense of experimentation while retaining the combative, morbid lyricism and jagged edge of harsh soundscapes from the duo's main offerings in SJ. Cruelty made music.

If you are a knowledgeable metal fan, then The Chasm does not need an introduction. Masterminded by Daniel Corchado, this band has been responsible for some of the most forward thinking yet powerful death metal that has influenced the like of modern acts such as Blood Incantation with its old-school charm laced with complex, melodic guitar work and epic atmospheres that makes the sound of albums such as Procession to the Infraworld so potent and memorable to this day. A must listen for DM fans that swear that they've heard all there is to know.

He may not be a poet, but Grenada's Might Sparrow is one charismatic son of a bitch (and a funny satirist too! Seriously, some of the lyrics here are some of the funniest shit I've read or heard in a song). Backed up by veteran Van Dyke Parks as a producer, a lot of the tracks here feel like candid anecdotes from an island faraway where life is pretty much the same as everywhere else, but with a stronger bravado and sense of humor that doesn't care about metropolitan sensibilities. This is one of those albums where its pretty much mandatory to sit back and relax; smooth, charming, entertaining!

Ladies: if you love women and feel funny around them, you cannot avoid this one. I was about to recommend Congreso or Los Jaivas as part of my obligatory Chilean quota for these bulletins, but I had to give the spot to Javiera since I think she probably made and nailed the formula for the sound of our national indie music to come. It's hard to come by a record that does justice to what it means to be young and the sentimental edge we possess in our teenage years, but this album wins by a landslide. I highly recommend checking this one out by your own; I don't think I have the proper words to describe how great this is.

Out of the many classic prog-rock acts coming out from the UK, Gentle Giant is a left field case; while definitely sharing the sensibilities of classical music and jazz of their peers, they shined as a quirky and playful alternative that loves to stick its feet into more medieval sensibilities and going the extra mile in terms of experimenting with different sounds or ideas without feeling too avant-garde. Each track is a realm of its own with its unique set of tricks and sudden shifts that create a complex yet concise experience that rarely overstays its welcome. A must-listen for sure.

Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege - Damaar
War Metal
Ffo: Blasphemy, Conqueror, Naked Whipper, Bestial Warlust
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Context is everything. It really allows one to truly understand why certain things are the way they are and for Damaar there is no exception. This is a war metal band (a style of black metal focused on barbaric, chaotic songwriting leaning into death metal, grindcore and even noise influences) from Lebanon that only recorded one demo in late 2005, but was only released two years later. The group disbanded during the summer of 2006, while forces from Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were clashing in Lebanese soil at the same time. Knowing this, this particular recording reeks of a hateful, misanthropic aura that knows no limit whatsoever and portrays the fear of impending conflict that has been present on the Middle East for a long time. A maelstrom of sonic disdain.

Neoclassical darkwave is the hardcore gothic experience. This ain't about darkness or bats anymore, but ruins of past long gone. Rubble of mankind in the fog that is time and all that nerd shit. Essential record to those wanting an epic, yet mysterious ambiance that is deserving to be the soundtrack for your next DND campaign or a great companion to meditate in the dark.

After Chabón - Sumo
Post-Punk
Ffo: Mid-period The Clash, Gang of Four, The Fall, Argentinean Rock
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Hacer justicia al influyente legado de Sumo es un trabajo complicado. Decir que son una banda más dentro del rock argentino es ser impreciso, mientras que limitar su sonido solamente a la etiqueta de post-punk sería caer en reduccionismos baratos. Frente a la fuerte presencia del rock progresivo y folk de la vieja vanguardia nacional, los chicos de Hurlingham presentaron un contrapunto visceral digno de incontables noches en boliches donde fluyeron litros de alcohol, drogas pesadas y el bailoteo de jóvenes participantes de la contracultura post-Malvinas. La luz de Luca Prodan simplemente se niega a morir.

Love and Glitter, Hot Days and Music - Helen Love
Bubblegum Dance, Pop Punk
Ffo: Ramones, Blümchen, silly vibes
[Apple Music] [Soundcloud] [Spotify]

I'm surprised that, in the year of our Lord 2023, not many people have embraced Helen Love. Even more with the "silly :P" "BLEEEEEEEEEEEH :P" stuff going on as of late! This shit fits perfectly for that kind of playful, energetic, cutesy attitude with its kitsch approach to both Ramones-ish pop punk and the European dance music sound that was popular around the time. Pure, unadultered fun for everyone.

I think that we can all agree that anyone who thinks that "the self-titled mixtape and Die Lit are trash" are idiots, right? I cannot imagine the size of the rock where these dudes have been living under to say shit like that; the influence that those two releases had on trap is HUGE. Catchy as hell, to the point and the beginning of a new era.

Nightwork - Diabolic Masquerade
Melodic Black Metal, Symphonic Black Metal
Ffo: Emperor, Vinterland, Kvist
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Melodic and symphonic black metal are styles that tend to be criticized a lot by hardcore fans for its cleaner edge and cornier ways to compose a song. Most bands exploring said sounds also fall for the same treatment, but I'd differ the case for something as special as this. Nightwork is an ambivalent joy to listen; on one hand, you get regal atmospheres that definitively won't be found in a "trve" be thrown in the trash bin for more tighter and rigorous productions. It's neither this or that; it's the mix of both worlds that makes it an experience of its own caliber worth listening.

Ritual - Master's Hammer
Black Metal
Ffo: Mortuary Drape, Root, Tormentor
[Apple Music] [Bandcamp] [Spotify] [YouTube]

The year is 1991 and the Norwegian sound wasn't as influential nor present as it is right now for most bands. Most regional scenes had its personal take into what we now call black metal. Around Central Europe and the Mediterranean we could find bands such as Master's Hammer embracing a thrash/heavy metal inspired sound that definitely stayed within the area for years to come, specially around Greece. While our Scandinavian buddies went for the cold, ravenous atmospheres, Ritual is a monument to the foundation of what we love about metal: the riff.

Unholy Death - NME
Thrash Metal, Black Metal (still debated)
Ffo: Hellhammer, Venom, Abigail
[YouTube]

This is probably THE pick that is gonna get questioned by any turbonerds that stumble upon this bulletin. While some may claim that NME is only an extreme niche of 80s lo-fi thrash, Unholy Death mirrors a lot of early Bathory and Venom with its grim, punky take on metal instead of what the Big 4 were doing around the time or even other groups such as Razor or Slaughter. And while it can also be credited as "stenchcore" or metallized crust punk, the truth is that NME left an imprint that would be followed not only by the future North American scene, but by the rest of the world as well.

Evil Genius - Abruptum
Black Metal, Death/Doom Metal, Black Ambient/Noise
Ffo: Gnaw Their Tongues, Enbilulugugal
[Apple Music] [Bandcamp] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Let's spice things up a bit: not only this is a compilation of early works, but it also abandons most conventions of traditional black metal throughout the whole record as well. This is slow descent into turmoil and unforgiving, new depths. Abruptum is infamous even among knowledgeable musicians and hardcore fans, incorporating improvisation and noise as part of its main identity. Even if metal stops being a part of the main course, Evil Genius is precisely that. Foul, hostile. Not recommended for newcomers or purists whatsoever.

Painstreaks - Naked Whipper
War Metal, Grindcore
Ffo: Blasphemy, Damaar, Revenge, Conqueror, Sarcófago
[Bandcamp] [YouTube]

War metal is fun as hell. Really, really fun! While it may get old real quick for some people, I think that's the saving grace of it as a niche: it's supposed to be a maelstrom in all ways instead of something rational meant to last for all time. If your band ain't playing destructive, rancid stuff capable of tearing down the venue, I'm not listening to it. That's where Naked Whipper brings its quota with a charming twist: grindcore influences. This adds an even punkier edge to what was already a harsh niche of a sub-genre, staying catchy at times and always pulverizing. Entertaining as fuck.

One of the all-time greats of North American extremity! They play it slow, nasty and even with a flair for disco fever (it's groovy), but overall, it's fucking disgusting in the best way possible. Pretty pulverizing and sordid for its time compared to what other bands sounded like.

El derecho de vivir en paz - Víctor Jara
Nueva canción chilena
Ffo: Violeta Parra, Patricio Manns, Quilapayún, Inti-Illimani, Latin folk
[Spotify] [YouTube]

Lo que hicieron con Víctor Jara unos días después de la llegada de la dictadura militar fue un crimen no solamente contra la cultura nacional, sino también un atentado que destruyó más y más el corazón y la identidad del chileno. Pueden estar en contra o a favor de la política detrás del mensaje de muchas de las canciones de este disco, pero silenciar a un cantautor y artista de su calibre es cometer un pecado que solamente generó ignorancia y sombra sobre nuestro folklore nacional. Nunca te olvidaremos, compadre.

Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
Dream Pop
Ffo: Beach House, Slowdive, Mazzy Star
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Heaven indeed. Words cannot describe how gorgeous this stuff is even to this day, with so many bands trying to get a piece of that ethereal pie these guys baked for us to enjoy for years to come. Dreamy, beautiful pop that can soothe any burning wounds or everlasting scars; raw sonic love through the reverbing echoes of passionate psychedelia. An essential listen for anybody, no matter the music taste.

Fire of Love - The Gun Club
Punk Blues, Psychobilly
Ffo: The Cramps, Gallon Drunk, The Reverend Horton Heat
[Spotify] [YouTube]

The Gun Club is the musical equivalent to the Mad Max movies; hell, the second film came out the same year as this album! Both have a dark, hedonistic portrayal of Western wastelands and feature high-octane, raw action in their respective fields, while this band differs in what kind of aesthetic in relies on. If Mad Max is dystopian, post-apocalyptic future, Fire of Love is nihilistic and grounded to the present: anger against the establishment, sexual frenzy and a lot of drugs.

Hip-hop has changed a lot in the last two decades and it is due to acts like these guys why we even got rappers spitting over cloudy, strange soundscapes that seem to be extracted from a dream. This record is a producer's haven with its busy, progressive and always impactful use of collages and ambient tracks, like the soundtrack for future days. Soothing, yet ominous. On the other side, I also read that the vocals here have "that Mordecai and Rigby flow" which is kinda true tbh. Most of the lyrics come from stoner dudes pulling a blurry mixture of absurd humor, cryptic references and drug-fueled philosophy, so don't expect anything too serious. Nevertheless, it's quite the trip.

If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle & Sebastian
Chamber Pop, Twee Pop, Indie Pop
Ffo: Jens Lekman, Lamp, The Hidden Cameras, The Decemberists
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Even if I'm mostly a metal fan at heart, my soul will sometimes cry out for music like this. Something twee, poetic and sincere, even if it may sound too cheesy at times. But that's the charm of it, you know? Something so true and essential to oneself that it breaks most conventions and interests one may have at the time. That kind of music is truly magical and deserves to be held closely. B&S does that for me and I'm more than thankful for it.

The recent news about US authorities casually dropping info on alien life reminded me a lot of another kind of aliens: French people. Zeuhl is what happens when you mix sci-fi fantasy, jazz, epic/operatic compositions and a whole fictional language that is capable of making a drunk man sound coherent in comparison, all into one melting pot that reeks of experimental prog rock that manages to break conventions that daredevils such as King Crimson or Soft Machine weren't daring to touch.

Lorca - Tim Buckley
Avant-Folk, Psychedelic Folk
Ffo: Animal Collective's folk albums, Comus, unique voices
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

If you ever wondered where did Jeff Buckley got his vocal chops, you have to look to his roots: his very own father. Tim's voice and delivery radically differs from what his son would do in the 90's, as he not only croons, but howls his way through thick layers of improvisation outside of most norms for folk music around the turn of the early 1970s. And while Lorca isn't his most experimental stage yet (that would eventually happen with his follow-up in Starsailor), it's definitely a solid introduction into the sensual, surreal yet dark territory that his poetry could drag you into.

I personally have to disagree with Swedish punk band Refused's thesis: THIS was the shape of punk to come. Along with the funky sounds from Minutemen, Zen Arcade displayed a rawer, abrasive take on experimentation that never left its hardcore roots, making way for future alternative rock bands that enjoyed that noisy canvas of distortion and punkier ethos in terms of composition, while still leaving the doors open for broader influences outside of just pure energy. By 1983, we had it all clear. This was the way for the future, and it only took three folks from the Midwest to find out that formula for success.

Codeine is an oddball among their peers. While slowcore is defined by its sparse, low energy and minimally depressing atmosphere, the boys from New York indulged into noiser, heavier guitars that clashed against the calmer style from bands like Red House Painters. An artistic choice that definitely sell you a picture of personal defeat and loneliness. This isn't your average sad, slow music; these are songs for the man that has truly given up, wailing away through thick layers of mental anguish that drown you like the loud guitars that build this record's cold and lethargic aura. Powerful stuff.

Blood Lust - Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Heavy Psych, Traditional Doom Metal
Ffo: Black Sabbath, Ghost, Witchcraft, Electric Wizard
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

The music that this band make isn't anything groundbreaking whatsoever, but who cares? It's revivalism done right and sounding heavy, ominous and catchy as shit no matter how old this sound is, being a lovely homage not only to Black Sabbath, but to the classic Hammer horror movies as well. A great soundtrack for Halloween trick-or-treating this year.

Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing - Discharge
D-Beat
Ffo: Anti-Cimex, Doom, Skitslickers, Disfear
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

By the early 1980's, punk was already relegated into the richer plains of underground music after the initial shock brought upon the mainstream music industry; US hardcore punk, established as the new frontier for heaviness in the genre, would suddenly feel like child's play when the UK dropped the shells with Discharge's knack for incorporating heavy metal influences from giants like Motörhead and turn the tables upside down not only for punk, but for extreme metal as well. A transversal, militant and dangerous sound that still goes strong to this day.

El brillo que tiene es lo humano - Taller Dejao
Indie Rock
Ffo: Gepe, Life Without Buildings, The Dismemberment Plan
[Apple Music] [Bandcamp] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Me disculparán, pero van a tener que agarrar el traductor de Google de nuevo para esta ocasión. Tengo una relación complicada con el señor Daniel Riveros, alias Gepe; la mayor parte de sus temas más conocidos vienen de su época más creativamente oscura, pero me alegro que haya crecido en popularidad de forma orgánica después de tanto tiempo activo. Por otro lado, agradezco el resto de su discografía (en especial Gepinto y Hungría) por ser un lindo regalo no solamente al indie chileno, sino también al folclor nacional.

Sin embargo, mi amor siempre irá orientado a este único álbum. Disco que, hasta el día de hoy, yo creo que es la piedra fundacional de la escena independiente de mi país. De una forma u otra, todo vuelve aquí con Gepe (y con Javiera Mena, por supuesto) y no podría estar más contento que así sea.

The Ghost~Pop Tape - Devon Hendryx
Alternative R&B, Art Pop, Ambient Pop
Ffo: JPEGMAFIA, Frank Ocean, James Blake, Ecco2k
[Bandcamp] [Soundcloud] [YouTube]

Let me remind you that this album came out IN 2013, TEN YEARS AGO. THIS MAN WAS YEARS AHEAD OF THE GAME AND WE DIDN'T EVEN KNEW IT. THIS SHIT WAS THREE YEARS BEFORE BLONDE AND A LOT OF STUFF LIKE DRAIN GANG.

Also, Peggy babygirl please put this back on Spotify I beg of you, please. :(((

南蛮渡来 (Nanban torai) - Jagatara
Dance-Punk, Funk Rock, Post-Punk
Ffo: Talking Heads, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, James Chance/White
[Apple Music] [Spotify] [YouTube]

Japanese punk in the 80's was definitely more friendly towards the harsher, noisier side of things, but Jagatara simply decided to groove it out with a danceable formula that wouldn't be out of place for the fringe, weird post-punk stuff coming out from England or New York that took certain elements from funk, disco and even a little bit of afrobeat with its repetitive, rhythmic sound. I mean, just look at my monkey boy hanging out in the cover. You know what you're getting yourself into.

New stuff added here from time to time.