Th.e n.d is the artist Norman Dauskardt who hails from Berlin. Norman has a style that is hard to define, for it is so unique. Blending ambient movements and middle eastern acoustic trance elements with well timed rhythms and diverse imstrumentation, Metaphors gives the listener a chilled out experience. Down-tempo and minimal, each track has something different to offer – from distant, spacey ambiance in The Bane of Tadziu (is that the scanner from the bridge of the original star ship Enterprise I hear in there?) to acoustic guitar backed by a heavy hip-hop beat in Wild White. Favorite track on this release is definitely Chromatic Sins; I love the Asian sound the lead instrument takes.
Author Archives: bahgheera
Hammock – Kenotic (and other albums)
Hooray, the orbit is not dead yet! I just discovered the ambient post-rock group Hammock last night via a post on Facebook linking to one of their songs on youtube. I was instantly enthralled. Hammock, is a collaboration between Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson out of Nashville, TN. Their music creates such a transporting atmosphere, with washed out vocals, subtle beats, and huge echoing guitar tracks. I know you’ll love it, if you enjoy The Big Sleep or Explosions in the Sky. One note: this is a departure from what the orbit normally brings you, as the albums are not downloadable. Sorry folks, but these guys are too good for me not to mention, so you’ll just have to let soundcloud play it for you in the background. Enjoy!
Sudio – Soulstrip
A smooth release of three tracks. This reminds me of cold winter days in a quiet spot in the woods, with leaves silently falling around and sunlight streaming through the tree tops. You know, one of those strange, quiet experiences we all have from time to time that is just between us an nature. Sudio captures all that and somehow puts it into a set of house tracks that is guaranteed to get your toe tapping. Subdued drum beats that glitch out from time to time. Mellow strings fading in and out. Deep basslines to rumble your speakers. Blipping synths like popcorn in your ears. Check this one out.
Culprate – Avian Life on Mars Will Be…
A smooth release full of glitches and all manner of electro goodness. Part hip hop, part electronica, Culprate has created six tracks for this release. Culprate is not afraid to go crazy with effects, using comb filters and speeding up vocal samples like there’s no tomorrow. Each of the tracks has it’s own feel, ranging from a sort of psychotic mo-town feeling to a circus full of meth addicted clowns… yes, seriously. This one you have to hear to understand – the only other way I can describe it is to say that if you like this sort of thing, then this is the sort of thing you like.
Khonnor – Lost Pets
Lee Rosevere – Colourless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously
Lee Rosevere does his own brand of instrumental funk on this release. With a quirky, retro feel, the six tracks run the gamut from smooth and jazzy to hip-hop to beatles-esque. Top notch drum programming keeps the funkiness in the forefront. Out of the whole set, I think track six, Stormbox, is my favorite, mainly because of the huge drumbreak in the background and the big ol’ fat synth doing weird things in the foreground, but also it’s interesting to hear samples from who knows where fading in and out and sounding all out of place and discordant, and finally the entire track implodes in a synth patch nightmare. This is definitely worth a listen – and if you’re like me, you’ll want to have this blazing out the windows of your car as well.
Pet Slimmers of the Year – …And The Sky Fell
How can I describe this release, other than to say it rocks?
Track one, Moravka, is an emotive bit of rock that stays distant, but still gets your head bobbing. The haunting, faraway vocals in this track are the icing on the cake.
The second track starts out with a nice long build reminiscent of songs by Tool, that finally crescendos into an acoustic piece that contains plenty of movement, finally erupting into full glory with all guitars switching on the distortion and rocking out some super heavy guitar riffs before a quiet, introspective break that builds back into an acoustic rambling.
Tracks three, four and five follow suit – especially track four, the title track, which is nothing but a pure heavy metal implosion, and more creative rock guitar and thunderous drum work combine for a beautifully artistic music experience to finish up. This release is top notch.
The Echelon Effect – Mosaic
A quiet, introspective release of ten tracks totaling almost an hour of music. Reminiscent of Orange Crush, this album has a sense of inner peace and calm, merging electronic ideas with pop sensibilities. Rolling guitars washed in echo build and swell alongside synths and drums, with a music box-like sound pervading the entire release.
Consciousness Removal Project – Do You Ever Think It’s The End Of The World?
Here is something special – dark post-metal from Finland. You know the Fins do metal right, and this is no exception. Dark, heavy guitars thickly layered over each other, performing riffs right out of the darkest recesses of the mind. Far away vocals, thundering drums, and creepy electronic sounds create a mental image of a vast, cold, sonic bleakness, and surprises litter the album (who would have expected a sax solo in the middle of a post-metal album?). This is a definite don’t-miss.
Consciousness Removal Project – Do You Ever Think It’s The End Of The World?