Tanner Merritt - CYRUS I: WEIGHT OF REFLECTION (2021)

Tanner Merritt is an artist probably best known for being the vocalist in the post-hardcore band O'Brother. However, back in 2013 he released a solo album and now it's time for the follow-up in CYRUS I: WEIGHT OF REFLECTION.

The music here is very far from what the artist does with his band. The album shows a unique blend of various offstream genres including industrial electronica and goth rock with IAMX's vibes, all set within an ethereal atmosphere. The latter is provided mostly by the subtle vocals, never too loud and too expressive as the emotional part is conveyed by lyrics that talk about grief, anger and all the emotions that are human but also difficult to comprehend. They fit so well with the eclectic, very modern-sounding backgrounds. There's so much going on there with guitars, piano keys and a lot of electronic sounds, but they are still very able to sound very coherent and never over the top. This helps in achieving probably the mot important goal here: being catchy and moody and intimate at the same time.

And moody it is for sure. The quiet experimental chaos in the backgrounds is put into the form by the ethereal vibes and poignant lyrics. There are so many track here, like EXIT SIGN or GLEAM IN THE GREY, that are simply overflowed with dense airy atmosphere. The levels of echoes and backing vocals in some places put this, after all, modern and eclectic electronic pop album, within the dominium of airy dream pop at the same time.

CYRUS I: WEIGHT OF REFLECTION costs 7 USD.

Check: EXIT SIGN

Country: Georgia, US

Genre: dreamy modern pop

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Last Ice - Last Ice (2021)

Last Ice is a combination of two shoegazey bands: Bloody Knives and We Are Parasols. While I don't know much about the latter, the Texans of the former have been one of those fresh and very good takes on nugaze. Together with their Oregon and Georgia-based counterparts, they master this even more to such an extent that their debut album Last Ice seems to easily be one of the best shoegaze releases of the year.

This is clearly not just indie rock with noisy add-ons, it's shoegaze in its best, one that combines Slowdive's delicateness with MBV's mystery, one that sounds like homogeneous sea of powerful sound but at the same time pampers the audience with the quality of lulling sounds. The combination of two bands, among other things, results in having two vocals: very dream pop-like, subtle male one and the second, female, folk-like airy, sounding as if Enya decided to leave her castles and start a shoegaze band. And the latter provide what can be described as the uniqueness factor for this project. They don't sound like anything I know.

They do, however, tend to get lost within the overpowered guitar and synths-based backgrounds. On the other hand, the longer the album goes, the more electronic and trippy the music gets. So Curse is barely shoegaze anymore, more of ethereality-rich electronica of the best kind while Disease is perfectly trip-hoppy trip-hop. Until in the end it finishes with a gothic and industrial wierdo called, obviously, End.

Last Ice costs 8 USD.

Check: Chains

Country: Texas/Oregon/Georgia, US

Genre: ethereal nugaze

Label: No Movement Records

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Zarathustar - Also sprach (2021)

I couldn't find much about this project, I know it's a man who makes both music and visual art (make sure to check his Instagram account for some psychedelically dark stuff!), who recently released his, probably, debut material in the form of an album called Also sprach.

Both the names of the project itself and the album are direct references to Friedrich Nietzsche and/or Richard Strauss legacy which immediately makes this music darker if you think about it. Also, nice play on words there! The music on the album is characterized with very, very subtle vocals hidden deep behind the rather noisy guitars. It is a solo project and it shows but most of the time the beautiful noise that's present here gives chills and storms ears covering any imperfectness. I especially like the tracks in which the artist let himself go and unleashed all the lo-fi noise he could and it sounds awesome (as it is the case in In My Life for example).

Also sprach costs 5 USD.

Check: In My Life

Country: Georgia, US

Genre: noisy dream pop

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Of the Vine - Left Alone (2020) EN

"The prettiest doom metal band you've ever heard", that's how the Americans of Georgia making up Of the Vine are described. Their third album called Left Alone clearly shows why it's definitely true.

Although the compositions here can't be described other than long post-metal epics, they are built in such a way that they have to be called attractive if not sexy. Using not my words: they constitute "a blend of stylistic approaches that comes together into something breathtaking that can crush listeners and then lift them up in a single moment". Agreed. They are so well written, surprising, not shy to address complex ideas and doing so in a virtuosity-full way.

So don't be surprised when Left Alone alone will offer peaceful, instrumental ambient with airy vocals just next to monumental guitar soundscapes. Actually, the vocals themselves deserve a huge plus all together, they are situated somewhere between Ryan Osterman of Holy Fawn and Jakob Berglund of A Swarm of the Sun. This completes such fantastic tracks as the ever-changing I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead, chaotically loud Forelorn or final Ilfracombe. One of my favourite albums of the year already now.

Left Alone costs 6 USD`.

Sprawdź: I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead

Kraj: Georgia, US

Szufladka: complex post-metal

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Of the Vine - Left Alone (2020) PL

"Najpiękniejszy doom metal jaki kiedykolwiek słyszałeś", tak opisywani są Amerykanie z Georgii tworzący zespół Of the Vine. Ich trzecia płyta Left Alone dosadnie pokazuje dlaczego jest to święta racja.

Mimo, że kompozycje na niej to długie post-metalowe epopeje, skonstruowane są one w taki sposób, że trzeba je określić jako nadzwyczaj atrakcyjne, jeśli nie seksowne. Nie moimi słowy: tworzą one "mieszankę stylistycznych podejść które razem tworzą coś zapierającego dech w piersiach, co potrafi zmiażdżyć słuchacza i go podnieść w tym samym momencie". Pełna zgoda. Są one znakomicie napisane, zaskakujące, wprowadzające skomplikowane rozwiązania i robiące to w sposób pełen wirtuozerii.

Dlatego nie dziwcie się, gdy samo Left Alone oferuje spokojne, instrumentalne ambienty z eterycznym wokalem tuż obok monumentalnych, gitarowych pejzaży. W ogóle to wokal sam w sobie zasługuje na wielki plus plasując się gdzieś między Ryanem Ostermanem z Holy Fawn a Jakobem Berglundem z A Swarm of the Sun. To tylko ubarwia takie fantastyczne kawałki jak zmienne I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead, chaotycznie głośne Forelorn czy finałowe Ilfracombe. Jeden z moich ulubionych krążków tego roku już teraz.

Left Alone kosztuje 24 złote (6 USD).

Sprawdź: I'm Morrisey, I'm Dead

Kraj: Georgia, US

Szufladka: complex post-metal

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Skippy Spiral - Circuit Circus (2020) PL

Jedna z dziwaczniejszych rzeczy na moim blogu, Skippy Spiral to "a music clown & entertainer" z Savannah, a jego ostatni album, Circuit Circus, to prawdziwie punkowo-psychodeliczna mieszanka z akordeonem i cyrkiem na pierwszym planie.

Fascynacja cyrkiem do tej pory kojarzyła mi się bardziej z klimatycznymi i mrocznymi balladami The Irrepressibles, tymczasem Amerykanin to bardziej lo-fi'owa psychodeliczna jazda bez trzymanki. W opisie albumu na stronie wydawcy, przeczytać można, że w muzyce artysty "akordeon, keyboard i wokal charakterystyczny dla cyrkowego nawoływacza są akompaniowane muzyką przenikniętą..." i tu następuje prawdziwa litania gatunków muzycznych z punkiem, industrialem czy muzyką klezmerską. Żeby było jeszcze ciekawiej, Circuit Circus to concept album opowiadającym farsę/przypowieść o ludzkości uploadowanej do wirtualnej rzeczywistości.

Płyta składa się z wielu po punkowemu szybkich kawałków w bardzo lo-fi'owej estetyce. Kilka, jak Vicious Circle, Shadowish Puppetry czy Clownbot 3000 natychmiast zapadają w pamięć. Ten album to na pewno ciekawostka, ala taka, której muzyczna warstwa też się broni.

Circuit Circus kosztuje 30 złotych (7 USD).

Sprawdź: Vicious Circle

Kraj: Georgia, US

Szufladka: psychedelic post-punk

Label: Graveface Records & Curiosities

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Skippy Spiral - Circuit Circus (2020) EN

This is one of the most peculiar things on my blog ever, Skippy Spiral is "a music clown & entertainer" from Savannah, and his newest album, Circuit Circus, makes a really punk-psychedelic mixture with accordion and circus on the foreground.

The fascination with circus up to this point in my mind was mostly about atmospheric and dark ballads by The Irrepressibles, that said, the American makes more like a lo-fi psychedelic joy ride. In the description featured on the label's Badcamp, you can read that in the artist's music "accordion/keyboard & carny barker style vocals is accompanied by original music that infuses..." and then there goes an impressive list of music genres with for example punk, industrial or klezmer. To make everything even more interesting, Circuit Circus is a concept album telling a farce/parable about the humankind uploaded to artificial reality.

The album consists of the lot of punkishly fast songs in a borderline lo-fi style. Some, such as Vicious Circle, Shadowish Puppetry or Clownbot 3000 instantly make their way to the listener's mind. This album is definitely a fun fact, but also one the musical layer of which is worth checking out too.

Circuit Circus costs 7 USD.

Check: Vicious Circle

Country: Georgia, US

Genre: psychedelic post-punk
Label: Graveface Records & Curiosities

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:WatchCamp: May'18 - ANTHOLOMOIR, Blade of Grass, MIM, pacificUV, SPRING WINDS (2018) EN

ANTHOLOMOIR - Her Name Was...

Artist from Kansas and his atmospheric music as if taken from a soundtrack to a non-existent movie. Filled with nostalgia, sadness and classical instruments. Must-hear for fans of trembling strings and beautiful keys. Two tracks cost 2 USD.

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Blade of Grass - Looks so Good

Psychedelic shoegaze from California in a quite fitting lo-fi form and catchy as the best mesmerizing tricks. The track can be yours for a dollar.

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MIM - S // S

Very guitar-esque post-rock from Malaysia, pretty aggressive but also able to build up an impressive atmosphere, worth waiting for more. Two tracks for 1 USD.

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pacificUV

Electronic, synth post-rock from Georgia, well-written and well-executed, more atmospheric than hitting with noise, more melancholic than energetic. Beautiful. Two tracks for 2 USD.

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SPRING WINDS

St Petersburg based band debuting with airy vocals and fantastic, dense guitar layers. Great first song. The single can be yours for whatever you want to pay.

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:WatchCamp: Maj'18 - ANTHOLOMOIR, Blade of Grass, MIM, pacificUV, SPRING WINDS (2018) PL

ANTHOLOMOIR - Her Name Was...

Artysta z Kansas i jego atmosferyczna muzyka jak ze ścieżki dźwiękowej nieistniejącego filmu. Pełna nostalgii, smutku i instrumentów klasycznych. Dla fanów drżących smyczków i pięknych klawiszy. Dwa utwory kosztują 8 złotych (2 USD).

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Blade of Grass - Looks so Good

Psychodeliczny shoegaze z Kalifornii z bardzo pasującą lo-fi'ową oprawą i wpadający w podświadomość jak najlepsze hipnotyczne sztuczki. Kawałek dostępny za cztery złote (albo dolara).

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MIM - S // S

Bardzo gitarowy post-rock z Malezji, pełen drapieżności a jednocześnie potrafiący zbudować imponującą atmosferę, warto czekać na więcej materiału. Dwa kawałki za cztery złote (1 USD).

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pacificUV

Elektroniczny, synthowy post-rock z Georgii, dopracowany i świetnie napisany, bardziej nastrojowy niż dorzucający do pieca, bardziej melancholijny niż energetyczny. Piękny. Dwa kawałki za 8 złotych (2 USD).

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SPRING WINDS

Petersburski debiut pełen eterycznych wokali i fantastycznych, gęstych gitar. Doskonały debiut. Singiel można mieć za ile tylko się chce.

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Aberrations Of Light - Banuary (2017) EN

Aberration Of Light, solo project by Mark Skelton of Georgia, that drowns us in waves of beautiful noise. The peace radiating from his music is incapacitating.

The whole thing is created with sounds of electric guitar that were being tortured so long until the artist got what he wanted. The fantastic atmosphere is enhanced by samples from some obscure radio transmissions covered with noise and interference made on purpose to sound as if the sound had been spending quite a lot of time underground gaining preciousness. This is the music for long and dark evening of November's end.

"Banuary" can be bought for 5 USD.

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Aberrations Of Light - Banuary (2017) PL

Aberration Of Light, solowy projekt Marka Skeltona z Georgii, który zalewa słuchaczy falami pięknego noise'u. Spokój emanujący z jego muzyki jest obezwładniający 

Całość stworzona jest na bazie dźwięków gitary elektrycznej, które zostały poddane licznym torturom by wyrażały to, czego pragnął artysta. Do fantastycznego klimatu dokładają się przysłonięte noise'em sample wyciągnięte z jakichś radiowych transmisji i celowe zanieczyszczenia dźwięku, dzięki którym brzmi on jakby przeleżał solidny okres czasu pod ziemią nabierając szlachetności. Muzyka na długi i ciemny wieczór końca listopada.

"Banuary" można mieć za 18 złotych (5 USD).

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