Sofa Surfers - Blindside (2010)

Genre: Alternative Rock, Trip-Hop, Downtempo, Chillout, Experimental
Quality: AAC @ 256
About: After a long delay, the trip-hop gone chillout-rock quartet is back, as of yesterday. They keep their downtempo and relaxed rock style from the previous album, but sound like they are going back to their roots a little, on songs like "Hardwire" and "Heavy Water". Hardwire is a trip-hop song with that relaxed style of rapping that sets this band apart, and Heavy Water is a speedy instrumental rock song. Their lyrics are often unbelievably deep, which keeps you coming back for more, wondering what the true meanings are. My only complaint is the album is too short.

Here's track 1, "Playing the Game." You can see this relaxed and unique style the band has is exemplified by this video.


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Please support the musicians that spent so much time, effort, and money to make this great music for you! Buy their albums, and go to their concerts (if possible)!
- Buy - Only $8.91 on iTunes!
- CD
- Vinyl

Lunar Aurora - Seelenfeuer (1998)

Genre: Black Metal. Almost tempted to call it progressive, avant-garde or experimental, but see description for the details.
About: Lunar Aurora is a really underground band to begin with... but within that community, there is a schism (wow, love that word but haven't used it since about 9th grade) between the people who like the older music, the newer music, and both. I tend to fall into the newer music community... Andacht, Mond, and Zyklus are just perfect atmospheric black metal masterpieces. And Ars Moriendi is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time for sure. But, ever since I first listened to Seelenfeuer in it's entirety on December 30th, 2009 I've been wanting to upload it here. Why? Normally, in any song, in any genre, even black metal, they stick with the most easily recognizable structure- 3 verses which are all different, and the same chorus in the middle, normally with a solo between the second verse and the chorus. But trying to find a definite structure this album is just like beating a dead horse with a stick. You will not get anything out of trying to find its structure.

Yet... there are still recognizable themes throughout a song so i hesitate to call it something like experimental or avant garde, and even riffs from early in the album that sound the same as later in the album. I love it because I, personally, love albums with coherence of sound, you can tell they were just in the studio from beginnning to end of this album and in response to that it is not just an album with great songs, it is an album that is great as an album, that you can listen to from start to finish quite easily because it just draws you into it's world and keeps you there.

I choose not to do a song-by song review because I want you to experience it for yourself... but it culminates in the face-obliterating epic "Kerker Aus Zeit". The main difference of older Lunar Aurora songs from newer ones, is that they do not have the ambient intros (sometimes between 2 and 5 minutes). What results from this is you just are instantly drawn into the song with whatever riff they throw at you on that song... this one being particularly epic, but after the intro riff you are just taken to another world for like 13 minutes before finally getting back to the riff. The keyboard stands out in this album because it is used as ambiance most of the time, but when it is used as a riff (such as in this song), it is just perfect.

So overall, I just love the feeling of insanity this album produces with its seemingly random tempo changes, riff changes, and I really have to applaud the drummer for this album because with crappy drumming, this album would have been pure garbage that is impossible to keep interested in because it changes so much........

...........within all this, though, you find a coherent theme and feeling, and it is unique to any listener, so go find it...

Mediafire Download

SIDE-NOTE: If anyone finds an in-stock T-shirt (second image at the top)(pretty sure this is the only Lunar Aurora shirt ever made, but if there is another shirt, that's great too) I would probably give a kidney for it, so send me a link!

Torrential Downpour - Torrential Downpour (2009)

Genre: From Minimalist/Ambient/Atmospheric to Death/Thrash/Experimental Metal/Hardcore
About: I'm sitting here thinking how to describe this music in words, and I just can't. It's so innovative and original. A lot of it is beautiful atmosphere but each song builds to a climax of heavy thrashing guitars and flying corpses (well maybe not but it sounds like it).

The first peak of the album is "Toile" which is almost 13 minutes, and it reminds me of atmospheric black metal in style, however I don't think it technically is... If you like Lunar Aurora, Trist, Drudkh, etc. this is for you.

Then the whole album builds to a climax which is "Three Twenty (The Hologram)". They might as well call it Four Twenty (The Orgasm) because it is a melodic death/thrash masterpiece. The last track is a perfect conclusion because it is a light flowing beautiful electric guitar melody.

The band members themselves seem cool, judging by that picture above and the fact that they signed my album when i asked. With very nice signatures I might add.

This band deserves so much more exposure than it has, so if you like it PLEASE purchase it and tell your friends! I'll tell you the album comes with a lot of extra goodies as well, but I won't ruin the surprise.

Buy this album (or their EP) on their Myspace!

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Fuck The Facts - Complete Full Length Studio Albums Discography! (2001-2008)

Genre: A fantastic genre-bending band with lots of great and original ideas. Highly recommended. Basic genres are:
Early- Grindcore, Noise.
Mid- Experimental, electronic.
Later- Death Metal, Progressive Metal.
(but every album is different, see details below.)

About: Topon has stated numerous times that the name "Fuck the Facts" was chosen, in part, as a statement about his attitude towards the music he wrote. He tried not to feel hampered by genre labels, and that is reflected in the musical style. The earlier Fuck the Facts recordings up until approximately 2000 featured a combination of grindcore and noise.


Download Fuck The Facts - Discoing the Dead (2001) (grindcore, noise, death metal, electronic, experimental, disco, jazz)

Though those two genres were prominent during this era of recording, many other styles crept into the music as well including death metal, electronic and even as some as diverse as disco and jazz. When Discoing the Dead was released in early 2001, it retained many of these experimental styles, paving the way for the beginning of the first incarnation of Fuck the Facts as a full band.


Download Fuck The Facts - Escunta (2002 release date) (Noise, Experimental)

[This album is really all about mindfuck (similar to the movie- "The Machinist"). It's genius in my opinion. My favorite at first listen is "They Call It Dance Musick". Then there's "Fuck The Facts Is Sexy" which is what I would imagine getting run over with a train would sound like.
(Re-ripped on 07/27/2009 using EAC... more info and logs included)]
Vagina Dancer and Escunta, recorded in 2000 and 2001 respectively, are the core of these noise recordings. [However, Vagina Dancer is not listed on metal-archives as a full length album, plus it was only ever released on tape so I am not including it here.]


Download Fuck The Facts - Mullet Fever (2001) (punk, grindcore, experimental, rap, hip-hop, jazz, electronic, noise)

Mullet Fever was released in 2002 and featured a more punk-influenced grindcore sound. However, many of the songs included more experimental (for grindcore) styles including rap, hip-hop, jazz, noise and electronic. [Track 19 is actually closer to raw black metal] The album was largely recorded in one session of the band recording their own jam session and some minimal editing afterwards, and may explain why this album stands out on its own in terms of musical style and scope.


Download Fuck The Facts - Backstabber Etiquette (2003) (death metal, technical metal)

When Backstabber Etiquette was recorded in 2002, vocalist Mel Mongeon had replaced Christoff, and her distinctive growl was markedly different than Brent's deep sound. Mel's higher pitched scream became the norm for the band. The musical style became more heavily influenced by death metal and showed more technical aspirations.


Download Fuck The Facts - Legacy Of Hopelessness EP (2005) (electronic, grindcore)

Legacy of Hopelessness showcased a bit of a departure for the band in that it had a lot more electronic influences. Keyboards are featured on nearly every track, and are sometimes the primary focus. Of course, grindcore is still quite present as well as Mel's distinctive vocals. The change in musical style can probably be attributed to the fact that this was initially intended to be a solo release by Topon, but was migrated over to the band when it was realized that another full-length release was not quite feasible.


Download Fuck The Facts - Stigmata High-Five (2006) (Progressive Metal, Experimental, Metalcore, Grindcore, Death Metal)

Stigmata High-Five represents the latest musical style of the band. The grindcore and death metal elements are still present, but so are more progressive and experimental ideas mixed with metalcore elements. The album contains longer songs with more intricate riffs and atypical time signatures.


Download Fuck The Facts - Disgorge Mexico (2008) (Progressive Metal, Experimental, Metalcore, Grindcore, Death Metal, Jazz, Fusion)

Disgorge Mexico contains shorter songs than Stigmata High-Five but retains a similar overall musical style. In some cases, the experimental ideas are expanded further to the point where one track contains a section that is reminiscent of straight ahead jazz and contains a high register melodic bass solo typical of jazz or fusion. Rhythmic elements often featured in progressive rock are still present, and metric dissonance via polyrhythms are often present.


[Biography stolen from Wikipedia... <3 whoever wrote it.]

[In case you're wondering... Yes this upload and post did take well over an hour. But very worth it :D ]

Gone Too Soon: The Absolute Best of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (2009) (Unofficial Compilation)

Genre: Progressive Rock, Classic Rock, ...later songs: Experimental, Avant-Garde, Jazz, Melodic Rock
About: Arguably the most talented and influential Progressive Rock band of all time. I compiled this tracklist because I was so annoyed at how selective and overall bad the "official" best of's and box sets and compilations are. They often just have the chart-toppers which, if you know anything about pop music they are often not all the artist's best songs.

So, I have included what I feel are their best songs, which spans from their first album in 1970 to their last in 1994. I spent a significant amount of time picking these 25 tracks, and I have listened to every album in their catalog, multiple times in the past so I have a good feel for what their best songs are.

There is at least one song from every studio album, plus Pictures at an Exhibition, often multiple songs from each album. It is in chronological order, so you will get a feel for how their sound has progressed over time. From a Classic Sound, to more Progressive and Experimental, to just plain Avant-Garde/Jazz on a track such as "Bullfrog", then back to the Progressive Classic style in the 90's, only somewhat more Melodic Rock-styled.

Enjoy! And if you like it, spread the word!


Track List (2:05:33):

1970 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
1. Take a Pebble (12:32)
2. Lucky Man (4:38)

1971 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Tarkus
3. Stones of Years (3:44)
4. Iconoclast (1:16)
5. Mass (3:12)
6. A Time and a Place (3:02)
7. Are You Ready Eddy? (2:10)

1971 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Pictures at An Exhibition (Live)
8. The Hut of Baba Yaga (1:06)
9. The Great Gates of Kiev (5:12)

1972 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Trilogy
10. The Endless Enigma (Part Two) (2:03)
11. From the Beginning (4:16)
12. Hoedown (3:47)

1973 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery
13. Jerusalem (2:44)
14. Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 2 (4:46)

1977 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Works, Volume 1: Black
15. C'est La Vie (4:20)
16. L.A. Nights (5:46)
17. Fanfare for the Common Man (9:46)

1977 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Works, Volume 2: White
18. Tiger in a Spotlight (4:35)
19. Bullfrog (3:52)
20. I Believe in Father Christmas (3:19)

1978 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Love Beach
21. Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman (20:16)

1992 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Black Moon
22. Affairs of the Heart (3:47)
23. Changing States (6:02)

1994 - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - In The Hot Seat
24. Hand of Truth (5:23)
25. Gone Too Soon (4:12)


Download pt 1
Download pt 2