Backcatalog - Darkel, Overkill, Rough Guide To Celtic Lullabies

The first Backcatalog Edition, I expect two to three albums to be the norm going forward, two if one's a double disc set. I'll make it up as I go really...

Darkel

Darkel

Label: Astralwerks
Released: 2006
Genre: Downtempo, Trip-Hop

I picked this up at a tent sale. I'm not going to say this is a bad album, because it's not. But it's decidedly middle of the road in that kind of major way that makes one want to condemn it. A mid 2000s release that would have been buried and killed were it released only six or seven years earlier. But then, and now six years later, it comes across as interestingly 'old school'.

Darkel is one half of AIR, a future-jazz/downtempo/ambient duo active since the late 90s. AIR is good, they've got a kind of experimental quality that never lets it get either out of hand or stale. Darkel is Dunkel's solo effort (and his only one to date). Like I said, it's not a bad album, but I'm glad his primary work is with other musicians, because this lacks a certain quality - namely the quality that lets you remember what it is you're listening to. Middle of the road...

Overkill

Taking Over

Label: Atlantic
Released: 1987
Genre: Thrash Metal

 The second album from one of the original East Coast thrash metal bands back in the 80s. Very hard to find in any format, and I'm not sure I didn't end up with a bootleg here anyway... This is one of those albums that even way back when I knew of it, and had a taped version of it from a friend, but never managed to get my own copy. Most of their albums weren't that hard to find, so. We've got Taking Over. After their first ming boggling awesome release (Feel The Fire) and the stride they hit after this album came out (Under The Influence; The Years Of Decay; Horrorscope) I have to wonder, what the hell happened here?

It's great 80s thrash. It just doesn't really carry as well as the albums that surround it. Part of me doesn't wonder if this wasn't just hashed out as a way to keep touring. I love it in the way I love all thrash-metal albums - which is to say unconditionally. But I were forced to leave a few by the side of the road, I'd toss this one and defend the rest of my Overkill collection with fervor. It's a stop gap between their first and third albums - a definite case of Sophomore Slump that afflicts so many bands it's a cliche.

 The Rough Guide To Celtic Lullabies

Bonus CD: Gráinne Hambly (Irish Harp Lullabies)

Label: World Music Network
Released: 2012
Genre: Celtic, Folk, Children's Songs

 I don't actually have a need for lullabies, at least not in the capacity of needing to play them for a small child. However, I do like harp music (the harp is a fantastic instrument that produces some amazing sounds), and I like Celtic music, and I like light ambient sounds to work to sometimes. And this is all three. While the words are unmistakably (even when can't understand them) lullabies designed in a way to put small children to sleep (or at least calm them down), the melodies are light, and airy, and the good kind of music to have quietly fill the backspaces in a room. The Rough Guides are more coherent themes (instead of wide open regions) tend to gel better, everything here fits together because it's all from the same genre and from the same approach to the genre.

The second CD is, being a fan of the harp, the better of the two in my opinion. It's all gorgeous, soft, sounds. Between both discs you get 26 really good songs. So, this week ends on an up, if quiet, note.

Week of 5/29 - Rock, Ambient, Celtic, Dubstep

This week some new stuff from an "old school" dubstep (is it old enough a style to have an old school sound? Probably), a rough guide to Celtic Women, and more! This week is odd that pretty much everything was released in the last three months - a little catch up of newer stuff, some of which I've had hanging around a few weeks to boot.

New and Recent Releases:

Burial
Street Halo / Kindred
Label: Beatrec
Released: 5/29 2012
Genre: Dubstep, Ambient

This is technically a US release of two Japanese singles, each with three tracks. Comes complete with an Obi Strip (that rather annoying piece of spine paper covering outside the case). Burial has been around for a decent amount of time, well before dubstep was all fuzzy wobbles. Though these six tracks come across as much more ambient, and darker, than some earlier stuff. No fast paced dance beats, no heavy fuzz, and very little wobble in the bass. But it really really is superb sounding stuff. While I actually hesitate to slide it into the dubstep label, because it's such an amazing piece of dark ambient soundscape.

Diablo III Soundtrack
Label: Blizzard Entertainment
Released: 5/15 2012
Genre: Ambient

The digital version of the album is available in the iTunes music store, being the big fan I am I have the CD Release that comes with the Collector's Edition of the game. Like the previous soundtrack they did an excellent job making the music fit the game, and updating it a little bit. This album was recorded with a full orchestra in an wide open space, not a studio. And you can hear the difference. Beyond the game, the music here is good atmospheric music for a number of places. It has quiet and loud places, some soft, some hard, but overall it invokes a bit of a creepy feeling, and sometimes a good fight scene, and a few epic build ups. If you're a gamer of the table top variety this is a good addition for some mood music for a fantasy RPG.

The Shins
Port Of Morrow
Label: Aural Apothecary Records
Released: March 2012
Genre: Rock

Mercer, the lead singer and guitarist here, is the other half of Broken Bells. Being a big fan of Dangermouse I had picked that up and decided to check out the other half. The Shins are good, but they're also pretty straight forward garage, or indie, rock. The sound isn't anything particularly daring or special or even innovative. But it is good, plain old rock and roll so to speak. I like it, it's not overly brash and loud, nor is it boring sound like the musicians would rather be somewhere else (I hear a lot of bands like that and take a pass on them). Nope, this is just good, plain, rock music. And I like that. Definitely worth picking up.

The Rough Guide To Celtic Women
w/ Bonus Teresa Doyle 'Orrachan'
Label: World Music Network
Released: Spring 2012

I have several compilations of 'Celtic Women' I've gotten over the years, so one more isn't going to make a splash. I sometimes wonder why I don't see 'Celtic Men' compilations, they seem rare enough from a casual glance. So, this collection is a good solid gathering of strong voices, a wide range of styles, more of the songs are in Irish, a very few in English. It's a decent and diverse compilation of modern and older women in the scene of traditional Irish music. If you're just getting into it, this is a good starting place for up and coming musicians to find. If you've been into the scene, this might help find newer voices to add.

The bonus disc is from Teresa Doyle has been around at least twenty years, a Canadian with strong Irish ties, many 'Irish' singers are from Maritime Canada actually. Her voice is soft and often described as 'ethereal'. We get the full Orrachan album with this two-disc release, originally published by Bedlam Records if you want just her album. Most of the songs here come across as dirges though, which is odd. I don't think they're all actually dirges, but between her voice and guitar and the arrangement that's the feeling I get. But, it is very good, and a little different from many traditional Irish with more instruments than you can shake a stick at sometimes.

Next Week:
some old Gothic Rock, some new EBM, some classic industrial, some modern psychedelic rock, and new hip-hop and industrial rock to round it out. Listen Hard!