Top 10 Musical Obsessions from 2011
Again, let me start this with a disclaimer; I am insane and a weird collector of tapes and records and CDs. This is a small chronicle of the labels and bands that I become hopelessly obsessed with over the course of 2011. This is a horrible disease, and my wife feels like the labels on here are akin to drug pushers as far as I am concerned.
Handmade Birds
This record label spearheaded by R. Loren (of the Hydra Head Pyramids, Sailors With Wax Wings, White Moth) has been consistently churning out great records at an unbelievable pace; kicking the whole operation off was the mind blowing vinyl appearance of Blut Aus Nord’s MORT and Evan Caminiti’s (from Barn Owl) When California Falls Into The Sea through Celestiial’s Desolate North (which has dominated my stereo for some time since I received the album) and the massive 3x10” collection of the Key demos to the vinyl issue of the elusive King Of Sweet from His Name Is Alive to the awesome TRVTH from Servile Sect, and the critically lauded albums from Crooked Necks (Alright Is Exactly What It Isn’t) and Circle of Ouroborus (Eleven Fingers). Every release looks great and sounds beautiful and the upcoming release schedule is sure to continue to empty my pockets on a regular basis (it is mine), though the release schedule is slowing down a bit for next year. Not a single release has even been mediocre or average as every single artist involved seems to be excellent, speaking highly of R. Loren’s diverse and excellent taste in music.
Mamiffer & House Of Low Culture
Now, this might be two different obsessions to some, but the incestuous memberships and releases of these two projects justifies (in my mind anyway) doing this in such a manner. Starting off with the vinyl version of their split on Utech last year via their own Sige Records, Mamiffer and House Of Low Culture have assaulted their fanatics with small releases and great releases along the way. Lou Lou… In Tokyo (both on CD/DVD from Japan and a 2xLP), the magnificent Mare Descendrii, the two split tour cassettes and more releases on the way including the new House Of Low Culture album, Poisoned Soil and the new Mamiffer album, Lilac, and the Mamiffer collaboration with Locrian. Between the two of them, they are making me poor, but the music output is truly top notch.
Music Ruins Lives
Music Ruins Lives (or MRL for short) is another label that has easily been burning up my cash flow by consistently releasing excellent records this year (and late last year); to the point where the label, which hand numbers every release) has cooperated and taken pity on my obsession by ensuring that I receive all of the number 33 copy from every tape, record, CD, etc that they deem to release (with the exception of releases with less than 33 copies, in which case I get #3). This year saw some great releases from the label like Brightly Our Stars Did Shine from Greys, Untitled from mighty Planning For Burial , Monthhunting from Tom Vourtsis, the great Sequences / Isolated Existence release ( Graminaea / Poaceae), the amazing Sunyata Rising / Limbs In Gloom from Life In The Dark, (-) from Vit, the CD version of the critically acclaimed Wreck And Reference Black Cassette, and on and on. All releases are excellent and worth tracking down. Thank god that the two miscreants that run this are hopeless collector nerds like myself.
Locrian
Locrian is another group that has had me running trying to track down their myriad of previous releases while their new output can be almost as challenging. Go to Discogs.com to see just how many releases this former duo now trio have produced during their existence. So far this year, the new records have been excellent with the vinyl release of The Crystal World as well as a split 7” with Horseback and a collaborative one sided LP, New Dominions, that is also with Horseback. They rounded off the year with the Dort Ist Der Weg 7” and the album, The Clearing while the beginning of next year already has something huge in store in the collaboration album with Mamiffer… ugh my wallet hates me.
Sutekh Hexen
Now, Sutekh Hexen is probably my latest obsession, chronologically speaking of course. With an already impressive discography under their belts (the tapes: Alters, Constellation, Ritualistic and a 3xCS boxset collecting the tapes, the 7”s: Ordo Adversarial, Daemons, Shadows, and a 3x7” box set of the aforementioned tapes, a CD compiling the 7”s other than the box set, and an LP, Luciform) Their awesome blackened noise is not just a force to be reckoned , but they are breaking new ground with some of the future releases like the upcoming Handmade Birds LP, LARVAE, and the Behind The Throne LP coming soon from Magic Bullet besides a multitude (and I mean that) of other releases that will taunt me until they are sitting in my hands
Life In The Dark
This guy completely gobbled up tons of my time this year. Life In The Dark is one of my most listened to artists of 2011 and not just because he has pumped out a bunch of material this year (The Sunya Is Rising / Limbs In Gloom, two tracks on the international compilation Dans L’isolement Solidaires, the Hushed Bloom cassette, the Roman Child cassette, and the Absolute Control cassette that I literally just received three days ago (as of typing this out)) but because everything that bears the Life In The Dark moniker is simply arresting. There have literally been where all I have listened to is this discography. Sick, I know; but it is just so good.
Planning For Burial
Seriously, it is getting tough to write about Planning For Burial at this point, because I feel almost as if it is bordering on fan-boy at times. Hands down though, nothing that this one man project has done is bad; and some of his releases at this point are just future classics at some point when people recognize it. This year saw the release of the Untitled EP and the Late Twenties Blues tape; not a huge amount compared to some of these obsessions, but I may have listened to this music more than anything else this year (outside of Swans). Next year is shaping up to be an amazing year for Planning For Burial, so hopefully I will not be alone in my obsession.
blsphm
OK, so as of my typing this I don’t own anything from this enigmatic entity. I missed out on YAMA because deep down I thought I would lose my soul for owning the tape, but I stared at that tape on the internet quite a bit with my finger hovering over the mouse button while highlighting the “buy” button on the screen. I missed out on that tape that was limited to just 9 copies, and I regret it even now. I fear that I will never hear the 45 minutes of horror that awaits the 9 lucky people who ponder whether or not to destroy their tape deck to hear it. Not long after two new CD-rs and another LP went up for order and the same thing happened; staring at these in terror wanting badly to purchase them. Maybe one day I will… maybe. Until then, I will just obsess over whether or not I should.
Strange Rules
This tape label is one of the entities that helped me get over my abject hatred for tapes. Not a single tape has let me down and has introduced me to a ton of great new music. The label is just as enigmatic as its artists and insane rumors surround the label in its small circle… by design no less. The biggest releases in terms of quantities that the label has produced were on the last two offerings of 2011 at 30 and 35 tapes a piece. The tapes normally sell out with alarming speed, particularly anything to do with the flagship group Cremation Lily. Damn Brits…always coming up with awesome music.
Words: Bob
All right, you've all read about the best music this year that we here at Scene Point Blank can recommend. But there's also a dark side to this year's music, and I'd like to take the moment to directly address a few of the worst offenders in this year's music scene, using the plural voice.
