Of the Wand & the Moon - The Lone Descent

My new obsession. I know i'm a little late in the game for getting into Of the Wand & the Moon, but whatever. Maybe it was worth it because i got to hear this album with fresh, virgin ears. It kind of reminds me of if Death in June and Damien Jurado collaborated. A true golden achievement.

Here.

Current 93 - Of Ruine or Some Blazing Starre

Current 93 have gone through a lot of changes throughout their/his (david tibet's) history: being, in the beginning, an industrial band of the early/mid eighties type (and my personal favorite, at least of the small amount of industrial that i've heard), then, as if purposely changing his pace to usher in the new decade, grandfathering the very ambiguous genre of 'neo-folk' alongside other famous changeling Death in June. This particular album came out in 1994 and is a great starting point for anyone that doesn't know Current 93. My mind changes all the time, but i currently think that 'Of Ruine...' is his most beautiful, most organic, most real and most haunting album. Not very experimental (at least compared to some of his output), just simple acoustic guitar passages played by michael cashmore, and stephen stapleton (of nurse with wound) providing all other musical decorations and din. Tibet's vocals, although beautiful in their own right, can be a bit surprising and maybe even grating to the uninitiated, so be prepared. He doesn't really sing, so much as speak semi-melodically. His lyrics are what do me in, though. He's like watching a crazy corner prophet who believes in what he says so desperately that he winds up convincing you that it's all real; and it is real, every last word.

Here.

*repost from 3/29/10*

The Elemental Chrysalis - The Calocybe Collection

The Elemental Chrysalis are a little iffy to describe, because when i start to say things like "ambient music" to some of my friends, they think of noise bands. And then when i say "no, no, no...it's like...pretty guitar shit, with ambient stuff happening, and it's really well produced and there's even some throat singing...", they chuckle and ask me how i like the rest of my windham hill records. So i tell them to fuck off, and then they never get hear Elemental Chrysalis. So stop being such a dick and download this album.

Here.