Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Sean Patrick Curley - Sean Patrick Curley (Not Downloadable)

Year: 2009
Genre: No clue (This probably reflects more upon my near-complete genre ignorance more than on the music- but also, no clue).
Country: Uh-mare-ee-kah
Linkhttp://soundcloud.com/sean-curley-1/sets/sean-patrick-curley (Soundcloud??? What is this????)

The guy on the cover is, I believe (and by that I mean I am making this up) supposed to represent a person who is NOT listening to this album- from this we can clearly assume that NOT listening to this album will result in being headbutted by an irate buffalo. Since you DON'T want that to happen, dear reader, you should listen to this album.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Julius Eastman - Unjust Malaise (VBR)

   
Year: 2005
Genre: Modern Classical
Country: US
Link (PT 1): http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?0j4673ie4gby9t4
Link (PT 2): http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?8p42sln0nmg7sn2


*deep breath*

Julius Eastman is my favorite composer and if I could tell you why that is in a matter of a few paragraphs he wouldn't really be my favorite. Eastman was born in the suburbs of western NY (you know, like us), and went to college at Ithaca. He spent most of his life composing music before attempting to acquire a teaching job at Cornell University, and when they rejected him, he took to drugs and alcohol; dying alone at a hospital in Buffalo in 1990.

He's most known today for his innovative technique which he describes on this album as an "organic principle", where each measure of music contains all the information from previous measures, and eventually the music is taken out at a "gradual and logical rate."


"Stay on It" is the first piece on the album, an obvious example of the organic principle, where the repeated cadence provides a framework for both unity and deception. Eastman used silence, like John Cage, to keep the piece lively and interesting, and at the middle of the piece it begins to disintegrate upon itself, completely removing the cadence from the equation.


"If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?" is a much different piece, a much more challenging piece. Taking name from a populist platitude, the piece contains two horns, four trumpets, two trombones, tuba, piano, chimes, and more. Most of the piece is an escalation of half-steps, expressing minimalism with a large ensemble. Again Eastman borrows from Cage, writing a piece without a beginning, middle or end, a piece in itself. It ends with a chromatic violin solo, but never persists upon itself.


The pieces on the second piece are politically jarring, written during a time period when Eastman desired some sort of rebellion. "The Holy Presence of Joan D'Arc" is a piece that almost escapes description, or at least beyond Eastman's introduction: "It is a reminder to those who think they can destroy liberators by acts of malice, treachery and murder...Like all organizations, especially governments and religious organizations, they oppress each other in order to perpetrate themselves. Their methods of oppression are legion."

"Crazy Nigger" is my favorite piece of music that I have come across thus far. To me, it is a reminder that music still holds new territory, new meaning, that one can breach through reality with sound alone.  It is the most energetic piece on the album, written for four pianos, one played by Eastman. It is split into three parts: "Gay Guerilla", "Evil Nigger" and "Crazy Nigger." Gay Guerilla contains a pulsating rhythm heard counterpoint to one or more of the other pianos. Half way through, a familiar piece comes through--"A Mighty Fortress is Our God", Martin Luther's hymn, in octaves. Eastman wrote the piece as a "gay manifesto." Evil Nigger is ever more pulsating, with a faster tempo. Crazy Nigger ends the piece, creating a wall of tension before coming to rest on the lowest C sharp of each piano at once, from which the final harmonic series is built up.


Well, it wouldn't be my favorite album if I couldn't write something about it.

Acen - 75 Minutes (192)


Year: 1994
Genre: Breakbeat, Rave, Funky ass shit
Country: England
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?0vs9tqa7373ihch


This is some early bleep bloops for all of yous. Kinda sounds like a video game OST. Most (all) of the synth and drum machines used sound corny as fuck, but that's what give this album the feel it has. It feels like some dude made this all in his basement using his welfare checks to purchase the instruments and the copious amounts of MDMA used to make this. 

Thursday, June 21, 2012

cLOUDEAD - Clouddead (192) (M4A) (sorry)


Year: 2001
Genre: Hip-Hop; Whatthefuck-core; Think of it as atmospheric rap.
Country: Cincinnati
Link:http://www.mediafire.com/?z1pomyc0r7l7ykd


I seriously cannot come up with the premise of cLOUDEAD. It's like there are 3 songs inside every song. There will be rapping. and then there will be weird moaning sounds. To be fair, this is Scaruffi's second favorite hip-hop album ever. To be unfair I'd like to say that Cyprus Hill and Eminem are contained within his top 20. I also chuckle whenever I think of Scaruffi listening to Wu-Tang...

Monday, June 18, 2012

Hellnation - Cheerleaders For Imperialism (192)

Year: 2009
Genre: Powerviolence
Country: US
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?nt6s4u7cxocpbhp

Whenever people wonder why I think I'm such a terrible person, I wish I could just emit this entire album from my mouth.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Bongzilla - Methods for Attaining Extreme Altitudes (192)


Year: 1998
Genre: Stoner Doom
Country: Wisconsin
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?8s40w984o1g6fwt

Frankly, I have no idea why this is the second band from Wisconsin that has been posted in the last 24 hours, but who cares. This basically the best stoner metal band that doesn't include Matt Pike in their lineup and isn't Electric Wizard. Lyrics on this are scarce and usually absorbed into the music (when they are there). This EP also wins the award of best metal album to use audio samples.

$m0ke wEEd erryd@y bruh

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Killdozer - Uncompromising War on Art Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (VBR)


Year: 1994
Genre: Noise Rock, Punk, "Grungish"
Country: Wisconsin
Link:http://www.mediafire.com/?8e15dv0a5u2cnl8

Please just download this for the second track.

KNUCKLES THE DOG WHAT A VERY GOOD DOG WHAT A VERY GOOD DOG VERY GOOD VERY GOOD DOG YOU AREEEEEE!

Various Artists - Nippon Girls: Japanese Pop, Beat & Bossa Nova (262)

Year: 2009
Genre: whattya think
Country: Glorious Nippon
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?6j76yrge56d75k9

I promise someday I'll upload something that's not from North America or Japan.

The Arrogant Sons of Bitches - This Is What You Get (192)


Year: 2006
Genre: Third Wave Ska
Country: New York
Link:http://www.mediafire.com/?ol6hc0dsazpm342

The Greatest band on earth improving upon work done by the shittiest band on earth.

>I also seem to be on a Jeff Rosenstock buzz lately, just one of those weeks...

Saturday, June 9, 2012

*shels - Plains of the Purple Buffalo (320)



Year: 2011
Genre: Post-Rock/Metal; Nearly Sunn O)))-core; Holyshitididntrealizeipressedplay-core.
Country: England/USA
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?ux29aw1c9b998px

True story: I turned put this album on and forgot it was playing for a minute or two.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Godspeed You Black Emperor - 5-14 Nantes, France (192)

Year: 2003
Genre: Post-Rock
Country: Canada
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?m9ocb7vsamtrqfm

A tough release to find, consisting of the GYBE playing tracks from their first three albums interspersed with newer and seemingly unreleased material. Bootleg release so 192 quality is all you're getting. Note: 155MBs in size.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Ratatat - Self-titled Debut

Year: 2004
Genre: Electronic rock, experimental rock, Autechre-plus-The-Black-Keys, possibly post-punk revival
Country: USA
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?8dmsm0drnnn2n59




As always, this link is only for promotional purposes, and anything downloaded should be deleted within 24 hours. Ratatat are a relatively well developed duo from Brooklyn, comprised of a bassist/producer and a guitarist. Their debut album is a mixture of hooky riffs and programmed beats. A pleasant listen. Some parts remind me of post-rock, while others are simply catchy and fun. Well worth a listen. You'd probably enjoy this if you like The Rapture, Holy Fuck, Cut Copy, LCD Soundsystem, MGMT, The xx, Phantogram, or chiptune.