By Ian
1. Ovlav, Buds (2021).
This album came out pretty late in the year. November might as well qualify as the following year, as we all scramble to arrange obligations of family, business, etc. What got me though was how intimate this album sounded. I’ve always been a fan of Ovlov, with their loud, alt-rock sensibilities channeled through mounds of fuzz and pounding drums. This album actually took a stripped-back approach. The distortion and steady punk thumping remain, but within lays a wonderfully comfortable, approachable album for those old and new to Ovlov’s catalog. The song “Feel the Pain” especially encapsulates this. The last song on the album rides along on four-chord 1-2-3-4 riffs until, surprise, distortion reigns supreme and a blast beat makes its way into the frantic wall of fuzzy noise, carrying the song into its inevitable conclusion.
2. Little Kid, Transfiguration Highway (2020).
I originally became familiar with Little Kid when I thankfully stumbled upon a YouTube link that tantalizingly rested in the recommended sidebar of some other video. God only knows what that original catalyst page may have been, but whatever it was led me to Little Kid’s 2017 album, Sun Milk. It’s hard to describe exactly why I like this band so much. Little Kid’s music is tinged with Christian themes, but it is also blended with slice of life stories that pepper the album. I find it all to be a very wholesome experience, so maybe that’s why.
3. Disimperium, Malefic Obliteration (2021).
I am a metalhead by trade. I make it, I breath it, I love it. If there’s one thing I really love in metal, it’s songs that are almost all blast beats. “Dynamics” are cool and all, but nothing is more cool to me than relentless, uncompromising blast beats and riffs that are almost incomprehensible among the onslaught of noise. This EP is only 3 songs in total, but I have high hopes for this band.
4. Richard Lockwood, In the Doorway of the Dawn (2012).
There is so much to say about this album (compilation). This Aussie, bearded man has crafted so many wonderful, beautiful songs for years and years and only released them in 2012. I’m hearing it now, 19 years later. This collection is immaculate. It’s reminiscent of early prog, a la King Crimson and Yes. Of course, the music is similar to many 1970s folk outfits, but it’s all this one guy who was just off the radar for who knows how long. Either way, it’s a wonderful collection of eclectic folk songs from a man who deserves far more recognition.
5. maudlin of the Well, Bath (2001).
Those of whom are familiar with Kayo Dot will know what I’m mean when I say maudlin is necessary for avant garde metal. This album is chock full of atmosphere, riffs, and other curveballs that average extreme music listeners may have never had the pleasure of having packed into any album they’ve listened to. I fortunately happened upon this during 2020, when I found myself at home with nothing else to do but tool around YouTube and Encyclopedia Metallum archives to find new things. If you color yourself an enjoyer of the “artful” side of extreme music, do yourself a favor and listen to maudlin. If you do not, listen to Kayo Dot. If you don’t like that stuff either, I dunno what to tell you. Open your mind, maybe.
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