(written by Islander)
In last Sunday’s edition of this column I only wrote about one album (by Glorior Belli). It deserved the exclusive attention, but I had planned to write about more releases until some life events got in the way. With today’s album premiere being handled by Daniel Barkasi, I decided to use my time to cover a couple more of the releases I’d intended to include in the Sunday column — two exceptionally good EPs released earlier this month. Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
Life events external to NCS have forced me to again truncate my plans for this usual Sunday column devoted to variants of black metal. All is well, but I need to leave home and computer fairly soon, too soon for me to do more than write about one album that came out just two days ago, but that I’ve been enjoying for about two weeks. In the coming week I may be able to write recommendations for the other releases I had planned to include today before said life events interfered. Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
I’m beginning today’s collection with the same explanation I used in yesterday’s roundup, except I slept even longer and later last night than I did on Friday night. I may have done too good a job in convincing my restless mind to turn itself off overnight, because a big chunk of this morning had passed by before I could begin turning it on again.
The result is that this post is again appearing near mid-day in my time zone. The further result is that I’ve had to cut it back from what I had initially planned, or it would be appearing in the afternoon, and unfortunately I need that time to deal with other personal obligations before the new week launches tomorrow.
And so, this collection of songs is shorter than I wish it were, but I hope you’ll still get something pleasurable out of it. I certainly did. Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
For reasons that are too embarrassing to disclose I’m getting a very late start today. Fortunately, I did my listening in previous days and made my picks yesterday. It’s just the writing that I left for this morning.
With so much time already gone before I started, and honestly not feeling great, I again wondered whether I should bother with the writing since I’m just providing my reactions to music everyone can hear for themselves. Can’t I just say, “You should listen to this,” and leave it at that? It’s a recurring internal debate. And I resolved it as I always seem to do. But to keep this from being ridiculously late, I did shorten it from six selections to four.
By way of introduction, I arranged the music so you’ll start of in the midst of some fireballs, then pull back in a moody kind of interlude, then heat up again, and then drift away in contemplation of the season ahead (or the one slowly ending). Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
As you can see, I have the music of only one band for you today, and only one of their songs rather than a complete release. This is because I have to leave my home and the virtual world (two different places, it may surprise you to know) very early today and didn’t have time to make a head-start yesterday.
I’m again venturing across Puget Sound to join friends for the viewing of a football game featuring our beloved home team. Due to time zone differences the game has an early start, which means I’ll have to decide what kind of alcohol would go best with breakfast, to calm the nerves, which will get jangly even though our team is heavily favored to win the game.
I thought about not posting even this very brief piece, but concluded that I had (barely) enough time for what you’re now about to hear (and perhaps read). The thought of leaving a void for even one day around here bothers me, as does the void that the future will leave as its final gift. Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
This collection of recommended music will be much shorter than yesterday’s. We’ve got a visitor coming to the house any minute now, and after that I’ll be heading across Puget Sound to join friends in watching our beloved Seahawks play another team named for a bird, one that wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell if an actual osprey decided to mess with it in the avian world, but this being a football game in which a star player might get butt-hurt right away, as one of ours literally did in the first series of the Hawks’ opening game, you never know.
Now that I’ve made my excuses, on we go…. Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
I originally made six choices for this column, but as I did yesterday I overslept due to having a bit too much fun last night at a local watering hole. So, I’m rushing now and am forced to leave two of my choices behind — and to cut this introduction short.
As it happens, all of the following four songs were presented through videos, and the first three are especially good. Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
I feel somewhat better today as compared to yesterday (thanks for asking), though the achiness produced by the inoculation hasn’t completely vanished. Once again, I looked forward to assembling the following column as a welcome distraction from the twinges of soreness.
By way of overview, I’ll say that today’s collection leans into eye-popping tempests of imposing scale and blood-heating intensity, though it also includes psychotic episodes and a musical curveball I’ve saved for the very end. Continue reading »
(written by Islander)
As I did yesterday morning, I began today by again bleakly staring at my enormous list of links for new music. I could hear the list chortling at me. “You fool,” it muttered in between cackles, “you won’t even scratch the surface.” The truth of that mockery made it no less degrading. (Let’s put aside any concerns about hearing voices from a typed list.)
On days like this I often resort to time-savers, one of which is to prioritize recommendations from people I trust, a kind of life-line to a beleaguered soul.
(The Associated Press reports that on this day in 1916 explorer Ernest Shackelton successfully returned to Elephant Island in Antarctica to rescue 22 of his stranded crew members, who had survived on the barren island for four and a half months after the sinking of their ship, the Endurance. I feel this is not a coincidence.)
The recommendations proved to be worthy. Beyond those I resorted to impulse, and fortune smiled upon my scattershot urges. Here are the resulting choices I made for today; if you think of yourself as a trve cvlt listener, be forewarned that many of them challenge black metal orthodoxy in varying (and very interesting) ways: Continue reading »
Enslaved – photo by Chantik Photography
(written by Islander)
I’ve been knocked askew by a bout of forgetfulness. Yesterday I forgot that I’d committed to join my spouse at an event that lasted all afternoon and into the evening. I also forgot another commitment I’d made for later this morning; I don’t always check my calendar on Sundays, and it’s a good thing I did today.
Anyway, because of those two forgettings I was left with not enough time to get this Sunday’s column done. But it pains me to leave nothing here for people who make a habit of dropping by on Sundays, so I decided to do something I’m not sure I’ve ever done before; if I have, it’s a rare occurrence.
What I’m doing is just embedding streams of a handful of new songs (the first three accompanied by excellent videos) that I want to recommend, plus a recent EP, without any commentary of my own and only bare-bones info about the releases.
It bothers me to do this. It bothers me even though I have no idea how many listeners actually read what I write, versus just punching the Play buttons. But it would bother me more to do nothing at all. So, here you go (and please feel free to leave your own commentary in place of mine): Continue reading »