 Always desperate for some entertainment of the visual persuasion, we here at the Sleeping Village constructed ourselves, a few years back, a venue of sorts--a public performance space designed to house the raunchiest productions around. As with most venues, our humble playhouse has seen very little traffic as of late, and so when our friends at the venerable Metal Assault Records offered the opportunity to feature something new and entertaining, our slumbering populace practically leapt at the chance.
Push aside the cobwebs and vines, dear reader. Kick away the decaying ravens and piles of loam; the show is about to begin. Today, for your viewing pleasure, the Sleeping Village is pleased to present the (deeply avant-garde) music video for "Narci," the title track from (deep breath) anonymous international synth doom collective Circle of Sigh's forthcoming second full-length album. It is a weird and wonderful track, and an impressive video to boot. However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I wholeheartedly recommend you watch for yourself. As always, we'll meet ye on the other side!
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 Here's a rare occurrence 'round these parts: a music video premiere. And a 22 minute video at that! We don't just clean the cobwebs out of our decrepit theatre for anyone, however, so rest assured knowing that the spectacle before ye is well worth your while.
The track and video in question forms the entirety of Side B of Live Improvisations Vol. 1, the forthcoming, well, improvisational release from French anonymous genre-bending and convention-eschewing collective Non Serviam, out May 1st on the (always stellar) Trepanation Recordings. If you're already familiar with Non Serviam's prior work, "Improvisation 2. Take 1. Ce Qui Dure" doesn't stray too far from what you may be expecting. The whole affair is wrapped up in a distantly baroque swaddle, but the telltale hints of post-metal by way of doom by way of industrial by way of avant-garde are as present and impactful as always. The video itself features a series of seemingly disassociated locations and events--not a narrative per se, so much as juxtapositions that mirror the overall spirit and emotion of the particular moment. But! Before I scare you away with my ramblings, we slumbering scribes highly recommend that you fire up "Improvisation 2. Take 1. Ce Qui Dure" post-haste. As always, we'll meet you on the other side. 
Given the fact that it seems a better description of an ethos than a particular sonic quality, using the intentionally ill-defined "avant-garde metal" as a jumping-off point is a bit of a fraught exercise. Today's band in question is a wholly unique beast, and so any preemptive attempts at categorization must immediately be defenestrated. A more appropriate starting point, then, might be Bornwithhair's previous work. This is their third(!) album in, like, less than a year, so the intense maturation has been pretty darn compressed in regards to time frame.
Their debut Radical Moon was marked by a fresh breath of weirdness, particularly in the compositional department, while sophomore effort Smoleńska upped the stakes, leaning into angular riffage and angry distortion on one hand, and starkly gentle ambiance on the other. Both provided a wildly tumultuous approach to experimentation. Both were well-received, with the latter getting some quite impressive press. Both represented a mad-cap cacophony of ideas, and, as such, made for pretty damn intriguing listening experiences. The only way to go was up, and follow-up Someplace to Haunt is, dare I say, this duo's most enjoyable and most cohesive work yet. Needless to say, we're pleased and honored to premiere Someplace to Haunt here in full. Throw on a pair of headphones and fire it up. As always, we'll meet you on the other side.  Moonlow presents “apocalyptic noise poetry," and if that particular combination of descriptors wasn't what you were expecting to encounter today, join the club. This one-person artist in question writes music for fans of Current 93, Laurie Anderson, Crowhurst, A Forest of Stars, and Brian Eno--which, frankly, is an odd enough roster that an actual template isn't exactly apparent. The instrumentation is equal parts harsh and tranquil--a peaceful mediation routinely and unexpectedly beset by paralysis demons. The lyrics are spoken, whispered, and guttural fried with alternately tranquil and chaotic abandon. It's ritualistic, and enchanting, and....kind of scary. In a word: this is delightfully weird stuff.
Moonlow is the veritable poster-child of musical invention. Who Are You? is a strange and grand album, and "Day 3 (You Diminish Me)" is a prime representation of what lurks within. As such, the track before ye--and Who Are You? as a whole--is a wholly indescribable experience. Without further ado, then: listen for yourself!  While we Villagefolk are all-too-oft content to snooze whilst wrapped in the suffocating embrace of music's more extreme edges, a little diversification in the genre department can go a long way. I, for one, am a big fan of the murky and ill-defined worlds of dark ambient and experimental electronic--particularly when the artist in question plays with expectations in a, well, unexpected fashion.
Enter Emerson Sinclair--classically trained, but since described as "quietly metal as fuck,"--who combines seemingly incompatible elements of dark synth, rock, baroque, electronic, and traditional liturgical. Just the level of experimentation we needed to wake us from slumber. Needless to say, this combination of sounds and influences is a melding that is better witnessed than clumsily described. As such, we're happy and honored to premiere here today the music video for Emerson Sinclair "Singularity." This arresting track is the second single from the forthcoming Never Without The Pentagram, a split collaboration between the genre-melding artist featured here today, and cello-based black metal ensemble Hvile I Kaos. Without further ado: check out the video below! We'll meet you on the other side. |
Welcome!We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry. What are ye
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