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In a continuing attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we slumbering scribes are making an effort to publish short reviews at a greater frequency, thereby shining our very small spotlight on more cool shit. Without further ado, here's the latest from the prolific Ourobonic Plague.
Written by: The Administrator
The oeuvre of Ourobonic Plague is extensive and intimidating. While I have casually listened to (and enjoyed!) the project's two EPs released thusfar this year, I feel like I've only scratched the surface of the bandcamp back catalog, let alone the assorted supporting written documentation, videos and visuals, and so on. There is undeniably a lot going on, and we haven't yet even touched on the quality of the music itself. Needless to say, the Ourobonic Plague rabbit hole lurks enticingly. As someone who enjoys a deep dive, I find a certain excitement in that notion. In any case, today's track in question, "Blunderbuss," serves as the first single from the third EP in Ourobonic Plague's continuing G.A. series, which I believe will be released May 30th. "Blunderbuss" is described as a "a frantic scattershot hyper-garage meltdown," and is mesmerizing and jarring in equal measure. Long-form drone elements are absent--this is much more immediate. The track perpetually emphasizes its presence rather than fading into the background. While the stuttering and lurching percussion is forward, the focus soon shifts to a muffled klaxon that fondly reminds me of the echoing alarms in Half-Life 2--which, to be fair, many things fondly remind me of Half-Life 2. In any case, said klaxon evokes a sense of distant albeit omnipresent danger, surveillance, anxiety. Once all the elements are in play, it is quite immersive. On the surface, "Blunderbuss" feels like it should be danceable, but the restless lurching momentum is a bit of a tease. The track is watery yet skittery, and seems deliberately designed to keep the listener on edge. It doesn't feel entirely truthful to say that I enjoy the anxiety per se, but I do really like this track. Give "Blunderbuss" a listen via the Ampwall embed below! After you're done with that, I wholeheartedly recommend working your way backward through the Ourobonic Plague discography at large. I'll be doing that myself in short order.
Ourobonic Plague's assorted links can be found here.
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Written by: The Administrator
When presented with a new release from British Columbia's MEGAFAUNA, there are few guarantees. Sonically, thematically, emotionally, a whole lot is variable by design. A true sense of experimentation permeates the project, and beyond aesthetic clues surrounding the visuals, you're never entirely sure what you're going to get. However! If there is one unifying factor of every MEGAFAUNA release, it is the immutable and established fact that I love them all very much. There's a standard of high quality maintained across the discography, whether it lurks within the dread and anxiety of Venator, or the layered and dynamic I Owe This Land a Body, or the haunted funhouse dance party vibe of the "Ghoulish Haunt" single, or the slowburningly ominous Nosferatu soundtrack. I could go on. In any case, I walk away from a listening session feeling like the music has made made a genuine impact on an emotional level. In short, MEGAFAUNA has been doing intriguing things since inception, and I have very much enjoyed the project's eclectic output. And, needless to say, I'm always ready and excited to check out new stuff from the MEGAFAUNA camp when the opportunity arises. This heavily redacted latest EP, the four track cnʁʁԍuϝ λԍɑʁ ɑʁმnwԍuϝ, will be officially released tomorrow, April 20th. We're pleased to premiere it here a day early for your listening pleasure and/or discomfort. Give it a listen below, and, as always, we'll meet you on the other side! 
Written by: The Administrator
If MEGAFAUNA doesn't represent the perfect antithesis of easy listening, I shudder to think what else could have possibly earned that designation. Indeed, in my review of MEGAFAUNA's unsettling and engrossing Venator, released back in April of 2024, I wrote that the project is "not a light nor carefree listen." I also called it "unabashedly weird and intense" and referenced both an "uncomfortable urgency" and a tendency to nail a sense of "terrible disassociation that paradoxically makes you hyperaware of your physicality." In short, I liked Venator very much, and found MEGAFAUNA's articulation of anxiety, fear, paranoia, and depression to be quite poignant. I Owe This Land a Body similarly presents an intense soundscape, leaning into a lonely and foreboding eeriness. This is, after all, an album explicitly exploring the notion that "how dying is the last decent thing we can do." A sense of profound despair implicitly and intentionally seeps forth from the Megafauna corpus, and this latest isn't exactly a cheery listen. With that said, I Owe This Land a Body is less immediately jarring than Venator, and even manages to undercut its own sense of unease with some unexpected bright spots. 
Written by: The Administrator
As a someone who enjoys new music, there are fewer joys greater than "discovering" a band that has 0 monthly listeners on Spotify. And yes, that feeling isn't diminished even when the act of "discovery" actually refers to clicking a link that a band has emailed directly to me. In any case, we slumbering scribes are happy to get in on the ground floor--albeit a whole year after said email was received--and I hope that this review leads to a double-digit listener count for today's band in question. The band? Bighead, a solo act reveling in the kind of overt noisy goregrind grotesquery that makes me wish, for the reader's sake, that I could hide this review behind a tasteful blur. If you are preemptively imaging track titles and samples detailing medical procedures gone terribly wrong, that's exactly what Backwoods Medical Anomalies has in store. And for that reason, I highly recommend NOT clicking "read more" if gore and the assorted words and sounds that come with it don't sit well with your stomach. Otherwise, see you on the other side! 
Written by: The Administrator
We slumbering scribes are honored to premiere here today a sonically eclectic charity compilation benefiting a Gazan family. In the words of Basil Elzeenaty: "amidst the chaos, we yearn for a helping hand to provide sustenance, essential medical aid, and the means to secure shelter." Purchasing Love Songs is a direct way to provide assistance. This 11 track compilation was compiled and curated by Ben Serna-Grey of Mother Anxiety, and is currently available for pre-order on bandcamp for an exceptionally fair $1. It will be released in full tomorrow, July 26th, but if the meantime you can listen to it in full below! We'll talk more about the music itself shortly, but first, let's talk about the cause itself. Whereas many charity projects I've encountered are vague when it comes to where exactly the money goes, 100% of the funds raised go towards supporting Dr. Basil's campaign through Operation Olive Branch to help safely evacuate his family (parents, 4 sisters, and 2 brothers) from Gaza. More info about the campaign can be found via Gofundme--I encourage you to read Basil's story in full. At the time of writing, €36,603 has been raised of €55,000 goal, and if this compilation can narrow that gap by any amount, it has been a worthwhile endeavor. In the midst of genocide it is far too easy to lose sense of the victims on an individual basis, and understanding the impact of the charity on a personal level reinforces the importance of fundraising. Supporting directly and/or purchasing the compilation is a very concrete and tangible way to assist Gazans in dire need of security and basic human amenities. Additionally, Ben will generously send a free Mother Anxiety patch and some stickers (while supplies last) to anyone who donates at least $5 to any Operation Olive Branch campaign and shows proof. Without further ado: listen to Love Songs below! As always, we'll meet ye on the other side.
Curated and Written by: Patrick of Disconnected Souls
In a (continuing) attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're having a band take over the blog each Wednesday to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. Last week's playlist came courtesy of Sofia Frasz from Exiled Hope, but now is time for the change of guard. Patrick from Disconnected Souls is taking over. An eclectic and cinematic ensemble, Disconnected Souls emerged in 2018 out of a desire to incorporate and blend the three great pillars of music: electronic, classical, and metal. The quintet based out of Chester, England, striving to create a distinctive sound that draws upon the depths of metal, while playing with tones and textures. Each member brings a diverse range of musical interests to the table and the resulting sound encompasses a wide variety of instrumental and vocal styles. Their debut conceptional album, Fragments of Consciousness, was released Jan. 19th of this year. Once you've checked out the writeup below, check out Disconnected Souls over on their official website. Without further ado, I'll let Patrick take over!
For this playlist, I (Patrick) have collated a sampling of some of the most influential tracks/albums on my writing process with Disconnected Souls and other projects. These tracks and their associate artists are but a part of the DNA that makes a Disconnected Souls song.
Written by: The Administrator
Those of you with an uncanny memory may recall that, towards the end of my recent review of Megafauna's eerie and excellent Venator, I made mention of a premiere. Here we are, folks. Venator will officially be released this Friday, April 19th, via Syrup Moose Records, but if you're unwilling to wait, we invite you to listen to it in full below. Of course, some preparation is called for If you're invested in full experience, I highly recommend hiking into the deepest darkest forest you can reasonably find. Walk until you find a dilapidated shack, or perhaps a large pile of bones that look suspiciously familiar. Set up camp. Wait for dark, and then wait for your flashlight battery to die. Make peace with the fact that there is almost certainly something in the woods, and i̵̲̾͑̏t̷̜̝̳̏ ̸̼͝i̴͉̥̲̗͋̊s̵̨̬̹͙͓͕̿̈̉̔̌͠ ̵̡̭̜̩͌̈́̽͛̌̚ͅͅw̶̧̹̮̯̌̈ą̴̹̼̮̼̖́̆̑͆̓͝t̵̨̨͇̺̂̇̇̅͆̋͜͠c̶̢̧̻̞̈́̓͝ḥ̶̢͐̉̄̓̓̋i̷̦͈̠̎̇̊͂̔͠n̵̼͛g̴̨̮͉̲̠͆. Check out Venator below, and, as always, we'll meet you on the other side. Much to the chagrin of pretty much everyone, I'm not done waxing poetic just yet. 
Written by: The Administrator
I grew up in a very rural area. Heavily forested and lushly dark, depressive, lonely. As such, I can assert that any creepy tale you've heard about stuff that happens in the woods at night is almost certainly true. There is something in the woods. There is always something in the woods. Indeed, to reiterate: ţ̸̧̨͈̤̞̦̻͛̋̀̀̎̐̃͜h̴̡̬̖̻̽̋̇͊̄͠ẻ̶̲̻̟̣̙̓͆̏͋̇͒͆̚r̴̪͛͆̓͂̀e̷͔͉̹̼̪͖̬̘̳̋̐͊ ̷̘͓̅̓̈̎̓̌̽̓ỉ̶̜̰̻̮͈͐͌̈̅͘̕ś̷̩̘̤̝̭͎̜͕̪̐̂ͅ ̷̟͔̞̊̀̓͜͝͝s̸̺̭̪͊̓͒̈̏̀͒̎ō̴̟̰̳̫̥͊̾̓̀̾͘͜m̷͕͖̜̥͙̮̟̮̥̩̱̐̒͂͠ĕ̵̹̍̎͊̀̍̕͠͝ẗ̶̢͕̠͎̥͕͈̲̝̓͒͜͜h̶͓̦̟̰͈̘̐̄̔͗̆̇̂̈͑͗͝ͅi̴̦͇͎͒̈́̋̿́̆͠ͅn̴̢͇͇̥̫͚̮͗͋͂̉͘̕͝g̷͍͑͗̈̓ ̶̬͚̪̗̺̽͊͂͠i̷̛͚̘͚͑͐̏̈́̑̕͠ņ̸̧̢̹̻̭̘̗̼̳̖̍̆̀̂̃́̿́̎̿̀ ̷̮̐͐̃̅̓̃̕̕͠ṱ̵͓̣͚͈͍̯̮̻̟̠̓̋́̍̀͌̓h̷͔̰̱̤̓̌ẻ̵̛̪͍̅͌̍͑ ̴̼̱̳̞͈̫̟͓̫̗͗͛͑w̶̯͌̈́̽̾͑̔̿̀̊̈̕ǒ̴͎͙̦̮̬̩̝̦͌́͛͋̈̇͊͜o̷͕̳̖͈̙̙̓̏d̶̢͙̹̝͍̜̜̃͒̔̾́s̴̫̘̻͈̹̤̼͕͖̋́͝ British Columbia's Megafauna understands this all too well, whether the woods are literal or figurative or combination of both. Megafauna's bandcamp page self-describes the project as "the soundtrack to your depressive episode." To get a little more specific, Venator was created "in various stages of exhaustion, mental illness, bursts of creativity, fear, anger, sadness, joy, nihilism and limited free time." It may not surprise you to learn, then, that Venator is not a light nor carefree listen. It is immersing and at times quite clever in its use of sound to convey emotion and command atmosphere. It captures some very particular feelings that are often very difficult--practically, emotionally--to illustrate. 
Written by: The Administrator
As a pseudo-mediaeval scribe raised off the grid, I wasn't exactly allowed video games at home as a child. However, if I saw Epilogue's artwork gracing a PlayStation disc at a friend's house, I would have, without a doubt, been suitably enraptured. Look at those colors! The implied sense of movement and perhaps, if you use your imagination, even a little chaotic violence! The allure is strong. Judging the book by its cover aside, I am familiar with 18 Slashes' game. 2023's excellent Jawnnobyl was a dark synthwave masterclass as far as I'm concerned, and ended up taking the crown as my favorite electronic album of the year. Created as the soundtrack for a game that does not exist, and admittedly operating at a much higher bitrate, every 18 Slashes release is nevertheless imbued with an endearing nostalgia. Stefan Schneider has found a delicate balance between explosively frenetic fun and a specific yearning for the irreplicable childlike glee associated with experiencing a new game for the very first time. Anyways, this was originally going to be published as a mini-review, but I have far too much to say. Let's blow away the word count parameters and just go for it, shall we? 
In what must come as a bit of a shock, I enjoy (and indeed seek out) music that feels fresh, and unusual, and patently weird. Given this proclivity, a premiere request from Euphoriadic Studios hitting the inbox inevitably bodes well. I'm comfortable stating that today's artist in question offers a potent blend wholly unlike anything I've ever heard before, and that alone is enough to get the ol' heart a-pounding. Listening to a bat eating her wings by New Jersey's own short term memory loss is a jarring and electrifying experience. Needless to say, we are excited and honored to present said experience to our unexpecting readership.
But. Before I vomit forth a grotesque collection of adjectives and scare you all away, please give a bat eating her wings a well-deserved listen below. As always, we'll meet ye on the other side! |
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