My Year in Music - 2011 - #5

[This was originally posted on Facebook only, but I thought I'd make it a bit more accessible and get in in here. Just forgot about it for a couple of years].

MY YEAR IN MUSIC
2011 is coming to an end, and I figured I'd start looking back on some of the music that has emerged on my horizon this year. It's not all new, it's not all brilliant - but it all interests me in some way or another. I thought I'd share.

#5: TesseracT
After releasing a mouth-watering Ep in 2010 and a few teasers here and there, the British band called TesseracT [sic] had the music community all excited for a long time... well, the music community in and around their particular genre, of course.
For those who might wonder what genre that might be, I really have no good answer - but it'll probably get pigeonholed into the ever-growing "djent" category. I'm not good with genre labels, but TesseracT's first album, "One", is hard as stone, unforgiving in its complexity, and endlessly rewarding if you're into that kind of thing. I certainly am - "One" is one of my favorite releases this year.

Tesseract. One. Nascent. Not for wimps.

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My Year in Music - 2011 - #4

[This was originally posted on Facebook only, but I thought I'd make it a bit more accessible and get in in here. Just forgot about it for a couple of years].

MY YEAR IN MUSIC
2011 is coming to an end, and I figured I'd start looking back on some of the music that has emerged on my horizon this year. It's not all new, it's not all brilliant - but it all interests me in some way or another. I thought I'd share.

#4: Textures
The progressive metal/mathcore/whatchamacallit band from the Netherlands recently went through a big change, with a couple of key members being replaced. When the smoke cleared and the new lineup released Textures' fourth album in 2011, "Dualism", we ended up with something new and different. But not. Which is good!
To clarify: It's like a new, but equally skilled band with an identical musical philosophy plays a mix of cover tunes and new tunes from the old band. There.

"Dualism" may not be the best album from Textures, but it's pretty damn good. Hard, complex, melodic and worth exploring over and over again.
Here's a fairly mild and accessible track - "Reaching Home":

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My Year in Music - 2011 - #3

[This was originally posted on Facebook only, but I thought I'd make it a bit more accessible and get in in here. Just forgot about it for a couple of years].

MY YEAR IN MUSIC
2011 is coming to an end, and I figured I'd start looking back on some of the music that has emerged on my horizon this year. It's not all new, it's not all brilliant - but it all interests me in some way or another. I thought I'd share.

#3: Russian Circles
This is one of the bands I've actually come across thanks to Last.fm's recommendations function. It's very hit-'n'-miss, of course - but when it does hit, it's very rewarding. Now it doesn't take a genius or highly advanced software to discover that I enjoy post-rock, but it has to be good - and Russian Circles certainly is.

"Empros", released this year, is the Chicago band's fourth album - and in what seems to be a nasty pattern for 2011 (more on that later), it's not their best work. Russian Circles on half throttle is still pretty excellent, though - so here's "Atackla". 7:29 might seem a bit long to you, but that may just mean you're an impatient pinhead. Give it a chance.

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My Year in Music - 2011 - #2

[This was originally posted on Facebook only, but I thought I'd make it a bit more accessible and get in in here. Just forgot about it for a couple of years].

MY YEAR IN MUSIC
2011 is coming to an end, and I figured I'd start looking back on some of the music that has emerged on my horizon this year. It's not all new, it's not all brilliant - but it all interests me in some way or another. I thought I'd share.

#2: Buke and Gase (formerly known as Buke and Gass)
Speaking of few musicians sounding like many musicians: The brilliant duo of Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez have created a unique and dense sound with their customized, eponymous instruments, the "buke" (baritone ukulele) and "gass/gase" (guitar-bass).
With Arone's voice a fine instrument added to this, and dynamic, interesting songs that suit the sound perfectly, we have a winning combination. I've plugged these guys before, and I will again, until they make it big.
(Thanks again to Radiolab for bringing the band to my attention).

"Sleep Gets Your Ghost" is from their excellent debut album, "Riposte".

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My Year in Music - 2011 - #1

[This was originally posted on Facebook only, but I thought I'd make it a bit more accessible and get in in here. Just forgot about it for a couple of years].

MY YEAR IN MUSIC
2011 is coming to an end, and I figured I'd start looking back on some of the music that has emerged on my horizon this year. It's not all new, it's not all brilliant - but it all interests me in some way or another. I thought I'd share.

#1: And So I Watch You From Afar
This instrumental trio from Belfast was a chance encounter of mine... so much so that I can't for the life of me recall how I heard about them.
What I do know, is that they have tons of energy, and they sound like they're twice as many as they are. Also, from what I've heard, seeing them live is like being smashed happily unconscious by a brick made of solid cocaine.
I'm hoping I get to experience that in Oslo someday soon.

This tune is from the band's second album - "Gangs" - released in 2011.

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Scorecard: 2004-05-08 Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez I

2004-05-08

Round		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	SCORE
Manny Pacquiao		10	10	9	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	9	9	113
Juan Manuel Marquez		6	9	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	10	10	112

Legend:

_ - Slightly uncertain round. Could be argued to go the other way (but I'd disagree).

_ - Swing round. Very uncertain. Could go both ways

_ - Clear round. Used when it's worth pointing it out, in very even fights.

Scorecard: 2002-04-20 Floyd Mayweather, jr. vs. Jose Luis Castillo

2002-04-20

Round		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	SCORE
Floyd Mayweather jr.		10	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	9	8	10	9	112
Jose Luis Castillo		9	9	9	9	10	10	10	9	10	10	9	10	114

Legend:

_ - Slightly uncertain round. Could be argued to go the other way (but I'd disagree).

_ - Swing round. Very uncertain. Could go both ways

_ - Clear round. Used when it's worth pointing it out, in very even fights.