Anticitizen One.

slumdog millionaire (!!!)
let the right one in
cloverfield (or at least the first half of it)
wall-e (yeah, first half again)


not totally great, but worth a mention:

dream/bi-mon
persepolis
burn after reading
quarantine
pineapple express

i guess i didn't see enough.

A lot of this is copied from my posts on last.fm shoutboxes, but I wanted to paste it all together somewhere. Might as well do it here.

In response to a lot of joking comments at the Amesoeurs shoutbox about Neige's vaguely feminine appearance...

I find it amusing that gender is such a concern in a genre as largely sexless as black metal. So many of the corpsepainted hordes look like closeted cross-dressers anyway — such pretty men. While I may not be the biggest Gorgoroth fan, at least Gaahl has the guts to be the real thing (by outing himself as a gay man) especially in such a notoriously intolerant scene. I would really like to see some more black metal that is more open about sexuality (of any orientation). Er, not that this really has anything to do with Amesoeurs outside of the people posting on their shoutbox...

I was accused of reading too deeply into some silly comments, which is probably somewhat true but I still think there may have been something behind it worth contemplating. One person posted to my own shoutbox to say, "Saw your rant about gender in the Amesoeurs shoutbox. Very interesting, smarter analysis than many BM fans seem capable of. Haha."

Thanks for the comment. You'd be surprised how capable of holding a thoughtful conversation some black metal appreciators can be, when you meet the right people. Of course the prevailing attitudes of hate and ignorance (or simple 4chan douchedom) give a lot of us a bad rap, but what can you do? It helps to realize that a lot of these people are misguided teenagers or extremist sociopaths, but there are plenty of others who can actually think with an open mind. Black metal is fascinating and polarized this way, where some want it to remain fascistically primitive, stagnant, while others see it as a tool for defeating such oppression and exploring new ways of thinking: a force of illumination.

I'm reminded of the Global Metal documentary I watched last week (get it here), where the overarching theme was that metal in general is a universal manifestation and means of catharsis and liberation. In some cases metal literally "came with democracy" (e.g. in Brazil, when the dictatorship ended in the mid-'80s and bands could actually buy equipment) while in others, today, it's simply a force some rely on to keep spirits alive.

For myself, it's more simply an attraction to what is being done with sound. I suppose I do experience ambiguous emotional catharsis or transcendence while listening to some of my favorite records. I find it interesting that such aggressive and "dark" music can sometimes inspire such joy in myself and in others. As such it should be no surprise that black metal, even as an artform indulging in a human fascination with death, despair, evil and hatred, could also be a vehicle for uplifting and celebrating everything, in complete honesty, but it just shows that, as in life itself, you just have to take the bad with the good.

As a way of clarifying, I'll refer to another post I made at the Deathspell Omega shoutbox when one poster was shocked that a reviewer apparently described the band as "Christian"...

Christian, or Christian Satanist? Their lyrics are about things like kenosis (the Christian concept of spiritual "emptiness"), plerosis (and the opposite, absolute fullness of spirit and mind), the illuminating power of sin, and the Antichrist — "Chaining the Katechon" is specifically about restraining that which would restrain the Antichrist. That is to say, they oppose Christianity through theistic Christian beliefs. This brings up a dilemma. But the aim seems to be to deify man, and view Satan himself as God.

"And we have the prophetic word made more sure
You will do well to pay attention to this as a lamp shining in a dark place
Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts"
— 2 Peter 1:19

And, of course, the morning star is Lucifer.

Well, um. Do I consider myself a (Christian) Satanist? No, hardly... I remain far too agnostic to consider such beliefs very seriously — and yet I have sort of an appreciation for the idea of Satanism as a philosophy of liberation from oppression. Ultimately I prefer to simply live and accept my state of bewilderment. Unless we are truly broken, we know what is right and what is wrong. And I think it is fine to explore things that others may perceive as wrong or "evil" as a way of understanding and realizing your self more fully. Whatever path you walk in life, that is the goal, and death is the only finish line. So take whatever darkness or sadness there is in your life and use it to uplift yourself. Invert it.

Oh, hi.

My list for this year (I don't think I actually did a list last year) is much less well-rounded than lists I've done in the past. vogdoid's list looks very astutely thorough to me, like the sort of list I would have put together a few years ago; over the last couple of years however I've been pretty happy to stay more or less within my "comfort zone" though it isn't always perfectly comfortable...

Deathspell Omega/S.V.E.S.T. — Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum

Deathspell Omega — "Chaining the Katechon"

Going into this one it's better if you've heard some of DsO's previous work, or at the very least are familiar with Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum, the album which marked the most significant departure from their original orthodox black metal style. A good description of Fas: "[it] is not so much a metal album as a musical puzzle box; a labyrinth with moving walls and booby-trapped floors; a hallucination of alternating agony and ecstasy." It's not purely an album to be enjoyed or to find catharsis in. There are moments where it suddenly gels and a fucking monumental riff emerges from the tangle of sound and it's very gratifying, but for the most part it's an album to surrender yourself to, to get lost in its hall of mirrors. Many often likened it to Gorguts' Obscura, being a quite dense and discordant work of technically experimental black metal. For their half of this new split DsO follow up on Fas with a single lengthy track that is no less thoughtfully composed, but perhaps a bit kinder — at least initially. "Chaining the Katechon" right away comes out with some very clear and strong riffs, then begins to explore itself more thoroughly, contorting and erupting further as it goes. And this is but an interlude to the trilogy they began with Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, continued with Fas, and will conclude on their forthcoming 2009 LP. I cannot wait.


S.V.E.S.T. - I. "Et La Lumière Fut, Comme Un Coup De Scalpel", II. "Le Diable Est Ma Raison", III. "Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum"

This sounds so much like some diabolically feverish no wave cutup of '70s rock anthems (particularly the first track; skip ahead to 4:40 if you're not feeling it) and an old horror film soundtrack that I feel like this should appeal to far more people than just fans of black metal. Either way this split has been good for S.V.E.S.T. because DsO is quite a bit more widely known than they are, but this should get them the recognition they deserve and then some. For my money, this split is the best release of the year.


OTHER RELEASES I HAVE ENJOYED:
Deathspell Omega — Manifestations 2002
Deathspell Omega — Manifestations 2000-2001
Urfaust — Drei Rituale Jenseits des Kosmos EP
Leviathan — Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
Old Wainds — Death Nord Kult
Darkspace — Darkspace III
Volahn — Dimensiónes del Trance Kósmico
Sigh — A Tribute to Venom
Darkthrone — Dark Thrones and Black Flags (Dumb title, but another solid record.)
Darkthrone — Frostland Tapes
Grave — Dominion VIII
Dismember — Dismember
Dead Congregation — Graves of the Archangels
Faustcoven — Rising from Below the Earth
Acid Witch — Witchtanic Hellucinations (Yes, you kind of have to enjoy metal camp to like this.)
Boris — Smile
Earth — The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull
Nadja — The Bungled and the Botched
Grouper — Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
Fennesz — Black Sea
Coil — The New Backwards
Einstürzende Neubauten — The Jewels
Aidan Baker/Tim Hecker — Fantasma Parastasie
Portishead — Third
DJ Scotch Egg — Drumized

Today I downloaded the new Boris/Kurihara record, Cloud Chamber, and frankly I'm finding it to be pretty boring — certainly no match for Deathprod's "Cloudchamber". I've actually found my interest in recent Boris output to be waning a bit, but maybe I'm just waiting for them to release something on par with Akuma no Uta or Pink again.

The Craptopsy was probably the biggest disappointment of the year, but I guess it's not like I've actually cared much for anything they've done since None So Vile. Still...

Dunno, I might be forgetting something. Recommendations are certainly welcome.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been finding human beings more and more terrifying.

I found out several days ago that my brother has decided to join the army. He leaves on the 1st of January. How do I feel about this? Well, at first I was pretty bummed out. And I think I still am, but mostly because I know I'll be worrying for him, and I hate to think of how my parents and my sister and the rest of my family will worry for him ceaselessly for the next four years. On the other hand, I'm aware that he's tried to keep this a secret from most of us — he originally hadn't planned to tell anyone until around christmas, actually — and I don't want him to feel like he's going into something like this without his family's support. It's not something I agree with or believe in, but he is my brother nonetheless. I left him a voicemail expressing my concerns and he hasn't called back, most likely because I think he's sick of hearing people make attempts to dissuade him (evidently my aunt and cousin living up in Seattle offered to let him come live with them rent-free for a year or so and decide what he wants to do). I'd just like to let him know that I'm behind him no matter what.

All of this also reminds me of how sad I've been that our relationship hasn't been as fun or brotherly as usual for most of the last year. I'm not entirely sure what changed, or which of us changed more, or didn't change enough. I love my brother, but I feel like he's become someone quite different, much more serious and distant, and I miss him. I have a feeling that this is symptomatic of how lost he feels right now because of certain changes in his life, and that joining the army is his way of finding an answer or a purpose. Maybe he just wants to get away from everything. Or maybe his apparent change has something more to do with me, and expectations I may have failed to live up to as his older brother. It breaks my heart to think that, but I don't know.

I just wish him well.

Things over here in Portland have been pretty good. I'm not getting nearly enough hours at work and it's becoming a bit frustrating, but it's also incentive to get on with finding something better. I'll spend some time updating my resume and looking around on craigslist tomorrow, and maybe go downtown and fill out some apps. Any suggestions anyone in the area may wish to send my way, please do!

My cell phone was dead for a few days there since I didn't have my charger cord with me, so anyone who left me messages on Friday or Saturday, I wasn't ignoring you.

Yesterday/last night was day one of the Grindhouse Film Festival at the Hollywood Theater, featuring Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Zombie, Demons, and Blackbelt Jones. It was a great time, even though Demons kind of sucked. And we tried to see No Country for Old Men today, but it was sold out. I took a nap instead, and I'm still feeling totally wiped out. Thus this entry is very plainly written and probably a total bore to read. Sorry.

Seems like the hype around this band grows more and more, particularly since they were signed to Southern Lord for the release of their sophomore album, Two Hunters, and deservedly so. Wolves in the Throne Room are a trio of guys from Olympia, Washington, professing "humbleness before nature" and an organic "DIY lifestyle" — living in a cabin in the woods and reputedly growing their own food. Also reputedly "scorning the consumer-based traditions of the modern world", but apparently not so much so that they aren't willing to sell their records on arguably the biggest label for metal these days and tour as madly as any other band earning a living. Whatever; they know what they're doing when it comes to their music, which is all that really matters. Aaron, the drummer, claims that the band's aim is to "[express] the truth of balance in the universe, the flow of energy from light to dark, death to life." OK, fine. Hippie black metal? Something like that.

What we have here is some black metal drawing from most would consider to be the Norwegian quintessentials — Burzum (aesthetically (particularly in light of Hvis Lyset Tar Oss)), early Emperor and Satyricon, etc. — and some rather unabashed Weakling worship (check that logo), not to mention those flourishes of Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance resonance and grandeur. So really, those namedrops are probably what your decision of whether or not you're interested in hearing this band will hinge upon, which is only right. In any case, WITTR are arguably the finest U.S.-based band currently working in black metal. Here (password is thetruewarmongers.)

I look forward to seeing 'em in Portland this Sunday!

Panic is another Circle release — one which was actually released shortly before the more recent and much-loved Katapult. This one comes with a sticker one the front boasting Circle's 'Speed-Kraut Powers', which is apparently what they're calling this burst of freaked-out '80s hardcore punk bookended by a much lengthier set of ambient/electronic tracks along the lines of Tangerine Dream and every soundtrack to every '80s sci-fi/horror flick. The contrast is really odd, and aside from the electronic squibbling and noise shooting through the punk tracks there's really nothing to connect them to the krauty stuff here; nevertheless, despite or because of its oddly polarized style, it's fun and it works. To get all conceptual about it, (which is probably the intent here), you could say it begins with the soft rumblings of dissent and the news of oppression spreading (pretty clearly evident in a song title like "Pigs in the Paper") leading up to a violent outburst (Panic in the streets!) culminating in nuclear devastation before the sudden fallout: "Tunnel" is a dark and droning descent into murky depths, with "And Far Away" returning to a more utopian pulse, perhaps hinting at a bright and calm future (perhaps even one that is a bit sedate and artificial).

Anyway, yeah, I love this band more and more all the time.

You can grab it here (the password is sharedmp3.net (I'll try re-uploading a new zip to mediafire later on, if necessary)).

— is what I had to shout when the electricity was accidentally cut as Boris took the stage for their encore. Others in the crowd were shouting, too: "Plug in the fuckin' aaaamps!" Wata and Kurihara just stood around looking kind of bemused or annoyed while Atsuo and Takeshi laughed. I guess Damon of Damon & Naomi was right when he talked about silence being a kind of roar of its own after quoting something John Cage said. And then, "Boris brought the roar. We brought the silence." They really weren't all that quiet, though, which I guess was a good thing since the bar over to the right was pretty noisy. Actually, they just weren't very good, except for Kurihara's amazing guitar solos. So really, though I suppose I can appreciate the proclaimed modus operandi of this tour (deafening "silence" followed by something truly deafening), the effect was pretty much lost. And Boris, as always, melted faces. Kurihara may have been the star of the entire, show, too. He's really fucking amazing — easily one of the best guitarists I've had the pleasure of seeing perform.


via stupidoptimist, taken by smartblue

There are three songs missing from the bottom of that picture: "Just Abandoned My-Self" (I'm so fucking glad they played that (and it was fun to see Atsuo stand on his drum kit and throw up the horns before a bit of crowd surfing while the trio of guitars droned out for the song's finish (though they almost failed to catch him on his second jump!))), "Farewell", and for the eventual encore, something I've never heard before. Something very quiet and clean and pretty, for Boris.

Everything else was not so quiet. My right ear is still ringing a bit.

We (bad_juice/Basil and I) didn't get any pictures, but I'm on the lookout for any that may end up on the internet. If I see any, I'm sure I'll post them here.

Is there an easy and FREE way to restore your iPod's files after the iTunes auto-sync decides to wipe it clean?

How fucking stupid can Apple be? Why would anyone want anything that is already on their iPod to be automatically removed just because it doesn't match up with iTunes' empty library? It should only add what isn't already on it. Right? At the very least, if it does remove something, it should immediately present the option to have it restored.

At least I've got my external hard drive out here, so I can put some things back on it later, but ugh.

Cement Truck Crushes Bicyclist.

I walked right past this scene on my way to work today. I usually walk over that very corner almost every day, at least while I'm staying over at Jeff and Angela's place. You can barely see the girl's bike in the picture, but it was completely mangled ... I can only hope the rider didn't feel much.

There's a post about this over at damnportlanders, too.

Be careful out there.

It's Circle doing yet another 'New Wave of Finnish Black Metal' record, only this time it actually sounds a bit like black metal — '60s black metal, they say — and not just some grim psychedelic noodling (e.g. Tyrant). On this one they actually bring the metal like they haven't since the very Judas Priest-like Sunrise, complete with ridiculous(ly awesome) grunting and growling; however, it's just as replete with delightful kraut-y weirdness and some goofy David Bowie-ish vocals, living up to its promise. "Four Points of the Compass" even sounds like the score to some imaginary Italian horror film. Give it a spin.



Darkthrone get even dumber, and even more fun. This record fucking rules. EDIT: I still think Sardonic Wrath is the best record they've done since Panzerfaust, but after The Cult is Alive left me feeling a little underwhelmed, this is quite a welcome improvement. Gone are the blastbeats or much of anything overtly black metal — what we're left with here is a completely solid metal album, slightly crusty and blackened.

Just a few more days!

Reposted from comments in hollie_horror's entry here, with some edits.

THE BEST

Eastern Promises
The Host
Grindhouse
Hot Fuzz
Lust, Caution
Inland Empire
Live Free or Die Hard

The Lives of Others and Children of Men were '06 releases, but I saw them this year and they deserve to be mentioned. There are a whole bunch of '07 releases that I've not yet seen — Knocked Up, Superbad, Black Snake Moan, Ratatouille, Brand Upon the Brain, 3:10 to Yuma, Sunshine, etc. — but I will eventually. Also, I felt 300 and Pan's Labyrinth were terribly disappointing, though Pan's may have actually been a pretty good movie (and was actually an '06 release anyway). The Fountain: good if you really love Tool's music videos? Spider-Man 3 was fun, but such a mess and not a very good way for the trilogy to go out (after the second one was so great) — I hope they continue with a 4th. 28 Weeks Later was pretty rough, but it contained some really great things and was mostly enjoyable. Hostel 2 was not so great, and kind of fell flat after the way the first one impressed me. The Invasion wasn't really anything special, yet it was pretty much solid and a good one to catch at a second run cinema or on DVD, particularly if you've enjoyed other Body Snatchers movies. Shoot 'em Up doesn't need to exist. Rob Zombie's Halloween remake was pretty fucking terrible, like fanfiction that explains Michael Myers away so thoroughly that he's no longer this cold, murderous shell of what might be a human being — he's just a dumb kid with a weird face who got picked on too much when he was young. It's like that Patton Oswalt joke about Darth Vader being shown to us as a sad little boy who misses his mom. Who the fuck cares?

I'm probably forgetting some things. Oh, yes: Paprika was totally gorgeous, and made a bunch of old anime tropes seem fresh again. It also came out in '06 originally, I guess. Maybe I should be talking about Tekkon Kinkreet here, but I haven't seen that yet. Soon.

I'm not sure which movie of '07 stands as my single favorite, honestly. Grindhouse was definitely the most fun I had in a theater (ever!), but I don't think either film in the double feature was necessarily the best I've seen this year. Still certainly in my top five or so.

I'll post something like this again closer to the end of the year, after I've seen more.

Are all of Ang Lee's films about repression and hidden true identities? I haven't seen everything he's done, but thinking of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk, Brokeback Mountain, and now Lust, Caution, the pattern holds true. These movies are about different things, of course — CTHD is a gorgeous Wǔxiá tale, Hulk is a totally retarded comic book movie, Brokeback Mountain is a gay cowboy drama, and Lust, Caution is a WWII espionage thriller (sort of) — but they all share this theme of repression and the concealed true nature/identity of their central characters. I'm not going to sit here and speculate on how this might be significant in some very Chinese way, which I might imagine that it is; nonetheless, it's something that I find interesting and, in a way, fairly universal. We're all somebody else at least some of the time, aren't we?

Anyhow, I was totally pleased with Lust, Caution. Reactions seem pretty mixed, but I recommend it.

When I left Jeff's (boy_friday) place for work earlier today, I saw that some of the windows in the door to the apartment building's lobby had been smashed in and cracked — when I stepped outside and observed the damage from the sidewalk, I could see that the center window was cracked inward, still with strands of dark, curly hair stuck between the shards of glass. I could only imagine what kind of violence had taken place there last night! It seemed doubtful that anyone had just drunkenly tripped and smashed their own head into the door, and too much glass was broken for that anyway, so it must have been something worse. I hope it wasn't anything too awful.

The broken parts were all boarded up when I came back from work and I forgot to ask Jeff if he'd heard anything about it, but I suppose it at least explains why I woke up last night and saw a police cruiser's lights flashing in the window (and the door is just down to the left of said window)...

Anyway, yes. Work. I found a job pretty quickly, yes? Eight days isn't too bad. It's just one of those market research jobs, calling people who will mostly hang up on me and asking the bored and lonely ones about things they buy and how pleased they are with these purchases and services, but hey, it's money. There's a girl who's been training along with me who seems like she'd be fun to hang out with some time, too. Which is something. Maybe. Right?

Got a few fun things coming up, too. I think we (Basil and Jeff and I) will probably see a movie this weekend — most likely Lust, Caution, though we were also considering Across the Universe (before we knew that Lust, Caution would be showing this weekend, I think). I haven't seen too many people speaking up about this one, aside from one negative dismissal on LJ and some critical acclaim in the local papers, but either way, being that it is an Ang Lee film with Tony Leung, I simply have to see it and look forward to it greatly. And then in one week I get to see Boris (again)!

Oh yes, and I've been watching Freaks and Geeks lately. Yes, for my first time. I'm totally in love with that show and those characters. Man. Only three episodes left...

My legs are soooo sore.

I've spent the last couple of days doing a lot of walking around downtown Portland, getting myself familiarized with the layout of the city. It's true, as they say — you really can't get lost here. And tonight I'm back over at Basil (bad_juice) and Shirin's place, after spending a night over at Jeff's (boy_friday, who some of you may recognize from dailyvideogame (and who could forget the handlebar 'stache?)) playing co-op Gears of War late into the night. Drinking this Kill Ugly Radio beer, which is really very good (and now I kinda wish I'd been able to try last year's Freak Out! ale, though it sounds like this newer brew is more to my liking with the in-your-face, up-your-nose hops). Totally looking forward to sampling all the good beers available around here.

Anyway, I think I can find work pretty quickly here, the way things are looking, and with luck I should be able to get a place of my own in about a month. Something between the downtown area and the Hawthorne district would probably be perfect. All, of course, with thanks to Basil, Shirin, Jeff, and (not forgetting) his roommate Angela...!

I looking forward to making new friends out here, as well as seeing my friends from other cities visiting! This weekend I'll be hanging out and bowling with my cousins (one of them turns 26!) and their friends, and then, on Saturday, seeing Wolves in the Throne Room (opening for Danava, along with Thrones and some other band I've never heard of), then perhaps resuming the co-op Gears session with Jeff on Sunday — so, I mean, I'm already pretty much in love with this place. Oh, and I have my ticket to see BORIS (w/ Damon & Naomi featuring Kurihara on guitar and Jackie-O Motherfucker) at Dante's on 10/12... Cannot fucking wait.

Honestly, I mean, I could see myself loving this place even more than I loved San Francisco.

Oh, yes, and I've been seeing some more movies lately, after slowing down with that for a couple of months. Notably, The Lives of Others and Live Free or Die Hard were excellent, Shoot 'em Up totally sucked (maybe it has some merit if you view it as some kind of ironic and absurd bizarro-world response to Children of Men, but eh), Transformers was a mixed bag (and only that because of nostalgia and giant robots), The Invasion was better than I'd expected (I hadn't expected much), and Eastern Promises is now probably in my top five for '07. Also, Gymkata is one of the best bad movies I've ever seen. I'll probably check out the Simpsons movies next week, while it's showing at the Bagdad for cheap. And the trailer for Lust, Caution has me fairly aroused, one might say. Ah, Tony...

Just doing some last minute things around here, feeling both nostalgic and excited for the near future. A little bit anxious, admittedly, but I know it'll be good. I've got two very cool friends there, as well as two cousins, and a whole lot of motivation to be focused and make the best of it.

Maybe I'll even start writing a little more again.

I'm so lost.

If you've ever enjoyed anything by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paranoia Agent) — hell, if you enjoy movies — be sure to see Paprika. It's wonderful; easily his best work yet, and certainly the best full-length anime I've seen since Mind Game.

So Dead as Dreams was all we ever really got from Weakling. They managed to sink their claws into the edge of the cliff of the best shit, that sought-after majestic obscurity, but never gave themselves the chance to pull up and beyond that with a second album, according to Gossard himself. (Though in my opinion the one record we got is pretty well up there.) "It's a personal flaw of mine never to want to stick around long enough to see if that's gonna happen. Everything I love artistically in music is guaranteed to fail by the second to third album." Hey, even Asunder made it to a second album, along with a split EP or two. Well, that's alright.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a couple of things: the live demo and rehearsal recordings, pre-Dead as Dreams and sans vocals (thought it sounds like you can hear someone shouting without a mic at points). Talk about sketchy! Nevertheless, if you love Weakling half as much as I do you'll want to hear these. It's not another album, but it's something!

O)))

Also Listening To
Jesu — Sundown + Sunrise 12"
Actually just a domestic vinyl pressing of the two lengthier tracks from the bonus disc that came with the Japanese Conqueror CD. It's somewhat on the Heart Ache side of things, with an even greater emphasis on hazy electronics.
Nadja — Corrasion
Another 2007 re-recording of an older release, vastly improved. Fucking blissful and crushing. Like doom metal + Fennesz.
Ruins of Beverast — Rain Upon the Impure
I've been listening to this one just about as much as I've ever listened to Dead as Dreams at any given time. It's much more cohesive than their first record, Unlock the Shrine, which itself was quite stunning. Just gorgeously washed-out, murky black metal with the weight of doom.
Drudkh — Blood in Our Wells
This is another one I just cannot get enough of. Their recent EP was a little dull, but I'm seriously hoping that this year's Estrangement will be the amazing full-length followup that it could be. Blood in Our Wells and Rain Upon the Impure are both astounding records that came out last year, too late for me to notice them in time to have them on my best of '06 list, but they absolutely should be.
Sigh — Hangman's Hymn
Sigh complete the titular spelling of their own name for a second time with their second "H" record. What this one lacks in Gallows Gallery's textural diversity it makes up for with their most ferocious sound on record yet; they've more or less returned to full-on weird, symphonic black metal, Sigh style (circa Hail Horror Hail but cranked up a few notches), and their new drummer keeps them blazing along with relentless propulsion. The highlight here is "In Devil's Arms", which also happens to be the most reminiscent of Gallows Gallery.
Rakhim — Crimson Umbrella
Two songs, entitled "Transylvanian Error" and "Ultimate Sword". This is a couple of guys from Circle and Pharaoh Overlord doing an even blacker (yet still a bit krautrockish and improvisational) take on black metal than Circle's own Tyrant disc. It's more like a sort of "free black ambient" — the New Wave of Finnish Black Metal. Check it out if you enjoy Abruptum's Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectére Me.
Colleen — Les Ondes Silencieuses
Cécile Schott moves even further away from the lush electronic sound of Everyone Alive Wants Answers in favor of warm acoustics. A few tracks leave me wanting, but "Blue Sands" and "Sea of Tranquility" are particularly lovely. I'd say it's her most ponderous and melancholy yet.
Raccoo-oo-oon — The Cave of Spirits Forever
Check 'em out if you enjoy Gang Gang Dance, Bardo Pond, Jackie-O Motherfucker, etc. — something between Wolf Eyes and Animal Collective, maybe? Nice sparkling gobs of free jazz color and texture throughout, when they're not being grim and dirty almost to the point of blackened, earthy metal. I'm still exploring their wealth of output (which can be a bit uneven, quality-wise (and they've released countless cassettes)), but this one and Behold Secret Kingdom I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
Merzbow — Coma Berenices
It's Merzbow. It's psychedelic. And there's guitar!
Tim Hecker — Harmony in Ultraviolet
Almost every night. This is easily one of my all-time favorites.

Andee and Allen of Aquarius are about to start their "weird black metal" special on KHJC 89.7 FM. Should be fun! "...three hours of the blackest of metals. Blasting, grim, frosty, kvlt, weird, damaged, demented, epic, majestic, bleak, miserable, ridiculous, and all the shades of black in between." It's running from 7-10pm PST, and I'll definitely be listening. Just thought I'd toss this up here in case anyone else might be interested.