Rising Appalachia and The Human Experience - Soul Visions [Trip-Hop/Americana]

Walk with me.. 

Artists: Rising Appalachia, The Human Experience

Release Date: June 17th, 2013

Genre: Trip-Hop, Soul, Americana

For Fans Of: Massive Attack, UNKLE, Red Giant

Recommended Tracks: Mississippi, Pretty Little Foot, Downtown, Sunu

Soul Visions is a collaboration between electronic artist The Human Experience and soul/americana duo Rising Appalachia. The end product of these two polar opposites is an exhilarating electronic album with a fine flair of southern americana soul to give the entire album a fresh spin in it's genre.

You can stream, download, or buy Soul Visions here. If you like what you hear consider supporting Rising Appalachia and The Human Experience by throwing a few coins their way or by purchasing their solo work located here and here. You can also share this album with your friends! They like americana trip-hop, right? Just remember, a little support and a little word of mouth goes a long way! <3

[Sorta Non-Bandcamp] Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool? [Folk/Punk]

I'm gonna die and you're gonna forget my name...

Artist: Jeff Rosenstock

Release Date: February 25, 2015

Genre: Folk, Punk

For Fans Of: Joey Cape, Bomb the Music Industry!, Andrew Jackson Jihad

Recommended Tracks: Get Old Forever, Nausea, Beers Again Alone, Polar Bear Or Africa, Hall of Fame, The Lows, Darkness Records

Jeff Rosenstock is quite the achieved musician if I do say so myself. A member of cult classic ska-punk group The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, DIY collective Bomb The Music Industry, and various other bands such as Kudrow, Antarctigo Vespucci, and The Bruce Lee Band; Jeff has displayed a large variety of song writing and musicianship without ever failing to impress. We Cool?, the debut studio album from Jeff Rosenstock following the break-up of Bomb The Music Industry.

We Cool? shows Jeff at an absolute apex with songwriting and musicianship. Jeff's combination of downright depressing themes such as growing up a failure, dying alone, and having everyone out to get you with quick and up-beat instrumentals create a little morbid atmosphere for all the songs on the album. The writing itself blends a nice level of venerability with sarcasm that makes each song catchy and fun to listen to. This album is just an overall joy to listen to, and with all the different styles of folk, punk, country, and weezercore throughout the album there is a little something for everyone. 

You can stream or buy We Cool? here. You can download the album here. If you like what you hear, consider supporting Jeff Rosenstock by purchasing a copy of the album as located on his bandcamp page. You can also share this album with your friends! They love really depressing and quirky music, right? Just remember, a little support and a little word of mouth goes a long way! <3

The Sky Life - Caves [Folk/Post-Rock]

I knew it all along...

Artist: The Sky Life

Release Date: October 17th, 2012

Genre: Folk, Post-Rock

For Fans Of: Bon Iver, Wilco, Ben Howard, Sparklehorse

Recommended Tracks: Stop Thinking, Granville, Feel the Same, Son to the Seed, Freeman

The Sky Life are a folk band who incorporate a small amount of post-rock for flavoring through a large scope of various styles that call back to early Wilco, Bon Iver, and Sparklehorse. Caves, the debut album from The Sky Life, demonstrates The Sky Life's ability to craft a rich and original sound while keeping their influences at bay. On top of that, is songwriting that goes through the motions of the hardest times in life with hyperbole that allows for the work to be interpreted however by the listener. Making for a beautiful and engaging listen. If you like folk music with a niche, and a damn good one at that, and you're a fan of the previously aforementioned influences; then Caves is a must listen. 

You can stream, download, or buy Caves here. If you like what you hear, consider supporting The Sky Life by throwing a few coins their way or by purchasing their previous work as located on their bandpage linked above. You can also share this album with your friends! They like... meh, can't think of anything. Just remember, a little support and a little word of mouth goes a long way! <3

A City Sorrow Built - Ai [Post-Hardcore]

May your happiness last...

Artist: Ai

Release Date: June 12th, 2015

Genre: Post-Hardcore

For Fans Of: Lome Prieta, Envy

Recommended tracks: Hati/Saiju, Suaramu, Hitam/Putih, Duka/Cita

A City Sorrow Built are a post-hardcore screamo band from Indonesia. They are a group who blend post-rock, post-hardcore, and screamo elements together with a mixture of english and Indonesian to give themselves a unique sound and identity. Ai showcases their dynamic blend with beautiful and blissful arrangements that is only amplified in power by the screams that intertwine with the melodies of the album. It's an incredibly beautiful and technically sound album, if you are a fan of albums about heartbreak then this album is a must listen!

You can stream, download, or buy Ai here. If you like what you hear, consider supporting A City Sorrow Built by throwing a few coins their way! You can also share this album with your friends, they like 9 minute screamo ballads... right? Just remember, a little support and a little word of mouth goes a long way! <3

bansheebeat - Lumine [Electronic]

Nothing is left for me now...

Artist: bansheebeat

Release Date: July 7th, 2015

Genre: Electronic, Chiptune, IDM

For Fans Of: Aivi & Surasshu, Porter Robinson, Slime Girls, Steven Universe

Recommended Tracks: Shinsekai, Sea of Lights, Rainy Love, Cultural Festival Arc, Lumine, Polestar

So I'm listening to the Lumine for the first time considering it was just released earlier today. Only about 7 tracks in, but I have to say this is one hell of an album. I linked banshee's last album, Spiral Power, a while back if anyone remembers. While that album was great with it's "N64 throwback" atmosphere, mainly because of it's use of Nintendo game samples, this album expands it's horizon and scope to include a wide variety of extravagant melodies in an incredible and spacious landscape. 

Every track on Lumine bursts with energy, twisting and turning through layer after layer of soundscapes and atmosphere with the assistance of various instruments and samples that adds levels of depth to the core work of the album. The tracks themselves vary from progressive, to straight forwards dance music, to more somber ballads and all feel unique and ultimately beautiful. If there was anything more I could say about this album, it would be that bansheebeat has given me an AOTY contender without a doubt. If you like this kind of music, or even if you don't, give it a spin ASAP!

You san stream, download, or buy Lumine here. If you like what you hear, consider supporting bansheebeat by throwing a few coins his way. You can also share this album with your friends! They all like beautiful electronic-chiptune landscapes, right? Just remember, a little support and a little word of mouth goes a long way! <3

Lost Salt Blood Purges - The Voids We All Long For [Drone/Folk]

I guess that's what he loved about me...

Lost Salt Blood Purges is a bloke I know. Well, more like a bloke I argue about the ethics of music streaming with. Anyways, Lost Salt Blood Purges is a dude who is pretty passionate about his work, and for good reason too. The Voids We All Long For is an interesting little album. It blurs the line of folk, drone, and ambient sound (among other unmentioned genres) and in the process it creates an atmosphere that is as intriguing as it is dark. 

Whether it be the vague lyrics or the sputtering of glitch noise, suffocating ambience, and reclusive guitar arrangements; what The Voids We All Long For presents is an album with a lot to show and tell with it's darkness. And it succeeds in doing so with an excellent showcase of production and presentation. Whether you like multi-part concepts, ambient buzz, covers, or spoken word passages; there is a little bit of everything to be found in The Voids We All Long For, and to a further extent, it all mixes in together brilliantly. 

You can stream, download, or buy The Voids We All Long For here. If you like what you hear, consider supporting Lost Salt Blood Purges by throwing a few coins his way. You can also share this album with your friends! They like ambient drone folk stuff, right? Just remember, a little support and a little word of mouth goes a long way! <3