The Orkustra- Adventures in Experimental Electric Orchestra From the San Francisco Psychedelic Underground[2010]

I was trying to think of something to post for Christmas, and I realized that this collection/reissue of the Orkustra's recorded output would do the trick.

Led by young Bobby BeauSoleil, the Orkustra was an attempt at the first "electric orchestra". Fusing techniques, rhythms, and instruments from Indian ragas, bebop and avant-garde jazz, folk, and rock and roll, the Orkustra made quite a mark on San Francisco's fabled underground, despite never releasing a proper album. These guys played with the Dead and Buffalo Springfield, but have been almost completely forgotten. Why? It could have something to do with good old Bobby BeauSoleil himself. In 1969, BeauSoleil killed a man in a drug deal gone wrong, and went to prison. This was after his involvement with the Manson family, of course. BeauSoleil lived on Manson's ranch at some point, but was uninvolved in their famous murders.

The music here is fantastic, truly a gem amongst many. The closest touchstone is perhaps the Third Ear Band, but their Indo-Euro fusion tended to stay closer to raga forms. The oboe and clarinet swing between wailing and crooning, the strings saw away in the background, the percussion is pounding and ritualistic, yet interesting. The occasional guitar touches work well- there are no power chords or solos. Instead, the guitar is treated in a manner more suited to this style of music.

There are 11 songs here, including two practice sessions. They run from three to twenty-five minutes, but the main draw here is the incredible "Gypsy Odyssey," performed live at St. John's Church, Christmas eve 1966. So there, there's my Christmas album this year. Yuletidin's to all.

Mayo Thomspon- Corky's Debt To His Father[1969]

Mayo Thompson, who you may or may not know as the leader of The Red Krayola(nee Crayola) has a certain je ne sais quoi about him that really draws me toward his work. I think it's the Texas thing. His Texas roots shine strong here, on an album of music that's certainly country, but also very western, as well as postmodern and a kissing cousin of the Velvet Underground's weird new take on rock music.

First of all, this is one of those albums that could be from any era and still be fresh. It's too much of a stew of various genres and techniques to really become irrelevant, and enough of a tongue-in-cheek poke at the same styles it utilizes. Full of odd and jerky, yet organic and hummable melodies and rhythms and memorable, if sometimes goofy, leyrics, Corky's Debt To His Father is a highly unique singer-songwriter album from the highly unique leader of one of the most violently avant-garde rock bands in America during the 1960s.

"Dear Betty Baby" is what I consider a beautiful song- the lyrics and the simply chopped off chords are very heartfelt and affecting.

I can't really pick out favorites here. I'm a little bit doped up and having a hard time typing, but all the tracks here are unique, clever, and catchy. There are a lot of well-planned moments and arrangements, and you'd have a hard time ever pigeonholing this album into a single style. This really deserves a better review, but I just wanted to finally get this favorite of mine posted.

Camberwell Now- All's Well[1983-1987]

Let it be known that I'm a big fan of Charles Hayward. The man has a background including Gong(big plus here), Quiet Sun(with Manzanera of Roxy Music), and the incomparable This Heat. He's also got a fairly extensive solo career, and has played with Tatsuya Yoshida of Ruins, among others.

Camberwell Now formed after This Heat died in its prime, and immediately, there were signs that this group would be a bit "out there". Hayward's vicious drumming, bass-as-guitar from Trefor Goronwy(worked with Huun-Hurr-Tu, one of the more well-known Tuvan throat-singing ensembles), and sound technician Stephen Rickard's tape-switchboard, along with the hyper-political, far-left, and insanely clever and biting lyrics seen in This Heat-- it was an odd combination.

That said, Camberwell Now made a brand of post-punk that was very, VERY post, but also had a visible thread of punk woven throughout. They only released one album and two EPs, but most of the material is gathered here, on All's Well. Opener "Cutty Sark" is vocals and a drone, eventually joined by tambourine, and it's about a naval cartographer- it's awesome. "Spirit of Dunkirk" is a lock-groove percolation of tape, drums, and half-moaned vocals-- again, awesome. "Resplash," a reworking of an early track entitled "Splash", is an eight-minute groove consisting mostly of a recurring bassline, autoharp, reverbed tape loops, and running water samples, yet manages to stay compelling by subtly screwing with the loops to change around the rhythms.

There are more high-energy, uptempo tracks here- "Daddy Needs a New Throne", "Working Nights", "Sitcom", and "Green Lantern" all snarl over bouncing basslines, often breaking into a new rhythm every few seconds. These are actually among my favorite tracks here, and it's a sound that Camberwell Now pulled of well.

I'm not a huge fan of the material from the "Greenfingers" EP, but it has its merits, namely in the lyrics and use of tape sampling.

Baby Grandmothers- s/t[1969]

The Swedes have had a penchant for heavy psych-rock since it's been a possibility, and Baby Grandmothers may have started the whole scene, which is a shame, because the scene's pretty derivative these days.
Baby Grandmothers supported The Jimi Hendrix Experience during their Scandinavian tour, and they sure deserved it. Vocals are minimal, but the instrumentals get pretty hairy. A little lo-fi, but it sounds great here.

The Millenium- Begin[1968]

Absolutely perfect psych-pop album. The definition of a "lost masterpiece".
This was the most expensive album Columbia records had produced to date, and you can really tell that no expense was spared.
"Prelude/To Claudia on a Thursday" might be the best way I've ever heard an album begin.
The tragedy: the album sold abysmally, and the band was never re-signed.

Neon Philharmonic- The Moth Confesses[1969]

Fantastically lush baroque pop with a vague operatic theme. The vocals are grandiose, but not what you'd expect from "a Phonograph Opera". It's basically excellent psych-pop if the effects and fuckery were replaced with orchestral instruments and a choir. Lyrics can be dumb at times, but are delivered well, and are earnest enough to not be a bad thing.

Several Canterbury Scene Prog albums

Austin and I were talking the other night, and I figured I might as well do this post, seeing as it's one of my favorite prog scenes.

The Canterbury scene sprung up in Canterbury, Kent, England in the early 70's, and isn't so much a style as a collective sort of thing. That's not to say that there aren't similarities between the groups involved: they're all very British. They're also some of the greatest psychedelic and progressive acts of the 1970's, so it's nothing to scoff at.

Soft Machine- Third[1970]
Soft machine were the fusion branch of the Canterbury scene, but the jazz influence is more free-jazz than cool jazz. Squealing saxes and shredding axes abound. Facelift has an awesome 5-minute intro, by the way.
http://www.mediafire.com/?mmmqkzn2jyz

Caravan- In the Land of Grey and Pink[1971]
Hugely varied album. Includes a goofy boy-meets-girl song about golf, an 8-minute minstrel's tale, an irritatingly catchy love song, a lightly psychedelic jaunt, then a 23-minute epic. A very pleasant album, overall.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jbavoaier4d

 Arzachel-Arzachel[1969]
aka Uriel, aka Egg. This is the lone release by what could be considered a Canterbury supergroup, despite coming before much of the other groups in the scene.  Very psychedelic, great rhythm section, ranges from ethereal psych-hymns to hard rock. Garden of Earthly Delights might be my favorite song from the entire scene. Organ heavy(in a good way), in case you're not into that.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ytnbmxizznn

Gong- Flying Teapot[1971]
This group is way out there. The spaciest group of the Canterbury scene, there are a lot of things about Gong that might put you off. Odd vocals, loads of instruments and overlapping tracks- it gets a little dense. It really falls into some great grooves, though. Give it a thorough listen, and I doubt you'll be disappointed.
http://www.mediafire.com/?kziwun4j2gj

Midsummer's Night Funk

Just a couple of quick albums, both great for just about any time during the summer. Both are instrumental, so they're perfect background music for a barbecue, bonfire, smoke sesh, dag break, dick time, etc.

Eddy Senay- Hot Thang[1972]
Funky instrumental soul, or soulful instrumental funk? I'm not sure, I'm white. It's great though. Loads of fuzz, wah, and organ.
http://www.mediafire.com/?itju0nwyz32

 Dave Hamilton- Detroit City Grooves[2005]
Contains tracks from the 60's to the present. All fantastic soul/funk jams, focused mostly on guitar. Lots of vibraphone/xylophone, also.
http://rapidshare.com/files/172781209/Dave_Hamilton_1.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/172778921/Dave_Hamilton_2.zip
Sorry about the rapidshare on Dave Hamilton, I know it sucks. Please enjoy, though. Happy summer.

Jandek- Interstellar Discussion[1984]

Jandek's music is as enigmatic and more-than-vaguely creepy as the man who makes it. Though guesses have been made as to his identity, none have been confirmed, and any record sales or contact are made through a man who refers to himself as "a representative of Corwood Industries". Intrigued by this weird folk-*hero* sort of lore, I decided to go through Jandek's entire catalog chronologically, and it's already become sort of an obsession.

On this, his tenth release, Jandek uses more varied instrumentation, mostly his freakishly distorted and rattling electric guitar (played in his own "black key" tuning), pounding drums, and shrieking harmonica. Jandek's voice itself could also be considered an instrument. It never quite hits the right notes (not that you can tell which ones he's going for) and it's got a tribal sort of whelping intonation to it. This strange little ensemble cobbles together some of the most atonal and creeped-out things ever. I say things, because I can't come up with an apt descriptor for most of these tracks.

The lyrics are just beyond what a normal human mind could create. Think of every single person you know- none of them could generate the sort of thoughts that come out in Jandek's lyrics. Sometimes a lunatic, sometimes a loser, there are a lot of different moods present here, but none of them fall on the sunny side of things. The two lines that make up "Starless"(I must say what I say/Listen-- what I say) really set the mood for the whole experience, an experience that I'd expect to be somewhat similar to being kidnapped and forced to listen to a maniac's shocking memories. Everything's in present-tense, and it's either directed at "you" or "I". Sometimes he throws a phone number in there- who knows?(547-3668). If you read the lyrics, they're a little bit weird, if simple. Jandek's delivery, however, turns them inside out with yowls, groans, and barks.

This is the man who epitomized outsider music. He's the ultimate outsider, somehow making public appearances without revealing anything but his face. I don't think anyone else can play like this, because this twisting vision doesn't exist for anyone else. Even if you just have this on in the background, there will be lines and sections that jump out at you. A burst of noise, a line that you need to hear in context(there might not be any)- you'll find yourself going back to try and understand it a little bit better, not that there's much there for you to understand.

Syzygys- Complete Studio Recordings[2003]

I'm in the middle of packing for the fireside jamboree and a marathon Jandek session right now, so I'll just do a short one about an interesting album that I don't know much about.

Syzygys is one of the longest words in the English language without a single standard vowel. Huh. It's also a Japanese female duo who play fun little pop songs based in Harry Partch's microtonal scale. They're a part of Tzadik's New Japan series, which consistently releases some of the best and weirdest Japan has to offer. This album has a very whimsical feel to it, and while there are vocals, the instrumentals are by and large my favorite part.

Stylistically, this album is all over the place, ranging from faux-Middle-eastern dirges to carnival-esque ditties, there are a lot of unexpected turns. I guarantee that this sounds like nothing else you've heard, but it won't be one of those albums that you only listen to because it's weird. I already find myself coming back to it just for fun.

Ruins post for Austin

This will be a post of a smattering of Ruins and Ruins-associated acts, with a brief description of each album.
-<3 Dan

Ruins- 1986-1992
I'm including this in lieu of their first five or so albums. This is a compilation of their early works, and the material here spans three different bassists. Much of this is closer to punk than their later works, but it's still like nothing else.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ulsil969v6gtb

Ruins- Hyderomastgroningem[1995]
This is where things got weird(er). A shift toward long-form songs, but still maintaining some of the punk trappings of their earlier works.  This is probably the best combination of accessibility and content.
http://www.mediafire.com/?xm3zy2ohdot

Ruins- Vrresto[1998]
A bit more abstract than Hyderomastgroningem, there aren't really rhythms to speak of. Instead, the songs are extended, nonrepeating exercises in controlled chaos. Includes some random passages of non-drum, non-bass instruments such as vibraphone and violin.
http://www.mediafire.com/?6jjzecwoedn

 Ruins- Symphonica[1998]
On this release, Yoshida enlists the help of a pianist/keyboardist, as well as two female singers. Includes remakes of several tracks that should be familiar from 1986-1992. A very interesting listen, and a bridge into the more operatic phase of Ruins albums.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ztyvi2rozez

 Ruins- Pallaschtom[2000]
Hard and fast seems to be the operating principle here. Tatsuya Yoshida and Sasaki Hisashi are masters of their prospective instruments, and Pallaschtom is a collection of relatively short tracks showcasing their incredible synergy. Also of note is the trio of medleys at the end- "Classical Music Medley", "Hard Rock Medley", and "Progressive Rock Medley". They're like a light-speed tour through decades of great music.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zumiojne5mj

Ruins- Mandala 2000: Live at the Kichijoji Mandala II[2000]
This goes to show that Ruins is able to pull of all of that recorded insanity in a live setting. It also contains loads of improvisations, so it's almost like an entirely new album.
http://www.mediafire.com/?z2r1cazzjuo

 Ruins- Tzomborgha[2002]
Sadly, the last proper Ruins album. It's impossible to tell where this one is going. Each track is an organic and highly technical piece, not so much composed as developed. Also contains "Black Sabbath Medley" and "Mahavishnu Orchestra Medley"- Both are amazing. Do not start here, by any means.
http://www.mediafire.com/?4wgyhfzmejf

 Derek & The Ruins- Saisoro[1995]
Collaboration between Derek Bailey and Ruins. Somewhat like a sparser version of Hyderomastgroningem, though there are plenty of dense and heavy freakouts here and there.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=URW3Q0IC

RonRuins- Ketsunoana[1998]
Ruins collaboration with Ron Anderson of The Molecules. Sounds like Ruins with a guitar. Not that that's a bad thing.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=O0E4X8UM

 Haino Keiji/ Yoshida Tatsuya- Uhrfasudhasdd[2008]
A maniac on guitar, a genius on drums, and loads of tape fuckery. It's crazy and loud, but actually pretty fun, and almost catchy in some parts.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zjzmnmofymd

 Satoko Fujii & Tatsuya Yoshida- Erans[2004]
This is a personal favorite of mine. It's Yoshida and pianist Satoko Fujii, and it's a great combination. The piano is smooth, but unpredictable, bringing the whole album to a sort of extremely avant-garde free-jazz.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zmhmzzjz1ji

 Koenjihyakkei- Angherr Shisspa[2005]
I'm only including one Koenjihyakkei album on here because I've already done a lot of albums. I'd recommend looking into them if you like later Ruins, though. I'd say Symphonica is the closest approximation in the Ruins discography.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jitmfaaqznw

 Okay, that's it. There's still loads out there, but this covers most of the bases in terms of stages of evolution and collaborations. Enjoy, there's a lot to work through here.

Naked City- Leng Tch'e[1992]

Leng Tch'e, or the "slow slicing" was a particularly gruesome form of Chinese torture, also known as "death by 1000 cuts". The victim was slowly sliced to pieces, and sometimes given opium to prolong the duration of the torture, which upon imperial request, could last up to three days.

The namesake isn't lost here, as Naked City takes their Grindcore-meets-free-jazz(and god knows what else) style into a distinctly sludgy direction(think Melvins circa Lysol). It's long, slow, and terrifying. The single track here begins with washes of chittering feedback, which, over the course of the first four minutes, slowly build into huge, crashing waves of distorted, writhing bass. The drums join in, sounding almost tribal and ritualistic, swinging between backbeats and extended fills to fill the huge, dark void of this album.

The barbaric riffage continues until about 15 minutes in, when a recognizable beat emerges, and Yamataka Eye(of Boredoms fame) starts shrieking. On early Boredoms releases, Eye's spastic, gibbering vocals lent to the cartoon-gone-weird aesthetics, but here, they complement the instrumentals in such a way that you can really pick up on the whole "torture" aesthetic. From there out, it just gets more and more miserable(that's a good thing). Eye consistently comes up with horrifying new screams, barks, and whimpers, and Zorn himself conjures up some equally devilish sax squeals.

The band constantly shifts from frenzied faster sections(reminiscent of "traditional" Naked City) and slow, crushing sections. Usually, it's just the drums that speed up, and the mountains of bass and distortion keep their glacial pace behind them. The last two minutes or so switch back into the droning feedback from the beginning, but have an oddly positive tinge to them, like most of Earth's "Phase 3". It's sort of an "I may be dead and shredded, but at least it's over" feeling. This is an amazing release from Naked City, and a very interesting look at the nexus of sludge and drone. You should also read more about the torture itself. It was only officially abolished in 1905.

Fuck you, James Blake. Post-Dubstep doesn't exist yet, you are a dumb guy

Look at this girly man. He made a really stupid and boring album and Pitchfork loved it. It's nothing interesting, and I was thinking about how much I hated James Blake the whole time I was working today. What a bitch. Blake, not me, that is.

If you really want to see what all the fuss is about, the link is in the comments.

The Monks- Black Monk Time[1966]

The Monks were the kings of cool in mid-60's Germany. Five GI's fresh off of duty, they originally played Chuck Berry covers to young Germans hungry for rock and roll while experimenting with their sound during practice sessions. They "discovered" feedback one fateful day, shaved their heads into tonsures(good luck finding that kind of band devotion these days), started wearing nooses as neckties, and the edgy, proto(proto-punk) sound that characterizes Black Monk Time was born. A combination of a chugging rhythm section (consisting not only of bass and drums, but also of a homemade electric banjo), live-wire vocals, fantastic electric piano, and surprisingly heavy and wild guitar(see "That's My Girl's" distorted whammy freak-out), the Monks' sound here is by turns poppy and aggressive, and always dripping with attitude.

The first minute of "Monk Time," an inflammatory count-off/manifesto, let you know what to expect from the Monks during your time with them: it's going to be on their terms, but that's okay, because "I'm a Monk, you're a Monk, we're all Monks".  "Monk Time" is just the first in a series of varied and, in my opinion, perfect songs, and to expedite things, I'm just going to list some of my favorite parts of the album, excluding the aforementioned "Monk Time":

-The snarling "SHUT UP/Don't cry" call-and-response on "Shut Up"

-The distorted bassline and electric piano solo on "Boys are Boys and Girls are Joys"

-When the vocals finally start on "Higgle-dy-Piggle-dy"("Way down/to heaven/ Yeah!")

-Pretty much the entirety of "I Hate You," a far darker song than I would have expected from 1966

-The bouncy, chugging backbeat and banjo strumming on "Oh, How to do Now"

-Just listen to "Complication"- it's aggressive, it's catchy, it's ahead of its time

-"Drunken Maria"- a pointless little song, but a fun one, with a great chorus

-The members sort of trade off fills on "Love Came Tumblin' Down," some great wah work on there

-"Blast Off" is just awesome. It shuffles along, comes to a countdown, then well, blasts off

-"That's My Girl" is kind of weird(it's probably the sleazy "yyyeaahhhhh"s in the background vocals), but it fits the whole mood of the album. That whammy workout in the middle is pretty awesome, too.

-"I Can't Get Over You" is about as poppy as the Monks get, with clean, call-and-response vocals over a sweet little shuffle. It's still awesome and features more great electric piano

The last three tracks are almost startlingly poppy and bright, but they're good in their own rights. The Monks have been said to have given rise to proto-punk, hard rock, and krautrock, and have been recognized as influences by dozens of widely varied artists. You've probably already heard this, but if this is your first time, then get ready. It's Monk time.

Fist Fam- Al Lover & Gus Cutty- Double/Single[2010]

It's some guys rapping over Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees samples. I don't know why. It's not really good, but there's some novelty value if you like either band.

Get it here

The Olivia Tremor Control- Explanation II: Experimental Themes and Dream Sequences[1996]

For me, The Olivia Tremor Control sit at the head of the Elephant 6 pantheon. I'm a huge fan of everything associated with the collective, but I feel that OTC was the first and best iteration of the core E6 crew. Bill Doss and Will Cullen Hart, the main creative producers for OTC, were flanked by, at various points, Peter Erchik, Scott Spillane. Jeff Mangum, Kevin Barnes, Eric Harris, John Fernandes, and just about everyone else associated with any E6 act.

1996's "Dusk at Cubist Castle" is a weird psych-pop album- very heavy on the psych, and certainly not lacking in the pop department. It contains a perfect pop song that doesn't pass the two-minute mark("Jumping Fences"), as well as a 10-track experimental and ambient suite("Green Typewriters"). The production is so saturated with dozens of instruments and vocal tracks that it comes closer to a warm, cozy room of sound, than a wall of sound.

"Explanation II" was a bonus disc released with the first 1000 or so copies of "Dusk at Cubist Castle", and is, presumably, a further illumination of the beautiful and abstract world hinted at in the loose conceptual threads of the album. In effect, it's a disc of ambient instrumentals, supposedly to be played alongside the album, Zaireeka style, to produce quadrophonic sound. The two don't match up in length, so that can't be true, but "Explanation II" is still an interesting sort of ambient; very atmospheric, but very light. I find this album highly relaxing, and for me, it's like going to that weird, paisley-and-dada world that the Olivias managed to conjure up on "Dusk at Cubist Castle".

For an OTC fanboy such as myself, you can sort of see the progression from the odd and moody, yet light and poppy style of "Dusk at Cubist Castle" to the much darker and introspective experimental tendencies of "Black Foliage". If "Dusk at Cubist Castle" took the listener on a tour of the Olivia's strange world, and "Black Foliage" was a deep journey through the more twisted aspects of that world, then "Explanation II" is that time between the two. It's the days where you get adjusted to this strange new place, before you find out what's really going on.

Kevin Ayers- Joy of a Toy[1969]

I've been sick as balls since FBC the other night, so this post will be fairly short, and mostly just to keep the site moving.

"Joy of a Toy" marks the beginning of Soft Machine-genius Kevin Ayers' solo career, and contains an interesting mix of cutesy baroque pop, surprisingly dark and bitter lyrics, and the jazz influences that would become more pronounced on later Soft Machine releases.

Opener "Joy of a Toy Continued" has the feel of a theme song, though there isn't any real story present on the album. If I had to pin down the "concept" of the album, based on lyrics and the music itself, it would be being unhappy while surrounded by irritatingly happy people. "Town Feeling" is sardonic and bitter, with Ayers relaying the frustratingly routine meetings and greetings of life in his happy little town, while "The Clarietta Rag" tells a strange story about a witch riding around on an umbrella, and features some noisy guitar screeches, a hint of Ayers' progressive leanings. "Girl on a Swing" features interesting use of tape loops and reel-to-reel manipulation, and "Song For Insane Times" is a swirling fusion lament, as strange as it sounds.

The second half of the album, beginning with "Stop This Train(Again Doing It)" is probably the more experimental and memorable portion. "Stop This Train" shudders to life, becoming an upbeat dissertation on boredom and possibly train rides. "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong" is noisy, dissonant, and psychedelic, especially for 1969. You can really see where Ayers was headed with Soft Machine on some of these tracks, and even where the structure and instrumentation are more conventional, there's always something, be it lyrics, or just general atmosphere, that sets "Joy of a Toy" apart as mocking the naive "psychedelia" of his contemporaries.

Sorry if that was badly written, the thoughts just aren't flowing. This really is a good album, go ahead and download it.

Ghost Musix

I'm done with finals, and now I've got more time than I know what to do with. This post contains what I feel to be the best and most significant drone and drone-like albums in my library. I tried to represent a lot of different styles here.

Growing- The Sky's Run Into the Sea
-Varied drone. Ranges from ambient to Boris-like distorted sections. Highly recommended.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ctfl4okxvmt

Growing- His Return
-Pretty much straight drone. Really heavy, but in a positive way.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ctfl4okxvmt

Aglaia- Three Organic Experiences
-It is what it sounds like. Three organic sounding ambient tracks; contains nature recordings and samples
http://www.mediafire.com/?dzdtigzozni

 Boris- Absolutego
-Debut album; Noisy drone doom; really dark and heavy; title track is over an hour long
http://www.mediafire.com/?mgjdjzguh3u

 Boris- Amplifier Worship
Perfect mix of drone and doom; incredibly heavy, but also groovy in parts
http://www.mediafire.com/?cmd40sh26fz

Boris At Last- Feedbacker
Single epic drone doom song; Lots of distinct sections here; Absolutely essential
http://www.mediafire.com/?e0xf1nyb4lm

 Boris- Flood
Another single song album; simulates a massive flood, from rain, to complete destruction, to aftermath; My favorite Boris album
http://www.mediafire.com/?sqxtmgaivbd

Boris with Merzbow- Rock Dream
Live; This isn't entirely drone, I'm including it because the version of Feedbacker here is so mindfuckingly heavy and apocalyptic that you need to hear it. Amazing collaboration.
http://www.mediafire.com/?yyaz5njqjur

 Boris with Michio Kurihara- Cloud Chamber
Boris with their touring guitarist. Noisy drone, full of crazy and scary noises.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zlnrlyzdl2k

 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- The Effects of 333
-Highly unexpected album, a blending of ambient and drone, somewhat post-apocalyptic sounding, interesting use of mechanical noises
http://www.mediafire.com/?vyc5jmmtlyx

Celer- Capri
Ambient/drone. Very calming, one of my recent favorites.
http://www.mediafire.com/?euzeizzkv92y6ze

Earth- Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions
It's a bridge between the pure drone metal of Earth 2 and the stoner rock of Pentastar. It's also oddly upbeat on some tracks. A little underdeveloped, but still quite enjoyable.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ngmzqnz4ye2

 Earth- Hibernaculum
This is an album consisting of old Earth tracks, redone in the new Earth western-drone style. Just as heavy, but less distorted. Very cool.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ozzizwr34ay

Earth- Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method
This album marks Earth's shift from crushingly heavy drone doom to a more western oriented drone doom. Sounds odd, but the best things always do. You owe it to yourself to get this. Sounds like: dying in a mystical desert
http://www.mediafire.com/?zegyvommivw

Earth- 2: Special Low Frequency Edition
If you don't know what this is, then fuck you.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zntnowyblwi

 Eluvium- Talk Amongst the Trees
This album sounds a lot like its album cover. Warming, fuzzy, droning ambient
http://www.mediafire.com/?wzzmm4jjwo5

Eluvium- Copia
Very calm, hopeful ambient drone. Features brass and strings to great effect. Sounds like coming home after a long journey and seeing everyone you love waiting for you.
http://www.mediafire.com/?rcidv7a9er0xv6e

Enemite- Wuyuan (The Necrolatry)
Oh god, this is actually scary. Dark ambient, sounds like a Buddhist monastery taken over by demons.
http://www.mediafire.com/?1j8k3ie4f8ynari

 Journey to Ixtlan- Journey to Ixtlan
Droning desert rock, contains some growling and a heavy dose of psychedelia.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zllbmyonffquosd

 Khanate- Khanate
 Scary drone doom supergroup, features Stephen O'Malley.
http://www.mediafire.com/?wq0dn4cbbfu7o6w

 Lichens- The Psychic Nature of Being
Drone featuring vocal loops and acoustic guitar. Very spacey, sounds like camping in a canyon haunted by native american ghosts.
http://www.mediafire.com/?wtj5x6o5amb

 Om- Conference of the Birds
Drone doom rooted equally in Eastern mysticism and heavy drug use. Features Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius of Sleep. Absolutely awesome and groovy.
http://www.mediafire.com/?0ztzge1bzny

 Om- God is Good
First full album featuring new drummer Emil Amos of Grails. Features more eastern instrumentation. Different, but I actually like Amos' style more.
http://www.mediafire.com/?xonn11mw5jt

 Sleep- Dopesmoker
DRRRRRRROPPPPPPPP OUUUUUUUTTTTT OF LIIIIIIIIIFEEEEEE WITH BOOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGGG INNNNNNNNNN HANNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDD
http://www.mediafire.com/?wymznmnkjrb

 Stellar OM Source- Rise in Planes
Psychedelic drone using analog synths. Kind of eerie and ethereal, but not creepy.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zywwyhyiuje

 Sunn O)))- Black One
It's Earth-worshiping drone doom with guttural vocals in the background. Not my favorite, but a pretty significant group in recent years.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ajnjmmjm2tm

 Tim Hecker- Radio Amor
Glitchy, melancholy ambient/drone. Well produced, simultaneously calming and intriguing.
http://www.mediafire.com/?marwi4ll1et

 Wooden Shjips- Dos
Droning psychedelic, garage. Very fun, on the very border of drone, krautrock, and The Doors.
http://www.mediafire.com/?k4tiikfirjj

 Yoga- Megafauna
Very noisy psych-drone. Another album that sounds a lot like the album cover.
http://www.mediafire.com/?he3dn2gygzl

 Super Minerals- Multitudes
Vaguely eastern psych-drone. Features cool field recordings at some points.
http://www.mediafire.com/?kdjmxqr5ycc