Agalloch's Glorious Return

Yes, the wait is finally coming to an end, my friends. Well, that is if you're one of the people that hasn't already downloaded the leaked copy of 'Marrow of the Spirit' by now. Four years is a long time to be patient for new material so I suppose I can't blame those of you who have. But anyway the physical real life version of Agalloch's fourth full-length release is November 23rd, which is only seven away for those of you who like math! Chances are you've been tempted to give in and just download the album already but it appears your patience has paid off. NPR is currently streaming the entire album on their website up until its official release. Now, don't you feel glad you waited a bit longer? I'm currently listening to it as we speak. It's a dense and stunning piece of work to take in as the final minutes wind down. I can hardly wait to spend even more time with this in the coming months since Agalloch albums always get better and better the more you hear them...but enough rambling. Enjoy, folks!

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/09/131192147/first-listen-agalloch-marrow-of-the-spirit

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- s/t

Band: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Album: Self-titled
Year: 2009
Genre: Indie/Noise Pop/Shoegaze

Here's a band that may have flown under your radar last year. Pains is one of those indie bands that are reintroducing a nostalgic type sound, in this case it's the late 80s/early 90s sound of bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, and channeling it into the modern age. What we get is a surprisingly refreshing and energetic rendition of the noise pop/shoegaze bands of yore, but with a "poppier" bent. This is not a bad thing. The songwriting in this band is simple but genuinely charming and perfect for singing along to. As soon as I heard it I instantly new I'd found a standout from the crowd. I'm seriously not kidding about their songwriting either. Every single song on the album could potentially be their single. So if you're into the kind of music that I've described and are looking for a happy record to spin when the mood strikes you then don't miss out on this one again.

Colosseum- Chapter 1: Delirium

Band: Colosseum
Album: Chapter 1: Delirium
Year: 2007
Genre: Funeral Doom Metal

Although this deserves more said about it than I'm going to give, I'm feeling brief today. This is the debut album from Colosseum, a Finnish doom metal band, more specifically playing in the funeral doom style, and atmosphere is their forte. The blue and black colors reflected in the artwork perfectly display the kind of mood that is prevalent throughout the album. It's melancholy, apocalyptic, and personally I imagine a solitary path through a dank forest with a steady rain pouring down through a canopy that's layered in fog, which pervades and entwines between the trunks of the trees, the colors around you being exactly like that of the artwork, giving the impression of being in a dream. Of course being a funeral doom metal album it is full of skull-crushing riffs that are heavier than lead, guttural growls that don't sound like they're coming from a human, and on top of it all there is the magical and enraptured sprinkling of synth-work which really pulls all the elements together to give you the aforementioned atmosphere I described, coming across in an almost symphonic dirge at times. In short, if you are a doom metal fan you can not go wrong in checking these guys out. They have since released a second album and a TBA third album (which has no current release date).

On a sad note, the lead singer of the band, Juhani Palomäki, died in May of 2010 and that's an extremely heavy blow as he had a very recognizable and distinct voice in my opinion and it's sad that he will not be around to continue making great music. May your soul rest in peace, brother.