Listening Notes: F to L

This time I’ll continue with brief impressions of what I went through today, still using alphabetical order. However, Fleshpress, A Headless Horse, and Ironica are taken from old notes, without any editing at all.

Let’s check them out!

Fleshpress – No Return (2010)

75%

Psychedelic natural sounds flow into despairing guitar picking, leading to Marko’s possessed-sounding screams—like black metal in an imaginary peat swamp forest. That’s “No Return,” or another name for the track “Dead End Life Crawling Thru Shit and Blood Soul Burning.” Meanwhile, “Spiral Filter” follows a similar path, only now filled with proto-doom riffs accompanying that possessed soul spinning, flying, and headbanging toward the peak of esoteric gnosis—or plunging into a spiral abyss, as suggested by its alternate title, “Spiral Filter Forcing You Down to Black Pyramid.”

In short, this 22-minute EP will take you on a transcendental experience full of convolution and absurdity, much like what’s depicted on the album cover. If you’re into Eyehategod, Grief, and sludge/doom metal in general, this band is a must-try.

Ginevra – Æthereal (2014)

65%

Æthereal, in meaning, refers to extreme delicacy, but what this Italian sludge/stoner metal unit delivers feels rather bland. The signature stoner strikes and riffs fail to bring any sense of euphoria to the soul until the album’s end. “Eris” creeps in with a lighter texture before lifting a similar weight, like a plant breaking through the soil toward the sky. Even with repeated listens, it feels the same. “Eris” truly breaks that boredom.

In the end, Æthereal, the only trace left by Ginevra, doesn’t linger much in my memory—though perhaps “Eris” can serve as a reminder of the band’s existence. Give it a try.

A Headless Horse – Belong / The Moon Into Blood (2019)

80%

Another promising post-rock/shoegaze band from the UK—and this one uses vocals to attract more listeners.

Two debut singles with dark/romantic lyrics. “Belong” opens with post-rock and thick riffs, then shifts into noisy shoegaze toward the end. The tempo is a bit slow, but it still makes you nod along. “The Moon Into Blood,” meanwhile, is a ballad. The vocal duet between members sounds highly atmospheric, wrapped in classic shoegaze textures. Perfect for relaxed listening or rainy moments.

Ironica – Consequences (2007)

69%

I discovered this Finnish melodic heavy metal band while wandering through local illegal websites sometime around 2017, via two tracks: “Consequences” and “Make Me Whole Again,” both included on this album. The potential was already visible on their debut, following five demos released since 2001. But upon revisiting the vocals of Elina Järn, it feels like the band should have reconsidered their approach before deciding to release a 10-track album back then.

Instrumentally, Ironica play well, with supportive melodies throughout. However, Elina’s slightly raspy, thrash-metal–style voice feels like a restrained monster—misaligned with the music and ultimately dragging the quality down. Had they adjusted the tempo to suit her vocal type, they could’ve sounded far more ferocious, as on “Backstabber,” or leaned more toward power metal like “My Own Solution” and “Anybody Out There?” Still, her voice seems better suited to thrash/groove metal or something more extreme.

Even so, it’s a shame—but “My Own Solution,” “Anybody Out There?,” and “Backstabber” will make their way into my playlist.

JMV – Online Flex (2022)

70%

From barren stoner metal territory, I head to Arizona to meet Joseph Valentino through one of his projects, JMV.

Through Online Flex, JMV offers a dub techno single with two remix versions. The original feels slow and somewhat laid-back, but waves and rumbling bass eventually turn it more synthetic. The (Sonoran Vrsn) makes it slushier, while the (Coniferous Vrsn) stretches it out to nine minutes and brings in a slight house influence.

As usual, electronic music still hasn’t quite found a place in my heart. So even though I’ve tried plenty of releases, only a handful truly fit my taste.

Kyar – Angels Sleep in Hell (2023)

75%

Oh no, electronic again!

This next release is a blend of breakbeat/ghettotech plus acid techno or whatever you want to call it. I’m still a novice when it comes to electronic subgenres. But basically, Kyar delivers music with solid bass, energetic drive, and a modern feel. Truly perfect for late-night clubbing.

Like hard-hitting dance music? Don’t forget to give Kyar a try.

Light of Neverland – On Image and Things (2013)

75%

Light of Neverland is a post-rock/electronic project from Bandung, West Java, which I happened to discover on ReverbNation—though it turns out I had already heard them through “On Image and Things,” also featured on the compilation A Song for Indonesia, a roundup of Post Rock Indonesia released the same year.

Post-rock is my favorite genre, but when it’s presented in an electronic model like this, I tend to hesitate, even if the atmosphere and emotion are similar. I still prefer the calmest styles, and here I’d single out “Postcard from Bali” for not being overly bright.

In the end, Light of Neverland becomes part of the small post-rock ecosystem in Indonesia that doesn’t abandon a sense of local culture in its work—and that certainly deserves appreciation. Thank you, Light of Neverland!