When I was feeling despondent and overwhelmed by the prospect of writing reviews, the idea came to me to condense my words into even shorter notes. As it happens, I’ve selected a list of ten post-rock releases that aren't too tedious, providing moments of genuine entertainment as I worked through them. Here is the list: A Sea of Dead Trees - Athenia (2019) 70% A Sea of Dead Trees are contemporaries of Mogwai from Glasgow, UK. In this album, they made the right move by placing " A Straw House in a Field of Flame " as a vocal-driven emotional hook; there are also spoken word segments in the 14-minute title track that I’m still considering for my playlist. The tempo used is fairly common—alto-crescendo throughout—without reaching a definitive climax for me. Highlights: A Straw House in a Field of Flame, Athenia Chikoi the Maid - Leaving Reality (2022) 75% Chikoi the Maid is quite influenced by alternative metal/hard rock here, which adds ...

Ambient music, with its monotony, still offers something to those who understand it. The same goes for all genres of music, and everything in the world, really. Here are six ambient releases for this time: A10:04 - -48 (2023) 70% After trying to find information on Bandcamp , this project seems to have disappeared.  A10:04 presents a single drone ambient track with a low enough sound that you need to increase the volume while listening. It's quite good if you listen from the start until the fade-out at 22:00, as I perceive it as a cosmic wave or the movement of air and its surroundings at a distance.  However, it's a bit minimalist.  Highlight: Ah Vox Slow AAB - TMI (2020) 75% Artist AAB is from Berlin. TMI is their only album with six tracks.  Hook. The urgency of a hook is evident in " Sonho Real ", which is placed at the front to calm me down because it's gentle. Then the title track seems harsher due to field recordings wi...

Back to the -core zone with a range between emo, post-hardcore, and crust punk. Here's the list: 11;45 - The Lowest Of Places (2019) 75% 11;45 is an emo/post-hardcore band from Colorado with undeniable emotional touches. The math rock or midwest emo vibe is more apparent after the opening song, "Learned Behavior", and the violin scratches in "72 Hours Hold" add value. "A Letter From My Soul To Yours" and "Chains (XX)" are the two heaviest parts. Although it's a shame, "I Don't Hate You ; I'm Still Searching (Inst. by Beowülf )" closes the session with a hip-hop style that remains emotional through spoken words, making it seem like there's nothing to take away.  Highlights: Learned Behavior, 72 Hours Hold, An Essence Revealed (Epilogue), I Don't Hate You ; I'm Still Searching For Her... - Searching... (2022) 70% Searching... from For Her... is dominated by instrumentals, and...

Thanks to post-rock , I fell into the ambient sphere around 2018, and I still remember a friend mocking it as “ambeien (hemorrhoids).” Yet after all these years, I’ve stayed with it and discovered so many works that gradually branch into experimental and noise. Even so, it still feels like I’m alone in whatever space I’m in. So this time, I’ll summarize six ambient releases, along with influences from related genres. (d) / Glitched – Silence and Infinity (2014) 70% (d) / Glitched is an electronic project from Philadelphia, US, and in this EP they present a relatively calm style with atmospheric touches—“Silence and Infinity” as an intro with IDM nuances , followed by “EntryPoint,” “Fortress,” and “Spectre6,” which lean a bit darker, plus the main IDM track, “A Pulse.” Overall, the flow isn’t very energetic, though “A Pulse” feels the most modern. Highlight: Fortress Bålsam – Underwater Podcast (2020) 70% Bålsam , based in Colombia, never seems to tire...

I find myself on the verge of despair, and the effects of social media are now pushing me toward efficiency and instant mode—shortening the processes of thinking, reading, and writing, or forcing me to finish everything quickly. Clearly, that’s not possible, and I end up overwhelmed. If I were to just write shorter comments and mix everything together again, it would feel messy. So in the end, I still separate things based on genre relationships. This time, I’m presenting rock and alternative, as follows. Foster & the Grave Dancers – The B-sides (2022) 75% This female-fronted alternative rock/power pop/pop punk band from Oklahoma can’t be separated from the name Paramore , especially through tracks like “Better,” “Be With You,” and “Burn It Down,” with an added Green Day influence in “ Bring It Back .” I think that’s enough to capture the character of Foster & the Grave Dancers this time and need more consideration. Highlight: Bring It Back Lowsunday – Low Su...

As I often complain, I’m actually reluctant to spend time on streaming platforms even if downloads are available. The thirst for music becomes harder to control when I go there, but to make use of the remaining time on my Apple Music subscription, I picked up several releases in the folk area to try after previously sampling major pop. Here are six releases in the folk realm from various countries that I’ve tried. Deugalih & Folks – Anak Sungai (2015) 65% This is an album by the folk group formed by Galih Nugraha Su , also known as Deugalih , from Bandung, Indonesia. This particular folk style appears to be influenced by several other genres, with vocals delivered in a somewhat crooning manner reminiscent of the local band J-Rocks . For instance, there is a fairly strong country touch in “ Di Bawah Bendera ” and harmonica added in “When No One Sings This Song,” while “Bunga Lumpur” carries a hint of jazz. A Javanese-style chant can also be found in “Buat Gadis Rasi...

Ah, I simply couldn’t resist posting this summary—even though it’s another mixed batch, mostly because I accidentally threw everything into the same “cage.” So, without further delay, here are six releases. -5°C / Sadness of Pluto – Annihilated to the Nothingness (2023) 70% A dark ambient split with two distinct characteristics. -5°C  from Malaysia delivers cold, shadowy waves that feel like a chilling night wind, sometimes sharp in tone but produced fairly cleanly. Meanwhile, Sadness of Pluto sounds much dirtier and rougher due to the heavy feedback, creating a more disturbing horror-like dissonance. It almost feels like listening to amateur homemade recordings, anyway.  Dark ambient might already be common within the international niche scene, but if you’re curious about smaller Indonesian and Malay projects, Sadness of Pluto  and -5°C could be worth checking out. Highlight: -5°C – Travel Metaphors, The Real Absence Amalia Nurul Kati & Fahmi M – ...