Listening Notes: The Ultimate Vol. 1

I am losing my mind. I'm furious with my own sentimental and idealistic nature, which causes so many of my plans to fail over the slightest hitch or minor adjustment—whether from internal friction or external forces.

Therefore, I am trying to dump every single commentary I have—regardless of quality or quantity—into one place titled Listening Notes: The Ultimate. So, instead of just six or ten, I am going for way more than that to not getting overwhelmed in categorising. Even if it means dealing with a whole new headache when trying to format it all on this blog.

1. Abhorrent Contagion – Invoking the Plagves ov Olde (2023)

65/100

The noise crafted by Abhorrent Contagion sounds more brutal than Abase, even though the rumbling drums get buried underneath. This could easily pass as black/death metal if it were executed in a more conventional and serious manner.

Highlight: -

2. B 301 – Contando los días (2020)

70/100

Hailing from Mexico, B 301 serves up instrumental indie rock/alternative infused with elements of noise rock and shoegaze to heighten the atmosphere—something I quite appreciate at the time of writing this. It leaves me with some hope of checking out their other releases.

Highlight: -

3. Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean – The Vestige (2020)

70/100

This is a compilation album by Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean, compiling their first three releases: Decay and Other Hopes Against Progress, I Carry My Awareness of Defeat like a Banner of Victory, and Tell Me What You See Vanishing and I Will Tell You Who You Are.

As I waded through the 12-track lineup, I could already feel its weight, and I must admit I don't entirely love sludge metal when it's just a monotonous barrage of raw, rusted winds. However, I caught a bit of a breather during "Hollow Feeds the Emptying Death" thanks to its slightly galloping, doom/stoner metal-esque rhythm, while "And Every Sword Unsheathed" did its part with its riffs. There’s also a brief flurry of fast drumming on "With Every Wrist Outstretched" that offers an entertaining moment.

Well, those three tracks do a bit to alleviate and make you forget the overarching weight of this album.

Highlight: Hollow Feeds the Emptying Death, With Every Wrist Outstretched, And Every Sword Unsheathed

4. Dance of Shadows – Angels (2019)

60/100

I have no idea what category this fits into. It has a gothic and darkwave feel paired with black metal style vocals. "Dark metal," perhaps, but Dance of Shadows is still unpolished in the guitar and drum departments.

Highlight: -

5. Deerseekers – Ano Hi (2024)

70/100

Ambient artists seem to be a rarity in Indonesia, and Deerseekers is one of them. Despite a few instances of clipping, like on "Hinode," the sense of coldness and the occasionally eerie emptiness of winter leading up to the New Year still cuts through.

Highlight: -

6. Florens Catonium – Proberaum Demo (2023)

35/100

Well, it’s a demo. It's just that it still fails to find the black/doom metal track indicated by its hashtags. The lack of distortion and the lack of prominence given to the guitar itself makes it sound lighter—more akin to garage/punk rock, even if the dark vibe is there. Unfortunately, there have been no new updates from Florens Catonium to this day.

Highlight: -

7. Gilbert Agnasias and the Patio Furniture – Kittens (2023)

65/100

An electronic/synthwave album packing 15 tracks. I was initially worried it would drag on forever, but it turns out most tracks clock in at exactly 2 minutes and 12 seconds. Yeah, that’s about the only interesting thing worth mentioning regarding the debut release from Gilbert Agnasias and the Patio Furniture.

The musical style itself is a bit questionable to label as synthwave, but I don't think it falls under techno, drum and bass, or anything else either. Broadly speaking, the instrumentation consists of drums and synths moving at a more relaxed pace, devoid of any retro synth, lo-fi, futuristic, or vaporish musical tropes.

Highlight: In Another Way

8. Good Morning Everyone – Good Morning Everyone (2014)

70/100

I didn't expect that this pop-punk band from Semarang—which isn't even a major metropolitan city in Indonesia like Bandung or Jakarta—would deliver English vocals across all tracks and sound completely natural doing it. They even flexed by covering "Gee" of SNSD (Girls' Generation), who were still booming that year, in English. Well, it's just a shame that Good Morning Everyone is no longer aligned with my current music taste.

Highlight: mostly all tracks

9. Hares on the Mountain – It will Only Hurt Forever (2012)

65/100

I might be able to hold myself back from headbanging to certain metal subgenres, but on the flip side, I often don't hesitate to dance along to country/folk music like Hares on the Mountain.

The male vocals are intentionally raspy, reminiscent of the habits of rural folks drinking alcohol while gossiping about others—as heard in "Matilda Jones" and "Matty Groves." At times, they sing in unison with female vocals over acoustic guitars and light electric guitars, accompanied by signature folk elements derived from the banjo, maracas, fiddle, and the like. Yeah, your typical folk/country. It just feels rather long despite its standard duration.

Highlight: Thorneymoor Woods

10. Killedmyself – Brighter Days (2017)

75/100

Killedmyself delivers lo-fi hip-hop infused with alternative/emo guitar influences, allowing the melancholia to sink in deeper—even if I wasn't a fan of the hi-hat rolls on "Whose Cape is This?". However, I will consider adding this EP to my favorites playlist.

Highlight: everything except Crossing Over

11. Maysun – Timelines (2023)

70/100

I didn't expect Maysun to utilize the piano instead of just pure ambient soundscapes, so I was taken by surprise upon entering "Ll II". Noise effects and field recordings can be found all over the place, such as on "Stability" and "Bronze", but overall they significantly diminish the emotional impression I can tolerate. Looked at from another angle, though, Timelines might just be a soundtrack that remains appreciative and contemplative.

Highlight: E43E42E48, Bronze, Play Something

12. My Dying World Mako – My Dying World Mako... and Life! (2020)

60/100

Following Garden of Sadness and Negative or Nothing, My Dying World Mako finally sounds decent enough to be called DSBM (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal). It is slow in the misery it screams out, but it’s still just not for me. However, the riff repetition on "Apaty Dreams Through Rainfall" sounds the most emotional and truly embodies that feeling of wretchedness.

Highlight: Apaty Dreams Through Rainfall

13. Olan Mill – Orient (2017)

75/100

German ambient artist Olan Mill didn't exactly capture my heart, despite being quite smooth. However, upon re-listening—especially to "Molanret" and "Alve," which feature minimalist chanting—Orient seems to evoke the atmosphere of an era, much like the cover art depicting medieval architecture and vast plains. Oh, damn it. Now I’m getting emotional.

Other tracks like "Birove," "Lapyia," and "Lieal-Aest" also support this vibe with smoothed-out organ or violin sounds, though not entirely; some parts are a bit abrasive. Then "Arpon" becomes the only track to utilize a harp-like string instrument for a stronger classical impression.

Highlight: Arpon, Lapyia, Alve, Lieal-Aest, Ochang, Anthoe

14. Orpheus – Bound to the Sun (2007)

65/100

Orpheus is an Irish progressive metal band playing a fairly modern style, or at least one heavily influenced by metalcore vibes, in this demo.

Highlight: -

15. Paint the Sky Red – Bussorah (2023)

75/100

To mention Paint the Sky Red means rewinding my memory back eight years ago to their debut album. While the noise intro and outro on this single are a bit annoying, the core content remains emotional.

Highlight: Bussorah

16. Pumuky – Justicia Poética (2015)

70/100

Pumuky comes out of Spain delivering alternative/indie pop heavily influenced by electronica and dream pop/shoegaze, resulting in a strong atmosphere and plenty of reverb. Think Coldplay mixed with Cocteau Twins and a Hispanic version of My Bloody Valentine. I don't really know.

Highlight: Taniyana-Shimura

17. Rivers and Leaves – Kissing Streams (2019)

75/100

Indie/folk has become an alternative to pop that feels more relevant to post-rock/ambient, even if both are hindered by a lack of free access. Well, Jamendo serves as a pretty good alternative to Bandcamp for hunting down this kind of stuff, and naturally, you won't find any big artists there. But this site is vital for artists as small as Rivers and Leaves.

I find this Swedish project to be quite reminiscent of Of Monsters and Men, utilizing dual vocals (male and female), and on this EP, they feel warm and romantic—except the backdrop feels like a church in rural USA. Lol.

Highlight: Thrive, Kissing Streams, If I

18. Teen Suicide – Bad Vibes Forever (2011)

60/100

Scoring a free release from a major band on Bandcamp is a stroke of luck for me, even if it's just demos and singles. Teen Suicide is a prime example.

Now, Bad Vibes Forever seems to be an admission that the content is still raw and bare-bones, serving as their debut compilation. The vocals float around, but the music stays grounded to the rough earth.

Highlight: -

19. Veisalgia – The Extraction of the Stone of Madness (2024)

70/100

Veisalgia's hardcore offering is quite heavy, boasting a thick and abrasive sludge characteristic. It would be wilder if it leaned heavily into d-beat/crust punk, I think, but it’s already decent enough.

Highlight: -

20. 秋 – Spiricom, 1985 (2024)

70/100

秋 (Aki; Autumn) closes out this super long session with relaxed vaporwave beats that are relatively short per track. Funk and hip-hop elements play a significant role in channeling the glamorous nighttime city atmosphere of 30–40 years ago. Consequently, none of the tracks truly hit me in the heart, but it does give me slight goosebumps when looking into the history of Spiricom, which its inventor claimed could communicate with the dead.

Highlight: -