Bandcamp Picks of the Week 12/14/16
Bandcamp Picks of the Week are back, stuffin’ two more records down the pipe!
Gnaw Their Tongues – HYMNS FOR THE BROKEN, SWOLLEN AND SILENT
Genre: Black Ambient
Favorite Tracks: “The Speared Promises,” “Silent Burned Atrocities,” “I Have Clad the Pillar in the Flayed Skins”
My mother’s official least favorite band squeaks in at the end of 2016 for the exact opposite of holiday cheer! While it’s understandable if the atmosphere Gnaw Their Tongues creates isn’t your cup of tea, you can’t pretend that the amount of Hellish immersion that project head Maurice de Jong is capable of inducing is anything less than masterful. This release is notably more chaotic and scattershot than efforts of recent memory, contributing to something that almost approaches the microtonal maladies of a band like Jute Gyte. However, that’s not meant to imply that there’s no cohesion present, as the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink attitude ensures a creeping, crawling claustrophobia that is sure to leave you checking over your shoulder. This tour through the fetid underbelly of death industrial and black metal yields a broiling, twisted nausea, the aural equivalent of watching maggots devour rotten meat. Pure evil, and a nice break from Rudolph and the gang! You can listen to it here. [Thomas Seraydarian]
Jonathan Silk- FRAGMENT
Genre: Big Band Jazz
Favorite Tracks: “Buachaille,” “Prelude,” “Barefeet”
Did you know they’re still making big band jazz in 2016? Neither did I! And it’s surprisingly vibrant when handled as well as it is under Jonathan Silk’s careful arrangement. Now, I can understand how big band jazz may not be able to penetrate to a large swath of listeners, but if you’re fresh off your fifth viewing of LA LA LAND and ready to dip your toes into all that “pure jazz” Gosling goes on and on about, this marks an excellent starting point. Hitting on all the hallmarks of classic jazz, there’s little to pine for here in terms of multi-instrument improvisation. What’s more, the band remains fairly tight throughout, impressive for a group of almost two dozen musicians. Everyone gets their time to shine, but Silk’s use of layered horns is particularly provocative. Give “Buachaille” some time to build and I promise the dramatic crescendo of horns will sweep you off your feet. You can indulge here. [Carter Moon]
