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Hm... My researches into this bloc-joke turned up two possible references: the band Tilly and the Wall, and the children's book from which they take their name (Tillie and the Wall).

My mind wandered to this: "Dad Butt" would be a pretty good band name. Especially as an opener for Soccer Mommy.

I'm gonna spend all mine on bandcamp, buying cassettes that will just sit on my shelf.

Oh shit! Nice. There's a Sylvaine / Unreqvited split coming on January 10th too. I pre-ordered without having heard a note. Also a new stand-alone unreqvited album on the same day.

(Which rules)

Just came across it in my mom's tape drawer and chuckled. "Good ole Chant," I thought, closing the drawer. There were also 2 copies of Enya's Shepherd Moons.

Just now seeing this! (It must have been stuck in the spam filter for a while before it showed up.) Thank you for the recommendations, I'm not too familiar with the artists you linked to. I look forward to checking them out.

(And I honestly didn't mean to post at 3:11 that time. Oh shit.)

I've only seen two things with Sky Ferreira in them: Baby Driver and the recent Twin Peaks. I don't even remember her parts in either of them. Imdb still lists The Green Inferno as her most notable role, which I have not seen.

10 artists not on my albums list: Grimes - Violence Sky Ferreira - Downhill Lullaby Black Dresses - Thru the Void yeule - Pixel Affection Men I Trust - Porcelain Idle Hands - Give Me to the Night Ghostwriter - Devil Vaura - The Ruins (Hymne) Kim Petras - Icy Just Mustard - Seven

Nice pick at number 8!

I got into Myrkur's discography late (and out of order). I was already completely in love with Mareridt, and then a week ago I found that interview where she talked about Islam "invading Europe". Which seemed pretty xenophobic, especially in the context of her longer answers to the interviewer. So I've cooled on her since then, although I probably won't stop listening to her music completely, I like it too much. But I can understand people who choose to do so.

Sweet list! Buncha stuff I'd never heard of. Just now listened to the Maral and Caterina Barbieri albums, great stuff.

When an artist like that perfects their sound to the extent that he did on Anomie, I find that can hinder my willingness to spend much time with their other albums. But Kosmik has enough "holy shit!" moments that I never found myself wishing I was listening to Anomie instead.

I like this a lot.

I gave Serpent Column a spin last night. I think that first track is there to scare away people like me, and it almost worked! I did notice some great bass production on the album though. Still, I chuckled with relief when it was over. :)

Yes, Kaiho is absolutely beautiful! I've still only heard it once, though, definitely need to give it another listen today. Pirut is also a must-listen. I'm sure part of the reason I get fixated on Sorni Nai is the story element, and I really should spend more time with their other stuff.

I'd also like to chime in with a big thank you to the Black Market crew, past and present, for writing about this music, which I'm still pretty new to. Since fully turning my obsessions towards this stuff in late October, I've listened to 117 metal albums (yes, I've been keeping a list). Mostly atmospheric black metal and metal-adjacent stuff, occasional doom. I've been going back and reading old BMs by Ian, Doug, and Michael, and even a couple Haunting the Chapels. It's been a rewarding journey, one I look forward to carrying into the next decade. Anyway, now that it's late at night and I can hopefully post this without stepping on too many toes, here is a list of my favorite older albums I discovered during this period: Kauan - Sorni Nai Au-Dessus - Au-Dessus Fluisteraars - Dromers Sivyj Yar - Burial Shrouds Myrkur - Mareridt Au-Dessus - End of Chapter Woods of Desolation - As the Stars Ulver - Bergtatt A Light in the Dark - A Long Journey Home Imperfect (5-way split featuring Sadness & pals) Mesarthim - The Density Parameter MØL - Jord Myrkur - Myrkur Murg - Varg & Björn Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit Make - Pilgrimage Of Loathing Thy Light - No Morrow Shall Dawn Harakiri for the Sky - Arson Lustre - Wonder Solar Temple - Fertile Descent Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle Ludicra - The Tenant Crescent Days - Unbloomed Lycus - Tempest Kauan's Sorni Nai has been my most listened to of these. If there could be a sub-sub-genre called "adventure atmospheric black metal", this could fit the bill, although large chunks of it might also qualify as post-rock? I dunno. Essentially one continuous piece, it tells the story of the nine hikers of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, who all died in the northern Urals in 1959. So many unforgettable moments in this album: the sweeping grandeur of the viola and drums that set the scene on "Akva", the tentative hopefulness of the synth in "Khurum", the steadfast riff towards the end of "Nila" that seamlessly bleeds into a mournful piano melody that seems to anticipate the tragedy to come. And then the abrupt doom of "Khot", where something happens that sends the hikers out of their tent in the middle of the night, improperly dressed, only to die a mile away from where they camped. The album conveys the journey so well, that I feel I can tell what point they were at just from a particular passage (even though I don't understand the Finnish lyrics). (Wyatt did a better job writing about this album in his post from 4 years ago, which introduced me to this.) Um... Well, I ran out of steam. But yeah, definitely worth checking this out if you're into metal's beautiful side.

You're in for a treat! It's a very seaworthy atmospheric album, as you may guess from the cover. When the clouds part about 13 minutes into "Der graue Block", it goes into this shimmeringly gorgeous yet invigorating passage that continuously builds for 8 minutes to close out the album.

Ha, that was an awesome write up! Mana is such an immediate album. I've only listened to it twice all the way through, and I only needed one to realize it would make my top 10. Funeral doom records, on the other hand, tend to take a few listens for me to even wrap my head around them. Every time I listened to that Profetus album, it jumped a couple spots up my list as it became more familiar. The last 2 songs on that one are just hauntedly good, and those cavernous vocals make me feel like I'm being brain-humped by a ghost. But I digress.

I freaking love Sivyj Yar, particularly Burial Shrouds. One of the best discoveries I made this year.

And to round out my top 20 (I've clearly been reading a lot of Wyatt blebs): 11. Aara - So fallen alle tempel 12. Violet Cold - Kosmik 13. Midnight Odyssey - Biolume Part 1 - In Tartarean Chains 14. Ellende - Lebensnehmer 15. Varaha - A Passage for Lost Years 16. Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence 17. Mesarthim - Ghost Condensate 18. Vaura - Sables 19. Slow - VI - Dantalion 20. Bhleg - Äril

READER LIST TOP 10 1. Antigone's Fate - Zum Horizont... 2. Sūrya - Solastalgia 3. Sadness - Circle of Veins 4. Profetus - The Sadness of Time Passing 5. Brutus - Nest 6. Imperium Dekadenz - When We Are Forgotten 7. Alcest - Spiritual Instinct 8. Ruined Mind - Life Goes On After Me 9. Idle Hands - Mana 10. Obsequiae - The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings

We have the same picks for 2019!

OK, should any of y'all chance to see this, I can now confirm that that Imperfect split fuckin' rules. (Just find Sadness's page on Bandcamp). Nobody phoned it in whatsoever, but the standout track has to be A Light in the Dark's "Uncertain". A swoon-worthy depressive black metal song, with a bridge that features an electronic beat and gorgeous vocals, and it all sounds incredibly natural and unforced.

Hell yeah, The Density Parameter is my favorite Mesarthim that I've heard. I still need to get on that 2 and a half hour Midnight Odyssey album. Haven't heard of those other ones that Spud mentions, I'll add 'em to the list.

😊

Update: This thing is way more listenable than I remembered! I mean, it's still a "bring a tupperware party to a standstill" album, to quote a choice dansolo comment. Maybe it's all the metal I've been listening to lately, but I like the screams now. Heavy stuff, but necessary.

(Come for the album cover, stay for the chanting monks)

You've got me pegged! Number 11 on my metal list. I've pretty well ransacked the Black Markets from this year, though I'm sure there's still stuff I missed. So fallen alle tempel also has one of my favorite album covers of the year.

Meant to check that out earlier this year, totally forgot.

Whoa, glad you like it! (The final 8 minutes of "Der graue Block" might be my single favorite moment of the year.) Bloc is correct, Lustre is very good. As for finding more stuff like that, I recommend bookmarking Wyatt Marshall's author page on the 'gum, and just gradually work your way back through artists he's posted about. You can't go wrong doing that. Kauan's Sorni Nai is another beautiful one I discovered this way.

* Varaha, damnit. For some reason my brain always swaps the h and the r.

Thanks! Last night I found out that there was a 5-way split called Imperfect (a couple years ago) that features Sadness, Unreqvited, and Violet Cold (my big 3 for that sort of metal), as well as a couple artists I never heard of. Haven't listened to it yet, but it's on the itinerary for tonight.

Here's how right you are: Vahara's already on my metal-specific list! (Currently sitting at #15). That one and Ruined Mind's Life Goes On After Me are a couple of the best sad metal albums I've heard this year.

Dang, I only made it halfway through Caligula on my first try. Gonna have to give it another go later on.

The bloc seal of approval! Thanks pal. :)

1. FKA twigs - MAGDALENE 2. Angelic Milk - Divine Biker Love 3. Antigone's Fate - Zum Horizont... 4. Black Belt Eagle Scout - At the Party With My Brown Friends 5. Croatian Amor - Isa 6. Sūrya - Solastalgia 7. Nilüfer Yanya - Miss Universe 8. Sadness - Circle of Veins 9. Chromatics - Closer to Grey 10. Brutus - Nest 11. Charli XCX - Charli 12. Pure Bathing Culture - Night Pass 13. Emily Reo - Only You Can See It 14. Profetus - The Sadness of Time Passing 15. Bat For Lashes - Lost Girls 16. Holly Herndon - PROTO 17. Imperium Dekadenz - When We Are Forgotten 18. Alcest - Spiritual Instinct 19. Girl Unit - Song Feel 20. pronoun - i'll show you stronger

I don't know who told me about Thy Light. They were just there on my list of bands to check out, as if they willed themselves on there. Listening to No Morrow Shall Dawn, and this is exactly my kind of depressive black metal.

Hm... Looking at the preorder site, the LP version says algorithm mix for 3 of the tracks, whereas the CD version doesn't specify either way. Maybe it depends what format you get?