The labels request streams. If they give me the OK for a download, I post it as a download. You know, I'm not sure why there's such a difference between the genres, but it's something worth investigating. I feel like it may have to do with scale, promotional budgets, expectations of sales, etc.? But that's guesswork.
I like Apocalypse OK, but still think Callahan's best work is the material under the Smog moniker. I bought all that shit on vinyl when it came out and still listen to it regularly. (Also: Scott had Apocalypse on his published list last time. I had it on my expanded list.) Anyhow, yeah, I agree with you that he'll outlast Cults and a bunch of other '11 flavors.
Hey Eddie. The thing to remember is that I do like non-metal, too. If you search the archives here, you'll see that. I wrote the Band To Watch post on the beloved Tune-Yards, for instance. Ditto Austra, Iceage, HEALTH, Fuck Buttons, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Gayngs, Cold Cave, Real Estate, El Guincho, Pictureplane, etc. Before I came to Stereogum I wrote 200+ reviews for Pitchfork. If you do a search on "Stosuy" over there, you'll see Best New Music posts on Michigan (the same month I gave praise to Swans and Wolf Eyes), Liars' Drum's Not Dead, Antony's I Am A Bird Now, M83's Before The Dawn Heals Us, fucking Wolf Parade, etc. I did P4K's first Joanna Newsom, National, Beirut, No Age, Marnie Stern, etc., reviews. Was praising Gang Gang Dance in 2004. And all this time, covering the metal and noise and Finnish weirdos and spazz-punks. This is traceable/hard-fact stuff. Outside of that, though, people can (and, ideally, should) have diverse listening tastes, you know? So, yeah, I listen to a lot of metal and noise -- a ton -- but I've been thinking hard about "independent music" since I was 12 or 13 and listen widely. I always have. I like what I like. And find boring what I find boring. Hell, I just co-curated a summer of dance music (albeit dark dance music, ha ha) for MoMA/Ps1.
Sorry for the long response. Just tired of people oversimplifying my record collection.
Again, really like them live -- a lot -- but so far album not clicking in the same way. Will spend more time with it.
Something I left off an shouldn't have: Vreid - V
That's a massive album. Still absorbing it, though. At the end of the day, the above is a list of what I've been listening to the most so far this year. Still time for the 2011 Grand Finale.
I think I mentioned above (or maybe at Facebook) -- SubRosa was on the list until the morning I published this. But I switched it off w/ something else. So, yeah, I am way into that album, too.
I like Grayceon live, but never took to the album.
Do keep eating it. Tomb's sound is dirtier than KEN Mode, so maybe start focusing there? I really cut my teeth on all of that '80s/'90s noise, know what you mean in many cases...
I find myself nodding along to Amon Amarth, but not one of my favorites of the year. I respect the new Hate Eternal, but those guys are always a bit too clean for me. Ditto Origin. Vreid was an oversight on my part. That album's great. It's hard being a one-man operation... I need consultants.
I do like that Vanhelgd. Again, one I hadn't spent as much time with as the others, but that should be leaving it's mark by the time we reach January.
Will check out the Desolate Shrine!
Yeah, I do like Deafheaven. Excited about the newer-school USBM: Feels like there are already a bunch of "second-generation" American black metal groups, you know? A second chapter in progress... or a third.... as if the history can start being rewritten with less need to reference Scandinavia. I'm thinking specifically about this USBM article I wrote in 2008. So much richer now.
Anyhow, on a totally different wavelength, Portrait indeed rules. Horns in the air...
I agree. As mentioned above, his reference to The Magic Mountain is pretty great. I wouldn't just single-out blogs, though. The media in general thrives on that kind of thing.
I just never got into the Mitochondrion as much as I thought I'd get into it... But you know, I really should have included Gates Of Slumber somewhere on there. The Wretch is excellent. If 2011 continues this way, I'll need to do a Top 100 in December/January.
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