Have a Nice Life - Sea of Worry

Sea of Worry is by a mile HANL's stalest, least imaginative album yet.

Frustrator - Anther

Hit up the widget above to stream the full-length debut of Frustrator, which is a musical pseudonym used by multi-instrumentalist Tei Blow. The guy combines wandering singer-songwriter tunes with vast, ambient soundscapes to create something both rootsy and wide in scope. There's an eerie depth to the sound that's backed up really well by some of the vulnerability coming through the vocals and acoustic instrumentation. Enjoy!

Giles Corey - Hinterkaifeck

Giles Corey is a the mysterious and atmospheric singer-songwriter project of Connecticut multi-instrumentalist and Enemies List owner Dan Barrett.

Y'all may remember me loving his debut outing under this particular pseudonym, but I've been a fan of Dan's unpredictable work flow for a long time through other projects like Have A Nice Life and Nahvalr.

So, Giles is just a continuation of my love for the lo-fi production, melancholy, and atmosphere Dan typically brings to the table. Those characteristics appear once again on this new EP under the Corey name, Hinterkaifeck. It's a short, 3-track affair, and features some sharply depressing tracks. Enjoy!

Giles Corey- Deconstructionist

If you ask me, Giles Corey/Have A Nice Life mastermind Dan Barrett is one of the most talented and enigmatic songwriters out there right now. I was blown away by his last full length, 2011's Giles Corey, so of course I was going to be excited for whatever he put out next. As it turns out, Giles Corey's new EP is much different than anything he has done with the project before, although it is still alluring in the same dark, mysterious way that the full length was. Despite being classified as an EP, Deconstructionist is over an hour and a half of music, most of which is instrumental and all of which is dark, moody, and evocative. In the album's description, Barrett describes it as "Not a 'record,' but a philosophical tool." The purpose of the album, according to the lengthy PDF file that accompanies the digital release, is to "[induce] trance states, an attempt to expand the consciousness enough to include an egoless universe in a manner similar to meditation and ceremonial possession." Basically, it's some very deep, very cerebral stuff.

Listen if you dare. The album is available to purchase on bandcamp for $5.

Dweller On the Threshold- Self-Titled

Thought Dweller On the Threshold comes into this new, self-titled album with a unique combination of influences, they don't necessarily add up to an incredibly memorable album.

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New Have A Nice Life Demo

We had a new Giles Corey album from Connecticut singer-songwriter Dan Barrett earlier this year. Awesome! Now, I guess we've got ourselves a new demo from the project that pushed this guy into the spotlight he's currently in: Have A Nice Life. In true Barrett fashion, this track is dark, overblown, and massive.

Mamaleek- "The Hypocrite & the Concubine"

Mamaleek is an unlikely black metal project hailing from San Francisco. The band's two members are brothers, and they bring elements of noise and electronic drums. The occasional synth jumps in the mix, too.

It's got a gritty bedroom-recorded sound, and even though this thing is rough around the edges, it sounds somewhat toiled over. A light, fuzzy guitar distortion hazes over lighter bass drum hits on "The White Marble Stone," but things get heavier on "You Can Bury Me In the East."

On "The Hypocrite & the Concubine," the brittle guitars wrap themselves around a beat I thought was funny when I first heard it--especially considering that howling woodwind sound in the background. It's kind of like black metal hitting the Middle East. However, this has grown on me in a quick couple of listens. The chord progression is pretty enchanting once I'm able to hear past the harshness of the recording.

From what I've read, there are only 50 vinyl copies left of this bad boy over at Enemies List, so jump on this if you're feeling it.

Xasthur Reissued this Month ‡ MP3s

Enemies List is a CT-based label that doesn't get enough credit. There aren't dozens of albums in their discography, because they're more about quality than quantity. What few albums they have released include underground essentials from NAHVALR and Have A Nice Life, and they'll be adding another great release to their store on Sept. 30th, too.

The album is Xasthur's Defective Epitaph. It'll be the first time the album has ever been on vinyl, and the LP is only seeing a print of 600 copies. That's it. Alongside Subliminal Genocide, this album is one of Xasthur's most defining moments; bringing depression, despair, and suffering to new lows. Though Xasthur's story ended with Portal of Sorrow, the music lives on.

Listen to two tracks from Defective Epitaph below, and scope the pre-order page here.

MP3s: Xasthur- Oration of Ruin Xasthur- Unblessed Be -