>I am a Lake of Burning Orchids - Innocence
>Noise, Ambient Techno
Jumps from somber ambient to harsh noise to sparse techno repeatedly. Superclub is a particularly evocative track, like teetering on the edge of passing out late at a party, and a catharsis gradually rises before transitioning into Incision / Fantasy.
7/10
>Erasmo Carlos - Carlos, Erasmo...
>Brazillian Music, + rock and pop
The album cover suggests that this would be a rough sounding venture into Brazillian country, the production actually surprised me on the second and third tracks. The vocals are very plain behind strings and rock band instrumentation, like Majical Cloudz or Owen Pallett, which makes songs like "Agora, Ninguem Chora Mais". Pleasant listen overall, but nothing above that for me.
7/10
>Melt-Banana - Cell-Scape
>Hardcore Punk + Twee vocalist
You'll probably be focusing on the Yasuko's child-like, animated voice on a first listen, but the band can hold its own. They're noisy, and the production touches cleanly connects tracks to each other. The band is also merciful with the length of this album-- you're not going to listen to a Powerpuff girls actor yell for an hour, only about 26 minutes.
I think what really establishes the album as "fun rather than "serious but speshul" territory is the lightness of the vocals with unabashed noise of the band. Makes it feel like it would come out of an kids cartoon, to the benefit of a new listener.
The outro also isn't horrible, but a bit self-indulgent and one-dimensional. A 10 minute ambient bloop track is a weird thing to have on a punk album, but considering the band is Japanese I don't wonder about it too much.
"Like a White Bat in a Box, Dead Matters Go On" is still the most enjoyable track for me.
6/10