Non-Metal Music

Glenn Branca - "Lesson No. 1" E.P. (1980)

The debut solo release from this Pennsylvania guitarist sees him coming up with a completely new musical concept that's based predominantly on theoretical concepts. Totalism sees an artist adding additional energy & rhythmic complexity to the ideas presented in the classical genre of minimalism & Branca pulls it off with utmost ease here, although it has to be said that this doesn't always amount to an enjoyable listen. The first of the two lengthy tracks ("Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar") is a beauty & sees the concept presented in an easily palatable & highly professional format that's built around repeated, rhythmically-phasing melodic phrases. The noisy & musically awkward twelve-minute B side ("Dissonance") doesn't fair nearly as well though & ruins the release's chances of making a marked impression on me. Still... I'm interested to hear what Branca would become in the future so I can see myself checking out some more of his work in the future.

For fans of Manuel Göttsching, This Heat & Steve Reich.

3/5

Gun - "Gun" (1969)

It's my first time checking out the debut album from this London psychedelic rock outfit but it seems to be quite highly regarded these days. I've quite enjoyed it but can't see it as being any sort of underground classic. There are a couple of flatter tracks positioned early in the tracklisting (see "The Sad Saga of the Boy & the Bee" & "Rupert's Travels") which don't set a great platform but things pick up after that with the epic eleven-minute psych closer being a great way to finish & the highlight of the album. The catchy "Yellow Cab Man" is also excellent. This is worth a listen if you're into the early psych sound.

For fans of Blue Cheer, The Litter & Ultimate Spinach.

3.5/5

Massive Attack v Mad Professor - "No Protection" (1995)

Stoners should look no further than this wonderful remix album that contains eight stripped-back takes on tracks taken from Bristol trip hop kings Massive Attack's brilliant 1994 sophomore album "Protection". Guyana dub legend Mad Professor does a wonderful job at keeping the original depth of the pieces & taking them into even more cerebral directions. I can't tell you how many times my best mate & I numbed ourselves to this record during my 2000's club days. Massive Attack are one of my absolute favourite artists & this is one of the truest examples of an underrated gem you'll find.

For fans of Thievery Corporation, Hooverphonic & DJ Shadow.

4.5/5

Discharge - "Fight Back" E.P. (1980)

A short six & a half minute shot of adrenaline containing five high-octane tracks that whip past you in no time at all. The Motorhead influence is obvious throughout & this is all enjoyable stuff, even for someone like myself who doesn't class themselves as a big punk fan. It's interesting that the two songs on the B side are comfortably the best material so I feel that Discharge would have been better served with an alternate arrangement of the tracklisting. Still... this is a decent way to fill a very small gap in your day. I just can't see myself thinking to return to it any time soon.

For fans of Poison Idea, Negative Approach & Anti-Cimex.

3.5/5

While checking out Vio-Lence AND some post-bop, I'm also using minor bits of free time to check out the extremely short albums of this trap artist named Dave Blunts, known for his complex beats and his large weight.  I read that he's going to work hard to try and lose that weight for personal reasons.  His beats are quite fine, but when it comes to his lyrical rhythms and rhymes, the humor doesn't change the fact that he's basically another run-of-the-mill trap artist.  Hopefully he makes his beats more unique while working on his health.  He obviously has some smarts in some respects, and I'd like to see those expand.

Yellow Magic Orchestra - "Yellow Magic Orchestra" (1979)

The 1979 sophomore release from Tokyo synthpop act Yellow Magic Orchestra is a complete remake of their self-titled debut from the previous year, this time being achieved with a greater level of clarity & crispness in the production. I hated the original if I'm being honest &, interestingly, I've found myself going a little against the grain by hating the remake even more. This shit is as cheesy as absolute fuck & I really struggle with the vast majority of the material with only the annoyingly catchy "La femme chinoise" managing to break through my defenses. I'm quite simply not the intended audience for these early YMO records & will be giving them a wide birth in future.

For fans of Kraftwerk, Isao Tomita & Yukihiro Takahashi.

1.5/5

As I've said before, I tend to like cheesy music when it's done right.  Back when I was first starting on music forums, I was a bit of a nut for Meat Loaf.  These are the kinds of guys that can rock Japanese electronic cheese like tuxedos IMO.  Honestly, I consider YMO one of the top synthpop acts, and this remix album is a part of the reason why.

Art Pepper - The Trip

Genres: Post-Bop

It appears that Art pepper isn't very popular on Jazz Music Archives. That feels a little awkward since I've seen some darn good praise for his works on other websites. This album in particular, The Trip, is part of what looks to be a comeback period after a ten-year hiatus from 1963 - 1973. But I've heard quite a few Art Pepper albums before this one, and I have to say, I'm not terribly impressed. Out of the seven I've heard, this is the second worst.

And why? Now the moods are alright, nothing that hasn't been done before but nothing that doesn't at least get to the back of your neck. But the real issue is that only half of the six tracks have any engaging melodies or sax solos, so it's only really enjoyable half the time. Three tracks are pretty boring, two are only pretty good, and the only track worth bobbing your head to is Sweet Love of Mine due to its slight Latin flair. So suffice it to say, even though some people seem to love this one, I really can't see myself going back to this anytime soon. It's got some finely-tuned aspects, but the melodies can get quite dull. 

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Jordan de la Sierra - "Gymnosphere: Song of the Rose - Music for the Well-Tuned Piano" (1977)

The first of two releases from this Californian new age producer, this one being a 103-minute double-album comprised of four lengthy yet stunningly beautiful ambient piano pieces. I simply adore music that can put me into the most tranquil headspace imaginable & "Gymnosphere" achieves this consistently across it's run time, particularly through the two middle tracks which are really quite incredible. In fact, this may be my favourite new age release ever based on the evidence of this week's listening experiences.

For fans of Yutaka Hirose, G.S. Schray & Kevin Braheny Fortune.

4.5/5

THE DALE COOPER QUARTET.  And as I predicted, not a single Dale Cooper.  Thanks for letting me know that exists; they're totally on my to-do list when I get around to dark jazz.

Lustmord - "Lustmørdekay (Live Evil)" (1982)

I wasn't a fan of the Welsh dark ambient legend's self-titled debut album but this obscure cassette is less palatable again, being more experimental & weird. There are a couple of enjoyable tracks included but on the whole it can feel pretty isolating & insignificant, particularly through the back half of the tracklisting.

For fans of SPK, Sutcliffe Jugend & Zero Kama

2.5/5

Tenhi - "Maaäet" (2006)

The third full-length (or fourth if you include Harmaa's "Airut:aamujen" album from 2004) from these Finnish dark folk leaders is arguably my favourite release from the whole movement. I find it's stripped back post-rock-inspired vibe to give it a deeper & more introspective feel which appeals to me greatly. The vocals aren't quite captivating enough to see me reaching for my higher scores but "Maaäet" is still a really strong & consistent release that never fails to engage with the patient listener.

For fans of Forndom, Kauan & "The Mantle"-period Agalloch.

4/5

Osamu Sato - "Transmigration" (1994)

The second full-length from this Japanese electronic producer features two tracks from the "Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou" video game soundtrack. You can expect a combination of downtempo IDM & dancefloor acid techno with the quality levels generally being very high. Closing track "Tong-Nou (Esoteric Mix)" is an absolute belter & caps things off beautifully too. This is well worth seeking out.

For fans of Ken Ishii, PilotRedSun & Soichi Terada.

4/5

Massive Attack - "Blue Lines" (1991)

Here we have the debut album from one of my all-time favourite artists, an act that very much changed the course of my life for the next decade during the late 1990's. And while it may not be the Bristol trip hop legends' finest hour, there can be denying the impact that "Blue Lines" had on the global music scene with the chillout movement pretty much exploding off the back of it. It's an absolute stormer of a record too, it's tracklisting being littered with seriously mature & impeccably produced classics that were just as heavily influenced by dub, EDM & hip hop. The three-track run that contains "Five Man Army", Unfinished Sympathy" & "Daydreaming" is utterly earth-shattering & would challenge any trio of songs from the subgenre overall. I'll always prefer later releases like "Mezzanine" & the incredibly underrated "100th Window" but "Blue Lines" is an undeniable classic in its own right too.

For fans of Portishead, Tricky & Air.

4.5/5

We’re talking about two different things Rex. You’re talking about music production. I’m talking about clubs & DJing. It’s certainly common for EDM producers to make 10+ minute tracks. It’s not as common as you think for DJs to play those tracks in clubs to their full length as they’re looking to fully showcase their taste palate & also give the audience plenty of variety. Those tunes take up a large chunk of your set when the majority of DJs are playing 1-2 hour sets. They also leave you standing there looking like you’re doing very little for a long period which isn’t what clubbers come to see. They create more risk for the DJ too as if the crowd isn’t digging it you have to try to bale out mid-track. At least that’s my experience from having spent a good decade DJing in clubs. I will say that I used to drop long tracks if I needed to take a toilet break mid-set though.

Gary Moore - "Blues for Greeny" (1995)

Our father got really into this Irish guitarist through his 1990 ninth album "Still Got the Blues" which was a huge commercial breakthrough for Moore who had spent the majority of his career in hard rock up until that point. That record was played on repeat around our house & in our car for many years & saw Dad also picking up this Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac/John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) covers album on cassette five years later. While it certainly wasn't as strong as "Still Got the Blues", Gary's one of the most talented blues guitarists I've ever heard so I've always maintained a soft spot for this release, even if it is a bit inconsistent in its appeal for this ol' shredhead. I tend to enjoy the more atmospheric & stripped back numbers over the groovier blues stompers but there's certainly enough to keep me interested here, even if I can't necessarily see myself returning to "Blues for Greeny" in the future.

For fans of Peter Green, Eric Clapton & Stevie Ray Vaughan.

3.5/5

Lustmord - "Paradise Disowned" (1986)

The second studio album from this Welsh dark ambient god sees Brian Williams returning with a similar sound to his 1981 self-titled debut album which was very much a dark ambient/industrial hybrid, only this time Williams leans more heavily towards the dark ambient sound & with a greatly improved result. This record is often overlooked in the Lustmord back catalogue & I'm gonna suggest unfairly too as "Paradise Disowned" is a high-quality record in its own right. It's somewhat of a tale of two halves as the A side is jam-packed with excellent dark ambient music while the B side is covered in industrial noise which is something that you have to have a taste for so I'm not surprised to see a lot of Brian's ambient fans struggling a bit with this release. But if you can stomach the abrasive nature of the early industrial movement then there's plenty of good shit on offer here, particularly "Dreams of Dead Names" which is an undeniable classic of the dark ambient genre.

For fans of raison d'être, Kammarheit & Robert Rich's "Stalker".

4/5

Cocteau Twins - "Sunburst & Snowblind" E.P. (1983)

This short four-song E.P. makes for an excellent accompaniment to the Scottish dream pop/ethereal wave acts "Head Over Heels" album from the same year & shares its excellent opening track "Sugar Hiccup" with that release. The other three songs are all worth hearing too though, particularly the very solid "Hitherto" which utilizes Elizabeth Fraser's powerful vocals really well. "Sunburst & Snowblind" comes highly recommended for metalheads who fancy themselves as a closet goth.

For fans of This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance & early Slowdive.

4/5

Hvile I Kaos - Lower Order Manifestations (2025)

The cello is my favourite classical instrument.  Capable of creating such slow, haunitng and melancholic sounds as well urgent and oppressive timbres as well, I find a versatile and always pleasing instrument.  Hvile I Kaos deploy the cello alongside guitar, frame drum and bass to create 'dark chamber music'. This has been on a few nights as I have laid in bed with the lights out ready to get into a peaceful slumber.  Full of mystique and dark terrors, the descripton from the Bandcamp page sums it up perfectly:

Quoted Vinny

Nice tip Vinny. I have listened to this a couple of times. I'm not sure I would find it conducive to a peaceful slumber - but it's great stuff. I gave it a 4/5 as well, probably just over 4, not quite reaching 4.5 status (maybe on more listenings)

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Alessandro Stefano - "Alessandro "Asso" Stefana" (2024)

One of my favourites and probably most played from last year. Ambient Americana from Italian multi-instrumentalist that repurposes the voice of Appalachian folk musician, Roscoe Holcomb. Produced by PJ Harvey and on Mike Patton's Ipecac imprint. The first 5 tracks are laid back, soothing americana invoking images of the desert and lonesome highways, then Holcomb's haunting voice from the past come in for 3 tracks before ending with the longest and most ambient tracks on the album. It's when Holcomb's vice comes in from nowhere on track 6 that really make this album for me, and is a surprise on each listen.

4.5/5

Tubeway Army - "Replicas" (1979)

The debut album from a London act fronted by the legendary Gary Numan who would release his first solo album later the same year. I would describe the sound of "Replicas" as new wave-infused synthpop with Numan dominating through a charismatic performance behind the microphone. The influences of David Bowie, Kraftwerk & the "Blade Runner" soundtrack are all obvious. The highlights are absolutely sublime (see "Are 'Friends' Electric?" & "Down in the Park" in particular) but the tracklisting is very inconsistent & fades noticeably at the end. Despite that, I do feel that the best material is strong enough to carry this record.

For fans of Gary Numan, Ultravox & The Human League.

3.5/5

I'm a country guy. I was born and raised on a farm on the Kansas-Nebraska Border. This is the music of my people and I love it almost as much as my metal. 

I find this to be an excellent piece of music:


A blend of contemporary country with a lot of bluegrass. Great song writing. 

Selected listening: "Gin, Smoke, and Lies", "Before the Devil Knows We're Dead", "Good Lord Lorie", and "Wrecked"

Andrés Segovia - "The Segovia Collection, Vol. 3: My Favorite Works" (1988)

A compilation CD I purchased back in the 1990's when I was absolutely obsessed with guitar technique & wanted to hear the best the world had to offer. Segovia certainly delivers in terms of Spanish classical guitar too with all ten tracks on offer showcasing his incredible abilities in solo performances that sound to the average listener as if there are multiple instrumentalists contributing, given his unparallelled skill in managing disparate basslines & melodies simultaneously. I enjoy this as relaxing background music more than anything these days.

For fans of Julian Bream, Narciso Yepes & David Russell.

3.5/5

Elliott Smith - "Either/Or" (1997)

I don't mind this American indie folk singer/songwriter although I do have to admit that I can't see why he's quite as revered as he is. I don't think he has enough depth to his music for that but I can still appreciate the appeal of these short-&-sweet folk songs.

For fans of Bright Eyes, Daniel Johnston & Sufjan Stevens.

3.5/5

Bobby Bland - "Two Steps from the Blues" (1961)

The highly regarded debut album from this soulful Texan rhythm & blues singer that I find to be a little too inconsistent & (perhap unsurprisingly) bland for my liking.

For fans of Syl Johnson, Freddie King & Little Milton.

3/5

8. Frank Zappa
Genres: Exp. Rock, Jazz-Rock, Jazz Fusion, Comedy Rock

When I was first getting into albums, Freak Out was my first venture into experimental rock, and I loved every effed-up second of it. That raw level of boldness in Zappa's music is justified by his absurd personality. The guy knows how to write what's potentially the worst music on Earth, and make it more fun than a drunken night out on the town. And why? Why did we need Zappa? Simple. Sometimes, we just need to let loose.

Freak Out!: 100
Hot Rats: 100
Apostrophe: 100
Over-Nite-Sensation: 99
Joe's Garage, Act I: 97

Score: 99.2 / 5
Staying Score: 100

Didn't you say that you were separating Frank Zappa's solo work from the Mothers of Invention releases Rex? "Freak Out!" was the debut album from the Mothers & I'm pretty sure that "Over-Nite Sensation" is also considered to be a Mothers release.

There's the "Rule of Names."

Before I post this, I must note that there has been an update to the rules that I forgot to mention. Because certain bands like say "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" are also counted as part of an artist's main career, there will be a "namesake rule" that states that a solo act can count their time with a band as part of their major career, especially since some bands continue without their frontman, and can still be two separate entries, such as the difference between The Mothers of Invention and Frank Zappa. Thus, the band and the frontman can have two separate entries. This does not count for duets like Simon and Garfunkel, but for a frontman and a named band sharing album title credits.

The Mothers of Invention are also known all over the internet as "Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention."  This rule is based on the notion that the band itself is just as relevant to the solo artist's career under his name.  This means that Zappa can count his time with The Mothers under his slot, and Tom petty can do so as well.  But this is only true if extra credit to the frontman is established by name in the fanbase or the album releases.  Nobody really refers to Petty's band as just, "The Heartbreakers."  Alice Cooper could do the same thing had he made it, and "The Alice Cooper Band" would have a separate entry as well.  RYM does this, too, and it was pretty obvious why.

Cool list, Rex! Though if I make my own list in this thread, it would all just be metal, and I wouldn't have to write my top 20 when it's already in the "top 20 releases" feature.

Personally, I'd be down to play there knowing what I know now, but my vocalist is a much less forgiving about these kinds of things. We are going to compare notes at practice, explain points of view and make a team decision.

Cool tune and I like Album cover too. Delightfully goofy! Quiet Riot 2 Was only released in Japan, so I always associated "Slick Black Cadillac" with Metal Health Album-they re-recorded it for that. 

So I went back to investigate, and yes the Quiet Riot II version is balls. It's not worlds different but it's weaker than the Metal Health version by a significant amount.

I've going to opt to replace Plasmatics' "The Damned" as I've never had much time for it & are going to nominate Randy Holden's "Fruit & Iceburgs" from the former Blue Cheer & The Other Half guitarist's debut solo album "Population II". It was one mean motherfucker of a psychedelic doom metal monster for 1970 in my opinion.

1. Three Dog Night "Momma Told me Not to Come"

2. Pentagram "Be Forewarned

3. Alice Cooper "Desperado"

4. Randy Holden - "Fruit & Iceburgs"

5. Holy Moses "Satans Angel"

6. Savage Master "Queen Satan"

7. Satyricon "Black Crow on a Tombstone"

8. Venom "Witching Hour"

Hi, Ben. Thanks for adding those Blue Stahli albums I've requested. Now for one more thing... It seems you've overlooked my earlier request to add Celldweller's non-metal album Offworld to bridge the gap in their discography. Could you please add that soon? Thanks again!

Totally respect that. Crunkcore is among my least favorite genres of all time, but I'd be totally open to hearing an album in the genre that is actually enjoyable. Maybe I'll give it a shot just for fun.

I actually love it when one of my least favorite genres features an album I find amazing.  Nadja helped me explore some more of my least favorite metal genre: drone.

Vinnie Moore - "Meltdown" (1991)

I picked up Vinnie Moore's third album on CD shortly after it was released given that I was a big fan of his 1986 debut album "Mind's Eye". "Meltdown" saw Vinnie changing direction a bit with a record that's a lot more hard rock than it is metal but it still made quite an impact on this young shredder as there's little doubt that Moore understood the art of song-writing as well as any in his craft i.e. instrumental guitar shred. Time hasn't been as kind to "Meltdown" as I'd hoped though & I see it as a step down from "Mind's Eye" these days but it's definitely still worth a listen if you're into this sort of thing.

3.5/5

I'm sure the genre is not for all metalheads, but I'm certainly attracted to it, if only as background music. Thanks for the recommendations, as I haven't delved into it as much as I probably should have. Just listening to Old Sorcery now.

Lemme know what you think when/if you feel like you've got a good amount of them down.

Kensuke Ushio - "Ping Pong" The Animation Soundtrack (2014) 2 x CD bonus disc edition

Over two hours of music taken from a Japanese animated television show. It spans a huge wealth of electronic subgenres including techno, trance, progressive house, drum 'n' bass, IDM, downtempo, ambient, etc. There are a few really great tracks included, particularly the techno & ambient material which is most closely aligned to my taste however there's simply far too much filler here & I find the cheesy trance & quirky IDM stuff to be pretty hard going.

If any of you are thinking of bands that started as gothic death-doom but slowly (d)evolved into alt-prog rock, here are a couple of them; Anathema and The Gathering. While both of these bands disappoint heavier fans by not having their darker metal sound anymore, you know who might like their lighter rock sound? MY MOM!! Seriously, my mom's never really a fan of metal, but she's OK with softer rock sounds.

Unlike Daniel, I stopped really enjoying Anathema's work quite some time ago. I've always had time for The Gathering though, at least I did while Anneke was still part of the band. I think I listen to their non-metal albums more than the metal ones, simply because they can be played while the family is around.