Non-Metal Music

So Petra's got a new one out this year.  First in almost 2 decades.  It's a pretty good one, nice and catchy, simple but diversified, doesn't seem like they lost their luster, even though they were largely a decent band with a couple key releases.

Wovenhand - "Blush Music" (2003)

This was my first listen to Sixteen Horsepower front man David Eugene Edwards' other project & I've gotta say that I've been suitably impressed. He's quite simply one of the great modern day male vocalists &, when combined with some ambitious & creative atmospherics, has given us another captivating & rewarding listening experience with the three or four highlight tracks being utterly transcendent. In fact, I'm gonna go out on a limb & say that I actually favour "Blush Music" over ANY of the first three Sixteen Horsepower records that have impressed me so much. It's just a shame that Wovenhand have included the seven-&-a-half minute drone piece "Snake Bite" because it's a bit of a creative failure which has caused me to drop my rating a half point.

For fans of Sixteen Horsepower, Slim Cessna's Auto Club & Munly & the Lupercalians.

4/5

It looks like Parannoul, under the name Mydreamfever, has graced us early this year with a new album: 4. Mountain Still Breathing.  But I have to say, while I always LIKED Parannoul and have given them a couple 9/10's, I feel they're a bit overhyped.  As well, I'm NOT getting into this one.  It's way too repetitve and relies too heavily on lo-fi aesthetics rather than the music itself, which is no different to me than oversaturating a pop album with production so polished it might as well be lemon-scented.

Zbigniew Preisner - "Trois couleurs: Blanc" soundtrack (1994)

The second film in the "Trois couleurs" series once again offers a beautiful classical score from Polish composer Zbigniew Priesner. It's perhaps even more stripped back & minimal than its more popular predecessor "Trois couleurs: Bleu" although, if pushed, I'd suggest that I slightly prefer this one. Neither are on the same level as Preisner's classic 1991 "La double vie de Véronique" though which remains my favourite of the Preisner work I've heard to date.

For fans of Arvo Pärt, Yann Tiersen & Michael Nyman.

4/5

Eric Clapton - "Unplugged" (1992)

My father picked this live album up on cassette when I was 16 or 17 years old & played the absolute shit out of it in the car & around the house so it was interesting to discover just how well I know the songs this week. It was also interesting to find that, despite his imposing legacy as a guitarist, Clapton's smooth voice is the main source of appeal with this MTV unplugged session. There aren't all that many genuine highlight tracks but there are only a couple of duds amongst the fourteen tracks included too (see "Alberta" & "San Francisco Bay Blues") so I've come away feeling fairly positive overall. The acoustic rock of "Lonely Stranger" & the stripped back acoustic blues of "Walkin' Blues" are my clear picks of the bunch. It's quite a nice release but isn't something that I connect with enough to see me returning again in the future. I think it's a little too unintimidating & vanilla for that to be honest.

For fans of Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer & JJ Cale.

3.5/5

Delerium - "Morpheus" (1989)

The second full-length from these Canadians saw them returning with a slightly different sound to that of their classic 1988 debut album "Faces, Forms & Illusions" which represented my introduction to the duo & saw me falling for their wonderful mix of IDM & ambient music in no uncertain terms. "Morpheus" is more of a blend of electro-industrial, conventional industrial & dark ambient music with the former being the main protagonist. The tracklisting is less consistent than that of "Faces, Forms & Illusions" although there are just as many truly wonderful moments on offer. The deeper inclusions are where you'll find the true gems though with the dark ambient of the title track (my personal favourite) & closer "Fragment of Fear" & the high-quality electro-industrial of "Faith" & "Allurance" all qualifying as genuine classics in my world. Some of the less significant industrial material tends to feel a little more middling with "Coup de tat" failing to capture me at all. When viewed holistically though, "Morpheus" is another horribly overlooked & underrated early Delerium release that has left me walking away feeling both rewarded & satisfied. I've even bumped my score up by a half star from my initial rating from more than fifteen years ago now.

For fans of In Slaughter Natives, Guillaume David & Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' "Watchmen, Vol. 2" soundtrack.

4/5

Ashra - "New Age of Earth" (1977)

I picked up a CD copy of this debut album from Berlin-based progressive electronic act Ashra after discovering Manuel Göttsching's classic 1975 "Ash Ra Tempel VI: Inventions for Electric Guitar" debut album in the early 2000's & have always loved it since. Göttsching is once again the musical mastermind here with Ashra's sound sitting right in the middle between progressive electronic & space ambient. It's the ambient parts that are the most brilliant with the epic 22-minute closer "Nightdust" being one of the most significant space ambient works of all time in my opinion & single-handedly carrying the album to an elite score. "New Age of Earth" should be considered to be essential listening for fans of either subgenre.

For fans of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze & Steve Roach.

4.5/5

Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop (1973)

Genres: Prog Soul, Soul-Funk, Funk Rock, Psych Soul

So if that genre-tagging wasn't boner-inducing enough, we're dealing with Funkadelic in general.  This is during that understated period where the psych aspects of their rock side have transitioned to the soul side, allowing for a much more spiritual side to the band, one that remains as catchy and spirited as ever.  This is obviously the step forward into evolving into a p-funk band, one that bases itself on the raw trippiness of the psychedelic age.  Honestly, the third track, March to the Witch's Castle, relaxed every fiber of my body, putting my subconscious into a total state of euphoria.  It's a real shame that this side of the band wasn't explored very much during the late 70's, focusing mostly on the p-funk side we're familiar with on albums like Mothership Connection.  This is probably their most soulful album.

96

Dead Can Dance - "Garden of the Arcane Delights" E.P. (1984)

This four-song E.P. was recorded during the same sessions as Dead Can Dance's self-titled debut album from earlier in 1984 &, thankfully, the quality is just as good as the full-length although the E.P. represents somewhat of a transition release between the Melbournites' early gothic rock sound & their later darkwave one with two songs from each category included. "In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated" is an all-time favourite of mine & may be the peak for the entire goth rock genre actually. I used to play & sing it at parties back when I first met my wife. Closer "Flowers of the Sea" is a stunning example of Lisa Gerrard's otherworldly talents too. I can't tell you how much I adore this artist but, if pushed, I slightly favour "Dead Can Dance" over the E.P. which isn't the general consensus these days.

For fans of Lycia, Drab Majesty & Trance to the Sun.

4.5/5

Here's the 2026 edition.  Five albums got kicked off, a couple got rearranged, and I'm surprised I have such an obscurity like that Solaris album down there.

Scott Kelly & The Road Home - "The Forgiven Ghost in Me" (2012)

The third solo album from Neurosis front man Kelly sees him collaborating with band mates Noah Landis, Jason Roeder & Josh Graham as well as guitarist Greg Dale which gives his very sparce & stripped-back music a little more weight. I really dig all three of Scott's records but I think this one is the best of them. Kelly's music can be a little monotonous at times but the added textures & colours contributed by The Road Home help to accentuate the song-writing a little here so I've really enjoyed this week's trip through Kelly's vulnerable storylines.

For fans of Steve Von Till, Wino & Townes Van Zandt.

4/5

Colin Newman - "A-Z" (1980)

The debut solo album from Wire/Githead frontman Newman which offers a diverse array of dark & creative post-punk. While there is some high-quality material to be found here though, the tracklisting is noticeably jerky & inconsistent & doesn't include anything that I'd suggest reaches classic status so I've struggled a little bit with this one.

For fans of Wire, Cocteau Twins & Siouxsie & the Banshees.

3/5

Rhythm & Sound - "w/ the Artists" (2003)

A stunning dub record that I picked up on CD at the time of release after stumbling upon it due to its associations with the dub techno scene. It's as deep & stripped back as a motherfucker & features some unbelievable vocal contributions from guest contributors which makes "w/ the Artists" one of my all-time favourite reggae AND chillout releases.

For fans of Basic Channel, Maurizio & Deepchord.

4.5/5

Gary Numan - "The Pleasure Principle" (1979)

I quite enjoyed the 1979 "Replicas" debut album from London new wave outfit Tubeway Army recently so I thought I'd give front man Gary Numan's first solo effort from later the same year a crack this week & I've found it to offer a similar (perhaps slightly greater) level of enjoyment. The early synth sounds somehow seem to be both dated & timeless at the same time while I really dig Numan's vocals which provide the perfect accompaniment for the spacy instrumentation. I've found myself becoming increasingly interested in these old synthpop sounds of late. There's something refreshingly authentic in their simplicity & creativity.

For fans of Kraftwerk, Ultravox & The Human League.

3.5/5

Robert Ashley - "Private Parts" (1978)

A two-track, 46-minute journey that draws upon a combination of soothing spoken word & ambient new age music to good effect. The A side is excellent & is the real reason to explore this release although the B side is also fairly enjoyable. You really need to be able to become involved with a record from a purely atmospheric point of view to understand an album like this one as there isn't any semblance of traditional song structure to be found. "Private Parts" is a gentle, artsy record that will appeal to gentle, artsy people.

For fans of John Cage, Steve Reich & Morton Feldman.

3.5/5

Bohren & der Club of Gore - "Sunset Mission" (2000)

These Germans represent the absolute pinnacle of the dark jazz movement with "Sunset Mission" being one of my very favourite releases from any genre, even going close to cracking my all-time top ten. The depth & atmosphere on offer here is quite simply unparallelled & the class & elegance with which they execute the material shows them to be absolute masters of their craft. I've generally always placed Bohren's next album "Black Earth" slightly ahead of this one but I might need to reassess that position after this week's revisit as this is utterly supreme music right here.

For fans of Angelo Badalamenti, Dale Cooper Quartet & the Dictaphones & Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble.

5/5

The D.O.C. - "No One Can Do It Better" (1989)

The debut full-length from this West Coast hip hop MC & it's a pretty decent one too, although I can't prescribe to the praise it seems to receive in some circles these days.

For fans of EPMD, Eric B. & Rakim & Ice-T.

3.5/5

Vladislav Delay - "Multila" (2000)

A really deep, ambient compilation of dub techno material from a prolific Finnish producer who would go on to release important records across a variety of different EDM subgenres. The best moments are generally found when there's a bit more structure employed, particularly when the beats are a little dancier like they are on the 22-minute epic "Huone" (my album highlight). Occasionally things descend into mush but generally I find easily enough to enjoy in the dense atmospheres on offer here.

For fans of Pole, Basic Channel & GAS.

4/5

Hermann Nitsch - "Island: Eine Sinfonie in 10 Sätzen" (1980)

There are times when all serious music lovers subject themselves to long periods of aural pain in the interest of expanding their musical horizons & that is exactly what I've done this week while sitting through a full three active listens to this 3 hour 43 minute experimental release from Austrian composer Hermann Nitsch. "Island" is built on a concept that combines the early drone sound with modern classical arrangements however it regularly crosses over the border between music/art & meaningless noise for long periods, leaving the vast majority of listeners wondering just what in the actual fuck they're listening to with the sounds being emitted from the speakers often resembling the members of five symphony orchestras all warming up through completely disparate exercises before a show. When it comes together, you get some deep, unusual & quite cerebral drones but when it doesn't it's just a total mess &, given the really long track durations, you're stuck with it for what seems like an eternity before the next piece shows up, often providing more of the same. The length of this release is absolutely absurd as there are nowhere near enough different ideas to sustain even half of the run time. I'm afraid this one has just gone straight over my head, despite my enjoyment of a few of the thirteen pieces.

For fans of John Cage, Cornelius Cardew & Terry Riley.

2/5

POiSON GiRL FRiEND - "Melting Moment" E.P. (1992)

This debut E.P. seems to have built up quite the following over the last decade or so but I have to admit that I find that hard to understand personally. Sure, it's one of the earlier trip hop releases but that doesn't give it the right to be mentioned in the same breath as records like Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" which clearly sits in another stratosphere altogether. The female vocals of nOrikO are intended to sound sweet & they do achieve that intent during the best parts but there are just as many moments where she sounds pitchy & amateurish in my opinion. Plus, the instrumentation is very heavy on the cheap bedroom synths that were around at the time which gives "Melting Moment" a disposable feel. I do quite enjoy the first couple of songs as well as the closing title track but the other material is a long way from the mark (particularly "The Future Is Now" which is fucking awful) & taints the overall experience for me. 

For fans of Color Filter, Sugar Plant & Lily Chou-Chou.

3/5

Raphael-Weinroth Brown - Lifeblood (2025)

Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne first showed up on my radar in 2015 as one half of the canadian neoclassical darkwave duo The Visit, alongside vocallist Heather Sita Black when their album "Through Darkness Into Light" attained the distinction of being one of a very exclusive club of non-metal albums to receive AOTY status from me. Despite this, I must admit that I haven't kept up with his solo work much since. He has tended to focus on releasing single tracks on Bandcamp, with 2020s World Within being his only other full-length prior to "Lifeblood".

The album is wholly instrumental and solely features Raphael's acoustic cello playing with the aid of amplifiers and effects pedals, apart from on a couple of tracks, "Pyre" and "Nethereal" which also feature a bass drum. He says in the Bandcamp blurb that this is his most personal album, with the theme of his relationship to his music and growth as an artist. The result of all this is a classical piece that has great crossover potential and, I believe, may well appeal to many a more open-minded metalhead. I mean, look at that cover, is that metal or what? There is a wide range of emotional scope presented within the albums runtime. As well as sweeping broad strokes that breathe air and life into things, there are moments of quiet reflectiveness and spells of fervent and rabid aggressiveness that complement and contrast each other effectively and are redolent with passion and feeling.

This passion and feeling are the two most apparent emotions I take away from "Lifeblood" and the album as a whole stands as a great testament to the compositional and technical virtuosity of a musician who, in this world of overhyped crap, by the sheer weight of his talent and passion, deserves to be heard by a much wider audience.

4/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Ambient Releases of All Time list after revisiting Delerium's 1988 debut album "Faces, Forms & Illusions" this week:

01. Biosphere – “Substrata” (1997)

02. Robert Rich – “Somnium” (2001)

03. Steve Roach – “Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces” (2003)

04. Brian Eno – “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” (1978)

05. Stars of the Lid – “The Tired Sounds of” (2001)

06. Stars of the Lid – “And Their Refinement of the Decline” (2007)

07. Steve Roach – “Structures from Silence” (1984)

08. Klaus Schulze - "Timewind" (1975)

09. A Winged Victory For The Sullen – “A Winged Victory for the Sullen” (2011)

10. Delerium - "Faces, Forms & Illusions" (1988)

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.

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)

Now Playing

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

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.

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.