Non-Metal Music

Natas - "Ciudad de Brahman (1999)

The widely celebrated sophomore album from this Argentinian outfit offers a lovely blend of heavy stoner rock, psychedelic atmosphere & hypnotic desert-rock grooves, all presented in a super-professional package that I find really easy to listen to. In fact, there are very few bands out there that do this sound better.

For fans of Kyuss, Tool & Brant Bjork.

4/5

Checking out Ixtab by My Dead Girlfriend, one of many Japanese shoegaze bands I've gone through at the suggestion of RYM lists.  Like their last two albums, this was pretty much built of standard, pretty good shoegaze that needs more oomph.  The first four tracks sound the same.  This, however, really grabbed me:

Boom, that's just so out there.

Foetus - Nail (1985)

Genres: Industrial Rock, Exp. Rock

Since I'm almost done with shoegaze, I figured I might as well explore some more industrial rock, which I always liked.  This decision came from exploring Curve, a shoegaze band with an industrial influence.  It was easy to decide to explore more Foetus, especially since I stopped at their third for something else I don't remember, and apparently my top 10 for industrial rock SUCKS.  It starts with two Killing Jokes, then two NIN's, Killing Joke, NIN.  And there's one more NIN in the top ten.  Obviously, I have my work cut out.

There was no guarantee that a Foetus album would break into the top 6, considering all of those are between 9.5-10.  But this album made it look EASY once Pigswill came around.  The previous eight minutes were all a bunch of fun, but that was the cutoff point from fun to OUT OF WHACK.  The switches between fun and dorky songs and dark and creepy cabaret strikes that same fine line Tom Waits had been treading that same year on Rain Dogs.  There's no shortage of organized chaos here, carefully molding weird and wild instrumentals with catchy vocal melodies as well.  And Thirlwell's vocals as are good as ever, being perfectly bluesy and overactive at the same time.  You never know what's gonna happen, even when it gets symphonic and cinematic for whatever light joke they're telling.  Hell, the Pigdom Come Overture is basically early dungeon synth, and it's so much better than even some of the best dungeon synth I've heard so far (that's a genre I'm NOT underexplored in).  You know, most people prefer The Throne of Agony, but I'd say my favorite is definitely Enter the Exterminator for its darker and more progressive approach from dark industrial to epic orchestral rock.

Nail is a major creative step forward from the already great Hole, which was a big step forward from the first two albums.  THe whole is pretty much like an industrial comparison to 80's Tom Waits, and its got all of the spirit and artistry, as well as some obnoxious but controlled self-awareness, to maximize both the band's artistic talent and identity to as far as they could push it without ruining things.  No doubt about it, this helped to break the top 6 problem.

97

Virginia Astley - "From Gardens Where We Feel Secure" (1983)

The debut album from this English ambient/neoclassical new age artist. It's a bit of a mixed bag for me personally as it can be a little... positive I guess? I'm not usually one to go for music that's this pastoral, pretty & gentle on the ear but there's enough quality here to leave me feeling generally pretty good about the holistic experience, particularly during the deeper & more ambient moments.

For fans of Hiroshi Yoshimura, Mary Lattimore & the Harold Budd & Brian Eno's "The Pearl" collaboration album.

3.5/5

Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch - "The Twin Peaks Archive" (2011)

Ok, so you probably haven't noticed that my non-metal posts have dropped off the radar for the last few weeks but there's a very good reason for that. You see, I decided to give myself the ultimate music review challenge by committing to rating this incredibly extensive 588-minute/212-song compilation of unreleased material from the "Twin Peaks" series which I'm a big fan of. You can expect dozens of interesting alternative versions of the main themes as well as a whole bunch of new material of widely varying quality levels. The majority of this stuff takes on either dark jazz or dark ambient styles which suits me very nicely but the real gold is in the amazing alternate versions of familiar tracks like "Laura Palmer's Theme" or "Love Theme". Is it worth the thirty hours of listening I've put into it? Well, while there's certainly enough incredible material included to make for one of the greatest single or double albums ever recorded, the holistic pay-off isn't really enough to justify the investment of time. It certainly makes for lovely background music though &, if pushed, I'd probably take "The Twin Peaks Archive" over 1992's "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" or 2007's "Twin Peaks: Season Two Music & More" but I definitely wouldn't place on the same level as the original 1990 "Soundtrack from Twin Peaks" which is still the elite representation of the "Twin Peaks" series in my opinion.

For fans of Bohren & der Club of Gore, The Dale Cooper Quartet & the Dictaphones & The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble.

3.5/5

Sick of It All - Yours Truly (2000)

R.I.P. Lou Koller

I have been spinning some Sick of It All today after learning of vocalist Lou Koller finally losing his lengthy battle with cancer. They were one of my favourite hardcore bands and Lou one of my favourite punk vocalists. I don't know how well known they are outside of the New York HC scene, but I got into them after catching their video for "District" from this very album on MTV around the time of its release. I must admit I didn't keep up with their new stuff after 2006's "Death to Tyrants", but their early stuff featured some classic NYHC albums. "Scratch the Surface", "Call to Arms" amd this, my particular favourite, "Yours Truly" are all brilliant, and get regular spins, but anything up to 2003's "Life on the Ropes" is great. Check out the video to "Step Down" on YouTube if you haven't heard them before and check out some legit classic NY hardcore.

Miles Davis - "A Tribute to Jack Johnson" soundtrack (1971)

I picked up this soundtrack CD when I was going through an obsessive Miles phase during the late 1990's & it's stayed with me ever since. It's comprised of two lengthy pieces that are both very solid jazz fusion workouts & rarely varies in terms of groove & quality. If pushed, I'd probably take the more stripped back "Yesternow" over opener "Right Off" but there's not much between them. "In A Silent Way" is still my favourite music release of all time from any genre but I'm gonna suggest that "A Tribue to Jack Johnson" might be my third favourite Miles record these days behind "Kind of Blue", although it's not far in front of "Bitches Brew" & "Live-Evil". Miles was a fucking genius & so was guitarist John McLaughlin who I absolutely adore.

For fans of Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra & Soft Machine.

4/5

It's a huge feather in Led Zeppelin's cap that fans place their back catalogue in such different orders but rarely dispute other people's differences of opinion because there's simply no right or wrong answer when it comes to the greatest hard rock band of all time. For me personally, "Led Zeppelin III" would just round out my top five behind "Houses of the Holy (my personal favourite), "Led Zeppelin IV", "Presence" & "Led Zeppelin I".

Houses can be so underrated.  No Quarter proved that Zeppelin can go totally Floyd and own it, The Ocean is something I regularly play, and I even admit: The Cringe isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

Paris - "The Devil Made Me Do It" (1990)

This is definitely one of the better early hip hop records I've heard. Paris gets the right balance between political/conscious lyrics & deep, pulsating basslines here with the tracklisting being surprisingly consistent. Highly recommended.

For fans of Public Enemy, Ice Cube & X-Clan.

4/5

I think it's inevitable that if you're into checking out all kinds of metal, obviously the folky kind but also Black Metal in general, you'll eventually run into Wardruna. And that's not a bad thing, I love their style that feels like full albums of your favorite folky, dark, and brooding interludes from whatever Metal album. I need to check out more of their early stuff as I was a fan of Kvitravn, and I liked having Birna on in the background but it didn't grip me as much. 

I also want to try and decouple Wardruna from the bias of it sounding like certain parts of Metal albums I love and take it more at face value of the Dark Folk they're actually doing. Probably impossible to do at this point, but now at least I have that other recommendation from Sonny if I wanted to say screw it, give me more Metal anyways. But hey, if I like the atmosphere they're creating, maybe I am actually enjoying some of their Folk for what it is. 

sora - "re.sort" (2003)

The highly regarded lone album from this Japanese glitch/folktronica artist. I really enjoy the relaxing, stripped back atmosphere but the compositions are a little too structure-less for me to fully appreciate at times. I can't deny the joy that's in this music though. It reminds me of those childhood summers when you didn't have a care in the world & is similar to artists like Lemon Jelly & The Avalanches in that it's kinda quirky & doesn't possess even the slightest trace of darkness.

For fans of Fennesz, Oval & Nobukazu Takemura.

3.5/5

Éliane Radigue - "Jetsun Mila" (1987)

This French composer's third full-length may just be my new favourite drone release ever! "Jetsun Mila" was originally a single, lengthy piece spread across both sides of a cassette with the A side being absolutely incredible & the B side being very solid too. This isn't for everyone as it's extremely deep & minimal but those that can get into that type of stuff are gonna go completely nuts for this shit. Wonderful stuff!

For fans of Robert Rich, Phill Niblock & Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto.

4.5/5

LTJ Bukem - "Hardcore Volume 11" (1993)

This unauthorized DJ mix cassette has gone on to become pretty legendary in the drum & bass scene over the years & it's aged beautifully too. Bukem is arguably the most important player in that scene overall & his ability to take a fairly chaotic genre & give it depth & credibility is worthy of high praise. You can expect to hear roughly an hour & a half of blemish-free, really well mixed (for the time) jungle, breakcore & atmospheric drum & bass, always maintaining a degree of substance & maturity.

For fans of PFM, Wax Doctor & Intense.

4/5

Sixteen Horsepower - "Live March 2001" (2008)

I believe that I've found my new favourite Sixteen Horsepower release here with this excellent double album compiling pristine (if noticeably heavier) versions of all of the best material from the Los Angeles gothic country leader's first three albums which are generally regarded as their classic era. Iconic front man David Eugene Edwards' performance is nothing short of phenomenal & the band are in fine form too so "Live March 2001" makes for an irresistible outing for followers of this niche subgenre.

For fans of Wovenhand, Slim Cessna's Auto Club & Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots.

4/5

Jimi Hendrix - ":blues" compilation (1994)

I bought this compilation record on cheap pirated cassette in Bali in my youth & have returned to it semi-regularly over the years as it's one of my favourite blues releases of all time. Jimi was quite simply a master of the blues with his improvised shredding representing some of the most visceral & natural lead guitar work I've ever heard in my life. The :blues" compilation draws together a bunch of random recordings, many of which were never intended for proper release, but the sum of which provides further proof of the mastery of this guitar icon. There are a couple of duds included with the acoustic version of "Hear My Train Comin" & "Mannish Boy" both falling flat & being a bit of a mess. The remainder of the tracklisting is excellent though & I regard "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Once I Had A Woman", "Electric Church Red House" & the electric version of "Hear My Train Comin" as being genuine electric blues rock classics & some of Jimi's finest work. ":blues" should be essential listening for Jimi fans like me. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that it's my second favourite Hendrix release behind "Electric Ladyland" these days, just pipping out "Are You Experienced" for the runner-up position.

For fans of Robin Trower, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

4/5

Cocteau Twins - "Tiny Dynamine/Echoes in a Shallow Bay" compilation (1985)

This release combines the two four-song E.P.'s that were released in November 1985. Both are very solid efforts too with not a weak track to be found. "Tiny Dynamine" is the better of the two, mainly off the back of the wonderful highlight track "Plain Tiger". You can't really go wrong with Cocteau Twins though. Their back catalogue is unanimously classy & the dreamy ethereal wave sound of this period was lush & otherworldly with Elizabeth Fraser's angelic vocals soaring over the top.

For fans of This Mortal Coil, Lush & Slowdive.

4/5

Clau Aniz - Macula

Genres: Post-Rock, Art Rock, Electronic

This is her second album, released after her 2018 debut.  A bit too long to wait, but worth it.  Within that time frame, this girl taught herself a lot about how to use clever instrumentation to carry the one thing that made her debut so great: carrying mellow and powerful emotions.  This time, the mix of electronic and slower rock not only recalls the leading strength of the debut, but turns it into a surreal experience with some notable comparisons to bands like Portishead, especially where Third is concerned, and little bits of some classic 70's prog and krautrock ranging from Jethro Tull to Popol Vuh.  But never once does the album lose the identity of the artist.  This is especially true on Minha casa ardendo em mim track 6, which gradually gets more gorgeous and clever as it goes along.  This is a mixed bag of collective low emotions and instrumental pride, and will be eagerly awaiting the third album and begging the universe that it doesn't take another eight years.  Putting it slightly under Ed O'Brien's Blue Morpho for being slightly, slightly less consistent in its flow.

93.5

Rhythm & Sound - "See Mi Yah" (2005)

The fourth & final CD I purchased from this incredible German artist during the 2000's is a compilation of vinyl releases from the period. The interesting thing is that all of them come with basically the same backing track, only with slight variations in the arrangements & different Jamaican vocalists who each take different lyrical & melodic directions. And boy does it work too! I could honestly listen to that backing track in isolation for the entire duration of this release to tell you the truth as it puts me into a level of relaxation that I rarely achieve. Highlight tracks like "Lightning Storm", "See Mi" & "Free For All" are some of Rhythm & Sound's very best material, although I do think that their previous releases are just slightly better than this one which sees them abandoning their techno roots for a pure dub & roots reggae sound.

For fans of Babe Roots, Frenk Dublin & Deepchord Presents: Echospace.

4.5/5

Alice Coltrane - "Turiya Sings" (1982)

I discovered this lovely, meditative release many years ago now & have returned to it semi-regularly in the time since. "Turiya Sings" sees the iconic jazz artist & former wife of the legendary John Coltrane taking a dramatic stylistic departure from her jazz roots by composing nine deep new age pieces that utilize her own mantra-style vocals in praise of the Lord. It's quite a transcendental experience with the better inclusions relaxing & soothing me in a way that few others can.

For fans of Nala Sinephro, Sofie Birch & Mary Lattimore.

4/5

After a very eventful day, zoo trip, Ihop, surprise goat births at home, I'm just gonna relax with some 2026 albums.  Today I heard he new American Football, which is good, definitely better than LP2, but not amazing save some more creative choices in the second half.  Having said that, Desdemona is a work of post-rock genius.  8/10.  Second is the new Kacey Musgraves, Middle of Nowhere.  God, can she get anymore basic?  The only thing worthwhile about this standard country album is the lyrics.  5.5/10.

The Future Sound of London - "Lifeforms" (1994)

This double sophomore album from Manchester duo The Future Sound of London has been a really big release for me over the years, particularly during the 2000's when it would regularly guide my best mate & I through all-day comedown sessions after druggy nights on dark nightclub dancefloors. It's a beautifully laid-back mix of IDM, ambient & ambient techno that was heavily influential on the scene at the time, spawning truckloads of copycats who tried to emulate its unique connection with nature & fantasies of a simpler & more tribal world. I know that Rex shares my feeling that "Lifeforms" is one of the most premium examples of its type & it should definitely be essential listening for electronic music afficionados.

For fans of Global Communication, The Orb & The KLF's "Chillout".

4.5/5

Chelsea Wolfe - "Birth of Violence" (2019)

I've intended on exploring some of Wolfe's solo material in more detail for a long time now (ever since falling in love with her collaboration with Converge "Bloodmoon: I" back in 2020 actually) but haven't gotten around to it until now, although I have skipped through her 2015 "Abyss" record on occasion. "Birth of Violence" is Chelsea's ninth full-length & sees her combining gothic country & dark folk to brilliant effect. Her voice is incredibly powerful yet super-sweet at the same time & I have to admit that I've somewhat fallen in love with her talents over the past week. This record is dark & introspective yet still devastatingly emotive & dynamic & I can't help but feel that it's been heavily underrated as I consider it to be nothing short of classic.

For fans of Emma Ruth Rundle, Jay Jayle & Darkher.

4.5/5

I like to think so... or alternatively, we could both be decidedly uncool? Perhaps it's a bit of both. :)

My stepdad says I'm no longer a metalhead if I like Paul Simon.  I say, "screw all that."  A real metalhead isn't afraid of what he likes.  And I'll be honest, if we've got opera-style vocals like Tarja Turenen being so popular in the metal community, I don't think any real metalhead should complain about another metalhead liking Sade.  Hell, I've been playing Sade to help set up moods for a new novel of mine.  I've even got Lovers Live in my top 100 just like you've got Love Deluxe.

Bro, my stepdad doesn't even know Candlemass or Morbid Angel.  He's a thrash and hair guy.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.