Non-Metal Music

Swans - Birthing (2025)

Genres: Exp. Rock, Post-Rock

Frontman Michael Gira, who practically WAS Swans ever since the band's inception, confirmed that this will be the last of this run of lengthy, atmospheric "big sound" Swans albums.  So I'm expecting a finale as grand as anything that came before, or at least in the league of To Be Kind.  I've heard every Swnas album at least twice, and I may even listen to this twice today depending on my mood just to maintain that statement.  But wehat really makes me happy is how everyone's going every kind of gaga, including Lady Gaga, over this album.  At this point, any small mistake is a disappointment and an insult to their near-indomitable output.

The first thing you may remember about modern Swans is how often they do lengthy, drawn out, atmospheric songs with drone, noise and classical elements.  The first eight minutes of the first 20-minute opener are built on the classical droning.  And if you're a real Swans fan, you can deal with it.  They've gone way longer and way worse on the "repetition" department for no good reason, and then it immediately shifts into a beautifully fitting combo of industrial rock and Lunacy-style noise.  But in this effort to maintain a powerful sonic presence, it does lack melody, which Swans have been known to rock as easily as atmosphere, especially since this song is rooted in several chapters alone.  But most of the songs operate this way, with some fluctuations in distinct genre and sopund but never once breaking its overpowering flow.

So in short, this album is basically a two-hour breather, diversified in nature but more rooted in atmosphere than music.  It certainly hits all the right buttons in the former department, and it was a great way to relieve myself of chore-related stress once all those were done.

92

Scorn - "Deliverance" E.P. (1992)

"Deliverance" saw Mick Harris (Napalm Death/Defecation/Doom/Extreme Noise Terror/PainKiller/Pigface/Unseen Terror) & Nick Bullen (Napalm Death) pulling away from the Godflesh-style industrial metal sound of Scorn's "Vae Solis" debut album from earlier that year &, in doing so, single-handedly creating a new subgenre in "illbient", a sound that combines elements of ambient, hip hop & dub. There's still a lot of industrial included here though which makes these five tracks a fairly abrasive listen. The title track is easily the best of them with the other four coming across more as remixes of it than they do as fresh creative statements. The opening three songs are all enjoyable but things go off the rails towards the end of the release with the last couple of tracks being largely redundant but there's still enough quality here for me to enjoy, even if Scorn would undoubtably do much better in the near future.

For fans of Necro Deathmort, Techno Animal & The Third Eye Foundation.

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"

The KLF - "Chill Out" (1990)

A really solid & highly influential debut album that I've been enjoying since the late 90's. The duo mix ambient & sound collage with an early example of the chillout sound to brilliant effect to create a single-track journey that spans 44 minutes.

For fans of The Orb, Global Communication & Moby.

4/5

Pet Shop Boys - "Introspective" (1988)

I struggled with the third & most widely celebrated full-length from these London synthpop legends to be honest as it was simply far too fruity for my taste. I actually think this record is more of a dance-pop release than it is synthpop as it was clearly heavily influenced by the underground house & Hi-NRG music the duo were hearing in the UK gay clubs of the time. "Introspective" served as a major gateway release into dance music for a lot of people for that reason. I have to admit that I have a soft spot for the cover version of "Always On My Mind" but found the rest of the album a little hard to stomach.

For fans of Erasure, Electronic & Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

3/5

Orbital - "Orbital 2" (1993)

The second full-length from these highly celebrated Kent brothers would become the first album release to truly break the underground techno phenomenon on both a critical & commercial scale with Paul & Phil Hartnoll creating a record that was full of class & depth. It's not wall-to-wall wins as far as I'm concerned but the highlights are devastating & played a strong role in my electronic music journey. There are a number of tracks included that received air play from me as a DJ throughout the 2000's with the brilliant "Planet of the Shapes" making for an outstanding early set builder & peak time acid techno number "Remind" really tweaking people's cerebellums later in the evening. I played those two on multiple occasions while I believe I also dropped "Walk Now... " once too.  This all still sounds as fresh as it did the first time I heard it & it's impossible to deny the power of classic ambient trance number "Halcyon + On + On" to lift one's spirits & take you into the stratosphere. I could probably have done without the dull intro & outro pieces, as well as the slightly cheesy attempt to emulate Detroit techno classic "Strings of Life" that is "Monday", but "Orbital 2" should be essential listening for all EDM disciples.

For fans of The Orb, Underworld & Chemical Brothers.

4/5

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

John Lee Hooker - "The Healer" (1989)

A heavily underrated electric blues album that's centered around collaborations with a number of other high-profile artists such as Carlos Santana, Bonnie Rait, Los Lobos & George Thoroughgood. Perhaps it makes for a more commercially accessible listen than most diehard blues fans would like but I really enjoy it nonetheless, particularly the really stripped back stuff like wonderful album highlight "My Dream".

For fans of Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf & Muddy Waters.

4/5

Arcade Fire - Pink Elephant (2025)

Genres: Indie Rock

I'm actually huge on Arcade Fire, believe it or not.  They introduced me to the glory that is indie rock and were the first steps intro exploring genres beyond classic rock.  Their debut, Funeral, changed my life.  I find their first three albums to be an unbeatable indie trilogy, so I've been holding onto the hope that this Everything Now behavior would end soon.  And it looked like it would from the album WE, but Pink Elephant says otherwise, gruelingly otherwise.

I got excited when I heard there was a new Arcade Fire album, but upon hearing the Year of the Snake single, I lost interest.  This album goes for ambient tracks, indie pop, indie rock and a little alt-dance, neo-psych, and yet, NOTHING is given any real focus.  These songs hardly even feel "written."  They feel like AI generated knockoffs where the order is specifically "try not to use any rhythm."  This is especially painful dureing the songs that are longer than five minutes.  There's barely any melody involved in the instrumentation until Ride or Die, which is seven of the ten tracks in!  How could Arcade Fire of all people forget to include a rhythm?  I mean, I'm willing to defend Everything Now as a palatable pop album, but not this.  The melodies that raised the rating slightly on Ride or Die are once again betrayed just to include some basic sound effects and distortions that fail to justify anything.  I mean, even our two lead singers sound completely bored.  Are the even trying to be passionate about their music anymore?

No, I really don't think they are.  It seems obvious to me that the band has lost their passion and are trying to let ambiance fill in that gap, not realizing that the "gap" is really a "hole in the heart."  This is one time where I really can't defend their actions.  Pink Elephant's very existence is an insult to their glory days and the poopularity of indie rock in the 2000's kickstarted by albums like their first three.  This is the first time I have been unable to defend an Arcade Fire album.

28/100

Fishmans - "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" (1997)

The seventh full-length from this Tokyo outfit & a bloody good listen it is too. It's often referred to as dream pop, ambient pop & neo-psychedelia but the reality is that the downtempo tag is all that's required here with the relaxed, soothing atmospheres presented having a noticeably calming effect on even the most battle-hardened extreme metalhead. Perhaps I'm a little more open to this sort of stuff than most but the lushness of some of these soundscapes can't be achieved without a deep understanding of the craft. "Uchu Nippon Setagaya" is classy release that's deserving of the hype around it.

For fans of Slowdive, Spiritualized & Stereolab.

4/5

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

Thrust - "Mindless" (1990)

The sole full-length from this melodic hardcore/skate punk outfit from my adopted stomping ground of the Gold Coast. It's very well produced & executed & has a bit of a heavy metal edge to it at times too.

For fans of The Ramones, Bad Religion & Motorhead.

King Tubby - "Herb Dub-Collie Dub" (1976)

A collection of instrumental dub remixes of tracks by The Skatalites. I quite like it too, particularly the more minimal, stripped back material which is druggy as fuck.

For fans of Augustus Pablo, Scientist & Prince Jammy.

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

I just went on a Fairport Convention marathon today.  Here are my ratings:

1. Fairport Convention - fun and catchy, sounds like a lot of folk albums from that era but with the healthy spirit needed to get noticed.  82

2. What We Did on Our Holidays - This boasted the spirit I was hoping to find in a classic folk rock band that the music community loves.  It has quite a few different types of beautiful songs and some incredible shared vocals between the band members.  96

3. Unhalfbricking - This is where they go for a more straightforward and traditional folk sound, rocking their instrumentals while handing full vocal duty to Sandy Denny.  This new format doesn't have quite the same originality as before, but for a traditional-stayle folk album, this features some wonderful instrumentation and a magical feel.

4. Liege and Lief - A more traditional album.  It boasts all of the strengths of the previous album with one flaw: it's a bit more drawn out for the same length range.  92

5. Full House - Even though Denny's departure was beyond unfortunate, the band largely made up for that with some beautiful and yet surprisingly poppy tunes that don't break new ground but constantly entertain.  91.

6. Angel Delight - And this is where the scars are showing.  The group is still writing pretty enjoyable tunes in the long run, but the magic seems largely missing in the first half, and the progressive aspects don't carry melody well.  72.

Sunday in the Park with George, wow that brings back some memories. I'm not a fan of the whole Show-Tunes Broadway style, but "Finishing the Hat" is a phenomenal and moving tune.

Frank Zappa - "Hot Rats" (1969)

Frank Zappa's debut solo album & I have had a rocky relationship over the years & that's still largely the case today. I'm not a fan of half of the six songs on offer however the record is saved by the fact that the other three are much lengthier & more substantial than the shorter pieces. The sound of "Hot Rats" sees Frank combining jazz & rock for a result that straddles both jazz fusion & jazz rock very nicely but the dial is certainly directed further towards the jazz side of the equation than it is the rock one in my opinion. Zappa's guitar improvisation is my personal highlight so I tend to go for the more expansive arrangements where he gets to really open up. It's not a bad listen but I can't say that it fares all that well alongside other jazz fusion records of the time, at least not for me personally.

For fans of Soft Machine, Mahavishnu Orchestra & Allan Holdsworth.

3.5/5

Throbbing Gristle - "At the Factory, Manchester" (1979)

This live album is highly regarded in terms of the early industrial scene & you can easily see why too as it presents one of the coldest & most barren visions of the world you're likely to find. There are some fabulous highlights included here but there's also a bit of inconsistency as the line that Throbbing Gristle tip toe along between pure noise & genius is a difficult one to get exactly right. Still,,, the wins easily outweigh the losses so I find myself coming out of the experience (& it IS an experience) feeling largely fulfilled.

For fans of Psychic TV, Cabaret Voltaire & Nurse With Wound.

3.5/5

Eric B. & Rakim - "Follow the Leader" (1988)

The follow-up album to 1987's highly praised "Paid In Full" debut album is a very strong example of the early hip hop sound. Rakim's rapping is excellent & is the main driver behind the duo's success. The opening title track is one of the greatest tracks in hip hop history in my opinion. The overall consistency in the tracklisting means that there's a only a bee's dick between "Follow the Leader" & Public Enemy's classic "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" sophomore album that was released just a month earlier which should give you an indication of the overall quality of offer here.

For fans of Boogie Down Productions, EPMD & Big Daddy Kane.

4/5

Cocteau Twins - "Head Over Heals" (1983)

I've returned to this excellent sophomore album from Scottish ethereal wave/ gothic rock outfit a couple of times over the last year as I've had a real soft spot for it since the mid-1990's when I used to frequent goth clubs every weekend with the rest of the Sydney extreme metal scene. Each time I hear it I'm reminded of just how similar Elizabeth Frazer's vocals are to my all-time favourite metal front woman in The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen, so much so that I can't help but feel that she was a total worshipper of records like this one. The dark opening track "When Mama Was Moth" is quite frankly one of the best pieces of music ever written while the rest of the ten-song tracklisting includes a string of very strong efforts, none of them living up to the thrill of the opener but still flexing their creative muscles nicely nonetheless. There are a couple of flat moments here though in the disappointing "Glass Candle Grenades" & "Multifoiled" but the wins easily outweigh the losses to make for a highly compelling listen & one that would put the new darkwave genre on the map.

For fans of Lowlife, Slowdive & early Dead Can Dance.

4/5

I just finished the Motley Crue movie The Dirt again.  For a generic rock biopic, it's got legit acting and some seriously powerful, if not potentially NC-17, humor.

That movie inspired me to check out the three Wildside albums.

1. Under the Influence.  Would've been a moderate success if the group formed six years earlier.  Sleaze rock didn't get far.  86/100

2. Wildside.  So now they're ripping off Alice in Chains the year after Cobain killed himself and the grunge scene?  52/100

3. Formerly Known as Young Gunns.  More of the first, but a little more generic.  Not bad.  Not done yet, halfway, but for this first half but I'm thinking about a 73/100.

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.

Just finished up a Cult Member marathon in my outsider house ventures.  This guy understands the balance between atmosphere and complex beats.  Not quite on par with Cross by Justice, but it maintains a consistent sound through various influences and surprises with plenty of complexity. There are acid techno songs which fit perfectly in this ambient / outsider house sound.

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.