April was the month with the biggest number of releases so far in 2023. The 66 releases we listened to during this month covered everything from dream pop to existential symphonic metal, and for that reason it represents almost all the moods that we went through the last month. Our favourite albums of the month reflect this incredible mix of music that talented people created for us from around the world.
For us the absolute highlight of the month was the fantastical worlds we navigated through with the latest release of Urizen Society – ‘Solium Ardnes: The Ring of Coagula‘. By inducing symphonic metal with fantasy and admirable storytelling skills, the band offered the best conceptual way out of this world. The collaborative album of gwenn tremorin and anatoly grinberg deserves the title of the best IDM album of the month, while the releases of AUTOBAHN, Little Girls and FEWS , ‘Ecstasy of Ruin’, ‘Thrills’ and ‘Glass City’ respectively, cover our need for fierce post-punk music. Especially AUTOBAHN’s follow up to their 2017 album is delightfully dynamic and sees the band exploring powerful rhythms and electrifying guitar riffs that make this album sparkle in the genre of post-punk music.
We admit being positively biased when it comes to VNV Nation and :Wumpscut: but despite that we strive to be as objective as possible when listening to their new music. ‘Electric Sun‘, soon to be presented live in London sits very comfortably within VNV Nation’s previous releases and offers a comforting electro/industrial mix of songs with lyrics that touch our souls as the band does since 1995. ‘Poison Cookie‘ on the other hand, is Rudy’s way of saying ‘hey I’m still here, roaring and screaming until the end of times‘ with the all familiar distorted, textured, addictively rhythmic industrial cocktail that makes one start to dance instantly even though it all sounds like a serious warning about something inherently bad…
The acid house masters of our dreams released a new album in April as well. The Orb‘s ‘Prismorb‘ might be one of their most commercial albums to date, nodding to the heydays of acid house and techno, but it is an album written to put one in a dancing trance!
There were three debut releases during this month, Silver Moth‘s ‘Black Bay‘, The Infinity Ring‘s ‘Nemesis& Nativity‘ and TERZO‘s ‘Terzo‘. We did not expect any release to be nodding to Portishead’s sound, and yet Silver Moth’s dreamy songs and Evi Vine’s ‘smoky’ vocals and natural timbre, create a sound with rick texture and a roughness that comes from the noisy guitar ‘wall’ that is hard to let go of. ‘Nemesis & Nativity’ is an impressive debut album that truly sits at the crossroads of many genres, as the band intended. We loved the alteration between lyrical moments created by the violin and the building up of the rhythm and atmosphere to the point where SWANS much loved early releases and Michael Gira’s voice feel as if they are both suspended over this album. Finally, TERZO sent experimental shoegaze electric currents at all directions through their impressive debut album that seems vowed to take out of shoegaze all of its seemingly defeatist attitude.
The psych rock album of the month is beyond doubt ‘Recovery Effects’ by The Black Delta Movement, which we had the pleasure of enjoying live at the 100 Club last month.
The most wicked release of the month, is by far the ceremonial, dark sonic ritual created by Darja Kazimira and Zura Makharadze. It defies categorisation and its energy will put you in a trance in a few minutes…careful out there!
We hope you will enjoy listening to this playlist as much as we enjoyed making it!
Blaue Rosen 