Experimental Audio Research - Mesmerized (1994)

EAR was an extended solo effort by Peter Kember (Spacemen 3, Sonic Boom) who often invited collaborators such as  Kevin Martin, Kevin Shields, Eddie Prévost , Lawrence Chandler, Nick Kramer, Delia Derbyshire and Thomas Köner to explore the farthest attainable reaches of sonic cosmology. On their first recording, Mesmerized, it’s tough to say exactly whose work is showcased, but it’s fun to make assumptions: the evolving drone on “Guitar Feedback Manipulation” recalls Shields and Chandler while the looming bagpipes on “California Nocturne” recalls Martin and Prévost.

Is the acrostic on purpose? probably

Faust, Tony Conrad, Jim O'Rourke, Richard Youngs, Keith Rowe - In God We Trust (1995)

Just by looking at the title you can tell that this single has a real powerhouse lineup. This single was given out for free to lucky attendees of a British tour. I can best describe the single as a weird mishmash of noises and sounds. There are five tracks crammed into the one sided single, each performed by a different artist, each were about a minute long, and each of them very well done, All in all it's a great listen, well worth a mere 6 minutes of your time.

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Circle X - Untitled (1979)

Abrasive, loud, irate no wave. Circle X is almost like a cross between early Swans and Mars. It's also deceptively catchy, despite its violent sound. This EP basically consists of frantic, angry vocals over deliciously scratchy and chaotic instrumentation, all with a steady, pulsing drum in the background. Highly recommend this one for fans of no wave.

ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS
MARCHING AS TO WAR

Cabaret Voltaire - 1974-1976

While we're on the topic of really early works of well-known bands, here's 1974-76 by Cabaret Voltaire. This one is official and was released in 1980 and it consists mainly of the bands rawer, more experimental, and unrefined stuff. If you're looking for another Red Mecca or Micro-Phonies you're not going to find it here. Not to say that's a bad thing though, this album is excellent, just nowhere near as accessible as something like Red Mecca. It's a very peculiar album, definitely worth a listen, especially if you're a big fan of early industrial acts like Cabaret Voltaire or especially Throbbing Gristle.

Gonna make you shake
Keep your ass up well off the ground
Move to the music, DIG THE SOUND
Snake snake, snake snake, snake snake, snake

Alternative TV - Vibing Up the Senile Man (Part One) (1979)

This is a real different post-punk album, incredibly dark and dissonant, even by post-punk's standards. It has a really bleak, frozen atmosphere to it, its quite haunting in fact. If you like hearing the panicked shouts of British men though, this is definitely the album for you, the fourth track is a cold, sort of spoken word story which breaks down into chaos at the end, it's an incredible track. It's a real foreboding yet mesmerizing album, I highly recommend it to someone who's a fan of No Wave, even though it isn't from the scene, it bears a striking resemblance.

But the terror is in your radio
The terror is in your radio-o-o

Smog - Tired Tape Machine (1990)

Real great lo-fi, indie, tape-fuckery masterpiece right here. Not really going to be the clean indie rock one would come to expect from him later in his career, nor is it the almost country-like sound that came even later. It's a real demented, strange, and at times even eerie album, way more enthralling than his other stuff. I'd even go as far as to say that it's definitely his best album in my opinion, it's severely underrated.

Loving the fables of the times
Learning the fables of the times
Teaching me the fables of the times
I don't think I miss much

Blurt - Blurt + Singles (2009)

Wonderful comp from the epileptic jazz-punk trio Blurt which includes their self titled album and a few of their singles from the early 80s. It's a really hyper, energetic, yet simple album, just repetitive lyrics chanted (or screamed) a few times, followed by some gorgeous sax molestation and other somewhat post-punky sounding instrumentals. The album is just real catchy and fun to just listen and sing along (or dance like youre having a seizure) to, it's best played loudly.

The fish needs a bike
The fish needs a bike

Family Fodder - Playing Golf (With My Flesh Crawling) / My Baby Takes Valium (1979) and Boris Policeband - Stereo / Mono (1979)

Other than the year they were released these two singles have nothing in common. It's just that I'd just feel bad if I dedicated an entire post to just one single

Good ol' Family Fodder. This is their first release, a fantastic, synthetic, scrambled post-punk single. It's a lot less clean and sharp than their later releases. But a fantastic single nonetheless. Great songwriting, catchy and adorable instrumentals, it's an all-around great single really.

I'm so happy with my life
Theres times I feel fungus growing on me

Now this is a real hidden no wave gem. The album is basically a critique of New York police in the late 70's. And it's done in such an interesting manner. The single consists of a bunch of very short, noisy, spoken word songs. It's almost like a really early power electronics album. Just noisy, demented, and raw. The album is so to-the-point. It's like a deliberate and organized kind of chaos, which is incredibly interesting. The album is a hypnotic subterranean gem.

Yeah I know the beat
Full of surprises
Don't feel safe on these streets with just a gun, a fuzzbox, and a stick
My wife can't sleep

Heratius - Gwendolyne (1978)

Quite an interesting album. This album is a fantastic under the radar avant-prog gem from France. It's real out there, just a really strange album. Heratius play all over the place, from really relaxed tracks to spastic jams, the whole album is a real non sequitur. It's just a beautiful kind of nonsense that makes for a great listen. The group is immensely underrated if you ask me, France just never seems to get as much credit as it should for being home to a lot of amazing musicians. All in all this is an off the rails prog gem that I would definitely suggest checking out.

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Double Leopards - Halve Maen (2003)

Now, I'm not a humongous drone fan, I was never super into more conventional Drone or Ambient albums. But I can surely say that, without a doubt, Double Leopards are definitely a solid act. They really create such a bleak and dark soundscape that can totally immerse the listener. The length of the album might seem a little daunting (to someone who doesn't listen to any Drone or Ambient that is) but it's definitely deserving of your time. The whole album just has such a great atmosphere. It's dark and cold and beautiful at the same time. It's an excellent starting point into the genre if you ask me, and it's worth a listen for sure, even if you don't know anything about the genre.

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Tangerine Awkestra - Aliens Took My Mom (2001)

Free-Improv by kids ages 3-7. Do I really need to say much more? No this isn't a joke. It's incredibly interesting in concept alone and these kids actually manage to make it work in reality. It's not just a bunch of preschoolers fucking around on their father's keyboard, it's a bunch of preschoolers making full-fledged Free-Improv that's genuinely good. It's not overdone, it's pretty subtle in fact. It's honestly a solid Free-Improv album and the fact that it's made by people who don't even know their ABCs yet makes it even more interesting, because let's be honest, music doesn't really exist in a vacuum. I highly recommend it.

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Dog Faced Hermans - Mental Blocks for All Ages (1991)

Dog Faced Hermans, wacky, crazy, hyper, epileptic post-punk, what more could you even want? This Scottish group really just brings such a memorable sound to the table, what could best be described as a unique blend of post-punk and anarcho-punk. And along with that their unconventional instrumentation and sweeping female vocals, that are almost operatic at times, really make them a band that doesn't lose their appeal after a few listens. Dog Faced Hermans is one of the few bands I can honestly say has not released a bad album in my opinion. And this particular album just seems to perfectly sum up the band's hectic sound, and it's definitely my favorite release by them, and even one of my favorite albums of all time. Fun, noisy, quirky, and enthralling all at the same time, it's a really hard album to pass up.

Fortune has a double edge
Sometimes I think it cuts
Today you've got enough
And others not too much

Y Pants - Beat It Down (1982)

Y Pants were a short lived No Wave trio from New York City (obviously), they weren't that much like a lot of their other, more successful, contemporaries, such as Swans, who were dark and violent. This all-female group made No Wave that was more choppy and more bouncy than a lot of other acts, almost blurring the line between Post-Punk and No Wave. They basically made cute, fun No Wave, which is something a lot of people don't seen know about, they don't seem to know that No Wave wasn't all just angry, brooding music like Mars or DNA, but there was also a brighter, almost Disco-influenced side to the scene. And this album shows off that side of the No Wave movement quite well. They still have the dark undertones and almost satirical parodying of New Wave in the songwriting that's characteristic of No Wave (the last song on this LP is one of the darkest songs I've heard as of late) but on the surface they just appear very happy and carefree. It's cheerful and adorable No Wave that can be dark and hypnotic at the exact same time, and an album like that is definitely worth a listen.

Got this feeling for you
Got this feeling for you
Got this feeling for you
Gonna beat it down

Destroy All Monsters - 74 76 (1994)

Destroy All Monsters were quite an interesting group. Emerging in Ann Arbor in the early 70's, their sound could best be described as an extremely noisy and hectic proto-punk group. The band, however, is very eclectic and it's difficult to define their sound with just a genre or two, and this album, compiled by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, definitely shows it. They were certainly ahead of their time, and quite out there too, with songs that are full-on improvisational freak outs, to really droney songs, to songs that seemingly signal and hint at the Post-Punk, Punk Rock, and Anarcho-Punk movement that were soon to come. I definitely feel they had an influence on all three of those genres. Although the album is quite intimidating, clocking in at just under three and a half hours, its definitely worth it and I highly recommend giving this album a chance. It's a great look into one of the many (but in my opinion one of the best) precursors to the Punk movement.

Disc One: Gospel Crusade

Disc Two: Crying In Bed

Disc Three: To The Throne Of Chaos Where The Thin Flutes Pipe Mindlessly

Throbbing Gristle - D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle (1978)

This is probably one of the most demented album I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. And I mean that in the best way possible, Throbbing Gristle was one of the most influential groups of Industrial music, and they did it by making some very sick, hypnotic, and fantastic albums. Eons ahead of their time, they really just didn't have any contemporaries, they were raw, unadulterated, and grotesque. And Throbbing Gristle have the ability to be great at crafting songs that are up-in-your-face-violent and psychotic, while being equally good at writing songs that manage to build a subtle sense of dread, songs that really have the power to leave the listener uneasy by the end. This is my favorite release from them by far, though their most accessible is probably the legendary 20 Jazz Funk Greats. It's unique, hypnotic, and just plain spooky. While it's not the best starting point for the industrial genre, but it's a fantastic listen for those already accustomed to the abrasive genre.

You didn't see me on the floor weeping
You didn't see me lying by the door
You didn't see me swallowing my tablets
You can't look inside my eyes no more

Mass - Labour of Love (1981)

Wonderful little gem from 4AD, one of the best albums to come from the label in my opinion. Mass can be quite out there at times, and pretty ahead of their time if you ask me. To describe the album briefly, it's like a looser, angrier, and more demented version of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures LP, that doesn't quite do it justice though, it's really worth a listen. And I'd say that it's definitely a required listen for big fans of This Heat, as the two, to me, are very similar. I honestly think anybody who likes Post-Punk in general should check this out. It's definitely one of my favorite albums of the genre.

Clap your hands
We're doing handstands for fun
Can't win
We're rolling around on the floor

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.- "La Novia" (2000)

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. are an extremely large "spirit collective" from Japan who stand as monoliths in the current experimental rock scene as one of the most prolific and varied bands around, going from ephemeral noise rock blasts to strung-out psychedelic droning.

Ghosts of Television - Forsaken Empire (2009)

Ghosts of Television are a group from Sydney, Australia who produce some music quite contradictory to a lot of unremarkable music it seems Australia has been giving us lately, they offer us a tossup of several great genres and work to provide an amazing listening atmosphere. Unfortunately since releasing this album the band has broken up and very little information can be found on them.

The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea (2006)

The Fiery Furnaces, consisting of brother/sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Freidberger, spent most of 00's proving just how ambitious, inventive and varied pop music could be. The two started attracting attention after the release of their debut, Gallowsbird's Bark, but that was primitive, at least relative to what the duo would produce later. 2004's sophomore release, "Blueberry Boat" showed just how ambitious they were in terms of song structure and lyricism - the album played out like a series of schizophrenic operas, Eleanor's pinpoint enunciation ringing clear over Matthew's oddball synthesizer melodies and constant changes in rhythm, tempo and style that made their music seem so irreverent and unique, and as an album, really showcased how talented the two were, and lay the foundation for their later work - including this, which in my opinion, is truly their magnum opus.

João Alegria Pécurto - Une Autre Mer (2013)

This is a cold, stark record. The album cover spells the music. 

Mr. Pecurto really detaches himself from the stigmas of the genre he inhabits, for the minimalistic string-based experimental sound has been overwrought with stale, nondescript efforts over the course of the past couple years. Hence my personal scepticism in even listening to this record.