Jan/Feb '13: AMOK | Vertikal

Here we have the albums I heard from January's and February's releases, and my reviews of them. Now as far as other releases that I am aware of, I still need to listen to Coheed and Cambria's The Afterman: Descension and write about Tomahawk's Oddfellows with how their concert was. Of course there is also the new Riverside album Shrine of New Generation Slaves released, but that got it's own post for a review which can be read here, and the review on Steven Wilson's The Raven that Refused to Sing here. I had intended to originally get this sooner, like a few months ago, but procrastination(/classes) got the better of me.

Atoms for Peace - AMOK
Super-group from Thom Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, and Mauro Refosco give a fantastic electronic album in the nature of Yorke's solo album The Eraser, but honestly in my opinion even surpassing. Before the album was officially released, it was made available for a time to stream in its entirety on the band's official website. Wile it appears to not be up for streaming any more, you can navigate through the site to gain access to a free download of the "Default" b-side "What The Eyeballs Did".

After I first listened to this album from the stream, I immediately had to pre-order a copy of it. The whole flow of this album is fantastic, where I find part of myself wanting to dance to it (in the same sort of way Thom Yorke dances of course; see the video for "Lotus Flower" or any live video for "Idioteque").

"Before Your Very Eyes.." starts off the album with it's electronic sound that will continue on throughout the following songs.

"Default" has a rather distinct groove and "Ingenue" (with a video as seen on the right, also has a dancing Thom), where both released as singles to the album, and are good examples of the sort of sound to expect. These are then followed by the song "Dropped".

"Unless" is next, which is also one of my favorite tracks off the album.

Following that "Stuck Together Pieces", "Judge, Jury and Executioner", "Reverse Running", and the title track "Amok" continue the remainder of the album. All of these combined add up to a really fantastic album, and one that can be listened to again and again with still finding a bunch of new stuff (though what else is expected from Thom Yorke). So, I really love the album and can not wait to see them perform live in the fall.

 Cult of Luna - Vertikal
Their first album since 2008, Cult of Luna return with a concept album bringing forth some of the themes presented Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis (x). With Vertikal, they bring their notable post-metal soundscapes to listen to while also adding some unexpected elements that work well none the less.

"The One" introduces the album in a calm way, and leads into the following song "I: The Weapon".

The massive "Vicarious Redemption", with a run-time of 18:51 is like the centerpiece for the album. It has a gradual buildup throughout the whole song, that once it reaches the climax of it all it's really a fantastic experience.

"The Sweep", "Synchronicity", "Disharmonia", "Mute Departure", and "In Awe Of" all continue with the powerful and intense, yet still I find emotional atmosphere they have created.

The album closes with "Passing Through", which is my favorite song from the album. While this song is not as heavy as the rest of the album, it is a perfect way to close it. It's really emotional, adding a really solemn quality to the album as a whole.

For the limited edition of the album there was bonus track, "The Flow Reversed". Overall Vertikal is a dark album, but that is to be expected, and it's presented as such in a way that Cult of Luna pulls off great. This album is another example of one that the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me, it is really a fantastic work.


All in all, both of these albums are really fantastic and continue to grow on me with each listen. I would highly recommend listening to them both, as you really would be missing out on some amazing music if you don't.