Hunab Ku- The Gaze Inward

Artist: Hunab Ku
Album: The Gaze Inward (purchase)
Year Released: 2007
Country: USA
Label: Black Sheep Records
Genre(s): mathcore, ambient, glitch

Hunab Ku is a band that was thrusted into my sphere of existence through another amazing, mind-bending band: Polkadot Cadaver a.k.a. Dog Fashion Disco 2: Judgement Day. After that kind of endorsement, I had to check out Hunab Ku, and I ended up downloading their album without hearing any of their music. All I can say is this: be ready for an intense ride. Hunab Ku basically pummels you with ridiculous mathcore riffage and insane vocals, then transports you to abrasive soundscapes that both attack and relax at the same time. Mix that with some totally bizarre influences and other equally impressive and original songs and bam!: The Gaze Inward.

Link: http://lix.in/600546e3

Monotonix- Monotonix

Artist: Monotonix
Album: Monotonix
Year Released: 2007
Country: Israel
Label: Drag City Records
Genre(s): rock, experimental, psychedelic

Monotonix are the greatest rock band of all time. This bassless trio is rock at its finest, and every note on this record proves that statement. I've never seen them live, but the stories I have heard about it are INSANE. Apparently they played a show last year outside a coffee shop in the biggest intersection of Tel-Aviv. Get this: near the end of the show, they took their PA, guitar amp, and set of drums into the middle of the intersection and played a song, with the singer reportedly jumping on top of cars and singing. Fuck what any other band may claim; Monotonix is by far the heaviest, most intense group I have ever heard. Here's to many, many more albums.

Link: http://lix.in/06e2860d

Atlantis- Carpe Omnium

Artist: Atlantis
Album: Carpe Omnium (purchase)
Year Released: 2007
Country: Netherlands
Label: Field
Genre(s): Post-rock, psychedelic, industrial

Atlantis is a band that is not as well-known as they should be, as they unfortunately share their name with a bunch of other shitfest bands. HOWEVER, here at Lumberjacks Anonymous, we post music that sucks less than other music, which is why I'm posting Carpe Omnium. This album has great soundscapes, many of them uncharacteristically dark for traditional post-rock. They have an industrial element that evokes post-apocalyptic images (for me at least). Think the future scenes from The Terminator. Yeah. Awesome, right? Get it.

Link: http://lix.in/17ddeca4

Fall of Efrafa- Owlsa

Artist: Fall of Efrafa
Album: Owlsa (purchase)
Year Released: 2006
Country: UK
Label: Halo of Flies
Genre(s): crust, neocrust, symphonic crust, hardcore

Fall of Efrafa bends the rules of modern d-beat hardcore- they have epic songs filled with build ups, ridiculous intensity, and all the kickass cello parts you could ever want in a crust band. That's right, they use a fucking cello. I swear Fall of Efrafa knows more about music theory than any other crust band out there, and it shows. From the quietest strumming of a lone guitar to the loudest screams of the insane gang vocals they feature(check the end of "Last But Not Least"), this album doesn't waste one second in putting you into musical heaven.

Link: megaupload

Kashiwa Daisuke- Program Music I

Artist: Kashiwa Daisuke
Album: Program Music I (purchase)
Year Released: 2007
Country: Japan
Label: Noble
Genre(s): Electronic, post-rock, ambient

Wow. Kashiwa Daisuke, from Japan, released a really good album last year, and here it is- Program Music I. The only way I can think of to describe this is very glitchy post-rock. Kashiwa Daisuke does a lot of experimenting with electronics, and the composition is fanfuckingtastic. This 2 song 1 hour album is worth several listens. This is what people are talking about when they refer to "good shit". Listen.

Link: http://lix.in/72a45847

Boris- Soundtrack from Film "Mabuta No Ura"

Artist: Boris
Album: Soundtrack from Film "Mabuta No Ura" (purchase)
Year Released: 2005
Country: Japan
Label: Essence
Genre(s): Drone, stoner, psychedelic

All of Boris' albums are completely different from one another, and all of them are great, so it was difficult deciding which one to post first. I picked Mabuta No Ura because it really shows their variety and creativity, and it's one of my favorites. This is the soundtrack to a non-existent film concocted by this Japanese experimental trio. This is for all music fans, and if you don't like this album, try some of their others. They have an incredibly rich discography with tons of variety.

Link: http://lix.in/717a8887

Irepress- Samus Octology

Artist: Irepress
Album: Samus Octology (purchase)
Year Released: 2005/2007
Country: USA
Label: Translation Loss
Genre(s): metal, post-rock, math rock

My love for instrumental music is pretty much summed up by this album- Samus Octology is chock full of epic melodies, interesting rhythms, and nonstop quality musicianship. Also, you should definitely check out their myspace page for directions on how to sync up their album to The Goonies.

Link: http://lix.in/2337770a

Envy- Abyssal

Artist: Envy
Album: Abyssal (purchase)
Year Released: 2007
Country: Japan
Label: Sonzai
Genre(s): Screamo, hardcore, post-rock

Envy is a fantastic band and Abyssal is a fantastic (mini) album. Screamo: check, post-rock: check, awesome: check. Abyssal is my favorite release of theirs thus far, and they have a very rich discography. Envy really nailed this one, listen.

Link: http://lix.in/d657f0ac

Dälek-Abandoned Language

Artist: Dälek
Album: Abandoned Language (purchase)
Year Released: 2007
Country: USA
Label: Ipecac Recordings
Genre(s): hip hop, alternative hip hop, ambient, post-rock

Looking for a breath of fresh, non-ringtone hip hop? If so, Dälek is that sweet breath. Coming from Newark, NJ, Dälek is an extremely original, true hip hop group. Layers upon layers of tasteful, melodic textures mix with intelligent lyrics that cover just about every social and political subject you can think of. While abrasive at first, this release has proven to be an extremely fruitful and interesting collection of awe-inspiring compositions that at once entrance and engage the listener.

Link: http://lix.in/c72f04c0

Giants Will Fall- A State of Nervous Excitement EP

Artist: Giants Will Fall
Album: A Nervous State of Excitement EP
Year Released: 2006
Country: UK
Label: Stooge Records
Genre(s): Post-rock, electronic, instrumental

Giants Will Fall, from Exeter, is a lesser known but awesome band that combines post-rock with electronic music. For fans of 65daysofstatic, Maybeshewill, and good music in general, Giants Will Fall's debut EP, A State of Nervous Excitement, is a must-have. We haven't seen anything from these guys in awhile and information about them is hard to come by, but I'm hoping they'll get big enough to put out some more material.

Link: http://lix.in/76d4df9c