This has been another week in which I haven't really been listening to new music, and mainly revisiting old favourites. Nonetheless, there are a couple of releases which have been new to my ears:
Anathema - Alternative 4 [1998]
I'd already heard individual tracks off this, Anathema's seminal release, which crossed the boundary between their doom metal of yore and the alt. rock of today, but had never heard the thing as a whole. I really enjoy it - it's not, for me, on the same level as The Silent Enigma (but that's probably just due to my genre preferences), but is certainly better than the shit many of their imitators spawn on a seemingly weekly basis. [8/10]
Masonna - Astro Harshtronism [1996]
Masonna is, aside from Merzbow, probably the best known Japanese noise artist, and thus noise artist full stop. This EP isn't the best introduction to his music (and as a part-time noise fan, I don't feel myself qualified to say what is), but is great when you want a brief blast of noise, but don't want to blow your head off with a full album. This comes from the more chaotic end of noise. [7/10]
V/A - Discharged: A Tribute To Discharge [1992]
Only a fool would complain about key hardcore/crossover/crust bands such as Extreme Noise Terror, Concrete Sox and Nausea covering the band which invented the d-beat style. Although there is very little deviation from the original, consider this as a 'bonus album' to Discharge's main catalogue. In other words, bloody awesome. [8/10]
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