2010's Best Metal And Outer Sound
(2.) Harvey Milk, 'A Small Turn Of Human Kindness'
A Small Turn of Human Kindness is like one long, depressing joke. But as Harvey Milk albums tend to go, it's the longest the Athens, Ga., trio has gone without cracking up. From what I can gather, it's a story about a broken man and the potential for grace, but Creston Spiers wrangles every ugly memory out of his guitar and howls at every gaping wound in what might be the sludgy Southern rock band's most fulfilling album yet.
The Best Cassettes Of 2010
(3.) Pyramids, 'Wvndrkmmer'
R. Loren has a penchant for large-scale collaboration. In 2010 alone, the musicians involved in two of his projects -- Sailors With Wax Wings and White Moth -- read like a dream-list of metal, drone and ambient music. But with Wvndrkmmer, he outdid himself. Spread over five cassettes and six hours of music, 52 drone, ambient and noise artists were selected to remix, reinterpret and rework audio segments by his avant-metal band Pyramids. No two tracks are alike, yet all convey the unique sound-world of the Denton, Texas-based band. Key contributors include Nicholas Szczepanik, Exit in Grey, Jeremy Bible, Josh Lay, Wicked Messenger and Windy & Carl.
