Kakistocracy - Cast Aside Your Chains and Dance

Artist: Kakistocracy
Album: Cast Aside Your Chains and Dance
Genre: Crust Punk
Year: 2004
Origin: USA

kakistocracy n. - "Government by the least qualified." As you would expect with a name like that, the band plays anarchist punk with crust heaviness and dual-vocal technique. They come from the South of the US, which seems to give them the motivation to kick even more ass than their Northern counterparts.

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C.U.T.E. - Systembreakdown

Artist: Collapse Under the Empire
Album: Systembreakdown
Genre: Post-Rock
Year: 2009
Origin: Germany

Have some happy electro post-rock. C.U.T.E. were gracious enough to email me with their latest album, showing a cooperation with the music listening/sharing community that I truly appreciate. I've only given the album one listen so far, but it's some quality post-rock music, and I have the feeling I'll be listening to this one rather often. Although the album is entirely instrumental, based on the band name and album title I'd say the band leans anarchist, or at least anti-authoritarian.

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Comus - First Utterance

Artist: Comus
Album: First Utterance
Genre: Psych Folk
Year: 1971
Origin: UK

Comus took folk rock in an almost frightening psychedelic direction in the 1970s. The band used a wide variety of instruments, and sometimes tried to incorporate animal sounds into the music. I really like the drumming and the violin parts, and the male and female vocalists fit the music quite well, though I am sometimes glad I don't understand all the lyrics. Akerfeldt of Opeth is apparently a fan, having named My Arms, Your Hearse after a line from the song Drip Drip. I find the album cover both disturbing and reminiscent of the artwork for The Court of the Crimson King, this album (First Utterance) being much more frantic and dark.

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The Broadways - Broken Star

Artist: The Broadways
Album: Broken Star
Genre: Punk Rock
Year: 1998
Origin: USA

I think this is what happens when sociology students form a band at university (...though I'm just guessing about the Broadways). The album features musically upbeat punk rock with serious intellectual (but still all punk-angry!) lyrics. I first looked into this band when I saw they had a song about Jonathan Kozol (read Amazing Grace, it's a very powerful account of the terrible inequalities in US schools and communities). It's an enjoyable album sort of along the lines of Propagandhi and Good Riddance.

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Secrets of the Moon - Antithesis

Artist: Secrets of the Moon
Album: Antithesis
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2006
Origin: Germany

On this album, Secrets of the Moon play rather dense, progressive-ish black metal. It's thrashy and seems somehow more connected with the scandinavian music than the likes of fellow germans Lunar Aurora. I have an earlier album from this band as well, Stronghold of the Inviolables, which seems to have higher reviews on metal-archives, but I enjoy this particular release far more.

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some non-metal on the way for those with finer tastes!