My “Best Of” 2022 Mixtape

Alright, here is a digital “mixtape” of songs from some records that I enjoyed listening to this year. They are in no particular order, other than what worked well for the order of sequencing. There is also a link to the playlist on Spotify, should you want to listen to it on a streaming platform. All of the bands have been linked to their Bandcamp pages - if you find anything you like, please support the artists directly!

1. Straight Outta Hell by Carpenter Brut
2. One Twenty Two by Botch
3. Tango by Gospel
4. Flesh Sacrifice by Statiqbloom
5. Handcuff Trick by Colonial Wound
6. Seventh Hell by Soul Blind
7. Working for the Knife by Mitski
8. Io: Second Movement by Blood Incantation
9. Host Body by God Mother
10. A History of Drowning by Black Magnet
11. Reality Spiral by Greg Puciato
12. Why by Chat Pile
13. Conduit by Russian Circles
14. Incinerator by Author & Punisher
15. Nauseating Despair by Phobophilic 
16. Decomposition by Mythic Sunship
17. Lost Grip by KEN Mode
18. Dire by Glassing
19. Cusp by Cloud Rat
20. Endless Return by Elder

MP3 Version
FLAC Version 
Spotify

A few personal notes about this year’s selection, for anyone who might be interested:

As a full time Dad, I don’t have a lot of free time to search out new music, which is something that I used to spend a lot of time doing. Accordingly, the artists generally don’t branch too far out from ones that I was already familiar with so don’t expect some real deep cuts this time around! 

The real surprise album for me was Laurel Hell by Mitski, whom I hadn’t even heard of prior to this album. Generally speaking, a singer-songwriter in the indie/folk/pop genre isn’t something I would listen to, much less enjoy - it’s usually just not my vibe. However, whilst half-assedly perusing the Pitchfork top albums of 2022, something about the description of Laurel Hell piqued my interest and I checked it out on a whim, not expecting much. And I’m certainly glad I did as it’s a catchy, compelling and beautiful album that has been on constant rotation in the month since. 

The prospect of a new album from Gospel, whose 2005 masterpiece “The Moon is a Dead World” is one of my favourite albums of all time, was both exciting and nerve wracking since I wasn’t sure how they’d live up to that record, especially after roughly 15 years of not being a band. And while it doesn’t quite live up to The Moon is a Dead World (not that it really could anyways), it’s a fantastic record on its own merits that I listened to many, many times over the year.

We also got a new track from Botch, the first new thing since 2002’s An Anthology of Dead Ends, and it absolutely rules and they haven’t lost a step. I’m still devastated that I didn’t get tickets to the reunion shows in Seattle (as are a lot of people I know) but here’s hoping we get some more new music if it’s going to be as good as this track.

Threat by Statiqbloom got a lot of mileage over the year - dark, dirty and driving, it was particularly great to listen to while working on various graphic design projects. Seventh Hell by Soul Blind also got a lot of listens something about their 90s throwback vibes checks all the right boxes for me. Easy Laugh by Colonial Wound snuck in close to the end of the year but was probably my favourite “heavy” release of the year, absolutely killing it with the type of angular and dissonant noise rock/post hardcore that I simply love. 

Blood Incantation killed it with their “ambient” record Timewave Zero, the homies in KEN Mode perfectly captured the essence of the dumpster fire the world has been for the last 3 years and Chat Pile wrote one of the ugliest records I’ve heard in a really long time. Cloud Rat continue to be one of the best grind bands in the world, Author & Punisher continues to evolve his sound and Carpenter Brut made an album with a lot of collaborations that actually felt like collaborations rather than merely guest appearances, especially the one with Ulver. Phobophilic made my favourite death metal record of the year and Elder won me back after a few records that didn’t do it for me. 

Greg Puciato’s new solo record was also a bit of a surprise for me - I really like his work in the Black Queen, but I wasn’t sure how much of that was just Joshua Eustis, whose work with Telefon Tel Aviv is among my favourite electronic music of all time. I honestly haven’t liked any DEP records since Miss Machine and I didn’t enjoy Puciato’s first solo record either so this album was a pleasant surprise. 

The yearly tradition of making mixtapes of things I enjoyed throughout the year continues!

First up, we have "Satan's Blade" which brings the heaviness. There were quite a few great death metal albums this year and there's also some grind, sludge and doom thrown in there as well. Crushing.

 "Satan's Blade"

Absence of Sleep - 2016 Mixtapes

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) "There Are No Saviours" by Ulcerate
2) "Machefer" by Fange
3) "Patterns of Repetition" by Piss Vortex
4) "Will to Reach" by Sumac
5) "Crematorium" by Hierophant
6) "The Synarchy of Molten Bones" by Deathspell Omega
7) "Chaosplasm" by Blood Incantation
8) "Not a Daughter" by Agoraphobic Nosebleed
9) "Redemptive Immolation" by Dead Congregation
10) "Swine" by Black Tomb
11) "Allt Hopp Ar Forbi" by Vanhelgd
12) "Winterbane" by Abbath

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Next up, we have a mixtape of electronic based music ranging from a solid amount of synthwave with some ambient tracks, pieces from soundtracks and a few other random things thrown in for good measure.
A bunch of these were off of my top albums of the year and this is definitely my favorite mix.

 "Android Dreams"

Absence of Sleep - 2016 Mixtapes

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) "Titles" by Steve Moore
2) "The End Where We Start" by The Black Queen
3) "Weapons for Children" by Perturbator
4) "Distant Dream" by John Carpenter
5) "Hunger Pains" by SPC ECO
6) "Cutthroat" by SURVIVE
7) "Maleficarum" by GosT
8) "In The Line of Fire" by Confrontational
9) "Sensorium" by Contact
10) "Blueprint for a Slow Machine" by 65daysofstatic
11) "The Tristar" by Dynatron
12) "Confrontation" by Dynastes
13) "Round One" by Meteor
14) "Stranger Things" by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein
15) "Father’s Feud" by Ulver
16) "At The Bank" by Violent Magic Orchestra

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And last but certainly not least is a mix that brings the riffs. Definitely the most eclectic mix of the bunch, it combines noise rock, post punk, hardcore and a few other bits and pieces for a solid mix.

 "Battle Charger"

Absence of Sleep - 2016 Mixtapes

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) "Staring Contest" by Dazzling Killmen
2) "Wake Up" by Soft Kill
3) "Afrika" by Russian Circles
4) "Stasis" by Wrong
5) "Eraser" by Metz
6) "Surrogate" by The Dillinger Escape Plan
7) "Lingering Void" by Oxeneer
8) "Burlap" by Building
9) "Baby Teeth" by Whores
10) "Wreckage" by Alaric
11) "Untoxicated" by Helms Alee
12) "Head Wound City, USA" by Head Wound City
13) "Kingshit Cop" by Inhaler
14) "Strange Weather" by Spectres
15) "Bury Me Standing" by Holy Serpent

*Dazzling Killmen's "Face of Collapse" originally came out in 1994 but was re-issued this year and is such a great record I figured it was fair game to include. 

Best of 2015 Mixtapes

It's been a while since I've posted anything here but I figured rather than posting a list of my top albums of 2015 on social media, I'd make several mixtapes, each of a different theme/genres, and put them up here instead. So here you are, highlights from my favorite releases of 2015.....

First off, we have "The Last Caress" which is the longest and heaviest of the bunch. Grind, sludge, hardcore, doom, death - as long as it's heavy, it fits into this mixtape.

 "The Last Caress"

Absence of Sleep - 2015 Mixtapes

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) "Died A Million Times" by Monolord - from 'Vaenir'

2) "Breed Regret" by Yautja - from 'Songs of Lament'

3) "Constant Themes of Concrete" by Great Falls - from 'The Fever Shed'

4) "The Sorrower" by Cult Leader - from 'Lightless Walk'

5) "Decay in Hades" by Grime - from 'Circle of Molesters'

6) "The Sun In Our Eyes" by THROES - from 'To Dust'

7) "Vagabong" by Dopethrone - from 'Hochelaga'

8) "Lunar Mass" by Mammoth Grinder - from 'Cosmic Crypt'

9) "Thorn in the Lion's Paw" by SUMAC - from 'The Deal'

10) "The Deafening Call" by Of Feather and Bone - from 'Embrace The Wretched Flesh'

11) "The Sun Chaser" by Call of the Void - from 'Ageless'

12) "No Fate" by The Weir - from 'Calmness of Resolve'

13) "Crown" by Adolyne - from 'of Ash / of Shit / of Shame'
14) "Chaos Theory" by Hate Eternal - from 'Infernus'
15) "The Symbology of Ruin" by Phemut - from 'The Memory of Spring'
16) "Devotion to the Cosmic Chaos" by Sulphur Aeon - from 'Gateway to the Antiphere'

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Next up, we have something a little more mellow - "These Empty Hallways" is a mix of post punk, space rock, new wave and generally just songs that are dark and moody. 

 "These Empty Hallways"

Absence of Sleep - 2015 Mixtapes

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) "Carrion Flowers" by Chelsea Wolfe - from 'Abyss'

2) "Hot Traveler" by Failure - from 'The Heart Is A Monster'

3) "Selfish Love" by Soft Kill - from 'Heresy'

4) "New Hip Moon" by Grave Pleasures - from 'Dreamcrash'

5) "Return of the Empire" by Horror Vacui - from 'The Return of the Empire'

6) "Just Give Up" by NYVES - from 'Anxiety'

7) "Rehumanizer I" by Maserati - from 'Rehumanizer'

8) "Cowards" by Publicist UK - from 'Forgive Yourself'

9) "Can't Walk Out" by Graveyard - from 'Innocence and Decadence'

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Riffs. This one is all about the riffs. "Tides of Titan" contains highlights from my favorite noise rock, riff rock and stoner releases.

 "Tides of Titan"

Absence of Sleep - 2015 Mixtapes

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) "Bridgeburner" by Mutoid Man - from 'Bleeder'

2) "Spit You Out" by METZ - from 'II'

3) "The Life In Pink" by Pigs - from 'Wronger'

4) "Anxious Bedwetter" by American Heritage - from 'Prolapse'

5) "Van Sant" by WAINGRO - from 'Mt Hood'

6) "Legend" by Elder - from 'Lore'

7) "We See Fire" by Sofy Major - from 'Waste'

8) "Giver" by Godstopper - from 'Lie Down'

9) "In Toilet" by Meatwound - from 'Addio'

10) "Whiskey Liver" by DRUNK DAD - from 'Ripper Killer'

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The final installment in the 2015 series of mixtapes is "Electroschock Therapy" which showcases my love for all things 80's inspired and synth-driven.

 "Electroshock Therapy"

Absence of Sleep - 2015 Mixtapes

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) "Returning Light" by Dynastes - from 'The Prime Radiant'

2) "Meat Grinder City" by Irving Force - from 'Undercover'

3) "The Victim Machine" by Maniac Lover - from 'The Victim Machine'

4) "The Truck" by Steve Moore - from 'Cub (Soundtrack)'

5) "Shadow Hand" by Zombi - from 'Shape Shift'

6) "Shadowdancing" by Confrontational - from 'A Dance of Shadows'

7) "The Crucible" by Dynastes - from 'Soft Night'

8) "Division Ruine" by Carpenter Brut - from 'EP III'

9) "Cherenkov Blud Overdriver" by Dan Terminus - from 'The Wrath of Code'

10) "Unimara" by Majeure - from 'Union of Worlds'
11) "Nolan" by Ben Frost - from 'A U R O R A'

Volumes 6 and 7

Greetings! I've been absent for sometime but I've recently been making mixtapes again and thus thought I would post a couple of them.

The first mixtape is "Within The Heart of The Sun" - a fine collection of space rock, fuzzy 90's alt rock and a hint of shoegaze. There are lots of forgotten gems in this one so have a listen.

"Within The Heart of The Sun"

Absence of Sleep - Volume 6

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) Stars by Hum - from "You'd Prefer An Astronaut"

2) Empty Friend by Failure - from "Magnified"

3) Sweet Pea by Seam - from "The Problem With Me"

4) Sideways by Shiner - from "Lula Divina"

5) Panic Switch by Silversun Pickups - from "Swoon"

6) Atlantic Tired South by Projektor - from "Atlantic Tired South"

7) Beauty School by Deftones - from "Diamond Eyes"

8) Come In Alone by My Bloody Valentine - from "Loveless"

9) The Same Place by Centaur - from "In Streams"

10) Hummer by Smashing Pumpkins - from "Siamese Dream"

11) Coat of Arms by The Life and Times - from "Suburban Hymns"

12) Vaporize by Year of the Rabbit - from "Year of the Rabbit"

13) Catch the Breeze by Slowdive - from "Just For A Day"

The next installment is "As Distant Time Passed Through The Deep" - a psychedelic journey through all time and space. Put on some good headphones for this one.....

"As Distant Time Passed Through The Deep"

Absence of Sleep - Volume 7

"Mixtape" Version - Download

Tracklisting:

1) The Rising of the Black Sun - Astra – from “The Weirding”

2) The Righteous Path Through The Forest of Old – Mammatus – from “Mammatus”

3) Drunken Leaves – Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound – from “When Sweet Sleep Returned”

4) Churchfuzz – Flavor Crystals – from “Ambergris”

5) Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) – The Mars Volta – from “De-Loused in the Comatorium”

6) Fool’s Guild – Crime in Choir – from “Gift Givers”

7) Dogwood Rust – Comets on Fire – from “Avatar”

8) Rise to Glory – Earth – from “The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull”

9) Bison Eyes – Quest For Fire – from “Quest For Fire”

10) The Whirlings – Dead Meadow – from “Shivering King and Others”

11) February MMX – Ulver – from “Wars of the Roses”

12) Technical Knowledge as a Weapon – Mugstar – from “Sun, Broken…”

13) Icy Rom – Naam – from “Naam”

14) Stormy High – Black Mountain – from “In The Future”

15) 7 by 7 – Hawkwind – from “Space Ritual”

16) Until The Sun Dies (Part One) – Crystal Antlers – from “Tentacles”

17) The Siren – Graveyard - from “Hisingen Blues”

Considered to be Information

It's been a long while since I've posted anything and I apologize, it's been a hectic few months.

The latest installment in mixtapes in "Considered to be Information" a not so healthy does of noise rock and it's kin. Enjoy.

"MIXTAPE" Version - download

"Considered to be Information"
Absence of Sleep - Volume 5

Tracklisting:
01) Kittens - Pinata (from "Tiger Comet")
02) Young Widows - Lucky and Hardheaded (from "Old Wounds")
03) Anion - Piss Warm Goats Milk (from "Carrion King 7"")
04) Made Out Of Babies - Swarm (from "Trophy")
05) Transistor Transistor - The Price of Gasoline (from "Ruined Lives")
06) Anodyne - Plastic Will (from "Lifetime of Grey Skies")
07) Hide Your Daughters - C'est Toi, Pas Moi (from "The Teen Girl's Guide to Social Success")
08) Breach - Murder (from "Venom")
09) Unsane - Last Man Standing (from "Blood Run")
10) Fight Amp - Elbows Off (from "Manners and Praise")
11) Coalesce - New Voids in One's Resolve (from "OX")
12) Harkonen - Baristas Get Stalked (from "Shake Harder Boy")
13) Cursed - Reparations (from "Two")
14) Playing Enemy - The Closer to Ceasar (from "Cesarean")
15) KENmode - Frye (from "Mennonite")
16) 5ive - Kettle Cove (from "Hesperus")
17) The Jesus Lizard - Slave Ship (from "Liar")

Sometime World Mixes

These three new mixes come from Marcus at the wonderful Sometime World blog which hosts a ton of really good music, focusing for the most part on prog rock and psych. Here are his mixes and what he had to say. Thanks again Marcus!

Sometimeworld Mix 1.0


Description:

Gentlewomen, men & bloggers in general, i give you this interesting mix i threw together recently. Bands included are Negative Zone, Pure Reason Revolution, C-Mon & Kypski, Black Bonzo, Porcupine Tree, Ulver, Will-o-the Wisp, Secret Machines & Shadow Gallery. If your a fan of this blog or prog rock in general i urge you to give it a listen. Additionally i have also edited the transition from song to song, giving the entire thing a breezy/flowing feel. Some interesting covers are also included, such as Ulver giving their own rendition of Sabbath's Solitude (which can be found on their latest studio record "Shadows Of The Sun".) The closing 'bonus' track i also included is very interesting, obviously the title 'Floydian Memories' should give you some kind of idea as to what exactly is involved.

Tracklist:
1. Cats (3:24)
2. The Bright Ambassadors of Morning (11:56)
3. Spirits High (4:52)
4. Leave Your Burdens (3:47)
5. Moon Touches Your Shoulder (5:47)
6. Farewell (2:36)
7. Solitude (3:44)
8. Serpent's Kiss (3:49)
9. Daddy's In The Doldrums (8:00)
10. Hold Out Your Hand/Island (7:01)
11. A Smart Kid/Tinto Brass (11:24)
12. Floydian Memories (24:36)

LINK PART ONE: http://sharebee.com/9a98baca
LINK PART TWO: http://sharebee.com/c944535d



Sometimeworld Mix 2.0


Description:

If you downloaded the first mix i uploaded a few weeks ago you would of noticed a great deal of the tracks included were rather new, majority ranging from the years 2000 to present. For this second mix i decided to wind way way back and include some tracks from the 70s. Again majority of the groups included can be found elsewhere on this blog. Included you will find a great mix of straight out prog, kraut and some fusion here and there. Bands included are Octopus, Ethos, Osanna, Novalis, Al Di Meola, Eloy, Alan Parsons Project, Out Of Focus, Steve Hillage, Tai Phong & Führs & Fröhling. Also like the last mix, i have again mixed the tracks so they blend into one another smoothly.

Tracklist:
1. The First Flight Of The Owl (5.20)
2. Open Up (6.39)
3. Variazone 3 (shuum...) (1.36)
4. Aufbruch (9.22)
5. Midnight Tango (7.21)
6. The Bells of Natre Dame (4.48 )
7. Some Other Time (3.55)
8. Blue Sunday Morning (8.04)
9. Musik Of The Trees (4.52)
10. For Years & Years (8.03)
11. Sarabande (2.21)
12. Mighty Echoes (7.14)

LINK PART ONE: http://sharebee.com/006b25d5
LINK PART TWO: http://sharebee.com/4d911e2e



Sometimeworld Mix 3.0



Description:

This third StW mix comes to you after some positive comments left for the previous mixes. Again you will notice personal edits blending track to track giving the entire thing a nice flowing feel. This 3rd StW mix is entirely instrumental.

Groups included are Quaterna Requiem, Richard Wright, Finch, Fuhrs & Frohling, Happy The Man, Sahg, Jean Michel Jarre, Trettioariga Kriget and Camel.

Tracklist:
1. Ramoniana (6:19)
2. Waves (4:15)
3. Scars On The Ego (8:46)
4. Gentle Breeze (5:26)
5. Stumpy Meets The Firecracker in Stencil Forest (4:21)
6. Whisper of Abaddon (1:20)
7. Oxygene (Part II) (7:13)
8. Mediterranean C (3:46)
9. Night Flight -77 (5:57)
10. Ice (10:06)

LINK PART ONE: http://sharebee.com/a162f425
LINK PART TWO: http://sharebee.com/51c24baf

sometime-world.blogspot.com

Volumes 3 and 4

A little double post action with two brand new mixes for your listening pleasure. I've also modified the format a little bit and will now be uploading a "mixtape" version where the entire mix is one .mp3 (as I have been) and also an alternate version which is simply a folder with the mp3's in order (at a few peoples request). Enjoy and don't forget to submit your own mixes!

The first new mix is "Under Dust They Slept", a really mellow, minimalist collection of ambient, classical, and drone.... a great headphone mix indeed.

The second mix, "Within White Walls", is a fuzzy mix of music that draws heavily on the reverb drenched wall of sound made famous by the early shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, who appear on this mix as well.

"Volume 3 - Under Dust They Slept"

Tracklisting:

1) Ulver - Vowels (from "A Quick Fix of Melancholy")
2) Clint Mansell - Welcome to Lunar Industries (from "Moon OST")
3) Flawless Imperfection - Grylloidea (from "Amber Glow of Silence at Twilight")
4) Stars of the Lid - Dungtitled (from "And Their Refinement of the Decline")
5) Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Morning (from "Insen")
6) Deaf Center - White Lake (from "Pale Ravine")
7) This Will Destroy You - Freedom Blade (from "Field Studies Split")
8) Hammock - Miles To Go Before Sleep (from "Kenotic")
9) William Basinski - Unnamed 1 (from "Melancholia")
10) Mountains - Bay (from "Sewn")
11) Johann Johannsson - The Rocket Builder (from "Fordlandia")
12) Aethenor - Untitled 3 (from "Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp of Light")

Download "Mixtape" Version
Download Folder Version



"Volume 4 - Within White Walls"

Tracklisting:

1) My Bloody Valentine - Soon (from "Glider")
2) Projektor - We Were Diamonds (from "Atlantic Tired South")
3) Elliott - Carry On (from "Song In The Air")
4) The Cure - The Hanging Garden (from "Pornography")
5) The Depreciation Guild - Butterfly Kisses (from "In Her Gentle Jaws")
6) Isis/Aerogramme - Low Tide (from "In The Fish Tank")
7) Silversun Pickups - Melatonin (from "Carnavas")
8) M83 - Run Into Flowers (from "Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost")
9) The Notwist - Good Lies (from "The Devil, You + Me")
10) Failure - Solaris (from "Fantastic Planet")
11) Team Sleep - Our Ride To The Rectory (from "S/T")
12) Telefon Tel Aviv - The Birds (from "Immolate Yourself")
13) Byla - Closer to the Center (from "S/T")

Download "Mixtape" Version
Download Folder Version