Top 10s for 2009: Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words
Most plays 2009 (Not necessarily released in 2009)
Nightmares — s/t (, , 7")
Got this a couple of weeks ago and I haven't been able to stop playing it. Jonathan Canady, David Reed & Mark Solotroff team up for some primitive, cold, analog synth darkness.
Current 93 — Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain (, 2LP)
Far from the best C93 have done, but it's still a very nice and varied album. An ecclectic mix of stoner rock, almost jazzy numbers and finger picking guitars. The LP bonus track was a major letdown though.
Current 93 — Black Ships ate the sky (, 2LP)
It took me a couple of years, but I finally realized the greatness of this one this year. Now I rank it up there with "Dogs blood rising" and "The inmost light" trilogy.
Walknut — Graveforests and their shadows (, LP)
Nazis or not, this is probably my all time favourite Black Metal album and I am so happy it's finally out on vinyl. Epic, monotonous and desperate.
Down In June — Covers... Death In June (Download, )
There are some truly sensational versions on this album, some are even better than the original versions.
Hadewych – s/t (, CD)
Stumbled on Hadewych on MySpace. An intriguing mix of drone, neo folk, electronica, black metal and quite a few other influences.
Agent Side Grinder — The transatlantic tape project (/, C38/LP)
My first thought when I got the tape this summer was that this ought to be available to a lot more people. Thankfully Enfant Terrible thought the same thing and repressed it on vinyl along with the brand new, proper ASG album. It's a quirky collection of songs showcasing the more abstract side of the band.
Bronze — s/t (, 7")
I just can't stop playing the B-side of this. Gothic, hypnotic space rock.
Dernière Volonté – Les blessures de l'ombre (, LP)
Older than dirt, but actually a resent discovery for me. Military Pop at its finest.
Locrian - Drenched lands (, LP+3" CD-r)
Another MySpace find from 2009. Ritualistic drone with a healthy dose of Black Metal and Folk influences. Now if I could just find a CD player to play the 3".
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Dead Letters says: "2010 will mark the 10 year anniversary of Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words. I am still not sure if or how I will celebrate this. The plan is to do a new LP for . I am doing a free online release for and maybe a couple of limited edition tapes as well. I got a string of collaborations at various stages of completion — with Moljebka Pvlse, Fermentæ, Hadewych and Christopher McFall -- that hopefully will be released during the year. There's loose talk about touring both Europe -- in September, with Skare -- and the US -- in November -- but nothing is set in stone."
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