Favorites: Albums — 376 to 400
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#376: The Unexplained: Electronic Musical Impressions of the Occult (1975)
Artist: Ataraxia (Mort Garson)
RCA Victor
An eerie excursion into the possibilities of the Moog synthesizer, 1975's The Unexplained captures electronic pioneer Mort Garson operating under the mysterious pseudonym Ataraxia. (And this wasn't his first time doing so under an assumd band name: he did an album called Black Mass under the project name Lucifer for UNI a few years earlier.) Long before it became standard practice for electronic musicians to utilize a variety of monikers to separate their distinct sonic experiments, Garson adopted this specific alter ego to fully immerse himself in a conceptual underworld of tarot, astral projection, and the supernatural. Eschewing the novelty of using synthesizers to simply replicate traditional pop arrangements, he pushed his massive modular hardware to generate swooping oscillators, bubbling rhythmic sequences, and heavy, unsettling drones. The resulting soundscape is a deeply atmospheric, retro-futuristic séance that masterfully bridges the gap between early electronic academia and cinematic, late-night cult horror aesthetics. It is a vital, hypnotic artifact for any serious collector of vintage synthesizer history.
#377: Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Edition (1993)
Artist: Earth
Sub Pop
Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Edition is the undisputed ground zero for the drone metal genre. Masterminded by Dylan Carlson, the record completely discards traditional song structures, vocals, and standard rhythms in favor of a monolithic, 73-minute crawl of heavily down-tuned, glacially slow guitar feedback. Adding to the album's legendary status is Sub Pop's brilliant, deeply deceptive packaging: cloaking this suffocating wall of noise in a serene, sky-blue nature aesthetic that led countless unsuspecting consumers to mistakenly purchase what they assumed was a peaceful, Yanni-esque New Age record. The sheer, physical gravity of the music left a permanent crater in the underground scene, most notably birthing the aesthetic and sonic foundation of Sunn O)))—who famously named themselves as a tribute to the amplifiers used, while deeply honoring the cosmic logic that their "Sunn" strictly revolved around "Earth." It is an uncompromising, full-body physical endurance test pressed directly to CD (and later to vinyl).
#378: Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (1972)
Artist: Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso
Dischi Ricordi
A sweeping, theatrical masterpiece of the 1970s Rock Progressivo Italiano movement, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso's 1972 self-titled debut is a crucial foundational document. It is important to distinguish this original, Italian-language recording from the band's later 1975 English-language compilation, as this debut captures their symphonic ambitions in their purest, most uncompromised form. Driven by the dazzling, classical-infused dual keyboard interplay of brothers Vittorio and Gianni Nocenzi, the music seamlessly weaves between aggressive hard rock and delicate, romantic piano interludes. The undisputed soul of the album, however, is the late frontman Francesco Di Giacomo, whose soaring, operatic tenor provides a level of emotional depth and dramatic grandeur rarely achieved by their British progressive contemporaries. For serious vinyl archivists, the album is equally legendary for its brilliant physical presentation, originally housed in an inventive die-cut sleeve shaped entirely like a traditional Italian piggy bank. It is a stunning, deeply romantic milestone of European progressive rock.
#379: Children of the World (1979)
Artist: Stan Getz
Columbia Records
Children of the World captures legendary saxophonist Stan Getz teaming up with composer Lalo Schifrin to commemorate the International Year of the Child. Stepping away from pure jazz traditionalism, Getz masterfully layered his signature cool-toned tenor over a crossover fusion backdrop of lush string arrangements, synthesizers, and contemporary pop grooves (including two tracks with Stanley Clarke on bass). However, the most instantly iconic element of the release is its brilliant cover art, exclusively illustrated by Charles M. Schulz and featuring Peanuts icons Snoopy, Woodstock and Schroeder deep in a musical trance. For this specific physical media archive, the album holds the profound, foundational distinction of being the very first jazz record ever purchased. The catalyst for that milestone is a flawless snapshot of pre-internet discovery: curiosity was initially sparked by spotting a Columbia Records advertisement showcasing Schulz's artwork while flipping through a copy of Down Beat magazine in a junior high school library. It is a stunning example of how a beloved, familiar aesthetic can act as the ultimate, welcoming gateway into an entirely new sonic universe.
#380: Beauty & Ruin (2014)
Artist: Bob Mould
Merge Records
A deeply reflective and furiously energetic late-career triumph, 2014's Beauty & Ruin captures alternative rock godfather Bob Mould processing profound personal loss. Written in the direct aftermath of his father's passing, the record serves as a heavy, emotionally raw meditation on aging, legacy, and mortality. However, rather than retreating into quiet, acoustic grief, Mould tackles these heavy themes with the same blistering, buzzsaw guitar tone and relentless forward momentum that originally defined his legendary work with Hüsker Dü and Sugar. Anchored by the incredibly tight, powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster, tracks like the explosive "I Don't Know You Anymore" roar with a renewed, vital urgency. It is a stunning, 36-minute blast of melodic hardcore brilliance, proving definitively that a veteran songwriter can channel deep existential reflection into some of the most powerful, aggressive rock and roll of his entire career.