Sometimes you just hear something and it's like "dear mother of all things dark and disturbing..."

Goatpsalm come from Russia and the album is called Downstream. It is very unsettling but also possibly brilliant.

Here's where I have problems explaining myself. It's the closest I've ever heard a band get to the feel of the Fields of Nephilim but it doesn't sound like the Nephilim.
The songs are allowed to slowly build (in the case of opener Grey Rocks it's starts with the sounds of the forest before instruments arrive one by one) and there is a recurring use of a mouth harp that gives the album that western field that the Nephs achieved with the harmonica.

The vocals are very much the deep sepulchral growl you would expect but there is no throbbing bass line to it.... Very atmospheric but not recommended if you want a party.

If this is what the youth of Russia are listening to we should be afraid. Very afraid 

Sometimes you know things are a bad idea such as remixes but you still go along and buy it....

Public Service Broadcasting have just released the Race for Space Remixes and whilst not an absolute stinker there is nothing here that betters the originals. Most of the remixes at least keep some samples or themes from the original track so that you can at least identify the source

It interesting to hear the songs reordered and for Korolev to have a place in the track listing but it's really not essential (however it has to be said the 'Agent Orange' coloured vinyl looks fantastic !)


What is a great big steaming turd of an album is the Meds: B sides by Placebo.

I love Meds, it's one of my favourite albums ever but this companion piece is awful. There was only one B side called YOUNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU which is a decent track, slightly on the dark side of most Placebo output.

The rest of the album is remixes, live tracks and a demo. The live track of Meds sounds like it was recorded at the back of the festival on a mobile phone. It's so muted and muffled you have to turn the volume up and then of course the next live track of Infra Red is recorded properly and suddenly your ears burst if your wearing headphones

The remixes are woeful especially the Rain and Tears remix of Song to Say Goodbye. My favourite song off the original album but over the course of an exceedingly dull 10 minutes remix I completely fail to spot any of the original song.

If you are a Placebo fan buy the one original song but avoid the album at all costs