Sentynel and Twelve crafted Top Ten(ish) lists with great care and you must stuff them in your stockings or beware.
Musk Ox
Sentynel and Twelve’s Top Ten(ish) o’ 2021
Sentynel and Twelve unwrap their Top Ten(ish) of 2021 and these lists require careful study. There will be a test.
Record(s[es]) o’ the Months – July and August 2021
Another embarrassing doubled up Record o’ the Month post? Wow, man. Just, wow. Just wait until you see how I didn’t choose the particular thing that you worship, again. I’m sure the comments section will be a delight.
Musk Ox – Inheritance Review
“Musk Ox are three guys with acoustic string instruments playing folk music: not exactly a new idea. But their pedigree as composers and musicians is impeccable. Musk Ox’s previous album, 2014’s Woodfall, was great. Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne’s solo record Worlds Within was one of my favorites last year, while guitarist Nathanael Larochette and violinist Evan Runge play in The Night Watch and released the excellent An Embarrassment of Riches the year before. Fortunately, Inheritance fully lives up to all this promise.” Dichotomy and musk.
Raphael Weinroth-Browne – Worlds Within Review
“And he now works with Leprous as a dedicated cellist, while he also participates in neo-folk troupe Musk Ox and classical duo Kamancello. Across these projects, he has exhibited a flair for flexible use of his instrument, the cello, and I was therefore excited to observe a release called Worlds Within under his own name, solely composed by himself. How does his music fare when divested from the creative control of others’ grubby hands?” Cello again.
Agalloch – The Serpent and the Sphere Review
“Marrow of the Spirit’s “Black Lake Niðstång” marked the beginning of my journey through American band Agalloch’s sizeable discography. The album delicately, but rather doggedly introduced me to the band’s neat fusion of avant-garde black-ish metal, neo-folk and post-rock, drawing influence and inspiration from the atmosphere of Ulver and the ambient nature of October Falls. It’s John Haughm’s talent for merging this kaleidoscope of textures that gives Agalloch a level of inspiring complexity while still giving the songs an air of accessibility and easy listening.” Madam X tries to wrap her arms around infinity and the cult of great expectations that comes with every Agalloch release. Expect dislocated shoulders.