king woman

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 335 (5.10.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

Let’s face it: Steve Albini was one of the real ones. Beyond the incredible music of Big Black, or Shellac, or so many of his other projects were the incredible records he recorded, produced, or engineered. Never mind all the hype of Nevermind…for me the real Nirvana, the uncaged animal that was that band can be found in the raw power that was Albini’s masterclass that is In Utero. Rest in Peace to one of the mammoths of heavy music; the 335th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist is dedicated to you.

After that there’s new and old delights from the rest of the 9C staff, including Ceremony of Silence, new Sonja, Health, Thot, new Thou, even some hip-hop courtesy the latest Drake/Kendrick beef and some JPEGMAFIA, and because I can’t get enough of his production some Pixies to close us out. Plus more surprises.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

—

—

– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 330 (4.06.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

It’s a quick one for the 330th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist because the hell week ended with an earthquake here in NY and with only a few days until the solar eclipse blinds everybody I’m putting my headphones on, blasting the new Rezn single and the latest Witch Vomit album under the covers until it’s over.

The rest of the 9C staff have a bevy of great picks as well, but I’m too tired to post them here so you’ll have to be surprised by listening to the playlist below. Trust me: plenty of good stuff lies within…

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

—

—

– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 261 (12.10.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment

playlist - mixtape

End of year is almost here. I’ve been spending the day clearing out all the albums from 2022 I know I’m not going to listen to again. It’s hard: some of those albums were pretty damn good, but I know my mind by now, and it’s the rare record that sticks around long enough to make a permanent addition to my collection. And while I was doing that I was finding some weird and fun music I’d collected over the years I hadn’t heard in a long, long while, so let’s make some room on this the 261st edition of the Nine Circles Playlist for some weird and loud noises thanks to bands like Ex Eye, Grip Inc., and New Keepers of the Water Towers.

You won’t need to bear my indulgence for long. The 9C crew brought the heavy down for you, including Jesus Piece, Conjureth, Hour of Penance, and Moonlight Sorcery. There’s some slightly older fare with the likes of Obsequiae, King Woman, and some crushing Godspeed You! Black Emperor. We go off the beaten path with Emma Ruth Rundle, Chapterhouse and New Order, but come back with some new Zeal & Ardor and much more.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

—

—

– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 256 (11.5.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

It haunts me. Teases me with brief glimpses and subtle hints of the delight to come. My every waking minute tears my attention in two directions: what is the present will become the past. But for how long? The clock only moves one hour, but what time will this all too-solid flesh remember?

(Yeah…I really am looking forward getting that extra hour of sleep)

Anyway, let’s get going with the 256th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist. I’m not going to burden you with more Darkthrone even though all I’ve been playing is Astral Fortress since it arrived on vinyl here at the compound. Instead we’re going to kick off with some new older school metal, starting with a 1-2 kick to the balls courtesy of Skull Fist and Riot City. Elsewhere we’re rocking with the tangy taste of Dead and Dreaming, …And Oceans, Devil’s Witches, Type O Negative, Mord ‘A’ Stigmata, a massive dose of death courtesy of a 3-way split between Lipoma, Trocar, and Fluids, some Trash Panda, Eyes of Eden, Lacuna Coil, and a host of music at the close to get to know our new writer Dan M. who just joined the 9C ranks.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

—

—

– Chris

Missed Connections: Looking Back on 2021

IanLeave a comment
Best of 2021

Oh hey, you thought lists were all done?  Nope, I’ve got one more in the tank and some more albums to talk about.  I wrote one of these lists last year, amid a flurry of excitement and trepidation that I had missed something truly great, which is kind of a silly thing to worry about now that I think about it.  Of course I did then, and of course I do now.  There just isn’t enough time in the world for me to take every great album in, even in the span of a whole year.  And, not least of all, new bands and new albums are always being thrown my way thanks to the good folks we have on staff.  So, here I sit with some leftovers of 2021, albums that for whatever reason didn’t jump out at me right away but have since found their way into my heart.  Don’t consider these throwaways; they stack up to anything on anyone else’s list, and in fact, many of them WERE on other peoples’ list and that’s what brought them to my attention.  Just consider it a nice bonus present, post-holidays.

Continue reading →