Have a Nice Life

Have a Nice Life are a two-piece experimental rock band from Middletown, Connecticut that began in 2000. The band consists of Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga. Since their formation, they have been sparsely active, but have garnered a cult following thanks to their incredibly unique style of music and magnum opus, 2008's Deathconsciousness. The band blends elements of post-punk, shoegaze, post-rock, industrial, drone, doom, and ambient music to create one of the darkest, depressing and most existential records of all time. In its near hour and a half run-time it explores a litany of expansive sounds, themes and emotions, making the final project a work of absolute genius. I consider it to be one of the most personally affecting works of art ever made, and (as cliché as it sounds) sitting alone listening to Deathconsciousness in a dark room is an experience (as pretentious as that sounds). By the culmination of the album in the final minutes of "Earthshaker", it's hard not to be truly moved, like standing on a mountain of solitude watching your life flash before your eyes. It's an album that stands on its own without any clear contemporaries, which is fitting considering the isolating nature of the music. The production and recording quality is another major contributor to the feel of this album, with it being recorded for less than $1000, giving it a lo-fi sound that still feels full, warm, and organic. It's truly cut from its own cloth, and there hasn't been a record before or since that can truly compare to it. Even the bands often cited as being its influencers (Swans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine) don't really capture the same sounds that Have a Nice Life do on this album, and those are the titans of their respective genres. To cut this short and avoid further ranting, just listen to this album.

Their debut album was the sole occupant of a desolate island until 2014, when Have a Nice Life released their follow-up album, The Unnatural World. It follows a similar aesthetic to their debut, but with a significantly shorter run-time. It still reaches incredible heights, and puts the listener in a mood torn between life-affirming and death-approaching. Additionally, they have also released one EP (Time Of Land) and two compilations that contains b-sides and demos from throughout their career that were not included on their two studio albums. The two musicians comprising Have a Nice Life are also active in many other projects, most notably (and also recommended) Dan Barrett's Giles Corey, who released an incredible LP in between the two Have a Nice Life albums. Enjoy.

Deathconsciousness (2008)

Disc 1: The Plow That Broke the Plains

1. A Quick One Before the Eternal Worm Devours Connecticut

2. Bloodhail

3. The Big Gloom

4. Hunter

5. Telefony

6. Who Would Leave Their Son Out In The Sun?

7. There Is No Food

Disc 2: The Future

1. Waiting For Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail

2. Holy Fucking Shit: 40,000

3. The Future

4. Deep, Deep

5. I Don't Love

6. Earthmover

Voids (2010)

1. The Big Gloom

2. Waiting For Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail

3. The Future

4. Earthmover

5. Who Would Leave Their Son Out In The Sun?

6. Human Error

7. Trespassers W

8. Defenestration Song

9. I'm Doctor House

10. Sisyphus

11. Destinos

Time of Land (2010)

1. Wizard Of The Black Hundreds

2. Woe Unto Us

3. The Parhelic Circle

4. The Icon And The Axe

The Unnatural World (2014)

1. Guggenheim Wax Museum

2. Defenestration Song

3. Burial Society

4. Music Will Untune The Sky

5. Cropsey

6. Unholy Life

7. Dan And Tim, Reunited By Fate

8. Emptiness Will Eat The Witch

Voids II (2014)

1. Knife Throwing Contest

2. Basic

3. Death By Death

4. Swords To Plowshares

5. Telefony

6. Earthmover

7. Saving Throw vs. Paralysis

8. Quote

9. Deep, Deep

10. I Left And My House Burned Down

11. All Teeth (Afterlives cover)

12. Hunter

13. Feral Optimists

14. Stars And Air

Note: I'm not sure if this is an official release, but it contains a lot of the band's earliest material in one place, so here it is anyway

Sea Of Worry (2019)

1. Sea Of Worry

2. Dracula Bells

3. Science Beat

4. Trespassers W

5. Everything We Forget

6. Lords of Tresserhorn

7. Destinos

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Formerly Bodies

Formerly Bodies is an indie project created by singer-songwriter Hannah Weir, from Lansing, Michigan. She's only put out one EP thus far, but the three tracks on it are nothing short of incredible. Sonically, they are very ambient and haunting, featuring slow, reverb-soaked chords and arpeggios accompanying her vocals. It can definitely draw strong comparisons to Julien Baker, both for the incredible songwriting talent and the somber atmosphere created. Definitely recommended. Enjoy.

Throwback EP (2016)

1. Mind Games

2. Comfy Cozy Song

3. First of May

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This Will Destroy You

This Will Destroy You are a post-rock band from San Marcos, Texas that formed in 2004. They self-recorded and self-released their debut EP Young Mountain in 2005 before giving it a proper release in 2006. Ten years later, the band is still celebrated as being one of the best post-rock acts to come out in recent years, and have established themselves as a name of their own. However, to return to Young Mountain, it's hard not to bring up this fantastic debut without making a very strong comparison to a certain other Texas post-rock band, Explosions In The Sky. The gentle guitar arpeggios, reverberated tremolo picking, and climatic build-ups are all staples of both band's sounds.

This Will Destroy You continued this guitar-driven atmospheric sound into their debut full-length, where they crafted even grander sonic landscapes that are as immersing as they are soaring. They expanded their palette to include more electronic tinkerings and longer, more ambient breaks in melody. Essentially they were setting themselves apart from the "Your Hand In Mine" comparisons of their still-gorgeous sound they established on Young Mountain.

2011 brought a large shift in tone for the band, with the release of their second full-length Tunnel Blanket. For one, it's a much darker record than their previous efforts, both in terms of sound and visual aesthetic. It's a little more comparable to a band like Russian Circles, though still very much set apart as its own entity. The band brings in elements of drone and doom metal, with a more despairing tone that eschews the cliche crescendo/climax format of their earlier material. Another Language furthers this, bringing in a noisier, heavier, and more chaotic sound to their now very diverse arsenal of sounds to experiment with. Like any great band in this realm of music, This Will Destroy You can perfectly balance violent storms with serene calms, and this juxtaposition makes for some very captivating and endearing music. I know this band has been highly requested, so I'm happy to finally have them up on here. Enjoy.

Young Mountain (2006)

1. Quiet

2. The World Is Our ___

3. I Believe In Your Victory

4. Grandfather Clock

5. Happiness: We're All In It Together

6. There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease

This Will Destroy You (2008)

1. A Three-Legged Workhorse

2. Villa Del Refugio

3. Threads

4. Leather Wings

5. The Mighty Rio Grande

6. They Move On Tracks Of Never-Ending Light

7. Burial On The Presidio Banks

Field Studies (2009)

1. This Will Destroy You - Brutalism & The Worship Of The Machine

2. This Will Destroy You - Freedom Blade

3. Lymbyc Systym - Processed Spirits

4. Lymbyc Systym - Notations

5. Lymbyc Systym - Narita

Moving On The Edges Of Things (2010)

1. Rituals

2. Woven Tears

Communal Blood (2010)

1. Communal Blood

2. Reprise

Tunnel Blanket (2011)

1. Little Smoke

2. Glass Realms

3. Communal Blood

4. Reprise

5. Killed The Lord, Left For The New World

6. Osario

7. Black Dunes

8. Powdered Hands

Live In Reykjavik, Iceland (2013)

1. A Three Legged Workhorse (Live)

2. There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease (Live)

3. Black Dunes (Live)

4. Burial On The Presidio Banks (Live)

5. Glass Realms (Live)

6. Communal Blood (Live)

7. Quiet (Live)

8. They Move On Tracks Of Never-Ending Light (Live)

9. Little Smoke (Live)

10. The Mighty Rio Grande (Live)

11. Threads (Live)

Another Language (2014)

1. New Topia

2. Dustism

3. Serpent Mound

4. War Prayer

5. The Puritan

6. Mother Opiate

7. Invitation

8. Memory Loss

9. God's Teeth

Doused In Mud, Soaked In Bleach (2016)
6. Paper Cuts (Nirvana cover)

Note: Full comp here

New Others Part One (2018)

1. Melted Jubilee

2. To Win, Somebody's Got To Lose

3. Syncage

4. Allegiance

5. Weeping Window

6. Like This

7. Go Away Closer

New Others Part Two (2018)

1. Sound of Your Death

2. Lie Down in the Light

3. Clubs

4. Jesse Ray

5. Cascade

6. New Promise Land Inc.

7. Provoke

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Hotel Books

Hotel Books is a spoken-word project started by Cam Smith in Porterville, California in 2011. Their music is based on Smith's poetry, which is read over some ambient/indie instrumentals, which usually consists of some clean, noodly guitar sounds that are pretty commonplace for emo/math rock-esque bands. Hotel Books are definitely comparable to Listener, since they share the same basic concept of spoken word being accompanied by gentle instrumentals. Cam Smith's vocal delivery is also pretty similar to Dan Smith's. In all honesty, I'm not really into this band. Not that there's anything really wrong with them, I could just cannot get into them. However, they are by far one of the most requested bands I get, and their discography is small, so I see no reason not to share them with those of you looking for them. Enjoy.

Everything We Could Have Done Differently (2013)

1. Sometimes I Feel Like Nothing

2. Nothing Ever Changes

3. Changes Consume Me

4. I Always Thought I Would Be Okay

5. I Never Thought I Would Be Okay

6. Ghosts Can't Love (Part I)

7. MM/DD/YYYY (Part II)

8. Beliefs [Upon Contact]

9. Books [Anti- What Have You]

10. Car Crash

11. Boundless [MMXII Minus Two]

12. All My Friends Are Trees (Part III)

13. Faithless [Am I]

14. Hollow Light / Hollow Lover

15. Empty Courage / Empty Heart

I'm Almost Happy Here, But I Never Feel At Home (2014)

1. Lose One Friend

2. Lose All Friends

3. Lose Yourself

4. Constant Collapse

5. Dreaming or Sinking

6. Two Eight One

7. America's Next Top Model

8. Cult Leader

9. Nicole

10. Lungs

11. Car Crash

Run Wild, Young Beauty (2015)

1. Run Wild, Young Beauty

2. Constant Conclusions

3. July (Part One)

4. I Died With You

5. Nothing Was Different

6. Love Life, Let Go (feat. JT Woodruff)

7. 813 Maryland St.

8. Wooden Floorboards

9. Two Steps Back

10. Nothing Was The Same

11. August (Part Two)

12. Ten Steps Forward

Run Wild, Stay Alive (2016)

1. Every Day, The Same

2. I Think You See Where This Is Headed

3. Where We Sleep Is Where We Dream

4. Constant Conflicts

5. Saltwater For Blood

6. Lesser

7. Friendly Crossfire

8. Can You Do Me A Kindness?

9. Alcoholocaust

10. Broke Love

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Foxes in Fiction

Foxes in Fiction is the solo effort of Warren Hildebrand, who began the project in 2010. Initially, it was rooted in Toronto, Ontario, but has since moved to Brooklyn, New York. Foxes In Fiction began in conjunction with Hildebrand's record label, Orchid Tapes, which puts out all of his own music, in addition to others (perhaps most notably for this blog, Elvis Depressedly and Alex G). The album that began it all was 2010's Swung From The Branches, the first album from both Foxes In Fiction and Orchid Tapes. They put out a second full-length, Ontario Gothic, in 2014, which is much more collaborative, and even features Owen Pallett on a few tracks.

 Foxes In Fiction's sound is very ambient, and predominantly electronic-based. Hildebrand creates long, looming, quiet landscapes that can be just as dreamy as they can be catchy in some parts. They feature sparse vocals and percussion, but always manage to fill up space. The Atlas Sound influence is quite apparent, and even cited by Hildebrand himself. Foxes In Fiction can be described as ambient, dream pop, shoegaze, electronic, whatever you want to call them. Overall, they are just a really good band to relax to, and I would highly suggest checking it out and giving it your support. Enjoy.

Swung from The Branches (2010)

1. Operating Room

2. Basement Window

3. Thank You, Sunday Morning

4. Sleeping Building Unsuspecting

5. Coffee Cups That Won't Break Down

6. Ninth Floor View

7. Cream Screen

8. 8 / 29 / 91

9. Mialectric

10. Bronte Balloons

11. New Panic Cure

12. Jimi Bleachball

13. Please Note

14. Snow Angels

15. 15 Ativan (Song for Erika)

16. To Go Home

17. Memory Pools

18. Insomnia Keys

19. Visiting Hours

Alberto (2010)

1. Bathurst

2. School Night

3. Sadiya

4. Borders (Galleries & Foxes in Fiction)

5. Fifteen Ativan (Alternate Version)

6. To Josef, in Texas

7. OCAD Flu

Three Songs for Ryan (2010)

1. Rain Falls

2. Along

3. Courtyard Summers

Hospital District/Static Cults (2011)

1. Hospital District

2. Static Cults

Ground Glass / Etalon (2013)

1. Foxes In Fiction + Benoît Pioulard - Ground Glass

2. Foxes In Fiction + Benoît Pioulard - Etalon

Ontario Gothic (2014)

1. March 2011

2. Into The Fields

3. Glow (v079)

4. Shadow's Song

5. Ontario Gothic

6. Amanda

7. Altars

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Old Man Gloom

Old Man Gloom are a four-piece sludge metal/ambient/post-metal/hardcore band originally from Sante Fe, New Mexico, but are now active in Boston, Massachusetts. The band formed in 1999, and is comprised of members from other very notable bands, particularly Aaron Turner (Isis), Nate Newton (Converge), Caleb Scofield (Cave In), as well as Santos Montano on drums. They were active in the early 2000's, put took a long hiatus to focus on their main projects. They returned for 2012's No, and released an amazing set of albums all titled The Ape Of God in 2014. They don't play live often, though based on live sets online, they seem like an incredible act. Besides that, they've released a slew of albums that we do have to enjoy. The Ape Of God and Christmas are personally my two favourites, though everything they've done is so intriguing and burgeoning. Old Man Gloom will definitely arouse your interest if you're a fan of the aforementioned bands, or if you simply appreciate bands that are pushing limits and experimenting with music, especially within more extreme/heavy genres. Enjoy.

Meditations In B (2000)

1. Afraid Of

2. Flood I

3. Simian Alien Technology: Message Received

4. Sonic Wave Of Bees

5. Sonar Enlightenment Program

6. Rotten Primate

7. The Exploder Whale

8. Poisoner

9. An Evening At The Gentleman's Club For Apes

10. Vipers

11. Test Result: Alien Ape Distress Signal

12. Flood II
13. Resolving The De-Evolution Conflict

14. Scraps Theatre Presents: Confusion in Five Minutes

Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regressionism (2001)

1. Brain Returns To Initial State

2. Bells Dark Above Our Head

3, Branch Breaker

4. Radio Crackles Spill Down My Face

5. Hot Salvation

6. Breath Drops In And Out Of Glass

7. Rape Athena

8. Roar Of The Forest Rose To Thunder

9. Clenched Tight In The Fist Of God

10. Only Dogs Hear (Here)

11. Jaws Of The Lion

12. Smoke Out Loud

13. Deserts In Your Eyes

14. Meditations In B Part V & VI

15. Cinder Of The Simian Psyche 

16. Three Ring Ocean Sideshow

17. Madied (Self: Reborn)

Seminar III: Zozobra (2001)

1. Zozobra

Christmas Eve I + II + 6 EP (2003)

1. Christmas Eve Part I

2. A.L.F. Makes Accident, Or The Slow Advance Of Now Liberated, But Virally Contagious Chimps

3. Skull Of Geronimo (Feat. The Vocal Stylings Of James Randall)

4. Masami's Music Box 1

5. Branch Breaker (Live In NYC)

6. Masami's Music Box 2

7. Christmas Eve Part II

8. Gratuitous Bonus Track Made By Sensible Musicians Doing Questionable Things  

Christmas (2004)

1. Gift

2. Skullstorm

3. Something For The Mrs.

4. Sleeping With Snakes

5. Lukeness Monster

6. 'Tis Better To Receive

7. Accord-O-Matic

8. The Volcano

9. Close Your Eyes, Roll Back Into Your Head

10. Girth And Greed

11. Sonic Dust

12. Valhalla

13. Christmas Eve parts I, II, & III (alt. version)

NO (2012)

1. Grand Inversion

2. Common Species

3. Regain / Rejoin

4. To Carry The Flame

5. The Forking Path

6. Shadowed Hand

7. Rats

8. Crescent

9. Shuddering Earth

The Ape Of God (2014)

1. Eden's Gates

2. Promise

3. Shoulder Meat

4. Fist Of Fury

5. Simia Dei

6. The Lash

7. Never Enter

8. After You're Dead

The Ape Of God (2014)

1. Burden

2. Predators

3. A Hideous Nightmare Lies Upon The World

4. Arrows To Our Hearts

The Ape Of God (Promo Version) (2014)

1. Fist Of Fury

2. The Lash

3. Predators

4. Shoulder Meat

5. Simia Dei

6. Never Enter

7. Promise

8. Arrows To Our Hearts

Note: The "Promo Version" was initially released for music reviewers, since it would be leaked through them. The real albums came after, and are technically two different albums under the same name and artwork. This was done as a way of adding to the surprise of a new release in the era of online music, in which new and surprising forms of release are scarce.

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