90. Kall - 'Brand'

There is so much in here. This album is a smorgasbord of different styles and textures. At its heart its black metalbut in an almostdeconstructed form. Gone are the down-tuned lo-fi guitars. Instead “Brand” is atmospheric, introspective and, at times, almost joyful. There is a lot of early eighties pop punk experimentation in here. I got whiffs of the Pop Group, very early Public Image Limited and pre-pop Human League. There are also huge gulps of the Swansand Pere Ubu. There are also entire movements where we exit metal altogether and sidle into entire free form jazz country. This is an intricately layered record, in places difficultand in others unfathomable. But it is also fiercely unique, and it earns its place simply for being unlike anything else I have listened to this year