Art As Catharsis - free doom & post-rock

Lachlan, the hardest working man in Australia, has

just given you the chance to get some more free music

from his label Art As Catharsis.

Dear Art As Catharsis pals, I come bearing gifts of new Australian music.

'Stargazing under Southern Skies' is a new, curated collection of Australian post, ambient and shoegaze music.

With sleepmakeswaves being nominated for an ARIA, you might think we've all been transported to Bizarro World. Or perhaps the movers and shakers are catching onto the fact that we've got more than our fair share of incredible bands here in Australia; and not all of them are soulless Indie cut-outs disinterestedly muttering lyrical abstractions.

Well, we Art As Catharsis have long known this. This year has seen a plethora of incredible releases from Australian groups; many of which have outperformed and out-delivered their international counterparts.

That's why we're very pleased to bring you our new compilation: Stargazing under Southern Skies; a specially curated selection of our favourite post, ambient and shoegaze artists.

Be dazzled by the virtuosity of Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, drift away on a wave of elation provided by sleepmakeswaves, survey the cinematic soundscapes of Dumbsaint, bask in the gorgeous melodies of Brian Campeau, and let Pirate do your physics homework. 

'Stargazing under Southern Skies' also features splendid sounds from We Lost The Sea (who are soon to release the best post-metal record of 2012), Melbourne post/prog veterans Mushroom Giant, Squat Club, Nuclear Summer, Solkyri, The Matador, Adrift for Days, Lander Configurations, race to your face, and Captain Kickass and the Awesomes.

It's a regular gangbang of underground Australian talent! And have we mentioned that it's absolutely FREE?! Go check it out, why don’t ya?

'Stargazing under Southern Skies' is our gift to you, because we love you almost as much as we love Australian music.

Please listen, share and enjoy. The future for Australian music is bright.

A re-release of Space Bong's droning doom epic 'The Death of Utopia'

Australia can boast some of the best doom bands in the world - and the South Australian sextet of Space Bong are no exception.

Infact, I make no qualms with saying that Space Bong are one of the rawest, heaviest, and above all believable doom bands on earth -- as every bit as dark as Sunn O))), Corruptedand Kharnate, and as aggressive as EyeHateGod and Corrupted.

Space Bong effectively triggered my love of droning, down-tempo music when I caught them at a live show in 2007. Here was a band that had completely mastered the art of the doom metal epic; and had the technical ability to back it up. Their aesthetic isn't for show, either; these guys truly feel the nihilistic despair and misanthropy so evident in their weighty sludge metal sounds.

I'd like to take the chance to share with you one of my favourite heavy albums of all time: Space Bong's droning doom epic 'The Death of Utopia'. Please download, share and enjoy.

Space are currently in the final stages of recording their new album 'Deadwood to Worms', which should be out on Art As Catharsis in early 2013.

Before we are all crushed by the inevitable awesomeness of that new album, be sure to acquaint yourself with 'The Death of Utopia': it is definitely a doom metal classic.

I hope you enjoy.

Long live Australian music