Chihei Hatakeyama - Minima Moralia

Label: Kranky
Released: 2006
Style: Experimental, Ambient

"Chihei Hatakeyama concentrated on the textures of sound in creating Minima Moralia, consciously avoiding the use of electronic sounds; instead using sound fragments made by guitars and vibraphone he played himself. The fragments were processed and reprocessed in live performances on laptop. The contention between the analog sound sources, digital processing and the musician's choices are what give Minima Moralia its positive, warm, and physical presence.

Minima Moralia presents the listener with tones that are familiar and tones that are foreign. Specific points of sound appear and velvet clouds elevate and disperse over the course of the album. Jumbles of melodies reveal and then resolve themselves. At all points Hatakeyama's directing hand is at work; in the shiver of a guitar string, the bright ring of the vibraphone, and the strategic use of silence. The naturalistic song titles suggest every day moments, sensations and experiences." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Bonfire On The Field (8:13)
2 Swaying Curtain In The Window (8:25)
3 Starlight Reflecting On The Surface Of The River (7:00)
4 Towards A Tranquil Marsh (4:46)
5 Granular Haze (7:21)
6 Inside Of The Pocket (4:31)
7 Beside A Well (11:30)

Link

Ilyas Ahmed - Goner

Label: Root Strata
Released: 2009
Style: Lo-Fi, Folk

"Portland, OR. bedroom wanderer Ilyas Ahmed emerges from the shadows and offers up his first new batch of songs in some time. Over a year in the making, 'Goner' sees Ahmed telescoping his previous acoustic wanderings into fuzzed out rockers and a hypnotic set of beautifully tight knit nocturnes. The kick off of 'Earn Your Blood' is probably the most amped up and stoned out Ahmed has ever sounded, a heavy blown out thump of hiss & electric strum. From there 'Goner' really gets lost. Loner howls, model hypnosis, desolate vamps... it's all here. The comedown into 'Exit Twilight' with Grouper on vocals is as haunting a broadcast you'll hear all year, for sure to knock around in your skull for days." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Earn Your Blood (5:22)
2 Love After Love (4:32)
3 Some Of None (7:03)
4 Enter A Shadow (9:36)
5 Out Again (5:59)
6 As Another (4:16)
7 Two Breaths (6:51)
8 Exit Twilight (5:45)

Link

Pillowdiver - Sleeping Pills

Label: 12k
Released: 2009
Style: Abstract, Minimal, Ambient

"Sleeping Pills is the debut release from Germany’s Pillowdiver, whose concepts of simplification and minimalism led him to self-imposed limitations for the creation of this work. Utilizing primarily a Fender Jazzmaster, with a small amount of synthesizer and field recording, Pillowdiver took advantage of very lo-fi and modest mediums such as 4-track cassette and various guitar stomp boxes.

Appropriate to its title, Sleeping Pills is a dark and dreamy album of often-melancholic, post-rock influenced ambience. Most tracks rely on a bed of one or two simple loops over which guitar melodies, incidental sounds and harmonies are overlaid, enveloping the listener in a sleepy din of tape distortions and warm noise.

Sometimes about dreaming, sometimes about escaping, Pillowdiver’s focused approach is a unique voice among artists who tread the fine line between experimentalism and indie rock." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Twenty-Nine (4:58)
2 Two (5:30)
3 Fifteen (5:29)
4 Nineteen (4:45)
5 Eleven (4:50)
6 Seventeen (6:38)
7 Seven (6:00)
8 One (3:43)
9 Twenty-Seven (5:28)

Link

Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol.2

Label: Raster-Noton
Released: 2009
Style: Experimental, Ambient

"Part two of Alva Noto's Xerrox series takes up right where the last one left off, continuing on in a much more buzzy, blissy, droney vein, way more textural and melodic than many of the AN records that have come before. In the review of volume one we mentioned Pop Ambient, and if anything volume 2 is even more washed out and shimmery, right out of the gate, AN offers up a warm wash of muted buzz, and thick gristly whir, softly pulsating, layered and warm, seemingly gone are the harsh tones and glitchy clicks and pops found on most Raster-Noton releases. Could be that Xerrox is just a concept record, but we have to say, as much as we loved the clipped minimalism of other Alva Noto records, the sounds here are quite divine. But this is an Alva Noto record, so even these warm whirls of drifting ambience, are laced with bits of static and hiss, super high end sine waves, but they're woven deftly into the sound, and serve to simply add more texture. There's a brief bit of super minimal beep and rumble, but then it's right back into that gorgeous drifty haze, that could just as soon be a Tim Hecker record.

"Xerrox Meta Phaser" follows suit, at least in the beginning, a soft whirring soundscape, that quickly escalates into an almost Sunn like dirge before exploding into a squall of blown out white noise. And then we're back to the dreamy dronemusic, this time, stretched out strings, smeared into soft summery swells, laced with a patina of gritty hiss, and so it goes, the whole record is a dark swirling expanse of muted minimal melodies, warm textures, mysterious drones, and delicate hazy drifts, the usual glitch and buzz, relegated to accents and filigree, rarely interfering in the rest of the record's blissy sprawl. Any one of these tracks would be right at home on the newest, more Kranky-fied Pop Ambient comp, and thus, this might be the first Raster-Noton record that might just appeal to all the drone and dirge folks as much as the glitch and pop people." - Aquarius Records

Tracklisting:

1 Xerrox Phaser Acat 1 (12:11)
2 Xerrox Rin (0:51)
3 Xerrox Soma (7:11)
4 Xerrox Meta Phaser (6:23)
5 Xerrox Sora (6:54)
6 Xerrox Monophaser 1 (8:04)
7 Xerrox Monophaser 2 (5:31)
8 Xerrox Teion (2:03)
9 Xerrox Teion Acat (5:26)
10 Xerrox Tek Part 1 (5:28)
11 Xerrox Monophaser 3 (6:14)

Link

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - 41st Century Splendid Man Returns

Label: Essence Music
Released: 2007
Style: Noise, Psychedelic Rock

"Motorik krautrock rhythms work side by side with interstellar signals, ghostly female voices and analog synths. Bursts of damaged psych brilliance and free guitars open and seal the album, healing the aural wounds for/from the mammoth droney, mysterious and transcendental ambient experience of the title track, built with the aid of a non traditional array of instruments, like sarangi, sitar, zurna and tibetan trumpet. Definately not of this world.

This is one of the many incarnations of the band, a combo also featuring, at the time of the recordings, the beautiful vocals of Cotton Casino and the appearance of Tatsuya Yoshida from Ruins as one of the special guests. As always, monster guitarist and mastermind Kawabata Makoto leads the troup to ensure a safer trip." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Ruck Zuck (7:08)
2 41st Century Splendid Man (14:49)
3 Genesis Of Humanity (Amoebae - Volcanoes - Dinosaurs - Humanity - Civilization - War - Extinction - Robots) (9:15)
4 Dalai Gama (4:40)
5 Hello Eskimo Or Polyhedral Mu (14:21)

Link

Kode 9 - Black Sun / 2 Far Gone

Label: Hyperdub
Released: 2009
Style: Dubstep

"Steve Goodman continues to shift his style towards the Funky light wih two more brilliant cuts for Hyperdub further removed from his previous dread bass dubstep explorations. 'Black Sun' is quite the shocker, sounding like the mutant basschild of Drexciya and 4 Hero with rippling junglist/dubstep subbass wrapped around a bobbling square-wave bassline and tucked under the tidiest rhythm syncopations this side of Anthony Shakir. That's not to mention the unruly synthline that just owns the whole thing, sounding like James Stinson jamming with Quartta 330 with a seriously ear-worming effect that will hold any audience captive for it's duration. It's seriously smart gear. The dread vibes of his previous work rears it's darkened head on flipside track '2 Far Gone', leaning heavily on the synthline vibes with murkily resonant pads building the tension before skip-swinging patterns find their groove and suck you into some irresistable dance inducing polyrhythms. The dislocated vocal intoning "...it's too far gone" sets a severely ominous tone for the whole thing, balancing out the feminine and floor friendly rhythms with a skunked out paranoia dense and lush enough to fall madly in love with. This is a mindblowingly good single and we'd even say it outstrips its predecessor '2 Bad' quite easily. Obviously, if you like Burial, 4 Hero or Drexciya you really need to pick this up. Awesome." - Boomkat

Tracklisting:

1 Black Sun (5:25)
2 2 Far Gone (6:10)

Link

Labradford - Labradford

Label: Kranky
Released: 1996
Style: Minimal, Ambient

"Though still wafting in a saline bath of 4AD-esque ambiance, Labradford have solidified into a more coherent whole by their third album. Labradford mixes the spare, whispered vocals of their previous LP, A Stable Reference, with smart bits of percussion and a warm, clean fusion of guitars, analog synths, a violin or two, and loads of effects units. The group have trimmed the noodly fat that cluttered previous efforts in assembling their best, most listenable release to date." - Allmusic

Tracklisting:

1 Phantom Channel Crossing (4:43)
2 Midrange (6:29)
3 Pico (5:46)
4 The Cipher (3:12)
5 Lake Speed (6:47)
6 Scenic Recovery (4:52)
7 Battered (7:57)

Link

Hildur Gudnadóttir - Without Sinking

Label: Touch
Released: 2009
Style: Modern Classical, Contemporary, Experimental

"Hildur Gudnadottir is a gifted cellist with an impressive history of collaborations that includes work with Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Johann Johannsson, Skúli Sverrisson and Ben Frost among many others, as well as being a member of Iceland's notable Kitchen Motors collective. She first came to our attention on Pan Sonic's epic 'Katodivaihe' album from a couple of years back, her intense, blackened cello adding another dimension to Vainio and Väisänen's icy tundras. "Without Sinking" (her second solo album and first for the Touch label) is, however, by far the most cohesive and engrossing release of her career to date. It's not often that sales notes offer much by way of an insight into the real thought process or inspiration behind an album, but Gudnadottir's description of many hours spent on flights around the world looking at clouds really does encapsulate the atmosphere and semi-opaque wonder of these recordings. "I wanted to have open space for single notes and let them breath, like single clouds in a clear sky. As a contrast I also wanted create denser and heavier compositions which were more thundercloud like. I like the way clouds form, how many tiny droplets can form such dense forms and then slowly evaporate into thin string-like forms." The sound Gudnadottir's cello makes paints these mysterious landscapes with an almost mystical purity, opening track "Elevation", for example, manages to outline an increasingly intense, almost mournful picture with seemingly simple layering techniques and barely perceptible processes submerged by the pregnant sound of Gudnadottir's hugely evocative instrument. But the album also includes contributions from a number of guests - most notably Johann Johannsson, Skúli Sverrisson and even Hildur's father Guðni Franzson, with tracks like "Aether" introducing Harp and wind instruments with a gentle economy that's so fragile and simple it's just nothing short of heart-stopping. The album closes with the dense "Unveiled", an ominous drone undulation steered by those cautious, towering strings and barely perceptible found sounds. It's the space between the notes, the restraint and expectation, that packs the biggest emotional punch on this incredibly moving recording, never allowing those 'cinematic' qualities to get in the way of the genuine dread and catharsis resting at the core of this utterly magnificent album. Amazing music." - Boomkat

Tracklisting:

1 Elevation (5:58)
2 Overcast (3:18)
3 Erupting Light (2:22)
4 Circular (4:19)
5 Ascent (4:43)
6 Opaque (3:51)
7 Aether (5:11)
8 Whiten (4:52)
9 Into Warmer Air (6:11)
10 Unveiled (7:12)

Link

Markus Guentner - In Moll

Label: Kompakt
Released: 2001
Style: Dub Techno, Minimal, Ambient

"Squelches and whirrs nestle in rolling hills of fuzzy dreamy drones as clicks and pops struggle for air beneath a downy blanket of suffocatingly gorgeous billowy clouds of synth wash. Sound good? It does.

In creating "In Moll," Markus Guentner has done more than his part to fill the void created by Voigt's unusual absence, with a disc that captures much of the feel we liked so much about the Gas records, a sort of dreamy melancholy that manages to be both wistful and hopeful, lonely and warm. Jeff thinks it has a real "change of seasons" vibe, that harkens, again, to Gas. And while the Gas comparison is surely accurate (if you haven't caught our drift already, let's state: fans of Gas should pick this up without a second thought!), Guenter does add his own flair to Voigt's signature sound though, creating a more varied and more dynamic soundscape than Voigt's pastoral hum and thump." - Aquarius Records

Tracklisting:

1 Untitled (8:42)
2 Untitled (6:44)
3 Untitled (10:00)
4 Untitled (6:40)
5 Untitled (6:07)
6 Untitled (6:53)
7 Untitled (16:08)

Link

Emanuele Errante - Humus

Label: Somnia
Released: 2008
Style: Minimal, Ambient

"“humus” unfolds slowly through a symphony of organic minimalism, evolving and growing over a course of 11 tracks. classical flourishes adorn warm and inviting textural sketches, and subtle electronic manipulation pervades a humid ambient environment. reich inspired microcosmic rhythms unfold and undulate beneath wide pastel landscapes." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Fecunda (6:31)
2 Lucus (8:55)
3 Ros (3:56)
4 Humi (9:59)
5 Radio Hopes (6:40)
6 Leaves (1:45)
7 Aquatic (7:48)
8 Primo Tema (3:23)
9 Ant's Trail (4:29)
10 Magic Wood (5:32)
11 Ultimo Tema (3:14)

Link

Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective

Label: Kranky
Released: 2009
Style: Shoegaze, Indie Rock, Pop

"Lockett Pundt's first full length is an expansive meditation on the modern history of the pop song with an obvious appreciation for the atmospheric vocal harmonies of the 50's, the Brill Building writers of the 60's, and the sounds of the early 80's postpunk uk scene.

The production is multi-multi-layered with a seemingly endless amount of subtle detail in each track, while the vocals are generally low in the mix and add yet another layer to the sound.

There are certainly references to Lockett's day job here, and it can be no other way as he is an integral part of that "other" group. But he clearly stakes a claim to his own sound here." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Red Oak Way (4:12)
2 Quicksand (5:09)
3 These Years (2:54)
4 Different Mirrors (4:07)
5 Whiteout (4:14)
6 What Grows? (2:56)
7 Sunday Night (4:55)
8 Antoine (7:22)
9 The Floodlight Collective (4:36)
10 A Threaded Needle (4:29)

Link

Evan Bartholomew - Secret Entries Into Darkness

Label: Somnia
Released: 2008
Style: Minimal, Ambient

"evan bartholomew brings another example of sonic storytelling to somnia, moving from atmospheric float into pulsing minimal electroid rhythms.fractaline analog grooves and micro beat construction establish a hypnotic base for a composed layer of ambient exploration to unfold. presenting a balance of analog moduler synth elements and complex dsp processing, 'secret entries into darkness' further's somnia's approach to cinematic modern music." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Secret Entries Into Darkness (9:53)
2 Cracks In The Fabric Of The Known (6:32)
3 Soft Spots In The Tyranny Of Matter (11:10)
4 Where Forgotten Days Slumber (9:11)
5 And Ancient Hurts Dwell (8:34)
6 Light Reflecting Black In Shadow (6:54)
7 Freedom Found In Surrender (3:23)

Link

Fabio Orsi - The Wild Light Of The Moon

Label: Sentient Recognition Archive
Released: 2008
Style: Ambient, Drone

"Fabio Orsi is a name that every spacey-drone lover should recognize. He stands out as one who is truly able to capture an environment. His soft, light, airy textures remind me of the way I feel staring at a Mark Rothko painting. There are no clearly defined boundaries but rather all edges are fuzzy and limitless. Everything melts and drifts with a fluid quality. True ambience that brings one’s afflicted self to perfect relaxation and calm. Even though this one track is a whopping 35 minutes, it barely seems long enough. Around the 10 minute mark things get interesting with some reverbs that climb into your ear and speak to your soul, not wrestling you out of your restful state, but rather declaring authenticity. The field recording of birds evens out the slow-moving noise. Then everything relaxes again into a calming tone. Like floating through the galaxy. Pure, simple tones keep you in that euphoric state as the track comes to a too-soon conclusion. I could listen to this going to bed, relaxing after a day at work, or just taking breaks from my day driving between errands. After a full-listen, this epic demands respect. Reserve a space on your shelf." - Foxy Digitalis

Tracklisting:

1 The Wild Light Of The Moon (35:12)

Link

Snd - Tenderlove

Label: Mille Plateaux
Released: 2002
Style: Abstract, IDM, Minimal

"Now with Tender Love, SND move in a far more melodic context than ever before. The results are striking but all the same familiar. The sensibilities of funk find it's way into syncopated rhythms, breakbeats and jittered doses of r'n'b percussives mingle with a unique assortment of tones and ambience. Could this be taken as new sources of lounge music in 21st Century living? You be the judge, with Tender Love SND reach a new level of pushing the notions of contemporary listening." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 8
8 9
9 10
10 11
11 12
12 13
13 14
14 16
15 17

(Note: My upload is technically tagged wrong)

Link

Evan Marc + Steve Hillage

Label: Somnia
Released: 2008
Style: Dub Techno, Ambient

"diving deep with hypnotic rhythms, sub-aquatic bass pulsations and reverberant melodies, evan marc explores varying states of non-waking life on this full-length outing. his sensitive approach to sound design is woven perfectly with atmospheric guitar tones supplied by system7's steve hillage, crafting a unique and cinematic take on the dub techno paradigm." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Intention Craft (10:56)
2 Hypnagogue (8:49)
3 Alpha Phase (9:34)
4 Theta Phase (8:48)
5 Delta Phase (8:04)
6 Hypnopomp (10:04)
7 Resurface (10:43)

Link

Samiyam - Return EP

Label: Hyperdub
Released: 2008
Style: Instrumental Hip Hop

"Hiphop pressure beats this week from Hyperdub's first US signing and Flying Lotus collaborator Samiyam. With only a small handful of releases to his name for everyone from Fat City recs to Ninja Tune the styles sit very closely to his production brother Flylo with a superbly squashed selection of downtempo hiphop all carrying that distinctive synthline sound and post-bump rhythms drawing from the legacy of Dilla mixed with the recent 8-bit sounds displayed on Hyperdub from Quarta 330, Darkstar, Rustie and the rest. Samiyam obviously shares Flylo's knack for unravelled slo-beats on 'Cheesecake backslap', but it's the first three cuts, and especially 'trick platform' that place Samiyam out on his own with a deftly melancholy melodic touch that will beg many repeated listens. Yet again, another reason to keep a very close eye on the ever evolving Hyperdub imprint, and a wonky killer."

Tracklisting:

1 Return
2 Trick Platform
3 Moon Shoes
4 Cheesecake Backslap

Link

Jessica Bailiff - Even In Silence

Label: Kranky
Released: 1998
Style: Post Rock, Minimal, Ambient, Shoegaze

"Extended guitar figures float over Jessica's vocals, bass, drums, samples and percussion. Jessica is joined by Zak Sally and Mimi Parker of Low on a couple tracks. Alan Sparhawk made contributions to the seven tracks recorded in Duluth. The album is an affecting mix of instruments and Jessica's beautiful vocals that leaves trails of melody for the listener to follow. The mix of instruments and Jessica's beautiful vocals leaves trails of melody for the listener to follow. The mix of the album allows echoing piano chords, traces of bass guitar or whiffs of percussion to emerge from the clouds of guitars. A delicately balanced mix of organ lines and rhythm is placed next to Jessica's fragile vocals, followed by deep guitar drones. Even In Silence grows on the listener, with carefully placed bits of melody and raw sound that emerge with each listening experience." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Overcast (5:02)
2 Failing Yesterday (5:12)
3 For You (5:51)
4 Dreamlanding (2:48)
5 One Red Year (4:58)
6 The Sordid Light Of Morning (5:33)
7 Shine (2:49)
8 Sunshower (2:45)
9 Trust (8:00)
10 Beautiful Soul (9:30)

Link

Gregg Kowalsky - Tendrils In Vigne

Label: Root Strata
Released: 2007
Style: Modern Classical, Minimal, Ambient

"'Tendrils In Vigne' is Gregg Kowalsky's Mills Collage graduate thesis project, a down right gorgeous slow burner of all acoustic instruments. Originally composed for laptop, Gregg transcribed and scored his music for an ensemble of 25 people that includes everything from a string section to a Shakuhachi player. Microcosmic loops expand into complex forms of geometry featuring voices and exploding drum kits.
Mesmerizing." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Tendrils In Vigne (12:00)

Link

Mark McGuire - Light Movement

Label: Wagon
Released: 2008
Style: Acoustic, Drone

"Mark describes this one as his most ‘new age’ sounding set yet, but cross that with some beautifully reflective deep-listening drone ala Andrew Chalk and the kinda luminous guitar work of peak Charalambides and you’re truly there. Excellent." - Volcanic Tongue

Tracklisting:

1 The Path Lined With Colorful Stones (9:32)
2 Under New-Age Skies (9:21)
3 Dividing Lines (9:31)
4 The Turtles And The Lizards And The Snakes And The Dragon Flies And The Field Mouse All Sat On The Riverbank (9:34)

Link

The North Sea & Rameses III - Night Of The Ankou

Label: Type Records
Released: 2006
Style: Minimal, Ambient

"Opening track "Death of the Ankou" is a hypnotic journey into the instrumental ambience explored by such acts as Popol Vuh or Stars of the Lid, yet adds a sense of cinematic adventure which could be compared to Type's very own Deaf Center. We are transported quite promptly into a spiritual, oriental world of water, bamboo, beauty and restraint which is simultaneously calming and beguiling. The second piece, entitled "Night Blossoms Written in Sanskrit" is different; the ambience is filled out by echoing guitar, and the mood goes from peaceful and spiritual to truly triumphant. It would even be possible to compare this track to the later work of Slowdive; it has that same blissful, life affirming quality which makes you remember why you loved music in the first place! The disc is polished off by a remix from the Type Records boss himself Xela, and pulls together the ideas explored in the first two tracks, adding elements of his own signature production which will serve as a good taster for his forthcoming third album. Drones and bowed guitar squeals are spread densely over light percussion, harp and other-wordly sounds to produce something unusual but hugely enjoyable." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Death Of The Ankou (17:56)
2 Night Blossoms Written In Sanskrit (18:01)
3 Return Of The Ankou (Xela Remix) (7:45)

Link

Jim O'Rourke - Despite The Water Supply

Label: Touch
Released: 2008
Style: Acoustic, Experimental, Ambient

"It's almost a shame the track had to be split up on a 7" as the two parts flow so perfectly into each other. Beginning with a deep resonant buzz, sounds like a guitar, but could be a harmonium, wheezing and whirring, warm and thick and lustrous, bits of feedback lace the blurred drift, over the top delicate high end melodies, float and shimmer, becoming more and more active until they seem to be driving the piece, the whole thing strangely looped and weirdly melancholy, beneath the track, deep rumbling swells pulse and throb. By the second side, the sound has gotten more abrasive, much more scraping and metal buzz, electronic streaks, the sound tangled and constantly shifting, managing to sprawl into an expanse of beautifully noisy dronemusic." - Aquarius

Tracklisting:

1 Despite The Water Supply Part 1 (4:12)
2 Despite The Water Supply Part 2 (4:05)

Link

Aidan Baker - The Taste Of Summer On Your Skin

Label: taâlem
Released: 2005
Style: Ambient

"Aidan's approach of instruments is that of an emotional paintbrush, breathing the air all around, soaking into its scents, the subtle tonal vibrations & colours to reach a sort of pure unreducible moment of communion...
Here, between layers of filamentous clouds,
sleeps a flowing light,
drawing delicate patterns & lasting traces...
Resonances come loose
in a slow imperturbable graceful carousel,
a vertigo of lost feelings...
As an handful of sand running out into the breeze,
the motion is melancholic,
the mood warm & contemplative...
Hear your skin oozing with deep summer tales..." (Chalkdc/Mystery Sea)

Tracklisting:

1 Part 1
2 Part 2
3 Part 3

Link

Jonas Reinhardt - Jonas Reinhardt

Label: Kranky
Released: 2008
Style: Abstract, Synth-pop, Ambient

"Drawing from traditions of 20th century instrumental synthesizer music, Jonas Reinhardt represents a love affair between analog electronics, sweeping atmospherics, and driving motorik beats. Combined together, these elements bring the album's 13 pieces into focus as the soundtrack for an inner-eyelid space epic that never was.

Inspired in equal measure by the natural beauty of his California coastal surroundings, continental European art-rock experimentation, and the freewheeling punk aesthetic of contemporary home studio recording, Jonas Reinhardt's music transcends it's influences to bring into being a work that's wholly new while referencing a celebrated aesthetic of the past.

Armed with a battery of analog synthesizers and vintage drum machines, Jonas writes music that is at times stark and spare and at others lush and all-encompassing; all the while keeping an underlying rhythmic pulse just beneath the surface.

Jonas describes his technique as 'a spirited conversation between man, machines, and the ecstatic truth of the chaotic unknown.' With this album, Jonas carefully constructs melodies and rhythmic foundations then pushes the limits of recording to the sonic fringes and beyond. The effect is a warm, hauntingly familiar sound bounded by unpredictability." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Lyre Of David (3:24)
2 Modern By Nature's Reward (5:52)
3 Lord Sleep Monmouth (3:04)
4 How To Adjust People (4:34)
5 Fast Blot Declining (3:14)
6 Tentshow (1:24)
7 Every Terminal Evening (3:56)
8 Worm Preach The Struggling Fire (5:09)
9 Tandem Suns (3:50)
10 Blue Cutaway / Tore Earth Clinker (6:16)
11 An Upright Fortune (2:15)
12 Crept Idea For A Mom (3:24)
13 Lucian Lift (3:25)

Link

The Future Sound Of London - Environments II

Label: fsoldigital.com
Released: 2008
Style: Abstract, Modern Classical, Experimental, Ambient

"2nd in the series - continuing the journey through grass valleys to dark head storms - future past over 1 hour of head spin". A return to form, and much better than 1st.

Tracklisting:

1 Viewed From Above (2:34)
2 Glacier (Part 1) (8:56)
3 Serengeti (4:32)
4 Colour Blind (3:35)
5 A Corner (3:29)
6 Newfoundland (2:04)
7 North Arctic (3:19)
8 Factories And Assembly (5:04)
9 Ice Formed (4:17)
10 Small Town (3:14)
11 Nearly Home (3:38)
12 Boca Manu (2:22)
13 Journey To The Centre (3:41)
14 Glacier (Part 2) (6:22)

Link

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Sunset Mission

Label: Wonder
Released: 2000
Style: Contemporary Jazz

"A long-time favourite of ours, Bohren’s “Sunset Mission” is finally available again and is a must-have item for anyone looking for something to sit alongside Angelo Badelamanti’s soundtrack work for Twin Peaks. Whilst Motren Gass, Throsten Benning and Robin Rodenberg (aka Bohren & Der Club Of Gore) would like to have you believe they all live in unlit basements and only venture out to stare balefully at the moon, the truth, based on the reissue of 2000's 'Sunset Mission', suggests that they're all just a bunch of hopeless romantics... Comprised of piano, bass, sax and guitar, Bohren & Der Club Of Gore craft caliginous instrumental compositions that slow-waltz around the 'Jazz/Noir/Twin Peaks Soundtrack' divide with a sound they rather misleadingly refer to as 'horror jazz'. Referencing the likes of David Lynch at every turn, Bohren's sound takes deeply textured journeys into the smokey and crepuscular outer-reaches of Loungecore. Elegant, inviting and covered in Black-Lodge red velvet 'Sunset Mission' is perfect for long and sweaty summer evenings or cold and brooding winter ones. Highly Recommended." - Boomkat

Tracklisting:

1 Prowler (5:03)
2 On Demon Wings (7:02)
3 Midnight Walker (7:18)
4 Street Tattoo (9:51)
5 Painless Steel (5:41)
6 Darkstalker (5:44)
7 Nightwolf (16:31)
8 Black City Skyline (5:51)
9 Dead End Angels (10:26)

Link

Christopher Bissonnette - In Between Words

Label: Kranky
Released: 2008
Style: Ambient

"In Between Words is a collection of works that continue Christopher BissonnetteÕs explorations into orchestral and spatial acoustics. Cultivating an increasing interest in field recording and found sounds, Bissonnette has woven spatial ambience into these new compositions, while still concentrating on moments of near empty space between 'instruments.'

Inspired by the continuous din, the constant low-level hum of urban background noise, interspersed with all manner of mechanically created sounds, Bissonnette finds in this a near-melodic soundtrack to his daily life. On the final track "Jour Et Nuit," this seems most apparent as one can almost hear sparse traffic on a highway in the sweeping long tones.

Using orchestral sound sources as well as recording his own sounds to manipulate and process, Bissonnette has crafted a symphony of six movements, with melodies as ghostly apparitions that fade in and out of view. Recorded as spontaneous mixes, these compositions maintain a sense of organic fluidity while creating passages of escalating tension." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Provenance (9:58)
2 Touch Of Heartbreak (7:10)
3 Orffyreus Wheel (10:32)
4 Tempest (6:17)
5 The Colonnade (10:33)
6 Jour Et Nuit (6:17)

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The Alps - III

Label: Type Records
Released: 2008
Style: Folk Rock, Experimental

"Although III might be the third album from San Francisco trio The Alps it marks their first studio-based record and a fresh direction for the psychedelic supergroup. Made up of Tarentel mainman Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, ex-Tussle member Alexis Georgopoulos (better known as ARP) and Troll member Scott Hewicker there is a deft amount of skill on display as the three rip through eight tracks of sizzling spiritual bliss. Comparisons here are easy to bring up – Popol Vuh, Ennio Morricone and Serge Gainsbourg spring to mind for starters as the band toss and tangle through thick drum breaks and reverberating sun-drenched guitar lines.

III feels like a lost soundtrack to some crumbling Italian surrealist classic with its pounding basslines and swirling synthesizers. This is visual music, inspired by the likes of Werner Herzog, Alejandro Jordorowsky and Michaelangelo Antonioni, but what results is far more than a pastiche. Rather the trio have concocted a record which while being aware of its sprawling influences is far more than the sum of its parts. The finest excesses of progressive rock and the leanest intricacies of the psychedelic folk scene have been splashed together with a distinct dusty funk overlook to produce something which is totally out of time. Free from some half baked scene or other this is the result of three musicians doing exactly what they want." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 A Manhã Na Praia (5:28)
2 Hallucinations (7:35)
3 Cloud One (4:44)
4 Trem Fantasma (7:42)
5 Labyrinths (5:09)
6 Pink Light (1:48)
7 Echoes (4:18)
8 Into The Breeze (4:07)

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Cloudland Canyon - Silver Tongued Sisyphus

Label: Kranky
Released: 2007
Style: Krautrock, Psychedelic Rock, Experimental

"Silver Tongued Sisyphus is a secular call to prayer with humming, looping and loping ambient passages interspersed with bursting rhythmic energy and agitated guitar lines. Recent live shows have sounded like an unauthorized soundtrack to netherworld versions of The Swimmer or The Scorceror. Pulling influences from the foggy ether of generations past, Cloudland Canyon has staked their claim to the shadows of cult musical culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's German underground scene." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Dambala (11:34)
2 Silver Tongued Sisyphus (11:58)

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Labradford - Mi Media Naranja

Label: Kranky
Released: 1997
Style: Abstract, Minimal, Ambient

"With their fourth album, Labradford have once again broadened and varied their sound, while maintaining their distinctive identity. Mi Media Naranja adds a string section, Fender Rhodes electric piano and slide guitar to the trio's sound bank. It is the most cinematic of Labradford's recordings to date. The music alternately stretches, ripples or lofts its way past the listener as if it was coming off a screen and not through speakers. The sounds here are reminiscent of John Barry, Bill Evans and most of all, Labradford." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 S (6:19)
2 G (4:00)
3 WR (5:50)
4 C (6:25)
5 I (4:59)
6 V (6:25)
7 P (9:19)

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Hauschka - Ferndorf

Label: 130701
Released: 2008
Style: Modern Classical, Experimental

"Hauschka’s second album for FatCat’s 130701 imprint offers a brilliant advance on 2007’s ‘Room To Expand’. Where the previous album comprised mostly solo recordings of Hauschka’s ‘prepared’ piano (with a few electronic and instrumental overdubs), ‘Ferndorf’ is a far more expansive and fully-realised album, with many of the tracks also featuring a string duo, enabling an increased solidity. More dynamic, its staccato stabbing rhythms are rendered increasingly rousing and emotive with these additional strings. Whilst he recordings still retain the shivers and tics (as by-products of) of the modified internal workings of the piano - alongside some sweet electronic touches – these are less central and instead what’s foregrounded is the melodic / rhythmic push and pull, and a development towards more orchestrated music and notated compositions." - Label

Tracklisting:

1 Blue Bicycle (5:37)
2 Morgenrot (3:29)
3 Rode Null (4:01)
4 Freibad (4:30)
5 Barfuss Durch Gras (4:19)
6 Heimat (3:40)
7 Nadelwald (3:34)
8 Schönes Mädchen (3:40)
9 Eltern (4:21)
10 Alma (2:40)
11 Neuschnee (3:42)
12 Weeks Of Rain (2:38)

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