Unexpect, In A Flesh Aquarium

Canada, 2006.

Black metal, death metal, progressive metal, melodic heavy metal, European Classical music, opera, medieval music, gypsy music, electro, ambient, noise, circus music and jazz. These are just a few styles that Unexpect incorporate in their completely unique, completely avant-garde and completely experimental music.

Playlist:

1. Chromatic Chimera
2. Feasting Fools
3. Desert Urbania
4. Summoning Scenes
5. Silence_011010701
6. Megalomaniac Trees
7. The Shiver - Another Dissonant Chord
8. The Shiver - Meet Me at the Carrousel
9. The Shiver - A Clown's Mindtrap
10. Psychic Jugglers


Link (MassMirror).

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Kimmo Pohjonen, Kluster

Finland, 2002.

Kimmo Pohjonen is an experimental accordionist, whose music can be said to stretch from Finnish folk to rock and improvised avant-garde, with the addition of electronic effects. This particular album has the collaboration of another accordionist, Samuli Kosminen.

Playlist:

1. Ulaani
2. Ohimo
3. Loska
4. Keko
5. Reaktio
6. Aroma
7. Kaluaja
8. Alla
9. Voima
10. Avanto

Link.

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Finntroll, Jaktens Tid

Finland, 2001.

Jaktens Tid ("The Time of the Hunt") is an extreme folk/viking metal album, acclaimed by Finntroll's fans as their best. This work features many traditional Suomi elements, such as joik singing and humppa rhythm, combined with the jolliest viking metal ever made.

Playlist:

1. Krig (Intro)
2. Födosagan
3. Salget Vid Blodsälv
4. Skogens Hämnd
5. Jaktens Tid
6. Bakom Varje Fura
7. Kitteldags
8. Krigsmjöd
9. VargTimmen
10. Kyrkovisan
11. Den Hornkrönte Konungen (Rivfaders Tron)
12. Aldhissla
13. Tomhet Och Tystnad Härska (Outro)

Link (MassMirror).

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Aereogramme, Seclusion

Scotland, 2004.

This is a mini-album released after Aereogramme's second LP, Sleep and Release, and it's another post-rock epic masterpiece. Combining heavy and acoustic with incredible versatility, Aereogramme are halfway between Oceansize and God Is An Astronaut.

Playlist:

1. Inkwell
2. Dreams and Bridges
3. The Unravelling
4. I Don't Need Your Love
5. Lightning Strikes the Postman
6. Alternate Score

Link (MassMirror).

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The Dear Hunter, Act II: The Meaning Of, And All Things Relating Ms. Leading

U.S., 2007.

Starting out as a secondary project of Casey Crescenzo, former member of the post-hardcore band The Receiving End of Sirens, The Dear Hunter are generally categorized as alternative/progressive rock. This project uses a wider variety of instrumentation, probably standing somewhere between The Mars Volta and Coheed and Cambria. It is a conceptual album, the second part of a six-act story, focusing on a prostitute named Ms. Leading.

1. The Death and The Berth
2. The Procession
3. The Lake and the River
4. The Oracles on the Delphi Express
5. The Church and The Dime
6. The Bitter Suite 1 and 2: Meeting Ms. Leading and Through the Dime
7. The Bitter Suite 3: Embrace
8. Smiling Swine
9. Evicted
10. Blood of the Rose
11. Red Hands
12. Where the Road Parts
13. Dear Ms. Leading
14. Black Sandy Beaches
15. Vital Vessels Vindicate

Link.

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Elysian Fields, Dreams That Breathe Your Name

US, 2003.

Founded by Oren Bloedow and Jennifer Charles, Elysian Fields are a melodic pop band, not unlike Lovage, another band which features Jennifer Charles' lush vocals prominently.

Playlist:

1. Stop the Sun
2. Baby Get Lost
3. Timing Is Everything
4. Drunk on Dark Sublime
5. Live for the Touch
6. Passing on the Stairs
7. Shooting Stars
8. Shrinking Heads in the Sunset
9. Never Mind That Now
10. Narcosmicoma
11. Dog of Tears


Link (massmirror).
Link (zSHARE).

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Klimt 1918, Dopoguerra

Italy, 2005.

An alternative/progressive rock band, somewhat resembling to Amplifier and Dredg. I'm not particularly descriptive today, so you'll just have to listen.

Playlist:

1. Intro
2. They Were Wed By The Sea
3. Snow of '85
4. Rachel
5. Nightdriver
6. Because of You, Tonight
7. Dopoguerra
8. La Tregua
9. Lomo
10. Sleepwalk in Rome

Link (MegaUpload).
Link (zSHARE).

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Novembre, The Blue

Italy, 2007.

Novembre are a very interesting band from Rome, Italy. Their style consists of gothic/doom/death metal gone prog. This album, their latest release, blends strong progressive metal bits with softer, more melodic elements, quite reminiscent of Anathema's doom period.

Playlist:

1. Aenemia
2. Triesteitaliana
3. Cobalt Of March
4. Bluecracy
5. Architheme
6. Nascence
7. Iridescence
8. Sound Odyssey
9. Cantus Christi
10. Zenith
11. Argentic
12. Deorbit

Link.

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Sol Invictus, The Blade

UK, 1997.

As requested, this was the follow-up to 1995's In the Rain, and continues very much the same neo-folk approach with slightly more orchestration.

Playlist:

1. The Blade
2. In Heaven
3. Time Flies
4. The House Above The World
5. Laws And Crowns
6. Once Upon A Time
7. See How We Fall
8. Gealdor
9. From The Wreckage
10. Nothing Here
11. Remember And Forget
12. The Blade


Massmirror (supposedly)
Fastuploading
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The Pax Cecilia, Blessed are the Bonds

U.S., released in 2007.

Awesome unsigned bands are hard to come by because it's so damn difficult to separate them from the countless amateur suits jumping on the myspace hype wagon. This album however blew me away from the start. Piano driven melodies, post-rock build-ups and incredible orchestration to boot, this album puts most signed bands to shame.

This is pretty much a post to get the word out, since the album is available for free from
http://www.paxcecilia.com/ (with scanned booklet if you're interested).


Playlist:

1. the Tragedy
2. the Tomb Song
3. the Progress
4. the Machine
5. the Wasteland
6. the Water Song
7. the Tree
8. the Hymn


Link (rapidshare).
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Dredg, Catch Without Arms

U.S., released in 2005.

Dredg are a progressive/alternative rock band from Los Gatos, California, and this is their third album. They have an amazingly unique sound, which will please the fans of Mars Volta and Oceansize.

Playlist:

1. Ode To The Sun
2. Bug Eyes
3. Catch Without Arms
4. Not That Simple
5. Zebraskin
6. Tanbark
7. Sang Real
8. Planting Seeds
9. Spitshine
10. Jamais Vu
11. Hungover On A Tuesday
12. Matroshka (The Ornament)

Link (rapidshare).
Link (massmirror).
Link (megaupload).

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Yann Tiersen, L'absente

France, 2001.

Yann Tiersen is a french minimalist musician who is best known for composing the soundtrack for "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain". His music is mostly instrumental, probably due to the fact that he is incredibly talented in a great deal of them, very classical and extremely beautiful.

Playlist:

1. A Quai
2. La Parade
3. Bagatelle
4. L'absente
5. Le Jour d'avant
6. Les Jours Tristes
7. L'echec
8. La Lettre d'explication
9. Qu'en Reste T'il
10. Le Meridien
11. Le Concert
12. Le Retour

Link.

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Led Zeppelin, How the West was Won

US, released 2003.

Don't think this needs an introduction.

Playlist:

Disc 1 (MassMirror).

1. L.A. Drone
2. Immigrant Song
3. Heartbreaker
4. Black Dog
5. Over The Hills And Far Away
6. Since I've Been Loving You
7. Stairway To Heaven
8. Going To California
9. That's The Way
10. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

Disc 2 (MassMirror).

1. Dazed And Confused
2. What Is And What Should Never Be
3. Dancing Days
4. Moby Dick


Disc 3 (MassMirror).

1. Whole Lotta Love (Medley)
2. Rock And Roll
3. Ocean, The
4. Bring It On Home

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