Les Fragments de la Nuit, Musique du Crépuscule

France, 2008.

Les Fragments de la Nuit is a french quintet composed of three violins, a cello and a piano. They often compose soundtracks for cinema, animation movies and documentaries. Their sound is very neoclassical, ranging from tragic to epic and atmospheric.

Playlist:

1. Eveil des Fées
2. Assault
3. La Ronde des Fées
4. Entre Ciel et Fer
5. Devenons Demain I
6. Devenons Demain II
7. Solitude
8. Solarisation
9. La Chambre des Fées
10. Soleils Noirs pour Lune Blanche
11. La Mélodie de la Tête
12. Le Château Enchanté
13. Le Scarabée Bleu
14. Soleils Noirs pour Lune Blanche - Tango
15. Les Eaux Dormantes
16. Alpha du Centaure

Link.

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Lunatic Soul, Self-titled

Poland, 2008.

Lunatic Soul is the solo project of Mariusz Duda, released on October 13th, 2008. Unlike Riverside, Lunatic Soul contains no electric guitars at all and can be best described as a mix of ambient and progressive elements - Duda himself calls the sound “oriental-alternative”.

Playlist:

1. Prebirth
2. The New Beginning
3. Out On A Limb
4. Summerland
5. Lunatic Soul
6. Where The Darkness Is Deepest
7. Near Life Experience
8. Adrift
9. The Final Truth
10. Waiting For The Dawn

Link.

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We Made God, As We Sleep

Iceland, 2008.

For reasons I cannot comprehend, most reviews tend to describe We Made God as a mix of Sigur Rós and Deftones. This is, however, a promising experimental/post-rock/post-metal debut album.

Playlist:

1. Gizmo
2. Bathwater
3. Sub Rosa
4. Deir Yassin
5. Theory of Progress
6. The Color

Link.

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Grails, Red Light

US, 2004

Since everyone seems to be into Grails at the moment, here's their second album.

Playlist:

1 - Dargai
2 - The Volunteer
3 - Worksong
4 - High & Low
5 - Reprieve
6 - Redlight
7 - New Lystra
8 - Fevers
9 - Alms
10 - Word Made Flesh

Link.

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Amorphis, Silent Waters

Finland, 2007.

Amorphis started out as a straightforward death metal act. However, the band gradually developed other influences such as folk, prog and hard rock, adopting more complex arrangements and a less brutal sound. Noteworthy is their frequent use of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, as a source for their lyrics.

Playlist:

1. Weaving the Incantation
2. A Servant
3. Silent Waters
4. Towards and Against
5. I of Crimson Blood
6. Her Alone
7. Enigma
8. Shaman
9. The White Swan
10. Black River

Link.

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Akira Yamaoka, Silent Hill V: Homecoming Soundtrack

Japan, 2008

Another good leak from the best sound designer/composer I know. Yamaoka has been leading this kind of musical language for as the Silent Hill series has been around.
Always a "bit of himself" in the music, this release doesn't really appear as particularly striking. But even though Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's beautiful voice doesn't seem capable of raising the standard for this album, it's still pretty much worth mentioning.

Playlist:

1. One More Soul to The Call
2. Homecoming
3. Dead On Time
4. Cold Blood [Theme Of Josh]
5. Mellow
6. Old Friend [Theme Of Elle]
7. Witchcraft
8. Stillness in Shepherd's Glen
9. Soldier's Orders [Theme Of Alex]
10. Wandering
11. Shadows In Shepherd's Glen
12. Droning
13. Ghost town
14. Hotel
15. Whispers
16. Sepulcher
17. Not Going That Way
18. Assault On The Police Station
19. Sewers
20. Hell Descent
21. Scarlet
22. Journey To Silent Hill – Theme Of Elle Instrumental
23. Shores Of Silent Hill
24. Dark Times
25. The Prison
26. Somethings Out There
27. Asphyxia
28. The New Order
29. Breakthrough
30. Underground Dawn III
31. Amnion
32. The Sacred Line

Link.

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Grayceon, This Grand Show

U.S., 2008.

Grayceon pulls together an extremely diverse range of musical influences and writing styles to create a fresh sound that defies the boundaries of the metal/rock/progressive genres.

Playlist:

1. It Begins, And So It Ends
2. Still The Desert
3. Sleep
4. Love Is (A Dream)
5. This Grand Show Is Eternal

Link.

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Pineapple Thief, Tightly Unwound

UK, 2008

Tightly Unwound is the seventh studio album by The Pineapple Thief, which reached #3 in Prog Archives' Member's Albums of the Year chart.

Playlist:

1 - My Debt To You
2 - Shoot First
3 - Sinners
4 - The Sorry State
5 - Tightly Wound
6 - My Bleeding Hand
7 - Different World
8 - And So Say All Of You
9 - Too Much To Lose

Link.

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Matthew Robert Cooper, Miniatures

US, 2008

Matthew Robert Cooper is also known as Eluvium and makes beautiful guitar and piano-based ambient music. This is his first solo release, currently selling on vinyl on Gaarden Records.

Playlist:

1 - Miniature 1
2 - Miniature 2
3 - Miniature 3
4 - Miniature 4
5 - Miniature 5
6 - Miniature 6
7 - Miniature 7
8 - Miniature 8
9 - Miniature 9

Link.

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A Whisper In The Noise, Dry Land

U.S., 2007.

A Whisper in the Noise is the project of composer West Thordson, incorporating strings, piano, lush-toned electronics, and atmospheric singing. By turns pretty, melancholic, sad and charming, A Whisper in the Noise evokes a lullaby only half remembered, and the half remembered suggests a companion melody that (though unheard) is somehow unspeakably sad.

Playlist:

1. As We Were
2. Awaken To Winter
3. A New Dawn
4. This Time, It's
5. In Will
6. Sons
7. Armament
8. You, The Orphan
9. Beauty's Grace
10. Go Now
11. True Love Will Find You In The End

Link.

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The Ocean, Precambrian

Germany, 2007

The Ocean set an incredible standard on this album: its concept spans literally eons, but in metaphors which point to universal themes, and does so demonstrating musical diversity and versatility which is seldom seen in traditional metal-oriented collectives.


Playlist:

Disc 1: Hadean/Archaean
1 - Hadean
2 - Eoarchaean
3 - Paleoarchaean
4 - Mesoarchaean
5 - Neoarchaean

Disc 2: Proterozoic

1 - Siderian
2 - Rhyacian
3 - Orosirian
4 - Statherian
5 - Calymmian
6 - Ectasian
7 - Stenian
8 - Tonian
9 - Cryogenian

Link.

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God is an Astronaut, Self-titled

Ireland, 2008

One of my favourite post-rock bands return. This album has been around for about a week and has been removed from just about every file-sharing site I know of, so I don't expect it to be up for long. Enjoy and catch the band on tour if you can.


Playlist:

01 - Shadows
02 - Post Mortem
03 - Echoes
04 - Snowfall
05 - First Day of Sun
06 - No Return
07 - Zodiac
08 - Remaining Light
09 - Shores of Orion
10 - Loss

Link.

more...