Hildur Guðnadóttir, Without Sinking

Iceland, 2009.

Hildur Guðnadóttir is a classically-trained cellist and composer, best known for her collaborations with múm and Throbbing Gristle. Without Sinking consists of minimal, instrumental compositions for strings of infinite beauty.

Playlist:

1. Elevation
2. Overcast
3. Erupting Light
4. Circular
5. Ascent
6. Opaque
7. Aether
8. Whiten
9. Into Warmer Air
10. Unveiled

Link.

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Sylvain Chauveau, Le Livre Noir du Capitalisme

France, 2000.

Minimal, melodic compositions for piano, strings and winds are paired with discreet electronic elements and silence as a musical element in itself. Very calm and very beautiful.

Playlist:

1. Et Peu À Peu Les Flots Respiraient Comme On Pleure
2. JLG
3. Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.
4. Le Marin Rejeté Par La Mer
5. Dernière Étape Avant Le Silence
6. Dialogues Avec Le Vent
7. Ses Mains Tremblent Encore
8. Ma Contribution à l'Industrie Phonographique
9. Géographie Intime
10. Je Suis Vivant Et Vous Êtes Morts
11. Mon Royaume
12. Potlatch (1971-1999)
13. Un Souffle Remua La Nuit


Link.

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Kashiwa Daisuke, 5 Dec.

Japan, 2009

**Updated Link**

Composer and guitarist of post-rock band yodaka in 2001. Being inspired by the band’s psychedelic sound due to a post-rock approach, and by Maurizio Bianchi, he started a solo project in 2004.

"In this album, Daisuke makes yet another step into a new horizon. The artist’s signature melody with its flowing, oriental taste hides behind the shadows to be replaced by tearing voice samples and noisy and metallic guitar sounds thrashing almost violently on top of colorful uplifting beats such as break core, down tempo, bleep techno, and drum n’ bass. In contrast to the aggressive sounds of the first half, the second part of the album starting with the 6th track, “Silver Moon” guides audiences to a minimal world created through electronic sounds and the piano. As a whole, the album portrays a brilliant contrast of sound. The melody of this album does not impose sentimentalism or nostalgia onto its listeners but rather, it takes them on a journey into rhythm from beginning to end. Even amidst the violent and excessive elements, there is always a composed eye seeing into the passion that lies beneath, there is a self-disciplined, strict interpretation of the world, a sublime and metallic texture."

This post is about the electronic version of Post-Rock music, it's highly recommended to give it a shot.


Playlist:
1. Red Moon
2. Requiem
3. Bogus Music
4. Taurus Prelude
5. Black Lie, White Lie
6. Silver Moon
7. Broken Device
8. About Moonlight
9. Aqua Regia
10. Beautiful Sunday

Link.

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Fuck Buttons, Tarot Sport

England, 2009.

The follow-up album by two-piece experimental group from Bristol. Electronic meets post-rock, Tarot Sport can only be described as the joyous album of the year.

Playlist:

1. Surf Solar
2. Rough Steez
3. The Lisbon Maru
4. Olympians
5. Phantom Limb
6. Space Mountain
7. Flight Of The Feathered Serpent

Link.

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Precious Fathers, Alluvial Fan

Canada, 2009.

Vancouver-based instrumental post-rock shoegazer ensemble. Alluvial Fan is the band's second album, released in June this year.

Playlist:

1. Swells
2. 100% Pure Rock Fibres
3. This Is Bolton
4. Pock Lips
5. Sylvan Court
6. Brad Quinn, Medicine Man
7. Alluvial Fan=Bone

Link.

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Steve Jansen, Slope

U.K., 2007

Okay. It's not exactly usual that an overall electronica album, for the sake of this shall we call it that, – and an excellently crafted at that one – surprises me anymore.

This album is beautiful. Shortage of words is a symptom: it is a calm album, but won't send you irritatingly zen all over the place; might reminisce of Chroma Key and the sorts but not as much cerebral, will simultaneously creep you out and delightfully craft a web around you when Anja starts singing Cancelled Pieces; will resonate, and not tire you out, let the acoustic and semi-philharmonic environment of Ballad of a Deadman speak for itself. From the glitchy opener Grip, to the reprise of Playground Martyrs... and it sounds like I'm trying to sell the album.
Bless you, I'll restrain from picking favorites.

Brief background; Jansen was the drummer for extinct 70s act Japan and a frequent collaborator with his brother David Sylvian (also present on the album) and Porcupine Tree's Richard Barbieri, and has truly surprised me in a great way.

Aside the fact that the exploitedness of electronic music has tired our sensitive ears to voluntary deafness, grab this piece of waveform gold and let Steve Jansen along his panoply of overly talented guests and friends soothe you for a while.


Playlist:

1. Grip
2. Sleepyard (featuring Tim Elsenburg)
3. Cancelled Pieces (featuring Anja Garbarek)
4. December Train
5. Sow The Salt (featuring Thomas Feiner)
6. Gap Of Cloud
7. Playground Martyrs (featuring David Sylvian)
8. A Way Of Disappearing
9. Ballad Of A Deadman (featuring Joan Wasser and David Sylvian)
10. Conversation Over
11. Life Moves On
12. Playground Martyrs (Reprise) (featuring Nina Kinert)

Link.

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Logh, North

Sweden, 2007.

Indie/post-rock band formed in 1998 in Lund, Sweden. Their music is a subtle mix of post-rock with elements of indie rock and shoegaze.

Playlist:

1. Saturday Nightmares
2. Weather Island
3. The Invitation
4. All The Trees
5. Death To My Hometown
6. The Black Box
7. Forest Eyes
8. Thieves In The Palace
9. Sometimes
10. A New Hope
11. Little Song From Another Place

Link.

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Angel'in Heavy Syrup, III

Japan, 1995.

One of the more unique and melodic bands to arise from Japan’s famous experimental rock scene, this all-female quartet produces a drawn-out, retro psychedelic style.

Playlist:

1. Breath of Life
2. Flower and Dream
3. Thirsty Land
4. Bokudake - ga
5. Water Mind
6. Introduction I - Naked Sky High

Link.

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The Hylozoists, L'Île De Sept Villes

Canada, 2009.

Canadian instrumental rock supergroup conceived by producer Paul Aucoin in 2001. The Hylozoists combine a wonderful application of classical instrumentation (vibes, glockenspiel, organ, violin, viola) with electronic melodies and the lightheartedness of a feature film's soundtrack.

Playlist:

1. The Possibility Of An Island
2. Bras d'Or Lakes
3. The Island Of Seven Cities (FSR)
4. Bubbles&Wheezy
5. Dark Scene Waltz
6. Your Band Doesn't Have The Legs I Thought It Would
7. Parents Don't Let Your Children Grow Up To Be Compressed
8. The French Settle In
9. Acadia Acadia
10. Soixante-Sept

Link.

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Nosound, Lightdark

Italy, 2008.

Amazing progressive rock band from Italy, influenced by Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree and No-Man. Lightdark, Nosound's second official album, released in February 2008, features collaborations with singer Tim Bowness (No-Man) and Marianne DeChastelaine on cello.

Playlist:

1. About Butterflies and Children
2. Places Remained
3. The Misplay
4. From Silence to Noise
5. Someone Starts to Fade Away
6. Kites
7. Lightdark

Link.

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King's X, Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous

U.S.A., 2000

Felt like expressing a bit of the addiction to King's X music. The aforementioned album will resemble bands like Platypus or Jelly Jam, mainly because Ty Tabor is the guitar player in all of them.
This american power-trio surely have better albums and a long discography to pick from, but I'm fond of Mr. Bulbous; it is a homecoming album – after efforts on their solo releases – with aggressive overtones but always that warm and cozy sound.
Try it out, and let them take your brother to the zoo and a marshmellow field.


Playlist:

1. Fish Bowl Man
2. Julia
3. She's Gone Away
4. Marsh Mellow Field
5. When You're Scared
6. Charlie Sheen
7. Smudge
8. Bitter Sweet
9. Move Me
10. Move Me (Part Two)


Link.

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The Electric Prunes, Self-titled

US, 1967.

Psychedelic rock from Los Angeles, California. Made a huge success with the single "I had too much to dream (last night)". Its bassist, Mark Tulin, served as the bassist for Billy Corgan's Spirits in the Sky. Personally I found this album perfect. It's a must have.

Playlist:

1. "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" (Mantz, Tucker) – 2:55
2. "Bangles" (Walsh) – 2:27
3. "Onie" (Mantz, Tucker) – 2:43
4. "Are You Lovin' Me More (But Enjoying It Less)" (Mantz, Tucker) – 2:21
5. "Train for Tomorrow" (Lowe, Ritter, Spagnola, Tulin, Williams) – 3:00
6. "Sold to the Highest Bidder" (Mantz, Tucker) – 2:16
7. "Get Me to the World on Time" (Mantz, Tucker) – 2:30
8. "About a Quarter to Nine" (Dubin, Warren) – 2:07
9. "The King Is in the Counting House" (Mantz, Tucker) – 2:00
10. "Luvin'" (Lowe, Tulin) – 2:03
11. "Try Me on for Size" (Jones, Tucker) – 2:19
12. "The Toonerville Trolley" (Mantz, Tucker) – 2:34
13. "Ain't it hard" (Bonus track) - 2:14
14. "Little Oliver" (Bonus track) - 2:40


Link.

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