Wednesday 27 January 2010

Apse, Climb Up

US, 2009.

Apse was formed in 1999 in Newtown, Connecticut as a three-piece while the members were still in high school. The group made purely instrumental dark ambient rock until about 2003, when reverberant lead vocals and a more dynamic atmosphere were added.

Playlist:

1. Blown Doors
2. 3.1
3. All Mine
4. Rook
5. In Gold
6. The Age
7. Tropica
8. The Whip
9. Lie
10. The Return
11. Climb Up
12. Closure

Link.

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Sunday 24 January 2010

Fabrizio de André, Tutti morimmo a stento




1968, Italy

This album is a late sixties classic. If you dig Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Jacques Brel, you should give Tutti Morimmo a Stento a listen. It is an authentic European/Italian folk masterpiece, believe me.


Playlist:

1 Cantico dei Drogati 7:06
2 Primo Intermezzo 1:57
3 Leggenda di Natale 3:14
4 Secondo Intermezzo 1:56
5 Ballata degli Impiccati 4:22
6 Inverno 4:10
7 Girotondo 3:06
8 Terzo Intermezzo 2:12
9 Recitativo 2:35
10 Corale (Leggenda del Re Infelice) 5:02

Link.

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Friday 22 January 2010

Rocket From The Tombs, The Day The Earth Met The Rocket From The Tombs




USA, 2002

Long time no see, guyze... So, here's something that you will never forget. This was the way I found to say I'm sorry.
Quoting my friend wikipedia: Heralded as an important protopunk group, they were little known during their lifetime, though various members later achieved renown in Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys. Billy Bob Hargus wrote, however, that "The sound of the Rockets is much more ferocious than Ubu or the Dead Boys."


Playlist:
1. Raw Power (1:53)
2. So Cold (5:55)

3. What Love Is (3:38)
4. Ain't It Fun (5:51)

5. Transfusion (7:44)
6. Life Stinks (3:24)
7. Muckraker (4:40)
8. 30 Seconds Over Tokyo (6:41)
9. Satisfaction (:19)
10. Sonic Reducer (4:25)
11. Never Gonna Kill Myself Again (2:06)
12. Final Solution RFTT (4:34)
13. Foggy Notion (4:53)
14. Amphetamine (5:27)
15. Read It & Weep (2:34)
16. Seventeen (3:53)
17. Frustration (2:13)
18. Down In Flames (1:40)
19. Search & Destroy (2:18)


Link.

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Sunday 17 January 2010

The Jelly Jam, 2


U.S., 2004

I'm too biased to talk about this one; so I agree with the last track.
(Neo-?)Progressive Rock of the likes and with members of King's X, Dixie Dregs and Dream Theater (while not on steroids). It's Platypus without Derek Sherinian: Ty Tabor, John Myung and Rod Morgenstein.
If not light-hearted, at least heart lightener.


Playlist:

1. Not Today
2. Coming Round
3. Empty
4. Drop The Gun
5. Allison
6. Maybe
7. She Was Alone
8. Angel Or Devil
9. You Don't Need Me Anymore
10. Runaway
11. War Is...
12. Message



Link.

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Saturday 16 January 2010

Bell Orchestre, As Seen Through Windows


Canada, 2008.

Bell Orchestre are a five-piece instrumental/post-rock band from Montreal, Canada. Since two of its members are also full-time musicians in Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre often share the same feeling and orchestration.

Playlist:

1. Stripes
2. Elephants
3. Icicles/Bicycles
4. Water/Light/Shifts
5. Bucephalus Bouncing Ball
6. As Seen Through Windows
7. The Gaze
8. Dark Lights
9. Air Lines/Land Lines

Link.

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Friday 15 January 2010

Ghost, Hypnotic Underworld


Japan, 2004

Don't know why I hadn't posted this earlier. A great album, – trippy and hovering, multicoloured – so a wonderful listen.
Ghost are a peculiar and dynamic ensemble that make up for good (& sometimes experimental) music, born of the early interest for psychedelic rock – such as Pink Floyd or Taj Mahal Travellers — of Kyoto's Masaki Batoh.


Playlist:

1. Hypnotic Underworld: God Took A Picture Of His Illness On This Ground
2. Hypnotic Underworld: Escaped and Lost Down In Medina
3. Hypnotic Underworld: Aramaic Barbarous Dawn
4. Hypnotic Underworld: Leave The World!
5. Hazy Paradise
6. Kiseichukan Nite
7. Piper
8. Ganagmanag
9. Feed
10. Holy High
11. Dominoes/Celebration For The Gray Days


Link.

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Thursday 14 January 2010

Philip Glass, Powaqqatsi


U.S., 1988

More ethnic and incisive than its predecessor Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi is Hopi for "parasitic way of life" or "life in transition". And once again I recommend watching the documentary itself, of course.
Powaqqatsi is an orchestral piece composed siamese to the motion picture by Godfrey Reggio, and is performed by over 90 musicians and singers which include a Hispanic children's choir.


Playlist:
1. Serra Pelada
2. The Title
3. Anthem – Part 1
4. That Place
5. Anthem – Part 2
6. Mosque And Temple
7. Anthem – Part 3
8. Train to São Paulo
9. Video Dream
10. New Cities In Ancient Lands, China
11. New Cities In Ancient Lands, Africa
12. New Cities In Ancient Lands, India
13. The Unutterable
14. CAUGHT!
15. Mr. Suso #1
16. From Egypt
17. Mr. Suso #2 with Reflection
18. Powaqqatsi


Link.

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Wednesday 13 January 2010

Stroszek, Songs of Remorse


Italy, 2007.

Stroszek is the acoustic project from Frostmoon Eclipse guitarist Claudio Alcara, playing music in an acoustic/folk-metal vein. "Songs Of Remorse" is built upon carefully strummed minor-key acoustic guitars, deliberate yet restrained piano lines, bursts of textured heaviness and deep, lush, cleanly-sung vocals that relay a sense of dread beneath the surface.

Playlist:

1. A Nightwalk In Partille
2. Color Of The Street
3. The Night Porter
4. The House Told Me
5. Stones In My Throat
6. The Railroad Track
7. Not Even The Half
8. Slow Sleep
9. Was It Worth The Wait?
10. Wheels To Rust
11. Sand

Link.

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Tuesday 12 January 2010

Nine Horses, Snow Borne Sorrow


U.K., 2005

It was five years ago. The year of Deadwing was a kind year for me; started off heart-broken and shut with some nice memories.
Nine Horses is a project of David Sylvian, Steve Jansen and Burnt Friedman; and it's way soothing.
Time to grab the mugful of tea and start nostalgia.


Playlist:

1. Wonderful World
2. Darkest Birds
3. The Banality Of Evil
4. Atom and Cell
5. A History Of Holes
6. Snow Borne Sorrow
7. The Day the Earth Stole Heaven
8. Serotonin
9. The Librarian


Link.

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Wednesday 6 January 2010

Ephrat, No Ones Words


Israel, 2008.

Pretty awesome stuff. Heavy progressive rock from Israel, Ephrat's debut album noticeably includes the collaboration of Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation) and Petronella Nettermalm (Paatos), being also mixed and mastered by Steven Wilson himself.

Playlist:

1. The Show
2. Haze
3. Better Than Anything
4. Blocked
5. The Sum of Damage Done
6. Real

Link.

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Monday 4 January 2010

sgt., Capital of Gravity


Japan, 2009

Yet another beautiful and time overexposed to flickering city lights album by the japanese band. It's both soft and hard-assed, and did you know there's a cute girl on this band too?

A good album to spend a rainy, heavily cloudy afternoon like this one strolling around the streets of Lisbon.


Playlist:

1. Kalliope
2. Apollo Program
3. Tears of na-ga
4. Ant's planet
5. Epsilon
6. 銀河の車窓から -reprise- [Tyme. Remix]


Link.

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Sula Bassana, The Night


Germany, 2009.

Sula Bassana is the alias for the talented musician Dave Schmidt. Being master of several instruments he's able to retrospect to a lot of collaborations composing and performing his music. The Night is his latest work, an amazing fusion of spacy, trippy, psychedelic and Krautrock inspired prog.

Playlist:

1. In Space
2. Lost In Space
3. The Night
4. Meteorritt
5. Kosmokrator

Link.

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Sunday 3 January 2010

The Flaming Lips, Embryonic


US, 2009.

Embryonic is the twelfth studio album by experimental rock band The Flaming Lips released on October 13, 2009.

Playlist:

1. Convinced Of The Hex
2. The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine
3. Evil
4. Aquarius Sabotage
5. See The Leaves
6. If
7. Gemini Syringes
8. Your Bats
9. Powerless
10. The Ego's Last Stand
11. I Can Be A Frog
12. Sagittarius Silver Announcement
13. Worm Mountain
14. Scorpio Sword
15. The Impulse
16. Silver Trembling Hands
17. Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast
18. Watching The Planets

Link.

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Saturday 2 January 2010

Blueneck, The Fallen Host


England, 2009.

Following Scars Of The Midwest, Blueneck's second full-length album is a true atmospheric post-rock masterpiece, even more intense than its predecessor. Absolutely recommended.

Playlist:

1. (Depart From Me, You Who Are Cursed)
2. Seven
3. Low
4. The Guest
5. Children Of Ammon
6. Weaving Spiders Come Not Here
7. Lilitu
8. Revelations

Link.

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