Miracle, Fluid Window

US, 2011.

Steve Moore (Zombi, Earth, Titan, Gianni Rossi, Lovelock) + Daniel O'Sullivan (Sunn O))), Guapo, Æthenor, Ulver, Mothlite, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses) = Miracle.

Playlist:

1. The Visitor
2. Sunshine Hall
3. Wild Nights
4. Sunstar
5. Breathe

Link.

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Valgeir Sigurðsson, Ekvílibríum

Iceland, 2007.

Valgeir Sigurðsson is an Icelandic record producer, mixer, composer, engineer and musician. Ekvílibríum is his debut album released in 2007. Notable appearances on the album include Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Dawn McCarthy, who contribute vocals, along with Nico Muhly, who appears in half of the tracks playing different keyboard instruments. Drummer Samuli Kosminen from fellow Icelandic band múm also makes a guest appearance.

Playlist:

1. A Symetry
2. Evolution of Waters
3. Focal Point
4. Baby Architect
5. After Four
6. Winter Sleep
7. Equilibrium Is Restored
8. Before Nine
9. Kin
10. Lungs, for Merrilee

Link.

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Grouper, Hold.Sick

US, 2010

Grouper is the solo project of Liz Harris. Throught the years, Liz released 3 full-lenght and a vast number of splits, ep´s, 7" and 12" under the moniker of Grouper.

"Hold.Sick" is her latest 7" and it continues and expands the usual Grouper sound, ambient wrapped within thick layers of gently strummed guitar reverb, hush vocals and a deeply profound and dreamy atmosphere that is constantly on the verge of falling into a nightmare.

OH, the guitar tone on the track "Hold" is simply beautiful *.* .

Playlist:

1. Hold

2. Sick

Link.

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Hammock, Chasing After Shadows... Living With The Ghosts

US, 2010.

Hammock is the ambient/post-rock project of composers Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson. Their latest work, Chasing After Shadows…Living with the Ghosts was released in May 2010. A majority of Hammock’s music is ambient instrumental, save for a few tracks that feature haunting ethereal vocals. Hammock is all about the guitars—the band’s sound is “sleepier” than the brash, often obvious crescendos of their post-rocker cousins, reminiscent of 80’s Brian Eno.

Playlist:

1. The Backward Step
2. Tristia
3. Little Fly/Mouchette
4. Breathturn
5. In the Nothing of a Night
6. Andalusia
7. The Whole Catastrophe
8. The World We Knew As Children
9. Dust Is the Devil's Snow
10. How Can I Make You Remember Me?
11. You Lost the Starlight in Your Eyes
12. Something Other Than Remaining

Link.

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Bo Becker, Of Vistula

US, 2010.

I don't know much about Bo Becker, but fans of Eluvium and Jacaszek will surely enjoy this album.

Playlist:


1. Morning
2. Pylon
3. Dream of the Red Chamber
4. Ikon
5. Of Vistula
6. In Human Endeavors
7. Fourth of July
8. The Power of Atom

Link.

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Mono & World's End Girlfriend, Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain

Japan, 2006.

A collaboration between instrumental post-rock band Mono and fellow Tokyo native and modern electronic composer World’s End Girlfriend

In 2006 they released Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain, a five-part sojourn of neoclassical grace and luminescence that defies lazy categorization. As dark as the bottom of the ocean and nearly as otherworldly, “Palmless” finds Mono inhabiting a magical world previously only hinted at in their most orchestral compositions.

Playlist:

1. [untitled 1]
2. [untitled 2]
3. [untitled 3]
4. [untitled 4]
5. [untitled 5]

Link.

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When The Clouds, The Longed-For Season

Italy, 2009.

When the Clouds is the recording project of artist and producer Francesco Galano. In 2007 he began working on several songs blending electronic elements with acoustic instruments creating a sound with extraordinary emotional impact. The songs are characterised by the use of acoustic instruments such as rhodes piano guitar, bass guitar, strings, mellotron, glockespiel and diamonic fluctuating along with a complicated structure of concrete sounds, glitch and noises that make up the rhythmic/percussive structure of the music. In 2009 he signed a deal with Drifting Falling for his debut EP “The Longed-For Season” a six track tapestry that reveals more and more of itself with each listen. Equal parts restraint, masterfully crafted tension and euphoric release that will leave listeners lost in thought.

Playlist:

1. The Dawn and the Embrace
2. Rise On
3. Flooding River
4. November Song
5. The Place Where This Path Leads
6. The House of Sleep

Link.

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French Teen Idol, Enlightened False Consciousness

Italy, 2007.

French Teen Idol is an instrumental solo-project run by the Roman artist Andrea Di Carlo. An elegant mix of post-rock and electronic influences, French Teen Idol’s music provides the listener with cinematic landscapes, dramatic crescendos and striking vocal samples.

Playlist:

1. The Following Takes Place Between 0’00” And 57’30”
2. The Longest Night
3. Memento
4. Departure
5. The Fleeting Beauty Of A Butterfly
6. Compromise Your (He)Art
7. Ode To A Departing Friend
8. Enlightened False Consciousness
9. Stay
10. Rebirth

Link.

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Message To Bears, Departures

England, 2009.

Message To Bears is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist Jerome Alexander. Alexander creates beautiful soundscapes by overlaying acoustic guitar lines, piano, percussion, samples and strings.

Playlist:

1. Running Through Woodland
2. Hidden Beneath
3. Pretend To Forget
4. Hope
5. Autumn
6. At The Top Of This Hill
7. November
8. Snowdonia
9. Find Our Way Home
10. Lost Birds

Link.

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Arms And Sleepers, Matador

US, 2009.

Arms and Sleepers is Max Lewis (Boston, MA) and Mirza Ramic (Portland, ME). The band was formed in 2006 and has since released a handful of albums and EPs. Their style blends trip-hop, ambient, electronica and post-rock. It's exquisite.

Playlist:

1. Orly
2. Matador
3. The Architekt
4. Twentynine Palms
5. Helvetica
6. The International
7. Simone
8. Kino
9. Words Are For Sleeping
10. The Paramour

Link.

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Slow Six, Tomorrow Becomes You

US, 2010.

"Put this collective in the “rock” bin only because rock fans are so likely to like them. For while many Brooklyn bands bandy about the term “experimental,” Slow Six makes it meaningful with piercing string snippets, haunted motifs, and glassy—or is it Glass-y?—synths.

Call them post rock, call them chamber music, call them experimental neo-classical. No matter what you choose, understand that broad genre descriptors do little to describe the striking compositions of Brooklyn collective Slow Six."

Playlist:

1. The Night You Left New York
2. Cloud Cover (Part One)
3. Cloud Cover (Part Two)
4. Because Together We Resonate
5. Sympathetic Response System (Part One)
6. Sympathetic Response System (Part Two)
7. These Rivers Between Us

Link.

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David Beans, The Loss And Recovery E.P.

US, 2008.

David Beans is a twenty-four year old writer, composer and producer of music. Influenced by various acts including Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Album Leaf, The Notwist among others, and composers such as Max Richter, Clint Mansell and Philip Glass, his music attempts to combine the emotion of ambience with classical structures allowed with modern technology.

Playlist:

1. Preface
2. Dream
3. Peaks
4. Father
5. Children
6. Remorse, Meet Recovery.

Link.

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Les Discrets, Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées

France, 2010.

Les Discrets is a French metal/shoegaze/post-rock/acoustic project. It is the sole musical creation of Fursy Teyssier, a former member of Amesoeurs and an illustrator for bands such as Alcest, Amesoeurs, Arctic Plateau, Agalloch, Neun Welten and The American Dollar.

Les Discrets is the musical approach of Fursy Teyssier’s artistic research. Originally an animated film director, Fursy tends to evoke the same in both music and animation/illustration: contemplative and esoteric atmospheres, feelings, fears and sensations related to our life and world. His paintings, music or lyrics are mostly about Nature, the feeling of Love and his fear of Death.

This is Les Discrets' debut album and it's absolutely amazing.


Playlist:

1. L'Envol des Corbeaux
2. L'Échappée
3. Les Feuilles de l'Olivier
4. Song for Mountains
5. Sur les Quais
6. Effet de Nuit
7. Septembre et ses Dernières Pensées
8. Chanson d'Automne
9. Svipdagr & Freyja
10. Une Matinée d'Hiver

Link.

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Alcest, Écailles de Lune

France, 2010.

"Stylistically, Neige reverts to the sound of Black Metal that once shaped him: a picture of heart-rending, otherworldly screams, collages filled with passion and sadness, and the characteristic clean vocals. These mellow and ageless voices manage to weave a shroud of sorrow around the album. "Écailles de Lune" is like a dream, a manifesto of transience and human inferiority. For all the changes, Neige has kept all of his trademarks: calm passages, massive slabs of guitars, catchy melodies, and hook-lines going straight to the heart – all this once more delivers a convincing articulation of ALCEST's unique style."

To be honest, this album pales in comparison to "Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde". Whilst it still has some very good songs, it didn't really astonish me.

Playlist:

1. Écailles de Lune (Part I)
2. Écailles de Lune (Part II)
3. Percées de Lumière
4. Abysses
5. Solar Song
6. Sur l'Océan Couleur de Fer

Link.

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Esmerine, If Only A Sweet Surrender To The Nights To Come Be True

Canada, 2003.

Esmerine is an experimental instrumental group started in 2003 by Bruce Cawdron and Beckie Foon, who have contributed to other Montreal-based bands as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Set Fire to Flames, and A Silver Mt. Zion.

Esmerine’s music consists mainly of percussion, cello, and marimba, lacking the guitars present in other Godspeed side-projects. Esmerine’s style shares many characteristics with minimalist classical music, and chamber music.

Playlist:

1. Red Fire Alarm
2. And They Left No Footprints In The Dust Behind Them
3. Nohna's Lullaby
4. Where There Is No Love There Is No Justice
5. Tungsten
6. The White Blazing Star
7. Luna Park
8. The Marvellous Engines Of Resistance

Link.

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Bersarin Quartett, Self-titled

Germany, 2006.

Bersarin Quartett is one man project from Münster, Germany founded by Thomas B. in 2006. Self-titled debut album was released February 2008 on Lidar Records. B. blends dark electronics with beautiful instrumental melodies, creating a cinematic atmosphere.

Playlist:

1. Oktober
2. Geschichten von Interesse
3. Inversion
4. St. Petersburg
5. Und die Welt steht still
6. Die Dinge sind nie so wie sie sind
7. Nachtblind
8. Es kann nicht ewig Winter sein
9. Endlich am Ziel
10. Mehr als alles andere

Link.

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Worrytrain, Fog Dance, My Moth Kingdom

US, 2007.

A fusion of neoclassical music and electronic noise by Joshua Neil Geissler. Over the last five years Worrytrain, living outside of Chicago, has quietly surfaced. From tapping cinematic and experimental fields, to blending genres such as modern classical and noise. The instruments most often heard are mandolin, piano and cello making melodies that are often gentle yet violent.

Fans of Rudi Arapahoe and Rafael Anton Irisarri will like this.

Playlist:

1. Prelude for Piano and Malaria
2. Celestial Police
3. For Auschwitz
4. Thundertrance Interlude
5. Achtung, God
6. Hospitalized
7. Soviet Passages
8. White Phosphorus Angels
9. The Moth Screamed Harvest
10. Saturniidae
11. Cambodia (piano duet)
12. Exorcism for Cello and Malaria
13. The Trenches Choir
14. Ode to Faithful Kataklysm
15. End Theme

Link.

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Kwoon, Tales & Dreams

France, 2006.

Kwoon is a small post-rock/ambient/atmospheric/shoegaze band of seven members from France. This album captures their beautiful sound, very reminiscent of Gregor Samsa.

Playlist:

1. Intro
2. I Lived on the Moon
3. Blue Melody
4. The Beast
5. Eternal Jellyfish Ballet
6. Last Sundown
7. Tinklëh
8. Tinklëh Skofa
9. The Door
10. Kwoon

Link.

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Seven Saturdays, Self-titled

US, 2010.

"Seven Saturdays tries to hide behind the label “minimalist,” but my experience was quite the opposite. Native Angeleno Jonathan D. Haskell has found a way to effect the sensation of being temporally somewhere between Scotland and his homeland. The juxtaposition between the cobblestone of the old country and the winding of Mulholland Drive creates a viable soundtrack for any cinematic experience, including the following suggestions: a pleasant wake ‘n’ bake sesh, a great day of surfing (in slow motion), driving through a snowstorm, or coming down off acid during twilight. It’s a big, orchestral sound with a cast of musicians who’ve worked with the likes of Bowie and the Pretenders, yet it’s as personable as a warm fuzzy, reminding me of an orchestral Mogwai (also from Scotland) but with less guitar distortion and more lush keyboards. This self-titled record does have one problem—it’s not minimal, but at only five tracks, it’s kind of a tease."

Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Kind of reminds me of Mono at times. I truly recommend it.

Playlist:

1. The Shallow End
2. Secret Things
3. Good Morning, I Love You
4. Love In The Time Of Anticipated Defeat
5. A Beautiful Day

Link.

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Bosques De Mi Mente, Inocencia

Spain, 2009.

"Inocencia (Innocence) is my fourth studio album, a conceptual set of pieces intended to be listened as a whole. The concept is both musical and philosophical and is inspired by a specific book (I hope you can guess which one). For this release, I have decided to get away a bit from the minimalism of my previous releases and play more with post-romantic compositions, electronic, circuit-bending, noise and even some IDM. I think this is the most uplifting and cheerful release I have done so far, thanks in part to my situation while I composed the album, definitely better than by the time of “Ruido Blanco”."

Playlist:

1. Es un sombrero
2. Dibujame un cordero
3. Caido del cielo
4. No se ver corderos a Través de Cajas, Habré Envejecidot
5. Semillas de Baobab
6. La suavidad de la Puesta de Sol
7. En alguna parte
8. Los tigres no comen hierba
9. Pero ella no le contesto
10. Todos los hombres son subditos
11. Golpea tus manos una contra otra
12. Botellas vacias, botel
13. 501,622,731 Estrellas
14. Una vuelta por minuto
15. Yo soy geografo dijo el señor viejo
16. El septimo planeta fue, pues, la tierra
17. Delgado como un dedo
18. Los hombres no tienen
19. Estoy solo, respondio el eco
20. Y, tendido en la hierba, lloro
21. No hay nada perfecto
22. Solo los niños saben lo que buscan
23. Andaria despacito hacia una fuente
24. Lo mas importante es invisible
25. Los ojos estan ciegos
26. Tu tendras estrellas que saben reir
27. Mirad al cielo, preguntaos...

Link.

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