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.

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Grails, The Burden of Hope

U.S., 2007.

Yet another great post-rock band from the states. Initially called ‘Laurel Canyon’, they formed to play one show on a whim. In 2003, they changed the name to Grails, just before the release of their first full-length album. They adopted a louder, more aggressive style, often switching instruments with each member writing songs that saw them branching out to increasingly disparate styles.

Playlist:

1. Burden of Hope
2. Lord I Hate Your Day
3. The Deed
4. In the Beginning
5. Invocation
6. Space Prophet Dogon
7. The March
8. Broken Ballad
9. White Flag
10. Canyon Hymn

Link.

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Espers, II

U.S., 2006.

Espers is a neo-psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia. Their music is reminiscent of late-sixties british folk such as that of Fairport Convention, The Pentangle and The Incredible String Band. Very calm but incredibly beautiful.

Playlist:

1. Dead Queen
2. Window's Weed
3. Cruel Storm
4. Children of Stone
5. Mansfield and Cyclops
6. Dead King
7. Moon Occults The Sun

Link.

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Dungen, 4

Sweden, 2008.

Dungen are a Swedish rock band based in Stockholm. Often classified as psychedelic rock, Dungen are also influenced by Swedish (and other) folk music, classic rock, progressive rock and indie rock.

Playlist:

1. Satt Att Se
2. Maleras Finest
3. Det Tar Tid
4. Samtidigt 1
5. Ingenting Ar Sig Likt
6. Fredag
7. Finns Det Nagon Mojlighet
8. Mina Damer Och Fasaner
9. Samtidigt 2
10. Bandhagen

Link.

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Crippled Black Phoenix, A Love of Shared Disasters

UK, 2007

Justin Greaves (Electric Wizard, Iron Monkey, Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine), encouraged by good friend Dominic Aitchison (Mogwai), started recording songs he had in his head, creating the basis for the stunning post-rock sound of Crippled Black Phoenix. To complete the line-up, Andy Semmens (Esoteric, Ereipia), Kostas Panagiotou (Pantheist, Wijlen Wij), Nial McGaughey (16, 3D House of Beef), Joe Volk (Gonga), amongst others, have joined them. Not only are the songs extremely well polished, the vocals are also perfect. As a matter of fact, if you visit Joe's space and listen to his solo work, you might fall in love.


Playlist:

1 - The Lament of the Nithered Mercenary
2 - Really, How'd It Get This Way?
3 - The Whistler
4 - Suppose I Told the Truth
5 - When You're Gone
6 - Long Cold Summer
7 - Goodnight, Europe
8 - You Take the Devil Out of Me
9 - The Northern Cobbler
10 - My Enemies I Fear Not, But Protect Me From My Friends
11 - I'm Almost Home


Link.

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Cult of Luna, Somewhere Along the Highway

Sweden, 2006

Cult of Luna's fourth release. The band decided to hide from civilization and focus on male loneliness for the writing of this album, instead of dealing with the usual macroscopic concerns.

Playlist:

01 - Marching to the Heartbeats
02 - Finland
03 - Back to Chapel Town
04 - And With Her Came the Birds
05 - Thirtyfour
06 - Dim
07 - Dark City, Dead Man

Link.

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