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The Album
Leaf
A Lily
Anja Garbarek
Antena
Arovane
Apparat
Autechre
B. Fleischmann
Bang Gang
Bark Psychosis
Blindfold
Bowery Electric
The Blue Nile
Boards of Canada
Broadcast
Caroline Lavelle
Calexio/Iron & Wine
cEvin Key
Chris Herbert
Client
Cranes
Cranes
Curium
Devotchka
Devics
Disinterested
Efterklang
Elysian Fields
Fennesz
Film School
Fovea Hex
Geniuser
Gridlock
Halloween, Alaska
Halou
Harold Budd +
Robin Guthrie
John Foxx/Harold Budd
Helios
Invisible Ballet
Isan
Isan
In Gowan Ring
Johann Johannsson
Julien Neto
July Skies
July Skies
Junior Boys
The Knife
Kuchen Meets Mapstation
The Late Cord
Low
M83
Manual
Manual
Marconi Union
Marsen Jules
Mark Hollis
Mark Lanegan
Milosh
Moose
Mount Sims
Murcof
The Necks
Nine Horses
No-Man
No-Man
Notwist
Oil 10
Park Avenue Music
Phelan Sheppard
Piano Magic
Piano Magic
Pieter Nooten
Populous
Psapp
R/R Coseboom
Red Sparowes
Robin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie
Romulo Froes
Sadovaja
Sigur Ros
Slowdive
Steindor Andersen
& Sigur Ros
Styrofoam
Sufjan Stevens
Susana & The Magical Orchestra
Susumu Yokota
& Rothko
Sybarite
Talk Talk
Thom Yorke
Tim Hecker
Tram
The Whitest Boy Alive
Worm Is Green
Xela
Yasume |
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The Album Leaf
In a Safe Place
At times, this album just really helps, morning, day or night. Mostly when working.
Just a simple, lovely, mellow album. The fact that there are no vocals, really
is key. Just don't imagine 70's TV shows and you will love it as much as I do. -MERKUR3 |
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a
lily | 2006
wake:sleep
A stunning album. Light, dense, organic and so full of love, it's contagious.
The first half of the album is like morning pieces -light streaming in
through the windows, waking you up with clicks, whirs, and glorious melodies.
While the second half of the album are like time shifts, so long and pure
and comforting me to sleep. James Vella has a knack for these organic textures,
regardless of instrumentation, and the melodies woven throughout stick
in my mind for days. If you want some warmth and love in your life, then
by all means pick this one up. -MERKUR3 |
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Anja Garbarek
Smiling and Waving
So, she has 3 albums now and all are quite stunning, but this one is the most
interesting. What a magnificent combination of inventiveness and candor. It is
very complex, but comes off feeling very simple. It doesn't come off as trying
too hard, and that humility is what makes this album superb. -MERKUR3 |
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Antena | Numero ,
2005
Camino
Del Sol | listen |
Antena have been likened to Kraftwerk backing Brazilian chanteuse Astrud
Gilberto. Warm analog synths wash across simple Latin-flavored drum-machine
syncopations while understated female vocals float in and out of harpsichord
filigrees. Noir-ish production values add a Martin Hannet-type feel
to the recordings. Beautiful moments like the title track evoke warm, fuzzy
memories of perfect vacations, beaches, and sunsets. This French trio
was formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1983. The collection contains the re-mastered
version of their self-produced LP, an EP, and a few odd singles. Quiet
yet groundbreaking, the work was originally released on the Belgian label
Les Disques Du Crepuscule which later joined with Factory Records
to form the Factory Benelux imprint. During their brief existence, the
band never attracted their due attention and before this 2005 release,
they seemed destined to remain a musical footnote. Recorded over twenty
years ago, the album still sounds current, vital, and hip. You can
hear echoes of Antena's influence in the work of Stereolab, Bebel Gilberto,
and Beck. If you enjoy this, also check out Isabelle Antenna's beautiful
solo works.. Marmelzod |
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Arovane
Lilies
Influenced by a trip to Japan, this sweet album
doesn't disappoint. It's like a gentler, kinder
version of Haujobb. Great music to drive through
new cities with. Light yet dense, well-crafted
electronic wanderings. Really
quite perfect. -MERKUR3 |
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Apparat |
2003
Duplex
Even though this is a couple of years old, it still seems ahead of it's
time. Duplex is an album that reeks of many long late-night/morning edits,
yet still somehow contains a great amount of heart. Mostly light and detailed
instrumentals, the few tracks with vocals 'Wooden', and 'Contradiction'
seem to balance out the epic graciousness of the album. fans of Yasume
and Isan will certainly appreciate this, if they don't already have it!. -MERKUR3 |
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Autechre
Amber
As time goes on, the
further out they get, and I give them credit for
that. But I really just love Amber. It's beautiful,
timeless, clean, organic and modern. Dark, yes,
but only just. It's a toss up on which is better
between this and Incunabula. -MERKUR3 |
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B. Fleischmann
Humbucking Coil
Jeez, this album is excellent. Just what I needed, actually. A step further than
his previous albums which were fun but a little too sketch-like for me to love.
But this one has just a perfect mix of simple electric bass and guitar and his
usual wizardry at catchy, electronic goodness. Sounding playful without getting
dippy is a very hard thing to do. -MERKUR3 |
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Bang Gang
Something Wrong
This album is a little eclectic, sometimes steering towards 'alternative' like
Arab Strap, but I really like the more "Icelandic" and glitchy moments. It all
does have a certain purity or innocence, actually. It is pure and gorgeous, and
perhaps that is why I can't stop listening to it. Don't let its high-polish sheen
distract you. -MERKUR3 |
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Bark Psychosis
///Codename:Dustsucker
Though "Dustsucker" is the last, great effort of
a posthumous band, released a decade after their
breakout album from 1994, you'll find no evidence
of this terminal nature in the Bark Psychosis sound.
Underwater dream-pop, carefully tended like hedges
of perfect orchestration are marked throughout,
lending a rich, very human and very vulnerable
feel to an astoundingly organic suite of music.
If Slowdive were a bit more dynamic, if Low had
a touch of jazz and just a bit more reverb, the
hypnotic effects of this album would perhaps not
be so unique. Taken on its own, however, one could
not do better than to quote Pitchfork's testimony
that "Dustsucker" is very much a beautiful shell "filled
with huge, billowing clouds of resonance". -LEE
RYAN |
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Blindfold
Blind Calm
Some of you might be aware of all the beautiful music coming out of Iceland these
days. The music always seems to reflect the landscape, and Blindfold is no exception.
A side project by AMPOP member Biggi, this excellent album came out in August
2005 and deserves more attention. With longing and nostalgia, it makes you stare
into the fire for hours.-MERKUR3 |
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Bowery
Electric
Beat
Out of the mid-1990s trip-hop exodus drifted Bowery Electric, a two-piece rippled
blanket of crispness and warmth from Brooklyn. 'Beat' takes the formulaic staccato
that many hip-hop and electronica projects utilize, but filters them through
a sieve of subtle genius. You won't always know where the line between organic
and electronic lies - the loops and grinds are slow, steady, and driving, and
the ever-fading voice of Martha Schwendener blows through on the wind like the
spray from a rain-slicked intersection. These are urban hypnotics at their best,
mesmeric and groovy in all the right places. -FUNKYPLAID
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The Blue
Nile
Hats
I'm not sure I believe Paul Buchanan when he says
that the Blue Nile takes 5 years to make a record
due to intense quality control. However, the songs
themselves do have a timelessness that is undeniable.
This, their finest moment, is a record that I will
probably never be without. Evoking the subtle melancholy
of a rainy night but never sounding hopeless or
sad. Contemporary and classic all at once.-WALKING
WOUNDED
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Boards
of Canada
Twoism
Simple, peeling, nostalgic and slouching. These
eight songs encapsulate a whole era of perfect,
beautiful, odd music that never happened - as if
in an absinthe stupor. Mellow is the word, in a
good way. I think this is on the required listening
list for Modern Ambient 101. -MERKUR3 |
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Broadcast |
Warp, 2006
The
Future Crayon | listen |
This is a collection of B-sides and rarities from a band sometimes
unfairly looked upon as Stereolab's little sister. Unlike Stereolab's more
recent music, which can at times feel over-thought and devoid of emotion,
Broadcast maintain a naivety and quiet humility which help the listener
traverse its noisier experiments. When in pop mode, Broadcast melt
bittersweet pop melodies (a la Claudine Longet or Nancy Sinatra) across
pulsing Kraut/Jazz rhythms, strange electronics, and growling hypno organs.
At times, Broadcast seem to draw from 70s experimental space pop groups
like United States of America, as well as the darker electro oscillations
of Canada's Silver Apples, but throughout this collection, Broadcast manage
to channel the future as much as the past. Later in the album, jazz/noise
improvisations confront and challenge the timid, but the band's sense of
charm and restraint keep it all from becoming too retro or self-indulgent. A
few rare moments come off as sketches, experiments, or unfinished business,
but the melancholic beauty of tracks like 'Locusts', 'Unchanging Window',
and 'Poem of Dead Song' draws me back again and again. Tender imperfections
and clever production keeps you engaged and discovering new things with
each listen. This is the sound of Karen Carpenter dancing with Sun
Ra off the shoulder of Orion, and is one of my favorite releases of 2006. Marmelzod |
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Caroline
Lavelle | N-Gram
Recordings | 1995
Spirit
File this album in the “sorry if you missed it” section. Caroline’s
deep, almost husky, very unusual voice and cello are framed and flattered
by the deft production of William Orbit. High points on the album include
'Dreams of Picasso', with eerily sexual lyrics about Picasso visiting Caroline
in a dream and a cover of Joni Mitchell's 'A Case of You', which makes
me wish to never hear the original again. . -LADY
IN SATIN |
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Calexico/Iron & Wine |
Touch and Go | 2005
In
the Reins
Joey Burns' West meets Sam Beam's East to form the very definition of Americana
Gothic. It's really a wonder these two didn't meet sooner, for their seven-song
EP is a natural synthesis. Gentle, driving acoustic guitar with bends and
slides conjures a country feel but with a much darker core. One would expect
to run across these guys playing in a lonely tequila joint somewhere just
east of Santa Fe – and their lyrical stories are fitting for
a chat at the bar afterward.-
FUNKYPLAID |
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cEvin
Key
The
Ghost of Each Room
Legendary sound-bender Key left listeners awestruck with this chemically-enhanced
odyssey into the mind of a mad genius. He demonstrates astonishing command
over poly-rhythmic noise sculptures, welding a junkyard heap of reverbed
clatter and crunchy clomps; tricked out robo-twitches and painstaking percussive
tangents. Everything but the kitchen sink, yet unlike many of his IDM contemporaries,
it isn't just noodling for the sake of noodling. The flow is nearly broken
with the Skinny Puppy reunion track "Frozen Sky", which sounds
more like a pleasant B-Side than a solo effort. Still, Ghost provides a
much-needed fix for electronic connoisseurs. -WALKING
WOUNDED |
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Chris
Herbert | Kranky
2006
Mezzotint | listen |
I was in Smallfish buying a few Type releases when Mike Oliver suggested
that I might like this. Turned out to be an understatement. Such a biotic
combination of familiar sounds. Sleepy but intent, gorgeous and scientific,
this ambient/experimental metroscape of an album is constantly revealing
new angles and shows a great adult understanding - with glitchy film-track
moments and pondering mystery. This album brings out the need to be particular
and thoughtful. Goes good with a 12-year DoubleWood Balvenie and a dear
friend.. Merkur3 |
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Client
Client
Self-prescribed "sleaze-electro" vixens
tantalize with pared down old school jams featuring
the meanest Cockney-coated hooks this side of Ladytron.
Perhaps written off as the last gasp of the electroclash
fad, this sexy slice of noir pop fell mostly on
deaf ears. Like a sinister score to a wet nightmare, Client leaves
you aching for more. -WALKING WOUNDED |
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Cranes
Particles and Waves
It feels like Cranes have grown up. This album has the same sadness and heartfelt
longing that marks some of what I love about them. Except this time, it is timid,
kind, wise, and understanding. I don't know what else to say except this is just
quite a lovely, lovely album.-MERKUR3 |
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Cranes
Loved
Certainly the highlight
and the most representative album of Cranes' dark-experimental
background, 'Loved' was also the most perfect release from their tenure on Dedicated.
While the popular single from this darling gem was the hard, beat-driven 'Lilies',
the beauty of 'Loved' lies in the droning lullabies that create an envelope of
underwater-warmth around the listener, a la 'Bewildered', 'Come This Far', and
'In the Night'. Finding a quiet acceptance in being unable to grasp the past,
Alison Shaw whispers secrets into your ear that carry hopes and promises for
the future; vulnerability and a celebration of having loved, but lost now amidst
the relentless tide of age. FUNKYPLAID |
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Curium
Aember
Another one of my all-time favorites. Sweet and pure
but with such longing and mystery. Its pristine, uncomplicated and easy without
being trite. Currently it is unreleased and only available from Curium's site,
but hopefully will be released next year. -MERKUR3 |
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Devics
The Stars at St. Andrea
Possibly the most beautiful album of 2003, Devics left behind their earlier,
derivative roots and journeyed to Italy to craft this masterpiece. Soft, somber,
and lilting, Dustin O'Halloran sets up a translucent backdrop of guitar, piano,
synthesizer, and percussion to let Sara Lov's mournful and dreamy lyrics creep
up and down the bars, paralyzing and probing all the way. You simply must listen,
hanging on her words, looking for a resolution. Signed to Simon Raymonde's excellent
Bella Union label, 'The Stars at St. Andrea' is both an emotional roller coaster
and a rich, wistful treat. FUNKYPLAID |
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DeVotchka |
Cicero | 2004
How
it ends
If this band is not the best band in America, they are certainly in the
top ten. How it Ends is that beautiful kind of moody music that comes along
so rarely, that familiar kind of brooding that makes your sadness seem
almost sweet. It is rich stuff; not punk, but punk. Not Slavic, and, yet,
Slavic. Not indie, but totally, totally indie. A brilliant, must-have album;
call it the Disintegration of this decade. -LADY
IN SATIN |
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Disinterested
The Past is Never Far
This unexpectedly beautiful album has really stuck with me. It's simple and sparse,
lush and calming. Very nice ambient-guitar shoe-gazer dusty-landscapes by Tresspasser
guitarist Matt Brown. The guest vocals add a nice variation and perhaps that
is why I keep on playing this gem. -MERKUR3
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Efterklang |
leaf | 2004
Tripper
Denmark's premiere electronic conglomerate create something very special
on Tripper, a deep, pristine vista of drawn strings and crackling synth,
layered with male and female voices throughout. The quiet times within
build to crashing crescendos of simultaneous reverberant electro-harmonics
and exaltant orchestration like something out of a science-fiction religious
ceremony. The angelic chanting on the album's second track, 'Swarming',
might as well be the representative choir for the Church of Technology.
These songs, however, are hymnals for a new generation.-FUNKYPLAID |
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Elysian
Fields
The Dreams that Breathe Your Name
If I could choose one sultry chanteuse to lull me into
slumber every night with her lusty, whispered tales of mermaids, shooting stars,
and mesmeric meetings between love-struck strangers, Jennifer Charles would be
my siren for life. She spins her tales with all the sensual acuity of warm honey,
and I can't concentrate on much else when Elysian Fields is on. I listen, enfolded,
looking for the next line to slide out from between her lips, and I melt into
her dramas. Backed coquettishly against the masterful arrangements of Oren Bloedow,
this dusky, gin-riddled lounge-cabaret stunner needs to be held aloft to give
the mainstream an injection of artistry and emotion. Enjoy with a nice mixed
drink and a warm friend *very* close by. FUNKYPLAID |
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Fennesz
Venice
I had been mildly intrigued by Christian Fennesz for some time by the time I
picked up this one. Admittedly, the gorgeously simple cover (so typical of Touch)
did a lot to convince me of purchasing the album. I'm so glad I did. This record
uses texture in the way that others use lyrical prosody or performance dynamics
to satisfy the ear. Blurring the line between guitar and laptop has never sounded
this good to my ears. -LEE RYAN |
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Film
School | beggars
Banquet | 2006
Film
School
The massive production of Film School's second album, as well as its washed,
shimmery guitars and pressing drumbeats, conjures a younger blend of The
Cure and Interpol, but to some degree, these San Franciscans are more edgy
than both of their contemporaries. Making optimistic pop songs with moody,
self-loathing undertones is Film School's specialty, which is in itself
just a prelude to their breadth of sound and skill. Also touching on psychedelia,
shoegazer, and punk, all within the course of one album, the band will
keep you guessing, nodding your head, and shamelessly pushing the play
button rapidly in succession .-FUNKYPLAID |
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Fovea Hex |
Die Stadt | 2006
Huge:
Neither Nor Remain Silent Two
'Huge' is 20 minutes
of haunting loveliness from the mysterious
collective that is Fovea Hex. The second
short release of the three-part Neither
Speak Nor Remain Silent project, Huge contains
all the instrumentation, drama, and swelling
aural poetry of any ambient full-length.
Vocalist Clodagh Simonds is more of an
instrument than a singer, and her terse
lyrical possessions drift in and out of
the rich, primeval electronic droning like
a siren's call. One would be hard-pressed
to categorize Fovea Hex's music as anything
more than small, lush gems of beauty. But
as their label, Jenet Records, claims, "if
you must bang on the table like that, you
won't hear a thing". -FUNKYPLAID |
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Geniuser
Mud
Black
The album title is so appropriate I can't imagine a better one. It's a
dark and mellow album, and kind of a downer, but in a really comforting
healthy way. Featuring Michael Allen (the singer from the amazing Wolfgang
Press). It's a dark glassed soho club/lounge with dark wall and candlelight.
You just don't know what will happen there and it's O.K. Very Lynch in
experience, you just don't really know what's going on under the skin of
it all. -MERKUR3 |
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Gridlock |
PEDRAGON , 1999
Further
Pendragon alumni Gridlock [both band and label now defunct] eclipsed themselves
with this exquisitely unfurled industrial symphony. The material summons
a classical aura placed in a distinctly futuristic framework -- lending
gravitas to a Gibson-esque cyberpunk wasteland. Key track "Sever" pummels
your senses with a bone-quaking pulse. The sadistic sonance is tempered
with hovering ambient filigree -- a fusion of elements that set this Bay
area duo apart from the pack. Never aimless, always compelling -- Gridlock
foreshadowed a rhythmic noise revolution.-WALKING
WOUNDED |
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Halloween, Alaska
Halloween,
Alaska
Some things arrive in the strangest ways and are all the better for it. I had
heard nothing from or about this until it was generously given to me by a friend.
Containing eight thoughtfully atmospheric pop songs, this album builds on fairly
arcane 80s touchstones and achieves something truly unique and timeless. Even
the Bruce Springsteen cover here works beautifully. -LEE
RYAN
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Halou
Wiser
'Wiser' is the second full-length release from this talented Northern California
trio, an incredibly masterful descent into gorgeous, dynamic electronic music
blended with live strings and powerful percussion. Rebecca Coseboom's vocals
are full of love and light, like open arms that offer a soft respite from the
creeping dusk, and the deep, labyrinthine valleys and exploding peaks of technical
brilliance in their songcraft reach out and pluck you from your daily routine.
This is music that makes you sit up and take notice, and you're guaranteed to
read it again and again like a favorite book. FUNKYPLAID |
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Harold
Budd + Robin Guthrie |
2005
Music
from the Film Mysterious Skin
I can't tell you how happy I was to finally get to listen to more music
from these two masterful gentlemen. How many of us longed for more of 'Moon
and the Melodies?' Since so much time had passed since they had put out
a release together, I tried not to have too many expectations. I love Robin's
Imperial, and this album is even lovlier. Very smooth, and gorgeous. Some
of it still gives me chills, really. The whole album feels so effortless
for both of them and all the power to them. Thank you Harold and Robin
for more of your selves.-MERKUR3 |
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John
Foxx/Harold Budd | Edsel
Records 2003
Translucence
+ Drift Music | listen |
I was apprehensive when I first heard about this on Echoes, but now I see
that it's one of those few albums that stands out from a person's catalog,
completely and in all ways magnificent. Granted, there have been a few
of John Foxx's albums over the past fifteen years that I just can't listen
to (sorry, John!), but I just can't get enough of this one. Aptly named,
these are two CDs of perfect, mysterious, velvety ambient music. Translucence is
mostly composed of Harold Budd's exquisite piano timing that (thankfully)
manages to never get Windham Hill-ish, which is more of what I always love. Drift
Music is exactly that: great Rothko-like sweeps of sound; shimmering,
amoebic loveliness. Might be life-altering with opium.. merkur3 |
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Helios |
Type, 2006
Eingya
Helios, like Ulrich Schnauss before him, takes a pretty standard musical
form and makes it new again simply by doing it so spot-on. This record
redefines what the modern ambient pop record should be - melodic, atmospheric,
and multi-textural. Eingya would be nowhere near as great if it did not
contain so much organic instrumentation and actual live performances. As
it is, this record is one of the rare ones that can both soothe and excite
you. -LEE RYAN |
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Invisible
Ballet | nilaihah,
2006
Escaping
Light
Incandescent, larger-than-life electro-pop from Cosebooms Ryan and Rebecca
[of Halou fame]. The irresistible "66 Degrees North" is a floor-killer
infused with ethereal feminine grace. The pair's method eschews the redundancy
of vocal trance and the pretentious brooding of EBM, carving its own niche
within the scene. The fresh angle is enhanced by smooth, sensual intonations
-- between Madame Coseboom and Victoria Lloyd [Claire Voyant], California
has the market cornered for alt. pop divas. At times the mega-watt bass
threatens to swallow her nuanced performance, but balance is maintained
for the most part. Flair for melodic construction is most apparent on the
dazzling "I Am Right", featuring an unrestrained, driving rhythm
and an exultant chorus that catapults to the stars. Polished, tuneful,
addictive -- and not a weak one in the bunch. -WALKING
WOUNDED |
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Isan
Meet
Next Life
This is one of my favourite albums. Its delicate and sweet, well crafted but
not innocent. Kind of like a small bottle of Bastor Lamontagne Sauterne. It seems
it should be thestandard of the genre. If only I could figure out what that genre
is. If you can come up with one, please let me know. -MERKUR3 |
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Isan |
2006
Plans
Drawn in Pencil
The masters of tweetronic do it again. With this new album to stack on
top of their other great albums, you can now listen isan all day long and
feel good all over all day. Light-hearted yet somehow deep, enriched by
soundscape pieces like 'Immoral Architecture' and 'Stickland' amoungst
the clips and smirks of 'Corundum' and the lovely 'Roadrunner.' I can't
recommend this one enough. -MERKUR3 |
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In
Gowan Ring
The Twin Trees
Perhaps the most truly talented artist in the neo-folk scene, B'eirth of In Gowan
Ring is a not merely a minstrel and a troubadour, a prophet and a living poem.
Featuring resonant drones, hand-made instruments, and warmly-quiet vocal pieces,
his songs reek heavily of time and place, infusing stories of the natural with
the supernatural and holding up the spiritual (or meta-spiritual) string that
connects us with our surroundings. With closed-eyes and a nearly magical effect,
B'eirth invokes the vocal confluence of David Tibet and Nick Drake, tempered
by a gravity and creativeness all his own. I learn something arcane and feel
something special every time I listen to this band.FUNKYPLAID |
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Johann
Johannsson
Englaborn
This album sounds so inevitable. The coupling of light electronics with neo-chamber-music
elements just works. Johann's compositional style is very contemporary and 'pop'-influenced,
but he speaks in classical tongues and it is a joy to listen to the results.
This record has long served as my bedtime soundtrack and was largely the musical
pulse of our trip to Iceland a couple years back. Considering he produced the
contrasting 'Dis' shortly after demonstrates that he is functioning at a high
level. -LEE RYAN |
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Julien
Neto
Les Fumeur de Ciel
Type records is getting better and better it seems, and perhaps this album did
it for me. It's a perfect mix of Satie-tenderness and Morr Music-like glitch.
It's a soundtrack to a nonexistent movie that I wish I'd seen. It is calm and
slightly melodramatic, but somehow justifiably so. -MERKUR3 |
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July
Skies
Dreaming of Spires
If you are ever looking for green, billowy landscapes to wander on while falling
asleep, this is your train there. It's a gentle and slow train, a beautiful,
old well-loved train with big windows and all the seats facing backwards. My
favourite daily commuter. Meet you there. -MERKUR3 |
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July
Skies | make
Mine | 2006
Where
the Days Go
It’s like this: if you liked the other two, you’re going to
like this one. It’s not that they haven’t grown – we’ll
say they're consistent. Lovely guitars, shimmering ambience, heart-tugging
chord modulations – it’s all there! Additionally, this album,
as all July Skies albums to date, features a stunning M. Anderson cover.
My personal recommendation: put all three albums in one folder on your
iPod and hit shuffle. Delicious!. -LADY
IN SATIN |
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Junior Boys |
Domino, 2006
So
This Is Goodbye
On their second record, Junior Boys dispense with anything that isn't totally
necessary. The negative space in between every demented arpeggio and rhythmic
gasp works brilliantly to get this record seriously swinging. Halfway into
the opener 'Double Shadow' I was totally won over. 'Last Exit' was a great
record, but this one is essential - no doubt it will be featured on many,
many top 10 lists come end of year. Pick it up for sure. -LEE
RYAN |
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The Knife |
MUTE, 2006
Silent
Shout
Siblings Olof and Karin Dreijer buck techno-pop conventions, releasing
a progressive piece of melodious magic. These elegantly skewed fairytales
present a range of characters enacted by the punk yelps, garbled rumbles
and possessed whoops of our narrator. Swarming synth patterns and huge
amped claps punctuate the misty sonic moors, as sounds split and multiply
in the periphery. The journey culminates with "Marble House",
a majestic masquerade exalted by the bewitching croon of fellow Swede,
Jay-Jay Johanson. The year's best, without a doubt.. -WALKING
WOUNDED |
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Kuchen
Meets Mapstation
Kuchen
Meets Mapstation
A wonderful fusion of pretty and clever. Mellow, innovative and optimistically
pensive. This makes some of the best background music with its cut-up gentle
guitars and warm electronics. Damn, where did the afternoon go? -MERKUR3 |
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The
Late Cord |
4AD, 2006
Lights
From The Wheelhouse
Right up there amongst my favorite records of the past 12 months is this
low-profile collaboration between the two eclectic multi-instrumentalists,
Micah P Hinson and John-Mark Lapham. Everything about this stunning - and
stunningly brief - releases feels worn-in and timeless. The atmospheric
incidentals give the more musical elements a pastoral richness and make
for a truly unique and beautiful whole. I simply couldn't like this any
more than I do.. -LEE RYAN |
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Low
Long
Division
Over the course of the last ten years, Low has passed into that lexicon of strange,
noisy pop music that bands like Yo La Tengo, Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth have
been part of for years. During this time, they've gradually turned up the volume
(and the tempos) but I find that this, their second album, is the one I reach
for most often. Building on the solid foundation of their debut, I Could Live
In Hope, Long Division feels more focused, more complex, and ultimately more
rewarding upon further listening. -LEE RYAN
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M83
Before The Dawn Heals Us
Deep space synth opera that owes as much
to Kevin Shields as it does Roger Waters.
Wheezy electronics, sweeping choral arrangements and guitar fuzz play like Air's
tripped out younger brother. M83's celestial charm is best demonstrated on the
more traditional indie single "Don't Save Us From The Flames" and "Farewell/Goodbye",
in which billowing aural vapors weave in and out of consciousness. Before
The Dawn is like an ethereal soundtrack to your best flying dream. -WALKING
WOUNDED |
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Manual
Ascend
Somehow, it all comes back to this. How many times can I say 'beautiful' and
'glorious'? Dreamy, inspiring and even tender. I think this is the quintessential
post-New-Romantic album of all time. Shimmery, bold and even tragically post-optimistic.
If more people felt the way this album feels, the world would be a glorious place.
I love it, I love it , I love it. There.-MERKUR3 |
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Manual |
2006
Bajamar
Speaking of Manual, this time he's shifted away from the rhythm oriented
work of the likes of Ulrich Schnauss and has done a mesmerizing album of
ambient wonder. It has the stunning longing that Manual is famous for,
and its calmness is somehow startling. Nice long pieces that drone like
a hot summer evening, but never get stagnant. Bajamar seems so reminiscent
of Ivo Watts Russel's earlier sensibilities, it could have been on 4AD
if they ever did ambient.-MERKUR3 |
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Marconi
Union
Distance
For some reason this album seems so grown up. Masterfully made, extraordinary
musicianship, and mellow without being stoner. On Harold Budd's label, All Saints,
this concept album of travel does well to listen to while waiting in an airport,
on the train, or, as they suggest, in a car at night with with the windows up.
Truly a golden album.-MERKUR3 |
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Marsen
Jules | City
Centre Offices 2006
Les
Fleurs | listen |
Cinematic, definitely, but for carefully shot reels. The kind of stills
that reveal fine detail you might have missed upon first glance: a person
in the reflection of another person's glasses. Each piece seems like a
carefully set scene. At first you don't see anything but a wash of color
and out-of-focus glimpses, but more and more becomes revealed when you
are not looking. Lush, dark, and cold ambient settings that are far from
trite, rushed, sloppy, or cerebral. Don't listen to it while driving, you'll
forget the road. It's that good. merkur3 |
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Mark Hollis
Mark Hollis
There was an uncomfortably long silence following the final Talk Talk album before
we heard anything further from Mark Hollis. It would have been a great tragedy
had there been nothing after the valedictory Laughing Stock. This record succeeds
for two reasons: on its own merits, it is a damn fine testament to the artists
ability to distill his songs to their most emotionally bare and vulnerable state;
also, it provides a sort of counterpoint to latter-era Talk Talk albums - proving
that those records were not 'happy accidents' but rather carefully premeditated
works. This is not a record I listen everyday - or even every week - but still
remains one of the most essential CDs I own. -LEE RYAN |
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Mark
Lanegan
Whiskey for the Holy Ghost
While Seattle's Screaming Trees provided North-Westerners with a grungy, anthemic
backdrop to their rain-soaked 1990s, the band's frontman emerged from the moistened
wreckage with a somber, alcohol-fueled agenda for a new era and a new generation
of listeners. Now Lanegan rumbles his solemn dirges and tales of southern-gothic
blasphemy that burn like Jack Daniels and bad holy water. His miles-deep voice
is hollow and haunting like a dark cave full of bats and stalactites, and his
music conjures the chugging insistence of a train bound for nowhere savory -
and you've just missed the last one, leaving you cold and alone on the platform. FUNKYPLAID |
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Milosh
Meme
Mike Milosh does it again. So much soul
and richness from a white man. Sonically consistent,
with a great use of FM bass sounds, gorgeous syncopated
multi-tracked vocals. Oh so funky for eclectica.
Girl music, for sure. Can't be beat or compared. -MERKUR3 |
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Moose
Live A Little, Love A Lot
Where to start with Moose? Each release is so layered and
unique. Live A Little, Love A Lot is sun-drenched shoegazing at its best. Grossly
overlooked, Moose were close compatriots of Cocteau Twins and that relationship
is displayed brilliantly here as Liz Fraser guests on the album and Cocteau-isms
are evident all over the place. For those who have not heard - or even heard
of - Moose, you are in for a big treat regardless of which album you start with. -LEE
RYAN
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Mount
Sims | Gigolo
Records, 2005
Wild
Light
On second outing Wild Light, Mount Sims [AKA Matt Sims] swaps electro-trash
affectation for serious artistry -- and I do mean serious. 15 dog-eared
compositions that revel in the murky undercurrents of the human psyche.
With a monotone drone eerily similar to the oft-emulated Ian Curtis, repetitive
bass plucking and proto-synth palpitations, the formula is far from original.
But it's enough to have the likes of She Wants Revenge shaking in their
pointy hipster boots. Pitch-black tunes like the stand out "No Yellow
Lines" and gorgeously woozy "Ashes" evoke the menacing air
of a dank underworld. As with a prolonged dreary comedown, you may need
a shower afterward. -WALKING
WOUNDED |
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Murcof
Remembranza
Can't stop listening to this. Especially on the Tube. It's just gorgeous.
Dark but not goth, mysterious and classic, sparse and rich. It makes me
feel lost and glad to be loved. Fernando Corona has outdone himself as
this album is grown up. it's less club-oriented and more, well, aware. -MERKUR3
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The Necks | ReR
Megacorp, 2004
The
Boys | listen |
Dark and haunting jazz-drone soundtrack work from the Australian improvisational
trio The Necks.
The Necks construct somnolent percussive patterns below circuits of quietly
evolving piano phrases, droning organs, narcotic bass, and tenebrous electronic
atmospherics. The music has a kindred tonal palate to In a Silent Way-era
Miles Davis but also draws upon the unrelenting pulse and more processed
sounds of Krautrock bands such as Can or Harmonia. If you haven't
heard The Necks, this album may be the easiest way to approach them. The
songs on The Boys clock in between five and ten minutes each, which may
seem rather abbreviated by The Necks standards. Other albums often contain
only one song that slowly mutates over the course of an hour. The
simplicity and open space of these arrangements let you focus on the subtleties
of the performance and become absorbed by the slowly shifting patterns, creeping melodies,
and burbling textures. Resurfacing themes and a zen-like restraint
help the album feel like one continuous journey. This is introspective
late night music, music for fireside drinks, reading poetry, or simply
listening.. Marmelzod |
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Nine
Horses | Samahdisound,
2007
Money
For All | listen |
I'm one of those unrepentant David Sylvian fans. So it goes without saying
that I'm so biased toward whatever he works on that I am blind. That said,
the three new tracks and the three reworked tracks on Money For All are
just stunning. Midas touch. Nice to hear Stina (Nordenstam) again on 'Birds
Sing For Their Lives', and to hear more of David's continued political
frustration on 'Money For All' and emberic anger on 'Get the Hell Out'.
This EP is great example of great craftsmanship and tenure at songwriting
and music making. If you know Nine Horses and David Sylvian, you won't
be disappointed; it's a gorgeous addition to your collection. Merkur3 |
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No-Man
Returning Jesus
Over the years, No-Man has distilled their sound down to only what is essential.
By the release of this album, they were sounding more like a 'real band'
than an electronic duo and were flaunting brilliant drummer Steve Jansen
on many of its tracks. Just enough variety to keep you interested, this
album, like Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, says as much with the silence
between notes as with the notes themselves. Miraculously, Steven Wilson
(1/2 of No-Man) produced and arranged Anja Garbarek's "Smiling and Waving" during
the same period this record was made. -LEE
RYAN |
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No-Man
Together We're Stranger
No-Man's most recent record, released way back in 2003, almost fully removes
the beats and electronics and leaves nothing but beautifully stark and honest
songs. 'Back When You Were Beautiful' is just as heartbreakingly eloquent as
its title suggests and the rest of the album follows suit. Rumor has it that
there's a new album planned for 2007. Astonishingly, I have not been let down
by this band yet, so that is very good news, indeed. -LEE
RYAN |
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Notwist
Shrink
Though not as unanimously well-received as its follow-up, Neon Golden, Shrink
is the perfect balance of all the facets of this band. The simple guitars, reeds
and woodwinds mix with the lithe electronics to great effect. Though the production
is to be appreciated and admired, it's the songwriting that keeps me reaching
for this disc. -LEE RYAN |
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Oil 10 | FUNKWELTEN,
2006
Beyond
Oil 10's sound is characterized by molasses-thick bass kicks, warm analog
tones and whimsical sci-fi touches. A soothing spacial recipe transported
in iridescent bubbles floating toward the stratosphere. Ambient textures,
Kraftwerk allusions and flecks of psytrance paint a cinematic vision that
is far hardly novel, but lovingly rendered. Clean, concise and altogether
pleasurable. -WALKING WOUNDED |
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Park
Avenue Music
For
Your Home or Office
It seems that the 'girl-singer coupled with
a laptop wielding electronic musician type boy'band
is perhaps a dime a dozen these days, but Park
Avenue Music is an exceptional blossom in that
venue. Glitchy, yes, but tasty. Breathy, yes, but
so interestingly rendered and edited and composed,
I can't stop listening to it. It being an EP makes
me want more, and keep an ear out for more, because
these two have really got something going. -MERKUR3 |
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Pieter Nooten |
I-Rain, 2006
Ourspace
Dodgy title aside (myspace, yourspace, *******), Pieter Nooten has returned
from a lengthy hiatus to deliver a worthy follow-up to his 1987 collaboration
with Michael Brook, 'Sleeps With The Fishes'. Smartly leaving out the vocals
for most of the record, Nooten conjures smart atmospherics that evoke emotion
and drama without sounding 'dark'. Pieter Nooten has transcended the anonymity
of his former band Xymox and vaulted into the realm of composers like Brian
Eno and Peter Gabriel... -LEE
RYAN |
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Phelan Sheppard |
Leaf, 2006
Harps
Old Master
Brand new and yet, classic. This record feels so familiar due to its worn-in
qualities. The arrangements feel natural and not forced as much of the
electronic/organic hybrids often do. The Leaf Label, which in the past
has been notoriously inconsistent, is becoming extremely reliable and,
as a result, is getting the opportunity to work with artists of this calibre.
Bravo. -LEE RYAN |
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Piano Magic
Writers Without Homes
U.K.
technocratic visionary Glen Johnson is the modern avatar of 4AD's Ivo Watts-Russell,
with perhaps a greater range of skill and savvy, and two fingers on the
pulse of avant-garde electronic music. Much like Ivo's ever-morphing goth/ethereal
project, This Mortal Coil, Johnson spreads a spangle-studded mortar of
talented musicians and vocalists to build his amalgam of his amazingly
diverse and satisfying songs. They are cohesively bonded by one thing only
- his willingness to project emotion and beauty inside the barely-audible
lull of the intermittent harmonic spaces. Incredibly prolific and evocative
in his work, Johnson might just be the most multi-layered artist in the
genre. FUNKYPLAID |
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Piano Magic
Son de Mar
A short, but sweet, disc full of layered organic textures. Plenty of stringed
instruments and found noises easily convince you that Piano Magic is just as
strong at conjuring emotional instrumental music as they are at writing clever
vocal-led pop songs. -MERKUR3 |
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Populous
Queue
For Love
If you ever need a pick-me-up after listening to Geniuser, then this is
the perfect opposite. Bright, cheery, toe-tapping and playful. Like a drive
around town on a hot day with the top down, Populous always manages to
make interesting and fun music. Not an easy task for sure, fun usually
ends up being dippy and trite, whereas this album is thougthful, AND optimistic.
Very italian, actually. -MERKUR3 |
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Psapp |
Domino, 2006
The
Only Thing I Ever Wanted
Hardly an unknown discovery, Psapp have rightly come to the fore of the
'indie' scene not only by being indispensibly unique, but delivering extremely
consistently well-written songs. The new record builds on the strengths
of the last and tops it several times over. Galia's voice is vibrant and
playful, matching the often bizarre arrangements, but also giving them
a warmth and humanity they would otherwise lack. I love a record that can
put a smile on my face and this one never fails. -LEE
RYAN |
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