Alice Russell – “Two Steps”
from Pot of Gold
When I heard this on the radio, I thought I’d gone back in time. It’s a really solid soul tune with a great horn and rhythm section, and although it could be a little shorter, it’s still a great track. I didn’t feel that the rest of the album lived up to this, though – it’s actually new and other parts of the album are much less soulful. She even does a cover of “Crazy,” a song I detest. But check this one out.
Women – Black Rice
Women’s self-titled album is sort of like a cross between Deerhunter and Grizzly Bear or something. It’s unpredictable, virtuosic, and good pretty much all the way through. But the whole time, you keep thinking “what kind of music is this exactly?” From faultless chorused voices in the insanely short “Group Transport Hall” and “Black Rice” to shimmering and mystical soundscapes like “Woodbine,” they cover a lot of ground. The whole album is worth your time, so check them out.
The Gray Field Recordings – Rune of the Moon and Endymion
One of the standout tracks from Gold Leaf Branches, a compilation from Digitalis. I’m not a fan of spoken word but it’s nonsensical enough to be inoffensive. The artist has a knack for the mystical auditory environment; you can hear some more at Last.fm.
Zelda/Hip-Hop mashup: the Ocarina of Rhyme
Totally awesome. Zelda music and (admittedly weak) contemporary hip hop.
I got dugg, add yours to the pile! Maybe we’ll break 1000.
I heard another Eric Whitacre piece on the radio one day and was surprised to find he was a contemporary choral composer, not however many decades or centuries old. “Sleep” is not particularly complicated musically, but his sense of harmony is stunning.
A Sunny Day In Glasgow – 5:15 Train
Excellent and otherworldly electro-dreampop. Not sure how else to describe it.
Flim, a Dresden-based electronic composer, has put out several albums of electronic but frequently classically-inclined music. “Hell 3,” obviously the third in a series of Hells, is, I think, his piano masterpiece. The original “Hell” is also excellent, but I think this one is more refined and more expressive.
He has a way of timing the notes that you hear the first note and get its impression, then the second note both modifies the first and stands on its own. If they were played simultaneously, or a hundredth of a second later, the effect would be lost.
Max Richter – Horizon Variations
from the album “The Blue Notebooks”
v.good.
Arthur & Yu – Lion’s Mouth
I’ve had this song stuck in my head for weeks on and off. Now you can too!
It’s from KEXP’s Live album from this last year, a very good collection indeed.
One of the last tracks I put together before my audio gear was scattered. E-bow and cassette recorder. Very noisy. I wouldn’t if I were you.
