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Nest – “The Twelve”
Retold

Nest’s self-titled album was the last thing I wrote about on my old music blog. At the time, the label (Serein) was all-free and all-digital, which has since changed, though I’d like to think the experiment was a success. At any rate, this new album from Nest is a rerecording of the old EP, plus several new tracks, and is well worth a purchase. The calm, cinematic beauty of almost every track is refreshing, and “The Twelve” is a perfect representation of the way Nest allows the arrangements to breathe. The closest comparator I can come up with is Chopin crossed with Labradford.

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Spoon – “I Summon You (Cool)”
Get Nice!

This alternate version of the Gimme Fiction track has a fun one-off feel, as if it were a remix by the Notwist or something. I think the little electronic warbling is a nice counter to Britt Daniel’s rough vocals. It’s only a minute and a half long, rather short of the four minutes of the album version, but I like it that way.

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So – “Track 2”
So

The So project, a collaboration between Japanese songstress Eri and the enigmatic noise/electronic pioneer Markus Popp (Oval), is a strange, beautiful, and unpredictable affair. Eri’s warblings are layered and distorted so as to be nearly unrecognizable, but Popp still crafts them into coherent songs… when he feels like it. Track 2 is the strongest, I think, but 1 and 4 are also nice, and although the overall texture remains steady, there is a lot of variety on the record and it’s well worth exploring for any fan of electronic music. (insound)

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Charalambides – “Tea”
Our Bed Is Green

Charalambides is one of the more mysterious artists out there, and Our Bed Is Green is only one of several mystically dumbfounding albums. The irregularity and variety on display give no indication of their later, more minimal Internal Eternal or the monolithic, droning INCREASE. More than perhaps any other artist I know of, it is infernally difficult to represent them with a single track. So I’ve just picked a good one.

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The Fiery Furnaces – “I Lost My Dog”
Blueberry Boat

Although the majority of this 2004 album is still far too weird for me, the density of musical ideas on this and other tracks is simply too incredible to ignore. Clearly unable or unwilling to edit themselves, The Fiery Furnaces have certainly created a unique sound — but one that is nearly impenetrable to newcomers. “I Lost My Dog” is probably the most accessible song, and even at a relatively short three and a half minutes, the sound is changed up more times than on many full-length albums. If it strikes you, you might consider embarking on the full album, but consider yourself warned. (insound)

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Cul de Sac – “Dust of Butterflies”
Death of the Sun

This fascinating album (with its beautiful album art by Corot) falls under the same mystical category as Charalambides and Black Forest, Black Sea. “Dust of Butterflies” is the opener, and a lovely opener it is — more Tape than jammy post-rock, just as the rest of the tracks defy easy categorization. Some as twinkling and rich as early Tarentel, some more sound collage than song. The only way to know is to listen — so listen. (insound)

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Morton Lauridsen – “O Magnum Mysterium”
Lux Aeterna

Choral music gets better the louder you play it. My neighbors probably think I’m a very religious man. Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

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For Stars – “Calm Down, Baby”
It Falls Apart

This album is pretty melodramatic, but when it’s not being overwrought it can be pretty charming. “Calm Down, Baby” is great for the most part, though you’ll probably understand my objections right off the bat — “Frieeends again. I’m just your… friend again.” The lyrics are about a 7th-grade reading (and emotional) level, but if you’re feeling indulgent, it can be compelling music.

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The Ivytree – “The Book Of Job”
Winged Leaves

This album is beautiful from start to finish, and in a murmured, lo-fi fashion that few artists are able to effect. When people talk about Bon Iver isolating himself to make For Emma, Forever Ago, I think: sure, that’s what it sounds like when you leave and you come back. But what if isolation is your natural state? That’s what I’ve always felt must be the case with The Ivytree and other bands that share its members. I spent forever trying to decide which track to put up; just get the album, I guarantee you’ll cherish it on some lonely, rainy day not long from now.

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Crime in Choir – “Women of Reduction”
Trumpery Metier

Let this be your theme song tonight. I feel like if the scene from Blade Runner where that replicant is running through the glass displays was three minutes long, they would just have this for the background music. I love me some Crime in Choir. (insound)