Erin recommends: St. Vincent
Amazing find, Erin! I couldn’t get into all of her songs, but some of them were very fun. Her music has a unique character; it is very layered and complex, and features unusual sounds and I’m pretty sure there was a chorus in at least one of the songs.
Ollie recommended: Tortoise
ThrillJockey label means all their albums are streamable!
Mountains | "Choral" album
This is one album Ollie recommended on Thrill Jockey’s website. I find it very mellow music, and I’m intrigued by their use of samplings of sounds in nature. I look forward to exploring it further. From the website:
“The group’s third album, Choral, (their first self-titled release and second album Sewn were both on Apestaartje), is the culmination of their work to date and a balanced mix of the first two efforts. Mountains is often compared to artists such as Brian Eno and Fennesz citing their extended melodies and their unique broad guitar work. Mountains seamlessly blend pastoral electronic sounds with both field recordings and a plethora of acoustic instruments. The resulting soundscapes are broad in scope and rich in detail. The effect is incredibly sublime and hypnotic as the sounds slowly wrap themselves around each other and alter themselves in the mind of the listener. Choral is a uniquely soothing and addicting listening experience and an aural crazy quilt: warm and inviting with many details to discover and explore.” (ThrillJockey)
ThrillJockey.com
Thrill Jockey is a New York-based record label. “Thrill Jockey offers full-length streaming of every song on every release in its catalog. ‘I believe if people can listen to the albums, they tend to buy them,’ Richards (the founder) said in a 2006 interview with Chicago Reader.” (Wikipedia)
Ollie shared the site with me along with the names of some of his recent album puchases, all available on the site:
- Pontiak - “Maker”
- Extra Golden “Thank You Very Quickly”
- Arboretum - “Song of the Pearl”.
Department of Eagles | “In Ear Park” album
This is a great group that Erin discovered. Kudos to her. The music is very mellow, and has some enjoyable new sounds.
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“In Ear Park is the second album by Department of Eagles. It was released by 4AD on October 7, 2008.”
“Department of Eagles is a band formed in 2000 by friends and New York University (NYU) roommates Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) and Fred Nicolaus. The roommates created music from collected samples, assembled into songs and recorded with pirated recording software and a microphone borrowed from their neighbor, Chris Taylor, who would later become Rossen’s bandmate in Grizzly Bear, as well as Department of Eagle’s producer and recording engineer.” - Wikipedia
“In Ear Park” tracklisting
1. “In Ear Park” 4:02
2. “No One Does It Like You” 3:56
3. “Phantom Other” 4:40
4. “Teenagers” 3:06
5. “Around the Bay” 5:07
6. “Herringbone” 3:18
7. “Classical Records” 2:49
8. “Waves of Rye” 4:24
9. “Therapy Car Noise” 1:50
10. “Floating on the Lehigh” 6:06
11. “Balmy Night” 2:54
Philip Glass/Ravi Shankar | “PASSAGES” album
Very fun, flavorful music. Considering how much of Glass’ work I’ve heard, it was a huge joy to find this. The album has a good mix of moods and rhythms. The two musicians work well together.
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“Passages is a musical album in the style of chamber music co-composed by Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass and released in 1990 by RCA Victor. The album’s content is a hybrid of Ravi Shankar’s signature sitar playing and Hindustani classical music and Philip Glass’s distinct American minimalist contemporary classical style.” - Wikipedia
Track list
- “Offering” – 9:47
- “Sadhanipa” – 8:37
- “Channels and Winds” – 8:00
- “Ragas in Minor Scale” – 7:37
- “Meetings Along the Edge” – 8:11
- “Prashanti” – 13:40
Justice | "† (Cross)" album
I didn’t care for this very much the first time I heard it. I really have to be in the mood for these intense, at times distorted, dirty synth bass sounds. When I am in the mood, however, the determined and rhythmic beats can really stir up some powerful energy and an almost tribal dance inside.
I think my favorite track is “Waters of Nazareth”.
“Stress”, on the other hand, seems to have been invented to test the limits of human patience.
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“†, alternatively known as Cross, is the debut album of the French electro house duo Justice, released on June 11, 2007.” - Wikipedia
- “Genesis” – 3:54
- “Let There Be Light” – 4:55
- “D.A.N.C.E.” – 4:02
- “Newjack” – 3:36
- “Phantom” – 4:22
- “Phantom Pt. II” – 3:20
- “Valentine” – 2:56
- “Tthhee Ppaarrttyy” (featuring Uffie) – 3:46
- “DVNO” (featuring Mehdi Pinson) – 3:56
- “Stress” – 4:58
- “Waters of Nazareth” – 4:25
- “One Minute to Midnight” – 3:40
