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February 12th, 2010
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A Norwegian ambient/post-rock/orchpop band formed north of the Arctic Circle sings in English and grabs its name from Carol Brady. Took a second to wrap my head around that one. But with just a couple listens it became somehow less odd. Not completely not odd. But less odd. Having cut my post-rock teeth on the flawless, stunning, three-act-play-style songs of Ágætis byrjun, biting into the more free form or acid jazz-style type bands falling somewhere in the neighborhood of the genre has been at the same time challenging and appealing. The tracks already out from YPOFH’s upcoming self-titled double record appear to be quite a nice bridge the gap piece between the rise-climax-dénoument of Explosions in the Sky and the circuit-bent, god-knows-what-might-happen style of the Benevento/Russo Duo.
Take To Sit Down or to Follow, So I Follow. At times it’s soaring and prototypical, though on the harder end, post-rock. Then it’s just a touch like Bloc Party got its hands on it with a skosh of distant vocals during the break à la Kaki King.
It’s out officially on March 1. I’m impressed thus far.
Post by Ryan Sims
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Artist: Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson
Song: To sit down or to follow, so I follow.mp3
Album: Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson
 Buy album here.
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December 29th, 2009
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If it’s not completely obvious after my last mixtape, I don’t think it would be too shocking to announce that I have a bit of an ambient fetish. The Sight Below is an artist I’ve been fixated on recently, and I can’t even remember how I came across him to be honest with you. Probably whilst perusing my Loscil channel on Pandora (this was before I discovered the MOG music player of course). Here’s the title tracks off The Sight Below’s debut, and most recent release through Ghostly International, No Place For Us (August 2008), and Murmur EP (October 2009). Enjoy.
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Artist: The Sight Below
Song: No Place For Us.mp3
Album: No Place For Us
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Song: Murmur
Album: Murmur EP |
November 17th, 2009
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I’ve been eye-balling this album at Boomkat for awhile now. Oddly enough we had the exact same artwork used for this album hanging up in the den of the house I grew up in (it’s your typical print of Lassie doing what Lassie does best of course – save lives). So I had to give it a listen. All in all this has been an excellent addition to my ambient-shoegaze collection. Each track is comprised of layer upon layer of both warm and dark textures that create a truly unique atmosphere, and the saturated vocal work of both Honey Owens (Valet) and Brian Foote provide the quintessential cherry on top. This is definitely an album to lounge around with, so crank it up and let As Good As Gone cradle you in its unforgiving embrace.
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Artist: Nudge
Song: Harmo.mp3
Album: As Good As Gone
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Song: Burns Blue.mp3
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October 9th, 2009
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Here’s a great track from the Lawrence, Kansas shoegazers Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk from their Real Good Food EP. Self-proclaimed ‘dinosaur bedroom rock,’ BBDDM produce fuzzy tunes that at times can be extremely ambient and other times be upbeat & folky. Listen to the songs on their myspace to really appreciate all that BBDDM has to offer in a genre that is in desperate need of some frontmen.
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Artist: Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk
Song: Train Fuzz.mp3
Album:Real Good Food EP |
September 25th, 2009
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The Starseeds made some noise in the late 90s in Europe & America, having been called “the hottest import since Massive Attack.” The Vancouver duo Regina Dannhof and Alex McGowan have created an incredibly deep & transcendental gem with their 1998 release Parallel Life. This album is great if you’re able to listen to it from start to finish; just close your eyes and you’ll find yourself zoned out, lost in the lush & mystical, dream-like soundscapes of Parallel Life. Regina’s voice softly resonates throughout the record behind Alex’s fantastic fuzzy rhythms & bass lines. I can’t get enough of this album. |
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Artist: The Starseeds
Song: Parallel Life.mp3
Album: Parallel Life
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Artist: The Starseeds
Song: Timequakes.mp3 |
September 16th, 2009
If you have any interest in ambient music, chances are you’ve heard of Stars of The Lid, who combine their effects-drenched guitar lines with piano, strings, and horns. Their albums flow seamlessly from start to finish, creating deep & surreal landscapes that you can’t help but get lost in. SOTL’s Adam Wiltzie has teamed up with Greek video artist Christina Vantzou to form The Dead Texan. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than SOTL in the world of ambience, I heard The Dead Texan’s breath-taking & haunting self-titled debut. |
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I love putting on a good ambient record to fall asleep or study to, but most of them aren’t memorable enough to get stuck in my head. The Dead Texan has been camping out in my noggin all week. What I love about this album is Wiltzie and Vantzou’s random, unexpected vocals that seem to just sneak their way in throughout the album. Their extremely simple piano & string lines create some of the most chilling ambient songs I’ve ever heard.
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Artist: The Dead Texan
Song: A Chronicle of Early Failures Pt One.mp3
Album: The Dead Texan
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Song: The Struggle.mp3
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August 21st, 2009
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I was browsing through my favorite independent music site, Boomkat.com, and came across this exceptional new release from IDM/Ambient artist Obfusc. It’s a two-track 7″ titled Inverted Island, and you can purchase it as a digital download for $2.00 directly off Obfusc’s website.
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Artist: Obfusc
Song: Oceanic Glow (Night Mix)
Album: Inverted Island [7"] |
August 10th, 2009
 Sohichiro Suzuki
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Artist: World Standard & Weschel Garland
Song: The Long Walk
Album: The Isle
 Jörg Follert |
Producer Sohichiro Suzuki, who records under the name World Standard, has been creating wonderfully eerie & beautiful ambient folk/bluegrass for over 20 years now. Nearly 6,000 miles due East, Jorg Follert (aka Wechsel Garland) conjures up warm & fuzzy electronic landscapes. |
I stumbled across World Standard in search of electronic/downtempo folk music, something I had never heard before & thought might be interesting. Country Gazette, released in 1998, was the first album of Suzuki’s that I had heard. I was instantly hooked. His spin on traditional American folk music is very intriguing, definitely not what you’d expect. Later I found The Isle (2004), a World Standard collaboration with Wechsel Garland. This album is terrific. Suzuki & Follert blend their two distinct sounds to create this moody electro-acoustic record that’s filled with charming piano & nylon-stringed guitar lines, marimbas, harps, violins, & chimes (among other instruments). I looked into Follert’s albums after hearing The Isle, & was just as delighted with his unique style on Liberation Von History (2002) as I was with Suzuki’s. Give these songs a listen; first check out their solo tracks before listening to their collaborative piece. These songs don’t give the albums justice by any means, so if you get the chance, listen to these records from start to finish.
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Artist: World Standard
Song: Old Man Blues
Album: Country Gazette
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Artist: Weschel Garland
Song: Gift
Album: Liberation Von History
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August 2nd, 2009
  Click album art to purchase |
Back when I first started my desk job, I found myself in a constant search for ambient music that would stimulate my brain enough to keep me interested and active, but not put me in some sort of hypnotic sleep, which in a way is what that genre was designed for in the first place. I came across Scott Morgan, aka Loscil, a few months ago, and I have been enamored with his unique style ever since. The best way to compare his work with others in the same genre is the depth and coherency of each of his albums. Much like downtempo music, Loscil’s pieces are all about adding and taking away layers. That being said, this style of music is a game of patience. You have to wait for the payoff. Here’s what Scott Morgan himself had to say in regards to his first album Triple Point (originally sent in as a demo to Kranky records under the name A New Demonstration of Thermodynamic Tendencies):
” . . . initially I was interested in the idea of trying to represent an abstract, scientific concept in a musical form as a kind of figure or table… I found the language of thermodynamics to be quite evocative, particularly in relation to music.”
If that isn’t enough to peak your interest, I don’t know what will. Below you’ll find a song from each of his albums to get you started. Fans of electronic/ambient music: Loscil is a true find. |
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Song: Fuel Exergy.mp3
Album: Triple Point
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Song: Le Plongeur.mp3
Album: Submers
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Song: Emma.mp3
Album: First Narrows
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Song: Motoc
Album: Plume
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