Elfen Lied

Η εμπειρία μου στα ιαπωνέζικα Anime είναι στοιχειώδη και δεν έχω δει πάνω απο 7-8 ταινίες ή σήριαλ και αυτά κατεβασμένα απο το Internet εκτός απο ένα.

Τo Elfen Lied θεωρείται ένα απο τα καλύτερα Anime που έχουν κυκλοφορήσει ποτέ.Και είναι αλήθεια ! Οτι πιο τρομακτικό,ερωτικό,σκοτεινό,φανταστικό έχω δει ποτέ και δεν θα εκπλαγώ αν μάθω οτι ο Wong Kar-Wai την έκανε ταινία και ο Umebayashi σάουντρακ.

Προς το παρόν υπάρχουν οι Konishi Kayo και Kondoo Yuiko που αναλαμβάνουν το score της σειράς και απλά ηχογραφούν ένα απο τα πιο ωραία instrumental σάουντρακ που έχουν γίνει ποτέ !!

Υ.Σ Η αρχή τους σήριαλ με το κολάζ απο πίνακες του Klimt είναι απλά ένα κομψοτέχνημα



Ολόκληρο το σάουντρακ κατεβαίνει απο εδώ

Marie Antoinette

Ένα ακόμα εξαιρετικό soundtrack, το οποίο βέβαια διαφέρει απο εκείνα των Virgin Suicides και Lost in Translation..(και καλύτερα ίσως)

Tracklisting
1.Gang of Four - Natural’s Not In It
2.Dustin O'Halloran – Opus #17
3.Windsor for the Derby – The Melody of a Fallen Tree
4.The Radio Dept. - I don’t like it like this
5.Aphex Twin - Jyweythek Ylow
6.Jean-Philippe Rameau - Menuets I & II
7.Air - Secondo Giorno
8.Dustin O’HAlloran - Opus #23
9.Bow Wow Wow - I want candy (remix by Kevin Shields)
10.Siouxsie and the Banshees – Hong Kong Garden
11.Bow Wow Wow - Aphrodisiac
12.Bow Wow Wow – Fools Rush In 9remix by Kevin Shields)
13.The Cure - Plainsong
14.New Order – Ceremony
15.Squarepusher - Tommib Help Buss
16.Adam and The Ants – Kings of the Wild Frontier
17.Aphex Twin – Avril 14th
18.The Strokes – What Ever Happened
19.Dustin O’Halloran - Opus #36
20.The Cure – All Cats Are Grey

The Presets

Μην σας ξεγελά η φωτογραφία, οι Kim Moyes & Julian Hamilton δηλαδή οι Presets, μεγάλωσαν σε αυστηρό οικογενειακό περιβάλλον με κλασσική μουσική παιδεία.Τώρα μεγαλώνοντας πώς εξελίχθηκαν σε μια απο τις πιο χαβαλεδιάρικες electroclash μπάντες στην Αυστραλία (..και όχι μόνο),αυτοί μόνο το γνωρίζουν.

Το ντεμπούτο άλμπουμ τους "Βeams" κυκλοφόρησε στα μέσα Σεπτέμβρη απο την Modular Records (..αν και αρκετά μικρό σε διάρκεια,γύρω στα 40λεπτά) και προσωπικά το θεωρώ απο τα καλύτερα της χρονιάς.

Y.Σ. Στις αρχές Δεκέμβρη κυκλοφόρησε και ένα ακόμα άλμπουμ,αυτή την φορά με remixes του "Beam" απο ονόματα όπως:Digitalism,The Juan MacLean,Simian Mobile Disco,Cut Copy κ.α


The Presets - Are you the one

Best of 2006 from...Beck

1. TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
2. Miss Violetta Beauregarde: Odi Profanum Vulgus et Arceo
3. Spank Rock: YoYoYoYoYo
4. Liars: Drum's Not Dead
5. Madlib: The Dudley Perkins "Expressions" Instrumentals
6. Crystal Skulls: Outgoing Behavior
7. Dr. Dog: Takers and Leavers
8. Girl Talk: Night Ripper
9. Cornelius: Sensuous
10. The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldier

Best of 2006 from...Fennesz

1. Sparklehorse: Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain
2. Derek Bailey: To Play: The Blemish Sessions
3. KTL: KTL
4. TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
5. Chris Watson & BJ Nilsen: Storm
6. Lost in Hildurness: Mount A
7. Various Productions: 006-011
8. aMute: The Sea Horse Limbo
9. Polwechsel: Archives of the North
10. Skúli Sverisson: Seria
11. Leafcutter John: The Forest and the Sea

video beauty

To νέο άλμπουμ που κυκλοφόρησε τον Αύγουστο με τίτλο "Skelliconnection" απο την SubPop, απο τον Καναδό Chad Vangaalen, δεν το νομίζω να το είδα σε καμιά λίστα με τα καλύτερα του 2006 και ίσως και να μην το δικαιούται. Αυτό όμως που κερδίζει με το σπαθί του είναι στην λίστα με τα καλύτερα video clips...
















Clinically Dead


Flower Garden

phantom limb..

Στις 23 Ιανουαρίου κυκλοφορεί το τρίτο άλμπουμ των The Shins με τίτλο "Wincing the Night Away" απο την Sub pop,αλλά πριν απο αυτό στα τέλη Νοέμβρη κυκλοφόρησαν και ένα single που περίεχει το "Phantom Limb"

Αντικειμενικός δεν μπορεί να είμαι γιατί τους λατρεύω όπoτε και τα σχόλια για το single περισσεύουν...



The Shins - Phantom Limb

and the winner is...

Με μεγάλη αγωνία περίμενα και φέτος τις υποψηφιότητες για τα Grammy, ας πάρουμε μια γεύση απο μερικές κατηγορίες :

1.Record Of The Year

Be Without You
Mary J. Blige
Track from: The Breakthrough

You're Beautiful
James Blunt
Track from: Back To Bedlam

Not Ready To Make Nice
Dixie Chicks
Track from: Taking The Long Way

Crazy
Gnarls Barkley
Track from: St. Elsewhere

Put Your Records On
Corinne Bailey Rae
Track from: Corinne Bailey Rae


2.Album Of The Year

Taking The Long Way
Dixie Chicks

St. Elsewhere
Gnarls Barkley

Continuum
John Mayer

Stadium Arcadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers

FutureSex/LoveSounds
Justin Timberlake

3.Best New Artist

James Blunt

Chris Brown

Imogen Heap

Corinne Bailey Rae

Carrie Underwood

4.Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Ain't No Other Man
Christina Aguilera
Track from: Back To Basics

Unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield
Track from: Unwritten

You Can Close Your Eyes
Sheryl Crow
Track from: Sheryl Crow Artist's Choice Deluxe Edition

Stupid Girls
Pink
Track from: I'm Not Dead

Black Horse And The Cherry Tree
KT Tunstall

5.Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

You're Beautiful
James Blunt
Track from: Back To Bedlam

Save Room
John Legend
Track from: Once Again

Waiting On The World To Change
John Mayer
Track from: Continuum

Jenny Wren
Paul McCartney
Track from: Chaos And Creation In The Backyard

Bad Day
Daniel Powter
Track from: Daniel Powter

...τι θές και άλλα?..Χέστα & Άστα !

καλή εβδομάδα..

Στις αρχές Νοέμβρη κυκλοφόρησε το νέο single του Fatboy Slim με τίτλο "Champion Sound" απο την Skint Records, όπου εκτός απο το ομόνυμο κομμάτι υπάρχει και ένα remix του Rockafeller Skunk απο τους Τhe Automatic...

Fatboy Slim - Rockafeller Skank ( The Automatic remix)

Sound of Silver

Το "Sound of Silver" των LCD Soundsystem θα κυκλοφορήσει τέλη Μάρτη απο την Capitol (ποιός περιμένει μέχρι τότε..)


LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous
LCD Soundsystem - Us Vs Them
LCD Soundsystem - Time to Get Away

Top Ten 2006 part.1

Ποιά ήταν τα καλύτερα άλμπουμς για τον κύριο Eddie Argos των Art Brut ?

1. Luke Haines, Going Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop (Degenerate)
Eddie: Amazing album pop songs about Gary Glitter and the Yorkshire Ripper, he's turned into Denim on record and Jonathon Richman live, perfect.

2. Denim, Back In Denim (re-issue) (West Midlands)
Eddie: I've wanted this album for years, "I'm against the 80's" and "American Rock" are the best songs on it, novelty protest songs.

3. The Research, Breaking Up (EMI)
Eddie: If this album hadn't come out this year I would have pretended it did just to put it on this list.

4. The Robocop Kraus, They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus (Epitaph)
Eddie: This album didn't come out this year but I like it so much i'm pretending it did.

5. The Mountain Goats, Get Lonely (4AD)
Eddie: My favourite band.

6. The Hot Puppies, Under A Crooked Moon (Fierce Panda)
Eddie: Ian and I saw them in a pub playing when we were both really drunk and thought they were amazing,it was a lovely surprise when we listened to their demos the next day and they were.

7. Jarvis, Jarvis (Rough Trade)
Eddie: sounds to my ears quite a lot like the last pulp album,i really like the last pulp album.

8. We Are Scientist's, With Love And Squalor (Virgin)
Eddie: They are Art Brut 47, we are We Are Scientist's too.

9. The Spinto Band, Nice And Nicely Done(Bar/None Records)
Eddie: Amazing not surprisingly as they've been playing together since they were 7.

10. Warlords Of Pez, Warlords Of Pez (Trust Me I'm A Thief)
Eddie: A heartbreaking work of staggering genius.

CSS

 

Στις 13 Δεκέμβρη οι Cansei de Ser Sexy στο Gagarin (25euro), έχει να γίνει τρελό πάρτυ....

Whisper me..

Regina Spector - Fidelity

Beirut

Ήδη θεωρείται απο τα καλύτερα άλμπουμ για το 2006. Μακάρι κάποια στιγμή (λέμε τώρα) να περάσουν και απο τα μέρη μας...

Beirut - Brazil (live)

Moby Dick..

Το Ιndie Rock είναι εδώ και οι White Whale,έστω και αν θυμίζουν Decemberists,Arcade Fire ή Okkervil River (άσχετο αλλά μόλις σήμερα έμαθα οτι Οkkervil είναι ποταμός στην Ρωσία),το αντιπροσωπεύουν επάξια...

White Whale - Fidget & Fudge
White Whale - Nine Good Fingers

Godry strikes again..

Καινούργιο videoclip του Beck απο το καινούργιο άλμπουμ "The Information", απο το τρομερό παιδί Michel Godry ..(ότι και να λένε οι κριτικές, η ταινία είναι απιστευτη!)


Cellphone's Dead

καλό μήνα...

Αφιερωμένο στον πατέρα μου...

Engelbert Humperdinck - Man without love

Like a breath of Fresh Air...

Αυτή την αίσθηση έχω κάθε φορά που ακούω τους Whitest Boy Alive και τη φωνή του Erlend Øye σχεδόν να αιωρείται στον χώρο.


Whitest Boy Alive - Burning
Whitest Boy Alive - Fireworks

Folk Revenge

"Ollabelle came together because of these musicians' love of this music, without thought of success or career or any of the other trappings of the modern professional music business. It has great value to our culture, adding new life to a tradition that is an important part of who we are. But mostly, they sound great. They sing great and they play great, and they are wonderful people." -T-Bone Burnett

Οι λάτρεις της folk & americana σκηνής μπορόυν να περηφανεύονται οτι το 2006 ήταν μια απο τις καλύτερες και παραγωγικότερες χρόνιες. Τί Bob Dylan ("Modern Times"), τί Bruce Springsteen ("We Shall Overcome") τί Neil Young ("Living With War"), όλα τα μεγάλα, ζωντανά και μη, όνοματα ήταν παρών.

Τώρα δίπλα σε αυτά , ας βάλουμε και τους Ollabelle απο την Νέα Υόρκη, όπου μετά απο ένα πολυ επιτυχημένο ντεμπούτο άλμπουμ το 2004 ("ollabelle") κυκλοφόρησαν αρχές Αυγούστου το "Riverside Battle Songs" (Verve Forecast). Δεν πρόκειται για κάτι ξεχωριστό,απλά οι πέντε φίλοι έχουν βρεί την χρυσή τομή ανάμεσα στον στίχο,την φωνή και την μελωδία, και δεν την αφήνουν ούτε στιγμή στα 13 κομμάτια που περιέχει το άλμπουμ.

Άσε που κάτι παραπάνω θα ξέρει ο κύριος Burnett !

Καταπληκτική η διασκευή της Nina Simone "See Line Woman"
Ollabelle - See Line Woman

Almost Charlie

Μέχρι σήμερα ο μουσικός/συνθέτης Dirk Homuth απο τη μια, και ο στιχουργός Charlie Mason απο την άλλη,δεν έχουν συναντηθεί ποτέ.Και όμως έχουν αναπτύξει μια πολυ δημιουργική συνεργασία μέσα απο το ίντερνετ. Απο το 2003 που συνεργάζονται έχουν γράψει ουκ όλιγα τραγούδια.

Στις αρχές Οκτώβρη, ύστερα απο πολλά ερασιτεχνικά και με "δανεικούς" μουσίκούς, κυκλοφόρησαν το πρώτο τους ολοκληρωμένο άλμπουμ με τίτλο "Loving Counterclockwise".

Ατμοσφαιρική dreampop στις μελωδίες των Belle&Sebastian και την στιχουργική του Elliot Smith. Δυστυχώς ο ταλαντούχος Charlie Mason (εξού και το όνομα της μπάντας) δεν θα γίνει ποτέ μέλος της, πρώτον γιατί το συγκρότημα εδρεύει στο Βερολίνο και εκέινος στις αντολικές ακτές των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών και δεύτερον γιατί δεν έχει την παραμικρή ιδέα απο μουσική !

Δεν περιμένω να το δω σε καμια 20άδα ή ακόμα και σε 100άδα με τα καλύτερα του 2006, αλλά είμαι σίγουρος ότι αξίζει πολλά.

*Αρχές με μέσα του 2007 θα κυκλοφορήσει και το νέο άλμπουμ τους (περισσότερα για τους κυρίους www.myspace.com/almostcharliemusic

Almost Charlie - Loving Counterclockwise
Almost Charlie - I Can't be your friend

Lady...

David Byrne - My Fair Lady

Look, is this the real thing?
When you caught my eye
How you looked at me, from the pages of a magazine
Now you're always, always on my mind
Every color, line and feature
Never age and never tire
In my sleep and in my dreams at night
Calls to me a strange attraction
With your beauty and your passion
You are art and art will never change
Such a perfect replica
Every pore and hair
Every pencil mark
You're such a perfect imitation of
And that it seems, seems you're almost here
Every color, line and feature
Never age and never tire
In my sleep and in my dreams at night
Calls to me a strange attraction
With your beauty and your passion
You are art and art will never change
You are just an illustration
This just a simulation
Lines and Pixels on a piece of paper
You can see me slowly changing
But forever you'll remain
And you have time because you will live forever
Every colour,line and feature
Never age and never tire
In my sleep and in my dreams at night
Calls to me a strange attraction
With you beauty and your passion
You are art and art will never change
Take me away (x4)

* Από το cd που περιελάμβανε το τεύχος Νοεμβρίου 2004 του περιοδικού Wired

To All New Arrivals...

Πολιτικοποιημένο ως το κόκκαλο το 5ο άλμπουμ των Faithless (να έχει να διαλέγει η Greenpeace...), πιο trip-hop όσο ποτέ, με Robert Smith & Cat Power για βοήθεια,σαφέστατα δεν θεωρείται το καλύτερο που έχουν κυκλοφορήσει..(και δεν νομίζω να ξεπερασουν και ποτέ άλμπουμς όπως το Sunday 8pm ή το Reverence).

Αυτό βέβαια δεν σημαίνει οτι θα το βαρεθεί και εύκολα,αλλά η αργά ή γρήγορα θα φωνάξεις ..Bring my Faithless back..

Faithless - Spiders Crocodiles & Kryptonite

Faithless - I Hope

Faithless feat.Cat Power - A Kind of Peace

Morning Act.17

21/11/2006

1.David Sylvian - September
2.Fennesz - Laguna
3.Grizzly Bear - Central & Remote
4.Psapp - Hill of you Home
5.Husky Rescue - Shadow Run
6.Oneida - The Misfit
7.Magnetic Fields - Why I Cry
8.Telefon Tel Aviv - Farenheit Fair Enough
9.Junior Boys - First Time
10.Tokyo Police Club - Citizens of Tomorrow
11.TV on the Radio - Hours
12.Savath + Savalas - Folk Song for Cello

Belle Chase Hotel

Το απέκτησα μόλις σήμερα...6 χρόνια μετά την επίσημη κυκλοφορία τους...κάλιο αργά...αυτοί οι Πορτογάλοι προβλέπω να μην ξεκολάνε απο το πικ-απ μου...καιρό είχα να ακούσω κάτι που να μου φτιάχνει την διάθεση αμέσως...πραγματικό διαμάντι!!

Coming soon...

Curse of the Golden Flower (dir.Zhang Yimou)

Morning Act.16-What's New

20/11/2006

1.The Hold Steady - Stuck between stations
2.The Killers - Bones
3.Iam from Barcelona - We are from Barcelona
4.Muse - Starlight
5.The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
6.Wolfmother - Woman
7.Cold War Kids - We used to Vacation
8.The Twillight Singers - Live with me (feat.Mark Lanegan)
9.Thom Yorke - Analyse
10.Akira the Don - Oh! (What a Glorious Thing)
11.Ben Folds - Such a Great Heights
12.Amy Winehouse - Rehab
13.Cancei de Ser Sexy - Alala
14.Mew - Special
15.The Polyphonic Spree - Love My Way
16.Damien Rice - 9 Crimes

In the Mood for Love..

Δεν υπάρχει πιο όμορφη στιγμή να ξαναβλέπεις το αριστούργημα του Kar Wai, Κυριακη μεσημέρι με μοναδική παρεά μια μεγάλη κούπα ζεστο καφέ και τις μελωδίες του Umebayashi & Galasso να στοιχειώνουν το δωμάτιο...

Lun Hua Nu (Rebecca Pan)

20 Lost Treasures from 1990

15. Trip Shakespeare - Across the Universe (A&M)

Trip Shakespeare was one of those bands that you stumble upon without looking for and then it's like finding a hidden treasure you wanna share with the world ... but no one would listen...thats all !

"This Minneapolis quartet plays arty, intoxicatingly melodic pop, with some of the most convoluted, arcane lyrics imaginable. They are also great singers, solid songwriters, and unusually cheery in a world full of dour artists." ~John Dougan

"...once of the brilliant, rococo-beat band Trip Shakespeare"
~Rolling Stone, 1998

Gone,Gone,Gone

Be well...

Δεν λέει να με αφήσει η πνευμονία...Περαστικά μου..για μια ακόμη φορα

Okkervil River - My bad days (live)

20 Lost Treasures from 1990

16. Kronos Quartet - Black Angels (Elektra Nonesuch)

This cd contains intense sounds that represent the spirit of the human soul! The Kronos Quartet is the most recognized string quartet. In Black Angels, the Grammy nominated CD, the exploration of man's struggle with their existence is displayed through prominent 20th Century composers and one 16th Century composer. This CD is not for everyone, but provides much insight to feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Excellently recorded, the listener will receive a delight in the display of string instrument playing.

Black Angels (1970) is considered the only String quartet whose inspiration is the Vietnam War. This work portrays a voyage of the soul. The three stages of this voyage are Departure (fall from grace), Absence (spiritual annihilation), and Return (redemption). One cannot but feel the helplessness portrayed through electronic amplification and non-traditional use of the stringed instruments. Screams, shouts, sirens, and utter loneliness of the Vietnam War are heard. Only through repetitive listening can one fully grasp this work.

Love is all..

Swans - Love will tear us apart (Acoustic Version)


When the routine bites hard
And ambitions are low
And the resentment rides high
But emotions wont grow
And were changing our ways,
Taking different roads
Then love, love will tear us apart again

Why is the bedroom so cold
Turned away on your side?
Is my timing that flawed,
Our respect run so dry?
Yet theres still this appeal
That weve kept through our lives
Love, love will tear us apart again

Do you cry out in your sleep
All my failings expose?
Get a taste in my mouth
As desperation takes hold
Is it something so good
Just cant function no more?
When love, love will tear us apart again

For Sunday Morning..

Featured on FANTASTIC FREERIDING - THE NEXT CHAPTER are all the label's acts that have made a well-respected name for themselves in the last five years - ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS, DEELA, KABANJAK and PROTASSOV - with the latest exciting variations on their trademark beats and sounds, as well as some new projects that are yet to be discovered: SUBROK MISSION and PROTASSOV & KINSKI offer their vision of THE NEXT CHAPTER here for the first time.

Also included on FANTASTIC FREERIDING - THE NEXT CHAPTER are two collaborations which are definitely worth a few lines and a good listen: On NAKED, the versatile DEELA offer a touching song in close collaboration with vocalist INGA LUEHNING, who has made a name for herself by touring live with German bands FANTA 4 and RE:JAZZ, providing her voice for a 12" on German House label NEEDS and putting out records under her own name.

And on EASTERN by PROTASSOV & KINSKI, a real legend is involved, playing his beautifully tragic M.F.-horn here: VICTOR BROX who is considered by many as one of the greatest blues singers and performers of our day and has played with big names such as Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Alexis Korner, Screaming Lord Sutch, Stevie Wonder and Keith Moon in his life-long career that isn't finished yet. FANTASTIC FREERIDING - THE NEXT CHAPTER follows the tradition of featuring another promising young graphic artist on each of the series' albums. This time, the artwork was done by the Hamburg-based artist STOHEAD, capturing the space-and-time-expanding effect of the album in his own fresh ways.

Deela feat.Inga Lohning - Naked

The Office

The Perfect choice for Saturday night ...psychology, humour or reality, this series is just superb !!

20 Lost Treasures from 1990

17. Peter Blegvad - King Strut (Silvertone Records)



This is an absolutely stunning album, but for some reason Peter Blegvad remains one of the most unknown great performers in the world. For sometime now he has been one of our most able, original, and witty songwriters, and yet even knowledgeable fans will not even recognize his name.

While Blegvad has produced a number of first rate collections of songs, KING STRUT AND OTHER STORIES, first released in 1990, remains his finest achievement. Nearly every song on the album is a stunner, from the opening and title track, "King Strut," all the way to its raw, "plugged" reprise at the end of the disc, Blegvad churns out one amazingly original song after another. There are no weak cuts on this disc. Among my favorites are "Not Weak Enough," which appeared originally on the album DOWNTIME, but which was recorded in a greatly simplified but improved version here, "Gold," "Stranger to Myself," and "Meantime," which unpeels like an onion the various uses to which that word can be put.

I think anyone enjoying good songwriting, from Elliot Smith to T-Bone Burnett to Richard Thompson, will find this to be a spectacular addition to their music library. This album is a classic that has yet to be recognized as such.

20 Lost Treasures from 1990

18. The Posies - Dear 23 (Geffen Records)




One of the Northwest's best pop bands makes their major label debut with their second LP. Their first effort, on the Popllama label, bounced around the Seattle area on tape for quite awhile before getting issued on vinyl. It was (and is) a great slice of quirky, jangly (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know) pop.

Originally formed as a 2-piece band, the playing on the first LP was nice and ragged (especially the drumming), which complemented the 2-part harmony vocals, and gave the music a great homegrown feeling. The new LP sees the Posies expanded to a four piece, with a much fuller sound. The songs tread a similar area to the first LP, and the vocals have the same great sound as the debut, but with fuller backing harmonies.

In some ways, approaching this LP reminds me of approaching the second LP by the Proclaimers. On the Proclaimers' debut they had sung their 2-part harmonies to the accompaniment of a single acoustic guitar, on the followup they had electrified and added a band. It took a little while to get used to the familiar elements poking their way out of the fuller sound.

And so it is with this Posies record. The elements that originally attracted me to the band (songwriting, vocals, melodies) are all there, but they don't present themselves the same way as on the debut. The drumming is more forceful (and timely), the guitars shift from acoustic to electric and back. The bass line is full and forms more of a rhythm section with the drums. The songs are a bit more stretched out too, with some nice neo-pop-psych guitar solos and instrumental passages.

In the end I'm really glad to see the Posies expanding and realizing new versions of their sound. Kenneth Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer have a unique way with melodies, lyrics and especially vocals, and whatever context they choose to play them in, it's always (well, so far anyway) an interesting result.

Repeated listenings to this disc quickly has really ingrained it's songs and pushes it to my pick-hit list for the pop crowd.

''Golden Blunders''

20 Lost Treasures from 1990

19. Lustmord - Heresy (Soleilmoon Records)




When speaking of certain types of music, one can (in most cases) identify the artists who define the various genres. When one thinks of grunge: Nirvana; when one thinks of jazz: John Coltrane; when one thinks of blues: Robert Johnson; and when one thinks of dark-ambient: Lustmord. You may already be asking the question, "Hey Amneziak, is dark-ambient really a genre, and is it even large enough to consider it on the same level as the others?" The answer is both yes and no. No, it's not as large as the others, but yes, it is an ever-growing movement that has congregated a number of supporters.

Not only does dark-ambient music have quite a following, but it has motivated many musicians to incorporate its dark atmosphere into their own works: particularly in the doom, black, and death metal sub-genres. Now, chances are you haven't heard much of anything about Lustmord, so why should this name immediately come to mind in regards to dark-ambient music? For starters, Brian Williams, the solo performer of Lustmord, made Heresy before the dark-ambient genre had been clearly defined. In a sense, he started the entire movement with this recording; or at least that's what some people believe. And second, because there have been so many albums since its release that have tried to imitate the atmosphere and imagery that it so greatly possesses.

Broken up into six parts, Heresy defines a sound that embodies cold, dark, and empty surroundings. The album was recorded in several cavernous locations, and then it was manipulated in the studio with help from London-based artist, Andrew Lagowski. The cover art, which is the painting "The Great Day of His Wrath," by John Martin, is the best indicator of what Heresy sounds like. You have a sense of being trapped deep in the bottom of a deep cave where you are forced to listen to some eerie rituals taking place; only these ritualistic activities are just far enough away that you can only imagine them in your head. Echoing drones and noises are the best examples of how this album gets its ambience, while the rest comes from distant cries of humans and animals. The imagery it portrays is not something you'll have to work too hard at to find.

Brian Williams has gone on to record many great albums since, including work for movies, commercials, and collaborative material with Robert Rich. However, Heresy is my favorite of the lot. It's an album that executes everything perfectly. I love my music dark, and it never lets me down. There aren't too many albums that encompass the same consistency as it does. Even though there are albums with darker and scarier themes, this should be the first thing you hear if you are new to this type of music. Once you have, the name Lustmord may even be the first name that pops into your head the next time you think of the dark-ambient genre.

20 Lost Treasures from 1990

20.Renegade Soundwave - In Dub (Mute Records)




"Whatever happened to Renegade Soundwave?" is one of the more frequent questions you'll hear from the dance cognoscenti. Producers of classics like 'Biting My Nails,' 'Phantom,' 'Thunder' (all essentially the same song, but let's not hold it against them), dub enthusiasts and remixers extraordinaire, the ground-breaking trio simply disappeared in the mid-nineties and let others make the most of their considerable influence..

Formed in London during the late '80s, Renegade Soundwave applied the punk and industrial ethic to both dub and dancefloor electronica, in good company with fellow sound terrorists throughout the decade, from Cabaret Voltaire to Skinny Puppy and Meat Beat Manifesto. The trio of Gary Asquith, Danny Briottet and Carl Bonnie debuted on Rhythm King with the 1987 single "Kray Twins," and moved to Mute one year later for an EP, Biting My Nails. Though Renegade Soundwave spent two years recording material for an album, the release of Soundclash and In Dub within six months vindicated them somewhat. The group's only hit, "Probably a Robbery" (from Soundclash), made the British Top 40 early in 1990, but Bonnie left later that year, after releasing the single "Renegade Soundwave", for a solo career. Asquith and Briottet spent several years in isolation before emerging in 1994 with the "Renegade Soundwave" single and the album How You Doin? After playing their first live date in history during late 1994, the duo released Brixton and The Next Chapter of Dub the following year. The compilation RSW 87-95 emerged in 1996.

What can I say about this album ! With''In Dub'' they paved the way for many modern dance acts, and even listening today, still shows them how it should be done. The production quality on this album is incredible, with almost fetishistic attention to detail. Superb.

Thunder

New York

Moby feat. Debbie Harry - New York New York

Morning Act.15-Stay Cool

23/10/2006

1.Carmen McRae & David Brubeck Quartet - Take Five
2.Mel Torme - Secret Agent Man
3.The Clash - Return to Brixton
4.Louis Armostrong - Mack the Knife
5.Dandy Livingstone - A message to you Rudy
6.Lill'Flipp - The Ghetto
7.The Specials - Ghost Town
8.Boss - Recipe of a Hoe
9.Java - Pepetes
10.Miles Davis - Sometime my prince will come
11.Aretha Franklin - Won't be Long
12.Fleetwood Mac - Black Magic Woman

Waiting for...

          the Cast : Anthony Hopkins
                             Laurence Fishburne
                             Hellen Hunt
                             Sharon Stone
                             Elijah Wood
                             Harry Belafonte
                             Demi Moore
                             Heather Graham
                             William H.Macy
                             Martin Sheen
                             Christian Slater
                             Emilio Estevez (& director)
                             Ashton Kutcher
                             Joshua Jackson

..not bad

Who's got the Keys ?

Earlier this year, The Black Keys finished out their Fat Possum contract with the Junior Kimbrough cover EP titled "Chulahoma." Compared to Dan and Patrick's previous release, "Rubber Factory", the EP was a side-step to the dark-side compared to the grittty blues-rock of the band's previous releases.

Continuing with their new sense of direction, The Black Keys released a full-length album titled "Magic Potion", an album that, while its definitely the blues, goes into other areas such as acid-rock and straight up hard-rock. This display of diversity within the confines of a two-piece blues-band is comparable to previous releases as the band is comfortable moving between blues-rock, some form of pop blues-rock which hasn't been mined actively yet, slower ballads, hints of country soul, and now they add hard-rock and acid-rock to the list. While the album contains an ability to make the listener stomp their foot and, at times, shake the ol southern can, the album suffers from a rare disease; its too consistent.

''Your Touch''

Because im still there...

Ukeyeye by Mareva - Bang bang

back...?

>Sigurd - No Sex,No Drugs, No Rock n' Roll

My Morning..Monday

 

My Morning Jacket- Dondante

In A Dream I Saw You Walkin - Like A Kid Alive And Talkin - That Was You.
In The Classroom You Were Teachin - On The Streets You Were Policing That Was You.
To The One I Now Know Most - I Will Tell Them Of Your Ghost Like A Thing -
That Never, Ever Was.
And All That Ever Mattered Will Some Day Turn Back To Batter Like A Joke.
Behind Thin Walls You Hid Your Feelins - Take Four Legs To Make A Ceilin Like A Thing.
In A Dream I Saw You Walkin, With Your Friends Alive And Talking - That Was You.
Well I Saw It In Your Movement - And Even Though You Never Knew It -
Well, I Knew, Just How Sweet It Could Be - If You'd Never Left These Streets.
You Had Me Worried! So Worried - That This Would Last...
But Now I'm Learning - Learning That This Will Pass...

Morning Act.14-Ain't no Sunshine

29/9/2006 06.45π.μ

Playlist

1.Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Ain't no Sunshine

2.The Blues Band - Ain't no Sunshine

3.The Emotions - Ain't no Sunshine

4.Syndicate of Soul & Dr.John - Ain't no Sunshine

5.Bobby Blue Band - Ain't no Sunshine

6.Al Green - Ain't no Sunshine

7.Mama Lion - Ain't no Sunshine

8.Patti Page - Ain't no Sunshine

9.Eva Cassidy - Ain't no Sunshine

10.Lighthouse Family - Ain't no Sunshine

11.Otis Redding - Ain't no Sunshine

12.Rockmelons - Ain't no Sunshine

13.Woven Hand - Ain't no Sunshine

Do i look different ?

Antony & The Johnsons - Twilight

Twilight
I fall in the Harbor
Twilight
I fall in the hills
But here in the city
That never sleeps
I can fall
Through one's fingers

When the swan
Flies to heaven
Soaring through
The utmost fear
There's a feeling
That lingers in the afterwards
Will you ever return
Will you ever return
Will you ever return

Twilight
Twilight
Twilight

Twilight
I sit at all tables
With my candles
And angels besides
And I shall wait forever
As the day turns to night
Swallowed in the shadows that glow
Swallowed in the shadows that glow
Swallowed in the shadows that glow

When I sought out a light
And I knew darkness swallowed
I beseech, come to me
All alone, come to me

Twilight

Wake me up gently ...

Fϋr Elise
Song of Joy

Sweet Dreams Baby !!

Do you really want your baby listening to Pixies or Metallica or even Tool ? Hell, yes! Instead of distorted guitars and thunderous drums, this record company use instruments like mellotron, glockenspiel and chimes and transforms timeless rock songs into beautiful instrumental lullabies.


(www.babyrockrecords.com)

Morning Act.13-Love is All

28/09/2006 06.55 π.μ

Playlist

1.Angela McLuskey - Love is stronger than death

2.Pulse - Last night i dreamt that somebody loved me

3.Bloc Party - This Modern Love

4.Faultline feat.Chris Martin - Your Love means everything (partII)

5.Radiohead - True Love waits

6.Sufjan Stevens - The One i Love (REM Cover)

7.Death Cab for Cutie - All is full of Love

8.Six by Seven - I.O.U Love

9.The Rapture - Love is all

10.Stone Roses - Love Spread

11.Swans - Love will tear us apart (acoustic version)

12.Cat Power - Sea of Love

13.The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated to the one i Love

How you feel ?

Novak-Rapunzel

Isn't it marvelous that we have been given the gift of seeing and hearing?
Of course, seeing gives us a wonderful picture of the world around us, but I wonder how many of you think about hearing as giving us wonderful soundpictures...
For, sounds are really tone colours that give us a picture of what we hear.We have all enjoyed show-and-tell at school.
But, how many of you haveplayed the exciting game of hear-and-tell ? We will now hear sounds. Can you tell us what they are?
And, who or what, ismaking them?
Lets try...
First, close your eyes, and when you hear each sound, try to guess what it is...
Either say what it is, or, if you are alone, just think about it...

Island breezes, and your travel-shop teases,
And all you want is a raise, yeah,
For all of the sunshine,Better make you be mine,Forever and no more,
All you do is play guitar and the melody for me, melody, melodies...

You're .. My .. Life.

And you don't even boast of your extra-fine life or your flash ship upholstery, All I can recollect - 'You better wear your best white dress

'Your .. Whole .. Life ..

where is my mind??

Le Pop !

Holden - Madrid

The world of Holden is full of references. First of all the band name obviously points at Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye hero.

Holden sounds a bit like Francoise Hardy back in the sixties,brilliant, very sexy and soothing !!

so french...

Sweet fresh young french female singer, songwriter, composer, arranger and producer - and all this in the age of 24 (!). In fact, she's a daughter of sound engineer - from where her love to making music.

What concerns the music itself - it is mellow 'trip-pop' with nice vocals, sometimes whispered, sometimes sung. Also all her video clips are so artistic...

for goodnight...

Monsieur Sebastien Tellier

An acoustic session of all his repertoire was recorded together with pianist Simon Dalmais.The result is an amazing album, intimate and essential. His songs are exempt of any arrangements except for piano & guitar, and appear to be a collection of classics, in the tradition of the most gifted singers / songwriters. Exactly in the original spirit of Tellier’s mythical sessions in the newly opened and allready cult parisian club/cabaret Le Baron.As a bonus for this recording with french producer Alf (Air, Phoenix, etc..), and for the first time, Sebastien Tellier recorded two covers of rare french songs, and a totally new and exclusive song.


Sebastien Tellier - Bye Bye
Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle

I'm your man

Famous Blue Raincoat

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening.
I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?
Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene
And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.
Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake --
She sends her regards.
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.
If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.
Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
-- Sincerely, L. Cohen

De Novo Dahl

De novo - a Latin phrase which roughly translates into “the new.”

Roald Dahl - a British short story author, best known for his stories, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, which proved that children’s literature could be both intelligent and entertaining.

Put those two together and you’ve got a band which strive to be “the new Dahl;” only this time, one that brings wonder and magic to music instead of literature.

“It’s just that creative way that [Roald Dahl] writes and just the endless imagination that he has,” De Novo Dahl’s vocalist Serai Zaffiro said of the band’s namesake. “We wanted to have that within our name.” And in the few years since the band’s birth, it looks like they’ve achieved all that and more.

Formed in Nashville in 2001, De Novo Dahl got their start thanks to an unlikely source: Jessica Simpson. One of the friends of their manager at the time got the males in De Novo Dahl jobs as Jessica’s roadies for a “tour of mall parking lots” across America. This dirty job netted the boys enough cash to pay for a tour bus and enough gas to travel the nation–this time in support of music worth hearing.

This past weekend De Novo Dahl wrapped up recording for their second full length album, a process which has included a cellist, DJ and an assortment of other instruments new to the band. While they aren’t sure as to a release date yet (”it’ll be out sometime at the end of this year,” Keith said), the album will undoubtedly contain more of what De Novo Dahl’s fans have come to expect: brilliantly smart pop songs that would certainly make their namesake proud.

De Novo Dahl - Market Place
De Novo Dahl - Subject of the Kill