Written by Guest on 14.07.2012 at 05:53

A Winged Victory for the Sullen (piano)

Yeaaah. That was last year, but it was my favorite modern classical album of the year. I love Dustin O'Halloran and don't mind Stars of the Lid either, and this collaboration basically took the best of both worlds. It's pretty simplistic, but I thought it was really really good.

To answer your question about my top ambient/drone/modern classical albums of the year (so far), I think the list would look like this:

Ilyas Ahmed - With Endless Fire: free folk/drone.
Mirrorring - Foreign Body: drone/inde folk - Grouper and Tiny Vipers collaboration.
Orcas - Orcas: dream pop/ambient - Benoit Pioulard and Rafael Anton Irisarri collaboration. Love RAI.
Ryan Teague - Field Drawings: modern classical/minimalism. Electroacoustic, pulsating stuff.
Bersarin Quartett - II: ambient/electronic/modern classical.
Fabrizio Paterlini - Autumn Stories: modern classical/minimalism. Basically naked piano stuff like Pärt or Glass's Solo Piano.
Windy & Carl - We Will Always Be: ambient.
From The Mouth Of The Sun - Woven Tide: ambient.
Helios - Moiety: ambient/post-rock. The more post-rock side of Goldmund/Keith Kenniff.

Those are probably the ones I've listened to the most, not including some more structured electronic/IDM stuff. I can't put them into order of preference or narrow it down to 5, because they're so different. There's plenty more good albums in my 2012 list if you're interested, though most of it is unrated still. Grouper, Portico Quartet, Motion Sickness of Time Travel, Hilary Hahn with Hauschka, Gareth Davis with Frances-Marie Uitti, Jenny Scheinman, The Eye of Time, Karol Gwóźdź, Peter Broderick, Les Fragments de la Nuit, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation, and so on. There's too much of this kind of music released every week nowadays, it's really hard to keep track of it.

Written by IronAngel on 14.07.2012 at 13:46

Written by Guest on 14.07.2012 at 05:53

A Winged Victory for the Sullen (piano)

Yeaaah. That was last year, but it was my favorite modern classical album of the year. I love Dustin O'Halloran and don't mind Stars of the Lid either, and this collaboration basically took the best of both worlds. It's pretty simplistic, but I thought it was really really good.

To answer your question about my top ambient/drone/modern classical albums of the year (so far), I think the list would look like this:

Ilyas Ahmed - With Endless Fire: free folk/drone.
Mirrorring - Foreign Body: drone/inde folk - Grouper and Tiny Vipers collaboration.
Orcas - Orcas: dream pop/ambient - Benoit Pioulard and Rafael Anton Irisarri collaboration. Love RAI.
Ryan Teague - Field Drawings: modern classical/minimalism. Electroacoustic, pulsating stuff.
Bersarin Quartett - II: ambient/electronic/modern classical.
Fabrizio Paterlini - Autumn Stories: modern classical/minimalism. Basically naked piano stuff like Pärt or Glass's Solo Piano.
Windy & Carl - We Will Always Be: ambient.
From The Mouth Of The Sun - Woven Tide: ambient.
Helios - Moiety: ambient/post-rock. The more post-rock side of Goldmund/Keith Kenniff.

Those are probably the ones I've listened to the most, not including some more structured electronic/IDM stuff. I can't put them into order of preference or narrow it down to 5, because they're so different. There's plenty more good albums in my 2012 list if you're interested, though most of it is unrated still. Grouper, Portico Quartet, Motion Sickness of Time Travel, Hilary Hahn with Hauschka, Gareth Davis with Frances-Marie Uitti, Jenny Scheinman, The Eye of Time, Karol Gwóźdź, Peter Broderick, Les Fragments de la Nuit, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation, and so on. There's too much of this kind of music released every week nowadays, it's really hard to keep track of it.

I thought that it may have been handy to post it in here (despite it being a 2011 release), for like you said it is a very good album for those interested.

I recognise some of the names that you have mentioned, although not too many (I'm fairly new to this genre(s)/sub genre(s) of music, previously I had only listened to stuff like Einaudi etc.)

I will definitely check out those you have listed though, appreciate the response - thank you !

Have you got a blog running, or have you ever considered running a blog? Your posts are always very comprehensive, and you seem to know all the cool stuff :p

Written by Guest on 15.07.2012 at 04:15

Have you got a blog running, or have you ever considered running a blog? Your posts are always very comprehensive, and you seem to know all the cool stuff :p

Writing on a few forums, reviewing stuff on RateYourMusic, playing some games and keeping up with my studies is enough work for one man. Besides, I don't think I have anything to say that someone out there hasn't already said, and getting your voice heard in the blogosphere is pretty hard. Immediate communication like this is much easier and more rewarding. How often do you actually comment on blogs or check back for a conversation, after all?

To stay somewhat on topic, here's some new stuff from Mark Kozelek, the man behind Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. The album isn't as good as I was hoping, but it's still better than your average folkie.

Written by IronAngel on 15.07.2012 at 14:38

Written by Guest on 15.07.2012 at 04:15

Have you got a blog running, or have you ever considered running a blog? Your posts are always very comprehensive, and you seem to know all the cool stuff :p

Writing on a few forums, reviewing stuff on RateYourMusic, playing some games and keeping up with my studies is enough work for one man. Besides, I don't think I have anything to say that someone out there hasn't already said, and getting your voice heard in the blogosphere is pretty hard. Immediate communication like this is much easier and more rewarding. How often do you actually comment on blogs or check back for a conversation, after all?

To stay somewhat on topic, here's some new stuff from Mark Kozelek, the man behind Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. The album isn't as good as I was hoping, but it's still better than your average folkie.

I'll check it out !

I see what you mean regarding blog + blog activity though and I agree with what you're saying, I've attempted to run them in the past incl. a Tumblr etc. but found it was too much along with other interests/activities (which were very similar to what you mentioned).

Really liking the Ryan Teague album you listed.

New Propagandhi!

Ohmigod. New Swans out of nowhere, I didn't even know they were working on anything. Maybe it wasn't a secret and I should have known, but whatever. Erection.

Honestly, I've never understood the gigantic circle-jerk and omnipresent praise which Swans seems to inspire in some groups. Admittedly some of the early industrial/no wave stuff is actually really enjoyable but the later stuff has just left me scratching my head. That song's more of the same, to me it's musical nothingness.

Written by Guest on 29.07.2012 at 21:26

And I thought that a wood-headed hooded ghost would be silent by its nature?

Que?

Written by Guest on 29.07.2012 at 21:33

You're a ghost

Oh my icon Actually it's apparently supposed to be a beekeeper

Written by Guest on 29.07.2012 at 21:39

Oh right, still 'they' look as if they were made of wood, and somebody dressed them (and enslaved to work, with bees). Yep, but you're a ghost 'cause you're not online-board -visible.

Actually I always assumed they were wood-beings of some sort too. But yes, I enjoy the anonymity I currently have Though I can still be tracked with the Users visited link...

Written by Guest on 29.07.2012 at 21:17

Honestly, I've never understood the gigantic circle-jerk and omnipresent praise which Swans seems to inspire in some groups. Admittedly some of the early industrial/no wave stuff is actually really enjoyable but the later stuff has just left me scratching my head. That song's more of the same, to me it's musical nothingness.

Yeah, I think you've said that before. When the 2010 album came out. Or maybe it was BitterCold. I don't feel that way though, I find their later work quite a bit better. Well, Children of God is my fave, and then maybe White Light From The Mouth of Infinity or whatever it is. Some of the later stuff is pretty boring, but I liked this track quite a bit. It's kinda surprising that you don't like them since they're very much in that droning, monotonous weird category.

I'm not a huge diehard fan or anything, though. Found them a bit disappointing live.

Written by IronAngel on 29.07.2012 at 21:47


Yeah, I think you've said that before. When the 2010 album came out. Or maybe it was BitterCold. I don't feel that way though, I find their later work quite a bit better. Well, Children of God is my fave, and then maybe White Light From The Mouth of Infinity or whatever it is. Some of the later stuff is pretty boring, but I liked this track quite a bit. It's kinda surprising that you don't like them since they're very much in that droning, monotonous weird category.

I'm not a huge diehard fan or anything, though. Found them a bit disappointing live.

Yeah I think I did complain when the last album came out, for the same reasons really. Saying that I do quite like Swans Are Dead, though it's been quite a few years since I've listened to it.

I dunno, I just don't click with them really.

Early Swans >>> Nowdays Swans.
Seriously... Filth is hot. I still like nowdays Swans though.

Simply breathtaking. A brilliant composer.

Ʌ - MPERIUM DE SOMNUS, INTERREX DE VITRO REGIA (Empire of Sleep, Regency of the Glass Castle)

Bandcamp

I recommend Carbon and Nitrogen.

Well I was going to get ready for sleep but just noticed there's a new Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation record out. Guess sleep won't be happening for another 70 minutes. Been listening to these guys a lot really and to say I love them would be to understate the word:



Conversely I still find The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble to be quite boring.

Actually I already had this in a playlist, seems I already knew about it. I have no recollection of this though.

Written by Guest on 02.08.2012 at 03:34

Cool shiz

Written by Boxcar Willy on 02.08.2012 at 05:16


Cool shiz

It's not bad but compared the previous album, Anthropomorphic, it kinda pales. Then again Anthropomorphic is completely Godly as I've discovered recently.

Very relaxing trance, suitable for essentially any situation that requires a sort of futuristic psychedelic ambient backdrop. Music you can fall asleep to, write poetry to, fall asleep to, or just sit back to and enjoy an excellent buildup that eventually leads to some pretty sexy almost dance-inducing beats.

Good band/artist/whatever Solar Fields is/are.

The return of Anglagard is excellent I think:

Written by R'Vannith on 02.08.2012 at 19:02

The return of Anglagard is excellent I think:

Can't stop listening to this one! As good as its predecessors, and that's saying a lot!

And to think that I'll see them live in two weeks, in front of the ocean and for free... life is hard

Written by Guest on 02.08.2012 at 03:34

Conversely I still find The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble to be quite boring.

Written by Guest on 02.08.2012 at 05:19

It's not bad but compared the previous album, Anthropomorphic, it kinda pales. Then again Anthropomorphic is completely Godly as I've discovered recently.

It's funny how I think the exact opposite on both accounts. I've always liked TKDE better, and I think this was a step up from the disappointing Anthropomorphic. I never got that record. Maybe I need to listen to it more. But I definetely prefer the bands at their more melodic, conventional moments.

But yeah, I think I posted this somewhere here a few months ago and you may have even commented. I remember Marcel did, and someone else who may or may not have been you.

Written by Urs Blank on 02.08.2012 at 20:18

Can't stop listening to this one! As good as its predecessors, and that's saying a lot!

And to think that I'll see them live in two weeks, in front of the ocean and for free... life is hard

I never could decide which of the two was my favourite and this third one doesn't make things easier in choosing which gets top spot, they're all so good!

A free Anglagard performance with ocean views... surely it doesn't get any more idyllic than that

I can't recall exactly why I've never listened to them properly before but Necro Deathmort's new one has such an excellent sound. Bits of various genres make up a rich tapestry of satisfying sonics. Nice to hear an experimental band that includes metal in their sound without actually being a metal band.



Played through the album now. Can say this is easily a contender for album of the year.

Written by Guest on 04.08.2012 at 02:15

Necro Deathmort

Yeah Baby!! Their darkest effort yet, and I hope they venture further down that road for the albums to come. But to my ears it sounds Metal. The heavyness, the atmosphere, the fuzzyness... I don't know.

Written by Edmund Fogg on 04.08.2012 at 02:53


Yeah Baby!! Their darkest effort yet, and I hope they venture further down that road for the albums to come. But to my ears it sounds Metal. The heavyness, the atmosphere, the fuzzyness... I don't know.

I'm just about to go through their back catalogue now.

From what I recall, metal only appears on 4 of the tracks: 'Led To The Water', 'Theme From Escape', 'Insecto!' and a few times on 'Arrows'. Everything seems to be devoid of guitar. At least in the conventional sense.

Written by Guest on 04.08.2012 at 02:58

Everything seems to be devoid of guitar. At least in the conventional sense.

Well to my ears, Funerary call is Metal and he doesn't use guitars. I guess it depends on the importance of the "mood", for lack of a better word, everyone gives when they define Metal.

Written by Edmund Fogg on 04.08.2012 at 03:25


Well to my ears, Funerary call is Metal and he doesn't use guitars. I guess it depends on the importance of the "mood", for lack of a better word, everyone gives when they define Metal.

Well I can't speak for others but I get barely any metal-related moods from this, even the songs with guitar. At best they have a semblance to Sunn O))) or even some doom bands but the constant swirling, dense ambience, IDM-ish breakbeats, electronic pulsing and God knows what else lends itself far more to the electronic side of music than it does to metal. I'm not completely against the idea of metal being metal without guitars, Botanist for example, but even that has structures typical to genre, this has nothing of the sort. To label this as a metal band seems rather metal-centric and ignoring the structural and textural make up of the songs. Metal is just an ingredient from what I can surmise.

Written by Guest on 04.08.2012 at 03:33

To label this as a metal band seems rather metal-centric and ignoring the structural and textural make up of the songs. Metal is just an ingredient from what I can surmise.

Yeeaaah... I kinda do that a lot. As soon as I hear a hint of Metal I class it in that category ignoring the other influences on the album. I think I should take a little break from Metal, just to refocus.