Imaginary Sounds

Left Shoulder Right Shoulder Review: Feist - Metals

2011-10-19T01:09:00.002-04:00

4 out of 5

I had never heard of Feist before the release of the single “1234” from her 2007 album, The Reminder. Immediately, I fell in love. I quickly became enamored with the album as a whole, which was a 13-track offering of hushed folk and indie songs that were laced with jazz and blues influences. Over the past 4 or so years, I have ranked The Reminder among my top 5 favorite albums of all-time. To say that I had high hopes and expectations for her follow-up would be an understatement.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much time that passed between the announcement of Metals and its release and I wasn’t given much time to build hype around it. This is a very good thing in light of what the album turned out to be. Not unlike The Reminder, this new offering is a very cohesive effort, but at the same time, there are no singles on it like “1234”. There are no pop songs that will be featured in iPod commercials. And truthfully, I’m fine with that considering how well-crafted and beautiful the album is. Metals isn’t going to break any new ground. It isn’t going to set any new standards like her previous efforts did. We’ve heard her style before and we have all come to appreciate it.

Metals is, however, a fantastic addition to an already illustrious discography. It is quietly beautiful and tinged with a hint of nostalgia, even on the first listen. Feist has an incredible talent for articulating the way she feels, feelings not unlike the way that I or anyone else feels from time to time, into passionate words laid over music that reflects perfectly the mood of her message. She is one of the most honest and talented artists working today.

-Jacob

What did YOU think of Metals?

Let us know in the comments.

3 out of 5

Feist is back with another album of bluesy folk ballads and smart indie pop tracks. That's not to say we're getting a clone of The Reminder or Let It Die, but there's no denying the fact that you know this is a Feist album when you hear it. Unlike the great pop singles the came out of The Reminder, Feist is strongest on Metals when she eschews all tendency to write those sweet twee melodies and focuses on blanketing the songs in the warm melancholic atmosphere that accompanies a good half of the album.

The loneliness in tracks like late-comers "Anti-Pioneer", "Undiscovered First", and "Comfort Me" is palpable, and goes a long way in establishing a connection with the listener. The bolstered instrumentation on tracks like opener "The Bad in Each Other" and "A Commotion" are a welcome addition to the Feist palette. "A Commotion" may just be the strongest song on the album with it's slow build to the contrasting male-outbursts and powerful, almost sinister, chorus. The girl can write a damn good chorus that's catchy but not pushy.

It's this connection that I'm missing in many of the songs. Though there's not one song on the album that's painful to listen to or objectionable in any way, many are a bit forgettable. Songs like "Cicadas and Gulls", "Bittersweet Melodies", and "The Circle Married the Line" are more of the same for me, and don't really do anything to distinguish themselves from the previous Feist cannon.

This is far from a misstep for Feist, and will likely fall right into place for longtime fans. It's got enough wonderful songs, and a continued accessibility that may even pick up some new followers. I'll probably always be interested in what she puts out as she continues to mature and develop her sound. I can only wish there's more of that development next time around.

-Sonny

Imaginary Sounds Mix 25: Home

2011-10-13T23:06:00.002-04:00

A warm welcome to the newest member of Imaginary Sounds. This is Jacob's first compilation and one of our first conceptual mixtapes. The idea of home is something we can all relate to, even if you don't have one. Enjoy.

(download full compilation) [77MB]

A place filled with faint laughter and film-grain memories, where the world is a giant and forgiving place; not one of us given to cynicism or doubt. Time is marked not by the movement of hands, but by the position of the sun in the early evening sky, existing as the one last stronghold for innocence and unbridled joy. Such is the nostalgia surrounding my parent's house in a small Kentucky town during the early 90's. My brother and I grew up in a time when kids could roam the neighborhood until dark, and while we locked the doors after dark, it still felt safe. My world consisted of the few blocks surrounding my house and anything beyond that might as well have been a million miles away. Our biggest concerns were how to spend our afternoons after school let out, and how best to avoid our homework, which more often than not went hand in hand.

As an adult, home has moved from a physical place, and relocated to fond memories. Memories of times spent with friends out in the middle of the night at the lighthouse in Washington Park, watching the lights of Chicago over the water. Memories of Halloween parties and hours of music played with friends. Home has since become that intangible dwelling located beneath rib and flesh, where I can travel to anytime I'm looking for a little joy, and home is always met with a sigh and a muted smile.

Tracklisting:

The Beatles - She's Leaving Home
Blitzen Trapper - My Home Town
Ryan Adams - Anybody Wanna Take Me Home
The Elected - Not Going Home
M. Ward - To Go Home
Antony Hegarty & Bryce Dessner - I Was Young When I Left Home
Midlake - Head Home
Villagers - Home
The Cave Singers - Bricks of Our Home
The Kinks - A Long Way from Home
Firs - Welcome Home
Shearwater - Home Life
The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home

Imaginary Sounds Mix 24: Essential Zappa: Phaze One

2011-09-13T00:26:00.002-04:00

(download full album) [165MB]

Frank Zappa was a pervert.

He took clean traditional family fun and exploited it to his own twisted sense of filth.

Okay, fine, he wasn't a sexual pervert, and he exploited early rock 'n' roll and doo wop music, which was never really clean or traditional. He did spend 10 days in jail in the early 60's, though, after an undercover police officer elicited him to craft a suggestive audio tape for a bachelor party, so maybe I'm not so far off the mark.

The man went his entire career as a respected "musician's musician" which meant he was always just on the fringe of the public's consciousness, people forever hearing his name but never knowing what the big deal was. It wasn't until 20 years into his career that he began to receive any sort of wide acclaim, although even then it was more as a humorous novelty musician and not for his more substantial talents. Most people now know him for his satirical ditties about Bobby Brown going down on a lesbian, valley girls, Jewish girls, disco boys and the precautions of eating "that yellow snow". These songs are humorous for their time, I suppose, and I can understand why they captured the attention of the world when they did. Everyone finally had some music to attach to that enigmatic name they kept hearing their uncle Ray mention. But humor wasn't necessarily what Zappa DID, it was something he experimented with, just like he experimented with virtually every other genre possible within his 70+ album discography.

1968's We're Only In It for the Money

parodying the album cover of The Beatle's

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

That's right 70 goddamn, whole, full-length albums. Zappa was a workaholic and went a long way to make every other musician feel like a worthless layabout. He made fun of and played tribute to Doo-Wop & rockabilly at the same time, played with Psychedelic music, experimented with Avante-Garde and Musique Concrete, helped invent Jazz Rock Fusion, and well into his career pioneered the use of groundbreaking electronic synthesis instrument the Synclavier, creating fucked up electronic music that preceded Richard D. James and Venetian Snares by a decade.

Phaze One of my Essential Zappa compilation deals with only a sample of Zappa's musical assembly; specifically the first portion. Within the first 5 years, between '65 and '70, Zappa had taken over leadership of California R&B band The Soul Giants, renamed them The Mothers of Invention, and released 6 incredible albums ranging in style and sensibilities. He also produced the most important avante-garde album of the 60's (Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica) and various soundtracks and solo material that he recorded on his own. I'll be skipping the solo and soundtrack material for a later compilation, but here I have collected what I consider to be the best and most essential to the spirit, sound, and philosophy of the first "Phaze" of Zappa recordings. His music can be somewhat of an acquired taste, but note the singular sound that is already established for such a young band. The cynicism, the humor, the technicality. The sound would change over the years, but the philosophy and spirit would remain impossibly consistent throughout Frank's massively prolific career.

I've had this compilation mulling around in my head for years now. The idea of doing it was as daunting as Zappa's output must seem for anybody trying to get into it. With any luck I will have released the other 3 essential portions of Frank's career by this time next year. But for now, I hope you enjoy Phaze One.

Tracklist:

1. My Guitar Wants to Kill Yer Mama from Weasels Ripped My Flesh

2. Hungry Freaks, Daddy from Freak Out!

3. Why Don'tcha Do Me Right from Absolutely Free

4. The Orange County Lumber Truck from Weasels Ripped My Flesh

5. Who Needs the Peace Corps? from We're Only In It for the Money

6. Call Any Vegetable from Absolutely Free

7. Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin from Absolutely Free

8. Concentration Moon from We're Only In It for the Money

9. Absolutely Free from We're Only In It for the Money

10. Any Way the Wind Blows from Freak Out!

11. Big Leg Emma from Absolutely Free

12. Oh No from Weasels Ripped My Flesh

13. Son of Suzy Creamcheese from Absolutely Free

14. Help I'm A Rock from Freak Out!

15. Cheap Thrills from Cruising with Reuben and the Jets

16. WPLJ from Burnt Weeny Sandwich

17. No No No from Cruising with Reuben and the Jets

18. Lonely Little Girl from We're Only In It for the Money

19. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance from We're Only In It for the Money

20. Directly from My Heart to You from Weasels Ripped My Flesh

21. How Could I Be Such a Fool from Cruising with Reuben and the Jets

22. What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? from We're Only In It for the Money

23. Aybe Sea from Burnt Weeny Sandwich

24. Who Are the Brain Police? from Freak Out!

25. Trouble Every Day from Freak Out!

26. America Drinks & Goes Home from Absolutely Free

These mixes are compiled by myself to promote good music only, NOT to take money away from these artists. Please support the artists you like. And to make it fair, I ask you to delete these files within 24 hours.

btw, We're always curious to hear your feedback on mixes. Let us know what you think about this one, past mixes, or the site in general by leavin a comment. Please?

Imaginary Sounds Mix 23; Part 3: Radiohead - Permanent Daylight

2011-08-22T00:28:00.006-04:00

One of the great things about Radiohead is that they have an extensive collection of b-sides, and most of them are so good they make you wonder why they never showed up on the full-length albums they were recorded during. I recently came across a collection of all the Radiohead b-sides from over the years and realized that that if they were good enough to be on those albums, they could be made into albums themselves.

So I took those B-sides and compiled them into 3 different collections by the era they came from and, like the only-child-nerd I am, I created a story for these albums. They are 3 albums (not b-sides at all) the band recorded, mastered, and finished and shelved due to problems and the fickle nature of the band (not unlike other famously unreleased lost albums like SMiLE or Get Back) only to be found, finished, and released years later. And that's the story from here on out. Yeah, I even made art for the covers. Deal wit it.

(download full album) [109MB]

The third and final release in this series is Permanent Daylight,

an album of curious and difficult conception for Radiohead. After the explosion of popularity that world-wide hit single Creep brought the band in in 1993 and the strenuous tour that followed, Thom and company settled down to relax and work on new songs for their sophomore album. The past year had felt like a musical rendition of Groundhog Day for the band; playing the same songs over and over again to the disdain of all members. The new songs weren't sitting right either, but good faith and mounting expectations pushed the band to quickly record a full albums worth of material. Disputes and unhappiness within the band of the quality of these songs almost tore the group apart. Against all odds, the album Permanent Daylight was completed in late 1994. Thom wasn't having it. According to legend, in a fit of delusional stress-fueled paranoia Thom threatened Ed O'Brien's role in the band; claiming that if he didn't help him destroy the master tapes to the new album, Permanent Daylight, he'd no longer cover up the fact that Ed's contributions to the band were trivial at best. Ed was, of course, terrified. He and Thom burned the tapes several nights before the cds would be pressed. Parlophone were not happy, and considered dropping the band. New producer John Leckie quickly stepped in and saved the band informing Parlophone that he had already begun recording the songs that would become the new album The Bends. It was discovered in late 2000 that several copies of the Permanent Daylight tapes existed, bringing us here.

It's hard to understand why Radiohead would have been dissatisfied with Permanent Daylight. Sure it isn't as conceptual or unified as later albums would be, the album is obviously born of influence and not inspiration, but the individual songs are actually quite nice. The pretension of later albums are substituted by dutifully standing on the shoulders of and upstaging their influences. "Easy answers / to easy questions" Thom sings on the fuzzy chorus My Bloody Valentine inspired opener Coke Babies. Lyrics of religious cynicism and jaded disenfranchisement (Bishop's Robe) sit right alongside silly, almost humorous (for Radiohead) pop-punk romps like Pop is Dead and Million Dollar Question. The rest of the band plays it fairly safe for most of the album, relying on a range of early 90s indie tropes as well as experimental concepts and powerful rock anthems. India Rubber plods along at the pace of a Soft Bulletin b-side, Lozenge of Love's intricate acoustics (arguably one of the most beautiful songs the band ever recorded) sooth like a José González lullaby. Permanent Daylight shows the band growing up and learning what they love about their favorite music while finding how to use it as an influence and not just rip it off, something many bands of their generation never learned how to do. Maybe Thom just didn't like the sound of growing pains, but it shouldn't be a dissapointment to evolve.

Tracklist:
1. Coke Babies
2. Lewis (Mistreated)
3. Million Dollar Question
4. Banana Co.
5. India Rubber
6. Killer Cars
7. Permanent Daylight
8. Faithless the Wonderboy
9. Lozenge of Love
10. Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong
11. Maquiladora
12. Inside My Head
13. Pop is Dead
14. Yes I Am
15. How Can You Be Sure
16. Molasses
17. The Trickster
18. Bishop's Robes
19. You Never Wash Up After Yourself

Previous Albums in this Series:

Society Page
(download full album) [96MB]

The first of these releases is Society Page,
originally released (accidentally) only in Japan in 1998, an album that showcases the true duality of Radiohead that could only previously be experienced in the gap between OK Computer and Kid A.

Xendless Xurbia
(download full album) [111MB]

The second release in this series is Xendless Xurbia, an album that was completed and packaged to be released during the Radiohead world tour in May of 2003 between albums Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows.

Checking In/Buke & Gass

2011-07-31T00:35:00.004-04:00

Things have been incredibly slow around Imaginary Sounds in the last few weeks, and I apologize. I've started a new job and it's taken up so much of my time that I barely get to listen to music as much as I used to much less make posts.

I refuse to even entertain the idea of Imaginary Sounds going anywhere but continually forward, but you'll have to bear with me a bit while I adjust to a new schedule and lack of time. I've got lots of mixes in the works still.

Enough excuses, lets talk about music.

I want to profile a band who went criminally underrated and unknown in 2010, and that is the two-piece known as Buke & Gass.
This year Buke & Gass have been busy touring with tUnE-yArDs and Lou Reed, and working on the follow up to their excellent debut album Riposte.

Buke & Gass - Medicina

If you're like me the first thing you thought about the band is "Wow, what a weird name." It is, but it has a lot to do with their aesthetic. See, Buke & Gass create and their own instruments by modifying other instruments. Vocalist Arone Dyer plays the buke, a self-modified six string baritone ukelele and Mr. Aron Sanchez plays the gass, a guitar/bass hybrid. B&Gs self styled gear and DIY attitude creates for them an unmistakable timbre and style somewhere between raw and ethereal. If you're not yet convinced then here's a 17 minute intimate concert by the duo put together by NPR that truly showcases the bold power of their songs, and after that a full stream of the amazing Riposte LP on bandcamp.

Click the album cover to listen to Riposte in full.

Review: Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

2011-06-22T15:00:00.004-04:00

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Bon Iver, Bon Iver is the second album from musician Justin Vernon and, this time around, a large group of friends and collaborators that flesh out his full band. Vernon became quite the indie superstar in 2008 when For Emma, Forever Ago was released and subsequently worshiped by critics and listeners alike. The story behind the album’s genesis; Vernon’s Thoreau-ian escape to the snowy Wisconsin wilderness in solitude to write and record the album, went a long way in carting the albums reputation ahead to peak interest. You know, I promised myself I’d write this review without mentioning that story—but it’s almost impossible because it’s such a part of mythos of the band, and this album is part of the same conversation.

Some may mistake Bon Iver for your standard singer-songwriter affair. All the signs are there: personal stories and subjective truths, support by a band as opposed to being a part of one, and that damn cliched acoustic guitar. But it's the vocal delivery that separates this album, which often feels channeled from some deeper pit of the soul; like an amnesiac finding moral in the fractured fables of his lost, but slowly returning, memories. The songs start out simple and fold out like landscapes to support the vocal wanderings in a freeform poetic style that, quite honestly, isn't always easy to understand. The narrator here isn't just telling stories, they're being experienced as we listen.

armour let it through, borne the arboretic truth you kept posing
sat down in the suit, fixed on up it wasn’t you by finished closing
ramble in the roots, had the marvel, moved the proof be kneeled fine’s glowing
storing up the clues, it had its sullen blue bruised through by showing

The confidence of Vernon's voice and delivery is what takes the abstract lyricism from an excuse not to write good coherent passages an impressive artistic performance. He never misses a beat, as if this sort of diction is exactly how things went down. He doesn't always enunciate. Like a Cocteau Twins or My Bloody Valentine song, the words are obscured just enough to either drive you to look them up, or just not care about them and let the feeling of the words take hold. Both avenues pay off. Knowing the twisted verse of these songs makes the songs a much deeper experience. You can find the threads of story telling within the broken reflections of lost memories. But you don't need to know what the narrator is saying to feel the juxtaposition of haunting melancholy and subdued celebration of this album.

Where For Emma was stark and raw, Bon Iver is cold and whispy. Probably the most chilly album released this Summer. There's no absence of reverb on any one song. The glossy FM keyboards of songs like "Minnesota, WI" and "Hinnom, TX" give the album a gossamer glow, while the newly added saxophones and french horns, quality production, and ever present acoustic guitar keep things warm and organic to balance. Album closer "Beth/Rest" is far less kind on the organic side of things, and may come off a bit cheesy. The earnesty of the song keeps it grounded, but it still reminds me of this year's Destroyer album Kaputt or some chill-wave experiment without the irony. The song structures seem very much a slave to Vernon's vocal acrobatics, but progressive tracks like album opener "Perth" and "Calgary" are more successful because the instruments get their chance to speak out.

If the first half of this album were what made up Bon Iver, I honestly would have given it a perfect 5 out of 5. It flows perfectly, one song into the other, one theme into the next. Every song is integral. Things get a bit uneven on the second half, though. Side two opener "Hinnom, TX" features the bravest of vocal experiments by Vernon, exercising his falsetto and baritone on top of each other with unintentionally comical results that end up being an unwelcome distraction. "Calgary" is beautiful and a worthy first single, but is sometimes lost in it's attempt to do too many things all at once. Aside from an absolutely worthless interlude in "Lisbon, OH", none of the songs are bad by any means, they're simply spotty, and don't hold up to the solidity of side one.

No matter your opinion on Bon Iver or For Emma, it is hard to argue that the two are not companions. For Emma was about escape, healing, and regret. The narrator has recessed into his consciousness on Bon Iver to relive, accept, and heal from the events, one song at a time. The concept is there, running strong throughout the album. The songwriting carrying the concept stumbles from time to time, mostly on the second half, but it does an incredible job creating an atmosphere, giving the story a place to live and grow.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Standout Tracks: "Perth", "Holocene", "Michicant", "Calgary", "Beth/Rest"

Check out the video to first single Calgary below:

Imaginary Sounds Mix 23; Part 2: Radiohead - Xendless Xurbia

2011-06-14T15:24:00.003-04:00

(download full album) [111MB]

The second release in this series is Xendless Xurbia,

an album that was completed and packaged to be released during the Radiohead world tour in May of 2003 between albums Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows. Xendless Xurbia easily competes with HttT to be the band's most eclectic and thematically varied album. This may have something to do with Radiohead ultimately shelving the album a mere 3 days before they were to announce that the album existed. While being lightyears more organic than previous albums like Kid A, the album manages to still carry that album's choking claustrophobia. Even the early tracks like Down is the New Up and Bangers and Mash, examples of the band cutting loose and resigning it's fear of decibels, have an underlying tension and darkness that is palpable.

Short interlude tracks MK1 and MK2 break the album up into three distinct parts. MK1 serves as the catalyst that pushes us down the dark well that is the electronic and experimental second-third that. Much less organic, and creepier as it goes, by the time we get to Where Bluebirds Fly, you are truly feeling haunted at the bottom of the damp abyss.

We are pulled back up by MK2 into the warm and welcoming acoustic strumming of Gagging Order. The third, more intimate and folksier, side of Xendless Xurbia gives us our clearest look at the theme of the album: the salvation of being adequate in a world that is largely incompetent itself.

Tracklist:
1. Down is the New Up
2. I Am a Wicked Child
3. These Are My Twisted Words
4. Bangers & Mash
5. 4 Minute Warning
6. MK1
7. Up On the Ladder
8. Paperbag Writer
9. I Am Citizen Insane
10. Where Bluebirds Fly
11. MK2
12. Gagging Order
13. Last Flowers to the Hospital
14. Go Slowly
15. Harry Patch (In Memory Of)
16. Fog (Again)

Just Not Talented Enough to Suck

2011-06-07T02:51:00.002-04:00

"Sometimes, man, you gotta rethink things..."
-Homeless drunk hippie outside Barnes and Noble

I'm a big fan of the writing of Chuck Klosterman, a man who has wrote more hilarious books on music and pop culture than would seem possible. If you're even the least bit interested in either (which, if you're here, I assume you are--unless you're just doing me a favor or something) you should check his books out. Start with Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Cocoa Puffs. Anyway, that's not the point.

Klosterman's book IV is a compilation of interesting, personal, and hilarious articles he's written for Spin, Esquire, and other editorials, and features a very important article titled Real Genius: An Introduction to the Highly Advanced Theory of Advancement. This article introduces us the inside-out world of art (specifically music) critique where geniuses are always geniuses. In this world Lou Reed and Paul McCartney didn't lose their ability to create incredible works of art as they got older, we just lost our ability to appreciate their constantly Advancing genius.

Jason Hartley, the co-creator of Advanced Theory, explains in this summation:

"Before Advancement came into my life, I thought nothing of saying that Bob Dylan had not only lost the ability to make good records somewhere around 1978 but that he had lost the ability to judge whether his own records were good. Yet like most people I never thought to turn inward and question my ability to judge him. If it's possible for Bob Dylan to lose his way, it's also possible that I could lose mine. When you stack our accomplishments side by side, it seems likely that I'm the one who doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Really, if you compare what he's done with people who are more accomplished than I, he still seems like the one to bet on when it comes to being able to judge what's good and what's not. You don't have to play an instrument to have an opinion about music, but Bob Dylan has an opinion and happens to be one of the greatest songwriters of the last two hundred years. He's got a bit of an edge there."

That quote, and Advanced Theory in general, is quite the show stopper for the critically inclined; those with an opinion who like to write about it. It challenges how we as a culture have viewed the creative individual for the last century or so: an artist is great, has his/her time, and goes back to a meager life of mediocrity; and we view it and judge it as if we have an objective measurement. But we never know the mind of the creator; only our own. Yes, Advanced Theory a much more optimistic view of art, but it can be hard to swallow.

There are a few stereotypical ways a band/artist can progress in perceived quality throughout their career. They can a. Start out with little to no experience or talent and work their way up to an incredible group of musicians over time. There are others that b. released their first album after perfecting an established style over years of touring and playing live, and just lose grasp from there. There's also c. what I call the David Bowie scenario, an artist/band who changes styles so much through the years they cannot possibly hold a consistent quality. Then we get to d. The Advanced artist scenario. We see that there was quite a few years of unmitigated genius level of quality, and then suddenly the flood gates seem to suddenly closed.

There has to be a point when things change, though, for every band in every scenario. Most times it is for the worse. But why? Years into a career an artist has more experience than when they began, they probably have more money, and with more money they have more time to dedicate to just being a musician. Wouldn't that constitute an increase in quality?

Klosterman's words on Advanced Theory and the way we look at the quality of a band/artist's output brought me back to a thought I've contemplated for years. Just like with Advanced Theory, we may be asking ourselves the wrong question of subjective evaluation. What most people don't think to question is whether or not your subjective measurement of decreased quality is actually the sound of your favorite band's success, a sound they were always working toward. The band was just not good enough to suck yet. "Weezer's later albums are vastly inferior to Pinkerton and The Blue Album" you say. "They started sucking once they fell into the pit of simple pedestrian commercial jingle pop songs." Well It's possible that Weezer were always a pedestrian commercial jingle band who just didn't have the money to get the slick production and top notch instruments, or the experience and talent to write the truly insipid pop arrangements that got them their own clothing line.

The moral here is unclear, and it has to do more with your own pride in what you listen to, and if that even matters. Does the following revelation, if it is indeed true, make their early stuff any less good or important? Just like Advanced Theory, this theory forces us to view our favorite, or least favorite, artists's work in a much more positive output. Not really in the realm of quality--but of success. Their art makes them happy, and don't we ALL want to be happy? We've made a logical fallacy and assumed that the artist/band should have, and was striving to sound in a way that we consider good, when they may have been way more successful in their own endeavors that just did not line up with our own as fans. Honestly, I think our subjective opinions should be taken in an objective window. It probably shouldn't matter--just listen to the albums you like, and don't listen to the ones you don't.

It can be really hard to not judge though, can't it?

11 for 2011.

2011-05-23T04:34:00.001-04:00

We're almost half-way through the year now. There's been lots of listening going on in my ears and I think it's 'bout time I shared my thoughts on my favorites so far. Here's 11 songs from 2011 albums I'm loving at the moment. Oh, there are mixes coming soon too. Promise.

The Antlers - Rolled Together from Burst Apart

I'm still on the fence with The Antler's 4th studio album Burst Apart but Rolled Apart is a definite highlight for me. It's subtle, leaving the dense emotions of the rest of the album behind, but it builds to a wonderful crescendo. I'm planning on writing a review for Burst Apart so I'll leave my critiques for that.

James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream from James Blake

James Blake's self-titled full length debut is the only album from this year so far that I'm absolutely positive will be on my end of the year top albums list. His sonic tinkering and self-depricating mantras are a real breath of fresh air since losing my obsession with recent electronica. The Wilhelm Scream is the first single from that album.

Destroyer - Savage Night at the Opera from Kaputt

I've said before that I have a thing for music that sounds chronologically ambiguous. I hear Roxy Music in here, Bowie, early Cure, Pet Shop Boys, everything that is not 2011, yet it doesn't come of as a gimmick because when it comes down to it, Dan Bejar has written an incredible song. Kaputt isn't my favorite album of 2011, but I can't ignore the smooth confidence of this song.

Akron/Family - Silly Bears from Akron/Family II

I'm not sure what happened to Akron/Family between this album and their last, but I'm glad it did. Akron/Family II is a incredibly eclectic mix of psychedelic playgrounds and chilled folk. Silly Bears is the opener to the album, and a hell of a summation of everything the album represents. There's something familiar here but it's so warped we don't even recognize it.

tUnE-yArDs - My Country from w h o k i l l

tUnE-yArDs is New England based musician Merrill Garbus who composes the entirety of the parts on w h o k i l l by herself. Garbus' voice, callous yet poignant, cuts right through her brand of fracture indie rock. w h o k i l l is a singular album with a truly original take on indie rock from a girl with a political and societal point of view. There will be nothing else in 2011 quite like this.

Gang Gang Dance - Mindkilla from Eye Contact

I wasn't crazy about the majority of Gang Gang Dance's explorative psychedelic electronica on Eye Contact. There's no doubt, though, that Mindkilla's avant dance club lasers will make you dance and hypnotize you at the same time. The video is highly recommended too. Hit the full-screen button, sit back, and fall in.

Burial/Four Tet/Thom Yorke - Mirror from Ego/Mirror 12''

Thom Yorke seems to be surrounding himself with his favorite musicians lately. It's an envious position to be in. The warm bass of Burial and the always organic samples of Four Tet mesh with Yorke's retrained falsetto wonderfully in Mirror, a definite grower, the better side of Ego/Mirror, and one of my favorite tracks of 2011.

Deerhoof - The Merry Barracks from Deerhoof vs. Evil

Deerhoof vs. Evil is without a doubt one of Deerhoof's best albums, and their catchiest as well. The Merry Barracks, my favorite cut from the album, is poppy while still carrying Deerhoof's characteristic cutesy charm and quirky attitude.

The Weeknd - Loft Music from House of Balloons

The Weeknd is quite the anomaly. House of Balloons getting most of it's credit from the Indie blogosphere, all of it surrounding pure silky smooth baby-making R&B. The singing here is impeccable. The song incredibly confident, an emotion not found anywhere near Indie music in years. Sure, the lyrics are a bit over the top, but there no doubt; this song is an anthem.

Panda Bear - Last Night at the Jetty from Tomboy

Panda Bear wasn't going to live up to your expecations with Tomboy. Admit it to yourself. The album is solid though, and Last Night at the Jetty is worth the admission alone. That deep bass sound pulls you along while the layers of sound mix with the cacophony of reverb transforming Noah Lennox's voice into pure blissful melody.

Elbow - The Birds from Build a Rocket Boys!

The Birds keeps me from worrying too much about Elbow. It seems they've been grasping for the magic they possessed in their first two albums. The Birds has the emotional depth and power of those early records. It starts slow, focusing on Guy Garvey's poetic musings and building into their own brand of understated British progressive rock. I still don't understand why people listen to Coldplay when Elbow is an option.

Imaginary Sounds Feature: Midori

2011-05-19T01:43:00.021-04:00

Yes, here I am, updating. I have graduated with a bachelors degree and am now free to blog the shit out of this thing! Read on.

__________________________________________________

Midori singer Mariko Goto.
I have no idea what she may
be trying to communicate in
this picture.

The Japanese hold a special place in the heart of many people in the West. Every outcast who grew up being looked down on for their strangeness could look to Japanese culture for solace; where it was apparent that there was a whole other civilization of people who were reading comic books, watching cartoons, dressing differently every single day and that was totally fine. Most of the kids didn't/don't understand the intricacies of Japanese culture at all, but that island has surely created some strangely amazing thigns in our time.

One band that comes to mind is Midori, a revolving four piece band out of Osaka, Japan. These guys specialized in a sound generated, like so many other bizarre sounding bands, by combining several disparate genre's: lounge jazz, japanese baby pop, and hardcore punk. This mixture is topped off by over-the-top but absolutely sincere guitarist and screamer Mariko Goto. The band was relatively short lived but left a considerable trail of destruction before breaking up in 2010.

Before getting into any major releases, Midori dealt with some growing pains while releasing two demos. Appropriately titled First was released as a 6-piece band (including their own interpretive dancer). By the release of the sequel demo Second they were back down to a 4-piece.

These two songs are examples of the band's sheer brutality
(Heave-Ho from First) and finesse and technicality (Dope ☆ Noise Noise Kiss from Second). These qualities are logically dissimilar but Midori fuse them together in ways that still give me a tingle down my spine. Mariko's vocals cut straight through the mix, as if they're creating the start stop cadence the band employs.

After the release of Second, Midori signed to indie label Gyuune Cassette and replaced an absent bass player with Tsurugi Jujin, who's upright bass would add to the lounge-jazz on crack sound that would become an important quality to the band's sound.

After Midori stumbled and shoved their way into the japanese underground music scene with their first two demos they had their major label debut with the Shimizu EP. Romantic Summer Mode has the band shuffling in a frantic start-stop dance. The loose approach with that slightly-off otherworldly cackle in Mariko's voice, making the track, frankly, pretty scary.

In May of 2008 the band finally released their first full length album on the Sony Japan label. Hello Everyone, Nice To Meet You, We're Midori does just what you expect a debut full-length to do; collect the best ideas of the band to date all in one package. Yukiko-san slaps you right in the face, preparing you for the onslaught of an album. Mariko switches back and forth between insane howling and uber-cute Baby Pop vocals to create the dichotomy of loud/soft that Midori would become all about. The timbres and pallette Mariko is able to utilize shows a versatility rivaling Mike Patton. The Fool Grows Senile, It Isn't Her Spirit shows a much more subdued side of the band. They reign everything in tight, adding cello and masterfful piano from Hajime, to create what is probably the closest they would get to a "pretty" song.

2009 saw Midori releasing their first sing, titled Swing, featuring 3 extra songs. No Way!!! is among these, showing us a kraut-rock side of the band, building back to the verse's anthem from a two minute mantra of sexual push/pull. The band doesn't even care to write actual lyrics to the verse in Goodbye Perfect World, a track from their second, and final, full length album Shinsekai. Mariko screams in protest of your even listening before she grunts and squeaks along with Tsurugi Jujin incredible upright bass. She pulls back in a bittersweet Dr. Jekyl chorus, bathing us down with the her candy coated singing voice. And just before you think they've descended into pedantic j-pop territory in the opener to Two People On the Tower the band clears out the anthems to meditate on a some nice piano--and of course a little Mariko screaming action.

There are very few bands I can say that had the energy and personality of Midori. In their short time they mastered a manifesto of frantic dichotomy: the jazz/j-pop and the math-rock/hardcore punk of the band and the smooth and sweet/grunting and screaming of vocalist Mariko. It's was a shame to hear their public, but amicable, break-up in 2010. The band played their last show on December 28th under the title "Sayonara, Goto-san" as a farewell to their irreplaceable singer.

You can see a short video of the band below. I'm not sure why but finding any video evidence of the band on the intarwebs is next to impossible. If you've enjoyed this little preview of their music you can buy their albums here with a little kanji translation.

鉄塔の上の２人

ミドリ | Myspace Music Videos

Imaginary Sounds Mix 23; Part 1: Radiohead - Society Page

2011-04-14T00:10:00.004-04:00

If you've payed attention you may have noticed I'm a bit of a Radiohead fan. Maybe not your typical fanatic; (I do believe they can do wrong, and I don't think they're the most important band of our generation) their music does resonate with me in a way that no other band does. But this isn't about me. One of the great things about Radiohead is that they have an extensive collection of b-sides, and most of them are so good they make you wonder why they never showed up on the full-length albums they were recorded during.

I recently came across a collection of all the Radiohead b-sides from over the years and realized that that if they were good enough to be on those albums, they could be made into albums themselves. So I took those B-sides and compiled them into 3 different collections by the era they came from and, like the only child nerd I am, I created a story for these albums. They are 3 albums (not b-sides at all) the band recorded, mastered, and finished and shelved due to problems and the fickle nature of the band (not unlike other famously unreleased lost albums like SMiLE or Get Back) only to be found, finished, and released years later. And that's the story from here on out. Yeah, I even made art for the covers. Deal wit it.

(download full album) [96MB]

The first of these releases is Society Page,
originally released (accidentally) only in Japan in 1998, an album that showcases the true duality of Radiohead that could only previously be experienced in the gap between OK Computer and Kid A. Society Page (the name taken from lyrics in album highlight Trans-Atlantic Drawl) continues the band's own brand of pre-millennial societal commentary established in OK Computer. The album is split in half, using the binary theme of the cover to present the 1 to the other's 0. The first half takes a more sarcastic and upbeat view with rockers like opener Palo Alto and Pearly. We get our first introduction to the dense electronics that Radiohead would employ one album later with Side 1 closer Meeting in the Aisle. Side 2 is much more pessimistic and claustrophobic; featuring some of the band's most daringly weird songs like The Amazing Sounds of Orgy and Worrywort. Where Society Page is very similar to OK Computer in content, it's overall tone is very different. It's almost a greatest hits album of all the things the band had done before and after; touching every base to create an amazing collection of songs.

Tracklist:

1. Palo Alto

2. Polyethylene, Parts 1 & 2

3. Lull

4. Pearly

5. A Reminder

6. Cuttooth

7. Meeting in the Aisle

8. Melatonin

9. The Amazing Sounds of Orgy

10. Kinetic

11. Trans-Atlantic Drawl

12. Talk Show Host*

13. Worrywort

14. Fast Track

15. How I Made My Millions

*Some may wonder why I've included Talk Show Host on this album and why True Love Waits was not. Talk Show Host is sometimes considered a b-side for The Bends, but I've always felt it was more of an OK Computer era song, and was actually the first song recorded during the OK Computer sessions. I don't consider True Love Waits a b-side, only because it was included on the I Might Be Wrong live album, which I consider an official album release, as it's really not an EP. This is arguable, but hey, it's my mix.

What War is That?

2011-03-19T00:14:00.004-04:00

The moment I heard the swirling hypnotic music of Colin Stetson I felt lost and bewildered in the best way possible. What he creates are not so much songs, but periods of time and mood. Using only his bass saxophone, his voice, and a plethora of very particularly placed microphones (there are no overdubs here, and all are done in a single take, folks) Stetson creates these organic and windy motifs that sound like nothing you've ever heard: ambient, yes, but engaging as well; the click-clack and wind of the tracks pull you in for some revelatory statement that has been on the tip of your tongue your whole life. I'm not all that familiar with where the saxophone is going in the 21st century, but I know that this man must be somewhere in the forefront of it's evolution in modern music.

You can listen to The Stars in His Head (Dark Lights Remix) and Fear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun, both tracks from his new album New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges below.

Colin Stetson - The Stars in His Head (Dark Lights Remix)
Colin Stetson - Fear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun

You can buy New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges in a few places.

God is a VCR

2011-03-15T21:29:00.002-04:00

Matta - Release The Freq from Kim Holm on Vimeo.

I've said it before and i'll say it again: I'm not a much of a dubstep fan, but there's something about the music that seems to elicit amazing music videos. Here's one from dubstep artist Matta for the single "Release the Freq", and it is absolutely gorgeous--from the cinematography to the simple geometric shapes over the imagery of the deer. The video was done by designer and visual artist Kim Holm.

Here are some stills from the video.

Hands in the Sky

2011-03-03T18:26:00.002-05:00

Really enjoying this new track from Here We Go Magic. It's a luscious and flighty song from their new The January EP to be released May 10th. I've mentioned my love for Here We Go Magic in my 2010 music wrap up post here, and I'm glad to see more amazing music coming from the group. The album cover for the new EP is above, and you can stream the song below.
Here We Go Magic - Hands in the Sky

Review: Radiohead - The King of Limbs

2011-02-23T00:50:00.003-05:00

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Whether it was their intention or not, Radiohead have created their own mythology.

Theirs is a catalog that represents a style and uniqueness bordering on brand identity. You may not like their music, but you know the kinds of imagery, feelings, and moods attributed to them. They created two of the most lauded albums in alternative music back to back: 1997s OK Computer and 2000s Kid A. As with anybody who would pull off such a feat: there were expectations afterward. Somehow they've consistently released material that borrowed the spirit of those two albums while never sitting still or getting comfortable.

Since Kid A Radiohead has played with an unpredictable seesawing between organic instruments and electronics. In tKoL we hear that contrast continue in songs like single Lotus Flower, which features some of the most interesting drumming from Phil Selway in a while but is propelled along by the dubby synthetic bassline. Many of the beats on the album seem sourced from organic means but are repetitive to the point where you have to assume they are looped--which is a minor problem that pops up throughout the whole album. These loops do help to give openers Bloom and Morning Mr. Magpie a locomotion and frantic sense that is a wonderful new addition to Radiohead's ever evolving pallet. The first side ends with Feral, an interlude that plays something like Flying Lotus and Burial collaborating on an In Rainbows remix. Yorke uses samples of his voice like putty, molding it into a very loose melody. It's the first truly eye-brow raising moments of the album for me, but the experimenting is still very enjoyable.

Codex stands as the most personal song on the album and echoes the hazy claustrophobia of Amnesiac. Give up the Ghost and Separator do the same in their own ways but just don't seem to give it the same attention to detail we expect in moody slow burners like this, especially in the production department. Many of the songs sound thin, as if this wasn't an entire band at all--Johnny Greenwood's guitar and sonic tinkering seem strangely absent throughout. Yorke's reverb drenched vocals are nothing new but on Separator seem almost too easy and don't create much of a sense of atmosphere below the surface. Frequently the drums on the album seem very high and tinny. Separator does eventually come through in the end with an incredibly elegant dream-pop guitar coming in over Yorke's incessant request to wake him up. The song fades out a couple minutes after coming to it's point leaving you reeling and wishing for more--and still wondering why there wasn't more. The album ends at just under 40 minutes.

I don't believe any Radiohead album can be enjoyed at face value, and part of the enjoyment is finding the context of the album. That may not be in finding where it fits in their catalog, but where it fits in your own life, your own catalog. The King of Limbs keeps it's lips sealed and it's purpose hidden for a while. Part of the problem is that the album just isn't as cohesive as previous efforts--in concept or quality. There's not many incredibly high points on the album other than the all around wonderful Lotus Flower, but the lows aren't trenches at all. There will most certainly be many tracks here to keep even the mildest fan happy. Others will find a hit or miss album of playful experimenting and contrasting ideologies: frantic rippers and personal dark ballads that only Radiohead could write.

Imaginary Sounds Mix 22: It Took the Night to Believe

2011-02-10T01:08:00.005-05:00

Phew...it feels good to be putting more content here. Like I've mentioned before this is my last semester so i've been working hard. Anyway, enjoy our newest mix collaboration!

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(download full mix) [124MB]

Mix #22 is a collaboration between us and Anthony Fantano of Youtube Album Review Awesomeness and theneedledrop.com. I've been a fan of TND for a while now and whilst looking for more collaborators and thinking we really need some metal up in this place, I decided to contact Anthony and he was up for it. Here's what he had to say about the compilation:

Hi, everyone. I'm Anthony Fantano. Some call me the Internet's Busiest Music Nerd, while others have much less flattering things to say. Whether you know me or don't know me is irrelevant, though. What's important is the musical style at hand in this mix: doom metal.

I've never met a genre of music I didn't like, but doom metal is a horse of a different color for me. This is because it connects on a very physical level, and I'm not talking about dancing, moshing, or even screwing. Some of the genre's heaviest hitters, like Sunn O))), have grown into outright internet jokes, but it's not surprising to see grim reaper robes and fog machines attract that kind of attention. Unless it's October 31st, It's hard not to question the intent of grown men in costume.

I don't blame anyone for disliking doom and its many variants; it's not for everyone. What I don't understand is the assumption there's something to "get" about this style of music--you know, the "too deep for you" mentality. The idea this is thinking man's music couldn't be further from the truth for me, and that is not a swing at the intelligence of your average doom fan. The point here is to create a large, looming sound. I don't know if it could get simpler than that. From my point of view, some of the music on this mix is so overwhelming, thinking is not an option.

This mix isn't a perfect or complete display of doom metal. It's just a few pieces of the puzzle, really. The groups range from some of the earliest doom acts--Trouble, Saint Vitus, Pentagram--to the bands who really built a name for doom in metal's underground during the 90s: Sleep, Electric Wizard, Earth. Of course some new essentials are on here as well.

It's not like modern doom just dropped into our laps. Music progressed to this point. It starts with stuff like early Black Sabbath and continues uninterrupted, getting a little heavier and a little louder with each new band.

The Tracklist:
1. Ufoammut - Odio
2. Sleep - Dragonaut
3. Saint Vitus - Ice Monkey
4. TROUBLE - Bastards Will Pay
5. Pentagram - Review Your Choices
6. High on Fire - Blood from Zion
7. Electric Wizard - We Hate You
8. Torche - Hideaway
9. Jesu - Losing Streak
10. Boris - Akuma No Uta
11. Harvey Milk - Plastic Eggs
12. Earth - Geometry of Murder
13. Sunn O))) - Orthodox Caveman

These mixes are compiled by myself to promote good music only, NOT to take money away from these artists. Please support the artists you like. And to make it fair, I ask you to delete these files within 24 hours.

btw, We're always curious to hear your feedback on mixes. Let us know what you think about this one, past mixes, or the site in general by leavin a comment. Please?

Rooboot Hoonds

2011-01-19T17:42:00.001-05:00

I tend to stay far, far away from dubstep--so I didn't know anything about Starkey. And although you couldn't call it pure dubstep, he's definitely got the influences. I do enjoy this song; but what attracted me was the amazing video. The synchronized jitters and religious imagery are a combination I would have never expected or thought of, but it works to some amazing, and hilarious imagery.

Imaginary Sounds Feature: The Best of 2010

2010-12-27T02:12:00.005-05:00

Finally, it's here, my best of 2010 some technical difficulties with Blogger's awful awful word processor. Check the lists; featuring over 30 mp3s for you to listen to. Let me know if any of them stop working. Also, COMMENT! Thanks guys.

Top 25 Albums:

25. Teebs - Ardour
24. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
23. Das Racist - Sit Down, Man
22. Vampire Weekend - Contra
21. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
20. El Guincho - Pop Negro
19. The Drums - s/t
18. Glasser - Ring
17. Perfume Genius - Learning
16. VHS Head - Trademark Ribbons of Gold

15. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Cosmogramma was not at all what I expected, and I think that really affected my reception of it. But as I listened, my relationship with the album evolved as organically as the beats and textures FlyLo creates so well. This does not have any of the structure or rigidity of Los Angeles or 1984 (not that those albums had strict rigidity, but that speaks to my point). It flows like the avant-jazz it is inspired by and defies you to keep it in the metaphorical box of expectations. This is why FlyLo is the head pioneer of an entirely new scene, he can do things like that and get away with it. This is the sound of Hip-Hop evolving.

Key Track: Flying Lotus - And the World Laughs With You (Feat. Thom Yorke)

14. Jónsi - Go

High expectations are always going to end up being lowered, and I had them for Jonsi's debut solo album. The album did not spread the energy of early single "Boy Lilikoi throughout, but the parts that did contain that excitement and happiness did so in ways that were so positive it's almost blinding. For an album from a member of Sigur Ros, a band that has created some of the most sparse and darkly melancholic music of our generation, it its strange, but a breath of fresh air. The melodies that come out of Jonsi paired with his unearthly falsetto speak straight to your emotions, and the organic and pounding instrumentation from album collaborator Nico Muhly speak straight to your limbs.

Key Track: Jonsi - Animal Arithmetic

13. Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern

The music Marnie Stern makes does not generally lend to the deeper emotions: angular, complex drum and guitar interchanges, fast and loud cheerleader vocals with lyrics that sound like a motivational speaker with ADD, Van Halen style finger-tapping. But, early in her self-titled album you find her putting more emotion in one line of a song than anything in her entire discography. This sentiment carries over to many of the songs on the album. Marnie lets us see her worries and fears. She slows down the hectic pace she generally employs to add more digestible melodies to back her deeper lyrics. That's not to say Marnie isn't still having fun, that's one of the things i've come to love about her style. You'll see that for Stern, even the most serious topic can be playful.

Key Track: Marnie Stern - Nothing Left

12. MGMT - Congratulations

I really wish people would forget that this album was made by the same band who recorded the indie-dance hits "Kids" and "Electric Feel". I was never a huge fan of Oracular Spectacular save the shallow dance pop fun of said singles, and Congratulations leaves that mindset in the dust. The album is ambitious to say the least. The influences read like a list of all the good music your dad could still respect: psychedelic mish-mash of everything from doo-wop, proto-punk, space rock, glam, surf, etc. (and none of the bad stuff; lookin' at you Rush, Jimmy Buffet). And all of these genres can be packed into one 3 minute song. That sort of songwriting can come across as a gimmick, but MGMT seem to take to their mission with fun, gripping songwriting. You can tell they really love the music they're playing enough to do it the justice it deserves, and it comes across as fantastic.

Key Track: MGMT - It's Working

11. The Dirty Projectors & Bjork - Mount Wittenberg Orca

A collaboration between The Dirty Projectors and Bjork wouldn't have made sense before it happened, and after you hear Mount Wittenberg Orca, it's obvious that it definitely does. I was, unfortunately, not too keep on The Dirty Projector's 2009 album Bitte Orca until after I had heard Mount Wittenberg, but it helped me "get" that album and realize The Dirty Projectors are creating some of the most forward thinking experimental music in indie rock. It makes sense then that the band would team with one of the most creative and daring voices in contemporary music. Bjork's lessons from Medulla play a huge part in accentuating the beautiful voices of Dirty Projectors female voices Angel Deradoorian and Amber Coffman; many songs sound as if they are exercise the very limits of what the women can do. The whole album though, feels like a cohesive group of songs, a quaint but almost allegorical fable. The content of such a fable is arguable, but it is there, and The Dirty Projectors and Bjork tell it with an ease that makes it sound meant to be.

Key Track: The Dirty Projectors & Bjork - All We Are

10. Here We Go Magic - Pigeons

Here We Go Magic seems instantly like a band with a central personality, and by that I mean these songs are from the mind of one man, and all the songs ooze the sensibilities and quirks of that songwriter. That man is Luke Temple. On Pigeons we see him employing texture, psychedelia, and nostalgia in expert fashion, all wrapped in a lo-fi Indie Rock package. Temple's previous recordings, under his own name and the debut Here We Go Magic Album, came from a much more ambient, almost Kraut-Rock situation, and the songwriting on Pigeons reflects that. The songs seem to repeat and build, collecting sounds and feelings until the song is there, digging the melody in your ear. Temple has built a palette with Pigeons that is appealing and visceral which makes what Here We Go Magic offers an indvidual gift.

Key Track: Here We Go Magic - Collector

9. The Fresh & Onlys - Play It Strange

Play it Strange definitely doesn't sound like it should be coming out in 2010. The sounds used seem to be from very disparate times in music: late era Rockabilly, late 80s indie rock, 70s garage rock, early 90s alt-country. Somehow though, The Fresh and Onlys package all these influences in a way that makes this album seem completely timeless. Lead singer Tim Cohen croons through layers of lo-fi haze, telling tales and lessons that seem at once vague and relateable at the same time. Play It Strange really doesn't have one bad song on it, which shows the real power of a band who speak from the spirit of so many styles.

Key Track: The Fresh and Onlys - Waterfall

8. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

I made a post a few weeks ago scoffing at Pitchfork's perfect 10 rating of MBDTF, and I meant it, despite the album showing up in my top 10. It's far from perfect, but it IS a great album, and worthy of being argued for Kanyne's best. It has all of the marks of a Kanye album; it's in your face, it's exploration, it's progressive, and it is definitely of the moment. Kanye has a way of making hip-hop sound like so much more than just rapping over a beat; when you listen to MBDTF, you feel like you're involved in this, that this isn't the idle musings that some underground rap can feel like. There is stirring in this album, drama, and the earth is breaking up and shit is happening! But, what's hard to tell is if this is just Kanye being his overdramatic self, and making things that are pseudo-artistic, or is it real. I don't think we'll know anytime soon, but if there was a way TO get something started, this album is it. If there were doubters, they aren't going to be ignoring Kanye after this--not that they could anyway.

Key Track: Kanye West - Monster (featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver)

7. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me

Have One On me felt like a challenge. 3 discs at over an hour each is just not easy digestion for a media like music. But if you can get past all of that, you'll be met with one of the sweetest voices, and most talented women in all of music. Newsom's sense of melody is as amazing as ever; some how she is able to establish several beautiful melodies in one song and change between them seamlessly in wonderful style. Once strictly an avant-folk songstress, Have One On Me sees Joanna moving past that toward more contemporary song styles and structures. And when I say contemporary, it's only by comparison. Every instrument used on this album was an available instrument 40 years ago; and Newsom has that aura of legendary folk artists that makes her music feel timeless and classic. The confidence of these songs are a part of that; and she's definitely confident here, as well she should be.

Key Track: Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving COmpany

6. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

It really says something when a new release by a band makes you look at all their previous ones differently. With every subsequent album James Murphy and his band have perfected their post-punk dance rock method to a T, coming out of a late 2000s movement as the only band still around doing great stuff (!!! are still here, but is anyone still listening?). It's the emotion, though, on This Is Happening that struck me. Sure there are songs about partying and the foils of the music industry, but the real strength of TIH are the songs where Murphy wears his heart on his sleeve, much like Sound of Silver standout "Someone Great", telling stories of relationship problems, never being satisfied, and just letting go of problems. Somehow the baggage meshes perfectly with their brand of synth-worshipping hip-shaking indie rock. I really hope that TIH isn't LCD Soundsystem's last album, but if it is, they're going out on an incredibly high note.

Key Track: LCD Soundsystem - Home

5. Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot

I'm Sergent Slaughter, I keep my shit cooked to order / In order to satisfy my people in Georgia and 'cross the water / And across the border, the Eses are getting smarter / They got flour for tortillas and lettuce for enchiladas.

If you follow, wink, wink, no doubt, we don't speak / In a blink, them folks can have you sleepin' in the clink / I'm shittin' on niggas and peein' on the seat / It's that nigga the B - I - G B - O - I, O - U - T!

Key Track: Big Boi - Shutterbug

4. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

People say they did, but I don't believe them. I didn't see The Age of Adz coming. Sufjan Stevens seems to be building himself quite the myth; he's become known as a workaholic, releasing album after album of critically respected indie rock while keeping a surprisingly low profile. For 2009's Dark Was the Night compilation, Sufjan stole the show with what was his first foray into electronic music since his 2001 album Enjoy Your Rabbit, and though the commissioned album The BQE had electronic elements, nothing about it hinted that Stevens would turn his attention to such a fully synthetic and intense album that is The Age of Adz. Stevens packs as much grandiosity and emotion into every song that will fit, but somehow leaves room for his stories. On The Age of Adz, the stories feel much more like lessons, one's he's teaching himself through his distinctive brand of emotional honesty and self-aware lyricism. Somehow through all the new electronic elements, Stevens keeps the songs sounding as raw and organic as ever--which shows how well Stevens can balance a concept and content.

Key Track: Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

3. Baths - Cerulean
Baths' debut Cerulean has a little bit of everything I like about electronic music, and though it doesn't sound anything like it, it reminds me of one of my favorite albums of last year, Clark's Totems Flare. Baths is Los Angeles musician Will Wiesenfeld, who has been experimenting with different palletes of electronica over the years, but after getting involved in the LA Beatmaker scene (led by #15 artist Flying Lotus) found a niche to stop in. Cerulean is a mismatch of unquantinized beats, choppy glittery production, and playful lyrics. Some songs focus on the glorious production, some focus on Wiesenfeld's incredible sense of ambience and production (some could even find parallels between the Chillwave genre), and others push the production to an afterthought with Wiesenfeld adding some emotional depth with his unique vocals. Cerulean was what I was looking for from the new Flying Lotus album, and though that might not be fair, it was a wonderful find. Not all the songs are perfect, but the ones that are (the majority) really hit the spot for me and kept me interested the entire year.

Key Track: Baths - Hall

2. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

I'll be honest: I have a thing for music whose chronological origins are ambiguous. For some people, music that is purposefully recorded to sound old and nostalgic can be gimmicky, but Tame Impala, a young band from West Australia, seem to channel the psych-rock gods of the late 60's and early 70's in a way that few have, and there's not a rolling eye in the room. There's not a weak song on this entire album and all of the songs seem to occupy a space of legitimacy despite the band's seesawing between krautrock, psychedelia, and even trip-hop influence. I'm just assuming the world needed an album like this since Dungen decided to give a shitty album this year.

Key Track: Tame Impala - Lucidity

1. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

One of my favorite things about listening to music as long as I have is figuring out your personal tastes. I don't mean generalizing things or restricting yourself; I just mean finding patterns in the kind of music you tend to gravitate toward. The special thing I found in Odd Blood is that it brought that thought to my head for the first time; "what are those patterns" and it also seems to summarize my tastes quite well. I'm not saying it is my favorite album, or they are my favorite band. Yeasayer are an experimental indie rock band that just happen to make pop music with electronic elements. Or maybe they're an indie pop rock group that experiments using electronic textures. What I found is that this album incorporates many of the elements in music I tend to gravitate toward; the songs are beat-centric, poppy but challenging at the same time, extremely varied but pulled together by a common tone that makes it a cohesive album. Every psychedelic melody Anand Wild brought to their debut All Hour Cymbals still exist but are now wrapped in warm 80's influences name-checking Prince, Parliament Funkadelic and early hip-hop--those influences coming at a key time when those nostalgic sounds are as popular as ever in independent music. Odd Blood hasn't made a ton of #1s this year and it's really surprising to me, it's an incredibly fun album and can be challenging too. I've enjoyed having it in my top 10 list pretty much all year long.

Key Track: Yeasayer - O.N.E.

Honorable Mentions:

Liars - Sisterworld

The Books - The Way Out

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

The Walkmen - Lisbon

Games - That We Can Play EP

Wolf People - Tidings

Jagga Jazzist - One Armed Bandit

Mi Ami - Steal Your Face

Toro y Moi - Causers of This

Janelle Monae - Archandroid

Women - Public Strain
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP

Probably would have shown up in my top 25 had I had a chance to listen to them more:

Chromeo - Business Casual

Antony and the Johnsons - Swanlights

Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitti - Before Today

Brian Eno - Small Craft On A Milk Sea

Girl Talk - All Night

Foals - Total Life Forever

The National - High Violet

Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer

James Blake - The Bells Sketch EP / CMYK EP / Klavierwerke EP

Top 20 Songs:

1. Kanye West - Monster
2. Baths - (Heart)
3. Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving Company
4. Hot Chip - I Feel Fine
5. Liars - Scarecraws On A Killer Slant
6. LCD Soundsystem - Home
7. Wavves - Post-Acid
8. The Drums - Lets Go Surfing
9. Cults - Go Outside
10. ceo - Come With Me
11. Of Montreal - Like A Tourist
12. Cee-lo - Fuck You
13. Here We Go Magic - Collector
14. Jaga Jazzist - Toccata
15. Parenthetical Girls - Small Throat
16. Zola Jesus - Sea Talk
17. Braids - Lemonade
18. Mi Ami - Latin Lover
19. Toro y Moi - Blessa
20. Perfume Genius - Mr. Peterson

Most Disappointing:

Of Montreal - False Priest

Dungen - Skit I Allt

MIA - /\/\/\Y/\

Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle

Tera Melos - Patagonian Rats (Where was I when they got a vocalist? No thanks!)
Massive Attack - Heligoland

Panda Bear - Tomboy (Because It Didn't Come Out)

Most Overrated:

Sleight Bells - s/t (!!!!!!!!!)

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Twin Shadow - Forget

Beach House - Teen Dream (I'm sorry, it bores me to death. What can I say?)

Excited About Next Year:

Radiohead - TBA

Parenthetical Girls - Privilege

Braids - Native Speaker

Esben & The Witch - Violet Cries

James Blake - TBA

The Decemberists - The King is Dead

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Kanye West & Jay Z - Watch the Throne

Neon Indian - TBA

Portishead - TBA

Countdown to Christmas

2010-12-10T00:10:00.026-05:00

15 Days!

The Knife - Christmas Reindeer

Tonight's Christmas song is one of the weirdest Christmas songs I've ever heard and is from the Knife, who is...well, always interesting themselves. Written from the perspective of one of Santa's reindeer, The Knife gave this song away in 2006 as a gift. But who cares, just enjoy.

14 Days!

Yo La Tengo - It's Christmas Time!

So I learned tonight that the 12 days of Christmas are not leading UP TO Christmas, they're actually after. There's...something...interesting.

Tonight's song is from Yo La Tengo and is a wonderful fuzzy lo fi christmas indie song, the kind of stuff Yo La Tengo are masters at writing.

I'm going to be posting these tunes in the same post adding one every night so these don't become obnoxious.

13 Days!

Cocteau Twins - Frosty the Snowman
It's both, somehow, very surprising and strangely appropriate that Cocteau Twins covered two Christmas songs on their 1993 EP "Snow". By that time the group had of course evolved past their post-punk/goth roots, and even past their shoegaze/dreampop pioneering days and were writing music that was a great deal more accessible. There was definitely not another time in their career where you could have seen them releasing this, but their icy ethereal sound lends a great deal to making this Christmas classic sound gorgeously refreshing.

12 Days!

Julian Casablancas - Christmas Treat
A little pick me up tonight with a dude that always writes great pop songs, Julian Casablancas, better known for his role as lead singer of the Strokes. He also put out a fantastic solo album last year, along with this catchy as hell Christmas single.

11 Days!

The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
Here's a goofy track from The Waitresses released in 1981. You probably know the Waitresses by their early-80's synth-pop one hit wonder "I Know What Boy's Like", and while this track isn't similar, it does have that fun, carefree 80's atmosphere and cheesiness sealed in well written Christmas song wrapping.

10 Days!

The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)
I have a soft spot for The Darkness. Humor, kick-ass awesome wailing vocalist, great pop songwriting, 80's nostalgia. This Christmas song is no different, but gives a pretty melancholy look at a Christmas and spending a holiday away from those that we love. Well I guess when you look at it that way it's not really humorous. I don't know if they're being serious half the time, though. Doesn't matter I guess, just listen.

9 Days!

The Golden Filter - White Nights (Psychic TV cover)
One of, if not my favorite Christmas song discovery is New York, NY electronica band The Golden Filter's cover of Psychic TV's creepy holiday single White Nights. Part of why the song is so uneasing is that the lyrics borrow from lunatic cult leader Jim Jones death tapes before their deaths at Jonestown. Strange; but you cannot ignore the song's beauty.

8 Days!

DMA-SC - The First Blip Blop Noel
A little Chiptune for you tonight. I have to admit I love the genre; growing up in the early 90s, always a huge fan of videogames, the textures and timbres used are familiar and can be extremely catchy. Like this song--a rendition of The First Noel, this song by 8bitpeoples.com artist DMA-SC (from their Christmas compilation The 8bits of Christmas) is catchy as hell and kind of addicting. By the way, the entire song was composed on an original Atari ST.

7 Days!

Cocteau Twins - Winter Wonderland
Part two of the Cocteau Twins' 1993 'Snow' EP is another blissfully fuzzy Christmas rendition that I think is even better than the first. Liz Frasier does this strange thing with the notes of the song, tweaking them ever so slightly as to create just enough dissonance to keep things interesting, but we never lose sight of the classic song we all know.

6 Days!

First Aid Kit - Blue Christmas
Tonight we have a beautiful song from folksy Swedish group (and sisters) First Aid Kit who have been recently picked up by Jack White's Third Man Records and are releasing a single under the name soon. These girls have a talent for working together on vocal harmonies and are definitely developing a really nice sound.

5 Days!

The Bird and the Bee - Carol of the Bells
Just 5 days already? Sheesh, this has been going by quick. One of my favorite classic Christmas songs tonight, Carol of the Bells done by avant-synthpop Los Angeles group The Bird and the Bee who put their signature jazzy and playful, but sardonic sound on and already pretty weird song. It's funny how when you hear something so much you don't realize how really strange a song can be.

4 Days!

The Raveonettes - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
In 2008 fuzzy nostalgia-obsessed Danish rockers The Raveonettes released their Wishing You a Rave Christmas EP with this great shoegaze inspired cover of Darlene Love's 1963 hit Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). The Raveonettes put a sheen on the song with the help of some retro synths that gives the song a refreshing uneasiness and sense of longing that's pretty appropriate considering the context of the song.

3 Days!

The Flaming Lips - Christmas at the Zoo
You know, I wouldn't put it past The Flaming Lips, and I'm kind of surprised actually that they haven't put out a Christmas song nowhere near Christmas season and went about their merry little bat-shit crazy world like nothing happened. OH WAIT, THEY DID YOU SAY? Wayne Coyne and his troupe already have a history with the holiday in the infamously delayed Christmas On Mars, but before that there was Christmas At the Zoo, a random Christmas song about giving the animals at the zoo something to celebrate on Jesus' birthday in the middle of their 1995 psyche-pop album Clouds Taste Metallic (that was released in September, mind you).

2 Days!

Kate Bush - December Will Be Magic Again
Quirky 80's siren Kate Bush can seem pretty cheesy on the outside, I can see what you're thinking, but this song is pretty complex underneath the FM Synth and glitter facade. This woman was, and I imagine is still a genius. Here she she speaks of sacred holidays gone past, which is understandable especially in todays hyper-shopping, retail crazed spirit of Christmas.

1 Days!

The Walkmen - Christmas Party
Festivities with some found sound from a real Christmas Party, HOW APPROPRIATE...from the Walkmen.

OMGZ CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0 Days!

Sufjan Stevens - That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
Merry Christmas u guize. Tonight we have one of the best original Christmas songs I know of, from a wonderful artist I'm sure you're well familiar with. In 2006 Sufjan released his humongous 6-disk Christmas music box set, a collection of 6 EPs he had recorded over the years for family and friends. On volume 3 is this gem that, though pessimistic in nature, creates a real emotional connection to the feeling of Christmas with Sufjan's usual honest and candid lyrics.

Later today I'll be posting what we've been counting down to so, you know, check that out after you've opened your other presents and pigged out on Christmas lunch/dinner.

Season's Greetings

2010-12-09T02:20:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night at midnight we'll be starting our countdown to Christmas. Every night at midnight I'll be posting a new Christmas song from the alternative music sphere. Hopefully that will get you in the Christmas spirit and keep you guys around for your Christmas gift on the 25th.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

MBDTF

2010-11-22T12:18:00.000-05:00

Ugh. Seriously?

ISO50 Blog presents Dry Waves & Baths

2010-11-21T14:22:00.002-05:00

If you head over to the blog of (incredible) Graphic Design group ISO50, they have posted a compilation called Dry Waves of great electronic artists.

From their blog:

Dry Waves is a compilation put together to show how gorgeous and diverse music can get when you stay away from filing work into genres. All the musicians on the compilation I personally feel are on a path of making music that keeps me on the edge of my seat when it comes to new ideas and experimenting.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPILATION HERE FOR FREE

Cover art by: Com Truise

If you have yet to check out Baths' "Cerulean" album, it's one of the best releases this year and streaming in it's entirety at this link. Do EEET!!

Stream Cerulean Here

Imaginary Sounds Mix 21: Killing in Style: Works from the Great Italian Film Composers

2010-11-17T21:31:00.006-05:00

Mix #21 is a guest mix, and it's really exciting; and important to why we do this. I probably would never had checked out this genre of music if it hadn't been for this mix, and I ended up loving it. And that's what this blog is all about, finding new music, and finding new loves, that you may have never heard otherwise. Or at least that's what we want to happen. Enjoy everyone.

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(download full mix) [152MB]

Killing in Style is our very first guest compilation with, hopefully, many more to come. This one is from naguine of the blog i don't care about sleep. They write:

Killing in Style is a hypnotic, erotic collection of my favourite Italian film soundtrack composers; including Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, and Piero Piccioni. The mix is largely made up of tracks from giallo scores, which tend to be the most soothing and pleasant to listen to, but also highly expressive at times and fairly experimental, sometimes orchestral and sometimes sparse.

Ennio Morricone is arguably the most important and well-known of the composers here. He did scores for Italian crime-fiction or mystery films (called Giallo films) with Dario Argento, including the soundtracks for the Animal Trilogy. He is even more famous for the scores he wrote for spaghetti westerns, particularly those he did with Sergio Leone. Bruno Nicolai conducted for and sometimes co-wrote scores with Morricone, and there are a couple of his solo works featured here. Piero ‘Perverted’ Piccioni, lawyer-turned-composer, is infamous not just for his immense talent but also because of a lewd criminal incident that caused quite a bit of controversy for the composer. A few tracks from Berto Pisano’s infamous Interrabang score have made it on here, as well as one from Garvarentz’s Sapho score and one from Trovaioli’s L’Arcidiavolo score (Beelzebub).

This is truly a great mix with some incredibly beautiful music. It's the kind of stuff that you never think about getting into that turns out to be a genuine pleasant surprise. Please check out the mix, and make a visit over to their blog!

The Tracklist:

1. Ennio Morricone - Veruschka (from Veruschka)
2. Piero Piccioni - Fairy Tales (from Il Disprezzo)
3. Bruno Nicolai - Skyscrapers (from Marquis De Sade's Philosophy in the Boudoir)
4. Berto Pisano - ...E Il Sole Scotta (from Interrabang)
5. Gianfranco Plenizio - Musica Per Anna (from La Gatta In Calore)
6. Ennio Morricone - In Un Sogno Il Sogno (from Mondo Morricone Revisited, Vol. 1)
7. Georges Garvarentz - Love for 'Sapho' (from Sapho ou La Fureur D'Aimer)
8. Stelvio Cipriani - Finale (from The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire)
9. Piero Piccioni - Memories (from Il Disprezzo)
10. Armando Sciascia - Annie's Dream (from Metempsycho)
11. Ennio Morricone - Sospiri da una Radio Lotana (from More Mondo Morricone Revisited, Vol. 2)
12. Berto Pisano - La Vallata Sommersa (from Interrabang)
13. Bruno Nicolai - Psycho-Meeting (from Marquis De Sade's Philosophy in the Boudoir)
14. Armando Trovaioli - Maddalena E Belfagor (from L'Arcidiavolo)
15. Ennio Morricone - Eva's Holy Dress (Deep Down 3) (from Danger: Diabolik)
16. Piero Piccioni - Brasil 2000 (from Camille 2000)
17. Armondo Trovaioli - Sara (from Profumo di Donna)
18. Ennio Morricone - La Lucertola (from Una Lucertola Con Le Pelle di Donna)

These mixes are compiled by myself to promote good music only, NOT to take money away from these artists. Please support the artists you like. And to make it fair, I ask you to delete these files within 24 hours.

btw, We're always curious to hear your feedback on mixes. Let us know what you think about this one, past mixes, or the site in general by leavin a comment. Please?

The Works of Dead White Men

2010-10-17T23:18:00.005-04:00

I listen to a looooot of music, so it's really hard sometimes to pick an absolute favorite in anything. I've got my favorite album of all time (Sigur Ros' Untitled Album) and then there's my favorite piece of music.

If you've seen the Tarsem film The Fall, you're probably familiar with this piece. It's not Beethoven's most popular, but it is definitely my favorite. It's power has never waned on me, and it's sometimes hard to believe, though I'm not sure why, that music this beautiful was created so long ago.

This version, done by Daniel Barenboim and Berliner Staatskapelle, is my favorite in the renditions I've heard (even better than the Karajan version used in The Fall). He takes it slow, but not too slow, accentuating every note to perfection.

Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A Major, op. 92 (Allegretto)

Imaginary Sounds Mix 20: Cadillac Casanovas

2010-10-12T21:56:00.003-04:00

Mix #20! Yay! It's a milestone..er...something.

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(download full mix) [49MB]

We don't want you to get the wrong idea. We here at Imaginary Sounds live in the present. At least I do. I don't think that all the best music was made before my generation, or that the seed of a movement, style, or genre is always better than anything that comes after it. But it does always benefit one to know your origins. Whether you listen to metal, indie rock, pop music, or anything else, early rock & roll, or Rockabilly, influenced it in ways that are still glaringly obvious.

Rockabilly officially came into it's own toward the end of World War II when such desperate styles as country, rhythm and blues, and jazz dance music came together to create a raucous party music for the post-WWII celebration. It was one of the most successful times in American history and these artists pushed the perimeters of fun, art, and taste to the degree that we can enjoy the music that we do today. We all know about the controversy that Elvis created, but it's important to see that Elvis was not the only person in the movement doing his thing and creating a new style of music that would become one of the dominant archetypes in popular music for the rest of the century and, possibly, beyond.

This mix isn't necessarily meant to be an Essentials of Rockabilly mix, but it is my favorite songs i've found along my research. We hope you download and enjoy. If you're interested in finding more music in the rockabilly vein I suggest purchasing a great compilation here.

On to the tracklist:

1. Mickey Hawks & Moon Mullin - Bip Bop Boom
2. GL Crockett - Look Out Mabel
3. Elvis Presley - Mystery Train
4. Ray Smith - Right Behind You Baby
5. The Moonlighters - Broken Heart
6. Benny Joy - Ittie Bittie Everything
7. Johnny Powers - Long Blonde Hair
8. Johnny Burnette Trio - The Train Kept A Rollin'
9 Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
10. Paul Chaplain and his Emeralds - Shortnin' Bread
11. Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Baby Won't You Come Out Tonight
12. Tracy Pendarvis - A Thousand Guitars
13. Joe Clay - Sixteen Chicks
14. Ronnie Dawson - Action Packed
15. Billy Lee Riley & The LIttle Green Men - Red Hot
16. Groovy Joe Poovey - Silence Baby
17. Peanut Wilson - Cast Iron Arm
18. Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire
19. Elvis Presley - That's All Right

20. Glen Glenn - Blue Jeans and a Boy's Shirt

21. Charlie Feathers - Why Don't You?

22. Mel Robbins - Save It

btw, we always want to hear your feedback on mixes. Let us know what you think about this one, past mixes, or the site in general by leavin a comment down there.

yeah...down here. right there. you see it?

News and Videos!

2010-09-22T15:38:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, it's been a little bit.

Mixes are still being made. Speaking of: There's a Rockabilly mix coming up next week! Yay.

School is in full swing and I've only got two semesters to go so i'm sticking to getting this done right.

Here's a couple new singles and videos released recently that i've been addicted to:

Parenthetical Girls - Young Throats (dir. A Nice Idea Every Day)

You can preorder the new Parenthetical Girls EP Priviledge Part II at their site now.

Jon Hopkins - Vessel (Four Tet Remix) (dir. Bison)

One of the most beautiful music videos i've ever seen and an incredible remix. I definitely suggest watching in HD.

Changes!

2010-08-06T14:36:00.002-04:00

Made some major changes to the template and cosmetics of the site. I'm just trying it out really, to see how I like it. Kinda iffy so far. Let me know what you think by taking our poll on the left, or even better, leave a comment.

ALSO! I'm wanting to put links to other music blogs on here; so if you have a music blog you want represented, let me know and i'll link it.

NOTE: Noticed some problems with the mix cd scroller in Internet Explorer. Working on fixing that!

Imaginary Sounds Feature: Einstürzende Neubauten

2010-07-24T17:45:00.033-04:00

Out of fire; Out of chaos. Out of the mud, rubble, metal, rivets, and splintered wood. Ash of burnt food, linoleum and dreams. There is a peace of nothing; absence of movement and breathing. Even the usual current of wind stopped short by rubbled monolithic buildings. Rows of corporate churches stopped short of worship. Nothing where there was once something. Nothing caused by something. Was it in direct opposition; like a revolution or a mutiny? Or was it simply a necessity; a natural progression toward simplicity and ultimately perfection? In 1980 came the storm.

On a makeshift stage in Berlin a group of like-minded artists performed under the name Einstürzende Neubauten ("Collapsing New Buildings") for the first time as a performance art collective. Somewhere in the collective media-obsessed shallow eyed mass a butterfly flapped it's wings and created a hurricane within this group of people made of blood-curdling screams, home-made power tools, and raw percussion atop any junk metal that could be found.
The term "Industrial" that would come to describe the music scene they were pioneering could not have been any more literal
. The group scrounged around construction sites and scrap yards to find whatever material they could find to fashion their instruments out of. Frontman Blixa Bargeld fueled the storm with apocolyptic tinged lyrics about destruction, illness, and death. By the end of the 80s the group had developed a considerable reputation for their riotous live shows and anti-pop ethos. A strike was called against all casual listening patterns and mediocrity and it would have no mercy for almost 10 years; creating many milestones and blueprints for Industrial music and avant-garde sound experiments alike.
We're not here, though, to talk about the storm. We're here to talk about debris and silence. In 1983, after 3 albums with Neubauten, Blixa Bargeld joins Australian no-wave band The Birthday Party as a side project. The Birthday Party's line-up includes a young Nick Cave, and when the band breaks up within the year, Bargeld follows Cave over to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Here we see the storm begin to quell, and the effects begin to show.

On 1985's Halber Mensch, the band pulled the reigns tighter on song structure and melody. By the 7th album, 1993s Tabula Rasa, the silence rips through the smoke and calls our attention to it's tell-tale prominence. Bargeld and the band also changed their image. Once clad in torn up, DIY punk gear, the band began wearing tailored suits. Tabula Rasa added a welcome air of ambience and subtlety to the intensity and neurotic charge of the band's former work. Song's began to take their time, and not rely on sheer anger to get the point across. But of course, the silence occasionally remembered the storm; there were still flairs of anger and power. They were only memories though; flashbacks that had become part of the psyche of the aftermath, not an entirely different event.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Blume
Track Blume starts out and pulls us in with a harmonic guitar melody that serves as an anchor to the entire song. Guest Anita Lane serves as our guide, Bargeld only coming into the mix intermittently to accompany the melody with airy humming that's quite honestly a little creepy. Anita tells us that she would be various uncanny flowers, not for any reason, but for us. A dedication that is either strangely beautiful or quite creepy. Or both. This song is an early showcase of Neubauten's ability to hinge an entire song on maybe one or two elements, something that becomes very important in the band's minimalist sound.

Einstürzende Neubauten - 12305(te Nacht)
12305(te Nacht) starts as if things are about to get noisy, but is quickly reigned in by a bass frequency that sounds more like controlled feedback than a note played on a string; an example of Neubauten still using homemade experimental instruments.

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8th album Ende Neu, released in 1996, saw the group receiving quite a bit of positive attention. Bargeld's duet with Meret Backer Stella Maris became an international hit and spurred a world tour for the group. Ende Neu is incredibly varied and contains some of Neubauten's most minimalist tracks, and some of the most aggressive concepts and tones in some time. Many show a deep inspiration from Krautrock greats such as Neu! and Can, with driving beats and hypnotic melodies, something that seemed to be in evolution for a long time.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Stella Maris
Already mentioned Stella Maris was at the time one of the most commercially viable songs Neubauten had ever released. That of course seems entirely coincidental because it is a wonderful song, a song that you know is a love song without understanding a word of German. The song starts out simply enough, pulled along by that iconic bass, but is lifted toward the end by violins and cellos pulling it into the stratosphere and then dropping it to a soft finale.

Einstürzende Neubauten - The Garden
The Garden is without a doubt Neubauten's most minimalist song. Most of it including only 3 elements; a steady beep for rhythm, sliding bass, and Bargeld's mantra, telling us where he can be found. His descriptions become increasingly darker as the song goes on, hinting that this hiding place is a place of solace while waiting for the end.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Sabrina
4 years after Ende Neu came Silence is Sexy and another decidedly minimalist track. Sabrina is focused on Bargeld's covetous mantra, wishing for something it seems he can not have, and can not even describe specifically. Like Stella Maris before it, Sabrina ha
s the feel of a love song but one that may not have the same positive message. We don't know if he is ever satisfied by his wishes. The end suggests not.

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In 2003, Bargeld left Nick Cave & The Bad Seed
s to tour with Neubauten and focus on the songs that would be on the next album. During this era Neubauten began experimenting with air, air compressors, and whistles. In 2004 Perpetuum Mobile was released. Surely their most subdued and ambient album, this is where we see that the silence makes a mark as Einsturzende prove they are masters of tight minimalist song writing and deep ambient textures.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Youme & Meyou
Youme & Meyou starts out with a subtle but driving beat with a story of travel to accompany. Bargeld speaks of tw
o different characters and their wants as if they are a part of the same whole, like an id to an ego compromising for the better of both. One of the more lyrically driven songs of their catalog, strange as usual but sensual and mysterious as Bargeld increases the seriousness in the events; he speaks of a "them" in the mix and the song increases in intensity hinting at a conflict of interest.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Dead Friends (Around the Corner)
A meditation on mortality and what may be the sound of the band nearing it's 30th anniversary, Dead Friends is Neubauten looking back to old habits in their sty
le. The metal instruments are more obvious in the song's bridge and the guitar work is much more apparent than in previous tracks, the crescendo at the end escalating to a point where the old anger and thrashing could break out again. It stops short of course, possibly as
an indication of the future.

Perpetuum Mobile was the last proper album Einsturzende Neub
auten released until 2007 when Alles Wieder Offen was released independently with help from supporters. Just 3 years from what would be their 30th anniversary, the band proved that they were not done releasing amazing music. And they weren't done with the memories of the storm. Sometimes, it seams, that the memories and the years of subconscious suppression can cause another storm of it's own.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Weil Weil Weil

Early video of the band. From the 1986 film Halber Mensch. Evidence of the hectic noisy style they started with.

Music video for Stella Maris with English translation of lyrics.

Minimalist video for the minimalist masterpiece The Garden.

Hilarious collection of videos with Bargeld reading commercials for a German hardware store.

Imaginary Sounds Mix 19: A Night in the Box: Film Songs from the Heartland

2010-07-13T11:30:00.010-04:00

Mix #19. Yay! We're nearing a milestone. bates love motel is heading abroad for a while so I'm posting his mix for him while he prepares for that.
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(download full mix) [98MB]

Tumbleweeds rolling in a valley...rocking chairs on a creaky porch...an old rusty pick-up overgrown with weeds...we've always had an interest in the heartland, its hardworking tough-minded people, its ongoing battle between righteous churchgoers and barcrawling rebels, its modern decline from flourishing farming villages to dwindling ghost towns, and certainly the ongoing record of its everyday trials: the music.

From the bluegrass of the mountains and plains, the outlaw music of the West, and the blues of the South, the heartland has learned from its rich past, shaping its music from Irish folk ballads and slave work songs, and created music for everyday life, whether spiritual or recreational, mournful or joyful. A more modern and increasingly fascination record of the heartland has been in film—and even more interesting has been the convergence of music and film, a tradition going back to the spaghetti westerns up to Robert Altman's musical masterpiece "Nashville." For "A Night in the Box," (a title taked from "Cool Hand Luke") we wanted to create a mix of various songs from films either about the heartland or stylistically adjacent. Some new, some old, some bluegrass, some country. We've tried to include a little of everything—even from Australia's western "The Proposition" and Canada's drama "The Sweet Hereafter." We also found it important to create an updated musical record of the heartland film, and that update includes some hybrid films as well as films about new issues in the heartland—such as "Winter's Bone" and "Chrystal" which are about drug problems in the Ozarks, or "Sordid Lives" about a Texas family dealing with a gay relative. It's definitely a more conceptual mix, but is still easily accessible—hopefully, as a result of this listening experience, you will throw off your shoes, chew tobacco, and take up the banjo, but that's just wishful thinking on our part.

Tracklisting:

1. Eddy Arnold - Cattle Call (from My Own Private Idaho)
2. Garrison Keillor & Meryl Streep - Gold Watch & Chain (from A Prairie Home Companion)
3. Otis Taylor - Ten Million Slaves (from Public Enemies)
4. Lisa Blount - Sugar Babe (from Chrystal)
5. Flatt & Scruggs - Doin My Time (from Bonnie & Clyde)
6. Bambi Lee Savage - Darlin' (from Sling Blade)
7. Ed Harris - You'll Never Leave My Heart (from Appaloosa)
8. Precious Bryant - Morning Train (from Black Snake Moan)
9. The Singing Hall Sisters - Knoxville Girl (from Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus)
10. Jack White - Wayfaring Stranger (from Cold Mountain)
11. Ralph Stanley - O Death (from O Brother Where Art Thou)
12. Ryan Bingham - The Weary Kind (from Crazy Heart)
13. Iris DeMent - Pretty Saro (from Songcatcher)
14. Neil Young & Johnny Depp - Dead Man (from Dead Man)
15. Sarah Polley - Courage (from The Sweet Hereafter)
16. Eddie Vedder - Society (from Into the Wild)
17. Paul Newman - Plastic Jesus (from Cool Hand Luke)
18. Shooter Jennings - I'm a Long Way from Home (from Walk the Line)
19. Ry Cooder & Harry Dean Stanton - Mixteca (from Paris, Texas)
20. Dirt Road Delight - Palm of His Hand (from Winter's Bone)
21. Willie Nelson - He Was A Friend Of Mine (from Brokeback Mountain)
22. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Rider Song (from The Proposition)
23. Olivia Newton John - Sordid Lives (from Sordid Lives)

Imaginary Sounds Mix 18: Brasil, Para Sempre

2010-06-21T16:27:00.006-04:00

Finally, the Tropicalia mix!
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(download full mix) [123MB]

In 1964, through a series of political uprisings, Brazil was thrown into a military regime. Originally intended to be transistory, the military regime quickly formed into a full dictatorship. Although not as harsh as some other Latin American countries, the government was harsh when compared to Brazil's recent history. The government was not popular, and quickly the people found outlets to express their anger and disillusionment toward the new paradigm. Out of this came a number of poets, then artists (painters, sculptors) and then musicians who, through their art, expressed tolerance, innovation, and a cannibalism of world culture. This absorption of many different influences from many different cultures allowed the musicians that came to dominate the Tropicalia movement to create some of the most wholly original music the country, or even the world had seen at the time.
The musical movement, led by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, found it's manifesto in 1968 when the collaboration album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis was released. The movement was immensely popular, but did not last long. Because of the political content of their music, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil were incarcerated by the government and exiled to London. Others were subjected to torture and psychological treatment. When Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil returned from London, the scene in Brazil had changed considerably.

Despite Tropicalia's short dominance, it's influence has been considerable, influencing musicians all over the world. I tried here, with this compilation, to listen to the essentials and distill the most powerful and indicative songs in the genre together into one wonderful, and powerful pill of political and musical urgency. I hope you enjoy.

1. Caetano Veloso - Soy Loco por Tí, América
2. Gal Costa - Sebastiana
3. Gilberto Gil - Frevo Rasgado
4. Os Mutantes - Ando Meio Desligado
5. Caetano Veloso - The Empty Boat
6. Gilberto Gil - Domingo no Parque
7. Jorge Ben - País Tropical
8. Tom Zé - Parque Industrial
9. Gal Costa - Divino Maravihoso
10. Jorge Ben - Bebete Vãobora
11. Gilberto Gil - Bat Macumba
12. Caetano Veloso - Alegria, Alegria
13. Rogério Duprat - Ponteio
14. Os Mutantes - Panis Et Circenses
15. Gal Costa - Não Identificado
16. Caetano Veloso - Marinheiro Só
17. Jorge Ben - Take It Easy, My Brother Charles
18. Tom Zé - Gloria
19. Jorge Ben - Crioula
20. Caetano Veloso - Atrás Do Trio Elétrico
21. Gal Costa - Baby
22. Gilberto Gil - Miserere Nóbis
23. Nara Leao - Lindonéia
24. Caetano Veloso - Tropicália
25. Os Mutantes - Ave Ghengis Khan

The Art of the Music Video - Synchronization

2010-05-27T16:26:00.001-04:00

These music videos speak to the heart of the music in the most basic way possible, synchronization. I mean, that's really all music is: a synchronization, or a pattern, of sound. Organization. The visuals in these videos are treated the same way, linked to the rhythm of the music. And it works so beautifully.

Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar
dir. Michel Gondry

This star guitar video is an absolute classic and attests to the genius of Michel Gondry, who we would all come to love first through the "Fell In Love With A Girl" White Stripes video, and then with his movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. We're sent on a trip in Star Guitar, one that we buy completely, even though we know these landscapes and buildings couldn't be real. Still, you sit back and shut up and enjoy the view.

Autechre - Gantz Graf
dir. Alex Rutterford

This video for gave Autechre their widest attention ever, or probably ever will receive and achieved cult status in underground computer-generated imagery art circles. Autechre's music is of course abrasive, and hard to follow avant-garde electronica, but you cant deny the beauty of it all; knowing that there's a rhythm in there somewhere, floating ambiguously between the spiny cinematic. Supposedly each frequency in the song is linked to a specific animation and object. However they did it, it's one of the most amazing things i've ever seen. Stick around till the end.

Röyksopp - Remind Me
dir. H5

Graphic Design-gasm. INFOGRAPHICS! I'm curious how long it takes you to realize where you've heard this before.

Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
dir. D. A. Pennebaker

The original synchronized video. An absolute classic taken from the Bob Dylan documentary Don't Look Back, this video has had too many copy-cats to even mention, and is often hilarious. From the accidental (i'm guessing) misspellings to Bob Dylan's complete and utter ambivalence about the whole ordeal, to the Ginsberg cameo. Not a perfect way to learn the lyrics to the song, but it's a start.

Calling for Guest Compilations

2010-05-19T04:19:00.003-04:00

As usual, Imaginary Sounds is looking for ideas for future mixes, or for ideas on how to improve the site. But we are also looking for people who have a specific interest (obsession would be even better) in a genre or theme to do a guest curated mix.

This would be an awesome way to get your favorite bands, your ideas, and your name out there and also add content to the site. If you enjoy it enough we might even ask you to stick around and do future mixes.

If you're at all interested, send an email over to wearenoneofus@gmail.com letting me know what you're interested in doing.

Also, more music videos on the way!

Imaginary Sounds Mix 17: Same As It Ever Was: The Very Best of Talking Heads

2010-05-17T15:58:00.010-04:00

It's Summer! We're back!
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(download full mix) [273MB]
(download disk 1) [136MB]
(download disk 2) [139MB]

In 1974, punk in New York was showing it's true form. The following at CBGB's started in earnest, Patti Smith recorded her first single, the Ramones played their first show, and a band named Talking Heads formed who would see punk music come in at full blast and sputter off several years later. That's not to say the Talking Heads were really punk. I mean, they were poor art students who played simple, "nervous", rock music. I guess by default it was punk, but it was so much more than that. They weren't angry, or anti-establishment. They were just goofy. While working with producer Brian Eno, the Talking Heads artier side came out more. The album Fear of Music saw the introduction of african polyrhythmic percussion, as well as some poppier sounds. The subsequent album, Remain in Light came to be their most challenging, with Eno and Byrne experimenting with ambient music, glitching electronic sounds, and more african rhythms. Their 4th album, Speaking in Tongues, saw the band taking their musical innovations and refining them into one of the best pop albums ever made, and a key album in the New Wave movement of the '80s. Going on to release 5 more albums and a live documentary, the Talking Heads continued to walk the fine line between pop and art. Very seldom is there ever a band who can garner such great critical acclaim and still generate such a huge following and several pop hits. This mix is an attempt to collect all the most important songs indicative of their style and innovations taken from their entire discography.

[Disk 1]

1. Burning Down the House
2. Love for Sale
3. The Good Thing
4. Cities
5. The Great Curve
6. Crosseyed and Painless
7. The Lady Don't Mind
8. Wild Wild Life
9. Take Me to the River
10. Making Flippy Floppy
11. (Nothing But) Flowers
12. Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
13. Who Is It?
14. Sax and Violins
15. Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town
16. Ruby Dear
17. Road to Nowhere

[Disk 2]
1. Blind
2. Once in a Lifetime
3. Moon Rocks
4. And She Was
5. Life During Wartime
6. Psycho Killer
7. Mind
8. Found a Job
9. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
10. Papa Legba
11. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
12. Girlfriend is Better
13. Artists Only
14. No Compassion
15. The Facts of Life
16. Heaven

The Art of the Music Video - WTF?

2010-04-27T22:13:00.005-04:00

So today's dose of great music videos comes from my favorite catagory; those videos that just make you scratch your head and walk away more conflicted than before. Those that don't necessarily have anything to do with the song concept, or really to do with anything that makes sense. Yeah, so WTF is going on here?

Röyksopp - This Must Be It
dir. Filip and Andreas Nilsson

So the Discovery Channel people came to your county to do some filming of some indigenous tribes, eh? This video is a hilarious look at the journey of what seems to be a traveling shaman, or medicine man, bringing the healing power of pure rhythm to an unsuspecting group of backwoods natives. On another note, WTF is that woman wiping on those windows?

UNKLE - Rabbit In Your Headlights
dir. Johnathan Glazer

Another one of my favorite videos ever, and usually a candidate for best videos ever. This clip has been discussed to death; people arguing on why the man is walking in the traffic, what it is he's saying, why Thom Yorke is so awesome, etc. None of that matters though, really, in the end. It doesn't matter after you've seen the man's fate. But seriously, what really matters is "HOW THE HELL DID THEY DO THAT?

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up
dir. Martin de Thurrah

This excellent video from an even better artist is full of WTFs. As in all of Fever Ray's videos, there's a sense of foreboding and atmosphere, and dare I say, nostalgia. The place seems so familiar, yet so dark and creepy. You felt the tension when the girl is walking to the edge of the diving board, didn't you. Why is she dancing there? Why does she have eyes drawn on both of her hands? What is that in the water when she looks down? Is there something in the clouds? Is that her dad standing in the window? Why do I always assume he's a security guard? (Don't ask yourself that one, it's kind of dumb.)

The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist
dir. Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire

Without a doubt one of the greatest music videos ever, and wackiest too (note: stop using the word "wacky" in all it's forms). There's a literal and physical manifestation of every sample used, and there are tons of those. The whole damn song is made up of samples. So yeah, the dancing gospel choir ghosts are my fave.

Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
dir. Chris Cunningham

I have nothing to say but that you MUST watch this. This is the "Thriller" of WTF videos. I opted for the shorter cut because you really don't need that intro.

The Art of the Music Video - Cinematic

2010-04-25T15:36:00.007-04:00

Anyone who is in my generation has seen, i'm sure, their fair share of music videos. By the time we were kids it was the norm for any new single from any semi-popular band to have a music video accompany it and be played non-stop on MTV, or if it were on the controversial side, only once or twice at night (after 9, I believe).

Being a very visual person and always being interested in film, as well as music, Music Videos have always interested me. I usually remember the ones I like; they're ingrained in my memory like few other art medium can be. So as a new feature for Imaginary Sounds, I've set out to collect quite a few of my absolute favorites and post them here in sections throughout the week.

Today's section is highlighting those videos that blur the lines between music video and--well, just video; either by having cinematography that very closely resembles that used in movies, longer length than the average music video, or just using themes touched on more prominently in movies.

Beastie Boys - Sabotage
dir. Spike Jonze

This is a classic music video if there ever was one. The boys take on a host of 70's cop drama cliche's backed by one of the most bad-ass songs they ever wrote. I can't really figure out though, if the song is only bad ass because of the music video. Really--I've never listened to it separate. Watch for the great uses of dummy stunts.

Health - We Are Water
dir. Eric Wierheim

This video is a recent release by the noise band Health, and quickly shot to the top of my list for favorite videos of all time. It's in this category for 2 of the 3 reasons mentioned. The cinematography is unusually beautiful and extremely well edited (props to Eric Wierheim of Tim & Eric, Awesome Show! fame), and the concept and the finished project look like they would fit wonderfully in any over the top horror film. It's not territory covered by most music videos. Oh yeah--bloody, gory video is extremely bloody and gory.

The Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage
dir. Sergio Leone, re-edited by J. Tyler Helms

This fan-made video for the My Body is a Cage is quite literally cinematic; instead of using techniques and concepts from film, it's actually clips from Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western "Once Upon a Time in the West" re-edited to the song. It's a great testament to how a story can be reinterpreted to fit a medium, and fits the song well. Spoiler warning though--if you haven't seen the movie, it will ruin the ending for you.

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother
dir. Jonathan Glazer

Anywhere, Suburbia in the middle of the afternoon. Two of the most bad ass musicians I can think of having a no-holds-barred shootout. I'd almost say this is a video that really pays off in the end, and though it does, I think you've got plenty of eye candy to keep you entertained.

Michael Jackson - Thriller
dir. John Landis

The mother of all cinematic videos and the bar at which all other music videos have been held since; Thriller is iconic. I mean...what am I supposed to say here that hasn't already been said about this video? That the whole zombie theme holds a new meaning nowadays? Aw...too soon?

Just to Prove We're Alive

2010-04-18T15:15:00.006-04:00

We're here, and we know it's been like, what, 3 months since we've updated? It's a shame really. But things are coming, very soon.

We got our first mix recommendation, one for a Anti-Folk mix; and there are also Post-Rock, and Tropicalia mixes still in production.

For the time being, here are 3 songs i've been obsessed with over the past week or so:

Cults - Go Outside

Cults is an indiepop/soul band from New York City. They signed to Forest Family Records in March 2010 and will release their first single (Go Outside b/w Most Wanted) on April 20th. It can be heard at Cults' bandcamp.

Sonnymoon - Houstatlantavegas
Sonnymoon consist of the silky vocals of Anna Wise, and the J Dilla obsessed beats of Dane Orr. Sonnymoon sound like all great things about the trip-hop movement of the early 90's, if it had been started just recently, during the rise of current hip hop movements like Hyperdub. This track is a cover of Drake's (which, I assure you, has nothing to do with the cover's quality) Houstatlantavegas, and is on their debut album Golden Age. You can hear more, and download that album at their bandcamp.

Balam Acab - See Birds
Balam Acab are a group from Ithaca, New York that are a part of the up-and-coming movement called (apparently) Witch House? Yeah...I don't know, but it sounds like the processed synthetic beats of late techno music mixed with the warm, transcendent vocals of the Cocteau Twins. But way scarier. And chilly. You can hear more at Balam Acab's myspace.

Merry Christmas! Imaginary Sounds Mix 16: Universe Dirt

2009-12-25T18:53:00.008-05:00

Well, I told you we'd be back. It's the holiday season, and with that comes time away from school, so Bates Love Motel and I decided to collaborate on this one. I hope you enjoy and had a great Christmas.

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(download full mix) [295MB]
(download disk 1) [115MB]
(download disk 2) [100MB]

Universe Dirt is Imaginary Sounds' first foray into the world of hip-hop. Bates Love Motel and I set out to chronicle the diverse and interesting world that has grown out of the underground and experimental hip-hop scenes all over the world; focusing more on lesser known artists than already established classics like Wu-Tang Clan or others. Sure, we're missing some artists along the way, but these are our favorites from our research, and we're always eager to find even more. Expect more mixes to follow including influences from rap and hip-hop.

[Disk 1]

1. Orko the Sycotik Alien - Art of Deception
2. Mr. Lif - Red October
3. Dangerdoom - Crosshairs
4. DJ /rupture - Homeboys (feat. Max Normal: Maga Bo)
5. El-P - Deep Space 9mm
6. Restiform Bodies - Black Friday
7. Themselves - Mouthfull
8. Dalek - Bricks Crumble
9. Madlib - Lifetime (Lifeline)
10. Najubes - Battlecry (feat. Shing02)
11. MF Doom - Sniper Elite
12. Saul Williams - List of Demands (Reparations)
13. Bumblebeez 81 - Rappa
14. cLOUDDEAD - Rifle Eyes
15. P.O.S. - Graves (We Wrote the Book)
16. Curse Ov Dialect - Letter to Athens
17. Quasimoto - Greenery
18. The Streets - Sharp Darts
19. Tobacco - Dirt (feat. Aesop Rock)
20. Dizzee Rascal - Stand Up Tall
21. Heralds of Change - Bopgunn (feat. Oliver Daysoul)
22. Deltron 3030 - Turbulence (Remix)
23. Busdriver - Imaginary Places

[Disk 2]

1. Aesop Rock - Coma
2. Exile - I Don't Think You Understand
3. Astronautalis - The Case of William Smith
4. Antipop Consortium - Ping Pong
5. Sol.illaquists of Sound - As If We Existed
6. Circus vs. Andre Afram Asmar - Bully
7. Tumi and the Volume - Afrique
8. Speech Debelle - The Key
9. J Dilla - Dime Piece (feat. Dwele)
10. General Elektriks - Facing That Void (feat. Maroons)
11. DJ Spooky - Known Unknowns (feat. Thurston Moore & Mike Ladd)
12. Sole - Dismantling of Sole's Ego
13. Dr. Syntax - Sacred
14. Sage Francis - Got Up This Morning
15. Atmosphere - National Disgrace
16. Buck 65 - The Outskirts
17. Lateef & Z-Trip - Latryx (Hard Left Remix)
18. Cannibal Ox - Ox Out the Cage
19. Dynospectrum - Introspectrum
20. Eyedea & Abilities - By the Throat
21. RJD2 - The Horror

Colin vs. Clark

2009-11-07T00:27:00.003-05:00

I kept thinking "Rainbow Voodoo" by Clark sounded vaguely familiar the first time I heard it. Well, today when I revisited the masterful album "A-Z" by Wire's frontman Colin Newman and got to the song "Life on Deck," I finally solved the mystery! Okay, okay, changed lyrics, style, and so on, blah blah. But listen closely....hear it? I knew you would.

Keeping You Posted

2009-10-26T21:55:00.006-04:00

You may have noticed that Imaginary Sounds has been a bit slow lately, and if you've been paying attention, that slowing down coincided with the start of a new school year. Blah.

Well just so you know, Imaginary Sounds is not dead. Hell, we'll never die. John Cusack will save us from the coming 2012 Armageddon and we'll still be around in 2013.

With that said both Bates Love Motel and I have been busy with school stuff, and doing what we can to work on some mixes when we get time. Also, my school's art department is putting together a ball for Halloween which I will be DJing, so that's just another thing on my platter.
So if you're in Richmond, KY on the 29th you should come celebrate Halloween with us. If not, just keep on the look out for updates from Imaginary Sounds. We're here! I promise!

Imaginary Sounds Mix 15: The Best of American Music Club

2009-10-06T01:03:00.005-04:00

(download mix) [117.19 MB]

San-Francisco-based American Music Club is, in simplest terms, a band that can't be defined to the restraints of genre. The term "alt-country" would begin to define an aspect of their sounds, but wouldn't describe their drawing from jazz, lounge, punk, folk, and even Sonic Youth-ish noise rock. It's an eclecticism that from the surface wouldn't seem to work. But it does, and it goes beyond simply working. The songs are incredibly cohesive portraits of a grim, disappointing, and often harrowing American landscape sung from the flexible voice of the band's openly gay frontman Mark Eitzel. The band has confronted issues pushed out of the mainstream with songs such as "Sick of Food," told from the point-of-view of a hospital patient dying of AIDS. It's this kind of disenchantment and realism that's for years kept the band out of the limelight, but nevertheless planted a dedicated cult following.

Anyone who's listened to two albums by AMC will soon realize Eitzel's persona is multi-dimensional. For this reason, I've included songs I think best represent the spirit of the band, which isn't easy. Albums like Everclear fully achieve this, while Restless Stranger--an album the band omits from their repertoire (and I've not included in the mix)--represent an young band searching for a voice. I've included a few songs, which I personally don't believe is the band's "best," such as songs from their two comeback albums Love Songs for Patriots and The Golden Age--as they show where the band is going, and where they are still drawing on their rich past. Similarly, I've completely left out Mark Eitzel's productive, post-1991 career as a solo artist (I'm considering adding a second disc here to highlight the best of his solo work.) Anyways, I think AMC is a real gem of a band: a miracle, even? If you've never heard them before, this would be a place to start. If you are a fan, even, I've included enough off-the-beaten-path tracks for a good listen. Now, listen and then go buy the full albums!

The tracks:
1. Johnny Mathis' Feet
2. Royal Cafe
3. All the Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco
4. Rise
5. Another Morning
6. Dallas, Airports, Bodybags
7. The Confidential Agent
8. Lonely
9. What the Pillar of Salt Held Up
10. Why Won't You Stay
11. Western Sky
12. Blue and Grey Shirt
13. Decibels and the Little Pills
14. I Broke My Promise
15. Miracle on 8th Street
16. Gratitude Walks
17. Chanel #5
18. Love Doesn't Belong
19. The Stars
20. Jesus' Hands
21. Fearless (Live)

An Imagination, Thrown Away

2009-09-18T14:26:00.004-04:00

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (henceforth referred to as Trail of Dead, because long name is long) are a punk/progressive hybrid band from Austin, TX who have put out quite a few albums in their relatively short career (6 albums in 11 years) and have evolved significantly; each subsequent album sounding completely different in style and texture than the last. Today's song from Trail of Dead comes from their 2006 album So Divided and shows their evolution from violent epic hardcore outbursts to a more calculated and psychedelic pop influence.

Trail of Dead - Wasted State of Mind

Imaginary Sounds Mix 14: The New Dance - A Guide to Dance, Funk, Punk and the New Wave

2009-09-12T18:39:00.018-04:00

(download mix) [76.48 MB]

When dance music and disco filtered into the late-70s punk scene, it created a problem for the genre labeling critics. Punk bands began blending their art with other genres: disco, reggae, funk, jazz--the result exploded in places like New York and Bristol with the umbrella-term "post-punk." The problem was the dance influence trickled into many genres—new wave, no wave, punk, therefore went somehow ignored as a genre in itself. This mix is an attempt to bridge the dance-influenced bands of this time who seem to have more in common in terms to style than the critics would admit. Ohio's Pere Ubu paved the way for the new wave scene, while bands like the Contortions created a punk-fused take on avant-garde jazz--part of New York City's "no wave." England's Pop Group had a raucous political take--more aligned with punks roots--but just couldn't resist adding dance to the mix. I've added a few deviations: for instance the Del-Byzanteens led by now-popular indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. I've also put industrial's strange godfather Chrome in here--I'm still asking myself why (there's something dancey about it.)

1. Liquid Liquid - Optimo
from Liquid Liquid (1981)

2. ESG - You Make No Sense
from Come Away With ESG (1983)

3. James Chance & the Contortions - Design to Kill
from Buy (1979)

4. The Au Pairs - Armagh
from Playing With a Different Sex (1981)

5. A Certain Ratio - Shack Up
from The Old & the New (1986)

6. Delta 5 - Colour
from Singles and Sessions (1979-1981)

7. Pere Ubu - Modern Dance
from The Modern Dance (1978)

8. The Pop Group - We Are All Prostitutes
from We Are All Prostitutes (1978-80)

9. Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps
from Boom in the Night

10. The Slits - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
from Cut (1979)

11. Gang of Four - Guns Before Butter (Alternate Version)
from Entertainment! (1979)

12. Killing Joke - Change (Dub)
from Killing Joke (1980)

13. Pylon - Working Is No Problem
from Gyrate (1980)

14. Bauhaus - Dancing
from Mask (1981)

15. The Del-Byzanteens - Lies To Live By
from Lies To Live By (1982)

16. Maximum Joy - Stretch
from Station MXGY (1981)

17. Chrome - TV As Eyes
from Half Machine Lip Moves (1979)

18. Blue Rondo A'La Turk - Klact-Oveeseds-Tene
from Chewing the Fat (1982)

Paper Hats

2009-09-08T16:04:00.008-04:00

Working on a few more mixes, I've also spent Labor Day listening to albums by This Heat over and over and over. (Yes, I do have a life, despite this.) Anyways, I stumbled upon this cover of "Paper Hats" by the now-extinct Japanese shoegaze quintet Downy. The band is known for creating a self-proclaimed "amalgam of sound and images," which on layman's terms means that they do some awesome light shows, so it's a bloody shame we only get the audio for this. I want to see its shape! Its form! Its being! Enjoy the sounds, at least.

Here is the original by This Heat:

Here is the cover by Downy:

Do You Love Me?

2009-08-31T22:14:00.004-04:00

I decided to read the Bible this summer. I've read it before, but this time I just read it strictly as a piece of historical narrative, finding parts grotesque, others sexually risque and at same time wonderfully poetic. With this, I experienced a relapse in my Bad Seeds addiction--going through the entire discog, picking out songs, and thinking "Ohh. That's what those lyrics mean." Nick Cave's songs are laced with Biblical analogies, blended with American ballads and Australian punk rock, often heartbreaking and serious such as in "No More Shall We Part," but often twisted and humorous with almost like "Tender Prey" and "Murder Ballads." That being said, here's a live performance of "Do You Love Me?" from "Let Love In."

Imaginary Sounds Mix 13: Cut the Kids in Half

2009-08-14T19:41:00.008-04:00

Finally it's here. I've been working on this mix over the last couple weeks or so in between getting ready for the new semester. I actually started a mix with a different theme, but got distracted. Getting back to the point though--that new semester. It's coming fast and I'm going to be pretty busy. Bates Love Motel and I won't forget about the blog though. There will be mixes when time permits, and lots of Singles. Anyway, on to what is definitely the longest mix we've constructed yet.
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(download full mix) [310MB]
(download disk 1) [94MB]
(disk 2) [116MB]
(disk 3) [100MB]

Ghandi once famously said that the reason he wasn't a Christian wasn't because of Jesus' teachings, but because of Christians themselves. Where the hell am I going with this?

Radiohead are one of the most revered bands in popular music. They've been called the saviors of rock music and had 75% of the most superfluous reviews ever written about them. They've been praised by everyone from the poppiest pop groups to some of our generation's Jazz greats.

What happens though, when anyone gets that much critical praise, especially by those music aficianados who wear them as a "I listen to decent music" is disdain and backlash. It's true, Radiohead IS amazing, but once you've heard it 10,000 times, and once from your little sister who also listens to Hannah Montana, it's just an aggravation. And so much like Ghandi, many people have been turned away from Radiohead by the incessant acclaim of their fans. Frankly, I don't blame them. All this has in turn evolved into backlash--something that is all too familiar to the objective onlooker in a time where it's not hip to like what's liked by everyone else. In a couple words--that sucks.

Why did I write that diatribe? Because it was my inspiration for this mix. I theorized; what if the great music could be disconnected from the persona and image of the band, could it then be listened to with fresh unbiased ears? The perfect model of this experiment is the cover song. And...so I spent the next two weeks scouring the internet and listening to over 150 different Radiohead cover songs and compiled the best into this 3....yes, 3 disk mix. Let me know how that theory works out.

Disk 1:

1. Vampire Weekend - Exit Music (For A Film)

2. Shapeling - Morning Bell

3. Gnarls Barkley - Reckoner

4. Corporate Love Breakdown - Planet Telex

5. Duncan Sheik - Fake Plastic Trees

6. Sarah Slean - Climbing Up the Walls

7. The Flaming Lips - Knives Out

8. Citizen Cope - Karma Police

9. The Yoshida Brothers - The National Anthem

10. Sia - Paranoid Android

11. James Daly - Like Spinning Plates

12. Jacksta - Faust Arp

13. Sister Jack - Last Flowers ('Til the Hospital)

14. Damien Rice - Creep

15. Eliza Lumley - Let Down

Disk 2:

1. Mark Ronson (feat. Phantom Planet) - Just

2. Sebadohead - Fog (Again)

3. Calico Horse - Idioteque

4. Doveman - Airbag

5. Michael Armstrong - Sail to the Moon

6. Jack Conte - Exit Music (For a Film)

7. Chris Thile - Morning Bell

8. Hard 'N' Phirm - Rodeohead (Medley)

9. DRMS7888 - Knives Out

10. Hanson - Optimistic

11. Gillian Welch - Black Star

12. Storms - Myxamatosis

13. John Vanderslice - Karma Police

14. David Bazan's Black Cloud - Let Down

15. doof - Lift

16. Christopher O'Riley - You

Disk 3:

1. Mobius Band - Subterranean Homesick Alien

2. Panic at the Disco - Karma Police

3. UnusablSigna - Lucky

4. Morgan Heritage - Electioneering

5. Jorge Drexler - High and Dry

6. Chris Walla - Polyethelyne (Parts 1 and 2)

7. Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble - Amnesiac/Morning Bell

8. Osunlade & Erro - Everything In It's Right Place

9. Scala & Kolacny Brothers - Creep

10. Marissa Nadler (feat. Black Hole Infinity) - No Surprises

11. John Mayer - Kid A

12. Phuzzbot and the Caveman - Pop is Dead

13. The Punch Brothers - Pakt Like Sardines in a Tin Box

14. The Darkness - Street Spirit (Fade Out)

15. 佐藤タイジ - Idioteque

16. Brad Mehldau - Exit Music (For a Film)

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There are many, many more covers than just these, and I kept a lot more that are not on this mix. If there is demand for such a thing, I might just upload a Cut the Kids in Half B-Sides mix with some of those that weren't included. Let me know.

Change

2009-08-08T13:16:00.015-04:00

Although it doesn't neatly fit in the Killing Joke repertoire, this song seems to foreshadow some of the heavier new wave sounds. It's safe to say that Killing Joke never did better than their self-titled debut in 1980. They began with a edgy rough, dance-fused-with-metal sound, but faded into trendy pop (not the good kind). But when they had it right, it was right on par. 1980. Sighhh. What a good year.

Killing Joke - Change

Coffee Smell & Lilac Skin

2009-08-05T22:31:00.007-04:00

Jeff Buckley didn't come out of nowhere. With a father named Tim Buckley, there are some high expectations. But here's where things get strange: He not only meets those expectations, but exceeds them. His album Grace is considered, in some circles, one of the best albums of the last 20 years. After his drowning in 1997 Buckley's mother and friends compiled demos and studio recordings of what would have been his second album. On that album, Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk is today's single. Probably one of the sexiest and soulful song's i've ever heard, Everybody Here Wants You was written as a love song to Tim's then girlfriend Joan Wasser. Enjoy!

Jeff Buckley - Everybody Here Wants You

Jeff's Wiki and Last.fm

Dressed Up As Bubblegum

2009-07-30T04:22:00.003-04:00

It's probably because it's almost 4:30 A.M., but at the moment, this is the greatest audio/visual experience i've ever had.

It won't last I know, but damn...

BTW, mixes are being worked on. Coming swooon.

Ways To See

2009-07-25T13:10:00.005-04:00

Continuing the vacation Youtube posts today with a song from Swedish band Dungen's 5th album titled....."4". WTF? Maybe they count different in Sweden. The song is called "Sätt Att Se". These guys channel the best parts of '60s psychedelia and pack it neatly in a basket of LP fuzz and understated guitar solos. They haven't made a bad album to my knowledge, so I definitely recommend checking them all out.

Bury Me Slowly

2009-07-21T22:54:00.011-04:00

Coming out of Hip-Hop left-field is Australia's Curse Ov Dialect, who's experimentation with the art form is just as weird as their get-up. This song "Bury Me Slowly," is from their 2006 album Wooden Tongues and is, whether you like it or not, certainly interesting. Featuring a sample of Comus' song "Drip Drip," the performance definitely caught my attention. Adding this with The Cool Kids to my list of the coolest Hip-Hop I've heard in a long time.

(Haven't had a singles post in a while because I'm out on vacation and don't have my music with me. YouTube clips will do for a while. Plus there's visual stimuli, and that's twice as good.)

Imaginary Sounds Mix 12: Machines of Canterbury

2009-07-17T16:09:00.010-04:00

(download mix) [127.8MB]

The tracks:

1. The Wilde Flowers - Impotence
from a live recording (1965)

2. The Soft Machine - Hope for Happiness
from the album Volume One (1968)

3. Kevin Ayers - Rheinhardt & Geraldine / Colores
from the album Shooting at the Moon (1970)

4. Egg - Seven is a Jolly Good Time
bonus track from the album Egg (1970)

5. Daevid Allen - All I Want Is Out of Here”
from the album Banana Moon (1970)

6. Caravan - Love to Love You”
from the album In the Land of Grey and Pink (1971)

7. Khan - Stargazers
from the album Space Shanty (1972)

8. Matching Mole - Instant Kitten
from the album Matching Mole (1972)

9. Gong - Eat that Phone Book Coda
from the album Angel’s Egg (Radio Gnome Invisible) (1973)

10. Hugh Hopper - Minipax 1
from the album 1984 (1973)

11. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (excerpt)
from the album Tubular Bells (1973)

12. Robert Wyatt - Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road
from the album Rock Bottom (1974)

13. Henry Cow - Bittern Storm Over Ulm
from the album Unrest (1974)

14. Isotope - E-Dorian
from the album Illusion (1975)

15. Hatfield and the North - Underdub
from the album The Rotters’ Club (1975)

16. Bill Bruford - Beelzebub
from the album Feels Good to Me (1978)

17. National Health - The Collapso
from the album Of Queues and Cures (1978)

18. Art Bears - Terrain
from the album Hopes and Fears (1978)

19. Fred Frith - Navajo
from the album Speechless (1981)

20. News From Babel - Black Gold
from the album Letters Home (1986)

Imaginary Sounds Mix 11: Archimedes Said It Best

2009-07-16T00:34:00.014-04:00

Well this is the last mix I'll post before going on a couple week vacation. Did this one pretty quickly so that bates love motel (Imaginary Sounds' other contributor) could post his next mix in a couple days, so be looking for that. Any Singles posts within the next couple weeks will probably come from him too. Knowing Louisiana, I might not have any internet connection to speak of.
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(download full mix) [143MB]

(download part 1) [95MB] and (part 2) [47MB]

I had a full page write up prepared for this post, but ultimately felt that it was barraging the reader with information when music like this should speak for itself. Coming out of ideas developed from equal parts jazz and classical music, run through the progressive rock machine, and digested in the stomach of East coast and Mid-West punk comes Math Rock. A lot of people don't like terms like "Math" rock, because as it has become more popular toward the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century the term has come to mean less and less. I hope this mix can bring things back to specifics. Experimentation with rhythm, speed, and dissonance. These songs explore the very fringes of modern rock music, and I hope it makes you think differently about what those guitar and bass players are doing--and how far they could really be pushing things.

Traxlizt:

1. El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Noir
from the album Cryptoamnesia

2. Giraffes? Giraffes! - Emilie Sagée’s Secret
from the album More Skin With Milk-Mouth

3. Piglet - Bug Stomp
from the album Lava Land

4. The Ladies - Empathy on a Stick
from the album They Mean Us

5. Behold...The Arctopus - Exospacial Psionic Aura
from the album Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning EP

6. Sleeping People - Nasty Portion
from the album Sleeping People

7. Ahleuchatistas - A Thought Like a Hammer
from the album On the Culture Industry

8. Hella - Biblical Violence
from the album Hold Your Horse Is

9. Lightning Bolt - Bizarro Zarro Land
from the album Hypermagic Mountain

10. Yowie - Trina
from the album Cryptooology

11. Marnie Stern - Ruler
from the album This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That

12. Don Caballero - Don Caballero 3
from the album What Burns Never Returns

13. Upsilon Acrux - Intimate Barbarian
from the album Galapagos Momentum

14. Them, Roaringtwenties - We Prefer a Little Hair Down There
from the album Future Sandwich

15. Tera Melos - Melody 02
from the album Tera Melos

16. Lynx - United States
from the album Lynx

17. Lite - Ef
from the album Phantasia
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These mixes are compiled by myself to promote good music only, NOT to take money away from these artists. Please support the artists you like. And to make it fair, I ask you to delete these files within 24 hours. How long does it usually take to burn a CD?

No One Knows Where the Night is Going

2009-07-10T05:00:00.006-04:00

Antony & The Johnsons - The Guests (Leonard Cohen Cover)

Stars and Blues

2009-07-06T23:32:00.006-04:00

Today's gonna be a double dose of singles, which isn't really singles at all. I don't care though, because both songs are great.

(Star) is a song by the Osaka, Japan group called simply Boredoms, and the song comes from the band's 1999 album Vision Creation Newsun. The group is really hard to nail as to a style. Sometimes they are referred to as a noise band, sometimes as an ambient group, etc etc. What they are referred to hasn't much to do with how awesome and truly mindbending this song is.

Boredoms - (Star)

The next song was my first choice for a song to post, and is in my mind, without a doubt, one of the greatest songs ever written. It still sounds as fresh and means as much as it did in 1971; a song that surely stands the test of time. I won't go into the lyrics and their meanings, or the struggle they represent, but you feel and believe everything Gaye says. "Lets Get it On" made Gaye a household name, but by that time he had already written plenty of songs to immortalize his genius. Inner City Blues is one of those.

Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

Imaginary Sounds Mix 10: Sie schießen ins Kraut! The Early Rock of West Germany

2009-06-30T09:52:00.011-04:00

(download) [90.23 MB]

During the rise of the Canterbury scene in late '60s UK, the British music media began responding to another phenomenon in West Germany. The Germans were changing the possibilities of rock music. They were rejecting American hooks and juke-box lengths to dissect the sound, to draw upon the philosophies and the structures of German greats: everything from the six-hour operas of Wagner's ring cycle to Karlheinz Stockhausen's electronic dabbling. The British press coined the term "kraut rock," though bands such as Faust mocked this term, as the term kraut to describe Germans was negative. It also sort of branded the scene for marketing purposes. But the artists, though diverse in their music, rose out of the post-war ashes. Though they did search inward and toward the Far East, they had little in common with American hippies. This was a generation born out of the ashes of WWII or die Trümmer. Afraid to follow their parents footsteps, they took new directions drawing from the ancients while building on the new avant garde. The result was a kind of explosion of space within musicality. The attention to public image, the marketable length of recordings--these were all irrelevant to the scene. This music was made out of war rubble, with the belief that music can't be defined or explained as it always had been--it was simply a motion, a movement away from precedent without any unified goal. And from this spawned the foundation for later genres such as new wave, industrial, and new age, incredibly predicting the direction of music post-1970s.

1. La Düsseldorf - Düsseldorf
from the album La Düsseldorf (1976)

2. Faust - Picnic on a Frozen River
from the album Faust So Far (1972)

3. Harmonia - Veterano
from the album Musik von Harmonia (1974)

4. Can - Moonshake
from the album Future Days (1973)

5. Moebius - Countramino
from the album Tonspuren (1983)

6. Amon Düül II - Kanaan
from the album Phallus Dei (1969)

7. Neu! - Super
from the album Neu! 2 (1973)

8. Manuel Göttsching - Glorious Fight
from the album E2-E4 (1984)

9. Guru Guru - Samantha's Rabbit
from the album Guru Guru (1973)

10. Kluster - Caramel
from the album Zuckerzeit (1974)

11. Ash Ra Tempel - Look at Your Sun
from the album Schwingungen (1972)

12. Tangerine Dream - Sequent C
from the album Phaedra (1974)

13. Popul Vuh - Abschied
from the album Hosianna Mantra (1972)

14. Cluster & Eno - Wehrmut
from the album Cluster & Eno (1977)

15. Kraftwerk - Ohm Sweet Ohm
from the album Radio-Activity (1975)

Imaginary Sounds Mix 9: Music from the Republic of Iceland

2009-06-27T09:24:00.014-04:00

Finally! This mix has been plagued with bad luck and time restraints it seems. It's the lengthiest I've done, and it's taken the longest to complete as a result. I've re uploaded 4 times today because of problems with files--but enough whining! It's here. Enjoy!
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(download full mix) [234MB] or
(download disk 1) [106MB] and (download disk 2) [129MB]

Most people don't really think about Iceland. It's tucked away neatly to the north of everything most people consider important, and is relatively quiet in world politics. Until the recent collapse of their government under the stress of the world economic crisis, a peep was rarely heard out of the 40,000 square mile island country. It's a shame though really, because Iceland is beautiful in more ways than one. Being isolated from the rest of Europe has lent it's culture to their own delightful eccentricities; evident in it's language, cuisine, art, and especially music. The music scene there has it's own feel and atmosphere to the point of being almost instantly recognizable, and is regarded in the musical world as some of the most original stuff out there.

I've been into the music coming off the shores of Reykjavík (Iceland's capital, and largest city) since high school, when I first heard Björk and Sigur Rós; arguably the country's most popular musical exports. I dove deeper into the huge music scene there over time and this double mix includes most of the artists I found there. Some of these are not entirely obscure, and some are. This doesn't represent the full musical spectrum in Iceland and of course, there are many artists that I left out that some might instantly realize (the Sugercubes). There are always time restraints, and I'm always looking for the right feel for an entire mix. I can guarantee though, that there will be more Icelandic music mixes in the future.

Anyways, enough talk, here's the tracklisting:

[Disk 1]

1. Sin Fang Bous - Advent in Ives Garden

from the album Clangour

2. Lay Low - By and By
from the album Farewell Good Night's Sleep

3. Benni Hemm Hemm - Snjórljóssniór
from the album Kajak

4. Ampop - Ordinary World
from the album My Delusions

5. Jóhann Jóhannsson - The Rocket Builder (Io Pan!)
from the album Forlandia

6. Leaves - Shakma (Drunken Starlit Sky)
from the album The Angela Test

7. Parachutes - Your Stories
from the album Tour EP

8. Múm - They Made Frogs Smoke 'Til They Explode
from the album Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

9. Mugison - Murr Murr
from the album Mugimama Is This Monkey Music?

10. Apparat Organ Quartet - Romantika
from the album Apparat Organ Quartet

11. Bang Gang - Black Parade
from the album Ghosts from the Past

12. Frakkur - Mmm, His Hair Smells So Human
from the album Songs for the Little Boy

13. Kjartan Sveinsson - Síðasti Bærinn
from the album Síðasti Bærinn

14. Björk - Where is the Line
from the album Medúlla

[Disk 2]

1. Borko - Continental Love
from the album Celebrating Life

2. Pornopop - Yfirtonar
from the album And the Slow Songs About the Dead Calm in Your Arms

3. Kira Kira - Melur Sjarmur
from the album Our Map to the Monster Olympics

4. Hjaltalín - Traffic Music
from the album Sleepdrunk Sessions

5. Emilíana Torrini - Serenade
from the album Fisherman's Wife

6. Ólafur Arnalds - 0040
from the album Eulogy for Evolution

7. Sigur Rós - Svefn-g-Englar
from the album Ágætis Byrjun

8. Plat - Astand (Dualism)
from the album Compulsion

9. Stafrænn Hákon - Rjupa
from the album Gummi

10. Seabear - Arms
from the album The Ghost that Carried Us Away

11. Amiina - Hemipode
from the album AnimaminA

12. Daníel Ágúst - The Moss
from the album Swallowed a Star

13. Worm is Green - Automagic
from the album Automagic

14. Riceboy Sleeps - Daniell in the Sea
from the album Riceboy Sleeps
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As usual, these mixes are for promotional purposes only. For the artists. If you like their music, and you feel it's worth your money in these less than prosperous economic times; buy their music. Please delete the files from your computer after 24 hours. You can't delete from a burned cd though, can you?

There Are Other Worlds

2009-06-25T13:26:00.008-04:00

Warning: If you have a firm grasp of reality, I mean, you never get that feeling someone is watching you (even when there's no one there) and you never look up the sky and see those moving dots or a speck or something that makes you believe there's more that meets the eye in this world...well: this track will probably not affect you.

But: If you double-deadbolt your doors night and day, you are positive that old lady at the grocery store is following you, you are not necessarily claustrophobic, in fact, you are rather afraid of large gaping spaces because they suggest infinite expansion into the unknown, Gosh! There is definitely more and you are gruesomely afraid that at any moment, some glowing beam will zap you up and horrific creatures or invisible beings will butt-rape you! Then: DO NOT listen to this track, because it will only push you over the edge.

This is, suitably, the last track on the 1978? album Lanquidity by jazz-mogul Sun Ra, who himself was a persistent believer that he was abducted and taken to another planet as a teen--a story which never changed throughout his long eccentric career spanning the American South and replanting in Philly. Indeed, he's one of the jazz greats, often inconsistent in sound, often producing sporadic key-banging noise. BUT: when he peaks, it's celestial, it's hardly suitable for jazz or the concept of genre. Is the world today even ready for this kind of sound?

Sun Ra - There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)

ims3yg6j98

Singles 4: Talk Talk - After the Flood

2009-06-15T17:53:00.004-04:00

Talk Talk had quite the tranformation in the 80's. They started out in the New Wave english pop scene, and by the end of their career they were among the most original and interesting bands of their time and had created 3 important classic albums. Among those albums, and their last, was Laughing Stock. This album is probably my second favorite of all time (just behind Sigur Ros' "( )"). The Single for today, from Laughing Stock, is the song After the Flood. I don't really know what to say about it, other than the fact that it's pure brilliance. An transcendent song if there ever was one. Notice how much more beautiful the second part sounds after the "noise" bridge.

Talk Talk - After the Flood

Just a quick announcement!

2009-06-11T15:59:00.002-04:00

As of today, Thursday, I plan to have a new mix done by sometime next week. The theme is the music scene of Iceland, and will probably be a double mix, or at least two cds of music.

Keep on the lookout!

Singles 3 - NEU! - Hero

2009-06-08T00:21:00.006-04:00

Tonight's Single comes from NEU!, a band that was part of the Kraut Rock movement of the 1970's. Started by two members of the electronic group Kraftwerk, NEU! went on to influence a whole slew of artists, from much of the No-Wave and Post-Punk scene to David Bowie, to Radiohead. This song, "Hero" is off their album '75, and is, in short, incredible. Enjoy.

NEU! - Hero

Singles 2: James Newton Howard - The Gravel Road

2009-06-02T04:23:00.006-04:00

Most people have their own views of M. Night Shayamalan and his movie The Village. You either love it or hate it, it seems. I won't go into my own views of the movie here, but I will talk about the score for the movie. It just so happens to be my favorite motion picture score ever, and for today's Single, i'm posting the best cut on the score. Featuring the amazing violin work of Hilary Hahn, the song is "The Gravel Road".

James Newton Howard - The Gravel Road

Singles 1: Moondog - "Lament 1: 'Bird's Lament'"

2009-05-31T01:09:00.006-04:00

I've noticed that the blog seems quite bare in between mixes, and i've decided that a good pick me up to it would be to sometimes post one or two songs that i'm currently into; songs that may or may not even make it on to a mix but are good none the less. I'll do this from time to time. Once a week, sometimes multiple times, maybe more, maybe less. So--those who don't have me on an RSS reed or subscription because I hardly ever update, might want to change that and get some nice song-age from time to time. _______________________________________________________________

I'll start today with a beautiful song by a former New York street performer named Moondog.

You can find out more about Moondog at his Last.fm page or at his wiki.

Moondog - Lament 1: 'Bird's Lament'

Imaginary Sounds Mix 8: Take Me Back: The Best of M. Ward

2009-05-23T02:03:00.007-04:00

A little surprise mix here. Enjoy.
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(download here)

For a while last month I was a tiny bit obsessed with M. Ward's music, and did something i've never done before: I listened to his music, and I think only his music during an entire day. I figured I could be productive while doing this, and decided to make a compilation for myself of my favorite songs from his discography (including the new album). This is the result.

To Go Home
Hi-Fi
Rollercoaster
Flaming Heart
Oh Take Me Back
Deep Dark Well
Poison Cup
Fisher of Men
Helicopter
Requiem
Silverline
Sweethearts On Parade
From A Pirate Radio Sermon, 1989
Dead Man
Fool Says
To Save Me
Rave On
Chinese Translation
One Life Away
Sad, Sad Song
For Beginners
Shangri-La
Magic Trick
I'll Be Yr Bird