Currently listening, part 1

[chris23]

Steve Roach - Vortex Immersion Zone + Alive in the Vortex
I'm enjoying these immensely. Even the dog whistle effect...  :) In all seriousness, the live set is well structured, diverse, and sounds great. I wish I could have seen that performance in person.

[drone on]

I love Black Sabbath too.  Careful with those remasters, though.  To me the originals are best, save for Master of Reality.  Some of the albums just got butchered.

[thirdsystem]

The Fires of Ork 2  bandcamp stream. Namlook / Jenssen.

I have the first one which is a bit too beat orientated for my tastes. Still good though. First three tracks on this are certainly more ambient. I like. Will have to get this. (Cheers for the tip J )

[chris23]

Boris Lelong - The Green Planet, Act One
New digital-only release on BC. Drifting, ambient soundscapes that have a natural, organic, and evolving feel. The fun part about this release is that the parts that would seem to be field recordings are synthesized. Sections of this remind me of Roach's Possible Planet. It has that vibe, but with more warmth.

Listen/Buy: https://borislelong.bandcamp.com/album/the-green-planet-act-one

[drone on]

David Bowie--Heroes and Scary Monsters.  These are probably my two favorite because this period   corresponds to growing up in the late 70s early 80s.  I had the heroes cassette in high school and wore it out from playing it so much.  The ambient instrumentals with Eno are incredible.  The title track simply one of the most amazing rock songs ever written.  Scary Monsters is very underrated IMO.  Fashion and Ashes to ashes get all the attention, and rightfully so, but there are a number of great tracks. 

Hakobune & Dirk Serries--Obscured by Beams of Sorrow.  This album sounds like, well, Hakobune and Dirk Serries.  Pastoral, melancholic guitar drones.  Not groundbreaking, but very nice stuff, especially for fans of early Vidna, Alio Die, Aglaia, etc. The soundtrack to gardening at dusk after a light rain.   I wonder who titled the album?  Hmm, let me think...

[thirdsystem]

Very late last night....



Namlook /Hawtin  - From Within . Utter class from the FAX label

[thirdsystem]

I have also been listening to Bowie - Heroes. It is the favourite Mr Bowie for me. Superb album and possibly the first time in my life that I really noticed true ambient music ( apart from Phaedra/Rubycon which is not quite definitive ambient obviously)

So David Bowie is really responsible for ambient entering my life. The tracks V2 Schneider, Sense of Doubt, the utterly stunning Moss Garden and Neukoln.

In addition he saved one of the best till last. Blackstar is a magnificent work . The track Lazarus in particular is something very special. Hairs on the back of the neck stuff.

Goodbye Mr Bowie, hero and legend .

[jdh]

My two favorite Bowie LPs are Low and Heroes.It was the ambient sides that took me in (and still do) but the other song oriented tracks are equally as good.It has to be said that you cannot underestimate the influence of Eno and Visconti on those two albums.

Heroes is my all time favorite song.I was never into anything pre Station to Station or post Lets Dance though Reality and certainly Blackstar are up there.On Blackstar,I am simple stunned that his voice sounds so good,considering how sick he must have been when they were recorded.

[ffcal]

I was listening to Heroes and Heathen in the past day or two.  Really fine work from Bowie.  Am looking forward to my copy of Black Star.

At the moment I'm listening to Murray Head's Nigel Lived, a lost prog classic from the early 70s.

Forrest

[chris23]

Andrew Heath & Peter Maynard - Threshold
Explorations in found sounds and minimal ambient improvisations. A continuation of Dust.
https://andrewheath.bandcamp.com/album/threshold

Simon Lomax - A Glimmer of Memory
Lovely drifting ambient from Maitreya. On ...txt.
http://simonlomax.com/product/a-glimmer-of-memory/

[Julio Di Benedetto]

This has been in continuous play since I received it.....Awakening, the main track is magnificent that touches on quite a few aspects of ambient music. 

This music draws me in as if standing before a darkened portal I am beckoned to enter to explore the many possible mysteries within and at the same time reassures me like a guiding light that I will never be lost.  Amakening is a sonic labyrinth that holds you for a while until it is done and all the time you feel the uncertainty of possibly never getting out and yet there is no malice as the experience unfolds and you journey towards hope.

If this was not enough the dvd is another extraordinary experience! 

https://phobos.bandcamp.com/album/an-october-evening

[phobos]

Wow!  Julio, thank you so much. I am really glad you are enjoying the album and DVD.  :)

[thirdsystem]

Caravan - The World Is Yours - 4cd box set. Brilliant.

Hippy' s rule.

[drone on]

David Bowie- Lodger.  For some reason I never got this, until now.  It contains one of my alltime fave DB tracks, "Look Back in Anger."  And besides "DJ," I didn't know any of the other songs.  My first impression was this is a pretty weak album overall, a sentiment shared by many fans.  However, many repeat listens later I'm warming up to some of the other songs.  I never knew Bowie was involved on this album. 

Rush- R40 Live.  3-disc set recorded a couple years ago on 40th anniversary tour.  I would recommend this to fans based on some great versions of songs not played live much recently, or even at all:  Jacob's Ladder, Camera Eye, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres prelude, Xanadu, Losing It (never played live previously).  My gripe with this album is the track selection.  Disc 1 is made up of almost all recent music, which bores me because I pretty much lost interest after "Power Windows" in 1985.  Disc 2 is all prime, classic era.  Disc 3 is about half old/half new.  This set could have benefited from substituting older songs for new.  Some albums were even skipped over, like Power Windows, which is just pretty dumb.  The set could have been edited down to 2 CD's.  Sound quality is quite good, if maybe bass heavy.  Another downside is Geddy Lee's vocals.  Range from fair to awful.  Mainly awful.  He just can't hit the high notes anymore, but he gets an "A" for effort for at least trying (without much success).  Interesting to note, the final track on the set is "Losing It."  I think in many respects (vocals and songwriting ability) Rush has "lost it," although they can still play as if they're in their prime. 

Tangerine Dream- Ricochet.  I think this is one of their best.  Good mix of sequencing, guitars, ambience and sound fx.   

[drone on]

Correction to above:  never knew ENO was involved on Lodger, not Bowie

[thirdsystem]

Lodger is one I need to check out. Also agree about Geddy's vocals. Have to say I have avoided all the more recent live Rush for that very reason. I'll just live in the past in that regard  ;)

Phaedra, Ricochet, Rubycon, masterpieces , with Force Majeure and Tangram right up there also. TD in the 70s , those were the days  8)

Current play is The Great Schizm - A Sleepers Night Journey Dark, eerie, atmospheric , thought provoking. Excellent piece of deep ambient work and discovered here on the Hypnos forum.

[drone on]

Thirdsystem, if you like mid-70's TD there is a new box on Esoteric/Reactive sublabel of Cherry Red: Tangerine Dream Reim Cathedral.  2 cd's live at Reim Cathedral in France in 1974 and 2 cd's live in Germany 1976.  They are official bootlegs and supposedly two of the finest boots amongst fans.  I ordered mine last night. 

[chris23]

Rudy Adrian - Atmospheres
Solid work with a classic touch. Each track is relatively short, giving the full album a lot of depth and variation.
http://spottedpeccary.com/shop/atmospheres/

Eternell - Self
Glacial soundscapes from Ludvig Cimbrelius/Purl. Nice sleepy time music.
http://eternell.net/album/self

[thirdsystem]

Be interested to hear what you think of that TD Reims/Mannheim release Drone On. I got the Bootleg Box Set Vol 1-5 from them a while back and was a bit disappointed overall with the sound quality. Interesting stuff though. Also got the Electronic Meditation on vinyl, extremely challenging listen but interesting  ;) good quality vinyl and package.

Currently Genesis- Foxtrot Definitive Prog

Next, another play of Forrest Fang - The Sleepwalker's Ocean. Wonderful.

[drone on]

Just search on YouTube for Tangerine Dream Reims Cathedral, the original unofficial bootleg is there, and I assume the tapes were improved for the official release.