Currently listening, part 1

[abasio]

Good to see Meridian getting played, thanks abasio.
And good to see Geist Cycles spinning too, one of my favourites.

I didn't really get Meridian at first, couldn't hear anything in it. But after dozing to it, it suddenly unfolded and I could suddenly hear melodies atmosphere's and even watery goodness. Nice stuff.

The Geist Cycles I actually didn't like at first but over the last 2 years it's become a solid 5/5 album for me :)

[APK]

Good to see Meridian getting played, thanks abasio.
And good to see Geist Cycles spinning too, one of my favourites.

I didn't really get Meridian at first, couldn't hear anything in it. But after dozing to it, it suddenly unfolded and I could suddenly hear melodies atmosphere's and even watery goodness. Nice stuff.

The Geist Cycles I actually didn't like at first but over the last 2 years it's become a solid 5/5 album for me :)

The better albums usually reveal their depths and details a little more slowly  :)
Mine often work best on headphones.

[Mark Mushet]

Shelleyan Orphan - We Have Everything We Need

The return of romantic orch-pop, their 1st since 1992's Humroot. Lyrics aren't as interesting but gorgeous arranging.

Just about to get into the new Pjusk and Alva Noto...

[Brian Bieniowski]

Just about to get into the new Pjusk and Alva Noto...

Let us know how that Alva Noto is—I wondered if I should get one.  I love his Xerrox series stuff, but the more granular blippy music he does isn't really my cup of tea.

[Mark Mushet]

Just about to get into the new Pjusk and Alva Noto...

Let us know how that Alva Noto is—I wondered if I should get one.  I love his Xerrox series stuff, but the more granular blippy music he does isn't really my cup of tea.

It's a compilation so you'll not get the consistency of, say, Xerrox 1 and 2. Worth getting though. The Pjusk is truly majestic, though often reminding me of late 90s Biosphere and Curiosum-era Cluster.

[jim02]

mathias grassow & tomas weiss - farewell: in hommage to Klaus Wiese
(a very good release, overall a yearning stormy sound)

steve roach - live at grace cathedral
(i'm not so fond about most of his live discs, but this one captures some very fine moments of spaciousness from that time, and ranks among my favorite live Roach CDs; Spirit Dome & On this Planet)

the sight below - it all falls apart
(probably not as good as his debut, but i still need to give it time.. very good though)

nimh - travel diary
(fantastic disc from old reworked material, with lots of fieldrecordings and exotic instruments from Thailand, and i like that!)

michael vetter - zen koto
(beautiful introspective improvational koto play, a recommendation from the Root blog)

tetsu inoue & jonah sharp - instant replay
(simply a classic, still sound fresh and crispy these days..)

pausal - lapses
(quite a nice debut CD, somewhere in between Celer and SOTL...)

anticipating;

harold budd & clive wright - little windows
jana winderen - energy field
david tagg - pentecost (just ordered)
steve roach (and others) - dreamtracker
ect.

[SiF]

steve roach ::: live at grace cathedral
awesomeness. yes. i really dig this 2xcd set. right up my alley when it comes down to roach.

dream theater ::: once in a livetime
still one of my favourite live albums ever. Trial of Tears is wonderful in that version.

[Brian Bieniowski]

the sight below - it all falls apart
(probably not as good as his debut, but i still need to give it time.. very good though)

I have to agree.  It feels slight, somehow, but I need to play it more.  The first album really grew on me, too.  I have to say, though, that the Joy Division cover was ... ill advised.

[APK]

- Klaus Schulze: Drums 'n' Balls :: Big fan of this album. Full of life.

- Paulsal: Lapses :: Lots of good tracks. In the SOTL vein.

[Mark Mushet]

Gary Peacock & Paul Bley - Mindset

I love these two together and this has several solo pieces from each. Nice recording from Soul Note.

Simeon Ten Holt - Canto Ostinato

A potentially endless piece for 4 pianos. Gorgeous, quasi minimalist piece from 1979.

[Joe R]

Ous Mal- Viime Talvi- melodic drones and lots of glockenspeil against a backdrop of crackles & hiss. Very playful and charming. I hate to describe anything as "charming", but goshdarn it, it is. In the best sort of way.

[abasio]

Jason Corder & Opium - thepresentday I like this pairing a lot :)

[drone on]

Harold Budd/Clive Wright-Little Windows.  Fantastic album.
Datacide II (Inoue/Atom Heart)- Just reissued.
John Foxx-My Lost City
Markus Guentner-Doppelgaenger

[Ferngerms]

John Davis - At Home And Afield - Root Strata - 3" CD-R Box Including Contact Mic
(Awesome package from 4 years back...field recordings and the like...some processed others left perfectly alone)

Antonymes - Beauty Becomes The Enemy Of The Future - Self-Released - Photo Book + CD-R
(The title screams "pretentious" but the work delivers on it's own...awesome photography (although gloomy) and the cd-r includes degraded drones of the Asher or Celer kind...worth every penny on this $60 package..only 30 copies were made available and OOP I believe)

DJ Olive - Buoy - Room40 - CD
(Among the trio of sleep compositions "Buoy", "Sleep", and "Triage"....this one is unmissable...although each contains one long track you can tell that each album is composed of about 12 little treats....field recordings, drones, tones, and dreams.  Buoy for me has the most character and substance....enveloping work)

Relmic Statue - Sitting Under The Lanterns Glow - Cotton Goods - Book Bound CD-R
(Superb drone poems...it's almost as if each piece is a memory....a lost one of course all rusty and covered with moss...sweetly composed and wonderful packaging)

Ten And Tracer - Tsotsitaal - Self Released - (Includes Essays, Thoughts, Drawings, Sketches, a Book, CD-R + 3"CD-R
(Beautiful ambient compostions from last year...the download is available for the curious...very inspiring work from an artist that usually adds crunch and beats...this on the other hand seems well thought out...on the downside I had to wait 5 months before I actually received the CD-R with unique packaging...so I downlaoded the work to get me by..sounds incredible and I love the 1 minute interludes)

Fern

[ffcal]

John Davis - At Home And Afield - Root Strata - 3" CD-R Box Including Contact Mic
(Awesome package from 4 years back...field recordings and the like...some processed others left perfectly alone)

Ten And Tracer - Tsotsitaal - Self Released - (Includes Essays, Thoughts, Drawings, Sketches, a Book, CD-R + 3"CD-R
(Beautiful ambient compostions from last year...the download is available for the curious...very inspiring work from an artist that usually adds crunch and beats...this on the other hand seems well thought out...on the downside I had to wait 5 months before I actually received the CD-R with unique packaging...so I downlaoded the work to get me by..sounds incredible and I love the 1 minute interludes)

Fern

Fern, can't believe you were able to track down the John Davis release.  I think there were only 50 of those made.  I have Davis' Gold-Hooped Nature on Root Strata, which is pretty good, and his cassette on Digitalis ('Vines Go Roaming'), which is more droney, long-form.

Agree on that Ten and Tracer--a beautiful ambient release.  Mine took about 6 months to arrive--I had completely forgotten I had ordered it--it had a very nice DIY-homemade packaging with some drawings that I think were unique to the package.

Recently was listening to:  Pere Ubu - Dub Housing (my favorite of their earlier output)
Eberhard Weber - Colours (some great compositions on this 3-CD ECM box of three albums from Weber's mid-to-late-70s band, Colours; includes one of my favorites, "Little Movements"; unfortunately, the artwork of his wife, Maja Weber, is in black and white!)

Forrest

[Bert/SonicImmersion.org]

Phelios - Astral Unity

Altus - Black Trees among Amber Skies
simply amazing freeform stuff

[abasio]

Pleq - Our Words Are Frozen

[uhurit]

David Tagg Pentecost, nice drones, a bit on the dark side
Saito Koji Guitar, excellent!
Fabio Orsi Winterreise, excellent!

[Parallel Worlds]

Pjusk - Sval
Alio Die - Horas Tibi Serenas
Labradford - A Stable Reference

[uhurit]

Props to the Parallel Worlds for his collab with Alio Die on Circo Divino, excellent work and highly recommended!
also, Ryonkt,  Small Conversations