Currently listening, part 1

[cvac]

Robert Rich - Harbinger

2 hour digital only liveset from 2012 in Australia. From the pics in the folder it looks like Robert had pared down equipment vs. what it looks like he uses for other live shows. This is good though, appears to be based around recent material I'm not really familiar with. I really need to fill out my Rich collection at some point.

https://ultimathuleambient.bandcamp.com/album/harbinger


Aglaia - Out of the Way

Hard to describe, but I really like this. A bit different than the other two albums I have.


Schloss Tegal - Oranur - IIIrd Report

Drones, noisy post industrial. I played this LP the other day after having not put it on in quite awhile and I still like it. Some of the dialogue samples are a bit much, especially on the first side. There is CD version which is totally remixed that I've never heard.


Asmus Tietchens - Der Funfte Himmel

Odds and ends comp from the Sky era. Holds together quite well, another nice reissue from Bureau B. I've been playing these LPs recently because my other Tietchens stuff is in storage and I can't get to it.


Aloof Proof - Piano Text

Just beautiful, shimmering drones. I love this style of ambient. I have this on CD but had to grab the Bandcamp d/l because this is another one in storage. I wish there was some easy way to get the rest of the AP catalog...looks like it's all out of print and pricey.


Yoshimi - Tokyo Restricted Area

A release on the much hyped "vaporwave" label Dream Catalogue. I don't give a toss about vaporwave, seems like gimmicky stuff to me, but this is quite good. There are bits of instrumental hip hop, "idm", and soundtrack music. Quite dark but nice overall. I streamed this on Google Play, but I'm going to buy this one eventually. Not on cassette though, definitely not a favorite format for me.

https://dreamcatalogue.bandcamp.com/album/tokyo-restricted-area


Gnawed - Feign and Cloak

"death industrial" that would've fit right in to what labels like CMI and Old Europa Cafe were doing in the 90s, but this isn't a knock off, there is some personality and individuality here. One of the better newer acts I've heard in this style.

https://malignantrecs.bandcamp.com/album/feign-and-cloak


The Bluebells - Sisters

A nice 80s janglepop LP. I have their singles collection on CD and that is maybe a bit better but this is pretty consistent too.


Aztec Camera - Knife

Gets a lot of flack for being overproduced, but the production isn't THAT bad. This a damn good LP even if it's not the masterpiece that the first one is.


The Railway Children - Recurrence

Never listened to this band until last year when I got this and another LP on a whim. An underrated 80s guitar pop group, great songs, plenty of atmosphere. The singer has a way above average voice for a group like this, not sure why this band isn't more highly regarded.

[drone on]

Limit three per poster. ;D  8)

[Castleview]

Experimental Audio Research - Mesmerized

Great experimental album from Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3 fame.

Also, I love cvac's taste in music overall. He name-drops a ton of great acts.

[drone on]

Been on a rock bootleg kick recently.  I found all of these on Discogs for reasonable $ and I recommend them all highly: 

U2- The Electric Co. 3CD (not CDR) set of shows from the 1982 October tour.  NYC, Dublin, Netherlands.  Amazing sound, beautiful fold out package.   

Roger Waters/Eric Clapton- Lunatic Rave.  2CD from 1984 Pros and Cons tour.  Disc 1 is Pink Floyd, Disc 2 entire Pros and Cons album.  Great sound.

Rush- Tour of the Hemispheres, Closer to the Heart, Hawaii Under Pressure.  All excellent boots from 1978 Hemispheres tour and 1984 Grace Under Pressure tour.  All pressed CD's.

[chris23]

The two new Alio Die and also Aglaia on Spotify . Especially like the Leaves and Thunderstorms album ....... apart from the track Last Straw which has a horrendous, grating, irritating, ambient dog whistle ( in fact dog screetching device ! ) Why on earth is that there? Fortunately it is a very short track and the rest of the album is wonderful.

Agree! That track is awful. I've deleted the digital version from my iTunes and will simply pull out the CD if I ever need to scare away my guests.

With that exception, however, I love the two new Aglaia releases. I think I might have a slight preference for Angelus.

I've also been enjoying Alio Die and Zeit's Il Giardino Ermeneutico, which I only picked up recently. There is something really special about that album, and I can't believe I passed on it when it was originally released.

[judd stephens]

I've also been enjoying Alio Die and Zeit's Il Giardino Ermeneutico, which I only picked up recently. There is something really special about that album, and I can't believe I passed on it when it was originally released.

That one is sublime.  Their best effort together by far!

NP- Silent Currents 4 by Erik Wollo.  Great ambient, no surprise here. Wonderful transitions throughout... There is slower and occasional percolating rhythm but it all fits into a beautiful mosaic, a great relaxed trip.

You can get for half off in the next couple three days:  https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/star-s-end-2015-silent-currents-4

[drone on]

Autumn of Communion--Polydeuces.  Lee Norris and Mick Chillage hit gold again with an album of beautiful cosmic space psychill/downtempo ambient.  This album combines ethereal atmosphere with gently percolating rhythmic patterns (no beats).  The mood is blissed out and mysterious, not creepy dark and foreboding like some outer space ambient.  Stunning Cassini imaging of Saturn adorns the cover.  This one guaranteed a spot on my best of 2016 list.

To those complaining about the Aglaia track, you're crazy it's the best thing on the album!  ;D ;)

[Joe R]

Sorry to hear about the latest Fluid Audio, chris23.  I've found them to be a bit hit and miss, though their packaging is exceptional.  I ejjoyed their release of From The Mouth of the Sun's Into The Well, though the elaborate package includes no credits!

I didn't know about the new From The Mouth Of The Sun until I read these posts. I bought the download, because there are no physical copies left. This is fantastic stuff! -- just as great as the first one. Thanks for the info on this...

[Scott M2]

Been on a rock bootleg kick recently.  I found all of these on Discogs for reasonable $ and I recommend them all highly: 

Roger Waters/Eric Clapton- Lunatic Rave.  2CD from 1984 Pros and Cons tour.  Disc 1 is Pink Floyd, Disc 2 entire Pros and Cons album.  Great sound.

How does Clapton sound playing the Pink Floyd stuff??? I caught that tour later on, after Eric had left the band and it was still a great concert.

(Waters was quite brilliant in filling Gilmour's gigantic shoes with other giants like Clapton and later Jeff Beck.)

[cvac]

Been on a rock bootleg kick recently.  I found all of these on Discogs for reasonable $ and I recommend them all highly: 

U2- The Electric Co. 3CD (not CDR) set of shows from the 1982 October tour.  NYC, Dublin, Netherlands.  Amazing sound, beautiful fold out package.   

This sounds really interesting. I'm always leery of bootlegs because many of them turn out to be sourced from mp3s or whatever. How are the shows themselves?

[thirdsystem]

Nostalgia - The House On the Borderlands .

I have been hoping to hear this album for some time after someone posted about it elsewhere. It seems it has been re- released as I discovered it's on iTunes and even more amazing - Spotify . Just having my first listen now. Haunting, soundtrack like ambient. So glad to finally here this. Preferred the original album cover though.

[drone on]

The U2 set is a mixed bag.  The Ritz NYC is an amazing soundboard quality recording.  The Netherlands one is a decent audience recording.  The Ireland disc is just ok.  Guess I was overzealous in my initial post.  But the first disc is so awesome I can forgive the others being weaker. 

Clapton playing Floyd.  Well there's another guitarist on that show, Tim Renwick.  On first listen it sounds like Waters doing cover versions of PF.  On repeats your brain gets used to it and it's enjoyable .  The recording and performance are top notch.  Claptons playing is more pronounced on Pros and cons. This release (Lunatic Rave) I understand is a widely known bootleg you can probably download for free.  But if you like a quality physical product instead of just a file, get this.  It was around $18 on Discogs.

[chris23]

Thomas Köner - Tiento de la Luz
New release on Denovali. Slightly dark, minimal compositions, based mostly on piano and various acoustic and electronic treatments. I'm enjoying this a lot, but it functions best as background music; there isn't a lot going on that commands attentive listening.

http://denovali.com/thomaskoner/

[cvac]

Tapes and Topographies - Soft Decibels

New album from Todd Gautreau's (Tear Ceremony, Sonogram, etc.) current ambient project. Excellent, possibly better than the last one. The glitches are still there but seem to be toned down just a little bit from the last album.

https://tapesandtopographies.bandcamp.com/album/soft-decibels

James Johnson - Butterfly Chamber

An older Hypnos release I purchased from Bandcamp. This is just great. Lots of texture and good use of layering sounds from traditional instruments.

https://jamesjohnson3.bandcamp.com/album/the-butterfly-chamber

Erik Wollo - Star's End 2015 - Silent Currents 4

I don't have any others in this series but picked this up during the recent 1/2 off sale. Great live set, more abstract than the other Wollo stuff I have.

https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/star-s-end-2015-silent-currents-4

Bill Evans - Interplay Sessions

Hard to pick a favorite Evans album from this period but I like this one a lot. The extra material on this edition is great too.

African Head Charge - Off the Beaten Track

Avant-dub music, very eclectic sounds and quite weird at times. Great quality LP reissue.

[thirdsystem]

Just checking out the new ...txt release on bandcamp Stormloop - Into The Void. So far excellent deep ambient.

Also picked up the Wollo -Stars End. Much more ambient orientated from Erik.Ambient bliss, hints of melody drifting into space ambient at times. Really like this album.

[jdh]

Found this looking through a local newspaper.

Sinoia Caves (side project of Black Mountain)-The Enchanter Persuaded and Beyond the Black Rainbow.First one is very early TD,Floyd Meddle.Like it.Bought it.Second is a soundtrack to the film of the same name.Not into it.Did not buy it.Like Goblin,John Carpenter. Find it on Boomkat in FLAC.

But the film trailer looks interesting.Early Cronenberg (when he was a decent film maker)

Music,film both from beautiful Canada.

Low-I could live in hope.What they called Slowcore at the time.Lo-fi post rock.

Since I saw David Gilmour last week in Toronto (well worth it,class all the way) listening to Animals.

[chris23]

Mick Chillage - (M)odes
New from Carpe Sonum. An incredible journey through Mick's ambient imagination. This might be my favorite of the various solo releases I've heard of his. Each track has its own distinct flavor, some of which are dark and brooding, some of which are alien and foreign, and some of which are dreamy and ethereal. I'm not a huge fan of beats, but the last song pulls it all together and layers in some percussion and, honestly, it seems perfect.   

[thirdsystem]

Erik Wollo - Stars End 2015, again, addicted !!

David Gilmour Live = jealousy here. One of my favourite musicians of all time. His first solo album is in my top 10 , all genres . As is Animals which is a masterwork. Great stuff J.

Played the Chillage - Modes album on CS bandcamp last week. On the highly urgent list, very impressed. Also love that album cover.

[Joe R]

VirLyn - Arctic Radio -- this was a tough nut to crack for me, but now that I've heard it several times, I really love it. Cello, synth and violin ambient. Great stuff!

[jdh]

I agree.That Mick Chillage (M)odes is the best thing he has done since Faxology.You can detect a few sounds from his AOC project.That last track sort of ruins the flow for me with the percussion as up until then,it is all ambient but yes,as a concluding track,it fits somehow.

Cocteau Twins-Heaven or Las Vegas.As stunning now as it was in 1990.Robin Guthrie's guitar was always the attraction for me.They never got the recognition they deserved.

Andy Stott-Passed me by/We stay together.Minimal techno even a bit ambient but with a very dark distant feel.Sort of like GAS/Wolfgang Voight.