William Basinski: The Distintegration Loops (Vols I to IV)

Instead of me reviewing/recommending one album... I am going to review 4. The reason why is that it is such a great series. This is from the prolific minimal/ambient composer, "William Basinski". He deals mainly in tape loops, drones, and phasing (imagine two drum beats going side by side, now set the temp (speed) of one drum beat very slightly higher or lower, the sound starts to "phase" in and out being synced, creating an interesting hypnotic effect ("Steve Reich"'s Piano Phases is a great example)) . William had a series of very emotive tape loops that were on literally their last play. He decided to take a collection of these very beautiful tape loops and play their swan song and record them. This was made also very poignant in that it coincided with September 11th (He mentions that in his description). "Clip 3" off of Volume II actually made me kinda choked up during the last couple of minutes when the tape was completely deteriorated before my very ears... It was like recording a poetic death (Like those you read in viking stories). Even though I hold this series in very high regards, this is not for the average listener. clip 1.1 goes on with the same pattern for over an hour, it is distorted and doesn't change at all. You really have to appreciate drone and minimal. If you are new to drone and/or minimal music, I recommend first listening to drone artists like "Starts of the Lid" and "Biosphere", minimal artists like "Steve Reich" and "Hauschka" to slowly getting accustomed to these genres of music. If you are ready to plunge into Minimal drone, however, this is a series for you...beautiful, haunting, and original.

» artist albums @ emusic
» artist profile @ last.fm

Node: Node

How can an album produced and co-written by Flood (The guy behind production of U2 and Nine Inch Nails) in 1995 of really cool electro-ambient have only 2,250 scrobbles (how many times it was played through last.fm users). I think the problem is distribution (I lucked out and found a used copy at the now long gone "Armageddon Records" in Chicago in 1997). I looked for a link for someone to legitimately download the album and I came up with nothing (Anyone with knowledge where to get it through Internet, lemme know). You can, however, listen to most of the amazing E.P. through last.fm (though three bands show up with the same name, and a bad b-w photo of a metal band is the photo). From the first listen, parallels with Henke's "Monolake" and some of the more experimental "Plasticman" come to mind, but then I think about when it was produced and that makes this album all the more appreciative. The first track starts with ominous electronic percussion and then gradually builds with Alien textures and blips and distorted synths. The mastering and "spacial-ness" is nothing but masterful. This is how electronic albums Should sound and what they need to aspire to. The second track Olivine comes in with tubular and bell noises. Reminds me vaguely of the the Nine Inch Nails album "Fixed" with how the frequencies are panned and how the reverb sounds (which makes sense since both albums came out around the same time and produced by same person). The rest of the album is just as well thought out and produced. "Slapback" is more aggressive to the point of it being almost progressive dance music without the four-on-the-floor drum beat. Levy and Propane are similar to the first two with the cinematic approach (each track is 8minutes+). Try and find this album... or at least listen to it on Last.fm.

» album listen @ last.fm
» artist profile @ last.fm

Max Richter: 24 Postcards In Full Colour

If I had to have someone/band do a soundtrack to my life, my first choice would be Max Richter. This man captures the slightest emotions and moments so eloquently in his compositions. Even though this album was billed as somewhat of a novelty, it is definitely no exception to his other masterful works. What I mean by novelty is that Max, himself, billed this album as a "ringtone" album; making smaller tracks so you can play them as your, well... ring tones on cell phone. I find it to be so much more than just that. I really see them as tiny glimpses of different times, feelings, and emotions that were recorded at just the optimal time. Besides this album being a smaller format than his normal 7+ minute compositions he normally does, there is a wide arrangement of sound (he tends to relagate mainly to strings/piano with very slight ambient washes used sparingly). Some tracks even go into the realm of complete abstract post-ambient, a-la "Tim Hecker". He sometimes brings in both his conservative and avante-garde writing such as the track, "A Sudden Manhattan Of The Mind"; the playing of a single violin over a wash of ambient noise perfectly puts you in the head of this composer. Another good example is "In Louisville At 7"; it sounds as if you are tapping into a radio transmission of that certain moment only to find it lost as soon as you see it clearly. I would draw comparisons with "Goldmund","Johann Johannson","Eluvium", and even "Benoit Piolard", but his stuff really tends to really stand on its own. I can't recommend this album enough. It is a must have for fans of ambient, modern classical and minimal music.

» album @ emusic
» artist profile @ last.fm

Rosy Parlane: IRIS

This album came out from Touch recordings in 2004. Even though this album consists of three tracks, the end time of this album is around 48 minutes. Unlike some of the reviews I have just done, this artist tends to be much more abstract like other contemporary Drone artists such as "Tim Hecker". Though, unlike Hecker's work, his abstract soundscapes are much more soothing for the most part. The first track, aptly named "Part One" ends with a very calming pad and what sounds like an early computer running through its processes, like noises of an early digital tool working intently on finishing it's calculations. The rest of the album shares that similar softness and "gentle mechanics" to it. The next track, "Part Two", has a much more standard minimal drone to it with a padded chord resonating throughout. "Part Three" is probably the most aggressive out of three, yet it is still calming compared to some of the other Drone contemporaries. Definitely worth a listen, not only because it is a great record, but because if you get it though "emusic", it will only consists as 3 tracks (really great if you have a membership and want to use your alotted "songs" of the month.

album @ emusic
artist profile @ last.fm

Loscil: Submers

This Album originally came out in 2002. When it comes to ominous minimal ambient drone albums, this one is truly a must have. The sounds for the most part are synthetic and have quite an analog feel, but with the amount of sustain on the notes and the layer of effects, they come across as quite organic and natural. This artist plays a lot with alternating rhythms pulsing in and out throughout each track. It almost reminds me of "Steve Reich"'s "Music for 18 Musicians" where patterns start phasing in and out of each creating an almost hypnotic feel. Overall it is dark in nature, but in no way does make you feel uneasy (as least for this listener). I would equate it more with "Biosphere"'s moodiness than with some of "Lustmord"'s more Ambient stuff. Every track on this album is a must listen from the minimal house-esque track "Gymnote" to the dubby track "Nautilus". My favorite track on this album is "La Plongeur", it has a beautiful bass line and great harmonies that cascade in and out.

» album @ e-music
» artist profile @ last.fm