12/19/10

9/3/10

MIX: summer 2010

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Finally, a mix at t&d. This one's for the end of the summer, full of sappy, folksy songs.

You'll find something you like, trust me. Songs in the file are numbered in the order they appear on the mix.


summer 2010 by huy
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1. Slippery When Wet by The Acorn - No Ghost
2. Curs Of Weeds by Horse Feathers - House With No Home
3. Bur Oak by Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse
4. Cottonwood Bay by Heather Woods Broderick - From the Ground
5. Me and My Friend by Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up
6. White Heron by Mountain Man - Made the Harbor
7. The Battle in Water by Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Heartcore
8. Two Moons by Toe - For Long Tomorrow
9. The Joy Of D.H. Lawrence by Erik Enocksson - Farväl Falkenberg
10. Oh My Stars by A Weather - Cove
11. Thinking About You by Big Scary - Winter

AUTUMN ALBUMS: several arrows later by matt pond PA

Sure, it's a few weeks before the official start of autumn, but I think in the waning days of summer there's no better time to prepare for the next season. In the following weeks, I will share a few albums that I consider as important in the fall as a scarf or a coat.

Here's the first one -- a classic. Matt Pond PA's Several Arrows Later is almost chronological -- it starts in Halloween where he conjures up images of a city pavement's tapestry of leaves, the streets, gutters, and the air full of that smokey, musky smell that stings enough to make you feel like you're going somewhere as you're wrapped up. With hands in your pocket, the album moves through winter -- your neighbor's flaming house, the hopelessness of The Moviegoer -- until it ends somewhere in spring.

This is such an lyrically understated album, and beneath all the beautiful instrumentation, you'll find something there if you just keep your ear to the ground.

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9/2/10

8/15/10

made the harbor by mountain man

The best quiet thing since Lost Wisdom by Mount Eerie.

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4/9/10

Paranormal Atttitude by Aaron Ross






















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New agey psychadelic folk rock at its finest. This album is a journey into the mind of a musical prodigy.

3/23/10

promenade by grand hallway

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Local "orchestral chamber pop" sweethearts, Grand Hallway have shared the stage with the likes of Arthur & Yu and Shugo Tokumaru. Reminds me of Sufjan Stevens, in the sense that it's lush and gushy and melodramatic and triumphant, and probably, sad in a way.

2/24/10

Solo Piano by Gonzales






















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Beautiful piano work by Gonzales. His most renowned album, although you should also get his MC albums.

2/8/10

Balmorhea - Constellations


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I've been anticipating this one for a while, Balmorhea being one of my favorites. This album is very subtly beautiful. It's far more subdued than their previous works, and more analogous to their first self-titled album than either of their last two--but with much more finesse. The group obviously stands much more on the side of neo-classical than post-rock this time, with the title track "Constellations" sounding more like a classical piece than anything. Enjoy, folks, Balmorhea are always a gem.

1/28/10

One Life Stand by Hot Chip




















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Coming On Strong was good but I really didn't like Made In The Dark and The Warning too much. This new album however is amazing, my favorite thing Hot Chip has done.

1/25/10

Optometry by DJ Spooky





















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Excellent jazzy beats from that subliminal kid... Only a couple songs actually have lyrics. Highly recommended for you dub rippin tripper folk.

1/19/10

The Avalanches Discography





















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The debut album. It's awesome.




















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Similar to Since I Left You but some songs are switched in and others out for a different feel. It's just a cut up version of the original Gimix mix. Same exact thing but one is split into 44 mp3 files and Gimix is just 1.





















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More hip-hop and electronica sound than the other albums, still good though. The second and third track may be my favorite Avalanches mix.

Relaxation Tape/Gimix

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Here's some bold text in lieu of a picture. I posted THE AVALANCHES YOGA MIND MELD ZOMBIE RELAXATION TAPE last week but here it is again along with the uncut copy of Gimix in case you want that too.

1/14/10

The Avalanches - Relaxation Tape





















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This 20-minute-1-song release is available for free at theavalanches.com but I'm saving you the trouble by posting it here. It's definitely got that Avalanches feel to it but it's distinctly ambient and has weird shifting styles. It's called "Relaxation Tape" for a reason - it's excellent for going to sleep or if you need smooth background music. It's on my go-to ambient relaxing playlist.

1/12/10

The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin




















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This is one of the strangest yet coolest concept albums I have listened to. It takes recordings of people describing what happiness is to them, then plays music over those people speaking in their exact tone and pitch. The opening song is just "Mrs. Morris" and a saxophone, but as the album progresses, soft drums and strings and piano and other brass joins in. This produces a weird, new agey, and distinctly jazzy sound. The track "Ondine" is my favorite, and the reprise of "Mrs. Morris." This album is certainly different than anything you will have heard before, but it's sweet and uplifting too.

1/11/10

add to friends by v/a




This is what I consider the perfect introduction to left field avant pop and acoustic electronica. A great compilation with lots of variety and many great artists you probably haven't heard of yet. Consider it a jumping off point.

notable artists: akira kosemura, midori hirano, shugo tokumaru, lullatone

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1. "wake up call" - lullatone
2. "possumo" - tenniscoats
3. "kylie (hong kong)" - ytamo
4. "candle and pechka" - trico!
5. "cells that smell sounds" - midori hirano
6. "docoiku" - daisuke miyatani
7. "bicycle (lullatone remix)" - caroline
8. "bad waves of paranoia (part 1)" - steal steal ground
9. "a fat bud" - small colour
10. "wedding" - shugo tokumaru
11. "dust dance (chirichiri maimai)" - eddi marcon
12. "through your window" - qua
13. "turin" - the rational academy
14. "kkkpkanewnew" - groopies
15. "jane and jenny" - the pancakes
16. "orange trumpet" - the deadnotes
17. "leo, are you still jumping out of the windows in expensive clothes" - my little airport
18. "enough grace" - akira kosemura


not sokute by soko





















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Probably the cutest little album I have ever heard ever. It's about pretty depressing subjects but the Stéphanie Sokolinski's voice is adorable and so is she. Too bad she is going back to acting and not making music anymore.

1/10/10

Grace by Haruka Nakamura



















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Minimalistic samples, soft vocals, light piano, and quiet strings coalesce in this beautiful album, in which songs range from ambient to acoustic-ish. An album perfect for falling asleep to. Most tracks can be vastly improved by imagining the sound of the ocean lapping up on the shore. Other than that, acoustical minimalist doesn't get much better than this.

secret of the loveninjas by loveninjas

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With song titles like "She Broke His Penis in Two" and "Do Me" it is evident that twee pop sweethearts Loveninjas have no sense of shame. Catchy melodies and sweet vocals, these songs are like little Jolly Ranchers that pick you up throughout the day. Don't rush through them, savor them, and move on when they are gone.

sounds like: Bedroom Eyes, The Legends, Pants Yell!

listen to: "Little Black Friends" | "Earl Grey with Honey"

the last resort by trentemøller

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I've felt as if we've been a bit skinny on the electronica on t&d. Here's one of my absolutely favorite albums, a sophisticated, but lush and sensual tech-house affair by Denmark's Anders Trentemøller. The type of music that would be played in the lobby of a hotel in a James Bond film. Music cool and dark things understand.

listen to:
"Take Me Into Your Skin" | "While the Cold Winter Waiting" | "Moan" | "Miss You"

1/9/10

in never out by pg.lost



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I must say, when I heard there was a new pg.lost album out I expected some great stuff. I absolutely loved their last release, It's Not Me, It's You! and I hoped for more of the same. This album, though, stands out far less than their previous effort. It's unfortunate. Nowhere in In Never Out is there the swelling, exuberant ecstasy of the previous album's "Siren" or any particularly in-depth, advanced harmony.
This album is much darker in tone. The tracks "Heart of Hearts" and "Gomez" are particularly heart-wrenching and, well, it's apparent that pg.lost wish that they were as cool as Mono because "Gomez" could easily pass for a Mono track if it had some more intricate musical craftsmanship and more instruments. All in all, though, it's a pretty standard post-rock album worth grabbing if you've heard any of their music--otherwise pick up their old album somewhere. It's a gem. This album though, sadly, is little more than your standard repetitive, slowly building post-rock fare.

the wild by pink moth

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notable tracks: "Forest Fires", "Minnows", "Carnival Girl"

The K&D Sessions by Kruder & Dorfmeister





















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I'm new to t & d and not new to music. For my first act, here's one of the greatest downtempo/dubstep artists. Jazzy, trip-hoppy, chill.

Recommended if you like: Thievery Corporation, Zero 7, Bonobo, hanging out and smoking with friends as the sun goes down.

1/8/10

the bride of dynamite by rio en medio

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I spent four hours in the studio carving through pages of magazines until I had created little topographical facsimiles in layers of fading pages of Time and Life. Collage and sculpture, but deconstructed and considered through mass media and popular culture. I might've been trying to copy Danielle Stech Homsy's methods, trying to get close to what she manages to do on The Bride of Dynamite. Here, she uses a variety of different instruments to explore and expand the sonic space that encompasses her new folk aesthetic, and through a keen lyrical precision carves an enchanting relief. For years this album has always been my point of departure to an imaginary place with an abundance of valleys.

the lemon of pink by the books

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as a child, I wandered the streets of Sicily, following the wisps of ghostly voices through the cobblestone alleys of my grandfather's old home. the books' 2003 album, the lemon of pink, hit home as I experienced something spookily similar to my stay on the Italian island. the music sounds like a collection of memories from someplace foreign, containing a collage of voices laced with enough emotion to break language barriers. notable tracks: "tokyo", "there is no there", "take time"

clear as day, the darkest tools by sea snakes

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for long tomorrow by toe

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