M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us (2005)

This is my favourite M83 album partly because it sounds just like the cover looks. It's clear and crisp while still being challenging and complex. Definitely night-time music.



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New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (1998)

Gregg Alexander, the man behind New Radicals, is a reclusive genius who never played live shows or did interviews even though he got a bunch of musicians together and put out this absolutely immaculate record. This was one of my favourite albums of the nineties, and I'm posting it so everyone can have access.



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Ass - My Get Up And Go Just Got Up And Went (2007)

This is one Swedish guy playing some instruments, mostly an acoustic guitar, and creating some really cool moods and aural landscapes in the process. It's similar to early Kaki King, I'd say.



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Astrud Gilberto - With Turrentine (1973)

This is wholly beautiful. If you don't know Astrud, she was a Brazillian bossa nova singer who did a lot of work with other artists. This recording is with Stanley Turrentine.



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Julie Ruin - Self-Titled (1998)

This is what Kathleen Hanna was doing in between the breakup of Bikini Kill and the start-up of Le Tigre, which, in fact, was initially formed as a backup band for Julie Ruin. Written and recorded in her apartment with some samplers and a broken drum machine, this record is definitely of the DIY mixtape variety; however, what it lacks in production value it more than makes up for in articulate, intelligent lyrics spanning topics from police brutality to the widespread-vapidity in the punk scene. It's one of my favourite albums evar because it's so genuine and smart; it has all the crunchy, self-responsible makings of the good punk records for which Kathleen was responsible in her Bikini Kill days, but it's much more pointed, more mature.



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Two Talking Heads albums.

I love Talking Heads, and you should too. Posted here are my favourite of their studio albums as well as their live album, which is superb, oh man.



Speaking In Tongues (1983)



Stop Making Sense: Live (1984)
1. Psycho Killer
2. Swamp
3. Slippery People
4. Burning Down the House
5. Girlfriend Is Better
6. Once in a Lifetime
7. What A Day That Was
8. Life During Wartime
9. Take Me To The River

The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)

This is my favourite Smiths album! If you don't know them, they're adorable an adorable English 80's pop act that released four albums in their five-year existence. Their lyrics are really witty, much sharper than most, in fact. And OH MY GOD, MORRISSEY'S HAIR.



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Suicide - Second Album (1980)

This was the second (and, in my opinion, slightly less impressive) album by the influential if almost completely anonymous post-punk, electronic group, Suicide. I'm posting this mostly to make sure that everyone has access to it as I've noticed it's not as widely circulated as the first one.



Disc One

Disc Two

Meanwhile, Back In Communist Russia... discography.

As a ladly-loving, long-time fan of lots of bands in the post-rock genre, it's been my mission for a while now to find a post-rock band with a female front-woman or vocalist. This is about the closest I came, and I'm not disappointed. Hailing from Oxford, England, this band, which broke in 2004, was definitely sound. The vocals are not actually sung; rather, they're really creepy spoken word pieces set to dark, grinding, mostly structureless music. However, it goes down more easily than you may be anticipating.




My Elixir, My Poison (2003)



Indian Ink (2002)

Emily Wells - The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties (2008)

'Very honest', 'very different' and 'very impressive' are all phrases I'd use to describe this piece of music, which was the end result of this girl, Emily Wells, having rejected major labels due to their restrictions on her creative freedom. She wrote, recorded and produced this all by her lonesome, but you shouldn't mistake it for an amateur-y mixtape deal; the sound is really crisp, and all the many layers of sound fit together perfectly to create what seems to be a "Fiddler On The Roof"-sounding, danceable set of sweet-but-authentic words and beats. Also, all the track names rhyme- cute!!



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Amiina - Kurr (2007)

This group is an Icelandic string quartet, often appropriately likened to Sigur Rós. (From what I understand, they tour together, and I think they may have even been present when I saw Sigur Rós at Bonnaroo this past June.) The music is very pretty, like glass ornaments that sparkle and catch the last slice of daylight before dusk sets in all the way. I'm not stretching for poetic description here either; it actually does sound just like that. There are some faint vocals that function more as another instrumental layer than as direct human involvement, but for the most part this is just really impeccable, beautiful stringing.



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Bat For Lashes - Fur And Gold (2007)

I know this has been posted all over the place, but I'm sorry: this girl, Natasha Khan, is something special, and for that I feel she deserves more plugging. Supposedly this record was inspired by a dream she had, which wouldn't surprise me as it has a really soft, lunar feel to it. The hand claps and the bare bass drumming, along with her very pretty, lullaby voice, do their part to create the half-spooky, half-dreamy atmosphere on this near-perfect album; while there are a few tracks that stand out from the others, mostly because they're catchy without being artistically faint, Fur And Gold is best absorbed in its entirety.



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Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (2007)

If you took seven hits of acid then got impossibly lost in an enchanted forest in another dimension, this is what it would sound like.



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Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain (2005)

"UTTERLY UNRULY" is the best way I can think to describe this album, which, for me, defines the really uncomfortable cross-section between math rock and metal. It's noisy, screechy and fairly unpredictable despite its occasionally repetitive structures. Think Hella only louder, faster, more jagged. In short, it's an aural curbstomp- worth it, I think.



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Live Isis cuts.

Isis is a really special band, one that's successfully fused, if not totally transcended, a few of my favourite genres to create this really spectacular, intensely brainy breed of spaced-out, progressive metal. The following are bundles of some live sets, presumably from separate performances at various times. (I don't remember where I found these, so if you come across them and realize they're yours, let me know.)




Live One
1. Carry
2. Hymn
3. Weight
4. The Beginning of the End

Live Two
1. From Sinking
2. Glisten
3. Carry
4. Weight
5. The Beginning of the End
6. Celestial Ext [altered version]

Live Four
1. Gentle Time
2. Glisten
3. CFT
4. Celestial
5. Improv 1
6. False Light
7. Weight

Live Bundle #3 wouldn't upload for some reason, but I'm working on it.

David Bowie - Hunky Dory (1971)

This is my favourite album by my favourite 70's icon. If you don't know who David Bowie is or what he sounds like... well, you're missing out. Profoundly.



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Shout Out Out Out - Not Saying/Just Saying (2006)

Good old-fashioned, synth-y, dance electronica complete with lots of bass and a robotic voice. In the vein of Benny Benassi or Daft Punk, it's great music for when you're smugly (but aimlessly) driving around.



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Björk - Live Box (2003)

If you know me at all, you know that I live for this woman goddess and her work. I bought this last year when it became completely clear that I couldn't make it out to Coachella to see her.




Disc One
1. Human Behaviour
2. One Day
3. Venus as a Boy
4. Come to Me
5. Big Time Sensuality
6. Aeroplane
7. Like Someone in Love
8. Crying
9. Anchor Song
10. Violently Happy

Disc Two
1. Headphones
2. Army of Me
3. One Day
4. Modern Things
5. Isobel
6. Possibly Maybe
7. Hyper-Ballad
8. I Go Humble
9. Big Time Sensuality
10. Enjoy
11. I Miss You
12. It's Oh So Quiet
13. Anchor Song

Disc Three
1. Visur Vantnsenda Rósu
2. Hunter
3. You've Been Flirting Again
4. Isobel
5. All Neon Like
6. Possibly Maybe
7. 5 Years
8. Come to Me
9. Immature
10. I Go Humble
11. Bachelorette
12. Human Behaviour
13. Pluto
14. Jóga
15. So Broken
16. Anchor Song

Disc Four
1. Frosti
2. Overture
3. All Is Full of Love
4. Cocoon
5. Aurora
6. Undo
7. Unravel
8. I've Seen It All
9. Echo, A Stain
10. Generous Palmstroke
11. Hidden Place
12. Pagan Poetry
13. Harm of Will
14. It's Not Up to You
15. Unison
16. It's in Our Hands

Tender Forever - Wider (2007)

One girl sing-rapping over fun, sweet-but-heavy electronic beatz. This album is just adorable.



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Suicide - First Album (1977)

According to reputable sources (wikipedia, last.fm, ha), this album was neither considered nor appreciated at its start; however, it's considered in many circles to be a really influential album in the genres of punk, no-wave, electronica, synth-pop, etc. It's crunchy, it's just underproduced enough, and it's a little creepy, reminiscent of New York City's underbelly circa late 70's. In other words, it's completely brilliant, definitely one of my favourite albums right now.

Also, an interesting fact about this album: the last song on the second disc, "23 Minutes Over Brussels", is a recording of a Suicide show that eventually erupted in a riot.



Disc One

Disc Two

Two Gallants discography.

These two men do folk-punk the way it should be done. If you've not heard them before, they're like a more minimal Against Me! back in their Axl Rose days. If that doesn't resonate, they're honest, raw, passionate- very talented and very worth your time.




Two Gallants (2007)



What The Toll Tells (2006)

Lesser-known Against Me! cuts.

Here is some stuff by this band that is less widely circulated, ie not the albums. There are the Crime and Acoustic EP's, both of which are really great. In addition, here are two live cuts; in my opinion, they translate pretty well. I've seen them live seven times now, and they blow me away every time. Seriously.



the Acoustic EP

the Crime EP

the WKDU radio session [31.1.07]

We're Never Going Home (DVD rip)

Air France - No Way Down (2008)

This brief but beautiful release is absolutely worth having. Inducing a pleasant, nostalgic haze, it's half-ambient, half-upbeat electronic that is both dance-able and sweet. I highly recommend this.



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Roxy Music - Viva! (1976)

This is hands down one of the best live albums to ever have graced my discriminating ear. In fact, it's the first thing I heard by Roxy Music, and, even at 15, I knew this was going to be a long, steady, mutually beneficial relationship. If you haven't heard much / anything at all by this band, I think this is a good starting point; if you find them as amazing live as I did (and still do), their studio albums will be worth checking out. In fact, there will probably be a discography post as soon as possible.



1. Out of the Blue [live]
2. Pyjamarama [live]
3. The Bogus Man [live]
4. Chance Meeting [live]
5. Both Ends Burning [live]
6. If There Is Something [live]
7. In Every Dream Home A Heartache [live]
8. Do The Strand [live]

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Warsaw - An Ideal For Killing (1979)

This was Joy Division before Joy Division was Joy Division. Personally, I prefer it ever so slightly to that incarnation, though I vastly, extremely, very much prefer it to New Order- gross.

Download.

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