Swans - Cop / Young God (1993)

Really brutal, heavy music made by a few individuals that I understand to have been pretty influential to later industrial music. This record is slightly difficult, definitely not for everyone.


Part 1 (Tracks 1-7)
Part 2 (Tracks 8-14)

Two Asobi Seksu albums.

Asobi Seksu is this really interesting, pleasant dream-pop band from New York (not Japan) that's recently completed what I believe to be their third album. (I'm still looking for their first, so if you have it feel free to comment with a link.) It's upbeat and fresh, and I've had Citrus, which I highly recommend, on repeat for days now. I'm still getting into Hush, but that process may be expedited when I see them live in March- so excited!


Citrus (2006)


Hush (2009)

Tuxedomoon - Pinheads On The Move (1987)

Tuxedomoon formed in San Francisco in the mid-80's and kind of blew people away with their extremely weird, slightly spazzy art / new wave / experimental sound, which is slightly electronic but mostly just an aural aneurism. I enjoy it thoroughly.



Download.

Pi Soundtrack (1998)

This soundtrack is as dark, crunchy and artistically gnarled as the movie for which it was compiled.



Download.

Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline (2007)

This electronic, spaced-out duo makes music that sounds the way the cosmos looks; I can't put their sound into a more apt description. I've gotten a lot of reading and thinking done to this brain massage of a record.



Disc One
Disc Two

Two Kraftwerk kuts.

Kraftwerk was a German electronic band often credited with blazing the trails of electronic music. Founded in the 70's, the original members met at college, where they were studying improvisational music. Last.fm told me they are often referred to as "the godfathers of electronica". In any case, this music in its sparkley, blipping minimalist style is a pleasure to hear, so here are the two that I've been listening to lots as of late.



The Man-Machine (1978)



Trans-Europe Express (1977)

Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (2006)

I keep hearing the word 'grime' thrown around in reference to Lady Sov's music, but I'm not quite sure what that entails. I do know, however, that she is both the cutest and most obnoxious thing to come out of the UK in a long time; her music is tangy and catchy, and her really, really thick accent sticks to her verses like chewed-to-death bubblegum. All in all, this is a very fun record, though it admittedly took a while to grow on me.



Download.

Burning London: A Tribute to The Clash (1999)

I am so stuck on this CD right now. It's a compilation of Clash covers, some of which are genuinely golden. For example, my personal favourite is Ice Cube covering "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"-- WHAT. BRILLIANT. Third Eye Blind has also contributed a nice version of "Train In Vain", which happens to be my favourite song The Clash did.



1. "Hateful" by No Doubt
2. "This Is Radio Clash" by The Urge
3. "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" by Ice Cube
4. "Cheat" by Rancid
5. "Train In Vain" by Third Eye Blind
6. "Clampdown" by Indigo Girls
7. "Rudie Can't Fail" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
8. "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" by 311
9. "Lost In The Supermarket" by The Afghan Whigs
10. "White Riot" by Cracker
11. "London's Burning" by Silverchair
12. "Straight To Hell" by Moby & Heather Nova

Download.

Various Artists - Mashed In Plastic (2008)

This delightful mix is a David Lynch themed mash-up! (If the cover art is not familiar, it's a visual reference to the shot of Laura Palmer's body when it's discovered on Twin Peaks, which is worth its weight in entertainment gold, if you didn't already know.)





Download.