Ryan Teague - Coins & Crosses

Ryan Teague is a British composer/producer working in the field of electro-acoustic composition. His music is an exploration of the possibilities between more traditional instrumentation, techniques and arrangements, combined with electronic treatments, sampling and manipulations. This is his second album released in 2006. Beautiful neo-classical music!

Artist: Ryan Teague
Album: Coins & Crosses
Year: 2006
Genre: neo-classical, instrumental, minimal, experimental

Tracks:
1. Introit
2. Coins and crosses
3. Nephesch
4. Tableau I
5. Fantasia for strings
6. Accidia
7. Seven_keys
8. Tableau II
9. Rounds

Coins & Crosses at Type records
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Epic45 - Reckless Engineers

Epic45 is a great, hugely underrated, band! Ben Holton and Rob Glover joined together in 1995 in Birmingham, UK, but only began playing live and recording tracks to tape in 1998. From there, they have gone on to record tracks for almost 20 releases and done remixes for people such as Portal and Glider. They now have four full albums released, the latest being “May Your Heart Be The Map”. This one is their debut full-length album released in 2002. Excellent!

Artist: Epic45
Album: Reckless Engineers
Year: 2002
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, experimental, ambient

Tracks:
1. Do Nothing Until You Hear From Me
2. A Song For Seasons
3. August Passed Away Unnoticed
4. Low Tide
5. Remote Canals
6. Like A Crowbar, Humour Separated Us
7. For Painters Of Scenery
8. A Forlorn Reminder Of Better Days
9. Estuary
10. Shorebound

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Middle 9 - Sea That Has Become Known

Middle 9 is a band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 2003. This is their first full-length album, released in 2008. Their music is a combination of post-rock and jazz, similar to Tortoise. Really good! Highly recommended!

Artist: Middle 9
Album: Sea That Has Become Known
Year: 2008
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, jazz

Tracks:
1. Island Pull Out
2. Liam
3. Replique,Tableau
4. Paprika
5. Marsupial
6. Fix
7. Shu Shu
8. Tonotopy the Bamboo Coral
9. After It Pause

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace (buy from here)

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

La Haine (1995)

La Haine ("Hate") is one of the best films of the 90s. Written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, this black and white film is a powerful comment on social problems and violence. The story takes place in a Paris suburb, not the Paris of travel brochures, but a desolate urban landscape, harsh and grim. It's a place where the main characters, three friends from different ethnic background, are economically, socially and politically marginalised. The streets are their home and they are open targets for the brutal and racist police, whom they see as oppressors.

The performances from the three main actors are brilliant. Kassovitz's script and direction is awesome. The soundtrack which starts with Bob Marley's "Burning and Looting" and continues with great French hip-hop is also excellent. Finally, the last scene of the film will totally blow you away!

La Haine does not offer any solutions to social problems but it clearly shows the anger and frustration of people who feel trapped by their circumstances. Though it is a wake-up call for action on society's growing gap between rich and poor, the film makes a powerful statement that violence does not solve anything and that hate feeds hate.

Three weeks after the film was released, riots broke out in the Brixton section of London, following the death of a young black man in police custody. Also, the riots in Paris a few years ago and in Greece last December make the message of the film even more powerful!

One of the best films ever made!

More info:
Wikipedia
IMDb

Trailer:

Under Byen - Kyst

Under Byen (Danish for “Below the City”) is a Danish band founded in 1995. They are known for producing their own unorthodox interpretation of rock (but it could also be indie, folktronic, trip-hop, post rock or… something else). They rarely use guitars. Instead their soundscape is dominated by piano, cello, violin, electrically-distorted saw, organ, drums and percussion. A somewhat different vein of post-rock, infused with jazzy, folky and classical elements. Very similar to Björk's sound I guess! This is their debut album released in 1999. Great album!

Artist: Under Byen
Album: Kyst
Year: 1999
Genre: electronica, trip-hop, post-rock, indie

Tracks:
1. Sejler
2. Hjertebarn
3. Vindeltrappe
4. Gå ind i lyset
5. Vinterbørn
6. Ingenting hos mig
7. På disse kanter
8. Fugle og ild
9. Syng hvide nat
10. Sylfiden
11. Kyst

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Detektivbyrån - E18 Album

Detektivbyrån is Anders Flanders and Martin Molin, who formed in Karlstad, Sweden, in 2005 and are now located in Gothenburg. They are making instrumental folky electronic music using vibes, accordions, trumpets, drums and guitars. E18 is their debut full-length album, which mainly contains all the songs from their 2006 EP Hemvägen and the 2007 single Lyckans Undulat and two previously unreleased tracks. The sound of accordion is brilliant; if you like Yann Tiersen, get this album now! Highly recommended!

Artist: Detektivbyrån
Album: E18 Album
Year: 2008
Genre: folk, electronica, instrumental
Similar: Pascal Comelade

Tracks:
1. E18
2. Hemvägen
3. Nattöppet
4. Monster
5. Dansbanan
6. Granmon
7. Vänerhavet
8. Lyckans Undulat
9. Hem Ljuva Hem
10. Home Sweet Home
11. Laka-Koffa

Official Website (buy from here - free delivery worldwide)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Luigi Rubino - A Theme For The Moon

Luigi Rubino is an Italian pianist, also member of Ashram. This is his debut solo album, released earlier this year, which features incredibly delicate, symphonic orchestrations. The sounds of piano, violin and cello create an emotional nostalgic atmosphere. Beautiful!

Artist: Luigi Rubino
Album: A Theme For The Moon
Year: 2009
Genre: neo-classical, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Last dance
2. Nostalgie
3. Fragments
4. Les larmes d'automne
5. Voice in the eyes
6. Every desire
7. Melancholic Lisbon
8. Before love
9. Glace of dust
10. Behind the clouds
11. D'Inverno
12. He is her

Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this artist! Buy from Prikosnovénie label.
Check the comments to listen first.

Neil Young - On the Beach

Last night I went to Neil Young's concert at Nottingham (it was awesome!), so I take this opportunity to post one of my favourite albums ever and the best Neil Young album, in my opinion. "On the Beach" was released in 1974 and was the long-awaited follow-up to the commercially and critically successful Harvest (great album btw!). It came as a shock to fans and critics since it was a very melancholic, sad album which dealt with themes such as the downside of fame and the Californian lifestyle. It was not a commercial success at the time of its release but over time attained a high regard from fans and critics alike.

For nearly two decades, rarity made a cult out of the album. The title was deleted from vinyl in the early 1980s and only briefly released on cassette. On the Beach headed the list of most-desired albums not released on CD. Beginning in 2000, over 5000 fans signed an online petition calling for the release of the album on CD; this wish was finally granted in 2003.

A classic! Track 6 ("On the Beach") is one of my favourite songs of all time!

Artist: Neil Young
Album: On the Beach
Year: 1974
Genre: classic rock, folk, blues

Tracks:
1. Walk On
2. See the Sky About to Rain
3. Revolution Blues
4. For the Turnstiles
5. Vampire Blues
6. On the Beach
7. Motion Pictures (for Carrie)
8. Ambulance Blues

More info:
Wikipedia: Neil Young, On the Beach
Official Website
Last.fm

Check the comments to listen before you buy!

Clogs - Lantern

Clogs are four musicians from the U.S. and Australia who compose and improvise using sounds, textures and influences from across the musical spectrum. From the immediacy of folk music, through twisted Americana to the complexity of modernism, their sound marks a new and beautifully strange stage in the evolution of 21st century acoustic-electronic music. Leading members Bryce Dessner and Padma Newsome are also members of indie-rock band The National. Clogs, however, is a different story: amazing neo-classical music with elements of folk, post-rock and experimentation. Lantern is their most recent album. A masterpiece!

Artist: Clogs
Album: Lantern
Year: 2006
Genre: neo-classical, instrumental, experimental, folk, post-rock
Similar: Rachel's, Fifths of Seven

Tracks:
1. Kapsburger
2. Canon
3. 5/4
4. 2:3:5
5. Death and the Maiden
6. Lantern
7. Tides of Washington Bridge
8. The Song of the Cricket
9. Fiddlegree
10. Compass
11. Voisins
12. Tides (Piano)

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from CB Baby.
Check the comments to listen first.

ZXYZXY - Hansuru

ZXYZXY is a solo project by Greg Pappas, a 22 year-old American musician from Seattle, Washington. This is an excellent album that combines elements from post-rock, ambient and electronica. There are also two remixes by Yibbon and Brandon Invergo. Great music!

Artist: ZXYZXY
Album: Hansuru
Year: 2009
Genre: post-rock, electronica, ambient, instrumental, experimental

Tracks:
1. Sullen
2. Kmode
3. Zhu Di
4. morgonpromenad
5. Taisaku
6. Sullen (Northen Implosion Mix)
7. Kyomu
8. SXY
9. morgonpromenad (Yibbon Remix)
10. Old and Alone
11. The World Doesn’t End

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Download (direct link)

Beware of Safety - It is Curtains

Beware Of Safety is an American instrumental rock quintet from Los Angeles, California. This is their debut album released in 2007. Their latest album, "Dogs", was released in 2008. A truly amazing band that combines perfectly the aggressive noisy post-rock with ambient experimentation. Get it!

Artist: Beware of Safety
Album: It is Curtains
Year: 2007
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, experimental

Tracks:
1. Kaura
2. Weak Wrists
3. The Difference Between Wind and Rain
4. Veneklasen
5. O'Canada
6. To the Roof! Let's Jump and Fall

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this band. Buy from the great label The Mylene Sheath or from CD Baby.
Check the comments to listen first.

La faute à Fidel! - Blame it on Fidel (2006)

This brilliant film was directed by Julie Gavras, daughter of the great politically committed director Costa Gavras. The plot revolves around little nine-year-old Anna whose life changes when her parents become radical political activists in 1970-71 Paris. A sweet, but also political, movie about childhood and the way our experiences shape us. The film's emotional power arises from Anna's transformation from close-minded bourgeois princess to open-hearted truth seeker and her gradual internalisation of what her parents, albeit clumsily, are trying to accomplish. Excellent film!

More info:
Wikipedia
IMDb

Trailer:

The Pirate Ship Quintet - The Pirate Ship Quintet EP

The Pirate Ship Quintet is a post-rock septet, originally from Bournemouth and Bristol, UK. Their cellist is a full time member of one of Britain’s most commended symphony orchestras as well as being a stand in for the famous London Symphony Orchestra. This is their debut EP, released in April 2007, and it's is really fantastic! They are currently working on their first full-length album.

Artist: The Pirate Ship Quintet
Album: The Pirate Ship Quintet EP
Year: 2007
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, experimental

Tracks:
1. Lost Science
2. I Kina Spiser De Hund
3. Pirate Ship

Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this band. Buy from Sound Devastation Records.
Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Dorena - Holofon

Dorena is a Swedish post-rock band formed in 2007 by five guys spread around the city of Gothenburg. Their music is instrumental post-rock with some ambient parts. Holofon is their debut album, self-released in 2008. Excellent!

Artist: Dorena
Album Holofon
Year: 2008
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Fantasia
2. Till våning tretton
3. Solen har förblindat mig
4. Tiden gick, men utan oss
5. I huset jag växte upp
6. En tonårsromans
7. Dagsländan

Official Website
MySpace
Last.fm

This is a self-release. Please support the band. Buy from their official/MySpace page.
Check the comments to listen first.

ROVO - Condor

ROVO is a Japanese instrumental band formed in 1996 by former members of Boredoms. Their music combines elements of psychedelic rock, kraut-rock and jazz-rock. They define their music as "man-drive trance" and many of their compositions have a dance-oriented minimalism similar to that of Neu! or the early '80s instrumentals of Simple Minds. This is one of my favourite bands and I can't really recommend a single album. Condor, released in 2006, is one of their most recent albums. It's one of their strongest songs, played in 3 parts: "Aires", "n'Popo" and "Land". An absolute must!

Artist: ROVO
Album: Condor
Year: 2006
Genre: psychedelic, instrumental, kraut-rock

Tracks:
1. Aires
2. n'Popo
3. Land

Official Website (Japanese)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy

Manos Hadjidakis - Gioconda's Smile

Fifteen years have gone since the death of Manos Hadjidakis (Μάνος Χατζηδάκις), one of the greatest Greek composers. An irreconcilable pioneer, an enemy of pomposity and solidified views, a lover of “youth”, nonconformist to the core, and armed with Greek and world culture, he was able to combine classical with folk music, thus creating a “new” sound, a “new” type of song, with roots both in the East and the West. Today I post one of his best albums (and my personal favourite), Gioconda's Smile (Το χαμόγελο της Τζοκόντας). It was recorded in New York in 1965, with Quincy Jones as producer and it is one of the classic albums of 20th century music in Greece. A must!

Artist: Manos Hadjidakis (Μάνος Χατζηδάκις)
Album: Gioconda's Smile (Το χαμόγελο της Τζοκόντας)
Year: 1965
Genre: neo-classical, folk, instrumental, cinematic

Tracks:
1. When The Clouds Come (Όταν έρχονται τα σύννεφα)
2. Countess Esterhazy (Κοντεσα Εστερχάζυ)
3. Virgin In My Neighbourhood (Η παρθένα της γειτονιάς μου)
4. Rain (Βροχή)
5. Portrait Of My Mother (Προσωπογραφία της μητέρας μου)
6. Concerto (Το κονσέρτο)
7. Mr. Noll (Ο κ. Νόλλ)
8. Assassins (Οι δολοφόνοι)
9. Returning In The Evening (Βραδινή επιστροφή)
10. Dance With My Own Shadow (Χορός με τη σκιά μου)

More Info:
Official Website
Wikipedia
Last.fm: English, Greek
MySpace (tribute page)

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Xploding Plastix - Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents

Xploding Plastix is a Norwegian two-man band playing acid-jazz/nu-jazz music. Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen (formerly in Norwegian black metal band Kvist) formed the group in early 1999, and submitted their first demotape in 2000. This is their debut full-length album released in 2001. Really good!

Artist: Xploding Plastix
Album: Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents
Year: 2001
Genre: nu-jazz, electronica, jazz

Tracks:
1. Sports, Not Heavy Crime
2. Funnybones & Lazylegs
3. 6 Hours Starlight
4. Behind the Eightball
5. Single Stroke Ruffs
6. Treat Me Mean, I Need the Reputation
7. Relieved Beyond Repair
8. Tinntinnamputation
9. More Power to Yah
10. Having Smarter Babies
11. Far-flung Tonic
12. Happy Jizz Girls
13. Doubletalk Gets Through to You
14. Comatose Luck

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace (fan page)

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Sumner McKane - North

Sumner McKane is a guitarist and composer from Maine, USA. His music is a combination of ambient soundscapes and psychedelia with some really skillful guitar playing. This is his first album. Beautiful music!

Artist: Sumner McKane
Album: North
Year: 2004
Genre: ambient, psychedelic, instrumental, post-rock

Tracks:
1. Dogsled
2. Bugs in Her Pockets and Hunting for Salamanders
3. Careful, It Doesn’t Look Safe Yet
4. Old House, Friendly Ghost (Hopefully)
5. The Woods Across the Street When I Was Little
6. Girl on Beach in Black and White
7. Far-off Exotic Places Like Winnipeg
8. We Don’t Live by a Lake Yet
9. The Drive to Whitefish: Midnight With Concrete Blonde at a Perfect Volume
10. The Fair
11. Kissed by a Witch in the Woods

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy

Pascal Comelade - Mètode de Rocanrol

Pascal Comelade, a French-Catalan minimalist, was born in Montpellier, France. After living for several years in Barcelona, he made his first album, Fluences, influenced by electronic music and by the group Heldon. Subsequently, his music has become more acoustic and is characterised by the sounds of toy instruments, used as solo-instruments and as an integral part of the sound of his group, the Bel Canto Orquestra. He has collaborated with many singers and musicians from diverse genres of music including Robert Wyatt, Dani, Faust, Christophe Miossec, Toti Soler, Jac Berrocal and PJ Harvey. I strongly recommend all his albums; if you like the music of Yann Tiersen, you will love it! This is one of his most recent releases! Enjoy!

Artist: Pascal Comelade
Album: Mètode de Rocanrol
Year: 2007
Genre: folk (-ish), minimalist

Tracks:
1. Stranger in Paradigm
2. L'U
3. Elvis Loved Dogs
4. La vedette d'el molino
5. Jopo de Pojo not Dead
6. Mossen xemeneia a l'Heliogàbal
7. The Indian of the Group
8. Il Luna-Park galactico
9. Catalana de jazzz
10. The halucinogenic espontex sinfonia
11. Smog on the Vermut
12. Noia de porcellana
13. Le barman de Satan
14. Com un rossinyol amb mal de queixal

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy

Gegen die Wand - Head-On (2004)

Head On (Gegen die Wand), winner of the top prize "Golden Bear" at the 2004 Berlin Festival, is a German/Turkish film directed by Fatih Akin. It's a bitter, heavy, unpleasant movie but, also, an original and realistic masterpiece!

The performance of the actors, especially that of the lead stars, Sibel Kekilli and Birol Unel, is absolutely brilliant. Two desperate people meet each other with little to lose and their chaotic, rootless life brings them closer. The direction is profound, not to mention the wonderful soundtrack (mostly hard-rock/punk music but, also, some traditional Turkish music!).

This movie makes every Hollywood film look like a child's movie. A modern masterpiece!

More Info:
Official Website (German)
Wikipedia
IMDb

Trailer:

Mono in VCF - Mono in VCF

Mono in VCF is an American band formed in 2004. Influenced by film, composer scores and cinematography, the band creates a sound and mystique that pays homage while turning classic psychedelic sound into something distinctly different for the modern audience. These are pop scores made for the dark. This is their debut album released in 2008. An absolute must!

Artist: Mono in VCF
Album: Mono in VCF
Year: 2008
Genre: dream-pop, indie, psychedelic, cinematic

Tracks:
1. Escape City Scrapers
2. Spider Rotation
3. Masha
4. Key to the House
5. In Los Angeles/Mummies
6. There's No Blood in Bone
7. Chanteuse
8. Death of a Spark
9. The Only One
10. Cinch Ring
11. We Could've Owned the World

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Fifths of Seven - Spry From Bitter Anise Folds

Fifths Of Seven is a Montreal-based Canadian trio comprised of cellist Beckie Foon (A Silver Mt. Zion, Set Fire to Flames, Esmerine), mandolin-player Rachel Levine (Cakelk with Alexander St. Onge), and pianist Spencer Krug (Frog Eyes, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake). Spry From Bitter Anise Folds is their debut album, a beautiful album that combines perfectly the classical music with experimentation and improvisation and, of course, the Constellation post-rock sound. Highly recommended!

Artist: Fifths of Seven
Album: Spry From Bitter Anise Folds
Year: 2005
Genre: neo-classical, instrumental, post-rock
Similar: Rachel's, Clogs

Tracks:
1. Rosa Centifolia
2. Sweet Grace for Devious
3. Out From Behind the Rigid Bellows
4. Waiting
5. Coeur, Arteries and Veins
6. Echoes From a Wandered Path
7. For You Alone in the Smoldering City
8. Bless Our Wandering Dreamers

Last.fm
MySpace

But from here.
Check the comments to listen first.

Contemporary Noise Quintet - Pig Inside The Gentleman

Contemporary Noise Quintet (now Sextet) is a group from Poland. Their music can be described as energetic jazz with elements of film music. However, the variety of sounds does not allow pigeon-holing their music style unambiguously. This is their debut album released in 2006. Awesome!

Artist: Contemporary Noise Quintet
Album: Pig Inside The Gentleman
Year: 2006
Genre: jazz, instrumental, nu-jazz
Similar: Contemporary Noise Quartet - Theatre Play Music

Tracks:
1. Million Faces
2. Army of the Sun
3. A Coin Perfectly Spinning
4. Goodbye Monster
5. Walking Sun
6. Even Cats Dream About Flying
7. Evil Melody
8. Invisible Train
9. P.I.G.
10. Sophie

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Schéol - 9 Secondes

Schéol is a French band formed in 2002. Their music is instrumental and combines elements from cold wave, trip-hop and electronica. This is their second album released in 2006 and it's really fantastic. Highly recommended!

Artist: Schéol
Album: 9 Secondes
Year: 2006
Genre: post-rock, electronica, instrumental

Tracks:
1. 9 secondes
2. I’m stronger than you are
3. It’s love that won
4. Lost
5. Poor oil on trouble waters
6. The man with the hate on his back
7. Upstairs romance
8. You said

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Their songs are available for free at their website.
Or just get it from here

Grace Cathedral Park - In the Evenings of Regret

Grace Cathedral Park formed in 2002 in South Carolina, USA, as a collaboration among nine people wanting to create something beautiful and inimitable. This is their debut album and it's just stunning. Their music can be compared with bands like GYBE and Explosions in the Sky and Low. They do not dwell or dominate, but tiptoe gingerly, then sweep grandly, swallowing up listeners. Absolutely brilliant!

Artist: Grace Cathedral Park
Album: In the Evenings of Regret
Year: 2004
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Play Delicate, Desire Quiet
2. It’s All Well Above Wonder Anyway
3. Is It the Hurt You’re Drowning In
4. Settling for the Broken in the Things Never Forgotten
5. Hey Pretty, Could You Stay Awhile
6. Latter Day Love Affairs and Everything Else You Would Hope to Forget

Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from CB Baby
Check the comments to listen first.

Zoom-in: Διάφανα Κρίνα (Diafana Krina)

One of the best Greek rock groups, Diafana Krina (which means in English: Transparent Lilies), announced their disbanding earlier this week. Formed in 1991, Diafana Krina was a five-piece band consisting of Thanos Anestopoulos (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Pantelis Rodostoglou (bass), Nikos Bardis (electric guitar, trumpet), Kyriakos Tsoukalas (electric guitar) and Tassos Machas (drums). The fantastic baritone voice of Anestopoulos, sometimes similar to the voice of Stuart Staples from Tindersticks, was one of their unique characteristics. Also, their lyrics (always in Greek) were really beautiful music poems (mostly written by bassist Rodostoglou) rather than usual lyrics.

They performed in some festivals in Greece together with big names like Tindersticks and Sisters of Mercy. In 2001, they appeared in three concerts in the UK (London at Dingwalls, Manchester at The Roadhouse and Brighton at Concorde 2).

The group’s musical style and lyrics’ themes haven’t changed since their very beginning. Influences from many bands can be detected in their sound, but nonetheless they have created something very special and quite different for the Greek scene.

I wish I could translate their lyrics in English! At least, you can enjoy the music. Really beautiful! Highly recommended!

More info:
Wikipedia
Βικιπαίδια (Greek)
Last.fm
MySpace (Unofficial fan page)
Official website (Greek)

Discography

1. Lionontas Monos - Kato apo to ifaistio (Melding Alone - Under the Volcano) - 1994, Single


This is their first appearance in discography. Unique rock sounds with dark and psychedelic influences are obvious in these 2 songs. It's sold-out and very hard to find.

Tracks:
1. Kato apo to ifaistio (acoustic)
2. Kato apo to ifaistio
3. Lionontas monos


2. Egine i apoleia sinitheia mas (Loss became our habit) - 1996, LP


Their debut full-length album, released in 1996, is one of the most successful albums in Greek rock discography! A combination of influences such as psychedelia, '80s dark sounds, jazz touches and poetic lyrics all together in an amazing record. The first track, probably their most successful song, is based on a poem by Dionisis Kapsalis.
Buy from WipeOut records.

Tracks:
1. Meres Argias
2. I Ginaika Pou Diavaze piimata
3. Clown Tin Tetarti, tin Kiriaki Nekros
4. Rikste Tis Kardies Sas Sta Skilia
5. I Giorti
6. Mizero Fos
7. Opos ta Hiona
8. D.
9. Egine i apoleia sinitheia mas
10. Aperanti Thlimmeni Antartiki
11. Dipla sou san...Panta
12. Afto to Tragoudi Den Einai Gia Sena
13. Farmakomeni
14. Teleftaia Mera

3. Kati Saravales Kardies (Some Wrecked Hearts) - 1998, LP


Their second album is my personal favourite. Epic, sad and romantic! The lyrics on "Valte na pioume" (track 4) is a poem by Kostas Karthaios while "Katarhin" (track 11) is a translation of the poem "Me queda la palabra" by the Spanish poem Blas de Otero.
Buy from WipeOut records.

Tracks:
1. Mple Heimonas
2. Justelene
3. Ola afta pou den tha do
4. Valte na pioume
5. Agrio Meli
6. To vlemma sou sakatepse ti moira mou
7. Kiriaki ton vaion
8. Ta Hronia mou na vagisan stin kseres sou
9. Themethlo
10. Kati saravales kardies
11. Katarhin

4. Einai pou ola irthan arga (It's because everything came late) - 2000, EP


A short album which features the band's first instrumental track (track 4). The cover is a painting by Anestopoulos. Really good!

Tracks:
1. Zoi san tin dikia mou
2. Einai ola pou irthan arga
3. An to vreis
4. Enas tropos na peis antio

5. Evodiazoun agriokerasa oi siopes (Silence Gives the Odour of Wild Cherries) - 2000, LP


Another excellent album. The lyrics of the last track were taken from a poem of the Greek poet Kostas Ouranis and became a huge success. Read the review by Brett McCallon at Splendid.

Tracks:
1. Mikres Alithies
2. Nihta
3. I agapi einai enas skilos ap' tin kolasi
4. Ta glika apelpismaena sou antio
5. To soma afto einai deilo
6. Sto plai sou
7. S' ena oneiro apo hioni
8. Ap' to apeiro se sena
9. Stigmes
10. Tha pethano ena penthimo tou fthinoporou deili

6. Oti apomeine ap' tin eftihia (What's left of happiness) - 2003, LP


Their fourth full-length album with some really strong moments!

Tracks:
1. Mnimes tou nerou
2. Diafana Krina
3. Dis Julia
4. El hombre solo
5. Skismenos hartaetos
6. Karma
7. Oti apomeine ap' tin eftihia
8. Kathe ti pou anasainei
9. Teleftaio poto me to diavolo
10. Ena meros pou mporeis na krifteis
11. Paradeisos
12. To tragoudi tis Valias kai tou likou

7. O giros tis meras se 80 kosmous (Around the day in 80 worlds) - 2005, Book/LP


This one was a huge surprise! A book with lyrics, poems and thoughts together with an instrumental album! Absolutely brilliant! Once again beautiful artwork by Thanos Anestopoulos.

Tracks:
1. Tremplinka
2. Tha 'thela na 'moun esi
3. I kardia kinigaei monahi
4. Sti rahi tou diavolou
5. Notia tou aniparktou vorra
6. Vrethika se ena polemo
7. Mammouth
8. Mple Iguana
9. Kousko
10. Parisi
11. Ena lepto ki einai avrio

8. I agapi pali tha kalei (Love will call again) - 2008, LP


Their last album is not as great as their previous releases, in my opinion, but still a pretty good album! The lyrics of the first track are from a poem by one of the greatest Greek poets Kostas Kariotakis.
Buy from Play Our Music.

Tracks:
1. Ki An Esvise San Iskios
2. Se Mia Gi Pou Anatellei
3. Ki H Agapi Pali tha Kalei
4. Stin Kolasi Vathia
5. Anti Gia Sena
6. Agnos
7. Kerna Tous Daimones
8. Me Rotoun Oi Heimones
9. Paraksena Nea Apo Kapoio Allo Astro
10. M' Ena Adeio Potiri
11. Ena Skiahtro Pou Arpakse Fotia
12. Teleftaios Stathmos

Check the comments to listen before you buy!

Rob Dougan - Furious Angels

Rob Dougan, who started as Rob D, is a genre-blending music composer from Sydney, Australia, but now based in the UK. Mixing the sound of orchestral film music, the beat of club trip-hop, and bluesy vocals, he is only tangentially relatable to electronic music. He was known primarily for his 1995 breakthrough single “Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Variation)”, popularized by 1999’s The Matrix soundtrack. It wasn’t until 2002 that he released his debut album Furious Angels in the UK. In 2003, it was re-released in a 2-CD album; the second disc provides the instrumental versions of the first disc. Great album!

Artist: Rob Dougan
Album: Furious Angels
Year: 2003
Genre: trip-hop, electronica

Tracks:
CD1
1. Prelude
2. Furious Angels
3. Will You Follow Me?
4. Left Me For Dead
5. I'm Not Driving Anymore
6. Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Variation)
7. There's Only Me
8. Instrumental
9. Nothing At All
10. Born Yesterday
11. Speed Me Towards Death
12. Drinking Song
13. Pause
14. One And The Same (Coda)
15. Clubbed To Death 2

CD2 (instrumental versions)
1. Will You Follow Me
2. Furious Angels
3. Left Me For Dead
4. I'm Not Driving Anymore
5. There's Only Me
6. Instrumental
7. Nothing At All
8. Born Yesterday
9. Speed Me Towards Death
10. One And The Same

Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy!

Thank you Janus! Really good!

Andrei Machado - Étant

Andrei Machado is an artist from Brasília, Brazil, who creates beautiful ambient music. Étant is his second full-length album, after his debut "Lacuna". The beautiful touches of piano create an amazing atmosphere, which reminds me artists like Eluvium and Ólafur Arnalds. Excellent album, available for free download.

Artist: Andrei Machado
Album: Étant
Year: 2009
Genre: ambient, experimental, neo-classical

Tracks:
1. Ecce Homo
2. O Cemitério dos Deuses Mortos
3. Achei o Abismo, Está em Mim
4. Prelúdio
5. O Limiar da Eternidade
6. Somos Poeira de Estrelas
7. Minha Vida Sem Mim
8. Uma Canção Para Werther
9. E, Finalmente, Deixei o Sol Entrar

Last.fm
MySpace

Also check his label: Sinewave. You will find some awesome bands there... all free!

Downloads:
Andrei Machado - Étant
Andrei Machado - Lacuna

Many thanks for this Andrei. Really appreciated!

Land and Freedom (1995)

Land and Freedom, directed by Ken Loach and written by Jim Allen, narrates the story of David Carr, an unemployed worker and member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, who decides to fight for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. Ken Loach, probably best known for his portrayals of the British working class, is a very underrated director. His films are always honest, political and realistic; his actors are usually unknown talents who have had some of the actual life experience of the characters they portray. Brilliant director! This movie is one of his masterpieces!

More info:
Wikipedia
IMDb
Ken Loach

Couldn't find an English trailer.
Those of you who speak Spanish and English you can watch the movie here (otherwise downloading subtitles would be a good idea)

Destroyalldreamers - Wish I Was All Flames

Destroyalldreamers is an instrumental shoegaze band from Montreal, Canada. Through the use of numerous signal path alterations, namely effect pedals, they build ever higher walls of sound - coupled with solid songwriting - to create beautiful, lush soundscapes. This is their second full-length album! Really good!

Artist: Destroyalldreamers
Album: Wish I Was All Flames
Year: 2007
Genre: shoegaze, instrumental, post-rock

Tracks:
1. Wish I Was All Flames Extrait
2. Cendres En Transe
3. Automne Extrait
4. A Summer Without You Click to listen
5. Le Pianiste Météorologique
6. My Eyes Were On The Dancefloor
7. Perdre Est Une Question De Méthode
8. Her Brother Played The Riot (Pt.1)
9. Her Brother Played The Riot (Pt.2)
10. Her Brother Played The Riot (Pt.3)

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Whipping Boy - Heartworm

Whipping Boy were an influential Irish rock band who were active in the 1990s. They came to public attention with this critically acclaimed 1995 album, their second full-length album. Despite its critical acclaim, Heartworm sold poorly and the band was subsequently dropped from their label, Columbia Records. They released a self-financed, self-titled follow up album, which again got huge critical acclaim. However, without the backing of a major record company the record once again flopped. The band had already grown disheartened with their experience and had broken up in 1998, 3 years before they could afford to release their final album. The band reformed in September 2005, announcing several Irish dates and mentioning the possibility of recording another album. Despite little commercial success, Whipping Boy is one of the best Irish bands and Heartworm is surely their masterpiece! Highly recommended!

Artist: Whipping Boy
Album: Heartworm
Year: 1995
Genre: indie

Tracks:
1. Twinkle
2. When We Were Young
3. Tripped
4. The Honeymoon Is Over
5. We Don't Need Nobody Else
6. Blinded
7. Personality
8. Users
9. Fiction
10. Morning Rise
11. A Natural (Bonus Track)

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Check their website to buy or go to any online music shop in Ireland/UK (Play/Amazon).
Check the comments to listen first.

Eksi Ekso - I Am Your Bastard Wings

Eksi Ekso is a rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Their music is the convergence of atypical rock instrumentation, experimentation with form, and the breath of collaborative writing via six musicians coming from very different schools. Guitar, flugelhorn, trumpet, violin, oboe, viola and many other instruments create a magnificent atmosphere. Awesome music!

Artist: Eksi Ekso
Album: I Am Your Bastard Wings
Year: 2008
Genre: indie, post-rock, experimental

Tracks:
1. The Wintering
2. O' God, They've Frozen
3. Killing Texas
4. The Choir Will Always Sing
5. Albatross
6. I Thought You Died The Last Time
7. NITNB
8. Mavri
9. The Gallows
10. Just Leave
11. (Spouse Of) The Blind Hunter
12. Russian Excuse

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from the links above or from here.
Check the comments to listen first.