Giardini di Mirò - Il Fuoco

Giardini di Mirò is one of the best post-rock bands and their 2001 debut is one of my favourite post-rock albums. This album is a beautiful soundtrack for “Il Fuoco”, a 1916 Italian silent movie directed by Giovanni Pastron. An excellent combination of post-rock, electronic and ambient music!

Artist: Giardini di Mirò
Album: IlFuoco
Year: 2009
Genre: post-rock, ambient, experimental, electronica
Similar: Giardini di Mirò - Rise and Fall of Academic Drifting

Tracks:
1. La favilla 1
2. La favilla 2
3. La favilla 3
4. La favilla 4
5. La favilla 5
6. La favilla 6
7. La favilla 7
8. La vampa 1
9. La vampa 2
10. La vampa 3
11. La cenere 1
12. La cenere 2

Official Website
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Violet Indiana - Roulette

Violet Indiana are the musical union of producer/musician Robin Guthrie (guitarist for the Cocteau Twins) and the versatile vocals of Siobhan de Maré (vocalist for the British Mono). Together they create smokey, sultry, hazy, smooth, ambient dream-pop. This is their highly acclaimed debut album, released in 2001. Really good!

Artist: Violet Indiana
Album: Roulette
Year: 2001
Genre: dream-pop

Tracks:
1. Air Kissing
2. Feline Or Famine
3. Sundance
4. Powder River
5. Little Echo
6. Angel
7. Poison
8. Hiding
9. Rage Days
10. Liar
11. Killer Eyes

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Contemporary Noise Quartet - Theatre Play Music

A couple of months ago I posted this Polish band's debut album. This is another great album released in 2008. Extremely beautiful jazz, post-jazz, nu-jazz music. Highly recommended.

Artist: Contemporary Noise Quartet
Album: Theatre Play Music
Year: 2008
Genre: jazz, instrumental, nu-jazz
Similar: Contemporary Noise Quintet - Pig Inside The Gentleman

Tracks:
1 Main Tune
2 Bitches Tune
3 Tango Lesson
4 Main Tune II
5 Gramophone
6 Chinese Customer
7 Chilly Tango
8 Bitches Tune II
9 Main Tune (Waltz Version)

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

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Lis Er Stille - Apathobvious

Lis Er Stille was founded in Århus, Denmark in 2004, as part of an art project between lead singer Martin Byrialsen and an artist known as Vindril. The idea was to transform Vindrils surreal paintings into music. Suddenly the music became so powerful, that a band was build up around it. Since then Lis Er Stille has continued to create music in accordance with strict ideals of innovation and originality. Really beautiful post-rock music! This is their second album, released in 2007. Get it now!

Artist: Lis Er Stille
Album: Apathobvious
Year: 2007
Genre: post-rock, experimental

Tracks:
1. Præludium
2. Lorelei
3. Land Mítt
4. Hvalfangeren
5. Transition
6. Lys Over Tid
7. Spurven
8. Fyri Framman

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Phideaux - Doomsday Afternoon

Phideaux is a progressive rock band from the USA, led by Xavier Phideaux. Their music is also influenced by psychedelic and gothic rock, complimented for capturing the essence of classic rock. Doomsday afternoon is their best album in my opinion. Really good!

Artist: Phideaux
Album: Doomsday Afternoon
Year: 2007
Genre: progressive, psychedelic

Tracks:
1. Micro Softdeathstar
2. The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part One)
3. Candybrain
4. Crumble
5. The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part Two)
6. Thank You for the Evil
7. A Wasteland of Memories
8. Crumble
9. Formaldehyde
10. Microdeath Softstar

Official Website
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Buy from CB Baby.
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Message to Bears - Departures

Message to Bears is the moniker of British multi-instrumentalist Jerome Alexander. Alexander creates beautiful soundscapes by overlaying acoustic guitar lines, piano, percussion, samples and strings. This is his debut full-length album and it's really out of this world! One of the most beautiful albums I've listened so far this year! An absolute must!

Artist: Message to Bears
Album: Departures
Year: 2009
Genre: ambient, instrumental, post-rock, folk

Tracks:
1. Running Through Woodland
2. Hidden Beneath
3. Pretend to Forget
4. Hope
5. Autumn
6. At the Top of This Hill
7. November
8. Snowdonia
9. Find Our Way Home
10. Lost Birds

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Please support this artist. Buy from Dead Pilot Records. Only 500 numbered copies!

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Neil on Impression - L'oceano delle onde che restano onde per sempre

Neil On Impression is an Italian instrumental post-rock outfit blending dynamic explosive guitar, piano and drum workouts with epic string arrangements. Violin and trumpet give an amazing feeling as well. This is their second album and is absolutely brilliant! Get it now!

Artist: Neil on Impression
Album: L'oceano delle onde che restano onde per sempre
Year: 2008
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Irlanda
2. Barone
3. Il Faro E La Barena
4. Il Giardino Dei Riflessi
5. Glarontrlkla
6. Centimetri Davanti All’orizzonte
7. I Deserti Si Muovono
8. La Città Del Possible
9. Perde Pezzi Di Sé
10. Nella Tempesta Di Aquiloni
11. Eserciti Di Carta Volgono A Oriente
12. Parata Per Quatro Addii

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace (buy from here)

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

Written by Guillermo Arriaga, the writer of Iñárritu's masterpieces (Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel), this modern day western is another proof of the Mexican writer's talent. Tommy Lee Jones directs his first theatrical feature film and he also stars in a film that initiated a resurgence in his career, which continued with the great "In the Valley of Elah" and the latest Coen's masterpiece "No Country for Old Men".

This film is a beautifully written, directed and acted mini-epic about life and death. Profound and complex, it is a gripping film about real people; don't expect one-dimensional Hollywood characters.

Deep and spiritual, this tale of friendship, justice and redemption is a must-see for everyone!

More info:
Official Website
IMDb
Wikipedia
Rotten Tomatoes

Trailer:

The Mercury Program - A Data Learn the Language

The Mercury Program came together in August of 1997 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. The band has distinct jazz influences and a similar approach to the post-rock brigade a la Bark Psychosis, Tortoise, Do Make Say Think, and other units. This is their third full length album released in 2002. They have recently released their fourth album. A great band; this is their best album in my opinion!

Artist: The Mercury Program
Album: A Data Learn the Language
Year: 2002
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, experimental

Tracks:
1. Tequesta
2. Fragile or Possibly Extinct
3. Slightly Drifting
4. Egypt
5. To / From Iceland
6. You Yourself Are Too Serious
7. Gently Turned on Your Head
8. Sultans of El Sur

Official Website
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MySpace

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Lights Out Asia - Garmonia

Lights Out Asia is a downtempo and post-rock musical project that was formed in early 2003 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Their music combines elements from electro, shoegaze and post-rock. Garmonia is their debut album released on Sun Sea Productions in 2003. Really good!

Artist: Lights Out Asia
Album: Garmonia
Year: 2003
Genre: post-rock, shoegaze, electronica, downtempo
Similar: Lights Out Asia - Eyes Like Brontide

Tracks:
1. Knock Knock
2. You're All On Display
3. Chapters Of A Red Sky
4. Promontory/Cemetery
5. Absence Of Oceans
6. Hail Russia - Live
7. Garmonia
8. Farewell, Humphrey Bogart
9. Sigil
10. God Help Us
11. Not Every Day's A Victory

Official Website
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MySpace

Buy from Sun Sea Productions.
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International Karate - Weapons of Mass Protection

International Karate is a mostly instrumental band from Melbourne, Australia. This is their 2003 debut album. Beautiful post-rock music with influence from shoegaze and noise rock. Highly recommended!

Artist: International Karate
Album: Weapons of Mass Protection
Year: 2003
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, shoegaze

Tracks:
1. A Minor Role in a Major Movie
2. The Details of Your History
3. I Will Hurt You
4. Everyone’s a Fucking Star
5. Beach House
6. Film
7. There Is No-One
8. We Were Like Animals

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Buy from Sensory Projects. More buy links at their MySpace page.
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The Drift - Memory Drawings

The Drift are an instrumental four-piece from San Francisco, USA, who are comprised of trumpet, electronics, guitar, keyboards, upright bass and drums. Their music combines elements of rare groove, dub, out jazz, and more esoteric leanings that conjure a unique musical space free of traditional confines, simultaneously frenetic and sublime. This is their second full-length album after their 2005 debut "Noumera". Fantastic album!

Artist: The Drift
Album: Memory Drawings
Year: 2008
Genre: instrumental, jazz, post-rock, ambient

Tracks:
1. If Wishes Were Like Horses
2. Uncanny Valley
3. I Had a List and I Lost It
4. Golden Sands
5. Smoke Falls
6. Lands End
7. Floating Truth

Official Website
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Buy from Temporary Residence Limited records.
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Tracer AMC - Flux & Form

Tracer AMC are a post-rock band formed in Bangor, Northern Ireland in 1999. This is their debut full-length album, released in 2004, after a couple of singles and a split EP with Pelican. Really good post-rock album! Highly recommended!

Artist: Tracer AMC
Album: Flux & Form
Year: 2008
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Some Electric
2. Flux and Form
3. Catherine Holly
4. The Understudy
5. Charles Street
6. Blue Thread
7. Sleep Trick
8. Anvil Point
9. Copenhagen
10. Tycho
11. Nineteen

Official Website
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MySpace (buy from here)

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Moon (2009)

Moon is a 2009 sci-fi film about a a solitary lunar employee who experiences a personal crisis as the end of his three-year stint nears. It is the debut film of director Duncan Jones, a gripping and inspired movie. Sam Rockwell stars as the employee and Kevin Spacey voices his robot companion. Rockwell's acting is tremendous in the role of Sam Bell; he doesn't just carry the film - Moon is almost a one-man show and Rockwell conducts a master class.

The music composed by the brilliant Clint Mansell is out of this world. After the amazing "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Fountain", this one is at the same level. Especially the first and last tracks are awesome!
Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Overall, a thoughtful and extremely claustrophobic movie, that everyone must see. Definitely the best 2009 movie I've seen so far.

More Info:
Official Website
Wikipedia
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes

Trailer:

Takahiro Kido - Fleursy Music

Takahiro Kido is a composer residing in Tokyo, Japan, also member of the post-rock band Anoice. His music is a blissful combination of various classical instruments - piano, violin, viola, organ and guitars with a little electronics. Fleursy Music was released in 2008 on PLOP records. Beautiful music!

Artist: Takahiro Kido
Album: Fleursy Music
Year: 2008
Genre: neo-classical, piano, ambient, electronica, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Y
2. Smile-Spotter Chronicle
3. Poco!
4. Milk Tea
5. You Lost What?
6. Landscape with Snow
7. Gentle Afternoon
8. Christmas Song
9. Izze
10. Good-Bye...

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Bersarin Quartett - Bersarin Quartett

Bersarin Quartett is one man project from Münster, Germany founded by Thomas B. in 2006. This is his debut album, released in February 2008 on Lidar Records. Brilliant electronica/ambient music with influences from post-rock, folk and even jazz. Really good!

Artist: Bersarin Quartett
Album: Bersarin Quartett
Year: 2008
Genre: ambient, electronica, cinematic, instrumental, experimental

Tracks:
1. Oktober
2. Geschichten von Interesse
3. Inversion
4. St. Petersburg
5. Und die Welt steht still
6. Die Dinge sind nie so wie sie sind
7. Nachtblind
8. Es kann nicht ewig Winter sein
9. Endlich am Ziel
10. Mehr als alles andere

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Please support this artist. Buy from Lidar records.
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Hammock - Raising Your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo

Hammock is a two-member ambient/post-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, USA. With music created in between production and songwriting projects over the course of two years, Hammock combines live instrumentation, electronic beats, and droning guitar into atmospheric music. This is their second full-length album released in 2006. Great band...really good album!

Artist: Hammock
Album: Raising Your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo
Year: 2006
Genre: ambient, post-rock, instrumental, electronica

Tracks:
1. I Can Almost See You
2. Raising Your Voice… Trying to Stop an Echo
3. Losing You to You
4. When the Sky Pours Down Like a Fountain
5. The House Where We Grew Up
6. God Send Us a Signal
7. Clouds Cover the Stars
8. Floating Away in Every Direction
9. Take a Drink From My Hands
10. Startle the Heavens (Lament)
11. More Dead Than Alive (Get Away From the Medicine)
12. Disappear Like the Morning…
13. … Like Starlight Into Day
14. Shipwrecked (Flat on Your Back)
15. Chorus of Trees
16. Passing Away
17. Will You Ever Love Yourself?
18. Sparkle and Fade

Official Website
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YouTube channel

Please support this band. Buy from here.
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Hiroshima, 64 years ago

64 years since this crime against humanity:

Hiroshima, 64 years ago - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Comment 44 is really spot-on. It does remind the song "Right in two" by Tool:

GardenBox - Last Resort

GardenBox is a Greek band formed in 1998 in Athens. Since then, they've been creating and recording their music in their own studio, pursuing an orbit of constant development. With a background of a few individual productions on limited edition, they proceeded with their first official self-titled release in 2003 at Poeta Negra Records. Last Resort is their second album, released by Venerate Industries in 2005. GardenBox's music aims at illustrating the sound of contemporary cityscapes. Through an alternation of electronic and electric sound as the leading vehicle, they attempt to outline the conditions of urban life. With their resonating allusions to current trends of electronica and post rock, they create a sound idiom that is individual, prolific and tence. The compositions are vigorously intreaguing, featuring drastic transitions and peaks. Their structure is at times dominated by layers of electronic sounds and beats, at others by the circular unfolding of melodic passages on guitar. Mind-blowing! Get it now!

Artist: GardenBox
Album: Last Resort
Year: 2005
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, electronica

Tracks:
1. Has Been A Long Time
2. Future Of The Corporation
3. Walkin' Round
4. Global Pessimism
5. It Wasn't Forever
6. Sweet Oblivion
7. Clear As The Truth That Stands Against Them
8. How Did We Get Here?
9. I Can't
10. Pass Over
11. Away

Official Website
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Please support this band. Buy from Venerate Industries
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Causa Sui - Summer Sessions Vol. 1

Causa Sui is a group from Odense, Denmark. Their music is psychedelic, stoner-rock with kraut-rock elements. Summer Sessions Vol. 1 was released in 2008 while Vol. 2 and 3 were released earlier this year. A fantastic album! Highly recommended!

Artist: Causa Sui
Album: Summer Sessions Vol. 1
Year: 2008
Genre: psychedelic, stoner-rock, kraut-rock, experimental
Similar: Summer Sessions Vol. 2, Summer Sessions Vol. 3

Tracks:
1. Visions of Summer
2. Red Sun in June
3. Portixeddu
4. Soledad

Official Website
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Buy from Elektrohasch records
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