Ólafur Arnalds - ...and they have escaped the weight of darkness

Born in 1987, Ólafur Arnalds hails from the suburban Icelandic town, Mosfellsbær, just a few kilometres outside of Reykjavík. He is an extremely talented artist, who explores the crossover from classical to pop by mixing chamber strings and piano with discreet electronics which makes him a perfect fit for cinematic pop label Erased Tapes. His is previous albums Eulogy for Evolution (already posted in this blog) and Found Songs (available for free here) are awesome. This is his latest album, which is - once again - excellent!

Artist: Ólafur Arnalds
Album: ...and they have escaped the weight of darkness
Year: 2010
Genre: neo-classical, ambient, piano

Tracks:
1. Þú Ert Sólin
2. Þú Ert Jörðin
3. Tunglið
4. Loftið Verður Skyndilega Kalt
5. Kjurrt
6. Gleypa Okkur
7. Hægt, Kemur Ljósið
8. Undan Hulu
9. Þau Hafa Sloppið Undan þunga Myrkursins

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from here.
Check the comments to listen first.

As The Stars Fall - Tempus Fugit

As The Stars Fall is a French band that plays beautiful ambient/post-rock music with some electronica/trip-hop elements. This is their debut album, released earlier this year. Mesmerising!

Artist: As The Stars Fall
Album: Tempus Fugit
Year: 2010
Genre: ambient, post-rock, electronica

Tracks:
1. From Another Time
2. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
3. A Dead Leaf Dance
4. Some Tears Can Never Dry
5. Frozen River
6. The Road
7. I Gave You a Choice
8. Revolt

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Wildling

Kammerflimmer Kollektief is an amazing German band. I have already posted their 2003 masterpiece Cicadidae. This is their latest album, released earlier this year. For the first time Heike Aumüller's vocals have an important role in the album, while saxophone parts and free-jazz improvisations, that characterised their previous albums, are limited. Perhaps, Wildling is closer to psychedelia than nu-jazz. A great surprise in my opinion by a fantastic band. Highly recommended!

Artist: Kammerflimmer Kollektief
Album: Wildling
Year: 2010
Genre: electronica, jazz, psychedelic

Tracks:
1. Move Right In
2. Silver Chords
3. Aum A Go-Go
4. In Transition (Version)
5. Spookin' The Horse
6. Blind
7. Rotwelsch
8. Time Is The Fire In Which We Burn
9. Cry Tuff
10. We Paint The Town Beige
11. There's A Crack In Everything
12. Milte Hi Ankhen (aka Bird In Hand)

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from Staubgold.
Check the comments to listen first.

The Q4 - Sound Surroundings

The Q4 (The Quadraphoni Quartet) is a collaboration of three (used to be four = quartet!) Dutch producers: Arts the Beatdoctor, Sense and STW. The band was formed in 2005 in Amsterdam and, since then, they have created an impressive amount of material together, coloured by a wide range of musical influences and artistic collaborations. Although hip-hop is the foundation for all their music, material ranges from jazz & dub to hardcore hip-hop beats and drum & bass. This is their most recent album, released earlier this year. Reminds me of last year's amazing 2econd Class Citizen. Excellent!

Artist: The Q4
Album: Sound Surroundings
Year: 2010
Genre: hip-hop, trip-hop, electronica, downtempo

Tracks:
1. Intro
2. One of These Days
3. Oscuros Angeles (feat. Curra Suarez)
4. Demagogues (feat. PAX)
5. Look Again
6. Goin’ Down (feat. Terryman)
7. My Own Advice (feat. Unorthadox)
8. Pulse (feat. BLS)
9. Split Personality, Pt. II
10. Trouble With Me
11. Trouble Dub (Outro)

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from hhv.de.
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Bitcrush - Of Embers

Bitcrush is the escapist solo project of Mike Cadoo (ex-Gridlock member). Bitcrush strives to fuse live instrumentation with experimental electronica’s glitch-centric production techniques. This is his latest album, released earlier this year, in which he is continuing to expand upon this style of fusing emotive electronics and live instrumentation to create post-rock and downtempo music. Recommended!

Artist: Bitcrush
Album: Of Embers
Year: 2010
Genre: electronica, downtempo, post-rock

Tracks:
1. Of Embers
2. Dream Unto Fathoms
3. Fray The Middle To Meet The Ends
4. The Days We Spent Within
5. Ascension
6. Demons & Dandelions

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from n5MD.
Check the comments to listen first.

Glittering Blackness, Fall - Untitled EP

Glittering Blackness, Fall is an instrumental/post-rock band from South Korea. Their music is clearly influenced by bands like Explosions in the Sky and Mono. This is their first album, released earlier this year. Excellent post-rock music. Recommended!

Artist: Glittering Blackness, Fall
Album: Untitled EP
Year: 2010
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. 0
2. 1
3. 2
4. 3
5. 4

Last.fm
MySpace

Contact the band to buy (gb.fall@gmail.com)
Check the comments to listen first.

Electric Litany - How To Be A Child & Win The War

Electric Litany is a rock band, formed in the spring of 2007 in North London, England. They consist of a Greek (Alexandros Miaris - Vocals, guitars, piano) an American (Duane Petrovich - Bass) and an Englishman (Richard Simic - Drums). The three piece spent the past two years rehearsing in abandoned buildings and performing intimate shows in venues across Europe. This is their debut album, released earlier this year on Inner Ear Records. Their music has many influences, from Joy Division and Cure to Black Heart Procession, Interpol and even Sigur Ros. Very promising debut! Highly recommended!

Artist: Electric Litany
Album: How To Be A Child & Win The War
Year: 2010
Genre: indie

Tracks:
1. Don’t Fear The War
2. Home
3. The Dunes
4. Tear
5. (Like We Do In) January
6. Minute
7. The Roses Came
8. A Dream Worth Dreaming
9. A Time (Never Be Late)
10. February

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this band. Buy from Inner Ear.
Check the comments to listen first.

Watch the official video of Tear:

Boy is Fiction - Broadcasts In Colour

Boy Is Fiction is a studio project by Melbourne producer Alex Gillett. His debut, self titled album was released in 2007. This is his second album released in earlier this year. His music “captures those quiet moments of introspection just before sleep”, a fusion of idm, ambient and electronica. Excellent album! Highly recommended!

Artist: Boy is Fiction
Album: Broadcasts In Colour
Year: 2010
Genre: idm, electronica, ambient, downtempo

Tracks:
1. In
2. As Far From Here As Possible
3. Feeling Lazy
4. Pinprick
5. Silo
6. Sand
7. Rat
8. I Close My Eyes
9. Either Way, I’m Dead
10. Your Name On My Skin
11. I Left You There
12. My Veins Are Blocked
13. Until Morning Comes
14. For My Friend

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from here.
Check the comments to listen first.

edPorth - Saying vamos and thinking let's go

edPorth (aka Patrizio Piastra from Italy) is an electronic and instrumental solo-project for post-rock followers, glitch maniacs, ambient dreamers and lap-pop fans. This is his debut album, availabl for free download. Very good!

Artist: edPorth
Album: Saying vamos and thinking let's go
Year: 2010
Genre: electronica, ambient, post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Eighteen Degrees Below The Horizon
2. Kreuzberg And The Sun
3. Saying Vamos And Thinking Let’s Go
4. Meeting At The Utility Pole
5. Kadievka
6. Your Sand
7. Long Exposure

Last.fm
MySpace

Download for free (or buy the physical CD)

The Unwinding Hours - The Unwinding Hours

The Unwinding Hours is the new band formed by Iain Cook and Craig B., former members of Glasgow alternative/post-rock band Aereogramme. This is their debut, released earlier this year, an intensely rewarding experience with the literate flair of the song-writing effortlessly matched by Craig and Iain's musical ambition and creative scope. Recommended!

Artist: The Unwinding Hours
Album: The Unwinding Hours
Year: 2010
Genre: post-rock, indie

Tracks:
1. Knut
2. Tightrope
3. Little One
4. There Are Worse Things Than Being Alone
5. Solstice
6. Peaceful Liquid Shell
7. Child
8. Traces
9. Annie Jane
10. The Final Hour

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this band. Buy from here.
Check the comments to listen first.

Slow Six - Tomorrow Becomes You

Slow Six is an instrumental band from Brooklyn, New York. Broad genre descriptors do little to describe their striking compositions. Post-rock, experimental neo-classical, minimalism and ambient are among their influences. This is their third full-length album, released earlier this year. Outstanding!

Artist: Slow Six
Album: Tomorrow Becomes You
Year: 2010
Genre: neo-classical, instrumental, post-rock, experimental

Tracks:
1. The Night You Left New York
2. Cloud Cover Part 1
3. Cloud Cover Part 2
4. Because Together We Resonate
5. Sympathetic Response System Part 1
6. Sympathetic Response System Part 2
7. These Rivers Between Us

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from Western Vinyl.
Check the comments to listen first.

Afformance - A Glimpse to the Days That Pass

Afformance is a four-piece band formed in 2005 in Greece. This is their first full-length album, released earlier this year. Beautiful instrumental soundscapes inspired by post rock, alternative, ambient and postcore scenes. Recommended to post-rock fans!

Artist: Afformance
Album: A Glimpse to the Days That Pass
Year: 2010
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Will Teasle Hopes
2. Countryside Somnambulance
3. A Tide Before The Flickering Sun
4. Taming Waves/Riding Tigers
5. Zgy-Kix
6. Lugano
7. Do
8. Self-Killing Intruders

Blog
Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this band. Buy from their MySpace. Limited 500 unique handmade copies!
Check the comments to listen first.

Team B - The Lost Son

Team B is the new musical endeavor of Kelly Pratt (Beirut, Arcade Fire). Their music is a combination of indie and eastern european folk, similar to Beirut's music. All of the lyrics on this short album (their second EP) are by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Theodore Roethke. The album is available for free download. Very good!

Artist: Team B
Album: The Lost Son
Year: 2010
Genre: indie, folk

Tracks:
1. Intro - The Lost Son
2. The Visitant
3. The Reckoning
4. My Papa’s Waltz
5. Genesis/Reply To Censure
6. Toil
7. The Lost Son
8. Gob Music
9. Praise To The End!

Official Website (if you like it, donate here)
Last.fm
MySpace

They plan to release it on vinyl later this year, so get it while you can!
Download

Seven Saturdays - Seven Saturdays

Seven Saturdays started in 2009 by multi-instrumentalist Jonathan D. Haskell. His music brends ambient with minimalist electronica and the result is stunning! This is his debut EP, released earlier this year. Really good!

Artist: Seven Saturdays
Album: Seven Saturdays
Year: 2010
Genre: ambient, electronica, instrumental

Tracks:
1. The Shallow End
2. Secret Things
3. Good Morning, I Love You
4. Love In The Time of Anticipated Defeat
5. A Beautiful Day

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this artist. Buy from here or here.
Check the comments to listen first

Emancipator - Safe In The Steep Cliffs

Emancipator is the project of Doug Appling, producer/multi-instrumentalist living in Portland, Oregon, USA. He self-released his first album, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, at the age of 19 in 2006. His agile melodies layered over headnodic, immaculately-produced beats captivated fans across the internet and across the world. This is his latest album, released last month. It blends new instrumentation and organic samples with the signature Emancipator style of clean production, silky melodies and addictive drums. Dense layers of choirs, horns, American folk instruments such as the banjo and mandolin, violin and some distinct Asian influences make for a playful but refined album built out of intricate tracks listeners can enjoy on as many levels as they want. Dance to it, chill out to it, immerse your mind in it. Awesome!

Artist: Emancipator
Album: Safe In The Steep Cliffs
Year: 2010
Genre: trip-hop, electronica, downtempo, instrumental, ambient

Tracks:
1. Greenland
2. Black lake
3. Jet stream
4. Kamakura
5. All through the night
6. Old devil
7. Nevergreen
8. Ares
9. Rattlesnakes
10. Bury them bones
11. Vines
12. Hill sighed
13. Siren
14. Safe in the steep cliffs

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy a physical copy from his website (store coming soon) or download from bandcamp ($10).
Check the comments to listen first.

Grande Duke - Grande Duke EP

Grande Duke is a trio from Derby, UK. This is their debut EP released a few days ago on Fight Me records. Their music combines elements from post-rock, post-metal, math-rock and jazz. The latter is definitely the most promising part of this EP. Give it a try!

Artist: Grande Duke
Album: Grande Duke
Year: 2010
Genre: post-rock, post-metal, instrumental, jazz

Tracks:
1. Stonecutter
2. Duke of Rain
3. Lunacy by Sea Wind
4. Chora

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this band. Buy from here.
Check the comments to listen first.

Many thanks for this Sean. Much appreciated!

The American Dollar - Atlas

Started by two high school friends from Queens, New York, in 2005, The American Dollar creates cinematic, electronica-tinged instrumental rock. The duo fuses processed drums, spacious keyboards and powerful organ swells with electric guitar and bass, creating deep sonic textures while maintaining the passion and energy of a live band. The swirling soundscapes build and swell, punctuated by glitchy beats, breathing and expanding into crashing guitars and soaring leads: precisely constructed symphonies for a new era. A great band; this is their most recent album, released earlier this year. Recommended!

Artist: The American Dollar
Album: Atlas
Year: 2010
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, ambient, cinematic

Tracks:
1. A Few Words
2. Age of Wonder
3. Fade In Out
4. Shadows
5. Oil and Water
6. Circuits
7. Red Letter
8. Clones
9. Equinox
10. Second Sight
11. Frontier Melt
12. Flood
13. Escapist

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from here.
Check the comments to listen first.