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.

Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Guests - Moa Anbessa

Gétatchèw Mèkurya is an Ethiopian jazz saxophonist. He began his musical studies on traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krar and the messengo, and later moved on to the saxophone and the clarinet. The Ex are an anarchist punk band from Amsterdam, They formed in 1979 at the height of the original punk explosion and have released nearly twenty full-length albums. They heard Gétatchèw Mèkurya on Negus of Ethiopian Sax and invited him to perform at their 25th anniversary concert. In turn, Mèkurya asked The Ex to be the backup band for his 2006 album, Moa Anbessa. The album is a mix of studio and live tracks. The melodies are at once stomping, blusterly, joyous, wistful, searching, and triumphant. Very interesting! Highly recommended!

Artist: Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Guests
Album: Mon Anbessa
Year: 2006
Genre: jazz, punk, world

Tracks:
1. Ethiopia Hagere
2. Sethed Seketelat
3. Eywat Setenafegagn
4. Che Belew Shellela
5. Aynamaye Nesh
6. Aynotche Terabu/Shemonmwanaye
7. Musicawi Silt
8. Tezeta
9. Almaz Yeharerwa
10. Tezalegn Yetentu
11. Aha Begena


The Ex official Website
Gétatchèw Mèkurya (Wikipedia)
Last.fm

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Subheim - Approach

Subheim is the personal project of electronic music composer and visual artist Kostas K., who is also the co-founder of Spectraliquid, an independent label active between 2007 and 2010. Subheim is a downtempo, experimental venture fusing IDM elements with rich ambiance and female vocals by Katja. Complex and uncompromising, Subheim’s debut album on Tympanik Audio is full of intricate rhythms, deep reverbs, and bitcrushed sounds, combined with pianos, cellos, and beautiful synthwork. Haunting melodies and distant voices meet complex beats and luring atmospheres to create a unique blend of dynamics and emotion. "Approach" flirts with post-rock and atmospheric downtempo styles, while still maintaining an original sound that is both captivating and inspirational. Outstanding!

Artist: Subheim
Album: Approach
Year: 2008
Genre: electronica, downtempo, ambient, idm

Tracks:
1. Hush
2. Ybe 76
3. One Step Before The Exit
4. Howl
5. Away
6. Hollow
7. Stranded
8. Intact
9. Voces Perdidas
10. Hollow (rmx by Mobthrow)
11. One Step Before The Exit (reconstructed by Flaque)

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from Tympanik Audio.
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EZ3kiel - Barb4ry

Founded in 1994, EZ3kiel is a magnet-dub band originating from Tours, France. The band expresses itself in different music genres (electronica, dub, hip-hop etc.) and does lots of experimentation. In their music, beauty and melancholic mood quickly change to aggression and cruelty. The efficiency of EZ3kiel lies in their ability to surprise the audience. During their live performances, they are known for creating a poetic universe with beautiful visuals and graphics, which are made by bass guitarist Yann N’Guema. He uses samples of various photographs, which in combination with the music creates a special audio-visual experience. Bar4ry is their third album, released in 2004, probably their best album to date. Excellent!

Artist: Ez3kiel
Album: Barb4ry
Year: 2004
Genre: electronica, dub

Tracks:
1. Kika
2. Versus
3. Another
4. 3 Rue Montplaisir
5. Phantom Land
6. Tôt Ou Tard
7. Obssd
8. Barb4ry
9. Thought
10. Sûrement
11. Coaxial

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from here.
Check he comments to listen first.

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.
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Strangers Die Every Day - Aperture for Departure

Strangers Die Every Day was a post-rock band from Portland, USA, formed in 2003 and disbanded in 2008. Their music is rich with haunting cellos and violins, their sound is a mesh between classical and goth along the lines of Black Heart Procession and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. This is their last full-length album, released in 2008. Beautiful!

Artist: Strangers Die Every Day
Album: Aperture for Departure
Year: 2008
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. …And The Blood Shall Spill
2. Aperture for Departure
3. Slow Bike
4. Romanticism
5. Charcoal #1
6. Esther
7. Charcoal #2
8. Safer in the Ground
9. Charcoal #3
10. Bicycle
11. The Dirge

Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen.
Most of the band members have a new project, called Alameda, and have recently released an EP. Check out their website and listen to the EP at their MySpace.

The Crises of Capitalism

An animated lecture by Prof David Harvey (also see Wikipedia) for RSA.org about the crises of capitalism and the growing need for a new responsible and just social order.



Watch original lecture: