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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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:

sgt. - Perception of causality

Formed in 1999 in Tokyo, Japan, the four-piece sgt. utilises a broad range of genres to create their distinctive sound, including that of post-rock, jazz, ambient and improvisation. Using a guitar, violin, drums and bass guitar, the band creates uplifting instrumental compositions comparable to such acts as toe or Anoice. This is their debut mini album, released in November 2005. Beautiful!

Artist: sgt.
Album: Perception of causality
Year: 2005
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. 万能感に関する素描
2. 銀河の車窓から
3. 春風
4. Moewe
5. .......

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

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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

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Distrails - Virginia Creeper

Distrails is a musical duo from North Carolina, composed of vocalist/ guitarist/ percussionist Jared Draughon and pianist/ keyboardist Bitsy Pina. This is their debut album, released in 2008. A unique fusion of piano, lush orchestration, layered sounds, and the phenomenal range of Jared Draughon’s melodic, haunting vocals. Jared Draughon’s mellow, beautiful voice is complemented well by Bitsy Pina’s complex piano themes. This year's EP, "Dry Flies", is also great. Highly recommended!

Artist: Distrails
Album: Virginia Creeper
Year: 2008
Genre: indie, piano

Tracks:
1. Virginia Creeper
2. Always
3. Hourglass
4. Pursuit...
5. Critical Mass
6. Attractive Nuisance
7. Broken English
8. Waning and Waxing

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Laura - Radio Swan is Down

Laura is a six-piece band from Melbourne, Australia. Formed in 2001, they released a couple of EPs, while their first full-length album, "Mapping Your Dreams", was released in 2005. This is their fantastic second album, released in 2006. They play beautiful post-rock music, using instruments like piano, cello and synths, but also a variety of electronics and samples. They have recently supported band like Isis, Cult of Luna and legendary post-rockers Mono. Excellent album!

Artist: Laura
Album: Radio Swan is Down
Year: 2006
Genre: post-rock

Tracks:
1. Radio swan is down Part 1
2. Is there no help for the widow's son?
3. I hope
4. Numbers stations
5. Every light
6. Lake Vostock beachfront
7. It's kind of like the innocent smiles
    you get at the start of a relationship 
    before you fuck everything up
8. Radio swan is down Part 2
9. Patterns not people
10. Cambridge bypass
11. Another near miss

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

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Be Happy, It's An Order - Mutlu Ol, Bu Bir Emirdir

A brilliant Turkish short film about government efforts to control folk music. Directed by Sinan Çetin.

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

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RQTN - Monolithes En Mouvement

RQTN is the solo musical project of the young french producer Mathieu Artu. His music is a subtle mix between classical music and modern influences such as new-wave, post-rock and pop music. This is his first full-length album, released in 2009. Stunning piano-based neo-classical/ambient music. Highly recommended!

Artist: RQTN
Album: Monolithes En Mouvement
Year: 2009
Genre: neo-classical, ambient, piano, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Debout, Decharges Passives
2. Comme Suspendu a Regarder Passer, Sans Jamais Toucher
3. Le Point Culminant, le Reveil, les Mains Brumeuses
4. Effleurer du Doigt, Deplacer les Masses
5. Remuer les Pieds dans L’Eau, les Yeux Clairs
6. Aurore, Lettres Manuscrites (G. Hoepffner)
7. Departs et Decalages
8. Marcher a L’Envers et Detourner le Regard. Sur le Rebord
9. Photographies, Emulsion. Interpretations

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Download (direct link from archive.org)

port-royal - Dying in Time

port-royal is an Italian band formed in the summer of 2000 in Genoa. They play a dreamy, heady, melancholic, wide music on the border among electronica, ambient, shoegaze with some dance elements. "Dying in Time" was released in 2009 at n5MD. A brilliant album!

Artist: port-royal
Album: Dying in Time
Year: 2009
Genre: electronica, ambient, shoegaze

Tracks:
1. Hva (Failed Revolutions)
2. Nights in Kiev
3. Anna Ustinova
4. Exhausted Muse/Europe
5. I Used to Be Sad
6. Susy: Blue East Fading
7. The Photoshopped Prince
8. Balding Generation (Losing Hair as We Lose Hope)
9. Hermitage Pt. 1
10. Hermitage Pt. 2
11. Hermitage Pt. 3

Official Website
Last.fm
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Calla - Scavengers

Calla is an American indie band formed in 1997 in New York City. Their music is beautiful, sometimes lo-fi, cinematic, apocalyptic and at times electronic and noisy. This is their second album, released in 2001. Excellent!

Artist: Calla
Album: Scavengers
Year: 2001
Genre: indie

Tracks:
1. Fear Of Fireflies
2. Hover Over Nowhere
3. Traffic Sound
4. Tijerina
5. Slum Creeper
6. The Swarm
7. Mayzelle
8. Love Of Ivah
9. A Fondness For Crawling
10. Promenade

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
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Beneva vs. Clark Nova - Sombunall

Beneva vs. Clark Nova consists of the Oslo-based duo Frank Benjamin Finger and Rudi Simmons. Their soundscapes are detailed and full of contradictions as they are concerned about melodies, but at the same time are fond of abstract sounds. The sound of the duo is richly detailed and filled with constrasts, tripping with ease from childish play to beat-intensive melodies, from ambient to industrial noise. This is their much celebrated debut album, released on Fenêtre Records in 2008, following the ambient gem Flotsam/Jetsam on 3” CD in 2007. Their latest album "Dramadadatic" was released in 2009 on How Is Annie Records/Fenetre Records. Awesome album! Highly recommended!

Artist: Beneva vs. Clark Nova
Album: Sombunall
Year: 2008
Genre: electronica, idm, ambient, downtempo

Tracks:
1. I'm Twins (The Babies Said)
2. 88 Kilos of Excrement
3. His Freefloating Affection (feat. Therese Aune)
4. Institute Benjamenta
5. Thora's Inferno
6. With Love, Etc. (feat. Therese Aune)
7. Suppose She Was Telepathic
8. Social Wrist-Twistings
9. Lazy, But Comfortable Size
10. Two Men Being Hospitalized When Only One Had to Be
11. Poligraph Polygraphikov
12. Nothing, Only Worthwhile

Last.fm
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Melorman - Out in a Field

Melorman is the moniker of Antonis Haniotakis an electronic artist from Athens, Greece. His sound is based on melodic elements and coloured loop lines with a tone of melancholy. This is his latest work in Symbolic Interaction. Very nice electronica/ambient music. Recommended!

Artist: Melorman
Album: Out in a Field
Year: 2009
Genre: electronica, ambient, idm, downtempo

Tracks:
1. Apricot fields
2. 5 o’clock spring time
3. Hold us
4. Small arms to hold
5. Sunlight noise
6. Toy
7. Silent breath
8. Watercircle
9. Theros
10. Tell me more stories

Last.fm
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Saddleback - Night Maps

Saddleback is the work of acclaimed Australian producer, arranger and composer Tony Dupé, who plays piano, pump organ, guitar, drums and clarinets; constructing loops from small musical sounds. Saddleback has released two albums "Everything's A Love Letter" and "Night Maps". Tony has moved to Berlin to make a third album and to pursue arrangement and production work. This is a stunning album, influenced by jazz, electronica and neo-classical music. Highly recommended!

Artist: Saddleback
Albums: Night Maps
Year: 2007
Genre: electronica, instrumental, jazz, neo-classical

Tracks:
1. Pushing Upstream
2. Hanging at Picnic Rock
3. Rain in Sea
4. Dance Card
5. For Crying out Loud
6. So Low Now
7. Shot Through
8. Singing Scribbles

Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from Preservation records or Boomkat.
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