The Bamboo Orchestra

Summer Getaway: A Bamboo Orchestra Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:06:00 +0000

The time has come! Summer is upon us, and for me, as a blogger, it can only mean one thing: Time for the annual summer mix!

However, this year's will be quite different from the previous ones, hence its appearance here instead of the main blog. This time around, I made it with a clear theme in mind: To create a soundtrack for a fantastic summer getaway fantasy. Exotic locales, improbably blue skies, palm trees & white sands... steel drums. You name it all. Summer Getaway is a concoction of bossa nova, exotica, shibuya-kei, electrojazz and downtempo grooves. Two thirds of the tracks are instrumental. Many of my favorite artists are here, and to be honest, it was hard for me to narrow it down to *just* 20 tracks, as I tend to get excessive when it comes to picking. The mix follows all the good parts of a dream holiday, from the moment you're on board a plane to the last day when you sit on the beach, watching sunrise. It was my intention to try to arrange the selections in chronological order. The mornings are made for exploring new places, afternoons are for relaxing & having fun on the beach, and bossa nova shows for the nights. Of course, no one goes on a vacation just to listen to music, so I made sure that the music fits the mood of the occasion, yet doesn't require undivided attention.
You really don't have to be on an actual vaction to enjoy this, so no worries. It's tough times we're living in, so I hope this mix will help cool down the heat, aurally. Wherever you're at, I hope you all have been having a great summer so far. Enough of my babbling, I hereby present you one hour and a half worth of breezy, fun, escapist summer music. You can either test the water by downloading single tracks, or just get the zip for convenience's sake. It'd be great to hear some feedback, too.

Summer Getaway: A Bamboo Orchestra Mix By Zeon

TRACKLIST:

01. Fantastic Plastic Machine - I Love FPM (Readymade JBL Mix)
02. Dorothy Ashby - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
03. Martin Denny - Quiet Village
04. Astor Piazzolla - Vuelvo Al Sur (Koop Remix)
05. Antena - Frantz (Nouvelle Vague Mix)
06. Plaid - Myopia
07. Bebel Gilberto - So Nice (Summer Samba) (Remixed By Mario Caldato Jr.)
08. Can 7 - Cruisin'
09. Nicola Conte - Bossa Per Due
10. Cubismo Grafico - Jamaica Song (feat. Sayaka Kushibiki)
11. Patchworks - Summertime
12. Jazzanova - Bohemian Sunset
13. Fred Falke - 8.08PM At The Beach
14. Rosalia De Souza - Mais (Performed By The Dining Rooms)
15. Smokey & Miho - Blue Glasses
16. The Postmarks - One Note Samba
17. Mocky - Music To My Ears
18. The Album Leaf - Seal Beach
19. Future Loop Foundation - My Lost Summer
20. Quiet Village - Victoria's Secret

Download the mix as one ZIP file

Enjoy!

Caroline

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:06:00 +0000

My obsession with Japanese songstresses making beautiful noise is at an all-time high. Be prepared, because over the span of the next few posts, this will be a recurring theme. The first lady in line is Caroline Lufkin. She was born in Japan, but currently resides in LA, Her sister, Olivia, is a J-pop star in Japan, and Caroline herself had her fair share of working with a mainstream label there. However, due to creative differences, she left the label and ended up being signed to Temporary Residence Limited, after emailing her demos to them. Caroline's music can be best described as melodic, electronic dream-pop. Her doll-like, amiable vocals over lush soundscapes create a tiny little utopian world over which innocence predominates. Imagine The Postal Service, fronted by a Japanese Emilie Simon. There are certain hints of Bjork or Imogen Heap, too. Caroline's debut, entitled 'Murmurs', is a strong album where each song is as consistent and accesible as the next, which means if you like one, you'll pretty much enjoy all the rest. On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give it a solid 3,5/5. If you want more variety, then you can check out the digital-only remix album, 'Murmurs Mixes'. A couple of the reinterpretations shine through, like the dancey Owen Vallis mix or the Lullatone one with the band's signature micro-pop sounds. However, none manages to surpass the beautiful originals. I should mention that she sings in English, so no language barriers here, but I wouldn't mind if she sang in Japanese, though. Sample the choice cuts below, tanoshindene! (Which apparently means 'Enjoy' in Japanese. No, I just googled that!)

Caroline - Where's My Love
Caroline - Sunrise
(Murmurs, 2006)

Caroline - Sunrise (Sunset Mix)
Caroline - All I Need (Owen Vallis Mix)
(Murmurs Mixes, 2008)

MySpace/Buy

Astrud Gilberto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:13:00 +0000

I was first introduced to Astrud's music through the remixes on the Verve Remixed series. My natural assumption was that she's Bebel Gilberto's mother. Apparently, even though she was once married to João Gilberto, Bebel's father (hence the surname), Bebel was in fact the offspring of João and another bossa nova singer, Miúcha. Either way, it all runs in the family. I'd been meaning to delve deeper into Astrud's discography, but wasn't sure where to start, for she rose to prominence as a legendary Brazillian bossa nova singer in the '60s. I decided to just pick the latest compilation album and give it a whirl. And I was bedazzled. My advice is that if you're still unfamiliar with her music like I was, then "Coffee & Bossa: The Chillout Sound of Astrud Gilberto" is a safe bet for proper introduction. As summer's in the air, it's perfect time to lie down and lounge away your time by listening to some soothing, velvety, authentic Latin music courtesy of Astrud Gilberto. It's like a good massage to the ears. Enjoy some choice cuts below, including what I think is one of the best remixes Koop has done, fitting in the repertoire of both perfectly.

Astrud Gilberto - So Nice (Summer Samba)
Astrud Gilberto - Fly Me To The Moon
Astrud Gilberto - Windy
Astrud Gilberto - The Girl from Ipanema
Astrud Gilberto - Dindi
Astrud Gilberto - Here's That Rainy Day (Koop Remix)

MySpace/Official Site/Buy

The Midnight Mix: Trip Like I Do

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Walk of solitude. Night lights. Strangers passing by. Sounds from the nineties seeping into your ears. Simple kind of bliss.

Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy (Instrumental)
(Single, 1991)
Mono - Life In Mono
(Formica Blues, 1997)
Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (The Umbrellas Of Ladywell Mix #2)
(Becoming Remixed, 1998)
Lamb - Wonder
(Between Darkness And Wonder, 2003)
Tricky - Makes Me Wanna Die (feat. Martina Topley-Bird)
(Pre-Millennium Tension, 1996)

Lullabies In The Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:53:00 +0000

Talk about music living up to the band's name. 'Song For Marie and Elise' is 6 minutes of glistening aural bliss. Think: an instrumental Sally Shapiro or Kleerup track. A very good debut from the Belgian duo Lullabies In The Dark. For now, it's available on 12" vinyl and digital only, alongside a pulsating, more dancefloor-friendly remix by Aeroplane and a quite good b-side called 'Code 7429'. A promising start for an electronic band you'll possibly be hearing a lot more in the future.

Lullabies In The Dark - Song For Marie And Elise (Original Mix)

MySpace/Label site

Hird

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Hird is the alias of the 24-year-old Christoffer Berg, who hails from Gothenburg, Sweden. Honestly, I wouldn't discover him if it weren't for the fact that Yukimi Nagano, who happens to be a childhood friend of his, lent her vocals to some of his best tracks. She's one of my favorite vocalists, you may already have heard her phenomenal works with Koop. Speaking of Koop, Hird's music is not drastically different from them. Easy-breezy electrojazz. Relaxing, atmospheric deep house. Music that's best served chill. If you're a fan of that vibe, you're gonna like his stuff. Start off with a pair of tracks from his debut "Moving On", "Keep You Kimi" & "I Love You You My Hope" featuring the very talented Yukimi, and go from there if you'd like to. Wait til the sun comes down, lay your head down and start lounging. Enjoy!

Hird
"Keep You Kimi (feat. Yukimi Nagano)"
from "Keep You Hird"
(DNM - Dealers of Nordic Music)
Buy at Amazon

Hird
"I Love You My Hope (feat. Yukimi Nagano)"
from "Moving On"
(DNM - Dealers of Nordic Music)
Buy at Amazon

Hird
"I Love You My Friends"
from "I Love You My Friends EP"
(DNM - Dealers of Nordic Music)
Buy at Amazon

Remixes:
Hird
"I Love You My Hope (Do Right Remix)"
from "Moving On Remixed"
(DNM - Dealers of Nordic Music)
Buy at Amazon

Hird
"Keep You Kimi (The Knife Remix)"
from "Moving On Remixed"
(DNM - Dealers of Nordic Music)
More On This Album

His MySpace.

Electronica Unplugged

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:06:00 +0000

The thing about netlabels is that they don't find you. You have to find them yourself. So once I settled down with a decent label I can trust, the next sensible thing would be checking out the links section and have a look at the other possibly like-minded labels. That's exactly how I discovered this lovely compilation, courtesy of German netlabel Aerotone. The premise is as self-explanatory as its title: to "combine acoustic music with electronic bits and pieces". And the contributed tracks lived up well to the label's proclaimed statement: 'we love melancholic music'. It's a subtle, low-key, understated affair, but never feels mediocre. In fact, some of the instrumental pieces here have been played more than a few times by me. And let's not forget that all is available for absolutely no costs. Save it for a day out in the park, or just listen in the comfort of your bedroom. It won't change your world, but it certainly makes it more bearable. Sample three of my fave tracks from volume 2, and if it sounds good to you, click on the album titles to download the whole deal.

mié - summer
your hand in mine - the youngest one had a rose in his mouth
balún - sweet ´n low

(Electronica Unplugged 2, 2007)

Here's vol. 1 as well.

I Am Robot And Proud

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:05:00 +0000

I Am Robot And Proud is the one-man-band moniker of Shaw-Han Liem, who resides in Ontario, Canada and makes little nuggets of chirpy instrumental laptop pop. Adjectives I would use to describe his sounds are: fun, playful, bubbly and delightful. The kind that I'd love to play during study time. He has released 3 full-lengths and is currently in the works for a new album, so look out for that. For now, check out 3 tracks from his most recent album, 'The Electricity In Your House Wants To Sing', and one bonus from a re-issue, 'The Catch & Spring Summer Autumn Winter'.

I Am Robot And Proud - The Electricity In Your House Wants To Sing
I Am Robot And Proud - The Work
I Am Robot And Proud - Places We're Trying to Find
(The Electricity In Your House Wants To Sing, 2006)

I Am Robot And Proud - The Catch
(The Catch & Spring Summer Autumn Winter, re-issue, 2006)

MySpace

Visit his site for a couple more mp3s. (his music's also available on iTunes)

----------

I'm sorry for the longtime absence, apparently, I consider this blog to be kinda of a 'side-project' saved for a certain mood, and as that certain mood has stricken me again, hopefully frequent posting will resume. For those who are still around this place, thank you.

soto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:26:00 +0000

oto (previously mentioned here) is back with new materials, albeit this time with new members and a different name, soto. Brand new 4-song EP, self-titled, and totally guilt-free, released by netlabel Creation Centre. More blissful, cozy, texturally rich daydreaming tunes to warm you up. If you enjoy their previous effort, you'll feel the same with these tracks. Remember, in case you dig the two tracks below, feel free to go here and download the rest (and learn more about the band). Happy dreaming.

soto - Only Star
soto - My Blue Plane (soto version)

Official site

The Midnight Mix: Sleepytime

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:37:00 +0000

A little mix created with the purpose of lulling myself to sleep. Dreamy & lighthearted. The audio equivalent of a soft, velvety pillow pressed against your face. Lights out. G'night.

Air - Playground Love (Vibraphone Version)
(Playground Love - Single, 2000)
múm - Nightly Cares
(Summer Make Good, 2004)
Piana - Something Is Lost
(Ephemeral, 2005)
Phelan Sheppard - Weaving Song
(Harps Old Master, 2006)
Saint Etienne - Bedfordshire
(Tales From The Turnpike House, 2005)

Flunk

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:15:00 +0000

Flunk is a well-known electronica trio hailing from Oslo, Norway. They've released 3 albums to date (bar the remix compilations). The latest one "Personal Stereo", out last year, was quite weak compared to their previous efforts, and I didn't think much of it. However, it has its moments, whose quality can definitely stand alongside their strongest tracks. Here are two of my favorites. Laidback, summery folktronica. Just about what I need right now.

Flunk - Personal Stereo
Flunk - Sit Down
(Personal Stereo, 2007)

MySpace/Buy

The soundtrack for the last 9 minutes and 18 seconds of my 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:59:00 +0000

Eluvium - Repose In Blue
(Copia, 2007)

Why: It has fireworks sounds (fireworks!) embedded from around the 5:34 mark.

Happy new year, everyone! It's a brand new beginning...all over again...

Susumu Yokota

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:43:00 +0000

Susumu Yokota is a well-respected Japanese ambient composer with works spanning over a decade, and though that pic above, shown on his homepage, might indicate that he has a sense of humor, his music tends to be on the more serious side. 'Love Or Die', his most recent album, was my first proper introduction to him. Experimental, yet not so unreachable, the album's a collection of ambient/electronica/post-rock tracks with lengthy, albeit descriptive titles. It's typically what you would normally expect from a Japanese name like his, something zen-like and vaguely melancholy, which is quite fitting for the winter weather. Play these samples after the night falls down, for that is the appropriate occasion for this kind of music...

Susumu Yokota - For The Other Self Who Is Far Away That I Can Not Reach
Susumu Yokota - The Destiny Of The Little Bird Trapped Inside A Small Cage For Life
Susumu Yokota - A Song Produced While Floating Alone On Christmas Day
(Love Or Die, 2007)

Official site/Buy

Spirited Away OST

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:16:00 +0000

The other day I decided to watch Spirited Away, one of my all-time favorite animated movies, again, but this time I chose the English dubbed version. I remembered someone once said to me that Japanese is the cutest language ever, and I think in this case, that is aboslutely right. Though the voice actors did a fine job, it appeared that the original Japanese voice cast was part of its charm. Anyway, this time around, I paid more attention to the score, and it intrigued me enough to go look it up and found out that the composer is Joe Hisaichi, who also composed score for most of Hayao Miyazaki's works. It's funny how there's almost no English websites about him. Eventually, I sit down and spent a whole house listening to all the score, and while some of the more orchestral tracks don't really work on a standalone listening experience, the more serene pieces most certainly do. Every time I hear those, I keep picturing images in my mind: green meadows underneath a deep blue sky, train passing the river after a rainy night, or the train station with quiet, black, intangible spirits...Achingly beautiful...

Day Of The River
The Sixth Station
A Road To Somewhere

Buy

Don Peris

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:33:00 +0000

Mid-Novemeber. It's about time we torched the holiday spirit again, no?

Don Peris is the guitarist of The Innocence Mission/husband of their singer, Karen Peris. As you can see, they've been around long enough to be called 'veterans'. Under his own name, Don has released two solo albums to date and the latest and third one, to be released soon this winter, will be holiday-themed. It's entitled "Brighter Visions Beam Afar", a collection of 15 Christmas carols, all arranged and performed solo with his acoustic guitar. After having a sneak peek at two preview tracks, I can say that this album's bound to be a lovely, heartwarming gift for this Christmas, especially when a portion of the profit will be collected for charity. Fans of the band shouldn't miss this release, neither should fans of simplistically wonderful acoustic guitar instrumental. The two following tracks are available on his MySpace, but to save you all the trouble of badly tagged mp3s and difficult download systems, I've tagged them properly and uploaded them myself. It's probably a bit too early, but hey, better be prepared.

Don Peris - Silent Night
Don Peris - Angels We Heard On High

MySpace/Buy/More mp3s at his official site

As a bonus, here's one more ditty, from his second album, "Go When the Morning Shineth ":

Don Peris - Day Trip

lanterna

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:24:00 +0000

lanterna (which means 'magic lantern') is the solo project of Illinois-based guitarist Henry Frayne. With a delay pedal and a guitar, he creates what I'd like to call 'day trip music'. Instrumental and spacey, his music is the perfect soundtrack for those highway journeys, when you feel like "Okay, I've had it with all the noise and hurry of the city, let's just take a few days off, and drive to the countryside, on those winding roads". It's lively, it's sunny, it makes you feel so warm inside. lanterna has made a total of five albums to date, the most recent one being the 2006 'Desert Ocean', out on the instrumental label 'Jemez Mountain'. I surprisingly like his stuff considering I hardly ever got into anything like this before. If you're not convinced, then just try 'Brightness' first, and grab the rest if you're not afraid for more.

Highways (2004):
lanterna
"Brightness" (mp3)
from "Highways"
(Badman Recording Co)
Buy at Insound

Brooklyn (mp3)
Canyons (mp3)

Sands (2002):
lanterna
"Greek Island" (mp3)
from "Sands"
(Badman Recording Co)
Buy at Insound

elm street (2001):
lanterna
"B Minor" (mp3)
from "elm street"
(Badman Recording Co)
Buy at Insound

Desert Ocean (2006)
Luminous

The Midnight Mix: 2007 Halloween Mix - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:43:00 +0000

The Bamboo Orchestra is back after the long break, and what a better time to come back than the Halloween night, with a new Midnight Mix? This is part 2 of my annual Halloween mix, (you can view part 1 here).
The overall mood is: dark, sinister and mystical. Various tones throughout the mix, ranging from German IDM to horror movie score. Most of the five tracks are wordless, with the exception of the closer, a haunting classic from Cibo Matto. For a setting, think of an empty, winding road. Dark clouds rolling above. The clapping of leaves. The spine-tingling, crying wind. Echoes coming from afar. The rest is up to your imagination. Enjoy. Have a happy Halloween!

Trentemoller - Vamp
(The Last Resort, 2006)
Boards Of Canada - The Devil Is In The Details
(Geogaddi - 2002)
Hans Zimmer - This Is Going To Hurt
(The Ring/The Ring Two OST - 2005)
Clark - Vengeance Drools
(Body Riddle, 2006)
Cibo Matto - Sugar Water
(Viva! La Woman, 1996)

oto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:34:00 +0000

The idea of netlabels is quite interesting, innit? Basically, it's about screwing all the major, painstaking steps of having a cd out the traditional way - packaging, distributing and all. All you need is to rip your tracks to DRM-free mp3s with acceptable quality, make a cover in jpeg format, zip them all and upload the final product to the interwebs. Much more economical, especially for bands whose main priority is just to be heard. However, the drawback is that since it's so easy, it takes time to find something obscure that's worth your time, to find a label whose taste you can trust. And also, most releases available are EPs only, plus netlabels seem to be existing exclusively for experimental/electronic fields.
Anyway, every now and then, I bumped into some good stuff, and oto is definitely one of those gems. They're a 4-piece California-based Japanese outfit who makes tiny ambient music "using live instruments such as guitar, xylophone and melodica along with electronic sounds and field recordings". Their first EP, 'Sketch #1', was also the first web release of Creation Centre, the netlabel offshoot of a little NY independent experimental label named Music Related. The music is mostly instrumental, organic, and tranquil. Here's how they describe it, in all of its copy-and-paste glory: "this EP would best be enjoyed on a late summer evening, sitting by a river. alone, or with friends." Well, I couldn't say it better. Save it for the next trip with your family to the countryside or somewhere else far from the city noises, personally I found the tracks to sound quite lovely in autumn, too. If you like what you hear, then you can go here to download one more track (since the EP consists of only 3), or download it as a zip with two choices, 128kps mp3 and 192kps iTunes-friendly m4a. You can also donate to them, if you feel a bit guilty. I hope these guys release a full-length soon...

oto - Color
oto - My Blue Plane

MySpace/Official site
(more tracks for your streaming pleasure there)

Bebel Gilberto

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:54:00 +0000

Bebel's the daughter of Brazillian guitarist João Gilberto, and she's been making a name of her own, too. Her latest album, 'Momento', also her third, was an essential summer record of mine. Her music is pretty much what you might expect, breezy bossa nova with acoustic guitars, Latin tones, and electronica flourishes. And she has quite an angelic, smooth voice to deliver those tunes in both English and Portugese. The best place to listen to the records is probably by the beach at a full-moon night. 3.5/5 stars.

Bebel Gilberto - Night & Day
Bebel Gilberto - Bring Back The Love
Bebel Gilberto - Um Segundo

MySpace/Buy

Ulrich Schnauss

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:41:00 +0000

The Berlin-based producer-slash-musician's third album "Goodbye" was released back in June, and for me, it's another fine record of his trademark dreamy, ambient shoegaze electronica. His music has always been more about creating an atmosphere, a surface for listeners to float on. Close your eyes, ease your mind, and let your imagination take you to non-existent landscapes. My verdict: 3.5/5 stars. Ulrich Schnauss's currently on tour with vocalist Judith Beck.

Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye
Ulrich Schnauss - A Song About Hope

MySpace/Buy

Gutevolk

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:58:00 +0000

I've developed an obsession for Japanese underground music scene lately. Japan is quite a land of diversity, isn't it? All the Ayumis, Utadas, and Namies can battle for the number one spot on the national charts, and still there are plenty of undiscovered fields for those avant-garde, experimental artist to conquer.
Gutevolk is the moniker of Hirono Nishiyama, whose latest album entitled 'Tiny People Singing Over The Rainbow' (kawaii!) was just released in February this year. Her music is a blend of so many different genres that it becomes unclassifiable. It's folk-tinged, it's dream-pop, it's shoegaze, it's ambient, it's electronica, all mixed up together. It's navel-gazing yet never monotomous, it's pretty but engaging enough, it's drifting but sonically sparkling to hold your interest. More wonderfully, she sings mostly in Japanese so I don't have to worry about what the lyrics are about. Without the internet, outsiders like me could never have access to such unique music like this. 3.5/5 stars. For now, it's pretty hard to get a copy since it's only available over there, so sample a couple of tracks below. Tell me what you think, if you like it, there's much more to blog about from the land of rising sun.

Gutevolk - Dream Walker
Gutevolk - The Door To Everywhere

Official Website/Buy (at Japanese label site)

Pink Martini

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:27:00 +0000

Like most people, the song that introduced me to Pink Martini was 'Sympathique' (and the clever educational video of it). I immediately fell in love with them, and seeked out for more. The Portland-based 12-piece band, with lead vocals of China Forbes, play this kind of big-band, loungey, classical, Latin-influenced cabaret music. Hard to pin it down, but it's all very soothing and easy listening. Their latest album, 'Hey Eugene', got a 3.5/5 from me. Though the fun is still there, I still felt as if something was missing, and I didn't really look forward to giving another spin again. However, it's great that they're still around after all these years.
'Everywhere' could easily be a song from those vintage musical movies shown on cable in the early hours, and the title track is classic Pink Martini. Enjoy.

Pink Martini - Everywhere
Pink Martini - Hey Eugene!

MySpace/Buy

The Midnight Mix: The Piano Under The Chandelier

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:24:00 +0000

Another late night mix, best to be listened to alone in a dark, void room filled with a stark silence. Five downbeat, meditative instrumental piano pieces. The first two is lingering, airy ambient. German-born composer Max Richter mixed piano and string arrangements to make a piece that deserves to be a movie score, and Craig Armstrong provides one that's already in a critically-acclaimed movie. To end the list is the Grammy-winning instrumental track from songstress Sarah McLachlan's landmark album in 1997. Enjoy.

Eluvium - Prelude For Time Feelers
(Copia, 2007)
Broken Spindles - Inward
(Inside/Absent, 2005)
Max Richter - Autumn Music 2
(Songs From Before, 2006)
Craig Armstrong - Glasgow Love Theme
(Love Actually, 2003)
Sarah McLachlan - Last Dance
(Surface, 1997)

Epic45

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 08:04:00 +0000

Epic45 is Ben Holton and Rob Glover. Their latest album, 'May Your Heart Be The Map' was out earlier this year on the UK indie label Make Mine Music. Their music is mostly-instrumental glitchy electronica fused with acoustic sounds, a tad experimental yet accesible, with quite illustrative track titles. Definitely a record for the morningtime. A lovely way to start your day/your season of falling leaves. 3.5/5.

Epic45 - The Stars In Spring
Epic45 - Winterbirds
Epic45 - We Grew Up Playing In The Fields

MySpace/Buy

Readymade FC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:22:00 +0000

Readymade FC is the one-man band of French multi-instrumentalist/producer Jean-Philippe Verdin. Though his sophomore album 'Babilonia' was released back in Jan 2006, it was only today that I had the chance to listen to it in its entirety.
His music is impossible to pigeonhole. Electronic textures? Check. Folky acoustic guitar? Check. Baroque pop? Check. Feist collaboration? Check. With so many influences and sounds wrapped up in one, it's an amazing album that's enjoyable from start to finish, one that I can be sure I will revisit for weeks to come. I dare you to listen to 'The Only One', featuring the vocal talent of Yael Naim, and not feel moved by the song. 'Bare Feet' is another highlight, warm and fuzzy. The right time for the cd would be the evening, when you just get back home from a long day at work, in need of some music to wind you down while you take care of the dinner.
A solid, overlooked gem of an album. 4/5 stars, indeed.

Readymade FC - The Only One (feat. Yael Naim)
Readymade FC - Bare Feet

MySpace/Buy

If you have the time, make sure to check out the smart video for 'The Only One' too. (lyrics being displayed through various objects of a little boy)