soonish is a relative term

it's been a wild ride, time for a new age

next week = new blog
more martial, more noise, tape hiss out the ass

I'm back

request list coming soonish

Celer - Dilué (Diluted) [2007]

Upped by request.
DISCOGS
DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/v0/61mb)

Irezumi - Endurance [2008]

Upped by request.
DISCOGS
DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/256/105mb)

William Basinski - Melancholia [2003]

Upped by request.
DISCOGS
DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/FLAC/150mb)

William Basinski

all rips in v0 (except 1)
available in flac on request

Shortwavemusic [1998]

Watermusic (mp3 192 CBR) [2001]

The River [2002]

Melancholia [2003]












Variations: A Movement In Chrome Primitive [2004]

The Garden of Brokenness [2005]

Variations for Piano & Tape [2006]

El Camino Real [2007]

The River (Alternative Mix) [2008]

HDD crash #5

rage

William Basinski - Vivian & Ondine [2010]

Once again, I'm speechless.

1: Vivian Ondine (45:10)

DOWNLOAD(Mediafire/mp3/v0/68mb)

HDD crash #4

Best of 09

#1 Leyland Kirby - Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was

Some of you know Leyland Kirby as The Caretaker or V/Vm. Others may not know him at all. Either way, this album transcends everything he's done in the past. Kirby began focusing on dreams and memories when he started releasing music under The Caretaker. His music seems to be dedicated to this general theme since then. But The Caretaker tries hard to be spooky and fill a niche. This release under his real name sounds more personal. It's a 3xCD release, totaling nearly 4 hours of music. The biggest standout track to me is the sixth track on cd #2, "I've Hummed This Tune To All The Girls I've Known." He uses an instrument I've only heard from early 80's moog artists. He makes it wail and weep. The first and last tracks are melancholy doodles on the piano with swells of drone, and they are heart breakers.

CD 1: When We Parted, My Heart Wanted To Die (76:40)

1: When We Parted, My Heart Wanted To Die (Friedrichshain Memory) (15:06)
2: The Sound Of Music Vanishing (11:15)
3: The Beauty Of The Impending Tragedy Of My Existence (7:36)
4: And As I Sat Beside You I Felt The Great Sadness That Day (12:52)
5: Tonight Is The Last Night Of The World (9:36)
6: To The Place Between The Twilight And The Dawn (20:15)

CD 2: Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was (78:57)

1: When Did Our Dreams And Futures Drift So Far Apart ? (9:53)
2: Not Even Nostalgia Is As Good As It Used To Be (9:40)
3: Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was (20:26) 4: Stay Light, There Is A Rainbow A Coming (12:16)
5: And Nothing Comes Between The Sadness And The Scream (6:59)
6: I've Hummed This Tune To All The Girls I've Known (12:48)
7: Not As She Is Now But As She Appears In My Dreams (6:55)

CD 3: Memories Live Longer Than Dreams (79:58)

1: Memories Live Longer Than Dreams (8:37)
2: Don't Sleep I Am Not What I Seem, I'm A Very Quiet Storm (13:17)
3: A Longing To Be Absorbed For A While Into A Different And Beautiful World (13:20)
4: Days In The Wilderness (4:17)
5: Stralauer Peninsula (16:56)
6: We All Won That Day, Sunshine (2:44)
7: And At Dawn Armed With Glowing Patience, We Will Enter The Cities Of Glory (Stripped) (10:47)

(disc1/disk2/disk3) (Mediafire/mp3/256/417mb)

Best of 09

#2 Celer - Capri

2009 was the year I really got into Celer. After I gave Capri a try, I fell in love and began grabbing every release I could. Then July came along, and news of Dani's death hit me hard. Will told me each album represents a certain time of their life, and each track is a moment/feeling/experience they shared together. Their sound is so personal, and although the listener will never connect to the songs as closely as the creators, some of the emotion seeps through the swells and it's true beauty shines. Celer has raised the bar for my expectations as far as drone goes, and they have given me a new appreciation for ambient music in general.

1: Mouthfeels Of Capreae (3:03)
2: Polaroid Family Portrait (3:40)
3: Unequal Temperament (2:06)
4: Ascensionaires (3:19)
5: A Pause (0:42)
6: An Erne Of A Sigh (3:00)
7: With Ice, Anent The Steam (1:05)
8: We Missed You Favonian (4:21)
9: Listen To The Inverted Sounds, Falling (2:22)
10: Op.0 (0:33)
11: Is Lands (2:40)
12: Bracelets Passed To Spanish Hands (1:29)
13: Paired Plateaus (2:08)
14: When Ice Makes You Weep (2:13)
15: Transposing Piano (1:08)
16: In Characteristic Form (4:17)
17: Transcribe This Past (1:38)
18: Still Running (3:24)
19: In A Past Of Haze, These Beaches (0:58)
20: I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (2:19)
21: Sonata For Dual, Unaccompanied Piano (3:04)
22: Craven Gardens (3:51)
23: Lint White (7:27)
24: Others World (1:21)
25: Symtolomny (2:28)
26: Anacapri (4:18)
27: Lists Of Sycophants And Wishing (3:01)
28: Rich Telescopes (4:10)
29: A Sorted Ending (1:18)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/v2/106mb)

Best of 09

#3 William Basinski - 92982

I don't have much to say about this album. It is Basinski in his best form. He gives you a tease of his ability and loops it. The sound washes over you until it becomes ingrained in your being. When my room is at a certain shade of darkness, I can hear the third track of this album. When I ride the trains in the rain, I hear dlp 3. His tracks haunt me, and the more I listen to them, the more goosebumps I get.

1: 92982.1 (12:54)
2: 92982.2 (22:45)
3: 92982.4 (19:59)
4: 92982.3 (7:07)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/v2/80mb)

Best of 09

#4 36 - Hypersona

Hypersona is the first installment by 36, number 1 in a 3 part series. This album is full of emotion, and whether it makes you happy or sad, it's sure to make you feel something. The sound is hard to pinpoint, but the best way I can explain it is some really dreamy, warm chillout music. Each track floats around with texture and windy static. Cozy stuff, my default album of 09.

1: Signal (1:32)
2: 2249 (2:54)
3: Inside (5:22)
4: Intercept (0:54)
5: The Box (4:55)
6: Nephyr (5:31)
7: Beacon (3:04)
8: Hypersona (5:46)
9: Juliet (3:04)
10: Dream Window (2:01)
11: Forever (5:27)
12: Untitled (0:50)

DOWNLOAD (3six/mp3/v2/65mb)

Best of 09

#5 Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country

Hecker is back again with another massive monolith of an album. If I had to compare it to his other works, I'd say it's like Harmony in Ultravoilet with a more agressive textured sound. Heavy walls of sound mixed with calmer ambient pieces. This album has gotten me through many late night drives, pure bliss when played loud through some nice speakers.


1: 100 Years Ago (3:28)
2: Sea of Pulses (4:41)
3: The Inner Shore (4:17)
4: Pond Life (1:24)
5: Borderlands (4:46)
6: A Stop at the Chord Cascades (4:43)
7: Utropics (1:05)
8: Paragon Point (5:04)
9: Her Black Horizon (1:27)
10: Currents of Electrostasy (3:43)
11: Where Shadows Make Shadows (8:37)
12: 200 Years Ago (4:45)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/320/95mb)

Best of 09

#6 Gareth Hardwick - Aversions

I'm back from a very nice break, merry christmas to everyone. Hope it was excellent. I've had some serious trouble as to how I should finish this countdown. While I was making the list, I was still downloading new music, and if I had a chance to do it over it would look quite different. No matter though, I'll forge ahead and post the other notable albums when I'm done. This particular release has a strange back story, one that lead Library Tapes, Apalusa, Xela, John Simson, Steinbrüchel, Strategy, Chris Herbert, and Machinefabriek to make guest appearances. Gareth Hardwick has big friends in the ambient industry, and his guitar-based drone is a perfect example of the Low Point sound (the label he runs). While working hard on his new release, a nasty hard drive failure left him with nothing to show. In a dash to release something, he sent out old doodles and samples to his friends, and what came out of it is an album of amazing remixes. Each track is Hardwick's sound accompanied by each artists signature sound. There are also 2 doodles he threw together, which tie up a very pleasing album.

1: Aversions (1:46)
2: Last Heights (Library Tapes Remix) (4:46)
3: David (Apalusa Remix) (11:49)
4: High Tension (Xela Remix) (6:06)
5: Interlude (Ft. John Simson) (1:53)
6: Carnations (Steinbrüchel Remix) (9:04)
7: Last Heights (Strategy Remix) (5:13)
8: Dissolve (Chris Herbert Remix) (11:43)
9: Lost in the Memory (Machinefabriek Remix) (6:49)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/192/80mb)

Best of 09

#7 Tu M' - Monochromes Vol. 1

Tu M' is an Italian duo that doesn't mess around when it comes to drone. When I listen to them it clicks; I don't know if it's the harmonics they use, the speed of their swells, or some underlying factor. I knew I was in love from the beginning. They mostly do loops with warm overtones. Nothing fuzzy, nothing special, just done right. Kind of like if Stars of the Lid tried to take on Basinski's loop-based style. Perfect for studying/sleep. But don't take my word for it, just give it a try. You wont regret it.


1: Monochrome #01 (14:35)
2: Monochrome #02 (12:49)
3: Monochrome #03 (7:06)
4: Monochrome #04 (20:50)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/v0/98mb)

Best of 09

#8 Arizona Jaguar - 1993-2009

I was going to put a Driphouse cassette on my list, and then I was thinking about putting a Treetops cassette on my list. Then I found out they did a collab, and guess what? It's the shit. Short and sweet (10 mins). It's early 80's space moog stuff on an acid trip. Ursa knows whats up already, props to no not fun not no

1: A (4:51)
2: B1 (2:57)
3: B2 (2:57)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/320/16mb)

#9 Chubby Wolf - Meandering Pupa

Chubby Wolf was the moniker of Danielle Banquet-Long, half of the duo Celer. Some of you may know that she passed away this June to heart failure. Although this is a crippling blow, Will (her husband) has informed me that Celer still has around 25 albums to be released, and Chubby Wolf has 9 already lined up with labels. And that's not including re-releases, which he promised as well. Although her death is tragic, her memories and emotions remain in her music. This release is special to me, and although it is short, it makes up for itself in beauty. Calm, peaceful, warm.

1: Anneal This Chord Of Bliss (3:54)
2: Golems Caving In To Rebels (3:48)
3: Before We Get To Grinding (2:34)
4: Melting Upwards (1:22)
5: Barefoot In Head's Hallways (3:49)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/320/35mb)

edit: you can also download/preview this album in lossy/lossless here

Best of 09

#10 Lawrence English - A Colour For Autumn

When something gets released on 12k, it's basically got a pre-approved gold star rating by me. This label is a force to be reckoned with, and it was quite a challenge for me to not make most of my list solely from their 09 catalog. The first album I heard from Lawrence English was "For Varying Degrees of Winter," which blew me away with its subtlety and texture. This release is the second installment in a series of seasons, representing Autumn from his own perspective. Drones and field recordings, amongst the occasional doodle on guitar. Fennesz has an appearance on track four, with some guitar and sound manipulation. As the album winds down, Lawrence brings back his high pitched ring, almost like a fly buzzing in your ear; however, he finds a way to make it fit with the music rather than give you a headache. Overall it's very tranquil.

1: Droplet (6:49)
2: Watching It Unfold (5:49)
3: The Prelude To (2:16)
4: The Surface Of Everything (5:01)
5: Galaxies Of Dust (5:23)
6: Stillness In Motion (5:35)
7 ... And Clouds For Company (6:21)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/v0/60mb)

Best of 09

#11 Lustmord - The Dark Places of Earth

This is some music straight from hell. I don't know why, but I crave this sound. I love to lay in bed at night and play dark ambient, trying to gain the mindset these artist put behind their music. It's great. This release is one of my favorite from Lustmord. Sorry, no tribal horns this time. Just creepy, isolating, rumbling tones. This guy is the king of dark ambient for a reason.


1: Fallen (16:00)
2: Atom (13:37)
3: Ashen (13:43)
4: Eon (8:34)
5: Primal (9:56)
6: The Last Days (6:37)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/v0/119mb)

Best of 09

#12 Cylon - Resonanz

It seems like most of the best releases this year have been from completely obscure artists. The further I delve into this genre, the more I realize how skewed the listening population is. There are so many releases that tower over the mainstream staples, and yet they are still unknown to most. This release is no different. Such mesmerizing and gorgeous tones, an amazing work of drone. No surprises, clean to the end. A great album to drift off to sleep to. And on a side note, I've finally gotten mediafire to work consistently, which will make downloading my posts a lot more efficient from now on.

1: I (7:18)
2: II (7:54)
3: III (3:44)
4: IV (2:58)
5: V (7:51)
6: VI (8:26)

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire/mp3/v2/45mb)

Best of 09

#13 Earth Station - Control Belief

2009 seems to be the year of cassettes rebirth. DIY noise and punk bands have been putting out limited cassette releases forever, but a new wave of drugged out beardos have made the cassette the pinnacle of this new "psychedelic/lo-fi/drone" genre. I must admit I approached this new style with extreme contempt, but lately I've changed my approach to music in general. Why hate something without attempting to understand and become familiar with it first? I picked this particular release up off Weedtemple (props to robbie), which seems to specialize in this type of music I'm talking about. Control Belief stands out to me because of it's ability to balance the lo-fi sound with quality drone. Some parts sound like they were recorded in space, and others sport an even more alien sound.

1: Side A (10:38)
2: Side B (10:38)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/256/38mb)

Best of 09

#14 Tomasz Bednarczyk - Let’s Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow

When I saw that Bednarczyk had a new release coming out on 12k I knew I was in store for some lovely stuff. The first four tracks are harmonic noise with cozy chords; the light, thoughtful kind of sound. From the the album seems to diverge, and each track has its own style. A huge standout track is 8, "So." It reminds me of something The Caretaker might do, with a windy distant sound and some faint tune you can't seem to pick out from the noise.

1: While (3:11)
2: Shimokita (3:30)
3: Drawing (5:22)
4: Raspberry Girl (5:19)
5: Autumn (4:47)
6: The Sketch (3:45)
7: Kyoto (3:36)
8: So (2:45)
9: Little Spring (6:37)
10: Night (4:10)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/v0/69mb)

Best of 09

#15 Keith Fullerton Whitman - Taking Away

Whitman has put out 2 great releases this year. The first, Dream House Variations, comes in a 4XCasette box, where each cassette is supposed to be played simultaneously. And being the weirdo he is, he decided to make all the track lengths different, so the possibilities of sound are endless. This release is just 2 behemoth tracks, each with a completely different sound. Track one sounds like someone got a hold of his Playthoughs album, covered it in mud, and threw it in the ocean. This song is filtered so hard it would be fair to call it rape. The second track strays into the cosmos of blips and bloops, with plenty of noisy racket to boot. Parts of it are far from what I would consider "ambient" but I'm throwing this release out here because it's just that damn good.

1: Side A (31:16)
2: Side 1 (31:17)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/256/114mb)

Best of 09

#16 Mariska Baars, Robert Deters & Rutger Zuydervelt - Gris Gris

This album isn't for everyone. In fact, it's probably for no one. I'm merely placing it on the internet for the world to grab in case there is someone who will enjoy it as much as I have. Track one may seem like complete silence for a few minutes, but a quick view of the spectrogram reveals something quite different. Something so delicate it requires an open schedule and a good set of cans to appreciate. Each track is it's own textured loop, giving anywhere from an underwater feel to that pop-glitch style 2009 has been flooded with. This was released on Low Point, which is slowly becoming my label of choice.

1: Gris Gris 1 (16:41)
2: Gris Gris 2 (10:24)
3: Gris Gris 3 (10:20)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/192/49mb)

Best of 09

#17 Sam Goldberg - Winter Hallucinations

Seeing this guy live was one of those trance-like experiences. Just one man, a guitar, and some pedals. He sat on an amp and kept his head down mostly, so I closed my eyes and let the sound travel all around me. There's not much I have to say except this guy does some amazing stuff with a little delay. Hands down some of the best guitar-based drone I've ever heard.

1: Sleet Apologist (5:02)
2: Winter On Bexley (5:04)
3: White Out (5:04)
4: Eight Candles (4:42)
5: February 17th (5:00)
6: Superior Pho (4:43)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/v0/47mb)

Best of 09

#18 Chris Zabriskie - I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor

Zabriskie used to make solo folk music that was, in my opinion, pretty terrible. This year he seems to have found his niche, pushing out 3 ambient full-lengths within the span of 7 months. From listening to the first few seconds of the opening track, I picked up a huge Eluvium influence. In fact, most of his tracks could easily pass as a Cooper album if the id3 tags were labeled wrong. Although this irks me, I can never get enough of this sound. Piano, swells, just beautiful stuff.

1: Androids Always Escape (1:33)
2: The Sun is Scheduled to Come Out Tomorrow (7:04)
3: I Am Running with Temporary Success from a Monstrous Vacuum in Pursuit (7:17)
4: I Am Running a Marathon with Thousands of Other Highly Qualified People Who Are All Trying to Defeat Me (3:59)
5: I Am Running Down the Long Hallway of Viewmont Elementary (6:24)
6: Laserdisc (3:44)
7: I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor (11:25)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/v0/54mb)

Best of 09

#19 Alio Die & Aglaia - Private History of the Clouds

Alio Die (Stefano Musso) does most of his work in collaborations, sporting releases with such greats as Mathias Grassow, Vidna Obmana, Ora, and Robert Rich. His partner on this release, Aglaia, is far more obscure. Musso has been putting out music since the late 80s, and tends to stay true to a style of drone that correlates to it's genres founders. Faint field recordings accompany soundscapes that vary from calming to piercing. I've been using this album to study with because it's gorgeous and doesn't get too active.

1: Cumulus Congestus (9:43)
2: Stratus (9:42)
3: Radiatus (8:31)
4: Nimbus (13:39)
5: Perlucidus (13:13)
6: Cirrus (12:09)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/v0/104mb)

Best of 09

#20 Sleeping Me - Lamenter

Clayton McEvoy is a newcomer to the music scene, but I feel 2009 is just the beginning for his drone/ambient work. Lamenter is short and sweet: 26 minutes of drone-based guitar. I'm a sucker for anything with a gorgeous swell but there's something about his sound that is so reminiscent to me. The first track starts up and it seems so cozy, like I've heard it a million times before. He uses notes that really impact you, keeping your attention while staying true to his style. The last 3 tracks have additional acoustic and guitar tracks that give it a sound similar to a very minimal exposions in the sky. And if you, much like me, can't stand post-rock anymore, don't let that scare you away from this release. It's refreshing stuff. Cheers to 09, a great year for ambient.

1: Redeemer (6:58)
2: Northern Pacific (5:00)
3: Bleeding Riverbed (2:45)
4: The Magnanimous Security Guard (7:12)
5: Kinski For Halloween (5:21)

DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/256VBR/48mb)

David Lynch - The Air is On Fire [2007]

Upped by request.

1: Untitled (12:40)
2: Untitled (6:50)
3: Untitled (3:09)
4: Untitled (3:56)
5: Untitled (11:58)
6: Untitled (6:37)
7: Untitled (4:16)
8: Untitled (8:52)


DOWNLOAD (Sendspace/mp3/320/121mb)