Worthy on both sides.

Curium | Aember
Another one of my all-time favorites. Sweet and pure but with such longing and mystery. Its pristine, uncomplicated and easy without being trite. Currently it is unreleased and only available from Curium's site, but hopefully will be released next year.

Murcof| Remebranza
Can't stop listening to this. Especially on the Tube. It's just gorgeous. Dark but not goth, mysterious and classic, sparse and rich. It makes me feel lost and glad to be loved. Fernando Corona has outdone himself as this album is grown up. it's less club-oriented and more, well, aware.

Anja Garbarek | Smiling and Waving
So, she has 3 albums now and all are quite stunning, but this one is the most interesting. What a magnificent combination of inventiveness and candor. It is very complex, but comes off feeling very simple. It doesn't come off as trying too hard, and that humility is what makes this album superb.

The Album Leaf | In a Safe Place
At times, this album just really helps. Mostly when working. Just a simple, lovely, mellow album. The fact that there are no vocals, really helps too.

Autechre | Amber
As time goes on, the further out they get, and I give them credit for that. But I really just love Amber. It's beautiful, timeless, clean, organic and modern. Dark, yes, but only just. It's a toss up on which is better between this and Incunabula.

Bang Gang | Something Wrong
This album is a little eclectic, sometimes steering towards 'alternative' like Arab Strap, but I really like the more "Icelandic" and glitchy moments. It all does have a certain purity or innocence, actually. It is pure and gorgeous, and perhaps that is why I can't stop listening to it. Don't let its high-polish sheen distract you.

Isan | Meet Next Life
This is one of my favourite albums. Its delicate and sweet, well crafted but not innocent. Kind of like a small bottle of Bastor Lamontagne Sauterne. It seems it should be thestandard of the genre. If only I could figure out what that genre is. If you can come up with one, please let me know.

What You've Been Missing?

Low | Long Division
Over the course of the last ten years, Low has passed into that lexicon of strange, noisy pop music that bands like Yo La Tengo, Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth have been part of for years. During this time, they've gradually turned up the volume (and the tempos) but I find that this, their second album, is the one I reach for most often. Building on the solid foundation of their debut, I Could Live In Hope, Long Division feels more focused, more complex, and ultimately more rewarding upon further listening.

Mark Hollis | Mark Hollis
There was an uncomfortably long silence following the final Talk Talk album before we heard anything further from Mark Hollis. It would have been a great tragedy had there been nothing after the valedictory Laughing Stock. This record succeeds for two reasons: on its own merits, it is a damn fine testament to the artists ability to distill his songs to their most emotionally bare and vulnerable state; also, it provides a sort of counterpoint to latter-era Talk Talk albums - proving that those records were not 'happy accidents' but rather carefully premeditated works. This is not a record I listen everyday - or even every week - but still remains one of the most essential CDs I own.

Moose | Live A Little, Love A Lot
Where to start with Moose? Each release is so layered and unique. Live A Little, Love A Lot is sun-drenched shoegazing at its best. Grossly overlooked, Moose were close compatriots of Cocteau Twins and that relationship is displayed brilliantly here as Liz Fraser guests on the album and Cocteau-isms are evident all over the place. For those who have not heard - or even heard of - Moose, you are in for a big treat regardless of which album you start with.

No-Man | Together We're Stranger
No-Man's most recent record, released way back in 2003, almost fully removes the beats and electronics and leaves nothing but beautifully stark and honest songs. 'Back When You Were Beautiful' is just as heartbreakingly eloquent as its title suggests and the rest of the album follows suit. Rumor has it that there's a new album planned for 2007. Astonishingly, I have not been let down by this band yet, so that is very good news, indeed.

Halloween, Alaska | Halloween, Alaska
Some things arrive in the strangest ways and are all the better for it. I had heard nothing from or about this until it was generously given to me by a friend. Containing eight thoughtfully atmospheric pop songs, this album builds on fairly arcane 80s touchstones and achieves something truly unique and timeless. Even the Bruce Springsteen cover here works beautifully.

Notwist | Shrink
Though not as unanimously well-received as its follow-up, Neon Golden, Shrink is the perfect balance of all the facets of this band. The simple guitars, reeds and woodwinds mix with the lithe electronics to great effect. Though the production is to be appreciated and admired, it's the songwriting that keeps me reaching for this disc.

Susana & The Magical Orchestra | List Of Lights And Buoys
The most contemporary recording on this list, List Of Lights And Buoys is the best example of the current fertile Norwegian experimental music landscape. Susana & The Magical Orchestra consistently match their crafty production with delicate and thoughtful compositions that sound timeless - an achievement for a record containing so many trendy glitchy elements. The best tracks here, 'Believer' and 'Sweet Devil', have me salivating for the next release by this singular band.

[R]evolution In Progress :: The Highlights Of 2005

Fiona Apple | Extraordinary Machine [leaked version]
Rock's most awkward female made another dubious entrance in a storm of fan fury and misplaced blame. When the unauthorized Jon Brion-helmed project finally leaked in early 2005, expectations were soaring and patience was thin. What emerged was a diamond in the rough, replete with ornate orchestral touches, buzzed-out bass and dizzy carousel balladry. The recording cracked like a dusty vintage record, revealing the rare candor of homespun artistry. The raw compositions fit like a glove with her stark, heartfelt verse. But no more are the verbose ramblings of a bitter waif. Her perspective has ripened with experience and settled into its responsibility, as with the album's great universal anthem, "Extraordinary Machine". At last, the girl has stopped cursing the darkness and lit a candle. Let us all bask in its glow.

Fischerspooner | Odyssey
Bypassing the requisite sophomore slump, Fischerspooner wins with a glimmering hipster party soundtrack that LCD Soundsystem only wishes they could dream up. Electroclash elements remain -- trademark pulsating synths and hip-grinding glam-funk posturing, dolled up with crystalline studio finish. What the last disc lacked, Odyssey delivers in spades. The icy new wave shtick is enhanced by guest appearances by industry wizards such as Linda Perry [on the excellent Postal Service send-up, "Kick In The Teeth"] and Mirwais [Madonna's resident folktronica expert], not to mention lyrical contributions by David Byrne and poet Susan Sontag. The latter half sags under the weight of the first, but Odyssey proves itself to be a near-perfect blend of broad appeal and artistic merit.

M.I.A. | Arular
Sri Lankan ex-pat Maya Arulpragasam unleashed this fierce hodgepodge of revolutionary global pop anthems to colossal critical acclaim. At a lean 40 minutes, Arular is bursting at the seams with chunky double-dutch beats, arcade clamor, and sticky sweet melodies. M.I.A. narrates with slang-slinging gunfire rhymes and hyena calls, drenched in thick British brogue -- serving up catchy chants made solely for the people. This is scorching electronic warfare, aptly suited for summers in the city. As the bass rattles your senses, you can almost feel the heat-soaked pavement beneath your feet.

Sufjan Stevens | Illinois
Sufjan confounds casual listeners and courts critics with ambitious travelogue gorged with lavish orchestration, excessive historical references and wildly pretentious song titles. Amazingly, Illinois emerges a thematically sound, ingenious slice of Midwestern life. A clear highlight, "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.", demonstrates Sufjan's ability to inhabit his characters without looking down his nose. Tender, rustic portraits with great breadth and wisdom -- a real gem.

Annie | Anniemal
Blue-eyed songstress, Annie, joined forces with super-producer Richard X [also associated with M.I.A.] and fellow Norwegian synthpoppers Royksopp to create this retro-infused pop confection. Her anemic vocal wisps float atop twinkling kiddie keyboards and disco bounce, with an inspired Motown motif that recalls early Jackson 5. Add kitschy wordplay and experimental bloops and beeps, and you've got an innovative pop alternative that even record store geeks can namedrop.

M83 | Before The Dawn Heals Us
Deep space synth opera that owes as much to Kevin Shields as it does Roger Waters. Wheezy electronics, sweeping choral arrangements and guitar fuzz play like Air's tripped out younger brother. M83's celestial charm is best demonstrated on the more traditional indie single "Don't Save Us From The Flames" and "Farewell/Goodbye", in which billowing aural vapors weave in and out of consciousness. Before The Dawn is like an ethereal soundtrack to your best flying dream.

Animal Collective | Feels
Brooklyn-based bohemian jam band Animal Collective polarize blog mavens with the newest chapter of folk freakiness. On the surface, Feels is musical masturbation, but Beatlesque pop melodies are buried within the layers of din. Frolicking sing-song wails, inner-child ramblings, and primitive oddly-tuned instruments would normally amount to an un-listenable mess. But this is a beautiful mess of cathartic cacophony.

Heavy Lids and Reclining

Robin Guthrie | Imperial
For anyone who loved Victorialand and wanted more from the horse's mouth, as it were, look no further. He's still got it. Granted, there's no Elizabeth to grace this, but it still warms and enriches like no one else can. It's like a smooth cognac.

Marconi Union | Distance
For some reason this album seems so grown up. Masterfully made, extraordinary musicianship, and mellow without being stoner. On Harold Budd's label, All Saints, this concept album of travel does well to listen to while waiting in an airport, on the train, or, as they suggest, in a car at night with with the windows up. Truly a golden album.

Disinterested | The Past is Never Far
This unexpectedly beautiful album has really stuck with me. It's simple and sparse, lush and calming. Very nice ambient-guitar shoe-gazer dusty-landscapes by Tresspasser guitarist Matt Brown. The guest vocals add a nice variation and perhaps that is why I keep on playing this gem.

Sigur Ros | ()
Okay, so how could someone NOT like Sigur Ros? If any music could make me want to travel to distant lands, this album does it for sure. I picture vast fields of moss and ice, and oddly habitable moist lunar landscapes. I single this album out for its softness. It's cozier, perhaps. This is a timeless album, one of those 'greatest of all times' albums. Really.

Boards of Canada | Twoism
Simple, peeling, nostalgic and slouching. These eight songs encapsulate a whole era of perfect, beautiful, odd music that never happened - as if in an absinthe stupor. Mellow is the word, in a good way. I think this is on the required listening list for Modern Ambient 101.

Julien Neto | Les Fumeur de Ciel
Type records is getting better and better it seems, and perhaps this album did it for me. It's a perfect mix of Satie-tenderness and Morr Music-like glitch. It's a soundtrack to a nonexistent movie that I wish I'd seen. It is calm and slightly melodramatic, but somehow justifiably so.

Cranes | Particles and Waves
It feels like Cranes have grown up. This album has the same sadness and heartfelt longing that marks some of what I love about them. Except this time, it is timid, kind, wise, and understanding. I don't know what else to say except this is just quite a lovely, lovely album.

Manna & Ambrosia, Sonant

Bark Psychosis | ///Codename:Dustsucker
Though "Dustsucker" is the last, great effort of a posthumous band, released a decade after their breakout album from 1994, you'll find no evidence of this terminal nature in the Bark Psychosis sound. Underwater dream-pop, carefully tended like hedges of perfect orchestration are marked throughout, lending a rich, very human and very vulnerable feel to an astoundingly organic suite of music. If Slowdive were a bit more dynamic, if Low had a touch of jazz and just a bit more reverb, the hypnotic effects of this album would perhaps not be so unique. Taken on its own, however, one could not do better than to quote Pitchfork's testimony that "Dustsucker" is very much a beautiful shell "filled with huge, billowing clouds of resonance".

Arab Strap | The Red Thread
Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton moved from the bleak armpit of Falkirk, Scotland to the world stage in Glasgow, where there was more to do than just get pissed in the pubs, consoling each other over their broken romances. Now they tell everyone, and about everything. There is no fiction in this band's repertoire. Their stark and ravishing sound seeps poignance and truth, backhanded with typical Scots dourness and plenty of self-effacing wit. There are painfully long silences of self-reflection in-between provocative, arresting stories; amidst painfully and painstakingly measured notes lie the real aspects of love and lust. Moffat says, "No one really writes honest, hateful love songs. The kids never hear it like they should hear it. They should know of the farting, the fighting and the fucking. The pain and the pleasure." Arab Strap certainly provide a little of both.

Red Sparowes | At the Soundless Dawn
A mutable conglomeration of artists including members of power-prog bands such as Neurosis, Isis, and Halifax Pier, Red Sparowes craft luscious waves of beautifully-layered sound that wash all previous notions of instrumental, ambient-textured rock away with the tides. The Sparowes weave epic tales of three-dimensional euphony, fitting together within a concept that both questions and confirms the mastery of musical instrumentation over human emotion. They're pointedly unlike anything out there today, and still always changing, mutating, and enveloping.

In Gowan Ring | The Twin Trees
Perhaps the most truly talented artist in the neo-folk scene, B'eirth of In Gowan Ring is a not merely a minstrel and a troubadour, a prophet and a living poem. Featuring resonant drones, hand-made instruments, and warmly-quiet vocal pieces, his songs reek heavily of time and place, infusing stories of the natural with the supernatural and holding up the spiritual (or meta-spiritual) string that connects us with our surroundings. With closed-eyes and a nearly magical effect, B'eirth invokes the vocal confluence of David Tibet and Nick Drake, tempered by a gravity and creativeness all his own. I learn something arcane and feel something special every time I listen to this band.

Elysian Fields | The Dreams that Breathe Your Name
If I could choose one sultry chanteuse to lull me into slumber every night with her lusty, whispered tales of mermaids, shooting stars, and mesmeric meetings between love-struck strangers, Jennifer Charles would be my siren for life. She spins her tales with all the sensual acuity of warm honey, and I can't concentrate on much else when Elysian Fields is on. I listen, enfolded, looking for the next line to slide out from between her lips, and I melt into her dramas. Backed coquettishly against the masterful arrangements of Oren Bloedow, this dusky, gin-riddled lounge-cabaret stunner needs to be held aloft to give the mainstream an injection of artistry and emotion. Enjoy with a nice mixed drink and a warm friend *very* close by.


Queen Adreena | Taxidermy
Apoplectic vocalist Katie-Jane Garside left the mildy-successful British noise outfit Daisy Chainsaw to wander the hills of Wales, banshee-screaming to the winds for the better part of a decade. Upon rejoining 'civilized' society, she teamed up once again with razor-cheekboned guitarist Crispin Gray for a whole new wave of provocative, awe-inspiring music under the guise of Queen Adreena. Maybe it's their blues-infused, sticky and sleazy meandering about lost innocence and the ugly side of beauty that really captures the imagination...or maybe it's just ol' Katie flinging herself around the stage in nothing but a few wisps of torn silk, kicking at fellow bandmates and getting her petal limbs entangled in errant equipment, furniture, and foolhardy fans. But the flowers nestled in her stringy, straw locks set the precedent for the acute irony of this band - they still blossom, bursting red through the dirt stains and dripping sweat.

Steindor Andersen & Sigur Ros | Rimur
While intrepid Icelandic dream-shakers Sigur Ros need no introduction to most, their limited-edition EP with mausoleum-voiced Steindor Andersen may very well have slipped under the radar of many. And such a shame, as the stark beauty of Andersen's chants of traditional epic poetry - Iceland's Rimur - lilt out from between dreamy, pulsing chords and harmonious drones that Jonsi and the boys consummate. This EP is a six-song treat that opens the door to an isolated country, its history and tradition, and the mournful, delightful voice of bardic poetry as related by two great artists that transcend time together.

Calming Influences

No-Man | Returning Jesus
Over the years, No-Man has distilled their sound down to only what is essential. By the release of this album, they were sounding more like a 'real band' than an electronic duo and were flaunting brilliant drummer Steve Jansen on many of its tracks. Just enough variety to keep you interested, this album, like Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, says as much with the silence between notes as with the notes themselves. Miraculously, Steven Wilson (1/2 of No-Man) produced and arranged Anja Garbarek's "Smiling and Waving" during the same period this record was made.

Johann Johannsson | Englaborn
This album sounds so inevitable. The coupling of light electronics with neo-chamber-music elements just works. Johann's compositional style is very contemporary and 'pop'-influenced, but he speaks in classical tongues and it is a joy to listen to the results. This record has long served as my bedtime soundtrack and was largely the musical pulse of our trip to Iceland a couple years back. Considering he produced the contrasting 'Dis' shortly after demonstrates that he is functioning at a high level.

Fennesz | Venice
I had been mildly intrigued by Christian Fennesz for some time by the time I picked up this one. Admittedly, the gorgeously simple cover (so typical of Touch) did a lot to convince me of purchasing the album. I'm so glad I did. This record uses texture in the way that others use lyrical prosody or performance dynamics to satisfy the ear. Blurring the line between guitar and laptop has never sounded this good to my ears

The Blue Nile | Hats
I'm not sure I believe Paul Buchanan when he says that the Blue Nile takes 5 years to make a record due to intense quality control. However, the songs themselves do have a timelessness that is undeniable. This, their finest moment, is a record that I will probably never be without. Evoking the subtle melancholy of a rainy night but never sounding hopeless or sad. Contemporary and classic all at once.

Talk Talk | Laughing Stock
"Before you play two notes learn how to play one note - and don't play one note unless you've got a reason to play it." - Mark Hollis
This record still challenges me. It's like math class and recess at the same time.

Slowdive | Pygmalion
Admittedly, I was shocked and initially saddened when this was released in late 1994. 'Souvlaki', the record prior to this one, suggested that this album would be the apex of Slowdive's atmospheric guitar rock with songwriting as interesting as the production. However, what we got was something very different. At the time, nothing else sounded like it at all. Essentially, 'Pygmalion' is an acoustic record that sounds a lot like electronics.

Piano Magic | Son de Mar
A short, but sweet, disc full of layered organic textures. Plenty of stringed instruments and found noises easily convince you that Piano Magic is just as strong at conjuring emotional instrumental music as they are at writing clever vocal-led pop songs.

Wintery Lusciousness

Jello | Voile
The UK's Darrell "Bolaman" Fitton released this 2002 LP on Peacefrog, rather than the usual Skam label on which he appears as Bola (every Bola album is brilliant, by the way), and it's more funky and beat-oriented than his Bola efforts...but it still floats you down the river of other worlds. While not as tripped out as his Bola releases "Soup" and "Gnayse," "Voile" is the kind of album you'll want to watch while fast forwarding through Blade Runner at 2x or 3x speed. Add wine to taste. Jello's a tasty treat.

B. Fleischmann | Welcome Tourist
Austria's B. Fleischmann split opinions with the release of "Welcome Tourist" in 2003. Many were at first pleased by the lilting strings and pianos...until the glitches set in. Buzzing, whirring, and static bursts seemed to mar the compositions. However, ultimately it's this contrast that makes "Welcome Tourist" more than just ambient mind candy. This unsettling combination of beauty and digital grit adds a sense of tension to the album, not unlike the combination of listening to classical music on a noisy underground train. Love it or hate it, "Welcome Tourist" is easy listening...for those who want to be a tad challenged.

Alan Lamb | Night Music Demixed
Alan Lamb is a biologist by training, but he has discovered the music of wind and wire. His seminal 1997 release "Night Music" was created from edited recordings of his Faraway Wind Organ, disused telegraph wires in the Australian outback. Putting contact microphones on the wires and poles during atmospheric disturbances, the result sounds like a complex synthesizer composition; it's haunting, disturbing, and beautiful. Add to this some recordings of other installations and some remixes by the likes of Lustmord, Ryoji Ikeda, and others, and you get a suprisingly accessible minimalist, beat-free soundscape of dreams and nightmares.

Japancakes | Waking Hours
Oh, Japancakes. So lush, so gorgeous...but how the hell did you wind up with that band name..?!? Ah, well, it doesn't matter. I'm taking the Chevy Nova to Arizona to escape that failed relationship and you're the theme music. You're the love child of B. Fleischmann, Sigur Ros and Calexico, and you give me hope that Georgia is more than a scary state of meateaters. The dusty road, an eternal golden sunset, and Japancakes is the perfect internalized road film of escape and quietude. This is their first LP on Warm, after a a string of releases on Kindercore.

The Dead Texan | (self-titled)
The Dead Texan is an audio-visual project (the LP package consists of a CD and DVD) of Adam Wiltzie (half of Starts of the Lid) and Christina Vantzos (filmmaker and VJ), released on Kranky in 2004. The release's art-haus supplementary films are decent, and do match very well to the music, which is less drone-based than Stars of the Lid and even get uplifted by warm vocals and, shock of all shocks, actual chord progressions. If that Japancakes CD cracks in that still, desperate heat, this is a most lovely backup, especially if there's a DVD player in that fleabag hotel...

To Rococo Rot | Hotel Morgen
Fans of the mellower side of Mouse On Mars will like this 2004 Domino release by fellow krautronic trio To Rococo Rot. Guitars take a bit more of a back seat than their earlier releases, especially compared to their well-known 1997 release "The Amateur View." It bops, bleeps, squarks, and vvrrrwwwmm's its quirky little way into your heart and mind, suitable for work, a small cocktail party, or a lazy Sunday morning. Groovy and positive without irony, this album just can't help but bring a smile to your face and a tap to your foot.