Fovea Hex - Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent Trilogy

Fovea Hex is an experimental/avant-folk project. Brian and Roger Eno, as well as Steven Wilson, have contributed to this wonderful music. I love these EPs!

Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent is a trilogy of 3 EPs released together in 2007. These EPs are:

Bloom - 2005, 3 tracks
Huge - 2006, 3 tracks
Allure - 2007, 3 tracks

More info here. (Allure is definitely my favorite xD)

These three EPs are absolutely amazing. There is no great word to describe them, but listening to their music is like listening to the music of another world. At times it sounds totally alien and tribal, at others, very underwater-like, reminiscent of Carbon Based Lifeforms. Their music is scary, but also extremely beautiful. I listened to this last night while it was raining and I couldn't imagine anything more perfect than Fovea Hex.





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Michael Gira - Drainland

1995; 10 tracks

Amazing, otherworldy album. This version of "Blind" is just so so good.

Michael Gira:

"Drainland is a 1995 obscure solo album by me, co-produced by the lovely Bill Rieflin and myself, with musical contributions from Bill and Jarboe. Spare arrangements (recorded in Bill's living room) with the focus on words.

"You See Through Me" features a surreptitious recording by Jarboe of a drunken rant by me. I think I discovered the cassette one day in a drawer in her desk and decided to use it for a song dedicated to her ("you see through me"). Of course it's incredibly embarrassing to include on an album made for public consumption, but I thought it a legitimately good recording - a good "performance" in a way, despite the fact it was of slovenly, spiteful me. It could have been anyone. Well, maybe not. Prescient, it's subject was money. Anyway, it was just "material" and everything's fair game. In the end, it was an honest homage to Jarboe, though most people failed to notice that. "Fan Letter" and "Unreal" are seen from the perspective of a crazed fan's inverted worship of Madonna. " I See Them All Lined Up" (later re-recorded for Swans) is a naked hate/revenge diatribe, some of the most vile words I ever wrote. I apologize to all concerned. Thank god it’s not too obvious who the subject of my hatred was..."



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Atari Teenage Riot - Delete Yourself!

1995; 12 tracks

My friend told me about Atari Teenage Riot today and I didn't think anything of it - I actually thought it was like a Japanese punk band or something. But I got this album and found it to be very well put-together and highly enjoyable.

Atari Teenage Riot is a "digital hardcore"/punk-inspired breakcore from Berlin, formed in 1992. They remind me of a mix of Blood Freak, Venetian Snares, Rancid... maybe even Katharsis. There is plenty of amazing breakbeats, power electronics, funny samples, cute female vocals, punk male vocals, fast-paced punk riffs, and more... This is just a really fucking cool album that I think I'm addicted to now. w00t for anarchy.

I would die for peanut butter.

Life is like a video game with no chance to win.

Tōru Takemitsu (武満 徹) - In An Autumn Garden

1983; 6 tracks
The Tokyo Gakuso Orchestra

Tōru Takemitsu was a Modern Japanese composer of avant-garde music. In An Autumn Garden draws from Western styles much of the time, but Takemitsu still maintains a fairly consistent style of traditional Japanese music. There are many different influences to classical music present in this album, such as jazz, the avant-garde, and even some Impressionist harmonies similar to those of Debussy and others. In the end, this is a really beautiful, cererbral album of magnificent Japanese classical music, and and I suck at writing these things!

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Nature and Organisation - Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude

1994; 11 tracks

Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude is most likely my new favorite album of all time. Every time I listen to it I am increasingly amazed at how EVERY SINGLE thing about this is album is so godverdomme perfect.

Nature and Organisation is Michael Cashmore, a long time member of Current 93, as well as a very nice array of other artists including David Tibet of Current 93 (of course), Douglas Pierce of Death in June, and Rose McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade (also of The Spell and Rosa Mundi). So yeah, this album from the very start was predestined to be amazing. My favorite tracks are "Tears for an Eastern Girl" and "Bonewhiteglory." The lyrics are also a huge part of why this album has become a favorite of mine - they are similar to Current 93's in that they are a continuous flow of mental pictures, sensations, images, visions... and they can totally sweep you away if you listen carefully. The music is also achingly beautiful and tender - a neo/apocalyptic folk masterpiece.

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Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonatas

The great Vladimir Ashkenazy plays the most amazing schizophrenic music you'll ever hear for solo piano. Scriabin's Chopin-like Sonatas are considered among his masterworks (if he even had any), and this 1997 recording is one of the most efficient and lovely to date.

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Klaus Nomi - Klaus Nomi

1981; 10 tracks

This is the debut album of German vocalist and performer Klaus Nomi and it is beyond words. I heard it about 2 years ago but upon revisiting it I think I've fallen in love. It is a new wave/experimental masterpiece that was WAY ahead of it's time, I think.

Link

Koenjihyakkei - Angherr Shisspa

Can you seriously look at that album cover and NOT want to listen to it? Didn't think so.
It's hard for me to describe what this sounds like if you've never heard any Zeuhl bands before.
Just know that it sounds really, really good.

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Le Le - Le Classics

2010; 10 tracks

Le Le is a Dutch lo-fi techno funk/house group featuring Parra, Serge Fabergé of DJVT, and Rimer London (Electro Duo Comtron). This album is a combination of their greatest music, and I suggest getting this to hear the best of Le Le. I really love this album!

"Le Le combines graphic art with dirty electronic funk... inspired by Nu-Wave Disco, Italo, 90ies Pop clichés and 60s Glamour magazines... with a big pop appeal and a good sense of irony. Using a new language: a combination of English, Dutch, German, French and fantasy words.

Inspired by Nu-Wave Disco, Italo Disco, Pop clichés and 60s Glamour magazines: Le Le is a unique force. The music, the vocals, the sense of humour, the ironic take on current mainstream glam pop, the art background and their attitude. A straightforward progression for the current disco/house movement."


Bitch, you breakfast.

Hooray for Earth - Momo EP

2010; 6 tracks

This EP is like a cross between Animal Collective and Why? and I have come to really appreciate it.

"... This six-song EP from the Boston/New York four-piece Hooray for Earth further smudges the meaningless lines between rock and electronic. Gritty distortion and the filtering of the beautiful through a wall of fuzz has always been the primary attack in the perpetually burgeoning band’s diverse arsenal, but this bundle of washed-out synth euphoria largely writes Hooray for Earth’s bygone guitar shredding out of the picture. Instead the bright noise comes in heavily affected group vocal harmonies and cresting waves of keyboard rapture. Opener “Surrounded by Your Friends" crystalizes the ethos at work here; it’s like a 1960s folk band tripping through space and time. If it hasn’t already been licensed for a half dozen commercial spots yet, don’t be surprised to hear it in some hip car company’s pitch, like tomorrow. “Comfortable, Comparable" works the climactic 1980s teen film montage uplift that bands like Yeasayer have popularized of late, while “Get Home" deals a grimmer, dark-wave austerity. The band, which has just embarked on a high-profile national tour, has been threatening to break out for years. This should do the trick."

P.S. Rolling Nectarine is the greatest song of 2010.

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Humming Urban Stereo - Baby Love

2007; 15 tracks

Nice South Korean lounge/electropop music.

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Clair Cassis - Clair Cassis

2010; 7 tracks

Two of the members of Clair Cassis are also in Velvet Cacoon, if that is of any interest. This album reminded me a lot of Sleeping Peonies' debut, Rose Curl, Sea Swirl. It had the similar Victorian, sleepy and ornate style of black metal that is so very interesting. The vocals here might take some getting used to, but there aren't any really boring songs here. In an interview, a member of the band called Clair Cassis the "pop version" of Velvet Cacoon. "Luxurious black metal, inspired by drugs and fine perfume..." (wtf?)

Download (Not my link)

De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig - Parels Voor De Zwijnen

2005; 20 tracks

As gross and demeaning as the cover is, this album is really amazing. De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig means "Kids These Days" in Dutch, and "Parels Voor De Zwijnen" means "Pearls Before Swine". This is the 1st full-length album from this popular hip-hop group, who admittedly doesn't take themselves (or their music) all that seriously.

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Judith Juillerat - Soliloquy

2005; 13 tracks

I got this album after seeing Judith Juillerat's name in some random person's charts, and then I viewed her page and saw that she only had one album. She was French, she was an experimental/ambient/electronic artist, and she just seemed interesting. After listening to Soliloquy all the way through for the first time, I immediately thought that I MUST listen to it again. So I did. And I did again. I honestly can't get enough of this album, and the complexity of it brings so many new aspects every time I listen.

"What's interesting about Juillerat is her choice of technology in creating her work. Instead of putting everything together on a computer (which is what I would have guessed after hearing the album), she slowly layers everything together in a multi-track recorder with a variety of analogue and digital synths, mini samples, effects machines, and other toys. The result doesn't sound hugely different, but offers a bit of insight as to her process (which seems a little less tied-in with current trends).

Soliloquy isn't afraid to touch on lots of different sounds, which is good considering it runs almost an hour in length. Considering the definition of the album title and the way in which the vocals are delivered on the release, the title Soliloquy seems to fit pretty well with the somewhat detached style of delivery (and the occasionally disorienting sounds). An excellent and ambitious debut."


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Arnold Schönberg - Piano Music

Maurizio Pollini is one of my favorite interpretors when it comes to solo piano music. He played Beethoven masterfully; Chopin, he played with a tender sentimentality; Rachmaninoff, Bach, Debussy - all with the deliberate and magnificent skill that comes natural to masters of the art.

Here, he plays Schönberg's complete solo piano music with amazing form. I love these pieces of Modern amazingness and you surely will too.

" The first great pianist to record all of Schoenberg's piano music was Glenn Gould, and if you grew up with Gould's interpretations, then you're in for a shock. In the first place, Pollini actually plays what Schoenberg wrote--Gould freely altered the text in ways that would have driven the composer insane. And then there's the humming--yes, believe it or not, Gould did manage to sing along as he played. Pollini's quieter, less vocal approach conveys much more of what Schoenberg actually wrote, with no sacrifice of expressiveness. And although most of the pieces on this disc are quite short, they are nonetheless important. It was in his piano works that Schoenberg worked out his theories of free atonality and 12-tone composition. So for anyone interested in these critical musical developments, this disc is essential listening. "

Oh yeah... As great of a pianist as he is, I don't recommmend Glenn Gould interpretations of music, he normally adds too much of his own flair to the music and rarely plays pieces as well as, say, Pollini does.

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Geirr Tveitt - Piano Concerto No. 4, "Aurora Borealis" / Variations on a Folksong from Hardanger

Gierr Tveitt was a Norwegian composer of modern classical music, inspired by composers such as Bartók, Debussy, Stravinsky, Ravel, Grieg, etc. Here is his one of his more popular works, the 4th Piano Concerto (nicknamed "Aurora Borealis", as well as Variations on a Folksong from Hardanger, for two pianos and orchestra.

Havard Gimse and Gunilla Süssmann are the pianists. Bjarte Engeset conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.


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Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartets 1-13

Shostakovich's String Quartets are among some of the most mature of his works. I personally LOVE them, I once heard a few of them played live at the local Symphony in my area. They are unrivalled in their technicality and beauty... The Borodin Quartet has long been known to produce wonderful interpretations of classics, and this is no exception.

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Béla Bartók - Mikrokosmos (Complete)

Here we have György Sandor, a great friend and pupil of the composer's, playing the complete Mikrokosmos cycle in the traditional style. Mikrokosmos is a set of 6 volumes of solo piano music, with Volume I being the easiest and Volume VI being the most challenging. Bartók himself believed that if someone had no classical training at all, he or she could begin with Mikrokosmos, Volume I, and work through the books - eventually being able to play Volume VI. Well, Volume VI is a very difficult book to play through (I'm in the middle of learning it right now), so I don't know the truth about the composer's theory... Anyways. This is a historic recording of Hungarian music by a Hungarian, and I highly recommend it to diehard Bartók fans.

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Brahms, Haydn, Janáček, Mahler

Johannes Brahms, 1833-1897, German
Symphonies Nos. 1 - 4 / Haydn Variations / Alto Rhapsody / Academic Festival / Tragic Overture
Otto Klemperer - Philharmonia Orchestra

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Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem)
Rudolf Kempe / Berliner Philharmoniker / Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale

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Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem)
Philippe Herreweghe / Christiane Oelze / Gerald Finley / Orchestre des Champs-Élysées / La Chapelle Royale / Collegium Vocale Gent

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Piano Quartet No. 1, and the Ballades, Op. 10
Emil Gilels / Amadeus Quartet

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Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Handel Variations, and the Waltzes
Leon Fleisher / George Szell / Cleveland Orchestra

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Complete String Quartets, Quintets, and Sextets
Amadeus Quartet and others

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Franz Josef Haydn, 1732-1809, German

6 Great Masses
John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir

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Die Sieben Letzten Worte Unseres Erlösers Am Kreuze
Nikolaus Harnoncourt / Concentus Musicus Wien / Arnold Schönberg Choir

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String Quartets, Op. 64
Quatuor Mosaïques



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String Quartets, Op. 76
Quatuor Mosaïques

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String Quartets, Ops. 77 & 103
Quatuor Mosaïques

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The 1950s Haydn Symphonies Recordings
Hermann Scherchen / Wiener Staatsopernorchester / Wiener Symphoniker

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Leoš Janáček, 1854-1928, Czech Republic

Piano Works
Leif Ove Andsnes

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The Cunning Little Vixen
Bohumil Gregor / Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra

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Glagolitic Mass
Rudolf Kempe / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

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Complete String Quartets
Quatuor Diotima

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Gustav Mahler, 1860-1911, Austrian

Das Lied von der Erde
Otto Klemperer / Philharmonia Orchestra

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Mahler - 10 Symphonies
Rafael Kubelík / Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Part 1.
Part 2.


Das Lied von der Erde (Version Schönberg-Riehn)
Philippe Herreweghe / Ensemble Musique Oblique

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Alkan, Bach, Beethoven

Charles-Valentin Alkan, 1813-1888, French
Concerto for Solo Piano / Troisième recueil de chants
Marc-André Hamelin

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Symphony for Solo Piano / Trois Morceaux dans la genre pathéthique
Marc-André Hamelin

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Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750, German

Mass in B minor
(Masaaki Suzuki / Bach Collegium Japan)

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Johannes-Passion (St. John Passion)
Nikolaus Harnoncourt / Concentus Musicus Wien / Arnold Schönberg Choir

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The Complete Organ Works
Wolfgang Rübsam

Part 1.
Part 2.


The Art of Fugue
Davitt Moroney

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Cantatas Vol. 15: BWV 40, 60, 70, 90
Masaaki Suzuki / Bach Collegium Japan

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Matthäus-Passion (St Matthew Passion)
Philippe Herreweghe - Choer et orchestre du Collegium Vocale Gent

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Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Arthur Grumiaux

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Weihnachtsoratorium
Nikolaus Harnoncourt / Concentus Musicus Wien / Arnold Schönberg Choir

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Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827, German

Diabelli Variations
Friedrich Gulda

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The 9 Symphonies
Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

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The 9 Symphonies
René Leibowitz - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

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Symphony No. 9
Ferenc Fricsay / Berliner Philharmoniker

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Symphony No. 5, Live - June, 2007
Nikolaus Harnoncourt - Chamber Orchestra of Europe

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Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos / Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 25
Leon Fleisher / George Szell / Cleveland Orchestra

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