Nine Inch Nails - Still

Being initially apprehensive about subjecting myself to anything credited to trent reznor following '92s 'broken', NiN's 'Still' album remains one of the most surprisingly accessible albums out there... a mostly acoustic, stripped down version of Nine Inch Nails, and the polar opposite of 'broken' in every conceivable way.

the versatile mr. reznor described making "an album to put on during a rainy day.", and clearly this is what he was talking about.

with its depth and disturbing themes of melancholy, failed romance, mortality, and depression, and track titles such as "something i can never have", "the day the world went away", "the persistence of loss", "and all that could have been", this album is misleading with its exquisitely assembled and heartbreaking instrumentals, courtesy of a tortured soul.

Air

after the last post i realized that i hadn't published any mention of Air in the past. given that Air are possibly the greatest export from france since Daft Punk (and one of the most frustratingly awesome bands i have been fortunate enough to have been introduced to), it is only because i hadn't (and still haven't) found the right words to accurately describe them.

AIR, according to their wikipedia page, is a backronym for Amour, Imagination, Rêve which translates to Love, Imagination, Dream. to me, this actually translates to the best and possibly most complete way to describe their sound.

while they aren't the most exciting performers when seen live (read: yawn), they really aren't meant to be - Air are not for crowded spaces or for large gatherings - they're meant more for the more reflective moments, or for delicate company, or when you're trying to alleviate the stress from a long day; there is almost a spiritual quality to their music, and you can clearly tell it comes from the artistes' soul.

across their albums, these tracks are my own personal favourites, and in the order i recommend listening to them:

La Femme D'argent, Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi, J'ai Dormi Sous L'eau, Alone in Kyoto, Mike Mills, All I Need, Night Sight, Casanova 70, Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping, Space Maker, Highschool Lover, Kelly Watch The Stars...

check them out at lastfm, and avoid the albums 10000 hz legend and everybody hertz and you should be fine. be sure to also give Do The Joy a listen, a single from their upcoming album in October 2009.

Air - Do the Joy (single)

given that this is Air, i may be accused of being slightly biased.

provoking a bit of a mixed reaction, Do the Joy is similar in vein to a lot of their classic tracks - sounding somewhat in-line with work from their 10000 Hz Legend days (this wasn't my favourite album); their stylistic choices can be seen to emanate from somewhere around that region (most obvious is the robo-gibberish which I personally can't stand), but with the fuzzed out guitars, Moon Safari-aping synths and chilled out chants of Do the joy / Do the smile— we could do a lot worse. The inevitable remixes of this are definitely going to be ones to listen out for.

That being said, if Do the Joy is any indicator of what Love 2 is going to sound like, with the same meticulous synth arrangements that the duo are known for, then we are likely to be in for a treat - due out on October 6th 2009.

rodrigo y gabriela

speaking of great musical duos, another one worth your attention is the glorious combination of dublin-based mexicans rodrigo sanchez and gabriela quintero. if you haven't heard or seen rodgab perform before, go straight to youtube and check out some of their work.

drawing heavy inspiration from their metal roots, these two come together to play some of the most beautifully crafted pure acoustic covers (their take on stairway to heaven is hands-down the best i've heard), and their own original music in a style that cannot really be pinned down to stem from a single structured influence.

i haven't quite seen anyone play like gabriela before (except perhaps justin king) - complex strumming patterns at speeds that appear to be somewhat superhuman, which are perfectly complemented by rodrigo, with his equally impressive melodic overtones. together these two complete the perfect acoustic-guitar musical package.

i've seen them live twice now, and i certainly plan on making a third trip the next time they're on tour - experiencing this sort of combined musical genius live makes for a good life-experience.

pomplamoose

indie music rarely gets any better than the likes of Pomplamoose.

jack conte and nataly dawn, two easy-going, extremely talented artists with an apparent fondness for grapefruit, came together to form one of the best musical duos i've heard... happy, fun music, which you can tell a great deal of painstaking care and love has gone into creating.

visit their youtube page and watch some of their videosongs - two of which will instantly get you hooked are 'pas encore' and 'expiration date'.

i highly recommend you just go ahead to their myspace page and spend the pittance of an $8 on their EP; you'll be doing yourself and the entire artform of music a favour. not supporting unsigned, brilliant talent like this is criminal!

LCD Soundsystem - All my friends (single)

i mentioned all my friends in the post about the Sound of Silver record. in retrospect, the simple one-liner on this incredible track is little more than an insult to how truly amazing it is.

LCD Soundsystem's All My Friends is a song i have drunkenly cried myself to sleep to.

the beauty of this track lies in that anyone venturing into adulthood, realizing that there really is no punchline, will be able to warp this malleable song to suitably fit how they feel.

what i love most about this song is the monotony of the keyboard and bass line, mimicking a life that just goes on and on, regardless of how tired one gets of it, or how oblivious one is to time's passage. it's as if the melody represents the same repetitive tasks of life: sleep, breathe, do the damn thing, etc.

you can clearly feel that Murphy means his lyrics, and the lyrics are the centerpiece because of the underlying monotony (which further gives you more to symbolize that monotony).

listen. rinse. repeat.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

you've probably already heard "all my friends", arguably one of the best (and most moving) singles of the '00s.

but there is so much more on offer here! "Us V Them", "Time To Get Away", and the rarely heard 7 minute titular track and its brief albeit insightful message:

"Sound of Silver talk to me,
Makes you want to feel like a teenager.
Until you remember the feelings of
A real live emotional teenager
Then you think again"

with its tantalizingly ambiguous lyrics, this album sounds like what david bowie should have bowed out with. a lot of the tracks play like instant classics, and the rest are strong enough to justify their presence.

M83 - Saturdays Youth

from the gradual runaway build-up of "you appearing" to the understated undertones of the final 11 minute "midnight souls still remain", saturdays youth listens, feels, and plays like a complete album.

m83 have provided for a mellow high that you can fall asleep to. french electronic music is almost always a win-win-win, and this album is no exception.

according to amarok, "highway of endless dreams" has 4 stars, so it must be good.

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

OH MY DEAR SWEET BABY JESUS I CANNOT STOP LISTENING TO THIS RECORD.

appearing to steadily gain more popularity, cut copy have produced a record that has caused me to, on more than one occasion, mention them in the same breath as daft punk. i love daft punk.

i now also love cut copy. the track "hearts on fire" alone is worth buying/downloading/whatevering this album, which is one of the single most epic tracks i've had stuck on my playlist for over a month.

melodic, syncopated, synthicated, and far more fun than the 80s actually were, this is
easily accessible material produced by the trio from melbourne.

rarely do i recommend listening to an entire album, but this is an exception. that being said, my favourite tracks here are: "hearts on fire", "nobody lost, nobody found", "lights and music", "feel the love", "so haunted", and "strangers in the wind".