Tomorrow Becomes You by Slow Six

Music is like chemistry. Sometimes, you have to mix this and that to find the perfect combination. Experiment is the key. Slow Six did that and thus the result is Tomorrow Becomes You, ambient, shoegaze, drone, post-rock and contemporary classical all in this epically long length album. This album gave me a very cosmic feel. Is almost like you are in some distant planet and somehow you are listening to some music band from planet Earth. 

The Night You Left New York can be divided into 3 different part, beginning, medium, ending. Begins with droning effect, it never failed to fascinate me how harmonic the music is. The moment the violin stats to play at 2.14mins it took the song to a different dimension. The music is more intense and explosive with so much emotion for one to feel and interpret the story Slow Six want to tell. At 6.37mins with the help of the violin the song change to a more orchestration feel. 

Cloud Cover (part 1) resonate around the same (almost) music note through out the entire track. At first it gave you the idea that something big is coming up and you waited, only to find out 5 minutes later that the track has ended and is entering the Cloud Cover (part 2) which is where the real deal is. Cloud Cover (part 2) is more towards ambient with misty noise and pitching radio noise occasionally with a hint of white noise. The streaks of the violin does the magic here with profound effect. It is engaging enough for me to listen to the whole track. It’s the kind of music that grab your attention and you put down whatever that you are doing and just listen to it. You hardly will miss this track. 

 

Because Together We Resonate is one amazing track. It begins with robotic rhythm, very futuristic and half way through the violin and cello catch up, classical and contemporary. Is like the past finally manage to catch up with the future and when it does it create a symphony that is too good to be missed. 

Sympathetic Response System (part 1) and Sympathetic Response System (Part 2) is one epic long track a total of 15mins. The track is eerie cold and dark. Still it’s kinda groovy for this track though the music is kinda repetitive for part 1 and like Cloud Cover the real deal is in part 2. 

These Rivers Between Us is intriguing and eerie nonetheless. Is like in those horror movies where the beast is closing up with the leads and at anytime it would bite off their heads. It slowly build up the tension when strings are at their most endearing. 

Buy Tomorrow Becomes You by Slow Six.

           

"Because Together We Resonate" by Slow Six from Western Vinyl on Vimeo.

Tomorrow Becomes You by Slow Six

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Dead Waves by Kyte

Kyte left me at a cross road after listening to their first full-length album Dead Waves  that released last month. At times, it sounded like Sigur Ros, the soundtrack kind of music.  Sometimes, it sounded like Animal Collective. At some point, I relate them to Snow Patrol. Puzzle me may the album be, but I can’t deny that I like this album. It convinced me that for Kyte best is yet to come. 

Kyte create atmospheric lush, dreamy kind of music with a tinge touch of morbidness. Though this album is very electronica but with the wistful voice and subtle layers of music the atmospheric approach that Kyte used to have is still very much intact. 

The opening track, The Smoke Saves Lives sets the tone for the rest of the album with its erratic piano and droning guitars. A very engaging beautiful track and teeny bit addictive. ihnfsa the second track which is also the single, start off with a robotic female voice, a very synth pop feel and I just can’t shake the lyric away.

sorry for the first love, sorry as my last one,
the screaming aside,
thank you for the best time,

For the first few tracks of the album like The Smoke Saves Lives, ihnfsa, You’re Alone Tonight and Designed for Damage give me the vibes of the 80s. I guess it’s more probably the synth pop thingy. 

My personal favourite ought to be the fifth track, Like She Said. I really like how the song sounded the way it did, it reminds me of the song “Cease to Know” by Eluvium. The music is ghostly haunting and spacey like you are in some vast universe listening to the sound of a distant star. Very relaxing, heavily influence of shoegaze. As for the lyric it is very cinematic.

Mistakes are made, in time’s right,
last days are xxxxx (can’t hear) , like she said,
six feet deep down, the eyes closed,
the end called earth, the hand xxxxx (can’t hear)

Fear From Death is still very much 80s feel. Each Life Critical (an epic 7mins long song) is a song that grows, branching out into a soaring robotic rhythms with hushed vocals. No One is Angry, Just Afraid and Strangest Words and Pictures are both very ambient song that is quite unlike the rest of the songs in this album. Not so much of electronica thingy. 

Guns and Knives, Fake Handshakes, Earnest Smiles and Dead Waves are the rest of the song that I am way too lazy to elaborate anymore. These three songs still notably good with Fake Handshakes, Earnest Smiles is a poignant, meditative, trance like song. Dead Waves has a consistent flow of music. I guess just like death, since it is always an on-going thing that never stop. Limited Time Only.

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Dead Waves by Kyte

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How To Be A Child & Win the War by Electric Litany

The story of the band started, when Alexandros and Richard met in London. Alexandros moved from Corfu to London, while Richard was leaving Devonshire for London in search of forming a band of his own. Duane was the last member to join the band, since he was found by Alex and Richard through an ad.

With How to be A Child & Win the War, Electric Litany had created a distinctive and characteristic sound of their own. Considering this is their debut album, it was quite a fantastic works from the trio.

The whole album is intense with haunting and unpredictable song-writing. Angelic vocals, creeping guitar delays, robotic rhythms and distorted synths give life to Electric Litany’s nostalgic and engaging lo-fi alternative sound. It looks like Electric Litany is from a different universe from the usual 

post-rock/experimental music scenes.

The 1st single Tear, is one amazing track. For the 1st 30-seconds the song was in some foreign language, either French or Spanish I assume. Notably the music is fantastic, haunting melodies, unrestrained dynamics and robotic rhythms. It straight away set the mood with the first music note.

" Wake your tears, and you will know,
dry your tears, and you will know..
Come clear and you will know,
When you're near, we just don't know..
..say what you want, don’t change at all,
for we all love the change of hearts . . .

Eerie vocals, pauses that embrace some of the pious silence of a prayer. Melancholic atmospheres and dynamic guitars. Dreams scented with rain. Haunting melodies, elaborately orchestrated. Lonesome lyrics, few words that have a lot to convey. The lo-fi world of “How To Be A Child And Win The War” is ready to unfold, share its experiences and carry away the listener.

Buy How to be A Child & Win The War by Electric Litany.

How To Be A Child & Win the War by Electric Litany

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Constellations by Balmorhea

Perhaps, it is more suitable to said that Balmorhea had back to basic with their fourth album Constellations where it strips the electric instrumentation and just purely focused on acoustic instrumentation with piano and guitar. Live up to the album name Constellations, this is an album for a silent and starry night, light breeze caressing ones face gently, and as time goes by with the notable music notes ones slowed the breathing and stared into the deep nothingness with your mind start wonder away. Harmonious, beauteous, pleasant and engaging should be the best words to describe this low decibel ranges work. 

The album start off with To The Order of The Night a very meticulous work of music, which I found it magnificently breathtaking beautiful that my hair stands at the back of my neck. Silently beautiful. The second track, Bowsprit perhaps is the less minimalist piece in this nine track album. Unlike other tracks that had been kept to a minimal and low decibel range of works. Bowsprit is the most happening track in the whole ablum with banjo, guitar, violin, cello, stomps and perhaps hand-claps. This is the moment where fireworks lit up the dark night. 

Winter Circle, Constellations and Steerage and The Lamp shouldn't have a problem to take hold of the heart of piano lovers. This trio are piano based tracks. Winter Circle is more melancholy with the echo of the vocals. I can’t help but to relate it to despair, lost and death.  Constellations is intriguing, in the first 1.20mins it just revolve around a one or two music notes that keep repeating. The track starts to take off after that and melodic it may became but it was like a soft whisper, tip-toeing. Steerage and The Lamp is a long 7mins length track that for the first 5mins the only things that matter is the piano played by Rob Lowe and at the exact 5.03mins mark the cello kicks in and boy it was it beautiful. The marriage of the piano and cello resulting a somber listening experience yet one will not feel the gloomy mood. 

On Herons two acoustic guitars explore a chord progression but at some point I can’t help to notice the similarities between this song and Night Squall which is another track from this album. A very symphonious and euphonious track that performed using bass guitar and cello with occasionally drumming. On the Weight of Night lean heavily upon lightly-plucked acoustic guitars, gently-brushed drums to create a smoky and melancholic moods. Palestrina the last track and the most stand out track from this album. The songs fuses the ghostly choir which reminds me of the choir from those old cathedral with stained glass and most probably the sound of a light saber perhaps? The only thing that I can only related to with the laser-sound-alike noise. Towards almost the end of the track, ambient mist of humming strings fuse in making this one of the most memorable track and ended this album perfectly. 

Constellations by Balmorhea is a light and easy to listen album. At first listening it may not have a ‘woah’ effect that take you off guard. But as time goes by, if given the chance to listen for a few more times you would found as like the music has mature and become more flavourful. It starts to grow on you. Given the right time and chances Constellations would probably be one of the best instrumental album of this year.  

Buy Constellations by Balmorhea.

Constellations by Balmorhea

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...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness by Olafur Arnalds

Majestic, graceful, gorgeous, melancholic and emotional is the best way to describe this fully instrumental album by Ólafur Arnalds, an multi-instrumentalist and producer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland. This album slowly peeled your emotion piece by piece and eventually exposing your emotion in the most vulnerable state ever. Leaving echoes of memories that haunted you ever since you can remember, lingering still even though the last music note has ends. I guess this is what nostalgia means.



His classical styles of music is magnificent. Soothing yet haunting. Hopeful yet hopeless. Beautiful yet sorrow. Complex yet simple. He is a musician no doubt about that but I think he should pun in a story teller too. There is(are) story(ies) waiting to be unfolded by own interpretation. Is like he is composing the soundtrack of our life stories.


It was such a glee to discover this artist. His music gives me a peace of my mind; creating an oasis or a sanctuary for oneself. In the meantime while we escape from the reality it walked us down the memories lane as if this is the soundtrack of our past. His music is almost spiritual. For such an young musician to compose such inspiring music, to say he is talented is understatement. Gifted sounds more appropriate.

Buy: And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness by Ólafur Arnalds. MP3 dl format/Audio CD
DL: Not Available as it seems the forum had removed the links. Try google it. If still not available can send me your email add and I can upload the album temporary for dl which of course the link will be send to you through email. 

Ólafur Arnalds - Hægt, kemur ljósið (Official Video Trailer)

This is not the song from this album. Is from his EP. Anyway, just listen to this song which he performed in 2007 in Iceland local TV which would give you what to expect in this album. It was stunning beautiful. I like the part where the bass kick-in. And the electronic buzzing sound is part of the song. Not some technical glitch.

...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness by Olafur Arnalds

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Artifacts by Aether

This is the debut album of Aether a.k.a Diego Chavez which was released in 2008. If you are looking for some tri-hop, dark ambient or dark electro music;  this is the album you should get. All the tracks in this album are interlinked and it brings your mood to a different level each time the tracks changes. This is an album that you should listen from front to back, track by track. For a 15-tracks album that just over 37mins is consider quite short. Yet, the music is rich and powerful. Every single beat is a license for you to groove along with the music. Is a crime against music not to.



The beats are laid back, chill albeit a bit repetitive in some tracks. It was however a good album for after work chill out with cold beer. A good album for some mood alteration. Sometimes, in an instrumental album human vocal tends to compromise the pleasure of listening those musical beats. This album however, vocals wise it was good; swirling with the beats of the music as like having some musical forms of sexual intercourse, 2 become 1. 



It does seems that bollywood have a teeny bit in influencing the music in this album. Both tracks, Dejame Dormir and Orfeu Negro both have some bollywood elements in it. I guess fusion is part of this album which can be heard in Reflection which only spawned for a short 0.26sec. Jazz with hip hop, never knew it can be such a match.

Like I mention above this is a dark ambient/electro album. So don’t expect the album to start off with a bam. And also don’t expect any heavy electro. This album is more subtle with those basses. This is a chill out album, not a dance album perhaps a few groove but that’s it. Still this is a very good production from Aether. Hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I do. Limited time only (dl link removed). Buy Artifacts.

Artifacts by Aether

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Gully Lights

This band is legit! I kid you not! It is a four-man band composed of members Forrest Jessop (lead singer/leadguitar and piano), Clarence Jessop (lead singer/rhythm guitar and piano), Ben Herbert (bass guitar), and George Jessop (drums and percussion). And all of them were related, Three brothers and One cousin. Their music is incredible mind blowing good. I am almost in tears when I discovered their music and undeniably put me to shame for not knowing this band earlier. This is like the holy grail of indie genre.  And I quote my friend “They Understand Music! and the background music is so rich, silently powerful”. Not to mention, their songs are haunting and give me goosebumps.

Their music is wonderful to say the least. Every music notes they played hit the heartstrings of yours truly. Every words they sing turned into something magical.

So far I have received nothing but great comments on this band when I intro it to my friend and also the friend of my friend. I know that I must have been saying gazillion time that this is the must have song/album in this blog. But trust me this time. THIS IS A MUST! If I die now, I shall no regrets and I am serious. I am mesmerized by them.

So far there were a total of 11 songs produced by them and it is free to download. Yes, free to download. The reason why I didn’t even mention the album name is because they didn’t even launched one at all. And they just labeled these tracks as demos and it had been left there for I think around 2 years for people to download.

How on earth can this be happening is beyond me. Is this means that true music has dies? Now only those freaking commercialized music is music? Bah!

My personal favourite is Composed and Crowned because the piano is so intriguing. Every note it hits drew me closer to the song, lurking me over and slowly the music starts to intensify, climaxing with such perfection that it put the word perfection to shame. They woo-ed me effortlessly.

all my ambition, kiss and trust, will follow through, comes let’s hold hands for old time sake.

this pain, disappear without a trace.

heaven knows why we’ll here; hell knows why we’ll break

we came around to composed and crowned.

Captain is also a great track. The smoky voice of the lead singer either Tusk or Clarence (they have two lead singers) combined with the cello is ORGASMIC! It also set me into a trance like state. Well can’t help, since I am a huge fan of Cello.

Overall, all the songs are solid! You just have to get this. Like Seriously! And I think this is a quirky band because I couldn't stop smiling while reading their introduction in myspace. Their philosophy ‘its better to be lazy and live than worry and work’.

Quoted from their myspace:

Despite everything, Gully Lights is awesome and will continue to be awesome. They have achieved goals never thought possible, and their music is wonderful. Somehow, Clarence’s and Tusk’s songs are too good to be true. You would never think songs so beautiful would come out of people so ugly.

You can go to their last.fm page to download the songs just click the “Free Download” beside the song name. And be sure to click on the “See all tracks” at the featured tracks to get more great songs. Download @http://www.last.fm/music/Gully+Lights

Gully Lights@http://www.myspace.com/gullylights for more information which I seriously think you need it course information about them is so scarce that diamonds seems easier to find than their infomation. That’s the reason why I didn’t post their youtube clip as well cause you can’t find one at all. Even in last.fm they only have 40 listeners only.

Gully Lights

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Seadrift Soundmachine by Blaudzun

Seadrift Soundmachine is the sophomore album from Blaudzun a singer-songwriter from Netherlands, which was named after an unknown Danish cyclist, Michael Blaudzun. His real name however is Johannes Sigmond. Anyhow back to this album, all I can said is this album is wonderful. Mellow, melancholic but not to the extend that it actually drowned you and also very folksier. This is the album to get if you just want to have some light music to chill.

Track listing:
01. Sea wolves 0:56
02. Sunshine parade 3:08
03. The choking game 4:03
04. Light of love 3:50
05. Midnight room 3:25
06. Quiet German girls 2:54
07. Wolf’s behind the glass 2:36
08. Jezebelle 4:22
09. Manhatten grey / Post no bill 2:05
10. February flare 3:32
11. Streetcorner shouter 2:34
12. Midnight room (Prague version) 3:20

Like how the description in Last.fm Blaudzun writes dreamy songs, wrapped in sober arrangements that through his remarkable voice and the haunting melodies get an almost ecstatic atmosphere. Have to steal from there course I have no idea how to pen down my thought for this album. And Walah! Someone wrote exactly (well almost) how I feel for this disc. This is the album that could never go wrong. If you are a music fans of any kind of genres you should get this one.

The music like I said is very folksy so expect a lot of guitar and of course his distinctive voice. And of course this album sings about love but yet again which album isn’t? I am just way too lazy to interpret the lyrics one by one. So go ahead and get this album and listen it yourself. Seadrift Soundmachine by Blaudzun worth every penny of it.

For a limited time only. (dl link removed)
Buy Seadrift Soundmachine.

Quiet German Girls (first single)

Seadrift Soundmachine by Blaudzun

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