Every month I buy about 6-10 albums to listen to. I create the list during the previous month from the suggestions of friends, things I hear and read about from media sources (including the Intar-Web). During the month, I add an album or two.

The following are the albums I've ripped to my iPhone for August listening. I don't have any personal opinions on these albums yet, but your comments would be appreciated. Especially, tracks that you think I should pay particular attention to.

The albums roughly into their area of interest this month, which is:

• Jazz
• Alternative Rock
• Classics
• Alternative Country
• Caberet

Stratas Sings Weill (1991) Kurt Weill (Composer)



I heard her on a compliation of Weill's work and liked it.

What Else Is There? (2005) by Royksopp



Norwegian Jazz with a heavy electronic component. A friend of mine gave me a playlist for long-distance running with a track of theirs.

Happily Ever After (1996) by Rose Chronicles



Ambient with female vocals (Thirstk singing).

George Gershwin - Complete Music for Piano and Orchestra (2008) by Gershwin (Composer)



Summertime and the living is easy. Best recent recording of Gershwin according to critics.

The Tigers Have Spoken [LIVE] (2004) by Neko Case



The Great One listens to Nico Case. That and her New Pornographers connection served to get me hooked.

Very Best of Japan [IMPORT] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (2006) by Japan



One of my all time favorite groups. Gentleman take Poloroids

Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (2008) by Sigur Rós



What my mates are listening to.

nurse with wound - salt marie celeste - listening to this now on last.fm, one track 60 minutes or so. half way through and i just ordered it online. its haunting. dark ambient aboard a haunted ship, creaking timbers, sighing bass, and swirling eddies. brilliant.

Happily Ever After (1996) by Rose Chronicles

Rock. Kristy Thirsk's started with this group. I would call it Dream Pop with some Cocteau Twin-ish moments. Although, Thirsk can't compare to Fraser, she does a fair job of it. Her backup is a bit too strong on some tracks. If you like ethereal female vocals its worth a listen.

Best Track: "Ornament"

What Else Is There? (2005) by Royksopp

Electronica. Had a discussion yesterday, "What is Royksopp?". I think its House.

Generally, I like Singles because I like to see how the Remix's fare. I have to admit, I liked the Radio Edit best. The live track was the best overall.

Best Track: Alpha Male.

The Tigers Have Spoken [LIVE] (2004) by Neko Case

Alt Country. I admit I'm new to this genre. Its still growing on me.

Frankly, this is a crappy LIVE album. The tracks in the second half sounded like they were shoveled onto the album. First half was OK. First half also had the best music.

Best Track: "Soulful Shade of Blue"

working on getting all the Twilite Minotaur acoustic tracks straight from the source, planning to make a CD of them for car listening and dreaming to.
still have the White Stripes - Elephant album in heavy rotation, joining Mellon Collie (Pumpkins), Rattle and Hum (U2), and the Across the Universe soundtrack.

I've been driving a lot, so I put my iAudio to good use :
- Archive
- The Buzzcocks
- Turbonegro
- Flogging Molly
- The Exploited
- Hooverphonic
... and various soundtacks (Kill Bill, From Dusk Till Dawn, Death Proof)

The Dark Knight ost. Amazing!

Viva La Vida or Death bla bla bal... Pretty cool, for a Coldplay album.

Way better than Queens of the Stone Age. THis is what happened to the talented members of Kyuss.

"Into the exam room"(the b&w cover) is a very strong cd, from start to finish. I'll be listening to "Dare I say" later today...

Monolake - Hongkong Remastered
Lawrence English - Kiri No Oto
Years - A Shift in Moods_The Inferno of the Living
Akita Mata - Sulfur Dioxide and New Female Organs
Taylor Deupree - Northern Remastered (in the car)
Steve Roach - A Deeper Silence

...and after my download credits get renewed -
Max Richter - 24 Postcards In Full Colour

George Gershwin - Complete Music for Piano and Orchestra (2008) by Gershwin (Composer)

Classical. I like Gershwin. His music is very upbeat, even the slow pieces. "Summertime" is one of my favorite all time pieces. This is a particularly well executed album. Sound quality is superior. It deserves listening to on high-quality equipment.

Best Track: "I Got Rhythm Variations"

Gershwin is immortal.

TEXTURES - Silhouettes
(Listenable Rec, 2008)



On the edge between brutality and melody, but not sounding like "melodic death metal".
Much less Meshuggah-like than their first, less proggy than their second. Some traces of SYL remain, along with some almost Patton-esque vocals and good syncopated riffs.
An interesting alternative to the crowd of followers combining cheap melodies and heavy guitars, but it's just this slight bit harder to listen to... and much more rewarding.

SENKING - Trial
(Raster Noton, 2000)

A part of the "Static" series, this CD is quite minimal and shows an other approach to glitching music. Don't look for the ascetic quality some of the label mates are known for, the point is a bit different here, closer to a more commonly shared definition of music.

Stratas Sings Weill (1991) Kurt Weill (Composer)

Cabaret. All the Weill Classics are here. However, I didn't like this album. Statas has a beautiful, opera-trained voice. What's lacking is the smokey quality of delivery. When she sings, I'm not back in Berlin before the War. Orchestration was a bit to good also. Weill's music almost demands an off-tune piano with a bit of honky-tonk.

Best Track: "Surabaya-Johnny"

I don't really know why, since I have the book and have read it twice, but my wife got me World War Z as an audio book. Nothing much happening at work so I'm listening to that. Henry Rollins is in it!!

quote:

Originally posted by Limulus:
SENKING - Trial
(Raster Noton, 2000)

A part of the "Static" series, this CD is quite minimal and shows an other approach to glitching music. Don't look for the ascetic quality some of the label mates are known for, the point is a bit different here, closer to a more commonly shared definition of music.

that might be the one i have by them, i'll need to work out which shelf its on. they always struck me as being the more kind of electronica side of the raster sound than the minimalist. though it all fit into the likes of the clicks and cuts compilations that were released.

does anyone have the "Random Acts of Senseless Violence" audio performance that came out on Henry Rollins' label?

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.Push:

SENKING - Trial



that might be the one i have by them, i'll need to work out which shelf its on. they always struck me as being the more kind of electronica side of the raster sound than the minimalist. though it all fit into the likes of the clicks and cuts compilations that were released.

A hint to help you: it's in a clear plastic bag, like the one they use for computer elements ("Static") so it must be visible in a shelf, it's bigger than the regular CD size.

Yes, it's electronica... for Raster Noton. Which makes it more minimal than 95% of the electronica scene.

tsk don't be naive. i have so many CDs in random shaped packaging that just by being random shaped doesn't mean i can turn round and pick it from my shelf.!


turns round, picks it from my shelf. yeah. trial.