Laminae
Apr.21.09 Filed in: Albums
The Green Kingdom - Laminae
This album is one of those beautiful ambient albums that somehow graft onto the world around you seamlessly as though it is music designed to accompany you through any environment and help slow it down and bring out the beauty in any given moment. The music here is a sound that pulls electronic sounds together with acoustic sounds to create an atmosphere that is really perfect for any number of moments in life. With little samples hiding among it’s drifting ambience it adds another world to yours and I absolutely love music like this. The musician is a graphic designer and sound artist who slowly crafts these songs over time and seems to spend a lot of time evolving them into such a natural, flowing sound. It’s a wonderful release and is well worth your money if you are a fan of such subtle electroacoustic ambient as this.
iTunes Link • Artist Page
To Trace A Raveling
Apr.21.09 Filed in: Albums
Tara Jane O’Neil - To Trace A Raveling
I bought this record at a live show where I was running the sound here locally and before that night had never heard Tara Jane O’Neils music before. The show really caught me off guard as it was a really beautiful set of music. I chose this album randomly from her small selection of offerings at the merch table and I’m glad this is the one that I chose. It just appeared to be the most interesting of the bunch because of its hand made silk screening and lovely artwork. As soon as I arrived back at home I put the album on and it immediately became one of my favorite vinyl records to put on late at night as I was just lying around in bed.
The release is actually a combination of two EP’s from her and was released in this way as a limited edition pressing on a label called Mississippi Records that releases nothing but record in small quantities which are apparently somewhat hard to come by. The first half of the record, To Trace is three songs that blend seamlessly together as a whole and was released as an EP called Tracer which was released on a Japanese label originally as far as I know. The second half is from an EP called A Raveling and is my favorite side of the record because of its slow minimal approach. You will find plucked acoustic guitar, layered whispered vocals and an organic ambience that leaves you off and dreaming in no time. I love this music and its beautiful ability to fill my room with a calm that is as uplifting as it is relaxing and its dark sound is perfect for a relaxed late night.
While both EP’s were released in somewhat obscure ways, one on a Japanese label and the other on a Spanish label, A Raveling is more readily available as a digital purchase and is very much worth the small amount of money you would pay for them. The vinyl may be out there for sale somewhere but I’m not sure where to direct you outside of google for that.
iTunes Link (for the A Raveling side) • Artist Site
Just Say When
Apr.15.09 Filed in: Songs
Kate Micucci - Just Say When (from Songs EP)
I found Kates music after my brother pointed me to the fact that she had a short little album available online. She is a comedian/musician/actress. Typically found with a ukulele in hand she often sings short songs with a cute style filled with little puns and quirky stories and situations and its what I expected when I got my hands on the EP but was pleasantly surprised to hear the last song on the 10 minute release. A little mini piano ballad that I keep listening to over and over and thought, why not post it here on You Disappear. It’s a simple enough song but it has surprising depth coming from a typically comedic artist. I Can only hope that she will expand on her songwriting and explore it more in the future with and without the quirky humor. (you can hear the song streaming on her myspace page here)
iTunes Link • Artist Page • CD Baby Page (where you can buy it digitally straight from the artist)
To Build A Home
Apr.14.09 Filed in: Songs
The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home (from the album Ma Fluer)
It would have been easy to write about the album this song is from but I wanted to feature a song from it here before I get around to adding the album here because its just such a brilliant song in my eyes. It’s a subtle masterpiece really and is one of those songs you should not be without. Well, if you are able to feel it the way that I do. The original version of this song as it appears on the album Ma Fleur is sort of a living, breathing thing, fragile and calling out for you to listen as it plays. Relatively simplistic at first with voice and piano the music quickly evolves and carries you forward through its story. Honestly, I cannot speak highly enough of this song. It was a collaboration between the Cinematic Orchestra and singer Patrick Watson and while there are a few versions of it around there to hear this is the best way to hear it and I highly suggest you do if you are not already familiar with it.
iTunes Link • Artist Page
Bitter Honey
Apr.14.09 Filed in: Albums
Eef Barzelay - Bitter Honey
While I have written about Clem Snide here before I held off writing about the singers solo album and I have no particularly good reason to have done so. Maybe because this album is not too hushed and quiet, maybe because I was not sure if I enjoyed it all the way through, but whatever the reason, I suppose its irrelevant and I am just rambling for no good reason. That aside, I have given this album more of a chance and it has grown on my quite a bit and I have ended up playing it a lot as of late.
The music is pretty straightforward, singing with simple acoustic guitar as its companion but what eventually really pulled me in and got me hooked was his songwriting. There is a balance of humor, sarcasm, sadness, and whit that all blend together and make for a pretty interesting listen through and through. There are a handful of songs on this album that really took ahold of my mood lately and caused me to listen to the album often. I would suggest anyone with a slightly bitter sense of humor about life and love have a listen. It grows on you.
iTunes Link • Artist Page
You Disappear Radio Epidode 2
Apr.06.09 Filed in: Podcast
Otherwise, here is a link to the feed which you can put into iTunes or whichever reader you use for podcasts: http://www.youdisappear.net/files/blog.xml I don’t think I will be including direct links to the files in these posts simply because I am keeping this on the underground side of things and I want to keep things as simple as possible with them. Hopefully this will not alienate too may people. Let me know your thoughts should you have an opinion on the idea. I am always open to suggestions.
If you are an artist featured on this podcast and you wish to have your music removed please contact me directly at john-at-youdisappear.net and I will be more than happy to remove it for you. I completely understand, the intention of the site is to promote great music of a calm mindset, not capitalize on it. Its for the love of the music.
The Northeast Kingdom Demos
Apr.05.09 Filed in: Albums
Sarah Winchester - The Northeast Kingdom Demos
This little mini album is really wonderful, its nothing short of a lullaby through and through. Its a perfect sleepy album with a warm feeling that will leave your eyelids feeling gradually more and more heavy as the hushed vocals and guitar fill your mind. Sarah is part of a great group that I should write about here one day called A Weather and has recorded these songs as her first venture into solo recording and they are really beautiful songs that anyone who enjoys calm music should have a listen to.
As of the time of this writing the album is available for free on a nice music label type site that rotates its free releases monthly. The site/label is called Team Love and you can visit them through this link.
100 Grim Reapers
Apr.05.09 Filed in: Albums
Ben and Bruno - 100 Grim Reapers
Here on the site I posted about a couple albums from the group Wixel and through the fact that visitors from You Disappear went to check out his music he found the site here and decided to write in with a suggestion and it was a great one. He pointed me to this great release from an artist I was previously unfamiliar with, Ben and Bruno. The story behind the groups music is a bit strange and leads you to wonder more about them but I appreciate a little mystery behind music I listen to. The story, as taken from their myspace page is as follows:
“ben and bruno" is a group of songs based around one character named BEN. After losing his mother at a very young age, Ben is abducted by an unstable woman renting the room beneath him and his father (both men have fallen for her). Ben, during his trip (while fleeing from the police), becomes completely infatuated with the woman. The story continues after the capture of the woman as he grows older.... acquiring/losing a dog/best friend (BRUNO), marrying, having two daughters, divorcing. And so on.”
The music reminds of some of the more gentle songs from Mount Eerie and the only reason I say this is to give you a frame of reference. Its simple approach leaves you feeling at peace and its playful yet poignant lyrics draw me in and leave me wanting to listen to it over and over. It was this type of subtle often overlooked gentle recording and songwriting that made me want to start up a site to feature them in an environment full of like minded music. This is great music for the beginning of this spring season as it reminds me of sitting in a quiet field somewhere, breeze blowing tall grass around and the silence of the landscape singing along...
While the CD is now sold out because of its handmade production there is a few vinyl copies left from what I have read and despite not having any extra money at all to spend I ordered a copy anyway. Digital versions of these songs do exist on emusic and they also have a podcast with a ton of live recordings and different versions of their music which can be found in the iTunes podcast listings.
Artist Page (and myspace page)
In the Grip of Light
Apr.05.09 Filed in: Albums
The Allendar Band - In the Grip of Light
In the last couple of weeks I have found myself putting this short EP on more than any other and I think I finally figured out why I continue to come back to it. Its just a perfect blend of gentle guitar play, drifting vocals, and a subtle yet sometimes head nodding rhythms and it satisfies on a lot of different levels for this reason.
The Allender Band was formed after the leader of the group Robin Allender, released a solo album and decided to add more musicians to the mix in an effort to fill out his songs a bit. The result was this EP and I really love it. His previous solo album is also wonderful and will make its appearance on these pages one day I’m sure. A couple of these songs are re-workings of music he recorded on his solo album.
The music here is certainly more on the uplifting side of the world of You Disappear which I would like to slowly visit more and more as time goes on. In the world of the calmer side of music I think there is plenty of room for music like this that borders whispering and full band recordings really well but don’t just take my word for it, have a listen and see for yourself what I mean.
iTunes Link • Artist Page (and label page here)
Casanova 70
Apr.05.09 Filed in: Songs
Air - Casanova 70
A while back I found a suggestion sent to me for the site for an air song and I sat on it for quite a while before deciding to post it and I am not exactly sure why. Maybe I was just trying to decide if it had that certain feeling that I look for when picking music for You Disappear but I am finally coming around after waking up this morning and putting this song on. As it began I found myself waking up to this soft bass melody which, about half way through the song, drops off only to return with a wonderful combination of horns to fill it all in and pull it together. Air has been around a long time in the electronic music world and I had never quite understood the appeal but I can say that after waking up to Casanova 70 this morning I will be digging a little deeper into their catalogue. I think what initially threw me off was the fact that it was so clean sounding and for whatever reason I find it harder to get into music that is to clean or glossy if you know what I mean. It just takes a little time to realize what I am missing I suppose. This is music for a sunny morning...
iTunes Link • Artist Page
Without Sinking
Apr.05.09 Filed in: Albums
Hildur Gudnadottir - Without Sinking
This album was created by a musician that gained her notoriety from her collaborations with other musicians such as Múm, Pan Sonic, and others. Her instrument of choice is the cello and she is able to create some really inspired, beautiful music with it and within her arrangements. This record is one of her ventures out as a solo artist and it’s a haunting affair all the way through. The music here to me resembles floating in the middle of a sea. It feels like an ambient record only here you will find no electronic elements, only layers of beautiful string (with the occasional wind instrument) arrangements crafted with a dark yet warm presence where each note seems to breathe as if alive they move along. It’s a beautiful organic record perfect for a late night or any sort of contemplative moment. I feel I have not done it justice with my description and urge you to have a listen for yourself if you are a fan of avant-garde style classical music...
iTunes Link • Artist Page