Albums added in June: 13,347

RIP George Carlin

Featured Selections

Azure Ray, Azure Ray (11)
-, Burn and Shiver (12)

It’s hard to pinpoint just what stands out about the darkly evocative work of Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor, especially without reference to their following album Hold On Love and its standout “The Devil’s Feet.” The whispery confessionals over quiet strings, strumming, or mysterious clanking make for intimate fare perfect for late night contemplations.

Dead Can Dance, Aion - Remastered (12)
-, Dead Can Dance - Remastered (14)
-, Into the Labyrinth - Remastered (11)
-, The Serpent’s Egg - Remastered (10)
-, Spiritchaser - Remastered (8)
-, Spleen and Ideal - Remastered (9)
-, Toward the Within - Remastered (15)

Almost the entire catalog of Dead Can Dance, evidently remastered - from their goth-rock leanings on their eponymous debut through their trademark medieval ecstacy to the worldbeat of Spiritchaser. Only 1987’s Within the Realm of a Dying Sun is (curiously) absent, which sadly means no “Cantara.”

Ladytron, Velocifero (13)

A continuing shift in sound away from their earliest pure synthpop homage, although not too far astray from Witching Hour. But still, “new Ladytron” is enough for me.


Niyaz, Nine Heavens (9+8)

Second full release from Azam Ali’s electronic collaboration, although this time joined with an album of separate acoustic renderings for contrast. The beats are pulled back (or rendered more natural) compared to the debut, and with the acoustic arrangements this runs closer to the ethno-ambient continuum already inhabited by her work with Vas. Gradually they are becoming more like the aggressive-folk sound of Sweden’s Hedningarna and less like a Persian Delerium, which actually adds to their distinctiveness.

Stray Cats, Choo Choo Hot Fish (11)

You may have heard “Elvis on Velvet” when it was in heavy rotation back in the summer of 1994, a bit of a surprise hit given the general absence of rockabilly from the 90s and the struggles of the band to stay together between albums. The rest of the album besides the breakneck “Elvis” is a good mix of old-school Setzer swing plus classic instrumentals like “Sleepwalk” and the Chris Isaak-esque “Jade Idol.”

See Also

Aarktica, Bleeding Light (8)
-, Matchless (8)
-, Pure Tone Audiometry (7)

Adele, 19 (12)

Alpha, Without Some Help (11)

Arcana, Raspail (10)

Bitter:Sweet, Drama (13)

Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Scarecrow (5)

Mari Boine, In the Hand of the Night (12)

Camper Van Beethoven, Popular Songs of Enduring Strength and Beauty (18)

Eliza Carthy, Dreams of Breathing Underwater (11)

Chandeen, Teenage Poetry (11)

Collide, Live at the El Rey (16)

Gigi D’Agostino, The Greatest Hits (10)

Delerium, Chillout Friends (17)

Not a new album but a theme compilation of similar artists, including ambient side-project Synaesthesia.

The Dreaming, Etched in Blood (11)

Featuring Chris Hall (former vocalist of Stabbing Westward) in a rock setting versus the industrial feel of SW. Would have been awesome in 1988.

The Durutti Column, Sunlight to Blue…Blue To Blackness (11)

Hybrid, Gravastar/Celebrity Science (2)
-, Visible Noise / Know Your Enemy (3)

Justice, Cross (12)

Mogwai, Come On Die Young (12)

Monolake, Hongkong Remastered (6)

Mötley Crüe, Saints of Los Angeles (13)

Sarah Nixey, Le Temps De L’Amour (2)
-, When I’m Here With You - Mixes (4)

Nomo, Ghost Rock (9)

Gary Numan, Exile (9)
-, Pure (11)

Michael Nyman, 8 Lust Songs (8)

The Orb, The Dream (15)

Piano Magic, Disaffected (11)

Maddy Prior & June Tabor, Silly Sisters (13)

Scanner, Sound Polaroids (6)

Looks to be the same as the originally-posted Scanner+Tonne version.

A Shoreline Dream, NeverChanger (3)

Featuring Ulrich Schnauss.

Si-Se, More Shine (12)

Spanish-flavored downtempo.

Synaesthesia, Embody (7)

Maria Taylor with Andy LeMaster, Savannah Drive (7)

Tearwave, Tearwave (10)

Sally Timms & John Langford, Songs of False Hope and High Values (12)

Trance to the Sun, Spiders, Aether & Rain (13)

Two Lone Swordsmen, Emissions Archive Vol 1 (10)

Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend (11)

Vidna Obmana, Passage in Beauty (8)
-, Shadowing in Sorrow (7)
-, Ending Mirage (6)

Together these make up the out-of-print Trilogy collection of early albums converted from LP.

Voltaire, Ooky Spooky (11)

The Weepies, Happiness (8)

Wolfsheim, Pop Killer (12)

soundtrack, The Running Man (Harold Faltermeyer) (17)

studio cast, Songs From: Phantom of the Opera (16)

Christine suffers from a touch of lisp, the Phantom hams a bit, and the orchestra remains overly muted, but generally competent. Last 4 tracks are from “Sunset Boulevard.”

Favorite Artist Name/Reference

Marty McFly, This Is Heavy (4)

Free

The Postmarks, By the Numbers - 6 (1)

various, 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival Sampler (13+12)

various, Chemikal Underground Sampler (6)

various, Prestige/Rudy Van Gelder Sampler (5)

various, White Whale Records Sampler V.1 (7)

Spoken Word

Allen Ginsberg, Howl (6)

Bertrand Russell, 20th Century Philosopher (25)

Orson Welles, War of the Worlds (1)
-, Best Of (10)

Tribute Corner

Pickin On’, The Bluegrass Tribute to Guns ‘N Roses (10)

Some of these (”Welcome to the Jungle”) would fit in quite comfortably on Dr. Demento, while the ballads stand up pretty well and the arrangement for “Paradise City” is surprisingly apt.

-, The Bluegrass Tribute to Classic Rock Volume 2 (15)

Creedence Clearwater Revival makes a pretty smooth conversion, while “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is a natural fit.

Value

Darla Bliss Out Series: “The Darla Records Bliss Out series was created as a venue for uniquely qualified artists who work with more ambience, melody & mood than most to have the opportunity to step off their career path and showcase their epic musical Om.”

1. Flowchart, Tenjira (4)
2. Windy & Carl, Antarctica (3)
3. Orange Cake Mix, Silver Lining Underwater (13)
4. AMP, Perception (no longer available)
5. Fuxa, Venoy (2)
6. Tomorrowland, Stereoscopic Soundwaves (6)
7. Mirza, Anadromous (4)
8. Transient Waves, Wading and Waiting (3)
9. American Analog Set, Late One Sunday (2)
10. Junior Varsity KM, Taking Care of You (not currently available)
11. Sweet Trip, Halica (7)
12. Bright, Blue Christian (7)
13. Piano Magic, A Trick of the Sea (2)
14. The Cat’s Miaow, The Long Goodbye (not currently available)
15. Lilys, Zero Population Growth (6)
16. Technicolor, Normal Control Range (9)
17. Mus, Aida (2)
18. Aarktica, Or You Could Just Go Through Your Whole Life and Be Happy Anyway (7)
19. Japancakes, Belmondo (6)
20. Manual, The North Shore (7)

Scanner, Audiosphere (2)
-, The Crystalline Address (2)

Sunn O))), White 2 (3)