Flying Saucer Attack - "Distance"

Yesterday, my buddy Richard (who will hopefully be doing some writing for this blog!) picked up a CD I hadn't heard for awhile, and showed it to me with excitement he couldn't contain. He was broke due to buying the CD and he didn't care. It was Flying Saucer Attack and suddenly, I remembered.
Hearing Flying Saucer Attack for the first time was like getting hit in the head with a pile of laser beam shooting bricks. My jaw hit the ground and stayed there for awhile, while my mind shut down and just went with it. It was the first time in awhile that I heard something new and didn't instantly analyze it; my mind got wiped and all that was left was giddy, senseless joy. For the first time in awhile, I couldn't find a single element I didn't enjoy, not a single flaw. I was a FSA junkie from that point on and I remain so to this day.
Its just.... noisey, spacey, shoegazy fucking brilliance. Its like white noise making love to mopey folk while trying to conjure magic. Agh. Words fail me. You really gotta listen to get it. So ambient and beautiful, it takes you to some seriously rad places. This band had serious DIY ethic too, recording almost entirely from home and collaborating with a large variety of others. They were AWESOME. If I could only bring 10 albums with me to a desert island somewhere, 4 of them would be Flying Saucer Attack CD's.
Enjoy!

1. Oceans
2. Standing Stone
3. Crystal Shade
4. Instrumental Wish
5. Distance
6. November Mist
7. Soaring High
8. Oceans 2


Download here!

Sigur Ros - Ágætis byrjun

Sigur Ros is an Iclandic post rock band with minimalist, orchestrated elements and a very peaceful vibe. With such a unique sound, they manage to capture the haunting beauty of a snow covered wasteland; its sweeping and delicate, with an edge of mystery provided by the language barrier. This album is almost entirely sung in Icelandic, but that just adds to it... and makes it all the more impressive that they are able to communicate their meaning to you, even if you don't understand what exactly they are saying. There's clever usage of palindromes, backmasking, and even some slightly shoegaze-y elements to be found. If you have some soul searching to do, this band will be your soundtrack. Please enjoy!

1. Intro
2. Svefn-g-englar
3. Starálfur
4. Flugufrelsarinn
5. Ný batterí
6. Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)
7. Viðrar vel til loftárása
8. Olsen Olsen
9. Ágætis byrjun
10. Avalon

Download here!

Deerhunter - "Halcylon Digest"

Sadness has never sounded so sublime.
This release by the noise/indie/experimental collective is one of the best things 2010 has offered us so far, blending lush sounds with spazzy noise. It brings to mind, for me, the feeling of first hearing a sound or song you really love; that moment where you forget music politics. That moment where, if the song was a woman, you'd be moving your hand up the skirt. Its intimate and stripped down and evokes feeling of nostalgia, but not nostalgia of an era or a person; of a sound and a moment that so many music groups forget as they go along. It jumps from loud to quiet over and over, blending in dozens of different instruments without ever overwhelming you and with tons of stream-of-conscience lyrics to support it all. Its post punk dissonance, shoegaze daze. For fans of Animal Collective, My Bloody Valentine, etc!

01. Earthquake
02. Don't Cry
03. Revival
04. Sailing
05. Memory Boy
06. Desire Lines
07. Basement Scene
08. Helicopter
09. Fountain Stairs
10. Coronado
11. He Would Have Laughed

DL Link here!

Dishwashing Through Other Eyes

I want you to listen to this with your eyes closed, without a single thought on the brain. I want you to let this literal environment of noise and music surround you, as it did me. When I first heard this, I had the good fortune of hearing it through a full surround sound speaker system so if you have have that luxury, I highly recomend it. It truly surrounds you. Let emotion or thought come and go, like a river through your being. Just embrace whatever this piece of work brings to you.
Created by two very important people in my life, this music touches my soul because it captures alot of human contradiction in its 5 minute duration. It's quiet yet loud, soft yet thunderous, focused yet unfocused, passive yet aggresive. But most of all, it doesn't force any sort of ideas or emotions onto the listener, its not that sort of easy listen... it inspires and brings them out from within.
It's honest, it leaves an impression and it provokes thought. This is the most true music can hope to do.
It's the work of some truly talented and amazing people. Enjoy!

Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Why There Are Mountains"

This little gem of lo-fi, shogaze, and indie is a treasure to behold. I learned of CEG through an interview with the lead singer of Titus Andronicus and the melodically driven wall of noise that they play has had me hooked since the moment I first heard it. At time's delirously happy and at others just plain weird, "Why There Are Mountains" is an album perfect for contemplation... or a good walk. It can be backround music, or it can be truly dissected and appreciated. The lyrics are gloriously trippy, the textures are softened yet hard, and the sound bounces happily between walls of noise and rushes of melody. This is such a cool album, and I hope you like it.

1. "And The Hazy Sea"
2. "Some Tree's"
3. "Indianna"
4. "Cold Spring"
5. "Share"
6. "What Dogs See"
7. "Wind Phoenix"
8. "The Living North"
9. "Like Blood Does"

DL Link here!

Titus Andronicus - "The Airing Of Grievances"

I talk alot about these guys in my day to day life, but I just can't help it. Every now and again you here an album or a band that just grabs you by the collar and wrings your neck, leaving you breathless and stunned. An album so instantly relevant, it hurts. For me, "The Airing Of Grievances" is an album like that.
Combining Punk rage and self loathing with Indie sensibilities and an odd E Street style rhythm section, Titus Andronicus sounds like the Arcade Fire being attacked by Stiff Little Fingers and My Bloody Valentine while Bruce Springsteen plays in the backround, underscoring the chaos. Its the weirdest, most fucked up combination of shoegaze haze and punk clarity. In other words, its brilliant. No other band in recent memory is able to delve into a 7 minute jam sesh mid song and not be boring as hell, and yet Titus Andronicus does just that. Every solo, a spit in your face. And trust me, you will NOT stop listening.
Not only that, Titus Andronicus really knows there stuff. Referencing everyone from Albert Camus to Seinfeld to the very Shakespearean play they are named for in the lyrics, these are the most smart words of self hatred I've ever heard. And yet, not once do I feel sorry for these guys and thats the key. They dont play up the depressing nature of there lyrics so much as throw it in your face, sneering "No one cares what I have to say anymore" like a declaration of defiance more then anything.
I can't overstate how awesome this album is. It will be ringing in your ears for days regardless of wether you like it or note. It's just that unique, and iconic.
C-C-Check it out!

1. Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ
2. My Time Outside The Womb
3. Joset Of Nazareth's Blues
4. Arms Against Atrophy
5. Upon Viewing Brueghels "Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus"
6. Titus Andronicus
7. No Future
8. No Future Part 2: The Day After No Future
9. Albert Camus

DL Link
http://www.mediafire.com/?zj3ammjluoy