Winter Mix

1. Peter Broderick - A Snowflake
2. Banjo or Freakout - Silent Night
3. Gary Marks - First Snowfall
4. Dog Ears - Like Rain
5. Nils Frahm - Ambre
6. Hong Kong In The 60s - Walking in the Air
7. Kool & The Gang - Winter Sadness
8. Val-d'Isére - Taller Than Required
9. Hanne Hukkelberg - The North Wind
10. Valgeir Sigurðsson - Cold Ground, Hot
11. Burial - Fostercare
12. Mogwai - Radar Maker
13. Kate Bush - The Man With The Child In His Eyes
14. Sufjan Stevens - Star Of Wonder
15. Fleetwood Mac - Save Me A Place

Long Division with Remainders : 14 Versions Of The Same EP

'14 Versions Of The Same EP' is a collaborative music project between husband and wife duo Long Division With Remainders and experimental artists from around the world including Leyland Kirby, Isnaj Dui, BLK w/BEAR and Sone Institute. Basic electronic fumblings were sent to anyone interested, then added to, remixed and known as Version 1, Version 2 etc - before being offered for free download on the LDWR site. An impressive very limited edition box set of Volume One is now on sale with bespoke packaging by Damian O’Hara.

MP3:
Leyland Kirby '3 (Version 14)'

More at Front & Follow.

Ólafur Arnalds : and they have escaped the weight of darkness

Here's more from Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds' excellent new album 'and they have escaped the weight of darkness', out now on Erased Tapes.

MP3:
'Þú ert sólin'
'Tunglid'



More at Erased Tapes.

Memories Live Longer Than Dreams

A selection of tracks designed for an afternoon nap.

1. Mazzy Star 'Before I Sleep'
2. The Cardigans 'Laika'
3. The Acorn 'Lullaby (Mountain)'
4. The Bees 'Sky Holds The Sun'
5. Yo La Tengo 'Green Arrow'
6. Benge '1975 Moog Polymoog'
7. Peter Broderick & Machinefabriek 'Homecoming'
8. Sylvain Chauveau 'Ma Contribution Á L'industrie Phonographique'
9. Jóhannsson, Jóhann 'Karen Byr Til Engil'
10. Eric Peters 'Space Service'
11. Helios 'Hollie'
12. Leyland Kirby 'Memories Live Longer Than Dreams'
13. Sharon Van Etten 'Some Dream'
14. North Sea Radio Orchestra 'Guitar Minature #2'
15. Found 'Banjo Tricks'
16. Shocking Pinks 'Wake Up'
17. Broadcast & The Focus Group 'You Must Wake'
18. Miguel Atwood Ferguson & Carlos Nino 'High Heavenly'
19. Remember Remember 'Up In A Blue Light'
20. Daedelus 'Fin De Siéclee'

Ólafur Arnalds : Þú ert sólin

Iceland doesn't just produce ash spewing, aeroplane grounding, sky tinting volcanoes you know, its responsible for a decent amount of musical geniuses too. Neo-classical composer Ólafur Arnalds' second album '...and they have escaped the weight of darkness' is due out in June on Erased Tapes with 'Þú ert sólin' being the first track to appear.

MP3:
Ólafur Arnalds 'Þú ert sólin

More at Erased Tapes.

Sam Amidon : Thirteen (Big Star Cover)

To mark the passing of Big Star front man Alex Chilton, Sam Amidon has recorded this version of 'Thirteen' with Beth Orton, who coincidentally is all over his beautiful new album 'I Saw The Sign'.

MP3:
Sam Amidon & Beth Orton 'Thirteen' (Big Star Cover)
(via Radio Free Song Club)

Sam's on tour throughout the remainder of April alongside fellow talented Bedroom Community artists Valgeir Sigurdsson, Ben Frost and Nico Muhly.

20th London @ The Barbican
21st NCH, Dublin, IRL
22nd St Annes Church, Manchester
23rd St Georges Church, Brighton
24th Arnolfini, Bristol
25th Concert Hall, Reading

More at Bedroom Community.

The Form Group : Bare Branches Mix

The Form Group is the experimental/improvisational project of The Leaf Library’s guitarist Matthew Ashton. 'Bare Branches' is a mix of favourite artists and influences. 'Four Improvisations' is released on Proper Songs in March.

1. Andrew Bird - Unfolding Fans (Bella Union)
2. The Remote Viewer - You're Going To Love Our Defeat (City Centre Offices)
3. Vladislav Delay - Nesso (Huume)
4. Stars of the Lid and John McCafferty - Anchor States Part One (Kranky)
5. Mount Kimbie - Maybes (Hot Flush)
6. Aaron Martin and Part-Timer - Orchard (Scrumped Mix) (Moteer)
7. Celer - Gaited Florets (Low Point)
8. Deepchord presents Echospace - Winter in Seney (Modern Love)
9. Peter Broderick - Part Seven: The Path to Recovery (Erased Tapes)
10. Blue Daisy Feat. LaNote - Space Ex (Black Acre)
11. Fennesz - Perfume for Winter (Touch)
12. Tortoise - DJed (edit) (City Slang)
13. Robert Henke - Mass Transit Railway (Imbalance)
14. Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint (Slow) (Nonesuch)
15. Mordant Music - Fading Font (Mordant Music)
16. Kontext - Blinkende Stjerne (Immerse)
17. Broadcast and The Focus Group - What I Saw (Warp)
18. ES - Universaali Totuus (Fonal)
19. Atlas Sound with Laetitia Sadier - Quick Canal (4AD)

Nils Frahm : Wintermusik

Its during early mornings on days like this that 'Wintermusik' by Nils Frahm resonates at its best. Originally recorded as a Christmas present for family and friends, it found its way to the outside world at first via Sonic Pieces in June and then a wider release via Erased Tapes in a far more appropriate December.



Buy at Boomkat.

Proper Songs 2009

The other night I started compiling a '2009 round up' playlist...which turned into this mammoth four hour, 60 track mix. Its by no means a definitive list or a best of 2009 (and I'm sure there are some glaring omissions) but its meant as a poke around the output of some of my favourite bands and artists this year.

Part One MP3
Here We Go Magic ‘Fangela’
Django Django ‘Storm’
The Dirty Projectors ‘Two Doves'
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard ‘Broken Broken Broken Heart’
Yo La Tengo ‘Nothing To Hide’
Best Coast ‘When I'm With You’
The Horrors ‘Who Can Say’
Neon Indian ‘Should Have Taken Acid With You’
Toro y Moi ‘Timed Pleasure’
Washed Out ‘Feel It All Around’
The Very Best ‘Julia’
Animal Collective ‘Bluish’
Hong Kong In The 60s ‘Footsteps’
Atlas Sound ‘Quick Canal’ (w/Laetitia Sadier)
The xx ‘Basic Space’
Fontän ‘Nightrider'
Bibio ‘Haikuesque (When She Laughs)’
Taken By Trees ‘Anna’
Cortney Tidwell ‘Son & Moon’
2562 ‘Unbalance’
Martyn ‘Yet’
Architeq ‘Birds Of Dub’
Florence and The Machine ‘You've Got the Love’ (The xx Remix)
Teengirl Fantasy ‘Hollywood Hils’
Memory Tapes ‘Pink Stones’
The Emperor Machine ‘Snatch Shot’
The Juan MacLean ‘The Station’
CFCF ‘Crystal Mines’
Dorian Concept ‘The Fucking Formula’

Part Two MP3
Bronnt Industries Kapital ‘Streets Of Fury’
Subway ‘Harmonia’
Broadcast & The Focus Group ‘Libra, The Mirror's Minor Self’
Volcano Choir ‘Island, IS’
Tune-Yards ‘Hatari’
Yppah ‘Gumball Machine Weekend’
Beak> ‘Ears Have Ears’
Summer Camp ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’
Banjo Or Freakout ‘Mr No’
Deerhunter ‘Game of Diamonds’
Camera Obscura ‘French Navy’
Freshard ‘Who The World Belongs To’
Iron & Wine ‘Love Vigilantes’
Will Stratton ‘Who Will’
Grizzly Bear ‘Two Weeks’
Special Benny ‘Air Filter’
Darwin Deez ‘Constellations’
Phoenix ‘1901’
Bon Iver ‘Brackett, W9’
Fink ‘Sort Of Revolution’
The Low Anthem ‘Charlie Darwin’
The Long Lost ‘Woebegone’
J. Tillman ‘Crosswinds’
Blacklands ‘Listen to Me In Your Heart’
Alela Diane ‘To Be Still’
Andrew Bird ‘Tenuousness’
Papercuts ‘Dead Love’
Lotus Plaza ‘Whiteout’
Illa J ‘Sounds Like Love’ (Carlos Niño & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson's In Space Remix)
Peter Broderick & Machinefabriek ‘Homecoming’
Ólafur Arnalds ‘Raein’

Part One


Part Two


Part Three


Part Four


Part Five


Part Six

Peter Broderick & Machinefabriek : Blank Grey Canvas Sky

This collaboration between two leading lights of the experimental scene is a beautiful and understated exploration into soundscapes, with delicate white noise fuzz punctuated by sparse piano chords and ethereal string arrangements. The result is simultaneously disorientating and comforting, evoking a dreamlike state, with only glitch like snatches of radio broadcasts in 'Blank Grey' allowing the real world to intrude upon soporific heaven.

Kites

Buy from Fangbomb.

Ólafur Arnalds : Found Songs

Iceland's neo-classical export Ólafur Arnalds created the beautiful series 'Found Songs' over a week in April this year. Recording a song a day he instantly made each track available via Twitter with fans contributing artwork via Flickr. 100,000 downloads later it's now getting a full release on lovely 10" vinyl and CD by Erased Tapes.



Download all the MP3s from foundsongs.erasedtapes.com and then buy it at Erased Tapes.