THE END. Or is it?

Overall the experience of writing this blog has been invaluable. Given the opportunity to comment on music has really opened my eyes to a new hobby as I can enjoy listening to music I love and improve my writing skills. From this assignment I may take up making a website where I can comment on wide varieties of music and help individuals sample artists of various genres. Although this is not a formal way of writing, I believe its healthy to break out of the stiff writing structure and writing about things you truly have a passion for in an informal one-on-one format. I can honestly say I have grown a love for writing and and even greater love for music. Thank You for following and reading my blog.

P.S. Sister Steadman if you are reading this I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your class. Thank You.

#20 Zelienople: Pajama Avenue

Zelienople is a trio from Chicago who play music that you might expect given the album title of Pajama Avenue. Mixing quiet guitar melodies with floating synths, electronics, subtle percussion, and the ocassional clarinet, the group creates perfect music for those lazy days in which you just sort of wander around your abode without ever getting fully dressed (the kind of day that I think everyone wishes they had more of). In addition to the dreamy landscape, member Matt Christensen adds soft, breathy baritone vocals to almost every track, adding to the hazy feel of things.

With all of the elements above, one can hear bits of early Labradford, early Mojave 3, and a touch of some softer shoegazer bands. With 9 tracks that run just under 40 minutes, the group keeps things on the shorter end of the spectrum in terms of similar artists, opting for almost a minimal, fuzzy soft pop instead of drawn-out dronescapes. Opening with "It's Hard To Steal Cars," the disc shuffles into a soft journey with fluttering drums and a repetitive guitar melody over some subtle electronic programming. Christensen adds his sort of mumbly-whispered vocals, and despite not changing much throughout the course of the track (although other small flourishes come in and out of the mix), it goes on for just about the right length, with a nice horn instrumental to give it almost a jazzy swagger to close things out.

As with the first track, nearly every song on the album unfolds at a very human pace. After the slighty faster (which is sort of funny given the title) pace on "Chase Scene," the disc lands with one of the best songs in the stripped-down, "Friendly With The Father." Christensen sings in harmony with a pretty guitar melody that's absolutely drenched in warm reverb sounds while only a pitter-patter of hi-hat and some quiet found-sound samples of a bustling city play out in the background. If I had fuzzy slippers, my toes would be curling in them.

While many of the songs follow similar patterns in regards to their sound, it's the subtle changes that make the album work. "You Got Shot Down" piles several layers of warm loops over one another as the track chugs along with a subdued urgency while the album-titled "Pajama Avenue" adds some slightly uneasy synth sounds to the mix for sort of a woozy feel. If you're a fan of much of the dreamscapey sounds of the Kranky label, the Darla Bliss-Out series, or nearly any of the groups above, Zelionople probably has something to offer you. A solid little debut album, it moves steadily and surely without resorting to gimmicks. Great music for the upcoming winter.

#19 The Opus: Breathing Lessons

It seems like about once a year a very cool instrumental hip-hop album just sort of claws its way into my subconscious and the best of the past couple months just happens to be this release Breathing Lessons by The Opus. There's no doubt that the stuff on this disc will appeal to those looking for a healthy dose of fat beats and well-placed samples.

There's no use fighting the urge to compare this release to work by DJ Shadow, and so I'm just going to go ahead and toss that out right now. It's not _quite_ as hard as the stuff that RJD2 has put together on his last two outings, but it definitely has things in common with him as well. Basically, what you get is 11 nicely-varied tracks that bump for just over an hours time. The opener of "Fanum's Organs" is a fairly standard number cutting up vocals over a two-stepping beat that loops incessantly while sounding like its leading into something better. "Mission Control" is what comes next, and while it gets a little bogged down towards the end (by repeating the same sample ad infinitum), the opening two-thirds of the track works wonderfully with a touch of ominous samples and a rattling beat.

It's on "Life's Endless Cycle Pt. 1" where the Josh Davis (aka Shadow) comparisons really come in handy, though. A nicely subdued beat rumbles along under what sounds like filtered strings and other classical music, spilling together into a track that reminds one of the "What Does Your Soul Look Like" series. "Life's Endless Cycle Pt. 3" bumps things back up again with some filtered horn and vocal samples while "Isis" loops string stabs and plucks over another trunk-rattling rhythm.

The album closes out with three longer tracks (all seven minutes plus), but it's here where the album is also has some of its best moments. "The Strange Adventures Of Mr Happy" could have probably used a smidge more editing, but swirls together shimmering soundscapes with upright bass and loops of broken jazz for a gem while the album closer of "The Addiction" builds from a quieter piece into a pummeling epic over the course of 10 minutes. In short, if you enjoy instrumental hip hop (especially by the likes of those mentioned above), you'll most likely bump on this.

#18 Qua: Painting Monsters On Clouds

The two-part album opening tracks of "Painting Monsters" and "On Clouds" are a perfect introduction to his sound as he explores rhythm, melody and texture in ways that call to mind a slew of different artists without sounding directly like any of them. The former track mixes soft waves of feedback, clicky percussion and billowy ambience into a nice introduction, while the latter mingles together ramshackle drumming, playful melodies (that include filtered harps and twangy guitars), and warm textures in a way that calls to mind Caribou or Four Tet.

From there, the album continues to play things light and loose, and "Luckybuster" mixes some pretty guitar melodies with soft keyboards and some rather hyper programming into a track that falls somewhere between The Books and melodic IDM. The middle of the release slows things down a bit with quieter tracks like "Watercolour" (that blends field recordings, warm melodica, and some nice programming) and "Happy Domestica," which mixes clean playful tones and organic instrumentation in a way that sounds a bit like Nobukazu Takemura or Motohiro Nakashima.

Also a multimedia artist, Wilczek really sounds as if he's literally taking small steps with each song on his albums. Painting Monsters On Clouds fittingly ends with two of the best tracks on the entire release, with "Output" finding quirky melodies dancing off more textural backdrops and some nice acoustic guitar while the closer of "Secret Space" builds from an intro that recalls Mum into a more band-like second section with muffled drums, bright guitars, chimes, and loads of electronics. Considering the nice leap he made from his first album to his second, and that this eleven song release originally came out in 2008, here's hoping for yet another chapter in the evolving sound of Qua in the near future.

#17 Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Yanqui U.X.O.

Godspeed You Black Emperor is one of those groups whom I stumbled upon almost by accident a couple years ago and never turned back from. They took elements of classical, post and punk rock, ambient, and field recordings and somehow weaved it all into a magical sound that, despite it's somewhat downcast feel, gave me a little bit more hope. Every subsequent release has been eagerly anticipated, and Yanqui U.X.O. is no different. On a statement released with this album is the sentence, "the new album is just music," and that small statement can be read a variety of ways.

Strictly musically speaking, Yanqui U.X.O. is just what the statement says. Whereas the group encorporated found-sound recordings and other drifting passages in their past three releases (to the liking of some and the chagrin of others), this release is 75 minutes of pure music. There are quieter passages, and there are once again bombastic moments as well, but there is never an off moment. In that respect, the group feels more solid than ever, unfolding three songs over the course of 5 epic tracks, unveiling pieces that feel more like orchestral movements than simply smaller pieces of a larger whole.

Reading the above statement yet another way, one can easily take it as a statement for those who wish to pry meaning out of each and every thing that the group does. It's no secret that the group speaks their mind when it comes to politics (and the detailed drawing linking the big four media groups to production of military weapons), and while the group themselves makes references to different tracks in the liner notes to stir the imagination, they also admit their own implication when it comes to terms of their record being sold at chain-stores and other large media outlets (in turn owned by one of the members of the chart). It might 'just' be music, but if it's enough to inspire some action and involvement, (as the punctuation change in their name possibly suggests), hopefully it will inspire You! to action (or at least give you a little more hope).

Because of some of the above-mentioned items, Yanqui U.X.O. is probably one of the more difficult releases by the group to wrap your head around. While Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven was also a long release in that it was essentially 4 tracks stretched out over 90 minutes and 2 CDs, those tracks were in turn broken down into smaller segments (by samples or other instrumental bits that offered a bit of respite). Here, there are basically 5 segments, which in turn run only 15 minutes less than all the material on that last release.

"09-15-00" opens the release as reverbed guitars and thick percussion slowly builds out of a quiet harpsichord melody. Slowly piling on strings and more swirling guitars as it goes, the track takes a very undulating course, rising and falling very subtlely until it lays things to waste about ten minutes into the 17 minute long track. The 6 minute reprise of the track drifts like smoke clearing on a battlefield, with echoing guitar plucks and percussion ringing out over sad strings and quiet guitar feedback ripples. From the urgent opening guitars of "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls," it's obvious that it's teetering on the brink of an explosion, but once again the group builds the anticipation, letting small slivers of noise slip out before letting loose with a squall of blistering guitars and strings. From there, the track drops off into a middle section of plucked strings and again the tension bar is raised, as melancholy horns by Rob Mazurek and crew give it an even more deserted feel. Eventually, the track builds to another plateau, and while it's not quite as loud as expected, it sounds downright optimistic in contrast to the somewhat claustrophobic other three-quarters.

"Redeemer" is the album closer, and at over 30 minutes in its two segments, its easily the epic of the album. They've given it the royal treatment here, building from quiet chimes to an absolute thundering peak (again stretching the build out with subtle ripples and changes) before nestling back into quieter moments before a heaving and gasping reprise. In the end, it's another amazing release from the group, but it's not something that you can simply sat back with in one night and expect to digest. It's a release that refuses to be rushed, and while it still holds some of the basic things in common with releases of the past by the group, it also finds them developing their sound into something slightly different. It's a little bit less about the destination, and more about the journey, and despite that lingering statement about it being 'just music,' I've still managed to blather on about it for quite some time. That should tell you something right there.

#16 Wolf Parade: Apologies To The Queen Mary

The disc opens with "You Are A Runner And I Am My Fathers Son," (one of two songs on the previous EP), then backs things off ever-so-slightly with the acoustic guitar and piano-backed "Modern World." Members Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner switch back and forth on lead vocals (with literally almost every other track) and it's worth noting again that the slightly drawling vocals of Krug remind me a bit of Beck when he's not in mellow mode. With "Grounds For Divorce," the group starts a steady ramp-up and the gritty guitar/synth mixture of the track alternates between marching verses and more lush choruses.

Those looking for the group to truly rock out need look no further than the one-two punch of "We Built Another World" and "Fancy Claps." The former blasts out of the gate with a blistering guitar attack before dropping back a smidge with quieter, synth-laced sections while the latter lets the synths run even more rampant, bolting through dizzying arpeggios backed up with a dance-attack rhythm section and chunky guitars. It's one of the best tracks on the album and one of the best they've ever created (in their short lifetime).

From there, the group slows the pace but keeps things rough and tumble, piling on little instrumental touches here and there and sometimes spitting out vocals well worth the sing-along. Another highlight is "I'll Believe In Anything," a track that is about as anthematic as the group gets, always feeling like it's on the cusp of something bigger and bigger as it unfolds like a string of gradually louder and more epic choruses. In a few places, the nearly fifty minute release sags a smidge and/or feels like the group is regurging a bit, but for the most part it's a highly enjoyable romp from a group who seems like they'd be a blast live. It bears repeating, Hail Canada!

#15 Hrsta: Ghosts Will Come And Kiss Our Eyes

Mike Moya is a longtime member of the Canadian music scene, and has been a member of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Set Fire To Flames, Molasses, and others. Under the name Hrsta, he's released two albums with a varying cast of supporting members, but Ghosts Will Come And Kiss Our Eyes finds him joined by Brooke Crouser, as one of the core members of the group. The resulting album isn't too far off from past work, with largely spectral tracks comprised of slightly eerie instrumentation augmented by the somewhat odd vocal style of Moya himself.

As mentioned above, most of the album moves by with only a flickering of intensity, instead content to soak in a vibe of foreboding. "Beau Village" heightens the tension with some strained vocals by Moya as strummed guitars reverb out over moans of organs, bowed electric guitar, and muffled drums. "The Orchard" is even more measured, with a ghostly choir filling in the gaps behind some nice harmonies by Moya and Crouser as guitars mingle with electric piano.

One of the most haunting songs on the release are also the most airy and open. "Tomorrow Winter Comes" is easily one of the album standouts, as shimmering guitars mingle with twinkles of analogue synth and other drones to create a beautiful wash of sound that tingles the senses without being overbearing. On the other side of things are "Hechicero Del Bosque" and "Kotori," which build from the slow-burning psych that pervades much of the rest of the album into downright rocking tracks that help give the album a bit of needed punch. The former is particularly effective, simmering for almost six minutes before building to a boiling point and blowing its stack during the closing section.

As a whole, Ghosts Will Come And Kiss Our Eyes is probably the most consistent album from Hrsta to date. It feels much more like an album than a collection of various songs (as his past releases sometimes did), peaking nicely in places while sprawling in others. The closer of "Holiday" surprises as well, packing things into a fairly tight three minutes, easily making for one of Moya's most "pop" songs to date. It's not for everyone, but if you've enjoyed past work from the group, or the Constellation feel in general, you probably won't go wrong here.

#14 Pedro The Lion: Achilles Heel

Although my favorite release by the group is still probably The Only Reason I Feel Secure, I have to admit that Pedro The Lion had hit a pretty good stride with their last two releases of Winners Never Quit and Control. Although musically and thematically quite different, each one worked well within a concept and were full of solid tracks. Having listened to Achilles Heel many a time now, I'd have to say that this is one of the least strong discs by the group in their entire discography.

I'm not sure if it's the lack of a clear-cut conceptual idea or something else, but the 11 songs on the release just seem to plow along through waters that the group has already rowed many times before. The slowcore opener of "Bands With Managers" is actually one of the more successful tracks on the release, moving through molasses before punctuating choruses that shake the track free. "Arizona" also manages to stand out a bit with a strong chiming guitar melody before crunching back into distortion land.

The lack of variety definitely bogs down the album in large part as well, especially through the middle section. Fortunately, things switch up a bit towards the end with the buoyant and glorious "Transcontinental" and the countrified closer of "The Poison." Even though the album is 11 tracks and under 40 minutes of running time, it just doesn't have the same amount of memorable parts of previous releases. Whereas old tracks like "Big Trucks" and even "Slow And Steady Wins The Race" stick in your craw for a long time, I can barely remember a thing after Achilles Heel stops spinning. It's not a flat-out horrible album, but quite a dissapointment from the usually reliable group.

#13 Underworld: A Hundred Days Off

Those who have been following the group for a long time know that it was the two above members who were actually the original incarnation of the group anyway, way back when they formed in the late 80s and very early 90s. It was at this time that the group released several albums (Change The Weather and Underneath The Radar) which basically sounded like watered-down Depeche Mode, complete with the group members wearing pretty questionable fashion. Fortunately, the two have mainly stayed the course that everyone has known to grow and love the group for, and the good ship Underworld sails on with A Hundred Days Off.

I should mention that there are a few minor differences, some of which may be slightly off-putting to those who have been with them from what most people recognize as their first 'real' album as a trio (Dubnobasswithmyheadman). The first is that the 'clubbier' feel that started peeking through more with their Beaucoup Fish release has definitely continued onward. Although there are some slightly slower numbers on the disc, DJs are going to have a heyday with the majority of the release, as it flows along with nice BPM's and smooth beats. Another thing to notice is that the group isn't quite as moody before. Whereas their first two releases delved a lot more into the darker side of things, it was also on the aforementioned Beaucoup Fish that they lightened up a lot in terms of overall mood.

Not wasting any time in getting the 10 track, 60-plus minute release rolling, the album bursts out of the gate right off the bat with "MoMove," a fast-paced dancefloor throbber that features the ubiquitous vocals of Hyde drifting through almost atmospherically while the track steadily builds. "Two Months Off," (the first single from the album) keeps things rolling with another pulsing beat and starts out with a sample of a woman speaking before it really tears into things. The beat is very reminiscent of that of "Moaner" from the last release, except the group piles shimmering synth sounds on top of things instead of going aggro. The track still builds into a nice crescendo, but as seems to be the case with most of the album, lighter sounds are favored rather than more harsh ones.

If you're a fan of the darker energy that the group brought to their earlier releases (like Dubnobasswithmyheadman), you may find this release a little soft in the middle. In addition to the less psycho sensual mood, the beat programming is slightly less complex (the hugely varied beat progressions and structures of Second Toughest In The Infants are nowhere to be found), but the group still manages to keep things varied by throwing in some less dancey tracks. "Solo Sistim" lurks along with a mid-tempo pace and some super-thick gurgling synth stabs, while "Trim" arrives as one of the best tracks on the disc, putting a bit of twang into both the beat and vocal filters, giving the track sort of an off-kilter futuro western feel that provides a welcome breath about midway through the album. "Ess Gee" takes things down even more, delivering a pretty, instrumental track of only filtered, quiet electric guitar.

If some of the earlier tracks were designed for the dancefloor, a couple more tracks arrive later in the album that completely smoke things down. "Dinosaur Adventure 3D" cranks things up to the highest BPM on the album and filters a streamlined beat down while layering on steadily building synths and churning hi-hats. Hyde's vocals are twisted and bent to fit accordingly, and the whole thing adds up to one of the better dance tracks the group has ever done. In the end, if you're a fan of the group, you're probably going to enjoy the album. Although I've mentioned several differences above between this release and their old fare, none of them are drastic enough that those who have been following the progression of the group will probably find too overbearing. A Hundred Days Off is simply the next step in the evolving group, and it's another excellent one.

#12 E*Vax: Parking Lot Music

Yet another excellent release on yet another small label, I again found myself behind the curve on discovering E*Vax, as Parking Lot Music was released nearly a year ago and the follow-up is already in creation. Considering this is a debut release, though, it's quite good. Warm, hummable melodies drift through every song, and smart rhythm production keeps things interesting with enough clicks, cuts and skitters to put a nod in your noggin.

The disc opens with "The Process Of Leaving," and you're immediately greeted with a lush melody that is striking in its simplicity. Repeated for nearly the entire length of the track, there are only subtle shifts in tone over it along with a subtle, rumbling clicky beat for guidance. Similar to the sounds that Múm create, the disc rolls along through different tracks without ever really missing a step. "Contra Costa" takes more of an ambient approach, echoing blips and bleeps out into space while light melodies float underneath while "We Believe In Broken Bones" takes a bit more punchy approach and grooves along to an absolutely beautiful melody while beats take on a bit of a crunch (without sounding nearly as hostile as the title might suggest).

One of the things that Evan Mast (E*Vax) definitely knows a thing or two about is keeping things sweet. Although some tracks on the disc run a little bit on the repetitive side (and lets face it, there isn't much electronic music that doesn't), there really aren't any points on the disc that stretch on for too long. If anything, an almost pop sensibility applies, as 11 tracks span just about 45 minutes time and just as the warmth of one track has soaked up around you, another one takes off from where it left off. If you go to the E*Vax website, it says that he's is currently in the studio "creating the most melodic IDM release ever," and while that might sound a bit boastful, Parking Lot Music definitely shows that the ability is there to create something amazing. Fans of releases on the Morr Music label should drop what they're doing right now and seek this out, as well as anyone else who enjoys warm electronic music.

#11 Autechre: EP7

After less than a year, the group is back with another release and even though it goes by the titled of ep7, it actually contains nearly as much music as their last full length. Not only that, but it's an even more solid effort from the group as they not only continue down the road to assimilation, but they also manage to make the pieces fall into place even better than before. Once again, the disc has a very slick, minimal design that manages to capture the feel of the music contained within.

Things start off with "Rpeg" and some fractured noise that sounds like it could have been made by a malfunctioning handheld video game. Soon the madness becomes a method, though, and a very cool beat slams in behind it all while the fractured noise progresses in an almost algorithmic way. One of the best tracks I've heard by the group in some time. The second track "Ccec" almost comes off as too fractured sounding with it's chopped-up vocal sample that turns into something almost alien after being repeated through nearly the entire track. The fourth track "Left Blank" steps things up agains with a clustering of tons of different little bits of noise. It's all computer chatter and little electronic glitches, but it works quite well.

After the excellent "Outpt," the strips things down again for the beginning of "Dropp" before adding one of the most skidded-out sounding beats I've ever heard. After another skittering track "Liccflii," they come right back with what is quite possibly the neatest track on the disc. The 8-minute "Maphive 6.1" starts out with what sounds like the rumbling of a timpani drum cut short and looped down as some light sounds play over it all. Eventually, it all sort of drops off and the light little sounds come back again, this time over what sounds like an upright bass. Although it sounds like they're using organic source sounds for once, they still mix it up with enough alien landscapes to let you know it's an Autechre track. It subsequently goes through about 4 more different sounding parts before finally winding down.

The disc goes through two more tracks before ending on the instant classic "Pir." The track has some light sounds of old mixed up with some of the strangest beats and random noises I've heard. At first it sounded like a complete mess to me, but as it progressed on, I couldn't imagine the two parts without one another. It's really like that with a lot of the disc. For the most part, the group exaggerates normal rhythms and opts for very strange arrangements of beats and offset sounds. Sometimes it doesn't quite work, but for the most part it's a more refined extension of the sound that the group has been progressing towards over the past couple of years. They've always put out solid releases, and this one is no different.

#10 Apostle of Hustle: Folkloric Feel

The main person behind Apostle Of Hustle seems to be Broken Social Scene guitarist Andrew Whiteman, but as mentioned above there are tons of contributors. Because of that, Folkloric Feel ends up coming off as a slightly more worldly and breezy version of You Forgot It In People (maybe imagine that disc filtered through a bit of Cuban music). The best songs sound like they could have fit right in on that disc and even the not-as-good ones breath with a vibrance that help make the album worth having. The opening, album-titled track of "Folkloric Feel" is sort of a weird organic mashup of tracks, starting out as a strummy instrumental before barrelling through a fast mid-section and finally arriving at a quiet wind-down of an ending.

That ending leads in perfectly to "Sleepwalking Ballad," a woozy track that finds Whiteman laying down his warm crooning to great effect while the track alternately bursts at the seams and drops away to almost nothing. "Baby, You're The One" drops things off into a sweet island duet as Amy Milan (of Metric and BSS) offsets Whitehead while the track gets seriously airy. Although "Kings & Queens" ups the pace a little, the second half of the record brings the outside influences in even more as "Song For Lorea" and "Animal Fat" both dip ever so slightly into bossa nova while "They Shoot Horses, Don't They" swaggers through a sweltering composition of woozy guitars, organs, brushed drums and breathy vocals.

On the other side of things, "Dark Is What I Want / Strutters Ball" provides one last punch on the disc with absolutely huge, overdriven drumming that overpowers the choruses and provides a stark contrast to the quiet verses. While not every track on the disc works amazingly, there's also a major stumble in "Gleaning," an odd little track that feels kind of tossed off with almost beat-boxed vocals and guitar melodies that simply fail to hook. Elsewhere, though, the disc holds up quite well, and if you're a fan of any of the earlier bands, I seriously doubt you'll go wrong here.

#9 Nine Horses: Money for All

The eight song Money For All EP is the newest batch of music from the group (who is now Sylvian, Jansen, and Friedman), and it features three new tracks along with a couple remixes of those tracks and different versions of songs that appeared on their first album. Like the debut, it's another hit-or-miss effort, with great tracks offset by less exciting ones. Musically, it starts out just fine with a clunky beat and some chopped-up vibes and harmonica on "Money For All." Punctuated with some gospel-style backing vocals, Sylvian takes on the US administration with his lyrics, it's so heavy-handed and obvious that it becomes distracting.

"Get The Hell Out" is another track in which the lyrical content (very direct lines about an abusive relationship) feels like an odd fit with the music, until an orchestral ending that pulls things together. Fortunately, the middle of the release is a little bit more subtle, and it's here where it's the strongest. "Birds Sing For Their Lives" features Nordenstam singing lullaby-style vocals over a gurgling, orchestral ambient track that scrapes along with dread, while the remix of "The Banality Of Evil" by Friedman fractures the original even more, layering the piece with a hissy, almost deconstructed feel while throwing in little bits of keyboards, scratchy bits of sampled horns, and soft waves of guitar feedback. Nine Horses is a different spin on electronica/rock but maybe its for you.

#8 Utabi: Machurian Candy

Manchurian Candy is 15 tracks and just over an hour of hyperactive Nintendo melodies, chopped-up beats, and enough silly soundbites and headspining programming to keep your ears perked. The first three tracks are all about the rhythm, too, as they burst out of the gate with stuttering, slamming beats and only enough breathing room to fire off some indecipherable samples. It's on "Three Tennies," though, that the melodic side of the release first makes and appearence and gets stuck in your head. With playful melodies that rival the bubbly sounds of great Mouse On Mars tracks, the entire thing bounces along and builds nicely, punching and pulling the beats appropriately.

The rest of the album wildly swings back and forth between more hyperactive beat programmed tracks and ones that rely more on melody. One of the best examples of a blending of the two arrives on the title track of "Manchurian Candy," as hyper cut-up vocals stick and bounce at mindboggling speeds, recalling some of the great work of Aphex Twin. Overall, the album runs a tad on the long side, though, as the release blurs together a bit too much during a couple different places as similar-sounding tracks pile onto one another. Just when you think things are simply too crazy, the album closes with the absolutely amazing "Cassia Angustifolia," an ambitious 12-minute track that features vocals, trombone, melodion, and guitar in a track that bucks some of the micro-processed sounds for a more song-like track that's one of the better electronic pop tracks I've heard lately. There's definitely some fun to be had besides the closing track, but if it's any pointer in the direction of future music by Utabi, there's even better work to come.

#7 The Czars: Absalom Records Rules

In case you haven't heard of it, Absalom Records is releasing two different series of 3" CDs. One series focuses on electric performances while another focuses on acoustic (although there is some back-and-forth between the categories). Since a CD that size can only hold less than 25 minutes worth of music, it's both a good way to get introduced to bands that you may have never heard of before, as well as a way for more well-known bands to release some work on the side and have some fun with things. The four songs are not only very good, but the group manages to pull off several different sounds in a short time, making me wonder just how many tricks they have up their sleeve.

The disc opens up with an almost four minute instrumental track entitled "Interlude," and while it doesn't break a lot of new ground musically, it's a very nice intro and with twinkling piano playing off shimmering guitars, it sounds like something that the Rachels might have created. From there, the group goes into "Drug," and it might just be one of the best sad, slow songs I've heard this year. It's fairly simple with only an acoustic guitar and two-part vocals, but the lyrics cut straight through and drag you down with them. Again I command you to heed my recommendation and listen to them.

#6 Iron & Wine: Sam Beam

I've been a solid follower of Sam Beam since I first heard his album The Creek Drank The Cradle a couple years back. Since that time, I've snagged up all his subsequent releases and have been surprised by his rather prolific output and also the high quality of most of his work. In the course of about two years, he's now released two full length albums, 2 longer EPs and one short EP. Granted, he's not putting out 70-minute albums packed to the brim, but he's still on a roll. I command you to check him out. muahahaaha (maniacal laugh)

#5 David Kristian: Electronica

David Kristian is one of those electronic music artists who owns literally hundreds of pieces of musical equipment and can be considered a "knob twiddler" in every great sense of the word. Not only does he never sample any other work (he creates everything from scratch on his vast array of components), but he's also intent on not letting anyone else sample his work. I don't blame him either, if I lived my life tangled in a constant jungle of patch cords, putting together just the right combination of things to create an interesting sound, I wouldn't want some hack stealing it just because it sounded cool.

As it states in the booklet to this CD, the material on Beneath The Valley Of The Modulars spans over 4 years in its creation. Not only that, but the more subtle concept at work behind it is that the sounds on the release were "assembled from material based on the common element of voice-like timbres created purely from synthesis." Before you think that this release is going to sound too homogenic, though, just think of how many different sounds you can make with your vocal chords.

After listening to the disc, one might get the feeling that not all the sounds are based on vocal timbres, but upon close listen it's very easy to pull out lots of individual elements that have an eerie man/machine quality about them. In terms of composition, the disc is all over the place, sometimes sounding like Autechre, while other times coming across more like Aphex Twin with little bits of glitch electronics like Pole coming into play. It's very nearly all "intelligent dance music" (which is to say, it has a beat but you can't really dance to it very well) and as mentioned above, it's the sounds that rule.

Basically, if you like the above mentioned artists or simply want some electronic music that's a little more challenging than your normal release, Kristian is someone to check out. Not only are the sounds on the disc completely interesting and original, but the tracks are solidly-constructed as well.

#4 Beirut: sooo indie

Gulag Orkestar is an indie rock album filtered through the mind of a teenager who dropped out of high school to travel across Europe and soak in as much culture and music as possible. The result is something that sounds a bit like the Microphones crossed with Neutral Milk Hotel. It might be the only rock album you hear that doesn't contain any guitars, and it conveys an emotional and worldly power that I have never heard before.

Largely inspired by Balkan folk music, the album moves through mournful ballads and more upbeat tracks (that sound more like the work of a 10-plus member ensemble) with ease, layering horns, stringed instruments, ukeleles, mandolins, glockenspiel, drum, organs, piano, and other percussion under the vocals of Condon himself, who has a similar range and style as Andrew Bird. The disc opens with the album-titled track of "The Gulag Orkestar," and after some warbling horns and cascading piano, the track turns into a shuffling march that finds Condon flying over the top of it all with his rich voice.

The album really hits stride with the gorgeous "Bandenburg," which finds deft mandolins playing out over heaving drums and percussion as accordions wheeze and the track builds gracefully with delightful horn sections and vocals. "Postcards From Italy" follows, and it may very well be the best track on the disc, moving along with a playful opening section that mixes shuffling mandolin, piano and horns before shifting halfway through to a more reflective section that completely tugs at the heartstrings before bursting into a celebratory ending that's absolutely stunning.

The second half of the album finds Condon taking a few more chances, and amazingly he pulls things off just about every time. "Scenic World" uses a programmed casio-beat that sounds straight out of Magnetic Fields, but layers horns and accordion over the top for something completely unique while "After The Curtain" takes the non-traditional instrumentation and runs it through some filters, giving the track a slight electronic tinge without making it ever feel out of place. Beirut is stunning and unpredictable, which makes them a good find in the search for good music.

I recommend the Beirut for anyone searching for a good indie band.

#3 More instrumental/post-rock: MONO

This wasn’t the first post rock album I listened to, and it wasn’t the first one I enjoyed. But it is my favorite. Hymn to the Immortal Wind is the fifth album by MONO, an instrumental band who’ve been going since 1999. It’s a little over an hour long and only consists of seven tracks, yet it doesn’t plod along but constantly moves along through clever movements and passages.

What really makes the album is the harmony between the guitar line and the orchestra parts. Recorded with a 28 piece orchestra, the strings in particular take the music and push it from ‘amazing’ to ‘it feels like I’m soaring through the sky‘. It’s hard to get across what I mean by that, but I suppose ‘uplifting’ is a reasonable if boring term, and this stuff is anything but boring. The opener “Ashes in the Snow” goes from a calm, almost timid set of strings emerging from radio static into an all out battle of guitars and drums versus swooping orchestra. It sounds like it should be a noisy mess but it’s actually a single harmony, carved out of a wall of pure energy.

It’s truly incredible music. But there are tracks that don’t follow MONO’s wonderful formula. “Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn” and especially “Follow The Map” are two incredibly calm tracks, beautiful pieces of moving music that serve both to entertain but also to act as interludes between epic pieces like ‘The Battle To Heaven’.

Something I was always advised as a child was “save the best for last” and it looks like MONO heard that one, too. The final track Everlasting Light is my favourite song on the album and probably the best song I’ve heard all year. It starts off as a set of strings and piano. It’s so simple. To be honest if the song ended at the 2:30 mark it would have been a wonderful piece of classical music, but it keeps going. The piano keeps winding it’s way over an ever growing chorus of strings. Then, all of a sudden, things start getting serious. Their style and creativity automatically give grasp your emotions and make the show a moving experience.

I highly recommend MONO if you are looking for a soothing instrumental band.

#2 All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone.

This Texas band plays instrumental music of huge ambition, built with a few simple ingredients: Mark Smith and Munaf Rayani's haiku-like guitar figures, spinning in stinging-treble tornadoes, then given then an explosive attitude by drummer Chris Hrasky and bass guitarist Michael James. But there is no watch-me soloing. Explosions in the Sky (who made real mark in Hollywood with their 2004 score for the film Friday Night Lights) are like the Kronos Quartet with big amps and John Bonham in the back, exploring the composed details in their music before blowing 'em up. "It's Natural to Be Afraid," the near-quarter-hour centerpiece of the band's first studio album in two years, opens with the guitars in a double dance anchored by a stern, repeated piano note while a bee swarm of distortion slowly overwhelms the mix. Later, Smith and Rayani emphasize the darkness in the song's title with galactic-folk sorrow, until Hrasky beats back the shadows with marching-snare dynamite. In this band, a real singer would just get in the way -- or get run over. Overall, if you tire of whining vocalist and seek serenity in music for the soul, Explosions is the answer for you.

#1 Music is My Soul: Fleet Foxes

Having seen Seattle’s Fleet Foxes played outdoors in the warm dusk of southern California earlier this year, it was impossible not to be stirred by their sweet sounding harmonies. With their hearty serving of alt.country, gothic Americana and gospel spirituals, I took to calling them “The Oneders”, like from the movie 'That Thing You Do'. But I'm not the only one hailing this indie/folk band. Three months later and others are still describing them as “America’s next great band” or “guaranteed to make the second half of 2009 great”.

Unfortunately, all these descriptions are only going to leave anyone who listens to this album without having first seen Fleet Foxes onstage coolly underwhelmed. Not because it’s impossible to find the same sonic salvation (clever alliteration), but because you have to wade through a lot of plaid-shirted, porch-rocking psychedelia before you get there. They are an experience meant to be felt live in concert. The spirituality and tranquility of their shows are truly mesmerizing. Explore new music. Experience the Fleet Foxes.