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A Journey Through My Music Obsessions |
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Logan 
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Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: In repose. Status: Offline Points: 39122 |
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 Topic: A Journey Through My Music ObsessionsPosted: June 02 2025 at 12:20 |
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I've suggested to various others that they might try doing blogs, and have long wanted to do one myself. This post is extemporaneous (blogs often are) and a blog by me will read much like babbling often (some might say anything I write reads like babbling). I don't want to think through this blog much in advance, I want it to be rather more spontaneous other than I have some general topic for each post (maybe an artist, maybe an album...). But at the same time, expect lots of edits to add more info (although those might be quite spontaneous). I might add in some things I posted elsewhere, like from my Sufjan Stevens appreciation thread -- I will try to focus this on the kinds of music in PA but also music that I believe reasonably relates to Prog....
I think it might be better than me doing a topic for every new music passion of mine. Ideally, I would like combine arts/media because I have long had an interest in the correlation between media (say literature, film, television, music, the theatre, as well as paintings, architecture etc.) but my focus here will be music (and maybe some music videos). I'm interested in culture, ideology, and have a background in sociology, but ultimately I'm really just another fan. Not really deep one might say, I don't like to analyse music much, but I am passionate. I like to feel music, to experience it more than think about it, I might say. Here are some of my favourite band and artists now: Fishmans, Boards of Canada, Portishead, Sufjan Stevens, Swans, Weyes Blood, Beach House, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Stereolab, Art Zoyd, Pram, Broadcast, Julia Holter, Natural Snow Buildings, Vanishing Twin, Magma, Kate Bush, Robert Wyatt, David Bowie, Cos, Air, Ennio Morricone, Chelsea Wolfe, Anna von Hausswolff, Egisto Macchi, Serge Gainsbourg, The Residents, Dom, Can, Van der Graaf Generator, Tortoise... I am very into Fishmans (added it to Crossover some time back) now and have written multiple reviews, and will write something on Fishmans in the next post. Not too long to start because I need to get down to work and am procrastinating as usual (it gets done in the end even if down to the wire...). I had wanted to make an appreciation thread but I feel the appreciation from others would be lukewarm and the topic would just fade away almost as soon as I made it. |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Logan
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Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: In repose. Status: Offline Points: 39122 |
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Posted: June 02 2025 at 13:46 |
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Onto Fishmans:
While I have been into Fishmans for a number of years for the studio album Long Season (1996) and a few other things, it was really just last year that I grew to become huge on a variety of Fishmans music, including the way they do dub/ reggae. I have long loved psych kinds of music and dream pop. I tend to like atmospheric music. The genres on the Fishmans front page of rateyourmusic are: Neo-Psychedelia, Dream Pop, Shibuya-kei, Dub, Ambient Pop, Reggae Rock. In 1996 when Long Season came out I was working in Japan as an English teacher, and I met my wife there. I have been back to Japan a variety of times and feel like its part of my DNA (I started turning Japanese, turning Japanese, I really think so maybe when I saw Shogun as a child). I love lots of anime, especially Death Note in TV and Studio Ghibli films, massive Zelda fan, and love many Japanese films (Tampopo to mention but one), and I love lots of music from Japan. I did not know Fishmans while in Japan, but I would have liked it and I wish I had seen them in concert (they were based in Tokyo and I was closer to Osaka anyway). I especially love Fishmans live. They often would improvise for, expand on and evolve the music for concerts. each version sounds different to me. One of the biggest attraction to me in the music is the contributions of Honzi (she played vilion, pinao, accordian...) and she just lift the music to another level for me. He was not even an official member of the band. Sadly she died in 2007 at just 40 less than a decade after Fishmans effectively ended to the death of Shinji Sato who was the frontman, main songwriter, main guitarist, main singer and general leading man of Fishmans in 1999. A few months prior to that, Fishmans performed what is currently my favourite live album and most listened to by Fishmans, 8.12.28 Otokotachi no wakare. I wrote a review of it for PA, my Fishamns reviews, which are mostly not well-written (they got better, I think with my last two) are here: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=12922 I first listened to that live specifically for the over 40 minute epic, "Long Season" on it, and that mesmerised me. I then came to love various other music from it like "In the Flight", "Yurameki in the Air", "OH Slime" "Walking in the Rhythm" took me a few spins to really love, and "Night Cruising" is another highlight. Despite it being over 2 hours and ten minutes long, I wanted to play the concert over an over and quickly grew to love the whole thing. Here are three highlight tracks from it: (the amazing Long Season being mostly why I suggested this to PA) One thing that has put various people off Fishmans is the singer's quite shrill falsetto vocals. To me his vocals have a fragility to them that makes the music more special, and I find it so endearing when he talks at the concerts. My favourite studio album by Fishmans is not i]Long Season now, it's the subsequent Uchu Nippon Setagaya, which I have a five star review for. It did take me a few spins to really grok. Some immediate highlights were "Daydream" off it, ""Pokka Pokka", "In the Flight" (although I especially like the live version above) and "Weather Report". Here is the very atmospheric Daydream off it: Long Season '96-7 - 96.12.26 Akasaka Blitz赤坂 is another Fishmans live album that I really like and have reviewing and it is more of a harder funkin' album than I am used to from Fishmans. It has a great version of "Long Season" which seem recorded from a different session. For the rest of the album I feel the mixing and mastering could be better, Sato's vocals can be too much at the front (too prominent). Still a four star album for me. Here is "Go Go Round the World" from it. Last night I listened to a bootleg of Fishmans featuring "Weather Report" live and I fell in love with this version (heard a better quality version with the whole thing): As well as various other albums, I really appreciated 2011's return of Fishmans (minus the old lead Sato, and Honzi) called Piece of Future which featured Fishmans, the revival/tribute band Fishmans+, and guests. It is a live performance that was released on DVD. It's such a joyous experience. It really moves me and much as I miss Sato, it's wonderful to hear some of the vocal renditions of Fishmans music. I especially do like the female vocals, and that fits Sato's falsetto anyway. It features a 26 minute version of "Piece of Future" which was one of the last compositions Shinji Sato was working on before he died. Here is "A Piece of Future" live (was never released on a studio album) from 1998: Fishmans has brought me so much joy especially over the past six or so months, and while I find ti so sad that the band was cut short due to to Shinji Sato's untimely death, and I feel it could have moved to greater heights still (I loved Shinji Sato's direction maybe more then other band members did, there was conflict), I so appreciate what was done. I hope to see what is left of Fishmans plus guests perform in the future. I don't need much excuse to travel to Japan either (I love Japan). Edited by Logan - June 02 2025 at 13:58 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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moshkito
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Joined: January 04 2007 Location: Grok City Status: Offline Points: 18993 |
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Posted: June 02 2025 at 19:31 |
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Hi,
Fishmans is very nice and enjoyable. Sad story of the passing of Shinji Sato, who appears to have been the driving force ... the kind that is hard to replace and show again. And some really good players in the band, that keyboard player also doing violin, and accordion is crazy, but also shows how the band makes room for their folks, it seems. Hopefully they can do some more, in memory of Shinji Sato. |
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com |
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Logan
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Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: In repose. Status: Offline Points: 39122 |
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Posted: June 02 2025 at 20:55 |
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^ Glad you enjoy it. Hakase was the main keyboardist from 1990 to 1995 and then worked again with Fishmans after Shinji Sato's death. The keyboardist in what tends to be my favourite period from 1995 to the end of 1998 is Honzi. And she appeared in at least one revival concert of Fishmans after Sato's death in 1996 ( a year before she died). She's mostly known for violin, but plays keyboards/piano, accordion, mandolin, melodica, music box, and acts in the chorus. She was not officially a member of Fishmans and officially appears as a regular guest. Never-the-less she is a very significant ingredient in Fishmans' appeal to me (love her parts on keys, violin and accordion in Long Season). She is so wonderful with Fishmans and sadly died only eight years after Shinji Sato. She has a couple of album "solo" releases, one released possthumously. I should listen to those properly at one time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyuP909KKjw RIP Shinji Sato and Honzi. :(
Anyway, this whole 1998 concert is bliss for me (with some pathos thrown in). I love hearing the gentleness and a bit of bashfulness of Sato as he speaks to the audience and the interaction puts a smile on my face. And every time Honzi is highlighted, wow... One girl call Sato the best after he inquires about his guitar playing and he bashfully seems to respond with how he is blushing. It's a delight to me. I really love Fishmans live, and I'm not ashamed to call this my favourite live album. I feel so very fondly for this group. So warm, and brings me a lot of joy (and some sadness too -- can be a very bittersweet experience). Definitely I think my experiences and time living in Japan helps me to appreciate this more. Makes me wonder how Keishiro (Damo) would feel about it (hope he is well). |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Lewian
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Joined: August 09 2015 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 15758 |
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Posted: June 03 2025 at 11:49 |
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Nice to have a guided Fishmans introduction in one place. I love Long Season but have otherwise only heard bits and pieces. The blog format probably works better for me checking them out a bit more systematically than having bits scattered all over various polls.
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I make typos so you see I'm not a machine, but I may be a machine pretending to not be a machine.
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Logan
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Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: In repose. Status: Offline Points: 39122 |
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Posted: June 03 2025 at 12:43 |
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^ Thanks, I wish I'd done a blog long before. It does help for organisation, and one one can expand on things and refine one's thoughts over time all the better, be it specific music appreciation or more general ideas...
Thought I might write a little something about Sufjan Stevens here that was another quite recent obsession of mine. I made an appreciation thread and the time thought maybe I should have done it a part of blog, but it ended up resulting in some good discussion. https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=134592 He is not included in PA, but is being considered for it (on hold as I was told). Here is his bandcamp: https://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/ And his youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@SufjanStevensOfficial/featured In that Sufjan Stevens Appreciation topic I had hoped to explore all of his studio albums at least and comment on them. My most recent discovery by Sufjan Stevens was this cover of Castanets' "You Are the Blood" (which sounds very much of that 2009ish period of Stevens, I love it, but doubt it would be to most tastes): These are the releases of his that I have listened to in full so far: A Sun Came (2000) Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001) Michigan (2003) Seven Swans (2004) Illinois (2005) *Osso String Quartet's Run Rabbit Run based on Enjoy Your Rabbit* The BQE (2009) All Delighted People EP (2010) (he calls it an EP but it is 60 minutes) The Age of Adz (2010) Carrie & Lowell (2015) Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner & James McAlister - Planetarium (2017) Carrie & Lowell Live (2017) The Ascension (2020) Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's Mind (2021) Javelin (2023) While I have very much liked Javelin, it is the up to 2010 period that had appealed to me the most. I do now really like Carrie and Lowell, and I like The Ascension a lot and various other music. Looking at the ratings at RYM, I do "feel" that people are undervaluing various releases of his, especially Enjoy Your Rabbit (I actually do understand the noise element being off-putting to some, including what sounds like a dentist's drill, but I find the music great, and the BQE. Also the debut I love (listening now and reminded that I really love it), and The Ascension I seem to like much more than most. By the way, Enjoy Your Rabbit was redone by Osso String Quartet and is wonderful re-working of Run Rabbit Run (such great themes imo). Sufjan Stevens has been quite diverse in terms of his expression, there is Indie Folk, Folktronica dn Chamber Folk, and Indie and Alternative Rock, Electronic Music, Glitch, Experimental, Funk, IDM, Progressive Pop and Art Pop, Ambient music, Synthpop.... I can understand that those who might, say, appreciate the more direct folk music of Carrie and Lowell might not enjoy the more bombastic and electronic and dancey feel of mushc of the Age of Adze. And those who enjoy the quite bomastic and big folky feel of Illinois might not enjoy the nose and experimental music of his earlier albums... People come in with expectations hoping for certain "sound" often. i tend to both appreciate and respect diversity. i think he is brilliant artist, sadly he has health issues and has gone through lot so he not been able to focus on making new music. Still he has produced albums for some people like John Legend. I love the range of his music, it can be simple and direct, maximalist, bombastic, humble, ebullient, melancholy... I find sensitivity to much of his music that touches me and it can make me feel such joy. I do feel like his music is very spiritual (a term some don't like) -- it touches my proverbial soul. Magma is another band that touches me in a range of appropriate ways. The albums of his I have played the most are Seven Swans, Illinois, The Age of Adz, All Delighted people EP, Michigan and Enjoy Your Rabbit. But I also love the debut, Carrie and Lowell, Javelin and The Ascension... It's easy to find his albums, and playing full album is the usual way to go for me, but I had enjoyed trying to choose four tracks from many of his albums that I love and here is the playlist I made some time back in chronological order of the releases of his I knew: Next up could be a classic like Magma or maybe The Necks which is not yet in PA but I hope will be quite soon (the jazzy The Necks relation to post-rock, Krautrock, and Swans makes it pretty easily suitable to me), although the Necks has great appreciation thread already. Godspeed and Swans might follow that, but I shall see. Edited by Logan - June 23 2025 at 13:11 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Logan
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Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: In repose. Status: Offline Points: 39122 |
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Posted: June 23 2025 at 11:06 |
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While I officially retired (might better think of it as a hiatus maybe not to the total extent I had planned), I couldn't resist posting when seeing lots of Spam (you can take the Logan out of PA, but you can't take the PA out of Logan). My wife genuinely likes Spam, by the way (yuck!) I started off talking about Fishmans, of which I have written multiple reviews, and quite liked this short-form review I wrote for Awesome Prog yesterday morning for its 98.12.28 男達の別れ (98.12.28 Otokotachi No Wakare) Live, 1999.
Not a greatly written blurb maybe, but...That album really hits me hard in the "feels". For some those vocals would be very grating and the repetition would be off-putting. I feel so fond of it and is my most listened to album this year, unless it's maybe various albums by Sufjan Stevens (I adore SS). EDIT: That Sufjan Stevens cover of Castanets' "You Are the Blood" gives me some pretty strong Cardiacs vibes in the middle section. Awesomeness to my ears. Edited by Logan - June 23 2025 at 12:19 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Logan
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Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: In repose. Status: Offline Points: 39122 |
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Posted: August 06 2025 at 00:49 |
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Probably little point in sharing it here, let alone having done it, and generally it's the usual suspects for me. Maybe, just maybe someone might find something they like or it gets picked up in an internet search and might possibly bring someone to PA. Don't know. Over the past few weeks for fun, boredom or just to go back to albums I like (mostly the latter), I decided to try listing six tracks off six releases that I like working my way year by year from 2025 down, no more no less. That meant leaving off lots I admire. I got to finishing 1966, and may do more years later. I had thought about making this its own topic for other lists, but I did something similar before and doubted there would be much interest in the exercise.
I did this as a list at rateyourmusic HERE and have copied it over for here in a poorer format. 360 Sunny Afternoon (1966) The Kinks 359 Jack Orion (1966) Bert Jansch 358 Tomorrow Never Knows (1966) The Beatles 357 Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (Titoli) (1966) Ennio Morricone 356 Eight Miles High (1966) The Byrds 355 The Sounds of Silence (1966) Simon & Garfunkel 354 3rd Stone From the Sun (1967) The Jimi Hendrix Experience 353 The Crystal Ship (1967) The Doors 352 Astronomy Dominé (1967) Pink Floyd 351 Suzanne (1967) Leonard Cohen 350 Venus in Furs (1967) The Velvet Underground / Nico 349 The Red Telephone (1967) Love 348 White Room (1968) Cream 347 Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (1968) Pink Floyd 346 I Walk on Guilded Splinters (1968) Dr. John, the Night Tripper 345 Frozen Warnings (1968) Nico 344 Bonnie and Clyde (1968) Serge Gainsbourg 343 The American Metaphysical Circus (1968) The United States of America 342 Peaches en Regalia (1969) Frank Zappa 341 Moth (1969) East of Eden 340 Hibou, Anemone and Bear (1969) Soft Machine 339 Epitaph (Including 'March for No Reason' and 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow') (1969) King Crimson 338 Thank You (1969) Led Zeppelin 337 River Man (1969) Nick Drake 336 Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen (1970) Santana 335 Trouble (1970) Cat Stevens 334 Atom Heart Mother (1970) Pink Floyd 333 Moon in June (1970) Soft Machine 332 Naü Ektila (1970) Magma 331 The Man Who Sold the World (1970) David Bowie 330 Sun Symphonica (1971) Jan Dukes de Grey 329 The Herald (1971) Comus 328 Life on Mars? (1971) David Bowie 327 Cargo culte (1971) Serge Gainsbourg 326 A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (1971) Van der Graaf Generator 325 Echoes (1971) Pink Floyd 324 Hallogallo (1972) NEU! 323 Les gardes volent au secours du roi (1972) Jean-Claude Vannier 322 Dawn Mists (1972) Stringtronics 321 The End (1972) Brave New World 320 Parasite (1972) Nick Drake 319 Title Music From A Clockwork Orange (from Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary) (1972) Wendy Carlos 318 Nostalgia (1973) Piero Umiliani 317 Bel Air (1973) Can 316 El Rey Pescador (1973) These Trails 315 Dreams and Nightmares (Nightmares) (1973) Message 314 The Rain Song (1973) Led Zeppelin 313 The Furthest Point (1973) Spirogyra 312 Hollywood (1974) Cluster 311 Hairless Heart (1974) Genesis 310 Hamburger Concerto: (1974) Focus 309 A Louse Is Not a Home (1974) Peter Hammill 308 Underground Cession (1974) Janko Nilovic 307 Sea Song (1974) Robert Wyatt 306 Isi (1975) NEU! 305 I'm Going Home (1975) Tim Curry / Rocky Horror Picture SHow 304 Deluxe (Immer wieder) (1975) Harmonia 303 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (1-5) (1975) Pink Floyd 302 Tropeau bleu (1975) Cortex 301 Ten Years Gone (1975) Led Zeppelin 300 The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter (1976) Penguin Cafe Orchestra 299 L'idiot Léon (1976) Cos 298 The Dome (1976) Jerry Goldsmith 297 心 - Kokoro (1976) Far East Family Band 296 Seppia (1976) Picchio dal Pozzo 295 恐山 Osorezan (1976) Geinoh Yamashirogumi 芸能山城組 294 Europa endlos (1977) Kraftwerk 293 ふるえているネ (1977) Douji Morita 森田童子 292 "Heroes" (1977) David Bowie 291 Dogs (1977) Pink Floyd 290 Warszawa (1977) David Bowie 289 I Robot (1977) The Alan Parsons Project 288 Spacelab (1978) Kraftwerk 287 Wow (1978) Kate Bush 286 Nono (1978) Magma 285 The Man With the Child in His Eyes (1978) Kate Bush 284 Naturträne (1978) Nina Hagen Band 283 (Theme from) Midnight Express (1978) Giorgio Moroder 282 M.E. (1979) Gary Numan 281 Bela Lugosi's Dead (1979) Bauhaus 280 Down in the Park (1979) Tubeway Army 279 New Dawn Fades (1979) Joy Division 278 Mother (1979) Pink Floyd 277 Carouselambra (1979) Led Zeppelin 276 Dagon (1980) Eskaton 275 Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar (1980) Glenn Branca 274 Hybrid (1980) Siouxsie and The Banshees 273 Decades (1980) Joy Division 272 Génération sans futur (1980) Art Zoyd 271 Remind Me to Smile (1980) Gary Numan 270 Air ŕ danser (1981) Penguin Cafe Orchestra 269 Arrakis (1981) Dün 268 Écoute (1981) Eskaton 267 Night Shift (1981) Siouxsie and The Banshees 266 The Ascension (1981) Glenn Branca 265 Suono aperto (1981) Fabio Frizzi 264 All We Ever Wanted Was Everything (1982) Bauhaus 263 Tenebre (1982) Goblin 262 Blood Bitch (1982) Cocteau Twins 261 Night of the Swallow (1982) Kate Bush 260 O Superman (For Massenet) (1982) Laurie Anderson 259 Leopard Tree Dream (1982) Giorgio Moroder 258 Who Killed Mr. Moonlight? (1983) Bauhaus 257 Inner Organs (1983) Codona 256 In the Gold Dust Rush (1983) Cocteau Twins 255 La danse des feux (1983) Eskaton 254 Migrations (1983) Art Zoyd 253 雪虫 (1983) Konomi Sasaki 佐々木好 252 White Mischief (1984) Penguin Cafe Orchestra 251 Masal (1984) Jean-Paul Prat 250 The Killing Moon (1984) Echo & The Bunnymen 249 Swimming Horses (1984) Siouxsie and The Banshees 248 Ivo (1984) Cocteau Twins 247 In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated (1984) Dead Can Dance 246 Aikea-Guinea (1985) Cocteau Twins 245 Introduction végétarienne (1985) Hellebore 244 The Waltz (1985) Tuxedomoon 243 Advent (1985) Dead Can Dance 242 Sortie 134 (Part One) (1985) Art Zoyd 241 And Dream of Sheep (1985) Kate Bush 240 The First Five Minutes After Death (1986) Coil 239 Working Nights (1986) Camberwell Now 238 Your Funeral My Trial (1986) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 237 There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (1986) The Smiths 236 She Will Destroy You (1986) Harold Budd / Elizabeth Fraser / Robin Guthrie / Simon Raymonde 235 Lands End (1986) Siouxsie & The Banshees 234 The Boy With the Gun (1987) David Sylvian 233 Pimpf (1987) Depeche Mode 232 Warheads (1987) Thinking Plague 231 Epithalame (1987) Art Zoyd 230 In My Garden (1987) Swans 229 Anywhere Out of the World (1987) Dead Can Dance 228 Requiem (1988) Geinoh Yamashirogumi 227 The Itchy Glowbo Blow (1988) Cocteau Twins 226 The Killing Jar (1988) Siouxsie and The Banshees 225 I Believe in You (1988) Talk Talk 224 The Whole World Window (1988) Cardiacs 223 The Host of Seraphim (1988) Dead Can Dance 222 Ka-No-Pu-Su-No-Ha-Ko (1989) After Dinner 221 Lycanthrope (1989) Thinking Plague 220 The Everso Closely Guarded Line (1989) Cardiacs 219 Pictures of You (1989) The Cure 218 The Fog (1989) Kate Bush 217 God Damn the Sun (1989) Swans 216 Genesis (1990) Geinoh Yamashirogumi 芸能山城組 215 Falling (1990) Julee Cruise (Twin Peaks OST) 214 Enjoy the Silence (1990) Depeche Mode 213 Vagabonds Home (1990) U Totem 212 Black Sun (1990) Dead Can Dance 211 Pitch the Baby (1990) Cocteau Twins 210 Frittering (1991) Mercury Rev 209 Licorice Stick Ostinato (1991) Tuxedomoon 208 All His Geese Are Swans! (1991) Cardiacs 207 Standing in Twilight (1991) Controlled Bleeding 206 After the Flood (1991) Talk Talk 205 Love Will Save You (1991) Swans 204 Little Black Angel (1992) Death in June 203 The Other Side of the World (1992) Swans 202 Love of Life (1992) Swans 201 Orgiastic (1992) Stereolab 200 Ageispolis (1992) Aphex Twin 199 Hitler as Kalki (SDM) (1992) Current 93 198 Radio Freak in a Storm (1993) Pram 197 Pack Yr Romantic Mind (1993) Stereolab 196 Sunset Surfer (1993) Naked City 195 Play Dead (1993) Björk 194 Borgo (1993) Komeda 193 The Carnival Is Over (1993) Dead Can Dance 192 Blue (1994) Pram 191 Words (1994) Low 190 Vertical Pig (1994) The Future Sound of London 189 Three Longers Later (1994) Stereolab 188 I Let Love In (1994) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 187 Roads (1994) Portishead 186 Gates of Darkness 1 (1995) Art Zoyd 185 Tiny Tears (1995) Tindersticks 184 Big Ship (for live released in 1995) Cardiacs 183 Mind / Body / Light / Sound (1995) Swans 182 Isobel (1995) Björk 181 Blind (1995) M. Gira 180 The Book Lovers (1996) Broadcast 179 Great Divide (1996) The Cardigans 178 Cybele's Reverie (1996) Stereolab 177 Dirty Boy (1996) Cardiacs 176 Everything You Do Is a Balloon (1996) Boards of Canada 175 Helpless Child (1996) Swans 174 Bachelorette (1997) Björk 173 Nervous, Sad, Poor... (1997) Godspeed You Black Emperor! 172 Ticker-Tape of the Unconscious (1997) Stereolab 171 Weather Report (1997) Fishmans 170 Over (1997) Portishead 169 Exit Music (For a Film) (1997) Radiohead 168 Holes (1998) Mercury Rev 167 La femme d'argent (1998) AIR 166 Blood Promise (1998) Swans 165 Sour Times (1998 live release) Portishead 164 Teardrop (1998) Massive Attack 163 Aquarius (1998) Boards of Canada 162 ～ (Tilde) (1999) Boredoms 161 Moya (1999) Godspeed You Black Emperor! 160 Come and Play in the Milky Night (1999) Stereolab 159 Pink Cigarette (1999) Mr. Bungle 158 Hanging Gardens (1999) The Necks 157 Long Season (1999) Fishmans 156 El perro (2000) Juana Molina 155 How to Disappear Completely (2000) Radiohead 154 Papercuts (2000) Broadcast 153 In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country (2000) Boards of Canada 152 Dirty Trip (2000) AIR 151 Storm (2000) Godspeed You Black Emperor! 150 Pagan Poetry (2001) Björk 149 Meltphace 6 (2001) Aphex Twin 148 Suggestion diabolique (2001) Stereolab 147 Radian (2001) AIR 146 Year of the Horse (2001) Sufjan Stevens 145 Pyramid Song (2001) Radiohead 144 The Homeless and the Jet Boots Boy (2002) Jupiter Apple 143 Hands Away (2002) Interpol 142 [untitled] [a.k.a. Popplagiđ] (2002) Sigur Rós 141 Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls. (2002) Godspeed You! Black Emperor 140 The Beach at Redpoint (2002) Boards of Canada 139 Spider Monkey (2002) Beth Gibbons / Rustin Man 138 Shield for Your Eyes, a Beast in the Well on Your Hand (2003) Melt-Banana 137 Forest (2003) Robert Wyatt 136 Penny Arcade (2003) Pram 135 Water From the Same Source (2003) Rachel's 134 The Manifold Curiosity (2003) Kayo Dot 133 Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!) (2003) Sufjan Stevens 132 Even Fantastica (2004) Flotation Toy Warning 131 Book T: Exodus (2004) UR 130 The Man With 100 Cells (2004) Stereolab 129 Dominoes / Celebration for the Gray Days (2004) Ghost 128 Cherry Blossom Girl (2004) AIR 127 The Transfiguration (2004) Sufjan Stevens 126 Black Is the Color (2005) Espers 125 I Found the F (2005) Broadcast 124 Glósóli (2005) Sigur Rós 123 Satellite Anthem Icarus (2005) Boards of Canada 122 Fire of the Mind (2005) Coil 121 The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders (2005) Sufjan Stevens 120 SAI (2006) OOIOO 119 Black Ships Ate the Sky (2006) Current 93 118 Wisconsin (2006) Natural Snow Buildings 117 Dead Queen (2006) Espers 116 Kingstanding (2006) North Sea Radio Orchestra 115 Only Skin (2006) Joanna Newsom 114 Fake Empire (2007) The National 113 Star Chaser (2007) Angels of Light 112 Reckoner (2007) Radiohead 111 The Apocalypse Song (2007) St. Vincent 110 Seahorse (2007) William D. Drake 109 Once Upon a Time (2007) Air 108 Barakiel (2008) Secret Chiefs 3 107 The Kübler-Ross Model (2008) Matt Elliott 106 Los hongos de Marosa (2008) Juana Molina 105 Blue Lambency Downward (2008) Kayo Dot 104 They Do Not Come Knocking There Anymore (2008) Natural Snow Buildings 103 The Rip (2008) Portishead 102 Central (2009) John Frusciante 101 The Pheasant (2009) Matt Berry 100 Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré II (2009) Magma 99 Carnal Flowers (2009) Natural Snow Buildings 98 You Are the Blood (2009) Sufjan Stevens 97 Black Rainbow (2009) St. Vincent 96 Earthquake (2010) Deerhunter 95 I. Calonyction Girl (2010) Kayo Dot 94 Zebra (2010) Beach House 93 Djohariah (2010) Sufjan Stevens 92 Have One on Me (2010) Joanna Newsom 91 Impossible Soul (2010) Sufjan Stevens 90 Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears (2011) A Winged Victory for the Sullen 89 The Glorious Land (2011) PJ Harvey 88 Supercollider (2011) Radiohead 87 Lake Tahoe (2011) Kate Bush 86 Me Fish Bring (2011) William D. Drake 85 Morpheus Miracle Maker (2011) North Sea Radio Orchestra 84 La Lethe (2012) Motorpsycho / Stĺle Storlřkken 83 When (2012) Susanne Sundfřr 82 Sova (2012) Anna von Hausswolff 81 Endless Shore (2012) Melody's Echo Chamber 80 A Piece of the Sky (2012) Swans 79 Wishes (2012) Beach House 78 And He Built Him a Boat (2013) Kayo Dot 77 Solstice (2013) Matt Berry 76 White Seal (Shell & Spine) (2013) Candy Claws 75 Sandtrommel (2013) Kosmischer Läufer 74 Reins (2013) Chelsea Wolfe 73 Reach for the Dead (2013) Boards of Canada 72 Smoke and Mirrors (2014) Kikagaku Moyo 71 The Mortality of Doves (2014) Kayo Dot 70 Oh Sarah (2014) Emma Ruth Rundle 69 Weltraumspaziergang (2014) Kosmischer Läufer 68 Pink Ponies Don't Fly on Jupiter (2014) Bruno Pernadas 67 Bring the Sun / Toussaint L'Ouverture (2014) Swans 66 Freaky Eyes (2015) Oneohtrix Point Never 65 Der Traum des Jungen (2015) Kosmischer Läufer 64 Discovery (2015) Anna von Hausswolff 63 Lucette Stranded on the Island (2015) Julia Holter 62 Silencer (2015) Susanne Sundfřr 61 Fourth of July (2015) Sufjan Stevens 60 Dronne (2016) North Sea Radio Orchestra 59 Do You Need My Love (2016) Weyes Blood 58 Daydreaming (2016) Radiohead 57 Spaceway 70 (2016) Bruno Pernadas 56 The Glowing Man (2016) Swans 55 Blackstar (2016) David Bowie 54 The Knot (2017) Swans 53 Heavy (But Not in Wait) (2017) L'Rain 52 Blue Mountain (2017) The Necks 51 The Sound of War (2017) Susanne Sundfřr 50 The Beginning and End of the World (2018) James Holden 49 Ogre (2017) Richard Dawson 48 Lemon Glow (2018) Beach House 47 Satan in the Wait (2018) Daughters 46 Lichtgeschwindigkeit (2018) Kosmischer Läufer 45 함께 무너지기 (Crumbling Together) (2018) Mid-Air Thief 공중도둑 44 Body (2018) The Necks 43 Ugly and Vengeful (2018) Anna von Hausswolff 42 Super Zodiac (2019) The Comet Is Coming 41 Fratres (2019) Ciśnienie 40 It's Coming It's Real (2019) Swans 39 Cryonic Suspension May Save Your Life (2019) Vanishing Twin 38 May Failure Be Your Noose (2019) Lingua Ignota 37 Wild Time (2019) Weyes Blood 36 Spleenétique (2020) Aksak Maboul 35 Les Vampires (2020) Magick Brother & Mystic Sister 34 Persefone (2020) Anna von Hausswolff 33 Lamentations (2020) Sufjan Stevens 32 Further (2020) The Necks 31 Same trupy (2020) Ciśnienie / Lód 9 30 Big Moonlight (Ookii Gekkou) (2021) Vanishing Twin 29 Opus (2021) Black Country, New Road 28 Industry (2021) BRUIT ≤ 27 Fire at Static Valley (2021) Godspeed You! Black Emperor 26 Step Out of the Light (2021) Bruno Pernadas 25 Pennsylvania Furnace (2021) Lingua Ignota 24 Pana-Vision (2022) The Smile 23 Teeth (2022) Perfume Genius 22 Alma_The Voyage (2022) Melody's Echo Chamber 21 The Hermit (2022) Richard Dawson 20 Modern Love Stories (2022) Beach House 19 It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody (2022) Weyes Blood 18 Blómi (2023) Susanne Sundfřr 17 Margin for Error (2023) Sprain 16 If You Had Seen the Bull's Swimming Attempts You Would Have Stayed Away (2023) Squid 15 sh*t Talk (2023) Sufjan Stevens 14 Nordlicht (2023) Kosmischer Läufer 13 The Beggar Lover (Three) (2023) Swans 12 Mountain Song (2024) Tapir! 11 그러나 과거에 갇혀 살 수만은 없기에 모쪼록 가슴에 묻어두고서 나는 앞을 응시하고 (Fixing My Gaze Ahead) (2024) Kimbanourke 김반월키 10 Something in the Room She Moves (2024) Julia Holter 9 All Born Screaming (2024) St. Vincent 8 Bending Hectic (2023) The Smile 7 Floating on a Moment (2024) Beth Gibbons 6 I Don't Know What Free Is (2025) Jenny Hval 5 Blind Creature of Slime (2025) Kayo Dot 4 Two Horses (2025) Black Country, New Road 3 Hearty (2025) North Sea Radio Orchestra 2 (Rope) Away (2025) Swans 1 Melodie Is a Wound (2025) Stereolab Here are the youtube playlists for the music just in case anyone wants to hear anything off of it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4Ityu2ke5HscevwgzJF12gJ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4JSXqvrvEOWmPGnKzcWLNnN https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4Je4ygRZ2nMHxlAMkc3jsSU https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4KS10vYSEvGZR-iwF7eFSTa By the way, if I cover another act for this "blog", I'd like to do AIR or Boards of Canada next, maybe at some time. Note: The year in the RYM list (see link) for songs does not always refer to the year of the album release I have taken these from. Edited by Logan - August 19 2025 at 08:59 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Logan
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Posted: August 10 2025 at 10:41 |
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A journey through the AIR (or airy-fairy nonsense -- no deep analysis here)
AIR (an acronym for Amour, Imagination, and Ręve apparently) is the project of the French duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel whose backgrounds were architecture and mathematics respectively. It is an act that I got into in what seems to be early 2004. While this is Prog blogs, I do put AIR in the same universe as other music I love that is included in PA such as Stereolab and the Prog term is not of much value to me. I think most of what I listen to could be described as prog-related or prog adjacent or just plain progressive, or perhaps "art music" (another problematic term) of some stripes. What I tend to like tends to be more on the borders of Prog, or just progressive or artsy in its way, than Prog itself. I like a lot of atmospheric, dreamy, ambient and down-tempo music. I'm not much of a "rocker" generally, nor do I tend to favour virtuoso musicianship as much as many others. I like certain moods and textures and key changes... The first thing I heard by Air was "Cherry Blossom Girl" as there was a video on a long defunct short film site that I frequented a lot called Atom Films (atomfilms.com). The video is on an adult nature, has a theme of pornography, and I found it very sad and poignant and the music reverberated with me. So I then got AIR's Talkie Walkie album (2004) which I loved, then the great debut album, AIR's Moon Safari (not to be confused with the Moon Safari on PA). I had inattentively checked out 10 000 Hz Legend a couple of years later and stupidly dismissed it as I had absorbed negative commentary that I had read about it and just not listened properly. I went back to it later and loved the album. It became one of my favourite albums. Another album that I had not given much attention to is the soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides. I listened to that again recently, and for the first time I listened to it "properly" I would say and loved it. Not all of the music on it was in the film. I also have liked music from Pocket Symphony but need to give it a proper spin. While this is an act that I have been very into since 2004, I haven't paid as much attention to most of its albums as I feel I should have in that time. By the way, at the Paris Olympics I was hoping AIR would play and was so pleased when they did. One thing I wanted to use this blog for is to get myself to more deeply explore and re-explore some acts that are meaningful to me. I am listening to Pocket Symphony right now and loving it. In fact, considering the kind of dreamy music I am so into now like Beach House, I love this all the more, and that video for "Mer du Japan" is very nice. :) Just finished the album -- lovely. Here is a youtube playlist with two favourite tracks from five AIR albums (2 songs per album). It's no substitute for full albums and lacks as much variation as I might like but I wanted to share some AIR music that has resonated with me. A few of my others faves not in PA that I would like to cover are Boards of Canada, Portishead and Beach House. Edited by Logan - August 10 2025 at 10:48 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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cstack3
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Posted: August 10 2025 at 16:59 |
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Godspeed You! Black Emperor impress the hell out of me!
 You did a lot of work here, it will take a while to read with my 70 year old eyes! |
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I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!
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Fercandio46
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Posted: August 10 2025 at 18:19 |
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I hadn't heard of this band before, but I liked it more and more as I listened to the songs they offered...some Cibo Matto, Sean Lennon, and even the Velvet Underground! But with their own sound. The singer's voice reminds me of the indie scene of the early 2000s, almost as if I were with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation. I loved the Fishmans so thank you so much for showing it to us.
I've been following Annie Clarke for years, and her approach seems cutting-edge to me. It harks back to the past; there's rock, psychedelia, electronica, and jazz, but the result is a new hybrid! Stereolab always seemed modern to me, even with the '60s influences, they're still always modern. And they're back this year! Jack White's solo albums are also very interesting; there's always something out of the ordinary, a certain quest, something in the composition that makes him original. Both "Fear of the Down" and "Entering Heaven Alive," released in 2022, are very different but equally recommendable. |
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Fercandio46
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Posted: August 10 2025 at 18:39 |
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I almost forgot to mention what, for me, is something new about Marc Ribott! From 1990's Rootless Cosmopolitans to his band Ceramic Dog, with whom he's already released six albums. Since his beginnings with Tom Waits, he hasn't stopped evolving, faithful to his roots and unafraid of change. His cover of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" speaks for itself.
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Logan
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Posted: August 10 2025 at 19:45 |
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^^^ Thanks, Charles. My eyes have seen better days. While I have other lists to work with, and it was hard limiting in many cases, the 1965 to 2025 (actually done as 2025 to 1966) listing took quite some time. But it's always nice for me to return to music that I care about. I just made a change to it by adding another AIR song (a special act to me) and it is one that my kids grew up hearing (my tastes were skewed a bit by putting on music that my wife could stomach, so often easier listening).
And yeah, I think Godspeed You! Black Emperor is great, has been great since the 90s and continues to impress me. It's my favourite Canadian band. ^^ & ^ Fernando: So glad you liked Fishmans. And AIR's "Alone in Kyoto" featured on the Lost in Translation soundtrack. I only got into Annie Clarke in the past few years, but I love her. I almost went to her concert supporting All Born Screaming. In October I will be going to a Stereolab concert. Its newest album is my favourite album of the year at this time. To me Stereolab is both modern and retro. It takes inspiration from 70s and 60s Krautrock and Psychedelia, lounge and Space Age music but also feels modern. I like the Can/ NEU!/ Cluster/ Harmonia qualities. and I like various bands with similarities such as Broadcast, Vanishing Twin, Komeda and Pram.... I will check out the Jack White and Ribott!/ Ceramic Dog albums, and of course "Take Five" is fantastic and love to hear a new take on it. Been checking out your mentions, Fernando. Thanks. Edited by Logan - August 10 2025 at 23:23 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Logan
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Posted: August 11 2025 at 13:44 |
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I feel uncomfortable posting because I had felt I would be gone (moderation and time-management is key, thus only six songs per year for 2025 to 1966 before instead of doing something truly ambitious --lol), but I want to do another before I am off on a camping trip crossing Canada's Vancouver Island, and I want to do Boards of Canada (BoC of the not Blue oyster Cult variety). With a name like that, you might expect this act to be Canadian, but in actuality it is altogether more bonny than beaver (bonny beavers for the Scottish-Canadians, but no Biebers allowed).
Boards of Canada is the Scottish duo of Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin who make electronic music and I wish had been much more prolific. It was formed in Edinburgh in 1986 and has not released many LP studio albums over the years, but they do have a handful of, I think, superb LPs, some excellent EPs and collections of tracks, and many great tracks. I'd posit that BoC has but four proper studio album LPs: 1998's Music Has the Right to Children, 2002's Geogaddi, 2005's The Campfire Headphase and 2013's Tomorrow's Harvest and five EPs. SOme of its tracks have been released as Hell Interface. I've been hoping for a new album for years. Music has thew Right to Children is the one I have played the most -- I love that album and its trip-hop qualities, and I do have a strong thing for mid-90s to 2000s music. Boc Maxima released in 1996 is the earliest non-EP released BoC album I know well, has much earlier material and various of my favourite BoC tracks (but of some of those I have higher quality version than the cop I know). I also like various EPs very much. Before I heard any BoC album, I fell for the track "Dayvan Cowboy" and then for "Everything You Do Is a Balloon". Then came the album Music Has Right to Children, then the subsequent LPs in order, then the others for me. For the release of Tomorrow's Harvest, seemingly BoC adopted an ingenious and elaborate marketing ploy/ ester egg hunt to announce and create buzz for the album. I watched a documentary on it and other sources confirm it. They placed one-off records in several records stores around the world with codes in them to be discovered, analysed and combined as well as codes in many other places. These tactics led to an announcement of the album's release date (In Tokyo at the famous crosswalk as I recall) and the coordinates of a BoC concert in a California desert at the disused/abandoned Lake Dolores Waterpark. Due to those cryptic clues having been decoded, about 100 people attended the concert. I'd say that they must have trusted in the intelligence and obsessiveness of fans (many people like a good puzzle/mystery to solve and we are pattern seeking animals), but then I would guess they would have laid the clues on heavier and heavier if people didn't seem to be picking up on the clues or figuring them out (but lay it on too thick and you lose all mystique and sense of accomplishment. Trust in the "nerds"). Here is a link with the details: https://bocpages.org/wiki/Tomorrow%27s_Harvest_Viral_Marketing_Campaign Again, here is a playlist with a variety of favourite tracks from releases I know. I may be bored of Canada sometimes, but not of Boards of Canada. |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Lewian
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Posted: August 11 2025 at 15:48 |
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Love Boards of Canada, know about half of their discograhy, so still can discover things.
Nobody here of course will complain or see it as a problem if you post!  Anyway, have a good trip! |
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I make typos so you see I'm not a machine, but I may be a machine pretending to not be a machine.
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Logan
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Posted: August 17 2025 at 12:24 |
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^ Thank you.
Back from my camping trip. Was beautiful and sunny at first, but the weather turned to high winds and then the next day pouring rain. Got very wet, and not just when swimming, but it was enjoyable on the whole. Swam in the most beautiful river, and such beautiful beaches. So many Australians. It seems most everywhere I go here with natural beauty and adventure/ outdoor activities there be Aussies. Love that about them. Prog blog or not, I figured I wanted to do Portishead now (did get very into acts that got really going in the 90s) -- to me its album Third is related anyway for its Krautrock, experimental rock, progressive folktronica, and post-rock qualities (and the related Beak> is in PA). Portishead is a band from Bristol, England, which is near the town of Portishead. The band's three main members have been Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow on various instruments and Beth Gibbons on vocals, and Dave McDonald was a past member. Various other guests have performed with Portishead. While Portishead only released three studio albums, those being Dummy in 1994, Portishead in 1997 and Third in 2008, they also have some great singles not on those albums like "Chase the Tear", its take on ABBA's "SOS", and one of my favourite live albums with Roseland NYC Live (1998). Portishead related: I also am very into the Geoff Barrow band Beak>, which is included in PA under Krautrock, and I adore Beth Gibbons album was Rustin Man, Out of Season from 2002, and I adore her Lives Outgrown album from 2024 (my album of the year). Beak>'s >>>> was one of my other favourite albums from 2024, and I did not at first know it was Portishead related. Portishead is well-known as one of the main trip hop and Bristol sound bands, along with Massive Attack. Laika with Sounds of the Satellites and Morcheeba are favourites of mine from the trip hop world, and the aforementioned AIR and Boards of Canada has made similar music, and Bjork has also made trip hop. And Ulver's Perdition City is an excellent album in my opinion. And Gorillaz is very popular. Here is a playlist of some of my favourite Portishead stuff: two songs per studio album, two from the Roseland concert and two from the 2013 Glastonbury festival concert, two singles and two related tracks from both Beth Gibbon's and Beak>, plus one mashup of Portishead and Massive Attack (Gibbons and Elizabeth Fraser) I also like the 2008 concert Prive by Portishead. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4It1jmbZJWGpYWjBmiUghyV By the way, while I heard Portishead in the 90s, it really wasn't until late last decade after I heard a dark sketch comedy mixed with music radio program produced in the 90s called Blue Jam that I really got into Portishead. That radio program had a huge effect on my interests. Thank you Chris Morris. Edited by Logan - August 17 2025 at 15:44 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Fercandio46
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Posted: August 17 2025 at 17:40 |
Portishead has influenced countless bands since then. They blew my mind even before I knew their genre was Trip Hop! It's true, though, that there's Krautrock and Jazz. Adrian Utley was influenced by Terry Riley's work. The Roseland NYC concert is practically a classic for me, and it's also on DVD! Beth Gibbons' voice is very special... and can be warm and spectral at times. I also really like Air. French, English, and Baltic electronica interest me a lot, especially when they fuse new elements with influences from the past, progressive, and psychedelic. Röyksopp are from Norway and their 2001 album Melody A.M. was a milestone in terms of this fusion I was talking about. I need to explore the solo careers of the members of Portishead, so thanks for the tip. Canada is beautiful, and it's true about the Australians... a people I appreciate a lot! |
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Logan
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Posted: August 18 2025 at 15:50 |
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^ Thanks, Fernando. I love Beth Gibbon's vocals, and the album version of Roseland NYC concert is great! I would recommend that to be good starting point for many. There are quite significant differences between the DVD version and CD LP version as I recall.
I listened to Melody A.M. last night and found it be a very interesting album, and I especially enjoyed the first half. Makes me think I should probably do Stereolab next as one that kind of works well with music like that, Portishead, Air and Boards of Canada. Or maybe chew on some Swans (but that's a big bird to handle). Since I'm going to a Strereolab concert ere very long I might try "the lab". I have not yet heard the albums between 2004's Margerine Eclipse and this year's Instant Holograms on Metal Film in full. |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Logan
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Posted: August 19 2025 at 12:10 |
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So I could not sleep last night and decided to listen to a bunch of Stereolab, including some albums I had not heard, at least in full before. Stereolab can get get rather samey, but I really enjoyed the experience. I decided to choose three tracks I really like off all of the studio albums and do some EPs choosing just one track. One of those is a collaboration with Nurse With Wound.
Stereolab is a group that formed in 1990 in London, it has English and French members and one finds songs sung in English and French. Its influenced by Krautrock such as Neu!, Can and Harmonia, utilises Motorik beats and has lounge qualities. It can be very easy listening and it can be noise-y. It can be simple pop, or art pop, or experimental rock. It commonly has psychedelic qualities. It's Indie and endearing (at least to me). In 2002 Sterelab took a big hit when one of its members, Mary Hansen, who added vocals, guitar and keyboards, was struck by a lorry in London while riding her bicycle and succumbed to her injuries. The album Margerine Eclipse was dedicated to her. I got really into the band about seven years ago after hearing "Cybele's Reverie" and "The Flower Called Nowhere" in episodes from the 1990s Chris Morris dark and surreal comedy meeets music radio show, Blue Jam. That program got me into so much music, especially 90s music, but also the classic artist Serge Gainsbourg in a big way. Of the 90s acts I listened to in that program, none made a bigger impression on me than Stereolab. That led to me listening to various others that became favourites such as Broadcast, Komeda, Pram, Vanishing Twin, the earlier Cortex, and others. Like with AIR which I have been into for much longer, I never got around to listening to all of the albums. Now I have heard all of the Stereolab studio albums, and like with Air, I do think many underrate much of the material. Albums such as Dots and Loops, Emperor Tomato Ketchup and Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night are major classics of the 90s, but I think they released plenty of great material since, and its 2025 album is currently my favourite album of the year (just over Swans' Birthing, and I really like the new North Sea Radio Orchestra one). Stereolab's studio LPs are: Peng! (1992) Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements (1993) Mars Audiac Quintet (1994) Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996) Dots and Loops (1997) Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night (1999) Sound-Dust (2001) Margerine Eclipse (2004) Fab Four Suture (2006) Chemical Chords (2008) Not Music (2010) and 15 years later: Instant Holograms on Metal Film (2025) Some of its EPs are (it has a lot and I am just listing those I have listened to): Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center (1995, with Charles Long) Fluorescences (1996) Simple Headphone Mind (1997, with Nurse With Wound) The Free Design (1999) It's enjoyable for me to go through albums and pick tracks I like, and I decided to choose three tracks from the 12 studio LP albums for a youtube playlist in order of album appearance. I then choose one track from each of the EPs I mentioned above. Since I am seeing Stereolab in concert with my wife in October, I think such playlist might be a good way to expose her to more of its music while we drive. Usually she wants me to put on Weyes Blood if playing music I like that I introduced her to in the car. While listening to tracks like this is no great substitute for full albums, this process can lead to me appreciating music more (but then I do tend to choose the old faves from that I know well, partially due to time constraints. Perhaps simple playlists would be preferred by some, but those are easy enough to find and I like the process of choosing (although that can be challenging). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4J5ycOA4krsOQBsswuoyhgH |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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Logan
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Posted: August 19 2025 at 15:07 |
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A second from me today. I thought I'd do Swans, but I feel that Beach House fits better with what I have been most listening to of late, and I feel like I have to go more epic when it comes to preparing a blog post on Swans. After Swans maybe I will take on Art Zoyd, Magma or Van der Graaf Generator/Peter Hammill. Can't do a proper Prog blog without some serious Dream Pop (OK, you absolutely can and probably should) -- a wet dream for some, a nightmare for others, and for some just plain wet. Something I love is that I can tie Beach House in with one of my favourite TV shows, Twin Peaks (now I want one to go with Fargo)
Beach House is an Indie Pop, Dream Pop and Neo-Psych band from Baltimore that was founded in 2004 by Victoria Lagrande on keyboards and vocals, and Alex Scally on guitar, keys, drum programming and backing vocals. It has eight LP studio albums and two EPs. LPs: Beach House (2006) Devotion (2008) Teen Dream (2010) Bloom (2012) Depression Cherry (2015) Thank Your Lucky Stars (2015) 7 (2018) Once Twice Melody (2022) EPs: Once Twice Melody (2021) Become (2023) I got into Beach House a couple of years ago soon after my mother died. I think I was listening to Weyes Blood, or maybe Melody's Echo Chamber, while trying to sort things out on youtube and youtube started to autoplay its suggested "Modern Love Stories" track off Once Twice Melody. I fell immediately in love with it, and the fan video with footage from the 1968 film Candy helped. I soon found the video for "Wishes", which is one of the most entertaining music videos I have seen and features Ray Wise, who played Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as the coach. I'm a huge Twin Peaks fan after getting into it after The Return was released in 2017 -- better late than never. Various Beach House music would suit Twin Peaks beautifully and I could easily imagine it playing at the Roadhouse bar. In fact, Beach House are fans of Twin Peaks, David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise. I have read that Beach House were asked to perfrom at the Roadhouse in Twin Peaks: The Return, but were on tour and so had to decline. That is tragic. The song they would have liked to do is "Elegy to the Void" (one of my Beach house faves). And its "Silver Soul" is very Twin Peaks. The albums I have listen to the most times are Bloom and Once Twice Melody, with Depression Cherry and Teen Dream following for most plays. Reminded how good 7 is listening again and others music. I love this band, and it did help me through a hard time. Here is a playlist again with two songs per LP and EP and whole live set that I've enjoyed very much to boot. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4LzgYpyQtPjk1tpGpk2sJ9D Now this dreamy music might be too syrupy for some, but I love it and have never really been a "rocker" (doesn't mean I don't like rock, but I'm more of a chairer than a roller). That said, next up I plan to get a little more brutal with another one of my very favourite acts, Swans. Edited by Logan - August 19 2025 at 15:12 |
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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.
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This is my favourite Fishmans album, one of my very favourite albums, and my favourite live album of all. Sadly it would be the last performance of the classic Fishmans line-up as the main song-writer, frontman, lead singer and lead guitarist, Shinji Sato, would die within a few months. The great Honzi (violinist, pianist, accordion player and more) also would die not many years later.