Saturday, January 26, 2013

centrozoon - Never Trust the Way You Are [2005]


Centrozoon (usually stylized "centrozoon", without the capitalization) is an electronic improvisational group from Germany. To describe their music as a whole would be to describe every country in the world, as a whole, in a few sentences. They are experimental, improvisational, and flexible, though they tend toward a more ambient, prog-rock-style of electronica. They were never really trying to be "commercial", and never used conventional pop-song techniques, until in 2002, when they announced that they would be working with Tim Bowness, front-man of dream pop/art rock giant No-Man. They released three or four albums, including this one, that blended centrozoon's native ambiance with Bowness' prog-pop stylings to create "a hybrid pop refinement that will appear to fans of Japan as well as King Crimson." (Expose)

Released: August 10, 2005
Genre: Electronic
Length: 47:08
Label: Resonancer Records

Bit Rate: 320kbps
centrozoon - Never Trust the Way You Are [2005]

-DJT

Mission of Burma - ONoffON [2004]


Mission of Burma is a post-punk band with an interesting story. They started up with an EP in 1981 and a full album in 1982, and then just kind of disappeared due to front-man Roger Miller's growing tinnitus. And suddenly, in the decades of absence that followed their break-up, they exploded in popularity. Critics point to their album Vs. as being a critical turning point in independent music, and bands along the lines of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Pixies, Fugazi, and Yo La Tengo have cited Mission of Burma as inspiration for their music. Oh yeah, and in 2009, the city of Boston (where they started) declared October 4 to be "Mission of Burma Day". Nineteen years later, out of nowhere, they start up again, and release ONoffON, and have since gone on to make three more albums. Their age (and maturity) shows, as ONoffON is cleaner and less abrasive than their first album, but their musical ingenuity is ever-present.

Released: May 4, 2004
Genre: Post-punk, indie rock
Length: 53:22
Label: Matador Records

Bit Rate: Variable (avg: 236.5kbps)
Mission of Burma - ONoffON [2004]

-DJT

Medicine - Her Highness [1995]


Medicine is at its base a shoegaze band, though, depending on what album you're listening to, an argument could be made for noise pop and/or the all encompassing "alternative rock". Their first album has been described as "noise blur-a-delia layered over confectionery pop songs", while their later stuff is the opposite (pop over noise). Pitchfork described them as "the closest thing to being an American answer to My Bloody Valentine," which, for a shoegaze band, is probably the highest praise possible. Her Highness was their last album before breaking up in 1995 (though they reformed shortly in 2003 and recorded another album), but is nonetheless good as an album. It has been described as "moody, pensive, discordant, ugly, noisy," and having "songs of ambivalence, going through the motions, loves, friends and selves lost, truthtelling and confusion."

Released: August 22, 1995
Genre: Alternative rock, shoegaze, noise pop
Length: 45:43
Label: American

Bit Rate: 192kbps
Medicine - Her Highness [1995]

-DJT

Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat [2006]


Grandaddy is a California indie rock band with a lean toward space rock and sense of psychedelia. It was fronted by Jason Lytle, who wrote most of the songs and could (arguably) be compared to Elliott Smith or Thom Yorke in terms of musical talent and capability (which is definitely a good thing). Grandaddy came upon success with the release of their second album, The Sophtware Slump, which has frequently been ranked high on "Top 100 Albums of the Decade" lists and is an album that The Independent described as "easily the equal of OK Computer" (which is definitely also a good thing). Just Like the Fambly Cat was written and recording almost entirely by Lytle alone (he chose to credit the album to the full band, despite Grandaddy having already broken up by its release), and reflects his dark, estranged, lonely situation at the time. As such, it is known as having "an air of melancholic finality" (The Stranger) and being both a high point musically, and a low point emotionally.

Released: May 9, 2006
Genre: Indie rock, space rock
Length: 61:41
Label: V2

Bit Rate: 320kbps
Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat [2006]

-DJT

Curve - Cuckoo [1993]



Curve is a fun little British alternative-rock/dancy/shoegazing duo from back when shoegazing was just starting to die off. Correspondingly, the sales for this album were less than great. However, critical reception was generally good, and many even stated it was more varied and interesting than their much lauded first release, Doppelgänger. It featured harder-edged and darker music than the first, possibly leading to its lessened popular success and the eventual (though only temporary) break-up of the band.

Released: September 21, 1993
Genre: Alternative rock, shoegazing
Length: 45:52
Label: Anxious Records

Bit Rate: 160kbps
Curve - Cuckoo [1993]

-DJT

Sunday, January 20, 2013

DJ Turpentine Music Blog Go!

Just starting a small little blog here (conveniently coinciding with the launch of Mega) to spread some interesting music around and see where it goes. I'll be picking albums from my collection more-or-less randomly, though I won't share any really well-known or easy-to-get-elsewhere stuff. This is more for getting that one album that you can't find anywhere else out for the world to listen to. It'll also be mostly older stuff: the kind of stuff from a band long since broken up or finished, that won't feel the lack of sales as much (I try to not be that terrible of a person.)

I do take my collection seriously, though; you can be sure that every album will include album art, have completely correct tags, and will generally be >192kbps (though even I can only get what I can).