The Embassy is a Swedish synth pop duo. It was formed in Gothenburg in the early 2000's around the talents of guitarist/vocalist Fredrik and keyboardist/programmer Torbjörn. The group's signature blend of breezy electronic pop and New Order-inspired dance-rock first appeared in 2002 on its debut album, Futile Crimes, followed by a series of singles and EPs released between 2003 and 2005. 2006's full-length Tacking further exemplified the band's self-described style of "Underclass Disco" and won them critical acclaim both locally and internationally.
Hooverphonic are a Belgian rock/pop group, formed in 1995. Though early on categorized as a trip hop group, they quickly expanded their sound to the point where they could no longer be described as a lone genre, but rather encompass alternative, electronica, electropop, rock, and mixture of others.
The President of the LSD Golf Club is the sixth studio album album of this band. The album has quite a different feel from previous Hooverphonic albums. The album was recorded with live musicians and made use of the mellotron, an electronic keyboard popularised by The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever. The sound of the album harks back to the psychedelic era of music but clearly retains a sense of modernity. Songs such as Expedition Impossible are also have more of a traditional rock sound, compared to the sound of earlier Hooverphonic work.
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic singer-songwriter, composer, music producer, and occasional actress, whose work includes six solo albums and two film soundtracks.
Volta is the sixth studio album by Björk released in 2007. A work consisting of 10 songs composed and produced by herself, and that has a long list of contributors. An album about paranoia, the challenges of love and alienation, introspection and hope. For more information see the BBC review
Depeche Mode are an English alternative band, founded in 1980, originally from the town of Basildon, Essex, United Kingdom. They are one of the most enduring and successful bands to have emerged during the 80s, and particularly from the new wave/new romantic era.
On 15 January 2009, the official Depeche Mode website announced that the band's 12th studio album would be called Sounds of the Universe.The album was released in April 2009, The album went to number one in 21 countries. Critical response was generally positive and it was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Alternative Album" category.
Entertainment for the Braindead is a lo-fi singer-songwriter Julia Kotowski from Cologne, Germany. She has a voice and a bunch of little instruments, ranging from guitar and ukulele to paper bins and pepper mills. The first ep Hypersomnia (a collection of lullabies) was released in 2007 and is completely avalaible from Entertainment for the Braindead’s site. Her second release, Hydrophobia (songs about drowning),was published with cooperation of Aaahh Records
“Ich + Ich” is a project by the German musicians Annette Humpe and Adel Tawil. They first met in spring 2002 in Berlin. In April 2005 they released their first album (Ich + Ich), providing mostly melancholic popmusic.
On November 13, 2009, their third album, Gute Reise, was released, reaching once again the top of the German album charts. Its first single, Pflaster, became the band's first No.1 single in Germany.
The pioneering force behind the rise of trip-hop, Massive Attack were among the most innovative and influential groups of their generation; their hypnotic sound — a darkly sensual and cinematic fusion of hip-hop rhythms, soulful melodies, dub grooves, and choice samples — set the pace for much of the dance music to emerge throughout the 1990s, paving the way for such acclaimed artists as Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, Morcheeba, UNKLE and Tricky, himself a Massive Attack alumnus.
Heligoland is the fifth regular studio album, entitled after the German archipelago of the same name. It had been officially released in February 2010 – seven years after the release of their previous non-soundtrack, standalone studio album, 100th Window.
The Inspector Cluzo is a French rock band formed in 2008 by Laurent Lacrouts and Mathieu Jourdain, Both former members of Wolfunking native of Mont-de-Marsan. It consist of two musician, Malcom on guitar (Lawrence Lacrouts)and Phil on drums (Mathieu Jourdain).
In a important French magazine, Nicolas Chapelle describe the genre of the album The French Bastards of fusion between Funk, Rock and Metal.
Riley B. King aka B. B. King (born September 16th, 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi) is a well known American blues guitarist and songwriter. He is among the most respected electric guitarists.
One of King’s trademarks is naming his guitar (Gibson ES335) “Lucille”. In the 1950s in a bar in Twist, Arkansas two men got into a fight, accidentally knocking over a bucket of burning kerosene (used for heating) and setting the establishment on fire. Risking his life, B.B. King ran back into the collapsing building to retrieve his guitar. King later found out that the two men had been fighting over a woman named Lucille. He named his guitar after her to remind himself never to do something so stupid again.
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. Since its inception, the band’s line-up has included Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard , Mike McCready, and drummer Matt Cameron, who has been with the band since 1998.
I had to wait for so many years to finally see Pearl Jam on stage, and my expectations were more than topped. They are so powerfully present, the energy of this group it's unbelievable, even at this festival gig that lasted only one and a half hours. I only saw one other band that was equally good on stage, that being Live. Turning that old military site into a music venue was a great idea, even Eddie appreciated.
The discs published in this post are of the Hartford concert, which I think was the best presentation of this tour and where the band played many songs of their lastest album, Backspacer. Enjoy it!
"Welcome home, Bienvenue au café abstrait": Without compromises but with a lot of passion, Raphaël Marionneau continues his relaxing serie. This is the sixth volume of one of the most loved chillout compilations in Germany.
This time Raphaël presents a double cd compilation with two parts: Le printemps "Is cheerful and warm as the first rays of sunlight on the skin of a spring morning". L'automme "Is more melancolic and calm as a cosy moment in front of the fireplace during a rainy autumm evening.
Placebo are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1994, currently consisting of Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Forrest. To date, they have released six studio albums, six EPs and twenty-nine singles. The band have gained a considerable amount of international recognition, selling over one million albums in the UK and over ten million worldwide.
The acoustic set is a unofficial album released in 2001, which has the acoustic versions of songs from their first three albums.
Beck is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. With a pop art collage of musical styles, oblique and ironic lyrics, and postmodern arrangements incorporating samples, drum machines, live instrumentation and sound effects, Beck has been hailed by critics and the public throughout his musical career as being amongst the most creative and idiosyncratic musicians of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock.
Sea Change is the eighth studio album and was released in September 2002. Inspired by the dissolution of a relationship, Sea Change received glowing reviews upon its release.
No se si es Baires o Madrid (I do not know if Baires or Madrid) is the album that launches Fito Paez October 1, 2008, recorded live on 24 April that year at the Palacio de los Congresos, Madrid, Spain. The album consists of a CD and a DVD with four bonus tracks. It has the participation of many artists invited to this concert.
It is the third CD of Paez that collects items included in previous albums. Also the song "Contigo" (With You) performed together with Joaquín Sabina, formalizes the end of the disagreement between both born since the work Enemigos Intimos (1998).
Stéphane Pompougnac is a French House DJ, musician, composer and producer who was born in the South of France.
Very early on, Stéphane was fascinated by different kinds of music, listening to pop, rock and new wave. The real trigger happened in the late 80s, when he discovered house. One day in 1997 in Paris, when he was already a fairly famous DJ, he met up with Jean-Louis Costes, who asked him to mix music at his hotel restaurant. Very soon they had the idea of a compilation which could spread worldwide the spirit of the Hôtel Costes, this mythic glamorous place. The first compilation quickly became an undeniable reference. Over a dozen more successful and intense compilations followed.
Pompougnac released his second album Hello Mademoiselle in early 2006 after his eighth Hôtel Costes compilation.
Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway.
Paragons of virtue is an official compilation album of rarities, b-sides and live shows of the band.
Do We Need This: B-Sides & Rarities is an unofficial bootleg of the British rock band Muse from 2008. The twenty-five songs on this album are recorded in 1998, when their first EP (called Muse) were released until 2007 . Do We Need This? is a collection of B-sides, covers and other obscure recordings. So are the album covers of the traditional American "The House of the Rising Sun" and written by The Smiths song "Please, Please, Please".
Airlock is a Belgium based Trip-hop musical group formed November 1997 notable for their ambient music on several popular TV series. The band members were Renaud Charlier, Ernst W. Meinrath and Pierre Mussche.
In 1998, Musicom, began crafting tracks of cool electronic ambience mixed with orchestral hip-hop, as soundtracks for adverts and underground films. Scottish born Esra Tasasiz joined Musicom and the four decided to work together on recording a short piece of music. It was during these sessions that it soon became obvious that their creative output worked outside the confines of cinematography and Airlock were formed.
The production of the first album ‘Drystar’ stretched over a period of two-and-a-half-years.
The Stance Brothers represent raw garage jazz in its purest form. The band was formed by the Stance brothers Isiah and Dwayne. After enlisting their friend, a virtuoso drummer by the name of Byron Breaks, the line up was complete. The core of The Stance Brothers' sound stems from countless of hours spent jamming at their dusty garage. The trio's unfaultering will to excel in playing funk-influenced garage jazz comes second only to their passion for shooting hoops at the nearby basketball court.
Battle for the Sun is the sixth studio album by the alternative rock band Placebo.
the band utilize new instruments, such as trumpets and saxophones. Molko even experimented with the Springtime and It is also the first album with the new drummer, Steve Forrest.
Frontman Brian Molko said on the concept of the album: We've made a record about choosing life, about choosing to live, about stepping out of the darkness and into the light. Not necessarily turning your back on the darkness because it's there, it's essential; it's a part of who you are, but more about the choice of standing in the sunlight instead
Further is the seventh studio album by The Chemical Brothers, released on 14 June 2010. The album title and release date were announced on band's official website on 30 March 2010. All 8 tracks from the album are accompanied by corresponding films, made specifically to match them, by Adam Smith and Marcus Lyal.
"Further" is the first Chemical Brothers album to not feature any vocal collaborations. Tom Rowlands sings on the tracks that do feature vocals. Stephanie Dosen also provided vocals for certain tracks
In 2005, in the endless magic hour of the Icelandic summer, Sigur Rós played a series of concerts around their homeland. Combining both the biggest and smallest shows of their career, the entire tour was filmed, and now provides a unique insight into one of the world’s shyest and least understood bands captured live in their natural habitat.
Material from all four of the band’s albums is featured, including many rare and notable moments. Among these are a heart-stopping rendition of the previously unreleased Gitardjamm’, filmed inside a derelict herring oil tank in the far West Fjords; a windblown, one-mic recording of Vaka’, shot at a dam protest camp subsequently drowned by rising water; and first time acoustic versions of such rare live beauties as Staralfur’, Agaetis Byrjun’ and Von’. Heima is the first chance to see Sigur Rós live on DVD.
Some Devil is the debut solo album by musician Dave Matthews. It was released on September 23, 2003. The album features several guest musicians, including long-time Dave Matthews Band collaborator guitarist Tim Reynolds and Phish frontman and guitarist Trey Anastasio. The album's first single, "Gravedigger", won a Grammy Award in 2004.
Of the album, Matthews said:
"I hadn't really been thinking about doing a solo album until I had a handful of songs that didn't really fit with the band, so I started with those and it just grew into a full record," Matthews said. "I kind of thought it'd be fun to put it out."
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects and collaborations throughout his career. Perhaps best known internationally as the frontman and songwriter of Gorillaz, Albarn came to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur, and has been involved with such projects as The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Monkey: Journey to the West and Mali Music.
Albarn released Mali Music in 2002, recorded in Mali, during a trip he made to support Oxfam in 2000. He has also visited Nigeria to record music with African drummer Tony Allen and had the participation of Malian musicians like Afel Bocoum, Toumani Diabaté, and also featuring a cameo from Ko Kan Ko Sata.
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz, released 3 March 2010 on Parlophone and Virgin Records. Conceived from an unfinished Gorillaz project called Carousel, the album was recorded during June 2008 to November 2009 and produced primarily by group co-creator Damon Albarn. It features guest appearances by several artists. Primarily a pop album, Plastic Beach contains lyrics concerning consumerism and ecology-related themes.
Plastic Beach Deluxe Edition .10 (To Download see the comments)
BBC Sessions is a compilation album featuring studio sessions and a live concert recorded by English rock group Led Zeppelin for the BBC. It was released on 11 November 1997, by Atlantic Records. This was the first release of new Led Zeppelin material in 15 years. Disc 1 consists of material from four different 1969 BBC sessions. Disc 2 contains most of the 1 April 1971 concert from the Paris Theatre in London.
Countless bootlegs of these recordings circulated for years before the official release. This release was widely welcomed by Led Zeppelin fans as the first live release since The Song Remains the Same in 1976. Others have criticized the decision to edit some of the songs and drop others that were recorded for the BBC. Most notable are one session from 1969 which included the unreleased song “Sunshine Woman,” and about 22 seconds of the “Whole Lotta Love” medley from 1971.
Gustavo Adrián Cerati Clark (born in Buenos Aires on August 11, 1960) is an Argentinian artist and songwriter. During the 1980s and 90s he was a member of the Rock en Español group Soda Stereo. He released his first solo album in the early 90s, and continued his solo career after Soda Stereo disbanded in 1997.
Cerati is known for his lead and rhythm guitar talents and for his ability to play intricate lead solos on guitar while singing in key. In his album Ahí vamos his guitar playing is featured prominently as opposed to the heavy use of electronic samplers as in Bocanada. Ahí Vamos was certified platinum in Argentina in only one day.
Cerati has several electronic music alter egos as well, namely Plan V, Ocio and Roken. He has produced albums for other artists, most notably Sueños en Tránsito for Nicole and Mar for Leo García as well as for the band Friccion. He is a contributing artist on several albums for artists such as Caifanes, Los Calzones, and Shakira.
Despite stating that the Grammys do not matter to him he attended the Latin Grammys ceremony on November 2, 2006 where he won for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song.
Go contains nine songs amassed from the large pool of songs written by jónsi during his many years with sigur rós. the album is sung in english and icelandic, and was co-produced by jónsi, his partner alex somers and peter katis.
when he began working on go, jónsi initially thought he would be making a low-key, acoustic album until, as he says, “somewhere along the line, it just sort of exploded.” that explosion resulted in sheer aural fireworks. not a straight ahead pop record, nor rock, folk, ambient or electronic, it encompasses all of these to create an expansive musical palette that’s been brought to life by jónsi alongside a number of free-spirited collaborators.
Overpowered is the second solo studio album by Irish singer–songwriter Róisín Murphy, released in Ireland on 12 October 2007 and in the United Kingdom and rest of Europe on 15 October 2007. The album was to be released in the United States in late 2008 or early 2009, but was cancelled by EMI due to financial difficulties on their part. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, the album was more commercially successful than its predecessor, debuting at number twenty on the UK Albums Chart.
Bon Iver is an indie folk band, and one of Justin Vernon’s current and most notable music projects to date. The band also consists of: Mike Noyce, Sean Carey and Matt MacCaughan.
The name ‘Bon Iver’ is a play on the French phrase ‘bon hiver;’ for ‘good winter’. Vernon independently released Bon Iver’s debut album: For Emma, Forever Ago in 2007.
When released in the UK, For Emma, Forever Ago received 5/5 and “Album of the Month” reviews in both MOJO and Uncut magazines. It is currently the third highest rated album of 2008 on review-aggregator site Metacritic, with accolades from publications including The Village Voice, The Hartford Courant and The A.V. Club.
With their remarkable third album ‘Tango 3.0’ which, without breaking such radical new ground as their debut, has refined all the founding elements of what makes the Gotan Project the wondrous thing that it is. Understated beats, reflective moods and atmospheres rooted in the dusty backstreets of Buenos Aires and Paris, laced with marvellous voices such as Cristina Vilallonga on ‘Peligro’ or Melingo blessing ‘Tu Misterio’.
Although in Tango 3.0 Gotan Project remain faithful to their founding principles, they have also managed to push the musical barriers further by inviting an exciting host of guests and collaborators. Dr. John lends the smooth sound of the Hammond B3 to ‘Tango Square’. The work of Argentinian author Julio Cortázar is honoured through a reading from his groundbreaking novel Rayuela (Hopscotch) on the track of the same name. Even Víctor Hugo Morales, the legendary football commentator, lends his vocals to their first single ‘La Gloria’. GOOOOOAL becomes GOOOOOTAN! "1,2,3,4 tierra-cielo, 5, 6 paraiso-infierno, 7, 8, 9, 10 hay que saber mover los pies... en la rayuela o en la vida vos podes elegir un dia por que costado, de que lado saltaras"
