“In Search of the Miraculous” by Mark McGuire // Along the Way (2013 via Inpartment Inc.)

Mark McGuire is an artist that always seems to pop up with something new just when I’ve stopped obsessing over his previous release. His work with Emeralds is amazing work, but his solo work is the stuff that keeps me coming back. Which is probably good, because he’s no longer a member of Emeralds. At any rate, McGuire’s brand of ethereal ambient/drone has developed into something extraordinary these past few years, and this new track, “In Search of the Miraculous” from the forthcoming album, “Along the Way”, is itself, “miraculous”. The track is a shimmering, widescreen slice of psych pop layered with otherwordly vocals and guitars that shift and warp, flowing together in a way that feels like fantasy, but it’s real and you can hit “repeat” as much as you like. It’s really wonderful stuff. Highest recommendation for fans of Emeralds, Motion Sickness of Time Travel, and Skyramps. 

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6mark mcguire, emeralds, psych, drone, ambient, ethereal, guitar, motion sickness of time travel, skyramps, medium, grouper, julianna barwick,

“We Drift Like Worried Fire” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor // ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend (2012)

I found Godspeed You! Black Emperor at a turning point in my life. I was newly independent, had a burgeoning interest in the vast world outside of my little  home, and was in the midst of a music revolution in my own mind - shifting from brit pop and indie rock to more experimental sounds. Everyone goes through a similar stage, I’m sure - mine happened to occur in the late 90’s/early 00’s. When “Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada” was released, I found myself at Flat, Black, and Circular in East Lansing, Michigan. It was just in and one of the guys working there (John - I wonder if he’s still there), who had been facilitating my expanse into new territories of sound, was listening to “Moya” from that record. The last half of that record left my jaw on the floor. I don’t thing that I had ever really heard something so massive and progressive, and challenging and beautiful as that particular orchestration. I bought it and found myself soon living in the sounds of GY!BE, who along with  Sigur Ros soon became my go to bands for seeking further inspiration (be it political, musical, or referential). Two bands from different parts of the world, with different designs on music, but essentially the same effect on my brain - an atomic bomb of interest in everything that they were. I followed links and influences and off shoots and as Sigur Ros became more popular throughout the 00’s (and spawned many imitators), GY!BE drifted away (spawning even more imitators). Occasionally popping up in other bands and experiments. I kept waiting and hoping for something that would take me back to that feeling when I first heard “Moya”, but it never came (sure there were pieces of tracks on “Lift Yr Skinny Fists” that came close but never that introduction). Then, two weeks ago, they announced a new album and I eagerly sought it out, expecting another massively complex orchestration, peppered with drones and explosive  power. I got those things. I also found myself stunned, and wrapped up in the awe of one particular track, “We Drift Like Worried Fire”, which started to feel like the way I did all those years ago. The strange thing being that you can’t have a second first impression, so I was not shocked by the band’s power. I was freshly invigorated by it all, one more time. No longer did I find myself leaning to the bands side projects, or the bands that were inspired by their sound, I was back listening to Godspeed do the thing that they are so brilliant at - challenge and push and inspire while leaving you in awe of the power of music - triumphant, sorrowful, and ominous simultaneously.

(pre-order) “Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!” (via Constellation // Out 10.16.12)

Source: aubade

6godspeed you! black emperor, gy!be, post rock, ambient, drone, riyl:, mogwai, explosions in the sky, do make say think, a silver mt zion,

“It’s All Come Undone” by Tropic of Cancer // Permissions of Love (2012)

Sometimes it’s not a particular melody or harmony that grabs your attention, it’s just a singular vibe. Tropic of Cancer have regularly grabbed my attention with their releases by providing that, a vibe or an atmosphere. The band regularly produce dark and haunting compositions that are equal parts beautiful and menacing and tend to exist somewhere between post punk, goth pop, and drone. “It’s All Come Undone” is a ghostly, hypnotic beauty from the “Permissions of Love” EP, which is now available for stream and purchase at Bandcamp. Highly recommended. It’s easy to get lost in these sounds. 

6tropic of cancer, darkwave, goth pop, drone, post punk, shoegaze, silent servant, RIYL:, belong, this mortal coil, the soft moon,

“White Noise” by Exitmusic // Passage (2012)

Exitmusic make dark, stormy music that can be rather intense but that is always easy on the ears. Their previous EPs are loaded with melancholic goth pop gems about  painful, battered love, but they always have a strain of accessibility that makes them beautiful and infinitely listenable. The Brooklyn two piece have a new full length out on May 22nd (now streaming on NPR) that stretches and expands those sounds into further dark and eerie places not unlike the sounds of Zola Jesus or Portishead. “White Noise” is a standout track that builds and crests into a driving, post punk flavored goth pop beast, before crashing back into dark, ambient, hushed sounds, before ramping back up again. It’s a piercing, dramatic track, but it’s a great listen. Check out individual track listens over at Secretly Canadian’s Soundcloud page. For fans of Zola Jesus, M83, and Portishead.

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6exitmusic, aleksa palladino, devon church, brooklyn, goth pop, drone, post punk, secretly canadian, RIYL:, zola jesus, m83, portishead,

“Some Velvet Morning” by Au Palais // Originally by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra

It’s good to hear something new from Au Palais, and this ominous, sexy take on the classic track from Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra is more than enough to excite my ears. The original is a masterpiece and Au Palais put a solid goth-drone-ethereal spin on the track to make it all their own. Definitely worth checking out for fans of Blouse, Trust, and Porcelain Raft. 

(download) “Some Velvet Morning” by Au Palais (via Soundcloud)

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6Goth Pop, au palais, blouse, dreamwave, drone, lee hazlewood, nancy sinatra, porcelain raft, post punk, riyl:, trust, cover,

“The Echo Show” by Yeti Lane // The Echo Show (2012)

Yeti Lane are a French duo that make electro shoegaze and psych pop tracks that would appeal to fans of Grandaddy’s early 00’s space rock, M83’s late era electro shoegaze, and Deerhunter’s widescreen psych/dream pop. They have a new album entititled The Echo Show due out today in Europe, and next Tuesday in the States. It’s loaded with dreamy, electro-shoegaze stunners, and that stands especially well on the title track which hits familiar territory in all three of the potential influences listed above. It’s a killer track that’s highly recommended. If you like what you hear, you can stream the entire album over at French music site, Drone. 

(stream) The Echo Show by Yeti Lane (via Drone)

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6yeti lane, shoegaze, dreamwave, electrogaze, dream pop, RIYL:, grandaddy, m83, my bloody valentine, deerhunter, drone,

“Fell Sound” by Mirroring // Foreign Body (2012)

This collaboration of Tiny Vipers and Liz Harris’s Grouper project is, at once, exactly what you’d expect from these two masters of ambient minimalism, and oddly, something very different. While it maintains the same sort of slowcore ambiance of some of the material produced by both artists on their own, here there is more of a welcoming nature that blends into a widescreen atmospheric vibe, bordering on dream pop more than drone. It’s a gorgeous record for late night listening and it’s lead off track “Fell Sound” is one of my highlights of the year so far. It’s six and a half minutes of minimalist beauty that you can easily get lost in. Absolutely recommended for fans of Grouper, Julianna Barwick, or Stars of the Lid.

6mirroring, grouper, liz harris, tiny vipers, ethereal, ambient, drone, dream pop, slowcore, minimalist, abstract, RIYL:, julianna barwick, stars of the lid,

“The Fall” by Frankie Rose // Interstellar (2012)

It’s far too early in the year to tell anything of note, but if i had to choose the one album that’s received more plays from me than any other, it’s without a doubt, Interstellar by Frankie Rose. I’ve already done my fair share of hyping this wonderful new release, but I figured one more track on a slow day wouldn’t hurt anyone. “The Fall” is the closing note of Interstellar and it’s an ethereal beauty. Like some of the best ambient/drone work done by Grouper, but more accessible. The haunting layered vocals and lo-fi synth pop production make it one of my absolute favorite single songs so far this year. I could live inside of “The Fall” and be absolutely content. It’s perfect. 

(stream) The entire album Interstellar by Frankie Rose (via PrettyMuchAmazing)

6frankie rose, lo-fo, lofi, new wave, synth pop, rock, vivian girls, crystal stilts, dum dum girls, grouper, liz harris, drone, ambient,

“Demona” by Grouper // Originally by Dead Moon (Available in latest issue of Yeti)

Being a massive fan of Liz Harris’s ambient/drone project, Grouper, it’s with great excitement that I hear about anything new being released, so today the excitement was out in full force with the release of her cover of Dead Moon’s “Demona”. Mostly the excitement came from getting to hear a drone artist cover a punk band, and that’s exactly what works. The sound, while not completely different from Grouper’s latest output, has more of a melody, and though it’s nearly lost in an ocean of noise, it’s haunting all the same. In fact, this would probably be better classified in shoegaze or noise pop than straight up ambient. Whatever the case and whatever the genre, this is a must listen for fans of Grouper, as well as fans of Belong, Juliana Barwick, and Mark McGuire. 

(download) “Demona” by Grouper (via Pitchfork)

6grouper, liz harris, portland, ambient, drone, shoegaze, noise pop, punk, cover, dead moon, yeti, RIYL:, belong, juliana barwick, mark mcguire,

“Ceremony” by Shanz // Originally by Joy Division//New Order

The lovely, talented, and always interesting Shanz has been posting covers and originals on her Soundcloud page for a while now (you may remember her cover of MGMT’s “Kids” that I posted a while back) and somehow I managed to miss this gem. Here she’s got an excellent noise-pop/bedroom pop take on the Joy Division/ New Order classic, “Ceremony”. Really great stuff. 

(via izxxcp)

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6shanz, joy division, new order, cover, mgmt, noise pop, bedroom pop, drone,

“Flickering” by Grouper & Ilyas Ahmed // Visitor EP // Social Music Subscription Series (2011)

Liz Harris of Grouper has teamed up with Portland artist, Ilyas Ahmed, to create more haunting, ethereal ambient music the moniker “Visitor”. Previously, I had posted a track from these sessions (mislabeled as “First Song, Side One”) entitled “The Edges” that adhered more tightly to ambient compositions, but with “Flickering” you get actual vocals and something more akin to an ethereal dream pop song. Sure, it’s still in the realm of “drone” but it feels more fleshed out. For fans of Grouper, Julianna Barwick, and Belong.

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6grouper, ilyas ahmed, visitor, portland, drone, ethereal, ambient, RIYL:, brian eno, julianna barwick, belong,

“Heir Looms” by Imbogodom // And They Turned Not When They Went (2012)

Warped sound collage-ists Imbogodom are back with a new album of ambient, experimental soundscapes courtesy of Thrill Jockey records. This is the first taste of the new album and it’s a dark, haunting, bit of spaced out folk. It’s very difficult to pin a proper comparison on these guys because they’re got such a wonderfully unique sound. If i were forced to make that pitch, I’d have to say that they sound like a collaboration between Grouper’s dark, ambient soundscapes and Adem’s haunting electro-folk. Whatever the case, it’s definitely worth hearing. 

(download) “Heir Looms” by Imbogodom (via Soundcloud // Thrill Jockey)

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6imbogodom, thrill jockey, experimental, electronic, ambient, drone, RIYL:, grouper, adem,

“Better Off Alone” by SALEM // Originally by Alice Deejay // I’m Still in the Night (2011)

Hearing SALEM cover a trance anthem (that was impossible to escape in the late 90’s and early 00’s) should always sound just about like this. If you happened to be in a nightclub in 1999 inside the fictional town of Silent Hill and Alice Deejay’s version of “Better Off Alone” came on, then the world shifted into crazy demon mode (as it is wont to do in Silent Hill), then this is what you would be hearing. Would you still be dancing? Yes. Would you now be in fear of demons raping your face? Probably. But the sound, while creepy as hell, would still be that trance-y hit that you know and love, only now it would be heavy like the a melodic cinder-block on your chest. 

(watch) “Better Off Alone” by SALEM (music video)

6salem, alice deejay, trance, drone, witch house, silent hill, creep city, cover,

“So Far Away” by A Place to Bury Strangers // Onwards to the Wall (2012)

It’s been a while since I’ve been bombarded by intensity of new A Place to Bury Strangers, but luckily they’re on their way back with a new EP due to be released in February. Pitchfork has the first listen to one of those new tracks. “So Far Away” isn’t the intense noise of their earlier material, but the drone, shoegaze, and noise pop influences are all still very noteworthy. It’s definitely worth a listen. 

(download) “So Far Away” by A Place to Bury Strangers (via Pitchfork)

6a place to bury strangers, onwards to the wall, shoegaze, post punk, drone, noise pop, pitchfork,