Mark McGuire - The Garden of Eternal Life



McGuire is an ambient/noise/other things artist, and primarily a guitarist. Hailing from Cleveland, he also happens to be 1/3 of the band Emeralds, which already have an entry in this thread. Not exactly a whole lot of info out there on the guy, aside from the fact that he's about 22 or so. I've never actually seen him in person, but he looks kinda short in pictures.

The Garden of Eternal life was I believe the last of McGuire's 10 or so releases in 2008. Yeah, he tends to put out a lot of stuff, but so far the quality hasn't really dipped down, so that's nice. Released by Arbor (edition of 150), and technically not an album, Garden is easily one of the most anodyne 30 minutes I've had in quite some time and I've heard lots of pretty music.

Totally blissed out, relaxing, Garden is perfect to throw on at any time either as the focus, or something to blend into the background, slowly absorbing subconsciously. Unless I'm mistaken this release is just McGuire, guitar, and live looping. Maybe some tapes and a little synth thrown in there, I'm not sure. The songs aren't very long, the opener being the longest at 6 minutes. The opening track is cool, some sort of sample I guess from a 70's sounding relaxation record that was supposed to help people sleep. Instead of the sounds of the ocean or rainforest, this track focuses on the feeling/comparing colors of the rainbow. "Imagine yourself in the green grass, sun shining on your face" kinda stuff. From there McGuire comes in with lovely melodies and a great use of repitition to totally put you in the zone. I'm always amazed at McGuire's talent, especially when you think about how old he is. Between his solo/collab output and his work with Emeralds, he's already an accomplished musician.

Graceful, flowing, and ridiculously pleasant, Garden is a great one to get if you can, it's been out of print for a bit now. I was certainly pleased to get my physical copy yesterday after wearing out the mp3s. Let me know via PM or in this thread if you need linkage.

Black Dice - Load Blown



Formed in Providence in 1997, Black Dice started out as a thrashy-noise type group, but has since continued to move away from that aftermoving to New York in 1999. BD's current line-up is comprised of Bjorn Copeland, Eric Copeland, and Aaron Warren. These days I suppose you can slap them with the vague "experimental" label, but that's no fun. In my opinion they are currently making great highly organized dancey noise-pop music that, well, is pretty awesome.

2007's Load Blown marks a definite turn for the band into a more accessible territory, but accessible is a very subjective word I guess. More friendly may be a better term to use. Overall a rather chilled out listen, it goes great for a hot afternoon by the pool, drinking beers and having a little smoke if ya know what I mean. The record has a nice flow and isn't highly abrasive, although there are moments where some of the soundz can be a little piercing. Grooves is the word of the day here, and if you don't find your head bobbin' I'd like to know what the hell is wrong with you. Electronic hum and screech for the whole family. Kind of...ok not really. I can also imagine this being fun music to have sex to....maybe.

BD use all kinds of neat/weird analog equipment that I was able to get a good look at when I went to a couple of their shows recently. I'd love a chance to **** around with that stuff, but alas. Great shows, I suggest ear plugs, although it is quite the ****ing experience without them. You'll hear it for days.

To sum it up, really cool album with no real low point, it's nice to throw on and jam to for a while, especially considering the nice summer weather. If you like this record, I highly suggest their 2009 release Repo. Similar to Load Blown, but taken a step further into poppier, groovier territory.

Also like to take the moment to say that if these guys would Get of the Paw Tracks label, I think that would help them out a bit.

Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising



3 cool cats from Minnesota's twin cities area, making hardcore punk and going on to lay part of the foundation for what would become "alternative rock". New Day Rising was the band's 4th studio album, released in 1985 only six months after Zen Arcade. Although the majority of people I talk to would pick Zen Arcade for this list, I think NDR need's to have it's moment in the spotlight too. Both albums are excellent in my book.

Hüsker Dü was definitely not your typical hardcore band, and listening to this album is a perfect example of that. There was so much going on beneath the surface. Bits of blues, folk, and an overall poppier sound found it's way into the songs, while still retaining some of the thrashier elements that marked the earlier releases such as Land Speed Record (their first release, a live record) and the first 2 studio albums.

New Day Rising's cover does an excellent job of summing up the music found within. A great start to any day, on your way to work or a day with friends sitting around the grill. Not as noisy or angry/poltical as some of their previous work, many of the tracks on NDR are infectious and easily show that Hüsker Dü was one of the key bands (along with others such as the Replacements) that, intentionally or not, paved the way for "alternative" or "college" rock. The combination of Bob Mould's vocals with the faster tempo guitar and drum work really keep the songs moving and make for easy head bobbin' action. The distortion isn't as thick on this record, making the overall sound less gritty and angsty. Several tracks seem celebratory, almost inviting you to get up and out. To experience the world for yourself, and see what might be out there for you. Opportunities abound.

Hüsker Dü was also the first American indie band to sign to a major label which meant more listeners.Many bands have been and are influenced by Hüsker Dü's sound although sadly they broke up in 1987.

Can - Ege Bamyasi




Can came together in the late 60's in Cologne, Germany. Call it krautrock, experimental, psychedelic, or a number of other things. They all apply to some degree. The use of improv is huge with these guys, and the results are pretty spectacular. Without a doubt Can has influenced many a band and genres of music. It's still happening today. Not a bad band to look up to for sure.

The band's third proper album, Ege Bamyasi (1972) is a complete pleaure to listen to. Whether I'm in the car cruisin' about as I do at times, or at home dancing in my socks it's always a good time to put this record on. Jazzy, groovy, and (purely) addictive are three words I'd use to describe this album. Strong drumming keeps things moving while guitars take me on a smooth ride, interweaving between the vocals and various sounds that come from here and there. The strings are plucked softly, but with plenty of purpose. Ege has a very inviting sound, despite it's other-worldy, weird, and almost alien moments.

The vocals on Ege, performed by Damo Suzuki, fit the flow of things very well. Can I understand what he is saying half the time? Not really, although it's not a problem. He seems so into the music, determined to be a part of something great....and he is. Not that it's a new thing for him or the other members with Ege Bamyasi coming hot off the heels of the great album Tago Mago. Ege, however, spawned the hit single "Spoon". Selling some 300,000 copies and hitting the top 20 charts in Germany, the single "Spoon"wasn't even originally set to be on the album. The song was essentially filling space on the album. Hell it was only so popular because of it's use as the theme for the show "Das Messer" I'm glad it made it on the record, though. Killer song.

That last paragraph was sorta weird. Anyhow, songs from Ege Bamyasi have been covered by fine folks like Beck and sampled by douchebags like Kayne West ("drunk and hot girls" from graduation apparently).


Overall great album. If you wanna try some other Can albums, the biggies are Monster Movie, Tago Mago, and Future Days.

There you go Mistoffelees, 70's and German to boot.

The Skygreen Leopards - One Thousand Bird Ceremony




Skygreen Leopards is mainly made up of two guys from San Francisco. Their music is a nice blend of sometimes poppy psych-folk with some field recording/slighty noisy moments. Freak folk maybe? I'm admittedly at a loss when it comes to sub genres and micro-managing. It's a waste of time.

Released in 2003, One Thousand Bird Ceremony was skygreen's debut album It may be their best as well, but my opinion on that varies from time to time. Bird Ceremony is light and airy for the msot part, with a few darkers moments that manage to fill out the album despite it's short length at ~20 minutes. Some songs shine brighter than other, and those tracks never fail to help relax my mind and drift for a short while. The murkier bits are solid, and allow me to appreciate the sunny, sometimes fanciful bits that surely could have been at home on FM radio. Just another reason I'll like to rec. this album, it just needs to be heard, to be enjoyed. The album was released on Soft Abuse records, with Jagjaguwar releasing the 4 subsequent albums. They self-released their fifth and up till now last album in 2006.

I should also mention that Glenn Donaldson of skygreen is most notable for his association with the Jewelled Antler record label/collective. He has collaborated/been a member of many bands including:

Thuja
The Blithe Sons
Flying Canyon
The Birdtree (solo project)
The Ivytree (solo project)
and of course Skygreen Leopards.

Donaldson is also a prolific collage artist, and his surrealist-inspired nature collages grace the covers of many of the Jewelled Antler albums.






ETA: The album is not 20 minutes long, got confused there for a second.

Thought I might add a small entry real quick....

Cold Sun - Dark Shadows



Only recording one album in 1970, it wasn't released until 1989 I believe. If you are into 13th Floor Elevators, particularly Easter Everywhere, I can't rec this one enough. Psych music from the 60's and 70's is all over the place, but these guys managed to make it calm, interesting, and free from totally overt drug references that IMO plagued many a band at that time. Very nice album for a summer evening. A real shame they never recorded anything else.