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SIGUR RÓS
Kveikur

Kveikur is Sigur Rós‘ first release on XL Recordings worldwide. The record, which was self-produced by the three members of the band: Jón Þór Birgisson, Georg Holm and Orri Páll Dýrason, sees the band shifting towards a more direct, aggressive sound. Sigur Rós, now recently diminished to a three-piece with the exit of longtime keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson, are swiftly hurtling into their twentieth year together. Kveikur sees them potentially delve into a different territory for the first time. It’s plagued by shadows, complex textures and frantic will-o’-the-wisp rhythms that dart and weave through the music. It’s unsettling, chaotic, vengeful, astounding, invigorating and forces you to feel a plethora of cacophonous emotions concurrently. It’s their loudest record. It’s their darkest record.
If it will be the best, it’s up to you.

ARTIST: Sigur Rós
TITLE: Kveikur
LABEL: XL Recordings
RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2013
TIME: 48:13 min.
WEB: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/
PURCHASE: price – 9.99$

01. Brennisteinn [07:45]
02. Hrafntinna [06:23]
03. Ísjaki [05:03]
04. Yfirborð [04:19]
05. Stormur [04:55]
06. Kveikur [05:55]
07. Rafstraumur [04:58]
08. Bláþráður [05:12]
09. Var [03:44]

PREVIEW: Sigur Rós – Yfirborð

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IAMAMIWHOAMI
Bounty

iamamiwhoami is a daughter of the internet. So we guess we should thank the internet. But that’s a long-boring matter. Let’s jump to the conclusions by listening to this new Bounty, which, actually, isn’t so new. Bounty is the prologue to last year’s Kin, and brings together in one place/object the previously released multimedia series that had surfaced before Kin was released as iamamiwhoami’s first album proper. Between 2010 and 2012, beneath a cloak of anonymity and all kinds of mystery, iamamiwhoami released what could best be described as music videos onto YouTube. Anticipation built as a debut album came ever closer to a release, and an equal amount of frustration brewed as it was continually pushed back. Eventually, Kin was released: an album of previously unreleased material, well received by just about everybody. That’s it: in a few words, Bounty is a sort of official release for what came before. The music, then. It’s unmistakably Scandinavian: think of Fever Ray, and then track several shades paler, less oppressive and prettier. iamamiwhoami is just as weird, but it’s a different weirdness. Bounty is wonderfully idiosyncratic: the whole thing holds together in an indefinable way that ultimately comes down to iamamiwhoami sounding far more like themselves than anybody else. But the music, even if truly able to stand for itself, in this case maybe isn’t enough: Bounty is an album designed for listenwatching. So listenwatch.

ARTIST: iamamiwhoami
TITLE: Bounty
LABEL: To Whom It May Concern
RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2013
TIME: 43:09 min.
WEB: http://towhomitmayconcern.cc/
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 8.91$

01. B [03:31]
02. O [06:39]
03. U-1 [02:41]
04. U-2 [03:43]
05. N [04:37]
06. T [04:41]
07. Y [06:39]
08. ; John [06:41]
09. Clump [04:27]

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PORTFOLIO
We | Humans

Brand new EP from Reggio Emilia-based post-rockers Portfolio, featuring two unreleased tracks plus Beth Gibbons e Kim Novak, taken from their debut The Standing Babas, but here nicely re-worked. The first remixed by Silent Panda | Deadly Panda (a.k.a. Luca G from Julie’s Haircut), who plays guitars also on James Horses Chariot and Sion. The second one shows a wonderful different skin with less electronics and the introduction of a string quartet. An appreciated appetizer while waiting for their second full-length, sweetly enhanced by Laura Loriga‘s (Mimes of Wine, Giardini di Mirò) voice.

ARTIST: Portfolio
TITLE: We | Humans
LABEL: This Is the Land
RELEASE DATE: May 06, 2013
TIME: 24:54 min.
WEB: http://www.facebook.com/portfoliothesound
PURCHASE: special offer – NAME YOUR PRICE

01. James Horses Chariot [06:08]
02. Sion [07:17]
03. Kim Novak (with strings) [04:09]
04. Beth Gibbons (silent panda | deadly panda remix) [07:20]

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BIBIO
Silver Wilkinson

Stephen Wilkinson seems to occupy his own universe. Using his home studio, the producer is able to craft warped, woozy nuggets of electronic pop music which seem to break rules you hadn’t even considered were capable of being broken. 2011′s full length Mind Bokeh was a fantastic return, and since then Bibio has been busy performing live and playing with his near infinite supply of gadgets. Now the producer is ready to return, with new album Silver Wilkinson: filled with eastern harmonies and highlife influenced guitar lines, this is a wonderful piece of oddball sunshine pop.

ARTIST: Bibio
TITLE: Silver Wilkinson
LABEL: Warp
RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013
TIME: 48:59 min.
WEB: http://warp.net/records/bibio
PURCHASE: price – 9.99$

01. The First Daffodils [02:57]
02. Dye the Water Green [05:26]
03. Wulf [02:10]
04. Mirroring All [05:39]
05. À Tout à l’Heure [04:10]
06. Sycamore Silhouetting [03:17]
07. You [05:29]
08. Raincoat [04:09]
09. Look at Orion! [07:38]
10. Business Park [05:00]
11. You Won’t Remember… [03:04]

PREVIEW: Bibio – The First Daffodils

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RS VIDEO OF THE WEEK – #153
SIGUR RÓS – Brennisteinn

ARTIST: Sigur Rós
TITLE: Brennisteinn
ALBUM: Kveikur
WEB: YouTube

directed by Andrew T. Huang

OFELIADORME
Bloodroot

It comes from Italy the strongest answer to one of the likely best album of the year, Daughter‘s If You Leave. OfeliaDorme are a 4-piece from Bologna and we’re sure they’recreate some of the most beautifully dramatic pieces of music you’re going to come across. Bloodroot follows their first full-length release in 2011 titled All Harm Ends Here and it’s an album you won’t hesitate a second to call it hypnotic. Because you won’t help stopping listening to it, that’s the fact. Indie-folk? Spacey-fuzz post-rock? It doesn’t matter.

ARTIST: OfeliaDorme
TITLE: Bloodroots
LABEL: The Prisoner / Audioglobe
RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2013
TIME: 30:07 min.
WEB: http://www.ofeliadorme.it/
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 8.91$

01. Last Day, First Day [03:24]
02. Bloodroot [02:29]
03. Magic Ring [02:18]
04. Pumpkin Girl [02:55]
05. Brussels [05:13]
06. Ulysses [03:58]
07. Predictable [03:19]
08. Stuttering Morning [02:23]
09. Otherwise [04:08]

PREVIEW: OfeliaDorme – Ulysses

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THE SHAKING SENSATIONS
Start Stop Worrying

Start Stop Worrying is the second full-length album by the Danish post-rockers The Shaking Sensations. The band has expanded the classic rock constellation by the addition of a second drummer to develop a unique approach to the rhythm section and a fresh unconvetional take on instrumental music. Start Stop Worrying follow the steps of some monstre-names such as Mono, And So I Watch You From Afar or God is an Astronaut, but, without any doubt, showcases the courage of a young band to explore new approaches to music and sound, which clearly sets them apart from many of their peers whithin an over-saturated genre of music.

ARTIST: The Shaking Sensations
TITLE: Start Stop Worrying
LABEL: Pelagic
RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2013
TIME: 46:16 min.
WEB: http://theshakingsensations.tumblr.com/
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 5.94$

01. Rocket Summer [10:56]
02. We Ourselves Alone [07:36]
03. Anchors [05:08]
04. Gild the Lily [07:04]
05. Ravelin [05:07]
05. Heavy Entity [10:25]

PREVIEW: The Shaking Sensations – Anchors

removed by request

SIGUR RÓS
Brennisteinn

Brand new EP by Sigur Rós, released as a download included with the ticket price for their 2013 tour: a tasty preview of their upcoming album Kveikur. Brennisteinn shows the Icelandic band taking a completely new musical direction: from something darker than most of their material that even crosses over into industrial territory to gloomy ambient pieces and low-key episodes. A good placebo for die-hard Sigur Rós fans which can’t wait.

ARTIST: Sigur Rós
TITLE: Brennisteinn EP
LABEL: XL
RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2013
TIME: 17:13 min.
WEB: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 3.00$

01. Brennisteinn [07:55]
02. Hryggjarsúla [05:04]
03. Ofbirta [04:12]

PREVIEW: Sigur Rós – Ofbirta

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ÓLAFUR ARNALDS
For Now I Am Winter

The major label debut of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds features 12 original breathtaking surreal tracks. On this album, composer Nico Muhly provided orchestral arrangements, and for the first time Arnalds introduces vocals to his soundworld. Icelandic singer Arnor Dan can be heard on four tracks. The concept of evolution and seasonal change is one which has been ever-present in Ólafur music: here on For Now I Am Winter it continues both musically and conceptually into a personal evolution as a composer and, for the first time, as a songwriter. Purveying a neo-classical style with an array of influences which range from electronica to minimalism, Ólafur Arnalds proves himself to be an artist who draws from a variety of sources whilst maintaining his own unique sound.

ARTIST: Ólafur Arnalds
TITLE: For Now I Am Winter
LABEL: Mercury
RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2013
TIME: 52:28 min.
WEB: http://olafurarnalds.com/
PURCHASE: price – 12.99$/a>

01. Sudden Throw [03:17]
02. Brim [04:43]
03. For Now I Am Winter [05:05]
04. A Stutter [05:09]
05. Words of Amber [03:23]
06. Reclaim [04:01]
07. Hands, Be Still [03:40]
08. Only the Winds [05:21]
09. Old Skin [04:09]
10. Wee (too) Shall Rest [02:06]
11. This Place Was a Shelter [03:51]
12. Carry Me Anew [03:25]
13. No. Other [04:18]

PREVIEW: Ólafur Arnalds – Brim

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MY BLOODY VALENTINE
M B V

22 years later, My Bloody Valentine release M B V and it seems like this noise wall is only built on strength. It seems with this album that the veteran status of the pioneers of shoegaze is secured. As their combining sounds of old and new manage to make M B V a pretty interesting noise cocoon. Did they live up to the hype? Well yes and no, as it seems today in the digital age it’s really hard to make a timeless classic: our perception of art is always expanding. For that the things that really shine have usually been inspired and influenced by things of the past. But when so many bands are inspired by yourself isn’t it a bit hard to beat yourself in that aspect, isn’t it?

ARTIST: My Bloody Valentine
TITLE: M B V
LABEL: Creation
RELEASE DATE: February 3, 2013
TIME: 46:37 min.
WEB: http://www.mybloodyvalentine.org/
PURCHASE: price – 14.99$

01. She Found Now [05:06]
02. Only Tomorrow [06:22]
03. Who Sees You [06:12]
04. In This and Yes [05:07]
05. If I Am [03:54]
06. New You [04:59]
07. In Another Way [05:31]
08. Nothing Is [03:34]
09. Wonder 2 [05:52]

My Bloody Valentine – Only Tomorrow

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MOGWAI
Les Revenants

Les Revenants features Mogwai‘s soundtrack music for the French zombie TV series of the same name. Oftentimes, musical scores lose some of their power when separated from the film or show, but that’s definitely not the case here. It may be only 13 minutes long, but these four songs are packed with haunting melodies and eerie atmospherics and they ranks among their best work over the past few years. Maybe a sneak-peak at the direction Mogwai will be taking for their next album, maybe not. Who cares?

ARTIST: Mogwai
TITLE: Les Revenants
LABEL: Rock Action
RELEASE DATE: December 17, 2012
TIME: 12:46 min.
WEB: http://lesrevenants.canalplus.fr/
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 3.49$

01. Wizard Motor [04:48]
02. Soup [01:17]
03. The Huts [03:29]
04. This Messiah Needs Watching [03:14]

Mogwai – The Huts

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AA.VV.
RS Top50 2012

So here we are again: just like every late December, it’s summing-up-time! It has been a really really hard work (but someone’s gotta do it, you know) to select the best albums of 2012. As usual, no claim to be exahustive round here: it’s a matter of musical taste, and surely we’ve missed some fantastic release (we pre-apologize for that), but we’ve tried, and here are the RS-TOP20 album between the ones featured on radioSpin.
Let us know what you think about it.

01. BAND OF SKULLS – Sweet Sour
02. ALT-J – An Awesome Wave
03. PINBACK – Information Retrieved
04. ARCHIVE – With Us Until You’re Dead
05. HUMAN DON’T BE ANGRY – Human don’t Be Angry
06. CHROMATICS – Kill For Love
07. DIVINE FITS – A Thing Called Divine Fits
08. REDRUM ALONE – De Redrum Natura
09. GRIZZLY BEARS – Shields
10. GIARDINI DI MIRÒ – Good Luck
11. Fairmont – Automaton
12. ORBITAL – Wonky
13. JASON LYTLE – Dept. of Disappearance
14. TWIN SHADOW – Confess
15. SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS – Ghostory
16. TINDERSTICKS – The Something Rain
17. SOULSAVERS – The Light the Dead See
18. BRETON – Other’s People Problems
19. CALEXICO – Algiers
20. SOUNDGARDEN – King Animal

Here below (and, of course, inside the concerning section) a slighlty mixed exclusive podcast (downloadable at the end of the post) with the previous tracks.
And then, in the end, like last year, the rest of the chart, from position 21 to 50.

21. CLARK – Iradelphic
22. THE SHINS – Port of Morrow
23. dEUS – Following Sea
24. YEASAYER – Fragrant World
25. TWILIGHT SAD – No One Can Ever Know
26. DRINK TO ME – S
27. DINOSAUR JR. – Silent Running
28. CAT POWER – Sun
29. SOFA SURFERS – Superluminal
30. SWANS – The Seer
31. METZ – Metz
32. LOTUS PLAZA – Spooky Action at a Distance
33. TY SEGALL – Twins
34. PAUL KALKBRENNER – Guten Tag
35. MARK LANEGAN – Blues Funeral
36. THE EYES IN THE HEAT – Program Me
37. PURITY RING – Shrines
38. SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO – UnPatterns
39. MIAOUX MIAOUX – Light of the North
40. ERRORS – New Relics
41. THE XX – Coexist
42. BETH ORTON – Sugaring Season
43. BAT FOR LASHES – The Haunted Man
44. LANA DEL REY – Born to Die
45. BLOC PARTY – Four
46. APOLLO 440 – The Future’s What It Used to Be
47. DEFTONES – Koi No Yokan
48. CRYSTAL CASTLES – III
49. SCUBA – Personality
50. SQUAREPUSHER – Ufabulum

AA.VV. selected by radioSpin – RS TOP20 2012

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SOUNDREAMER
Dream of the Blue Light

Not even one month after the release of his Blue Portrait EP, here we are again celebrating the first full-length from Soundreamer, the solo-project from Matthew, Rebery‘s former member. Dream of the Blue Light is the natural evolution from the previous work (it features, as a trait d’union, the old single Petenkepe and the sweet Sea Blues) and it takes us into a more deep exploration of Soundreamer‘s sounds and dreams, that here go beyond the dreamy-cinematic patterns of the EP, sharing with the listeners Matthew’s ability to deal with even more rhythm-driven and rockish passages, always without losing his taste for beautiful, soft atmospheres.

ARTIST: Soundreamer
TITLE: Dream of the Blue Light
LABEL: self-released
RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2012
TIME: 38:40 min.
WEB: http://www.facebook.com/soundreamer2012
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 7€

01. A Better Now [04:26]
02. Petenkepe [03:45]
03. November [05:29]
04. Autumn Left [03:19]
05. Sea Blues [04:18]
06. Ancient Aliens [05:14]
07. Tuxedo [04:04]
08. Message Through the Time [03:26]
09. Spiral [02:09]
10. Dream of the Blue Light [03:30]
11. Titanium Soul [02:33]
12. For the Animals [02:49]

Soundreamer – Spiral

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MOGWAI
A Wrenched Virile Lore

A Wrenched Virile Lore is not strictly a remix album to Mogwai’s seventh studio record Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. In fact, Justin Broadrick’s opening take on George Square Thatcher Death Party is billed as a ‘reshape’, whilst long-time friend R.M. Hubbert delivers an incongruous yet beautiful acoustic reworking of Mexican Grand Prix, mixing the original vocals and effects with his own sombre folk style. Anyway, also the more conventional remixes are no less effective, leading to moments which on occasion eclipse its parent album. No small praise.

ARTIST: Mogwai
TITLE: A Wrenched Virile Lore
LABEL: Rock Action
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 2012
TIME: 65:19 min.
WEB: http://www.mogwai.co.uk/
PURCHASE: http://www.amazon.com/

01. George Square Thatcher Death Party (justin k broadrick reshape) [05:07]
02. Rano Pano (klad hest – mogwai is my dick rmx) [07:21]
03. White Noise (evp mix by cylob) [05:13]
04. How to Be A Werewolf (xander harris remix) [06:52]
05. Letters to the Metro (zombi remix) [07:22]
06. Mexican Grand Prix (reworked by rm hubbert) [04:35]
07. Rano Pano (tim hecker remix) [04:44]
08. San Pedro (the soft moon remix) [03:52]
09. Too Raging to Cheers (umberto remix) [06:30]
10. La Mort Blanche (robert hampson remix) [13:43]

Mogwai – White Noise (EVP Mix by Cylob)

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK – #131
as seen on radioSpin

ARTIST: Giardini di Mirò
TITLE: Tears
ALBUM: Good Luck
WEB: YouTube

directed by 2PEARS

GIARDINI DI MIRÒ
Unluck

Giardini di Mirò don’t waste anything. And how could they just think of hiding these three wonderful tracks? They couldn’t. They shouldn’t. They don’t. Because these are such good songs. Left to the borders of their latest LP Good Luck, Young Age, Invisible and the two-part suite End of the Road / Send a Present to Jude are now available through this Unluck EP, a 20-minute box filled with slow and rarefied atmospheres that start from the last piece of Good Luck (the misty ineluctable Flat Heart Society) and go back to the Mogwai of C.O.D.Y. laying a couple of fingers on the sweet dark moods coloring the post-rock side of band like Three Mile Pilot and Black Heart Procession.

ARTIST: Giardini di Mirò
TITLE: Unluck EP
LABEL: Secret Furry Hole
RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2012
TIME: 19:13 min.
WEB: http://www.giardinidimiro.com/
PURCHASE: http://www.bandcamp.com

01. Young Age [05:49]
02. Invisible [05:23]
03. End of the Road / Send a Present to Jude [08:01]

Giardini di Mirò – Invisible

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