PARALLEL_°41 Number 8 LP 2012

The beautiful and beguling Parallel 41 is a record pieced together by Julia Kent (cello), Barbara De Dominicis voice, field recordings and electronics and Davide Lonardi film making, images, artwork

"...PARALLEL_°41 _Over the past months, Julia Kent, Barbara De Dominicis and Davide Lonardi have been making a musical/visual/improvisatory record as Parallel 41 _the imaginary parallel that ties Naples and New York on the same latitude line. The tracks evolved from a series of extemporary and improvised recording sessions made outdoors and held between September 2009 and august 2010. These sessions are now an album and a little story in images..."

The video below showcase the sound and vision of the band in live setting



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Simone Felice - Number Nine 2012

Simone Felice was a real find for me this year thanks to one of the guys that I work with. I fell in love with the story telling, playing and production on the LP.

My favorite track was the amazing - New York Times



There are some cool videos over at the official website - http://www.simonefelice.com/video/

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Top 10 2012 - Number 10 Jens Lekman

Number ten in my LPs of 2012 is the wonderful Jens Lekman and his release I Know What Love Isn't. I have been a big fan of Jen's since back in 2004. The guy has a really strong gift for melody and an arch knowing lyrics. Pop music from the clever and literary end.

The two tracks I really love are the title track

I Know What Love Isn't



The World Moves On




There are also some great free tracks over on his website - http://www.jenslekman.com/presents.htm
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My Top 10 LPs of 2012

Craig Finn (Photo credit: sidmuchrock)

1 Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes
2 Grasscut – Unearth
3 Ixtab- Spindle and the Bregnut Tree
4 Mark Eitzel – Don’t Be a Stranger 
5 The XX – Coexist 
6 Raime - Quarter Turns Over a Living Line
7 Paul Buchanan – Mid Air
8 Parallel 41 - Parallel 41
9 Simone Felice - Simone Felice
10 Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn't

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Related articles

• Craig Finn lists his top 10 albums of 2012, appearing at 'Soundtrack Series' at LPR (and New Year's Eve in NJ)
• Stream: The xx, "Last Christmas (Wham! Cover)"
• No 8: The xx - Coexist
• Summer Meets Autumn: The Best Albums of 2012 Through July, August, and September

Blackest Ever Black Soundcloud Mix

London based electronic label Blackest Ever Black have added a new mix to their Soundcloud Page.

Titled - Hastily Cobbled Together Mix to Herald October 13th Party


 
A cool mixture of electronica in its darker more haunted hues.

Tracklisting:  
black rain - lo tek (blackest ever black)  
source direct - call & response (science)  
cut hands - krokodilo theme (blackest ever black)  
bruce gilbert - eline cout ii (mute)  
lee gamble - side b excerpt (pan)  
dj slimzee / pay as u go - sidewinder excerpt  
source direct - secret liaison (good looking)  
powell - nude (diagonal)  
raime - you will lift your frame clear (blackest ever black)  
young hunting - dirge (agenda)  
russell haswell - chua rave (regis remix) (downwards)  
cut hands - backlash (susan lawly)  
vatican shadow - cairo is a haunted city (bed of nails)

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Ramie – Debut LP Details - Quarter Turns Over a Living Line

London based Electronic duo Raime have announced details of their debut LP. Quarter Turns Over a  Living Line is released in the UK on the 19^th of November via Blackest Ever Black. The LP comes as a double 12” package or CD.

Following on from their two wonderfully atmospheric, haunted and hollow EPs the music is described by Dan Barrow in Wire:

“…it sounds like the ruination of the language of electronic music, its dissipation into particles until all that’s left is a choking, noxious cloud…”

Too me that’s both great writing and a teasing insight into what promises to be one of the release of 2012.

Quarter Turns Over a Living Line (Blackest Ever Black)

Track listing

01. Passed Over Trail
02. The Last Foundry
03. Soil and Colts
04. Exist in the Repeat of Practice
05. The Walker in Blast and Bottle
06. Your Cast Will Tire
07. The Dimming of Road and Rights

You can listen to Soil and Colts here:

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Related articles

• LISTEN: Blackest Ever Black Radio

Mark Eitzel full LP stream - Don't Be a Stranger

Paste Magazine have posted a complete stream of the new Mark Eitzel LP - Don't Be a Stranger. I have had a copy of the LP for about a month and its a glorious listen. The production on it is full of light and air and Mark's guitar playing carries real shades of Nick Drake.

I am not one for listening to streams of records that I think I am going to love. I think listening to a record should be like a first date, something that should be treasured and given the attention it deserves not done at your desk at work.

This is what Paste have to say about the LP.

"...Renowned songwriter Mark Eitzel, of San Francisco band American Music Club, is set to release his new solo album Don’t Be A Stranger on Oct. 2 via Merge Records.

For the album, Eitzel worked with acclaimed producer Sheldon Gomberg (Rickie Lee Jones, Ben Harper) to create a piece of work that displays his finest musical talents.

Eitzel has plans to make a US tour later in 2012 followed by a European tour in early 2013. In the meantime, you can stream his album below and look out for the release of Don’t Be a Stranger on October 2..."

Anyway - here the link to the stream. Enjoy it -

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2012/09/album-stream---mark-eitzel-dont-be-a-stranger.html

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Advance Base - Daytrotter Session

I am not sure if I have mentioned before just how much I love Daytrotter. The quality and range of artists that they get to do sessions is amazing. It $5.00 a month I really don't mind spending.

On the 25th September 2012 they recorded a session with Advance Base. Now the Advance Base record - A Shut In's Prayer is one of my favorites this year and the session versions of the songs are wonderful.

"....These Advance Base songs - recorded with Ashworth (electric piano and vocals), Nick Ammerman (autoharp and bass), Edward Crouse (piano and autoharp) and Jody Weinmann (bass, omnichord, organ and vocals) - are extensions of these sentiments, of these drowsy pieces of milieu that we tend to stuff down inside...."

The track listing is as follows:


The Sister You Never Had
Puppy
Our Cat
Christmas In Milwaukee
Sorry To Hear You Got The Blues
Black Cat (Donkeys Cover)

You should pop across now to the session have a listen and then sign up. You won't regret it.

http://www.daytrotter.com/#!/concert/advance-base/20056095-37383301

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Mark Eitzel - I Love But You're Dead (Audio Stream)

I Love You But Your're Dead is the opening track on Mark Eiztel (American Music Clubs) new LP Don't Be A Stranger.
When he played it live in Winchester on Sunday he talked about how it was about meeting  Destroy all Monsters when he was a young man in his first ever punk band.

The production on the new LP is great and lightness of touch really shows of the ache and awe in Mark Eiztels voice.

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Hurray For The Riff Raff - Small Town Heroes Video

I went to the wonderful SXSC festival at the Railway Inn in Winchester. I had gone to primary see Mark Eitzel but stumbled across Hurray For The Riff Raff and was taken by their beautiful blend of alt.country and bruised ache.

The song below, Small Town Heroes,  is a new track not the current LP but I thought it was bewitching and beautiful.



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