Albums you should own and the food that goes with them!
Young American Primitive This masterpiece of ambient electronica will alternately sooth you and electrify you. From the height of ambient techno in the mid 90s, this album embraces quickly noises, mysterious sound clips and tribal rhythms. This album starts with an energetic wave, washing you with the exotic energies of 'Trance Formation'. Working its way down and in, as all good ambient does, this album peaks (or valleys) with the dark, minimal masterpiece that is 'Sunrise', quite probably the most perfect ambient piece ever. From there the album works its way up a spiraling slope of quirky energy.
Goes well with fruit popsicles:
Secret Chiefs 3 - Book M A bit of genius brought to you by the
other members of Mr Bungle, this album infuses dense industrial riffs, rioting electronic beats, centered around a crystal clear heart of middle eastern energy. Sound intriguing? This album is unlike anything else out there: a strange medley that rises from angry noise to heart wrenchingly melodic tales of loss and sorrow, it takes you through time from the deserts of ancient arabia, to the teeming city of Byzantium and into the swinging seventies of Cairo. Make sense? It doesn't to me either, but that's the best explanation for this gem I can give.
Goes well with cous cous and raisins:
Bebel Gilberto - Tanto Tempo I'll lead off with this quote from Calabash Music: 'Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Joao Gilberto, the man even Antonio Carolos Jobim credited with the invention of bossa nova. Her mother, Miucha, is one of the only three vocalists to share an entire album with Antonio Carolos Jobim. Not surprisingly, at an early age Bebel became a force to be reckoned with in the Brazilian music scene.' High expectations? You betcha, and this album delivers. You
will feel the smooth, slow, and oddly delicate power of this amazing woman's voice, and her deep understanding of the beat that flows in her families soul.
Best accompanied with light tapas:
Fear of God - Within the Veil Simply put, this is one of the best metal albums ever released. Unlike most metal bands, for one album only Fear of God was headed up by one Dawn Crosby formerly of Detente. This album has a distinctly feminine angst, with a dreamy yet agonizing flow. Listening to Dawn's keening wailing rise from guttural growls to crystal-clear cries of anguish will make you wonder why all metal isn't fronted by a woman. Each song sounds distinct from the others, unique in its message, different in its pain. As the album progresses each song builds, leading to three of the most amazing metal tracks you will ever hear: Loves Death, a powerful song about the end of love (duh); White Door a strange wandering song of loss, lost, and pain; and Drift, one of the most amazing masterpieces to grace my albums. Drift rises from Dawns emotionally abused depths to the
most powerful vocal angst you will ever hear. Unfortunately the pain that was Dawns that graces this album was to be her death, before her talent could be recognized by the world.
Best accompanied with beer, lots of beer:
Chester and Lester This odd little album consists of a rambling studio session of Chet Atkins and Les Paul. These two goof around between songs (sometimes unintelligibly), and lightly strum their way through a medley of tunes: It's Been a Long Time, Caravan, It Had to be You, Avalon. The fantastic thing about this album
is Chet Atkins and Les Paul. These two are un-believable together. Both masters in their own right, when placed together, just the two of them, they seem to feed off each other, making the complicated or the stuffy seem light, energetic and fun. This album is great, and as you may note embedded in the album art, it's a
sound value!
Nice, light fried catfish would go well with this:
*whew* Hope you enjoy! It took 2 years to get to 1000, but finally there!