HDD Crash!

Been off line for a few days had a hard drive crash.  Forced me onto Windows 7.

-- Bob Marley & Friends --

Spotify Link - Bob Marley & Friends

-- New Orleans Jazz --

Spotify album link - New Orleans Jazz

-- The Gathering --

Spotify Link - The Gathering - The West Pole




Creative, classy and highly refined "symphonic metal" outfit from Holland. First album (Always, 1993) was a fairly straightforward death metal album, although heavy use of keyboards made it stand out a bit from other such albums at the time. Followed by Almost A Dance (1994), an album which saw the departure of "growling" vocalist Bart Smits. Smits was replaced primarily by Niels Duffhues, a strange choice for the band; Duffhues' punk-ish tone was decidedly out of step with the music, and the album was largely written off as a result. A shame, because many of the songs on Almost A Dance are quite well written. The album also featured occasional vocals by Martine van Loon, a low-key singer with a pretty tone but one that seldom took to the forefront of a composition. It would appear that the seed had been planted in the band's head to try their uniquely compelling songwriting style with a passionate female vocalist; the result was the addition of the incomparable Anneke van Giersbergen, an incredible singer capable of stretching miles of emotion out of each and every syllable. The next album, 1995's Mandylion, remains one of the very best heavy metal albums ever recorded. van Giersbergen's poetic and haunting lyrics, paired with the band's orchestral ruminations, resulted in darkly important songs that seamlessly blend from one to the next. The follow-up, 1997's Nighttime Birds, acts as a companion piece to Mandylion: similar in tone and delivery, Birds is filled with the melodic and adventurous play that has become the trademark of this very important band. Superheat and If-Then-Else followed in early 2000. After a break with Century Media following the release of If_Then_Else, the band took time off before going into the studio to work on the 2003-released followup Souvenirs.  The Gathering will be of interest to more than just heavy metal fans: they have the potential to appeal to countless different audiences, from metal to progressive rock to anyone who values excellent songwriting and powerful female vocalists. ~ James Bickers, All Music Guide

-- Juliette Lewis --

Spotify link - Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita

-- Shpongle --

Spotify link Sphongle - Nothing Lasts But Nothing is Lost




Simon Posford and Raja Ram are Shpongle, an ambient techno/trance project formed in 1996 after the pair viewed a solar eclipse in India. The two went into the studio and attempted to duplicate the experience in sonic form, and the result was a 20-minute track, "...And the Day Turned to Night," which was featured on a Twisted label compilation titled Eclipse. Shpongle's full-length debut album, Are You Shpongled?, was released in early 1999. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

-- Macy Gray --

Spotify link - Macy Gray - I Try The Macy Gray Collection


Macy Gray parlayed an utterly unique voice and an outlandish sense of style into R&B stardom at the turn of the millennium, appealing to audiences of all colors in search of a fresh alternative to mainstream soul. Gray was actually born Natalie McIntyre in Canton, OH, and grew up a shy, awkward youngster who was frequently teased about her odd-sounding voice. She studied classical piano for seven years, but also soaked up the music of soul legends like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin, not to mention old-school hip-hop; at boarding school as a teenager, she was exposed to a variety of white rock & roll as well. She moved to Los Angeles to enroll in USC's screenwriting program, where one day she agreed to write lyrics for a musician friend's original songs. A demo session was scheduled to get the songs on tape, and when the singer failed to show up, Gray -- having adopted the full name of an elderly neighbor in Canton as her creative alias -- wound up singing on the recordings herself, in spite of her distaste for her own voice. One of the songs was never overdubbed with another vocal, and when the tapes started making the rounds of the local music scene, Gray's raspy growl attracted a lot of attention, much to her surprise. She was offered a job singing jazz and pop standards with a band that performed in hotels around Los Angeles, and her continued work as a demo singer created a buzz around the unlikely diva.


Gray organized an after-hours club called the We Ours, which took place in a small coffeehouse; in addition to welcoming open-mic acts, Gray and her jazz group performed there regularly. She signed with Atlantic Records, who declined to release the album she recorded for them; devastated by this rejection and the breakup of her marriage (her third child was on the way at the time), Gray retreated to Canton. However, her demo tape continued to make the rounds, and she returned to L.A. to accept a publishing deal with Zomba. This in turn helped lead to a new record contract with Epic in April 1998, and Gray spent the next year recording what was to become her debut album, On How Life Is. Released in the summer of 1999, On How Life Is won glowing reviews and great word-of-mouth, but in spite of all that -- plus a moderate hit single in "Do Something" -- the record was slow to catch on at first. That all changed early the next year, when Gray received two Grammy nominations (for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal), and the single "I Try" started to take off on radio. "I Try" proved to be an enormous hit, and On How Life Is suddenly sold like hotcakes, entering the Top Ten and going triple platinum by the end of 2000. Gray scored a smaller follow-up hit with "Why Don't You Call Me," and also raised eyebrows with the album track "I've Committed Murder," in which the protagonist gets away with her crime. Although Gray lost out her first time at the Grammys, she was nominated again the following year for Best Female Pop Vocal thanks to "I Try," and this time won (although the song lost out on Record of the Year and Song of the Year honors).

In late 2000, Gray contributed two vocal tracks to Fatboy Slim's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars album; she subsequently recorded with the Black Eyed Peas, cut a duet with rap legend Slick Rick for the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack ("The World Is Yours"), and made her screen acting debut in the Denzel Washington police drama Training Day. By the time she had begun work on her second album, Gray was developing a reputation for surreal public appearances and interviews, culminating in an August 2001 incident in which she was booed for apparently stumbling over the lyrics to the national anthem. Released the following month, The Id was a determined effort to play up the crazy side of Gray's image; it entered the charts at number 11 and quickly went gold on the strength of lead single "Sweet Baby." However, in spite of guest appearances by Erykah Badu and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante, among others, its sales stalled much sooner than expected. During 2002, Gray appeared as herself in the blockbuster film Spider-Man and also guested on Santana's Shaman. One year later, her third album -- The Trouble with Being Myself -- arrived on the shelves, although it was also a flop in commercial terms (it just barely missed the Top 40). With a new production team, including will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas and his confederate Ron Fair, Gray returned with a slicker, Tom Joyner-approved version of soul on 2007's Big, featuring collaborations with Natalie Cole and BEP's Fergie. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

This is very well worth a look...

http://4ad.com/sessions/
Spotify link

-- Ideal Free Distribution --

Spotify link - Ideal Free Distribution – Ideal Free Distribution

-- Dope --

Dope is a New York-based quintet led by brothers Edsel Dope (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Simon Dope (keyboards). Children of divorced parents, the two grew up separately in Florida. Simon studied chemistry at the University of Florida, then received a scholarship to Polytechnic in Brooklyn. There, he was joined by his brother; the two claim to have financed their demos by selling drugs. Raiding other bands for lead guitarist Tripp Eisen, bass player Acey Slade, and drummer Preston Nash, they began a selective series of gigs in late 1997. In October 1998, they were signed to Flip Records, which made a production deal with Epic. Dope's debut album, Felons and Revolutionaries, was released in September 1999. The Dope brothers gutted their lineup after the ensuing tour, switching Slade to guitar and bringing in original bassist Sloane Jentry, guitarist Virus and drummer Sketchy Shay.  In the fall of 2001, they released their second album, Life. Two years later, the band inked a deal with Artemis, and issued Group Therapy. American Apathy arrived in summer 2005. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Spotify Link Dope – No Regrets

-- Twin Peaks - Fire Walk With Me --

Composer Angelo Badalamenti, who wrote the music for the television series for which this movie served as a "prequel," presents another low-key score mixing after-midnight jazz with ambient sounds, never taken at more than a medium tempo. The mood is dark and languid, appropriate to the unusual tone of the TV show and movie. Jimmy Scott and Julee Cruise contribute eerie vocals to songs with lyrics by director David Lynch. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide


http://open.spotify.com/album/7KTThkarRqhJX5DVkDOo7Z

-- Egil Olsen --

http://open.spotify.com/album/3lPRdOovKQkl655zCMcM9s

This is rather a cool album. Kind of grew on me!

-- Califone --

http://open.spotify.com/album/1l24VrnATynfcVncBRITy5

After the disintegration of Chicago's blues-rock innovators Red Red Meat, the band's four remaining members struck out on their own, initiating several varied endeavors but never straying too far from their home base, or each other. Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili revived their Perishable Records imprint, Brian Deck opened the Clava recording studios, adjacent to the Perishable offices, and Tim Hurley recorded and released his own Sin Ropas project on the resurrected label. Amid the flurry of activity, all four also found the time to contribute to the ill-fated, A&M-commissioned Loftus LP. While enduring the fluctuation between crisis and monotony inherent in the daily operation of a small, independent record label, Rutili began work on his next musical project, Califone.

Named after the pedant audio supply manufacturer, Califone was initially just Rutili banging out songs with a computer. Eventually, he began to enlist the help of some familiar cohorts and cycled through several transient contributors; ultimately, the revolving cast spawned 1998's self-titled debut EP. A joint Flydaddy/Perishable release, the record was distinctly more focused and confident than Red Red Meat's swan song, There's a Star Above the Manger Tonight. While still incorporating the bizarre sounds and sequenced beats of that record, this time the band didn't allow their in-studio experimentation to overwhelm the songs. Interestingly, at the end of the nascent recording sessions for Califone, someone in Rutili's new conglomerate noticed that the band was, in effect, a reincarnation of Red Red Meat; the principal members of the supposedly defunct quartet were the only remaining people in the studio.

A second self-titled EP followed in 2000 on Portland's Road Cone label, which soon after was paired with the first on the Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People compilation. With Califone's fundamental studio lineup at least temporarily solidified as Massarella, Rutili, and Deck, the band recorded their debut LP, Roomsound, with an open door policy; members of Eleventh Dream Day, Tortoise, and Fruit Bats all performed on the album. Released in the spring of 2001, Roomsound fused the disparate elements the band had been struggling to unite since There's a Star Above the Manger Tonight, creating a cohesive, affecting album.

The limited-edition Deceleration One appeared in February 2002, showcasing some of Califone's stunning live-recorded instrumentals. It was a combination of film loop mixing by Jeff Economy and Carolyn Faber and a puppetry sketch interpreted by Califone. A month later, Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People was released, capturing the two new tracks as well as material from the band's two previously out of print EPs initially available on Flydaddy and Roadcone. Rutili and Massarella were on a roll. They collected additional musicians during the summer of 2002 for the recording of the Quicksand/Cradlesnakes EP. It's a rough-edged, dark effort, but Califone's ever-changing musical cinema remained at best. 2004's Heron King Blues further refined their blending of melodic acoustic compostitions and experimental tendencies before the band went on hiatus for most of 2005 while Rutili focused on soundtrack work. The band reconvened in late 2005 to begin work on Roots & Crowns, released in October 2006. ~ Bryan Carroll, All Music Guide

-- Central Heating --

http://open.spotify.com/album/6rw9lTD7lD1pudYZmser7L

-- JHelix --

http://open.spotify.com/album/2yOgBPAPRORtaQgIlsHSFm

-- Glissandro --

http://open.spotify.com/album/2QDwb0se42kqS9xLWRGHCn

Here is a random one - don't know anything about this band! It's probably a grower and not a shower. Have a listen see what I mean.

-- The History Of House Parties Vol.2 --

http://open.spotify.com/album/1EV6SLQ7yPZwFJUxvOJVQS

Enjoy! A house compilation from 97. Sounds very old school now.

-- Motown Remixed & Unmixed --

http://open.spotify.com/album/7kRPqxlWTvT7F4fKX9ruOc

Another random album I came across on Spotify. Title says it really. A selection of various artists from Motown mixed up to give a contemporary feel.

-- Bonde Do Role --

http://open.spotify.com/album/02N1yymQjBPVjh9G8cy7GH

Pumping out bass-heavy dance beats laced with unlikely samples and paired with goofy but salacious raps, Bonde do Rolê are one of the first acts on Brazil's funk carioca (or baile funk) scene to gain an international audience. Consisting of lead MC Marina Ribatski, MC and producer Pedro D'eyrot, and DJ and producer Rodrigo Gorky, Bonde do Rolê offer up a willfully warped variation on funk carioca, merging their beats with odd but obvious samples from the likes of Alice in Chains and Tone-Loc while Ribatski delivers bizarre rhymes about kinky sex and partying of all sorts; as D'eyrot puts it, "The joke is to be as stupid and cheesy as you can be." Bonde do Rolê had earned a sizable fan following at home when they attracted the attention of American DJ and producer Diplo, who heard them during a visit to Brazil. Diplo fell for the group's wild music and frantic stage show, and signed them to his Mad Decent record label in the U.S., while the respected British label Domino struck a deal with the group for Europe. After blowing many minds during their performances on a brief American tour in the spring of 2007, Bonde do Rolê prepared to release their first album with Diplo, With Lasers, in the summer of 2007. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

-- Arctic Monkeys --

http://open.spotify.com/album/7814s6n0s7Kxbiue0oatgv

Citing influences such as the Jam, the Clash, and the Smiths, the Arctic Monkeys create a vibrant punk-inspired sound well suited for Britpop and alternative rock fans alike. Alex Turner (vocals/guitar), Jamie Cook (guitar), Andy Nicholson (bass), and Matt Helders (drums) formed the Arctic Monkeys in Sheffield, England, in 2003. A year prior, Turner and Cook received guitars for Christmas. From there, these teenagers made practicing an obsession, memorizing hits by the White Stripes and the Vines. A deal with Domino, the label home to Franz Ferdinand and Clinic, followed in spring 2004. Rambunctious first single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" debuted at number one on the U.K. singles chart in October 2005. Their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, was issued in January 2006; within a day of its release, the album sold 118,501 copies in the U.K. -- and over 350,000 its first week -- setting a record for more records sold than the rest of the Top 20 album chart combined. In America, the album scraped the bottom of the Top 40. The Arctic Monkeys wasted no time releasing new material, and that spring the EP Who the F**k Are Arctic Monkeys appeared. On their first North American tour, bassist Andy Nicholson sat out due to fatigue. Nick O'Malley temporarily stepped in to play the tour, and when the band announced that Nicholson was out of the group in June 2006, O'Malley was ultimately named a permanent member. The Arctic Monkeys' good fortune continued when that fall they were named the recipients of the 2006 Mercury Prize, the prize money from which they donated to an undisclosed charity. That same year, the guys also nabbed Best British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards and Best New Band and Best British Band at the NME Awards. (NME also made the bold assertion that the band's debut was one of the Top Five British albums ever released.) Weathering through the hype, the Arctic Monkeys kept working and their sophomore album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, surfaced in April 2007. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide

-- The Feelers --

http://open.spotify.com/album/79TQKwAFbhdInGOh6vCl6X

The trio of James Reid (vocals/guitar), Matt Thomas (bass), and Hamish Gee (drums) carry a folk-rock essence, adding the occasional electronic garnish. Supersystem and the single "Pressure Man" netted them Best New Zealand Band of 1999. For Communicate, the band recorded in Auckland and London with Foo Fighters' producer Gil Norton, who brought new textures, realizing vocal attributes between Reid and Peter Gabriel. A highlight is ambient rocker "As Good As It Gets." ~ Kelvin Hayes, All Music Guide

-- N.E.R.D. --

http://open.spotify.com/album/6IS4muX0Uqi4govQwCMNR8

N.E.R.D. are nothing if they're not clever, and they brilliantly constructed a back-story to accompany their debut album, In Search Of... As every rock critic in the Western world has said in his review of the album, they originally released the record in Europe, then decided it was crap, withdrew it, re-recorded it with a live band, and then released it worldwide. Now this story is probably true -- as the first album by the band driven by the powerhouse production team the Neptunes (though these are not interchangeable terms, as they went to great lengths to make clear in the promo interviews), there was a lot riding on this record, so it had better be right -- but it certainly helped them get valuable press, elevating this record to a near-event level. So, is In Search Of... worth the hoopla? Well, pretty much. Musically, it's a lively affair, breaking free of the signature approximated-Prince beats, as they borrow heavily from classic soul, breakbeat aesthetics, and postmodern alt-culture, tying it together with live beats. It pretty much deliberately does everything that most modern rap does not do, and it's hard not to embrace it for that very fact. Alas, there are flaws, mainly in the raps, which are hardly as nimble as the music; actually, they're rather clumsy and embarrassing, especially since they attempt to cover "socially relevant" issues (i.e., politicians are equated with strippers). Choruses that croon that "She needs me/Because I'm the sh*t" are hard to stomach, no matter how supple the music is (or how ironic the delivery), but if you can ignore that, In Search Of... does provide genuine musical thrills. Although, be forewarned -- it's easy to overrate this record simply because it deviates from the norm at a time when nobody deviates from the norm or has deviated from the norm in years. With better lyrics and a little less smirking hipsterism, it could have been the record it was intended to be, but as it stands, it's still a pretty terrific listen and one of the most adventurous, intriguing hip-hop albums in a long, long time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

-- Booka Shade --

http://open.spotify.com/album/7kL6VXcJ2giiUdj8zRbusJ

From their beginnings as a trancey house duo to their more mature post-millennial work that incorporates pop, ambient, techno, and funk influences, Frankfurt, Germany, duo Booka Shade have maintained an elegance of style that owes little to whatever current dance music trends are on the scene. However, before they were Booka Shade, Arno Merziger and Walter Kammermeier had an early-'90s synth pop duo called Planet Claire, which in the tradition of Underworld and Ministry mutated into something very different after their early direction petered out following two mildly successful albums. Abandoning dance-pop in favor of heavier club beats and trance electronics, Merziger and Kammermeier changed the name of their project to Booka Shade, debuting with the 1995 single "Kind of Good." After several years of releasing singles on various American and European labels, Merziger and Kammermeier started their own imprint, Get Physical, in 2001. The original intent behind the Get Physical label was that Booka Shade would be the shadowy producers, writers, and remixers behind other artists, but in 2004, Booka Shade released their first proper album as artists, Memento. Following two more club hits in 2005, "Mandarine Girl" and "Body Language," Booka Shade released their second album, Movements, in 2006. It was followed by DJ-Kicks in 2007 and The Sun & the Neon Light in 2008. Throughout their career as performing artists, Booka Shade have maintained a separate line in high-profile remixes, including work ranging from Yello and Depeche Mode to Moby and the Knife. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide