Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds Of (2001)

Stars of the Lid are by far my favorite ambient group; if you ever wondered what to listen to while you read on the couch with a mug of chamomile tea, look no further than this record. Have you ever wondered what the noise between space stations and satellites sounds like? How about the sounds of mice tunneling under snow?

And if you want to fall asleep to their languorous, slow-churning, drony textures; please do...

...I think that's the whole point of this record.

Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds Of (2001; Kranky Records)

Links to Spotify

Sonic Youth - Goo (1990)

Dear Kim & Thurston,

Seriously guys, this is an October Fools' joke, right? I mean, c'mon, you guys- you're like indie rock royalty and stuff, you can't do this to us. At least stay together for the fans. 

And Mark Jacobs, too. I mean, next time he debuts a fashion line and you two aren't there front and center wearing shredded thrift store gear and looking super uninterested in everything, it's gonna be weird. 

But you're not breaking up the band, right? I hear it's still cool and all, like musically and stuff. I should've known something was up when you got the bro from Pavement to play bass so Kim could look cooler singing and playing her guitar (which was probably turned way down, thanks Lee). I can't believe this.

It was Thurston, right? Did you bang someone else, dude? It was one of these new indie rock goddess-types, like Zola Jesus or Alice Glass or that dude from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs*.

This kinda sucks guys.

Whatever, here's Goo.

Maybe I'll post a Sonic Youth record every day until you either get back together or the band breaks up.

* - Karen O is actually an alien.

Sonic Youth - Goo (1990; DGC Records)

Steve Roach - Structures From Silence (1984)

Pure ambient bliss; sound textures from deep space.

From the back of the album cover:

Suspension . . . Intimacy . . . Silence
Touch the essence of Structures from Silence.
Steve Roach's flowing melodic impressions and
sustained synthesizer chords breathe.
rest, and breathe again.
A subtle visionary album,
serene and haunting.
a timeless statement.

Steve Roach - Structures From Silence (1984; Fortuna Records)
Links to Spotify

Lavvi Ebbel - Guns and Crepe Flambee (2014)

Belgian New Wave- it sounds exactly like that. Belgian. And New Wave. It veers somewhat into "avant-garde pop" but remains entirely listenable, you can see how they maintained a sizable cult following in their homeland. 

Here's a retrospective of their entire career:

Lavvi Ebbel - Guns and Crepe Flambee 1977-2014 (Starman; 2014)

Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom It May Concern... (1991)

Aceyalone, Self Jupiter, P.E.A.C.E., J. Sumbi & Myka Nyne; the anti-gangsta rap from the West Coast- these guys were kinda like the De La Soul of the L.A. scene. When everyone else (N.W.A., Ice-T, et. al.) were rapping about gats and hoes, these five MCs were waxing poetic on the state of welfare, education, higher consciousness, yeah.

Even though it's 20 years old, it doesn't sound the least bit dated. Give it a spin...

Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom It May Concern... (1991; Sun Music)

Tabla Beat Science - Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove (2002)

One of my favorite releases of the last ten years, combines dub reggae bass lines (from Bill Laswell) with multiple tabla percussionists (Zakir Hussain, Talvin Singh and Trilok Gurtu), scratching and turntablism from DJ Disk, drums and programming from Karsh Kale and the master of the sarangi, Sultan Khan.

Traditional Hindustani music meets electronic in a live performance in SF's Stern Grove; be sure to check this out.

Tabla Beat Science - Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove (2002; Palm Pictures)

Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch (1965)

I was sad to hear of Bert's passing earlier this week, wish I could have seen him play. Another legend gone but not forgotten. Here's his 1974 album LA Turnaround I shared back in April of 2010, for those so inclined: http://out-sounds.blogspot.com/2010/04/bert-jansch-la-turnaround-1974.html

But here's the 1965 debut; his guitar playing is deft and nimble- I remember reading somewhere that Jimmy Page lifted Bron-Yr-Aur from one of Jansch's arrangements. He was also highly regarded by (as well as being an influence on) Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, Johnny Marr and Neil Young.

Bert was 67 years old.

Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch (1965, Transatlantic Records)