"Zinc (Sonantis Remix)" by HVOB

I'm trancing out to this dark, swirling remix of the HVOB (Anna Müller and Paul Wallner, previously here) song "Zinc" from their just-released album "Rocco."

http://hvob-music.com/

"Bicep" by TR/ST

Canadian Roberet Alfons is TR/ST (or Trust), previously here. His new single, "Bicep" is a dark electronic fantasia and I love it...

...and him.

https://soundcloud.com/ttrstt
https://www.facebook.com/dressedforspace/

"Cold Out There" by Jon Hopkins

I bought Jon Hopkins' enchanting CD "Opalescent" when it came out in 2001. And for its 15th anniversary last year, he remastered it for a vinyl release. And here is my absolute favorite track, "Cold Out There." It is enigmatic, somber, and majestically profound.

http://www.jonhopkins.co.uk/

"Before The Dawn Live"

Released today in the UK: the live recording of "Before The Dawn," Kate Bush's now-legendary 22-night residency at the Hammersmith Apollo in late 2014. (We here in the US must wait until December 2nd.)

The first single to be released is "And Dream Of Sheep," the opening song to Kate's concept suite "The Ninth Wave," a story about a woman lost at sea, waiting to be rescued. If you have missed it, please read a detailed exploration of this powerful piece of music here. The video below shows Kate signing this song live while floating in a tank at Pinewood Studios--this film was projected on a large screen during her live performances of "The Ninth Wave" as part of the entire "Before The Dawn" stage show. The film crew actually spent two days filming and Kate got mild hypothermia after the first day!

Little light shining,
Little light will guide them to me.
My face is all lit up,
My face is all lit up.

If they find me racing white horses,
They'll not take me for a buoy.
Let me be weak,
Let me sleep
And dream of sheep.

Oh, I'll wake up
To any sound of engines,
Ev'ry gull a seeking craft.
I can't keep my eyes open--
Wish I had my radio.
I’d tune in to some friendly voices
Talkin' 'bout stupid things.
I can't be left to my imagination.
Let me be weak,
Let me sleep
And dream of sheep.

Ooh, their breath is warm
And they smell like sleep,
And they say they take me home.
Like poppies heavy with seed
They take me deeper and deeper.

And here is the audio for the "Prologue" to the second half of her "Before The Dawn" show, which is the start of another concept suite called "A Sky Of Honey." If you missed it, I have written an exploration of that piece as well here. Unfolding over 24 hours on Midsummer, the entire suite takes place under the sun or stars and moon, in a sky filled with birds (which is, not coincidentally, the opposite of the claustrophobic water setting of "The Ninth Wave"). It is all about the sky, the “aerial,” the direction “up.” Listen as the throbbing synthesizer and piano act as the afternoon sun, and Kate sings a litany of names of birds in this dream-like song.

And lastly, if you are wondering what all the fuss is about Kate and her epic "Before The Dawn" shows (The New York Times called the performance 'Dense, cathartic and physical.' New Musical Express observed: 'It is no ordinary artist that can tackle life, death, synchronicity, identity, spiritual transformation, empathy and the chaos of relationships with idiosyncratic ease in the space of a few hours,' and the U.K.'s Independent said, 'Undoubtedly the most ambitious, and genuinely moving piece of theatrical pop ever seen on a British stage.'), please read my own complete firsthand review of the stage show here.

http://katebush.com/

Kate Bush is magic. Kate Bush taught me how to fly.

"Ode 2 Summa" by Jamil Zacharia

Lazy, trippy, lightly psychedelic, hazy..."Ode 2 Summa" by Australian musician Jamil Zacharia.

I have yet to find a good "summer song." Maybe this one is it?
"In the summer, we fly high..."

https://www.facebook.com/jamilzacharia

"It's Over" by Eskmo

From Eskmo (aka Brendan Angelides) (previously here and here), "It's Over" from his "Sol B Sides" release.

http://www.eskmo.com/

"Let My Key Be C" by Nils Frahm and Anne Müller

Simply glorious.
"Let My Key Be C" by Nils Frahm and Anne Müller.

http://www.nilsfrahm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/annemullercello

"Into The Night" by The Electric Sons, Remixed by Brothertiger

Brothertiger, a.k.a John Jagos (previously here) did a splendid job remixing this song, "Into The Night" by The Electric Sons. He gave it a sultry, dreamy vibe.

http://www.theelectricsons.com/
http://www.brothertiger.net/

"Out Of Touch" by Brothertiger

I love the easy, slightly melancholy 80s vibe of "Out Of Touch" by Brothertiger (John J.).

Of Brothertiger, mush.com says, "As a live performer in the Athens house party scene, he’s gained a reputation for intense joyfulness. Recorded, his songs are more precious, with details and ideas that only reveal themselves with repeated listens. Buoyed by his voice--which contains both adult timbre and youthful disposition--Jagos’ songs combine layered, interweaving electronics with warm, satisfying melodies."

http://www.brothertiger.net/

"Ordinary Pleasure" by Port St. Willow

Port St. Willow is the nom de musique of Nicholas Principe and this introspective, dramatic track, "Ordinary Pleasure" is from his album "Syncope." He can cite father of ambient music Brian Eno as a fan!

http://portstwillow.com/

"Cloud Calls" by Count Counsellor

This delightful song, "Cloud Calls" by Aussie/British Count Counsellor (real name: Henry) is a joyous celebration of childhood. The song is from his four-song EP entitled "& The Childhood Heroes." Of the collection of songs and this song in particular, Count Counsellor says, "The idea came from establishing each song as a story book in a child’s life. The first song, 'Cloud Calls,' is about youthful optimism where anything seems possible."

"Top of the sky, we’d run to hide
As friends we’d play til we catch the last light
Beg and dare each other to stay out further
What if we meet the dark, she said
Jumping all the fences so carelessly into the clouds ahead…"

"It’s your turn, don’t worry, I got all you need
Shut your eyes and jump cuz I got all you need
I mean, you can’t be scared of the heights now,
We’ve been in the clouds for hours
And the dodo’s with us now, can’t you see his wings are down, down, down
Jump now, jump now, I’m here, you know that falling is the best part
You follow and I’ll lead cuz I got all you need..."



https://www.facebook.com/countcounsellor

"Waterfall" by Vök

This one has worked its way into me: "Waterfall" by Icelandic dream-pop trio Vök.

https://www.facebook.com/Vokband

"Sleep Easy" by LYLOH

"Sleep Easy" is a lovely track by new artist LYLOH. There is yearning in this, there is innocence in this, there is life in this...

https://soundcloud.com/lylohmusic
https://www.facebook.com/LYLOHMUSIC

"Whatever" by Haunt

Newcomers Haunt (Victor Pakpour and Wyatt Ininns) have released their song "Whatever," a gently poppy little ditty with a chilly, retro-80s synth weaving throughout.

https://www.facebook.com/welovehaunt

"StylO' The Times" Prince vs. Gorillaz by DJ Zebra

This mash up highlights one of the best songs Prince ever wrote or recorded. And yes, I am a Prince fan.

Fresh & Noble feature this track by DJ Zebra who hybridized the melody and words of "Sign O' The Times" with the rhythm and bass line section of "Stylo" by Gorillaz.

When Prince released this song in 1987 on his opus double album of the same name, it gave fans and non-fans alike a reason to pause. It was darker, heavier, and more relevant that anything he had previously created. The sparse instrumentation of the original song signaled its seriousness, and the addition here of the fragment from "Stylo" does not betray that. The particulars may have changed but the songs lyrics (viral pandemics, gang violence, natural disasters, poverty, drug abuse, and impending war) and sentiment are as relevant now as they were nearly thirty years ago. The most heartbreaking section of the song though is the last verse. The idea of a small family against the tide of disasters and ills just recited is the point of the entire piece.

Oh yeah!

In France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name
By chance his girlfriend came across a needle and soon she did the same
At home there are seventeen-year-old boys and their idea of fun
Is being in a gang called The Disciples
High on crack, totin' a machine gun

Time, times

Hurricane Annie ripped the ceiling of a church and killed everyone inside
U turn on the telly and every other story is tellin' U somebody died
Sister killed her baby cuz she couldn't afford 2 feed it and we're sending people 2 the moon
In September my cousin tried reefer 4 the very first time
Now he's doing horse: it's June

Times, times

It's silly, no?
When a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants 2 fly
Some say a man ain't happy unless a man truly dies
Oh why?
Time, time

Baby make a speech, Star Wars fly
Neighbors just shine it on
But if a night falls and a bomb falls
Will anybody see the dawn?

Time, times

It's silly, no?
When a rocket blows and everybody still wants 2 fly
Some say a man ain't happy, truly until a man truly dies
Oh why, oh why, Sign O the Times

Time, time

Sign O' the Times mess with your mind
Hurry before it's 2 late
Let's fall in love, get married, have a baby
We'll call him Nate... if it's a boy

Time, time
Time, time



https://soundcloud.com/fresh-8

And for reference, here is the original by The Master:

"Zero Triptych" by Girls Names

Cathal, Claire, Phil, and Gib are Girls Names. This Belfast band have just released a STUNNING 10+ minute song that marries electronic and traditional rock, epic in scope, elevating and grand in spirit, and dark and thick in texture. It is called "Zero Triptcyh" and I am a bit blown away by the swirling, driving sound and relentless energy of it all...

The band say:
"A zone of silence and of pure possibilities for a new beginning."
- Otto Piene, Group Zero

Burn the past. Reset the clocks.

A symphony in three parts.

http://girlsnames-deadtome.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GirlsNames

Currently listening to..

...a marvelous version of Kate Bush's haunting song "Watching You Without Me" (from her epic "The Ninth Wave" song cycle) by her bass player Del Palmer.  Regular readers know I adore Kate and went last September to London to see her phenomenal sold out show "Before The Dawn" in which she performed, in its entirety, "The Ninth Wave." If you missed it, read my exploration of the song cycle here and read my review of her stage show here.

Meanwhile, here is Del's lovely take. This song never fails to rip me apart emotionally. Read my review of the song cycle to find out why.

Look closely in the image above--you can see our narrator's glowing "little light" to the right...lost at sea, but soon rescued...

http://www.delpalmer.com/

"Try To Remember Me" by Stumbleine, Remixed by theboychild

I am just loving theboychild's delicate, shimmering remix of "Try To Remember Me" by Stumbleine. Wow...so lovely...
And I love the vocal line's distortion, rendering the piece like an abstract painting. We are given a mood, a texture, and a feeling. But the tiny spoken word sample in the center makes it even more intriguing: "What is it?" "A boy..."

https://www.facebook.com/stumbleineuk
http://www.theboychild.com/

"Like Lust" by Movement

Electronic, ambient, R&B. Wow.
"Like Lust" by Movement from their new eponymous EP. All the songs are great, but this one stands out for me.

http://movementsounds.com/

"Follow Me Home" by David Clement

David Clement's new single "Follow Me Home" got a fabulous remix by Jonas Woehl.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Clement/138136606237969