""Play like your mama just died," George Clinton told guitarist Eddie Hazel. The result was "Maggot Brain," ten minutes of Hendrix-style guitar anguish. This is the heaviest rock album the P-Funk crew ever created, but it also made room for the acoustic guitar funk of "Can You Get to That." No matter how many times I listen to this song, my mind gets blown every damn time."

""Play like your mama just died," George Clinton told guitarist Eddie Hazel. The result was "Maggot Brain," ten minutes of Hendrix-style guitar anguish. This is the heaviest rock album the P-Funk crew ever created, but it also made room for the acoustic guitar funk of "Can You Get to That." No matter how many times I listen to this song, my mind gets blown every damn time."

"Once a band has developed a sound that is undeniably theirs it can be difficult to push beyond those confines and expand the sound into new territory. Lights Out Asia set out to do just that and have succeeded in writing a record that was as much a sign of the times as it was an expansion of their aural bubble that has been their watermark. They have been called ethereal, post-shoegaze and sleep-rock, but on their third full length "Eyes Like Brontide" the band slides into a darker more ominous and less lucid dream than on previous efforts. The release is a stylistic shift from the sweet lullabies of their debut "Garmonia" (Sun Sea Sky) and the electronic drum driven post-shoegaze of 2007's "Tanks and Recognizers" (n5MD). The song dynamics on the album deserve special attention. For the first time in Lights Out Asia's history they have gone for broke with some of the most epic drum machine driven post-rock this side of the Pacific along with solemn disconnected passages of dream nourished sonics. The occasional floating vocal and dusty winding guitar they are known for are still present, but "Eyes Like Brontide" brings a whole new dimension to the Lights Out Asia ethos. Most importantly, the band has expanded upon its sound without throwing away the original blueprint or alienating it's fanbase. If you have the time take a minute to at least listen to "Six Points of Fire." It is the best new song I have heard in 2008."

"Once a band has developed a sound that is undeniably theirs it can be difficult to push beyond those confines and expand the sound into new territory. Lights Out Asia set out to do just that and have succeeded in writing a record that was as much a sign of the times as it was an expansion of their aural bubble that has been their watermark. They have been called ethereal, post-shoegaze and sleep-rock, but on their third full length "Eyes Like Brontide" the band slides into a darker more ominous and less lucid dream than on previous efforts. The release is a stylistic shift from the sweet lullabies of their debut "Garmonia" (Sun Sea Sky) and the electronic drum driven post-shoegaze of 2007's "Tanks and Recognizers" (n5MD). The song dynamics on the album deserve special attention. For the first time in Lights Out Asia's history they have gone for broke with some of the most epic drum machine driven post-rock this side of the Pacific along with solemn disconnected passages of dream nourished sonics. The occasional floating vocal and dusty winding guitar they are known for are still present, but "Eyes Like Brontide" brings a whole new dimension to the Lights Out Asia ethos. Most importantly, the band has expanded upon its sound without throwing away the original blueprint or alienating it's fanbase. If you have the time take a minute to at least listen to "Six Points of Fire." It is the best new song I have heard in 2008."

""Night Falls," Hecq's follow up to the ambitious double album "0000" may be the best ambient album since Biosphere's "Substrata". With the release of "Night Falls", it is hard to see how the genre can be pused any further. If you are a fan of ambient music, get a glass of something you love, hit the lights, put the headphones on (the really good ones) get comfortable and disapear."

""Night Falls," Hecq's follow up to the ambitious double album "0000" may be the best ambient album since Biosphere's "Substrata". With the release of "Night Falls", it is hard to see how the genre can be pused any further. If you are a fan of ambient music, get a glass of something you love, hit the lights, put the headphones on (the really good ones) get comfortable and disapear."

"In all my years and hours of listening, I had never before heard a Keith Jarrett sample used in ambient sound. But, Blackfilm did it - and boy did they do it! The term cinematic gets tossed around a great deal in the music reviewing business, especially when it comes to those genres and styles of an electronic inclination. For the most part anything appearing particularly dark, atmospheric and epic seems to get pasted with this descriptor, and much of that undeservedly so. Perhaps the right adjective at the time, in comparison to Blackfilm's self-titled debut album, most other so-called cinematic peers fall short. This stuff simply defines cinematic. Its orchestral nuances and muffled piano ("Interference"), spectral voices and effective interlude transitions ("Eastern" and "Untitled"), among other elements, serve to elucidate this formative strategy. As the second release for young label Spectraliquid (based in Athens, Greece), "Blackfilm" reflects a promising musical direction and, more significantly, astute artist selectivity. The disc invites its listener in with "Come & See," an introduction to both the sound textures and strong thematic aspects that intertwine its ten compositions. "Blackfilm" brings a post-structuralist film noir quality to the forefront of pieces characterized as sweeping, ghostly, orchestral, downtempo and, of course, epic. Brilliant "Stalingrad" figures prominently in this idea; its ten-minute duration encompasses abandoned Cold War ambience and ominous post-urban illbient alike. In shorter tracks, other strengths come to prominence. The gently pushing bass tones in "Five Years" are masterful, while the insatiable trip hop groove of "Sonar" burns well into the night. The sensual Indian singing wafting through "Mahabharata" arouses fantastic visions of that poem's grandeur and ancient metaphysics. The spacey tenor, echoing voices and maudlin strings of "Midnight to 4 A.M." conceives a vast and unquenchable insignificance in the face of a universe beyond human comprehension. "Blackfilm" is gritty music for an eyes-closed headspace, at once harrowing and enlightening. "

"In all my years and hours of listening, I had never before heard a Keith Jarrett sample used in ambient sound. But, Blackfilm did it - and boy did they do it! The term cinematic gets tossed around a great deal in the music reviewing business, especially when it comes to those genres and styles of an electronic inclination. For the most part anything appearing particularly dark, atmospheric and epic seems to get pasted with this descriptor, and much of that undeservedly so. Perhaps the right adjective at the time, in comparison to Blackfilm's self-titled debut album, most other so-called cinematic peers fall short. This stuff simply defines cinematic. Its orchestral nuances and muffled piano ("Interference"), spectral voices and effective interlude transitions ("Eastern" and "Untitled"), among other elements, serve to elucidate this formative strategy. As the second release for young label Spectraliquid (based in Athens, Greece), "Blackfilm" reflects a promising musical direction and, more significantly, astute artist selectivity. The disc invites its listener in with "Come & See," an introduction to both the sound textures and strong thematic aspects that intertwine its ten compositions. "Blackfilm" brings a post-structuralist film noir quality to the forefront of pieces characterized as sweeping, ghostly, orchestral, downtempo and, of course, epic. Brilliant "Stalingrad" figures prominently in this idea; its ten-minute duration encompasses abandoned Cold War ambience and ominous post-urban illbient alike. In shorter tracks, other strengths come to prominence. The gently pushing bass tones in "Five Years" are masterful, while the insatiable trip hop groove of "Sonar" burns well into the night. The sensual Indian singing wafting through "Mahabharata" arouses fantastic visions of that poem's grandeur and ancient metaphysics. The spacey tenor, echoing voices and maudlin strings of "Midnight to 4 A.M." conceives a vast and unquenchable insignificance in the face of a universe beyond human comprehension. "Blackfilm" is gritty music for an eyes-closed headspace, at once harrowing and enlightening. "

"The solo debut from Trespasser William's lead singer Anna-Lynne Williams. Jeff Martin of Idaho joins her on piano for this song and lends his voice for a few haunting harmonies. Just beautiful. If you are a fan of Trespassers you need to hear the whole album."

"The solo debut from Trespasser William's lead singer Anna-Lynne Williams. Jeff Martin of Idaho joins her on piano for this song and lends his voice for a few haunting harmonies. Just beautiful. If you are a fan of Trespassers you need to hear the whole album."

"Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko turns in one of the finest efforts of his four-decade career with Suspended Night, an album that can only be described as haunting and gorgeous. It is one of those rare discs able to reach any level of listener, from casual types who will find his seductive tone ideal background fodder to purists able to appreciate a stunning depth that all but demands multiple playbacks. Stanko, 61, built his reputation as a free jazz and avant garde player, and he works those elements here with deceptive and devastating effectiveness. The textures of most of the songs are so smooth and sparse the casual listener may never realize how Stanko is exploiting the space provided. He also does so in a way that even those normally put off by the chaos of free jazz are more apt to see his acoustic brushstrokes as rich and colorful elements of a master painting rather than random splatters of paint on canvas. The quartet, featuring a group of fellow Polish musicians Stanko started working with a decade ago, start with the lush ballad “Song For Sarah;” Stanko takes a back seat and leaves it to pianist Marcin Wasilewski to set up Jarrett-esque tones and melodies. It is perhaps Stanko's greatest achievement that (again, like Miles) he has the ability to push his much younger protégées to achieve their maximum potential. Wasilewski's piano, Slawamir Kurkiewicz on double-bass and Michal Miskeiwicz on drums combine to provide a creative yet rock solid palette upon which all the members can feel free to express themselves without fear of falling off."

"Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko turns in one of the finest efforts of his four-decade career with Suspended Night, an album that can only be described as haunting and gorgeous. It is one of those rare discs able to reach any level of listener, from casual types who will find his seductive tone ideal background fodder to purists able to appreciate a stunning depth that all but demands multiple playbacks. Stanko, 61, built his reputation as a free jazz and avant garde player, and he works those elements here with deceptive and devastating effectiveness. The textures of most of the songs are so smooth and sparse the casual listener may never realize how Stanko is exploiting the space provided. He also does so in a way that even those normally put off by the chaos of free jazz are more apt to see his acoustic brushstrokes as rich and colorful elements of a master painting rather than random splatters of paint on canvas. The quartet, featuring a group of fellow Polish musicians Stanko started working with a decade ago, start with the lush ballad “Song For Sarah;” Stanko takes a back seat and leaves it to pianist Marcin Wasilewski to set up Jarrett-esque tones and melodies. It is perhaps Stanko's greatest achievement that (again, like Miles) he has the ability to push his much younger protégées to achieve their maximum potential. Wasilewski's piano, Slawamir Kurkiewicz on double-bass and Michal Miskeiwicz on drums combine to provide a creative yet rock solid palette upon which all the members can feel free to express themselves without fear of falling off."

"New Lights Out Asia from the excellent compilation Little Darla Has A Treat For You, Vol. 25: Endless Summer. Don't know how they do it, but these guys always get it right. Thankfully, Lights Out Asia will be releasing their new full length album, "Eyes Like Brontide" on August 19th on n5MD. "

"New Lights Out Asia from the excellent compilation Little Darla Has A Treat For You, Vol. 25: Endless Summer. Don't know how they do it, but these guys always get it right. Thankfully, Lights Out Asia will be releasing their new full length album, "Eyes Like Brontide" on August 19th on n5MD. "

"This is the jazz James Baldwin was talking about when he wrote, "Sonny's Blues." And last night, before a packed house at the Village Vangaurd, Brian Blade sat down and proved to the world why he is the greatest living jazz drummer today. If you were lucky enough to see him perform with Daniel Lanois at SXSW this year or have seen him in the past with Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan, then you know what I'm talking about - if not, you need to see this man live with his jazz group. On his new CD, "Seasons of Change," Several longer tracks are mini-suites. Cowherd's sprawling, 12-minute title track is the standout, including an austere piano intro, a rousing fanfare for horns, a catchy melody for piano and guitar that echoes the early Pat Metheny Group, a blazing guitar solo from Kurt Rosenwinkel, a soulful tenor saxophone solo from Melvin Butler and a vamp out for alto saxophonist Myron Walden before an austere conclusion. Even more tightly packed is the CD's six-minute closer, Omni. The slow ballad gives Walden time to be fierce before Cowherd chills things out with a pastoral solo. A plaintive pop coda seems the perfect conclusion. Eclectic yet cohesive, Season of Changes is a striking example of a group in which stellar soloists put the group effort first. That's a testament to their faith in the power of Blade's music. While Blade never takes as much as a solo, it's nonetheless clear that the life-affirming feeling from behind his kit is the chief inspiration for his disc's many virtues. Every age is lucky enough to have those few artists that transcend - Brian Blade is one of those artists."

"This is the jazz James Baldwin was talking about when he wrote, "Sonny's Blues." And last night, before a packed house at the Village Vangaurd, Brian Blade sat down and proved to the world why he is the greatest living jazz drummer today. If you were lucky enough to see him perform with Daniel Lanois at SXSW this year or have seen him in the past with Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan, then you know what I'm talking about - if not, you need to see this man live with his jazz group. On his new CD, "Seasons of Change," Several longer tracks are mini-suites. Cowherd's sprawling, 12-minute title track is the standout, including an austere piano intro, a rousing fanfare for horns, a catchy melody for piano and guitar that echoes the early Pat Metheny Group, a blazing guitar solo from Kurt Rosenwinkel, a soulful tenor saxophone solo from Melvin Butler and a vamp out for alto saxophonist Myron Walden before an austere conclusion. Even more tightly packed is the CD's six-minute closer, Omni. The slow ballad gives Walden time to be fierce before Cowherd chills things out with a pastoral solo. A plaintive pop coda seems the perfect conclusion. Eclectic yet cohesive, Season of Changes is a striking example of a group in which stellar soloists put the group effort first. That's a testament to their faith in the power of Blade's music. While Blade never takes as much as a solo, it's nonetheless clear that the life-affirming feeling from behind his kit is the chief inspiration for his disc's many virtues. Every age is lucky enough to have those few artists that transcend - Brian Blade is one of those artists."

"After the excellent ‘Release All Light EP’, De La Mancha arrive with a full-length offering, delivering on that early promise with an album that combines a Sigur Ros-like sense of scale with humbler, shoegazing songwriting values. All of "Atlas" is great on an epic scale, but there’s a lot more to Atlas than that perhaps due to the presence of Dag Rosenqvist (aka Jasper TX) on electronics and guitar, for every moment of tuneful Euro-indie soundscapes."

"After the excellent ‘Release All Light EP’, De La Mancha arrive with a full-length offering, delivering on that early promise with an album that combines a Sigur Ros-like sense of scale with humbler, shoegazing songwriting values. All of "Atlas" is great on an epic scale, but there’s a lot more to Atlas than that perhaps due to the presence of Dag Rosenqvist (aka Jasper TX) on electronics and guitar, for every moment of tuneful Euro-indie soundscapes."

"Dday One was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He has a double major in hip-hop as a turntablist and samplist. He also has a minor in graffiti art. His obsession with manipulating vinyl records started in the early 1990..s, when at the age of 11 he began exploring the depths of Los Angeles's thrift shops and record stores. What results is some of the sickest, baddest, funkiest, trippiest slow groove electro beats being spun today."

"Dday One was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He has a double major in hip-hop as a turntablist and samplist. He also has a minor in graffiti art. His obsession with manipulating vinyl records started in the early 1990..s, when at the age of 11 he began exploring the depths of Los Angeles's thrift shops and record stores. What results is some of the sickest, baddest, funkiest, trippiest slow groove electro beats being spun today."

"Portland-based space-drone quartet Yume Bitsu's spacious, airy epics fall around you in sheets, almost like a heavy rain of musical colors: cool, damp, haunting synth curtains fold around eerie, reverb-drenched guitar lines while dense, psychedelic percussive hailstones fall all about. The sound suggests the ambient psychedelia of '70s Ash Ra Tempel or Tangerine Dream as well as the synth-happy drone of My Bloody Valentine. If you love reverb, you need to give them a listen."

"Portland-based space-drone quartet Yume Bitsu's spacious, airy epics fall around you in sheets, almost like a heavy rain of musical colors: cool, damp, haunting synth curtains fold around eerie, reverb-drenched guitar lines while dense, psychedelic percussive hailstones fall all about. The sound suggests the ambient psychedelia of '70s Ash Ra Tempel or Tangerine Dream as well as the synth-happy drone of My Bloody Valentine. If you love reverb, you need to give them a listen."

"Immanu El is a post-rock band from Sweden that was formed when a couple of high school friends decided to make music in the Summer of 2004. Like many other Swedish Post-Rock bands, Immanu El's music focuses on vocals even more so than bands like Logh, Ef and September Malevolence. Their first release was an CDR EP in 2005 called, "Killerwhale". After doing some live shows and touring with different artists such as Sigur Rós and the previously mentioned Ef they struck a deal with And The Sound records. In August of 2007 they released their full-length debut, "They'll Come, They Come". Immanu El's music can be seen as a combination of ambient, Indie Pop (mainly because of the vocals) and Post-Rock. The vocals are somewhat similar to Jonsi's from Sigur Rós and are sung in English. The music is very atmospheric and prefers to stay subtle and not loud. Highly recommended for fans of Sigur Rós, Ef, Gregor Samsa and other Post-Rock bands that emphasizes on vocals."

"Immanu El is a post-rock band from Sweden that was formed when a couple of high school friends decided to make music in the Summer of 2004. Like many other Swedish Post-Rock bands, Immanu El's music focuses on vocals even more so than bands like Logh, Ef and September Malevolence. Their first release was an CDR EP in 2005 called, "Killerwhale". After doing some live shows and touring with different artists such as Sigur Rós and the previously mentioned Ef they struck a deal with And The Sound records. In August of 2007 they released their full-length debut, "They'll Come, They Come". Immanu El's music can be seen as a combination of ambient, Indie Pop (mainly because of the vocals) and Post-Rock. The vocals are somewhat similar to Jonsi's from Sigur Rós and are sung in English. The music is very atmospheric and prefers to stay subtle and not loud. Highly recommended for fans of Sigur Rós, Ef, Gregor Samsa and other Post-Rock bands that emphasizes on vocals."

"Good ole fashioned high energy bad-ass piano rock. Some of the best music coming out of New York right now."

"Good ole fashioned high energy bad-ass piano rock. Some of the best music coming out of New York right now."

"The song, “The Catharsis Session” is 9 minutes and change of total symphonic bliss. Fans of Godspeed You! Black Emperor will love this track. With a sound that is closer to Mono than Mogwai, the Danish quarter create a cacophonous journey that is complete. I would argue that, “The Metamorphosis Project” is the best post-rock album of 2008 so-far. www.myspace.com/thesevenmilejourney"

"The song, “The Catharsis Session” is 9 minutes and change of total symphonic bliss. Fans of Godspeed You! Black Emperor will love this track. With a sound that is closer to Mono than Mogwai, the Danish quarter create a cacophonous journey that is complete. I would argue that, “The Metamorphosis Project” is the best post-rock album of 2008 so-far. www.myspace.com/thesevenmilejourney"

"Athos is a 1994 album produced by Stephan Micus for ECM. Based on a three-day visit to Mount Athos, in it Micus tries to capture his experiences with the Greek Orthodox liturgy he experienced in the monasteries there, framing it with pieces that evoke his emotions at going to and leaving the isolated peninsula. Between them he recreates the liturgical experience of the services over the three days he was there, in six alternating pieces of night and day. As in his other works, Micus uses a combination of traditional instruments from various cultures to capture the feel of the monastery. These include the sattar (a bowed 10-string instrument used by the Uyghur people), the shakuhachi (a Japanese bamboo flute), the suling (a reed flute from Bali), the ney (a Middle Eastern flute), and even 22 flowerpots, filled with water, which he plays with his hands and with mallets."

"Athos is a 1994 album produced by Stephan Micus for ECM. Based on a three-day visit to Mount Athos, in it Micus tries to capture his experiences with the Greek Orthodox liturgy he experienced in the monasteries there, framing it with pieces that evoke his emotions at going to and leaving the isolated peninsula. Between them he recreates the liturgical experience of the services over the three days he was there, in six alternating pieces of night and day. As in his other works, Micus uses a combination of traditional instruments from various cultures to capture the feel of the monastery. These include the sattar (a bowed 10-string instrument used by the Uyghur people), the shakuhachi (a Japanese bamboo flute), the suling (a reed flute from Bali), the ney (a Middle Eastern flute), and even 22 flowerpots, filled with water, which he plays with his hands and with mallets."

"By the time of the two final concerts documented on Agharta and its counterpart Pangaea, Miles and crew had become a well-oiled machine, adept at weaving rock, jazz and funk into a head-spinning jungle brew that still confuses and amazes listeners 27 years later. It's jazz taken in a direction no one else had gone; it's a batch of hot rock grooves with tribal rhythmic underpinnings; it's the angry burning of a man in pain and a top-notch crew flourishing under his direction. And this show is only the Jekyll to Pangaea's Hyde; the later concert was even darker, heavier and closer to chaos. I'd recommend Agharta first of the two, but if you haven't heard any electric Miles it may be easier to start with B-Brew or Jack Johnson first. Agharta is a trip through the dense African bush, not for the faint of heart but those who love a good challenge."

"By the time of the two final concerts documented on Agharta and its counterpart Pangaea, Miles and crew had become a well-oiled machine, adept at weaving rock, jazz and funk into a head-spinning jungle brew that still confuses and amazes listeners 27 years later. It's jazz taken in a direction no one else had gone; it's a batch of hot rock grooves with tribal rhythmic underpinnings; it's the angry burning of a man in pain and a top-notch crew flourishing under his direction. And this show is only the Jekyll to Pangaea's Hyde; the later concert was even darker, heavier and closer to chaos. I'd recommend Agharta first of the two, but if you haven't heard any electric Miles it may be easier to start with B-Brew or Jack Johnson first. Agharta is a trip through the dense African bush, not for the faint of heart but those who love a good challenge."

"An entire album of haunting, intimate suites for solo piano, this album is perhaps even more emotionally gripping than his previous acclaimed work. Recorded in less than two hours using only one microphone and no overdubs, it is completely live, with no editing, mixing, mastering or post-production of any kind on the recording. It is this sparse, naked beauty that makes this record so breathtaking and so addictive."

"An entire album of haunting, intimate suites for solo piano, this album is perhaps even more emotionally gripping than his previous acclaimed work. Recorded in less than two hours using only one microphone and no overdubs, it is completely live, with no editing, mixing, mastering or post-production of any kind on the recording. It is this sparse, naked beauty that makes this record so breathtaking and so addictive."

"Two eminent Norwegian jazz musicians, pianist Bugge Wesseltoft and vocalist Sidsel Endresen making some incredible music together. Wonderful ambient spaces."

"Two eminent Norwegian jazz musicians, pianist Bugge Wesseltoft and vocalist Sidsel Endresen making some incredible music together. Wonderful ambient spaces."

"Recorded just days before she died, the throat cancer was so bad that she couldn't speak. But when she walked into that studio and put her lips to the microphone, she sang...with a last breath, the way songs are supposed to be sung."

"Recorded just days before she died, the throat cancer was so bad that she couldn't speak. But when she walked into that studio and put her lips to the microphone, she sang...with a last breath, the way songs are supposed to be sung."

"...and so she walked into his life...forever."

"...and so she walked into his life...forever."

"My favorite Radiohead tune."

"My favorite Radiohead tune."

"A gentle rain on a warm night."

"A gentle rain on a warm night."

"Note to other bands: don't fucking cover Sigur Ros songs. You can't do them justice. See this for Exhibit A."