This arrived with last December's issue of The Wire, and it may be one of the best covermount CDs I've heard.
It starts with two lovely tracks by Hans Appelqvist and Eric Malmberg. As you can tell from these names, this is a compilation from the fringes of the contemporary Swedish scene. Though Sewer Election and The Skull Defekts, they could be from almost anywhere, couldn't they? Wherever they were from, you could make a good guess about how they might sound. And you'd be right.
Other favourites of mine include the pieces by Anna Järvinen and Jerry Johansson. Sometimes (two out of the three times I listened) Morning of My Life by A Taste of Ra sounded to me like an even freakier version of Astral Weeks-era Van. I'm not alone in that view, either, as I saw from a 'shout' on Taste of Ra's last.fm page.
I saw the does-exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin Library Tapes a couple of weeks ago and I was just starting to get into his set — about 25 minutes in — when it finished. Very atmospheric visuals.
MusicBrainz entry for this album
Rate Your Music entry for this album
Funny how the person that commented on A Taste Of Ra's lastfm page is one of my lastfm friends... and that you should remark on his comment. I mean what are the chances? I played Whispers / Screams one time as I soaked in the bath. That middle third section of it alarmed the hell outta me... Not music for soakage!
My HOP FARM tix arrived today! Hee hee
Posted by: the vermillion pencil | 28 March 2008 at 05:35 PM
Mr Pencil, the world is indeed a bewildering place... as your identity itself attests.
oh, and our Hop Farm tickets arrived daaays ago.
Posted by: David | 29 March 2008 at 12:28 AM