Ulrich Schnauss-A Long Way to Fall review

It is no secret that I am a fan of tastefully conceived electronic music.  As a matter of fact, I have previously proclaimed Ulrich Schnauss to be one of the best electronica artists in the world.  Think for a moment what it must take to be considered one of the best.  In this day and age, electronica could very well be the second-most recorded style of music, just behind pop.  To be noted as one of the best, you have to be really, really good.

Ulrich Schnauss is really, really good.  With "A Long Way to Fall", Schnauss has adapted his style of music and even further diversified his sound.  His previous releases with Mark Peters and Jonas Munk were shining examples of well-paced electro-gaze music that incorporated some elements of nu-jazz.  Both were very good records.

His new solo release taps styles from pop to electro-gaze to 80s-influenced synth.  "A Long Way to Fall" illustrates why there is still plenty of room to rise.  Layers upon layers of atmospheric bliss join forces with some extra-groovy electronic beats and industrialized samples to create a listening experience that is both fun and challenging. 

Also new is the incorporation of some understated, distorted vocals that seem filled with sorrow, but falling just short of all-out creepy.  Many of the tracks on this disc are upbeat, while others are filled with downtrodden, sullen melodies. 

Electronic music is often criticized as lacking true depth or emotion.  Schnauss delivers up a tasty platter of both while keeping the heavy grooves and layered textures of ambiance and looped reverb.  This is quite an exciting listen, especially if played at a high volume.  Check out the full YouTube stream of the album below.  As always, thanks and enjoy!

Gate-Sekai review

There are some bands whose sound is impossible to categorize.  This can be either a good or a bad thing, but it is often refreshing to hear something so original that as a listener, one can't help but be pleased with the artist's effort.

|**| Gate is a rare breed of an artist.  Hailing from Japan, Lajos Ishibashi-Brons creates an intense musical sound that straddles invisible lines between ambient drone, electronica, techno, and industrial.  This is an incredible journey through soundscapes too numerous to describe.  The best one can do in categorizing the sound this artist employs would be industrial noise.  As Gate's record label, Fluttery Records, tells it, there is sound in music throughout our world and that all our world is beautiful.  Just as warm melodies create space with passion and grace, sharp, discordant sounds create a different sense of bliss--a different state of sonic beauty.

To describe the music in "Sekai" as discordant would be an understatement.  The music herein is for open-minded listeners willing to dabble in any kind of musical pleasure.  The sound of "Sekai" is incredibly diverse, yet jagged, irregular, eerie, dissonant, and at times downright jarring.  Though many listeners will simply pass this album off as noise, the music contains an unmistakable thread of musical composition that few artists would dare attempt, let alone master.

"Sekai" is unlike any album I have ever heard, and that says a lot.  I never thought I would find myself listening to this type of music, but this music is so atypical that to attempt description through words is folly at best.  As layered and discordant as this music is, I inexplicably find it appealing and even addictive.  This music that truly must be heard to be understood or appreciated.  That said, I don't expect many of our readers to get a proper handle on this album.  Listen if you dare--the entire album stream via Gate's bandcamp page follows. 

This is an underrated effort that is worth the price. "Sekai's" five tracks average a hefty 15 minutes in length, so you will more than likely have to find something else to do while you listen.  Try to listen to the entire track you choose because there are so many jolts, so many surprises, twists and turns, that it is difficult to fathom.  It is a fantastic listen and I hope you enjoy.  Thanks for reading!

Trentemoller-Into the Great Wide Yonder (2010)

We have talked about Trentemoller here before.  I am a huge fan and consider him to be one of the best electronic music producers in the world.  The latest release from this Danish artist came back in 2010.  I will talk briefly about "Into the Great Wide Yonder"

As good as "The Last Resort" was, I felt that that album had a few minor flaws in that it included too many tracks, some of which sounded like filler material.  No such tracks exist on "Into the Great Wide Yonder."  Each of them is a gem. 

The latest album does something different for Trentemoller, treating fans with vocals.  Often, vocals thrown haphazardly into an electronica track sounds forced, uninspired and dull to say the least.  Trentemoller mixes it up nicely here with some lovely guest female vocals that are soulful and serene, adding a complex layer of melody to the synth and sample sounds.  This aesthetic was a smash hit for me, as Sycamore Feeling and ...Even Though You're With Another Girl are spectacles in their own right.  These two tracks in particular are at the same time danceable electronica tunes and easy to sing along to.

This is an addictive release.  Trentemoller includes samples from numerous instruments in this release, even adding a flavorful pedal-effect guitar tone using the whammy bar and heavily drowned in reverb textures.  I know I'm at risk of sounding like a huge hypocrite by saying this, but I wish this album were longer.  It ends far too quickly. 

Another thing I hope for is a brand new Trentemoller release in 2013.  As far as electronic music goes, he is simply as good as it gets.  Below are a few tracks smashed together in one soundcloud sample.  I also added ...Even Though You're With Another Girl because you just have to hear it.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!!

JMSL-Elle M'aime review

Another unexpected 2012 gem, by 19-year old California artist Jay-Miss-Elle, otherwise known as JMSL, "Elle M'aime" is an interesting listen that excites the senses. 

Not only is the cover art for "Elle M'aime" fantastic, but the music is unbelievably mature.  Like so many other great records released this year, this music is difficult to categorize.  The best one can possibly do in most instances would be to call this a creative amalgam of avant-garde trip-hop, chillwave, and electronic ambient music.  Even that does not begin to describe what graces listeners' ears with this album.

"Elle M'aime" is a diverse listen that covers plenty of space and many different styles of music, but is mostly rooted in electronica.  The 13 track invoke numerous emotions, from lighthearted electro-pop, to dreary, down tempo chillwave that carries a certain vibe of trip-hop.  This is something you must hear to get a proper feel for what the music is like, and it takes several tracks to understand at that.

Each track is sparsely populated with trip-hop beats set across a canvas of emotional and atmospheric experimental ambiance.  JMSL's vocals are an electronically distorted array of interesting pop singing, carefully modified with exceptional digital effects that are at the same time out-of-this world and strikingly down to earth.  Though it is mostly impossible to understand the lyrics, the style of singing and vocal effects manage to convey the emotion behind the words succinctly. 

As I mentioned before, this was an unexpected discovery in a genre I rarely stray into.  It was also rewarding, keeping me interested throughout.  You really have to hear this record.  "Elle M'aime" is on offer as a name-your-price download from the JMSL bandcamp page, which also supplies us with the complete album stream.  Be sure to listen to a few tracks.  If you should feel inclined, please donate a few bucks to her cause, as she is a promising young artist who will hopefully offer many future releases to enjoy.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

A boatload of new music, some free

Once in a while, we miss some interesting new music, letting it just pass us by, so occasionally we have to make some time to catch up on stuff we missed.  Today we have a lot of stuff like this to share with you. 

First, Above the Earth has a new self-titled EP out.  The cover art is at first enticing, then not all that interesting, then just plain bad.  Thankfully, this doesn't speak to the quality of the music.  Above the Earth is a difficult band to describe, as they blend elements of shoegaze, instrumental, progressive rock, and post-rock into an interesting fusion of excellent sounds.  This band features a guitarist from the Russian extreme metal band Kartikeya.  If you listen close enough, you can hear the tendencies of metal through spiralling guitar leads and solos that permeate several of the tracks.  This EP also features lovely female vocals.  Give the EP a listen below.


There is also a new track out from The Chromatics.  If you are not familiar with their work, you need to stop what you are doing right now and check them out.  One of their songs was used on the great ambient soundtrack to Drive.  This is dream-pop meets electronica that emits plenty of good vibes and singable melodies.  The new track is a cover of a Joy Division track.  You can listen to this track below.  Hit the link to the soundcloud page to download this track for free!


Third, a band called Magnets have released a new EP.  The band describes their music as heavy shoegaze, and this is a fitting title.  Classic shoegaze tendencies collide with heavy, crunchy, distorted riffs.  This is a different take on the shoegaze/metalgaze sub genre and it is plenty impressive.  The vocals are as vast as the oceans, leaving little to be desired.  Check out the stream from Magnets' bandcamp page below.


Last but not least, I have to give a mention to a new track from Gems.  Rarely do I describe pop music as great, but I was amazed by what I heard the first time I listened to this track.  Pop music is simply not my specialty, but I recognize good tunes when I hear them.  This track, entitled, All I Ever, is fantastic.  It is generally straight-up pop with some subtle dream-pop atmospherics thrown in, but with outstanding vocals.  The track is available for free download from Gems' soundcloud page, which you can link to from the player below.  Take a listen to this track and get it now!  Thanks for reading and enjoy!!

Pulsar Wind Nebula-Sewn Dystopias (2011)

It takes a special kind of musical taste to enjoy ambient music.  It is a style of music that is varied and often misunderstood.  Ambient music splits into two major sub genres called electronic and drone.  It can be a difficult genre to get into due to the almost exclusive down-tempo nature of the music. 

Without giving you the lecture on the ins and outs of ambient music (I am certainly no expert), let me briefly talk about the music of Pulsar Wind Nebula.  This artists has perhaps the coolest name in all of ambient electronica.  I'm a huge space nut, so I geek out when a band or artist chooses to name themselves after something spacey.  Now I need to go read up on exactly what a Pulsar Wind Nebula is. 

This artist does not stray much from what the name implies.  The music is slow, spaced-out and introspective.  It incorporates lush instrumentals along with beautiful melodies and atmospheres.  This album uses odd time signatures with some super funky electronic beats and samples to create an out-of-this-world aura.  The melodies are surprisingly simple and easy to indulge, bringing to mind some post-rock qualities.

Somewhere lost in the mix are sparse, low register spoken-word vocals and understated strings that at times remind one of film music.  Upon Listening to "Sewn Dystopias" for the first time, I was reminded of some of the spooky undertones present in Mist Glider's latest effort. 

This was an impressive listening experience, but I feel a word of warning has to accompany this review.  This, like most ambient music, can be physically tiring on the senses due to the relaxing calm the music induces.  It is also quiet, so it doesn't make good driving music.  I found it to be really good, but ease in and out of it and listen in moderation.  This album helps in that it is quite short for a down tempo album.  Information on this band's origins are sparse, but going off the artist's bandcamp page (which provides us with our stream below) you will see that this artists is from Izmir, Turkey.  This makes the first artists in my library from Turkey. 

Another good thing about this album: It is available as a name-your-price download from bandcamp.  Just enter any dollar amount (including 0 if you so choose) and you can download it instantly.  Pulsar Wind Nebula also has another album there entitled "2", which is also available via the 'name your price' option. 

I recommend June, Miss You, and Wind Chill Factor as standout tracks on this disc.  You can check out the entire album stream below.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

The Luna Sequence-This is Bloodlust review

It is no secret by now that we dig electronic music here at ThinkMuzik.  Many artists and bands shun electronica music for the fact that an artist doesn't need to know how to play an instrument to succeed at making electronic music.  This is sad because, especially in this computer era, electronic instruments and devices can be used to make extraordinary music.  The melodies produced this way simply cannot be matched by any live instrument.  In that regard, live instruments are no better than computers, and vice-versa. 

Citing major influences Celldweller and Blue Stahli, American artist The Luna Sequence produce electronic, synth-laden rock-based music that is nothing short of breathtaking.  The Luna Sequence uses live drums and the occasional computer-modified guitar chord, but offsets that with samples, melodic keyboard synths, and switchboard tinkering.  The sound achieved through this process is much like the aforementioned Blue Stahli, but lighter, more dynamic, and vocal-free.  The tempo of the music is sometimes strong like a rock anthem and sometimes slower, similar to electronic ambient music. 

I have raved about this band here before.  The Luna Sequence is, in my opinion, one of the best electronica artists around.  The production quality is astounding, as every note and every sample can be heard clearly.  This music is also varied in that a casual listener can listen to the disc back to front three times straight and not get bored with it. As a matter of fact, each time I listen to it, the sound impresses me more and more.  This is hard to do.

Even if you are not a true fan of electronica music, The Luna Sequence offers something many can enjoy.  Fans of modern rock, symphonic/synth rock, metal, and pop could conceivably become fans.  "This is Bloodlust" is that good an album.  Check out the full album stream via The Luna Sequence's bandcamp page below.  Thanks for listening and, as always, enjoy!

Hazy Mountains-Breeze review

Not all electronic music is created equally.  The first thing a casual listener should understand is that there are several different styles of electronica music, ranging from shoegaze to downtempo chillwave jazz, to house, dubstep, EDM, and so on.  These sub genre tags are somewhat *hazy at best, so it is important to listen to a producer or artist before buying so that you know what you are going to get.  That is one of the great things about blogs.

German producer Julian Prott, also known as Hazy Mountains, has just released a new full-length album entitled "Breeze".  This effort is a follow up to the EP "Lapiz Lazuli".  It is an excellent listen, showing massive improvement from the aforementioned EP.  This is not to say that "Lapiz Lazuli" was bad--in fact I found it impressive.  "Breeze" presents a fuller sound with harmonized samples and electronic noise against an ambient backdrop of atmospheric reverb. 

Distorted and sometimes layered female vocals find their way into the mix from time to time, yet are brief enough to allow the music itself to breathe.  "Breeze" also shows a strong progression toward a more chillwave-oriented sound with low-tuned grooves and consistent drum beats.  Behind the noise, beats and samples lies a well-rounded ambient disc that is packed with more atmosphere than many post rock artists dare to incorporate.  This sound is much more layered, deeper, and more interesting than "Lapiz Lazuli".

If you are in the market for ambient downtempo electronica, picking up this disc is essential.  This is an excellent listen worth of the five Euro download price (via bandcamp, which uses a PayPal setup).  The entire album is streamed below, courtesy of the Hazy Mountains bandcamp page.  Thank you for reading and enjoy!

Jimmy Eat World and Jem

My selections for today come from my favorite artists that start with the letter J.  Tho the list was pretty lengthy I decided on these two artists.  One because they make incredible music and two because they are not that well known.  Let's start today with Jimmy Eat World.

In 1993 the alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World broke out onto the music scene.  Since then they have released seven studio albums with songs that have appeared on movie soundtracks and video games.  The band found real stardom with their fourth album Bleed America.  The track The Middle became their best selling single and landed on the Billboard charts.  I along with many of you became a Jimmy Eat World fan when this album came out.  This album has more rock elements to it and the songs are fun and cacthy.  The first song that I wanted to play for you is off this album and is titled My Sundown.  This is a slower song but I really enjoy it.  I appreciate the simpleness of this song.  I like the snapping of the fingers and the subtle drumming.  I also like the female accompaniment in this song.  I think that the lyrics to this song are great and hope you will enjoy it.



The second track I selected from them comes from their fifth album Futures.  I decided on Pain.  I know that this song was really popular when it came out and that it's nothing you haven't heard before but it's a great upbeat song that has Jimmy Eat World written all over it.  This song is fast paced and entertaining.  The music video is pretty cool too.  I like the message of this song too.  I makes me remember that anything artificial that claims to cure emotional pain is just a farce and you have to get to the bottom of the issue to really feel better but sometimes its fun to escape it temporally.  enjoy Pain below.



The second artist I chose is Jem.  She started singing in 2002 and her music is constantly used in film and TV show soundtracks.  Jemma Griffiths is a Welsh singer-songwriter who performs trip hop and new wave music.  I first heard her from a commercial for the movie Ultra Violet.  They played the track 24 in the background and I was like what is this?  I really liked it and had to go out and get the Cd.  24 appears on the CD Finally Woken which was her first album released in 2004.  The first song that I have chosen to share for you is Falling For You off the same album.  I feel connected to this song.  The lyrics are amazing and relateable.  How many of us have gotten our hearts stomped on and are fearful of letting a new someone in.  She displays this emotion beautifully in this song.  Her vocals are amazing as is the music.  Please listen to it below.




The second song I have chosen is It's Amazing off the Down To Earth album.  This song was featured in the Sex In The City movie.  I love the piano intro to this song.  I think that it sets up a great surprise when the electronic instruments start.  The blending of the two make for an intriguing track that you have to listen to.  Again Jem's vocals are soulful and great.  I like the message of this song also.  All of need a little encouragement now and then.  I hope that you have enjoyed the tracks that I have chosen today and as always thanks for listening and enjoy-Kristy

FREE Music!!

Hello, friends!  Everyone loves free, well except for that cute baby in the Jimmy Fallon Capital One ads, but that's beside the point.  I'm always a fan of free music, even if I can't consider the music in question as great.  If I think it is good and not annoying and it's FREE, I've got nothing against downloading it. 

Therefore, I would like to take the time to personally thank the bands Cloud and Abigail for the free downloads of their new EPs, which have resulted in my iPod finally breaking the 4,000 song barrier.

I'd like to take a moment to talk about Cloud first.  Information on them seems to be insanely difficult to come by.  You try it.  Type the name of the artist into Google and I guarantee you won't come up with a single page relating to them.  Then how did I find out about them?  Months ago I listened to a track from their new EP on Sounds Better with Reverb.  This is some impressive keyboard-based electronic music, complete with melodic, synthetic piano sounds and atmospheric ambiance.  Cloud is a great electronica artist, and I will be looking forward to their next release.  Check out the EP "A Rush of Sun" below. Download this EP at Cloud's Bandcamp page.


Second, I happened across Abigail at No Clean Singing.  I don't read everything I see at NCS and I don't listen to everything I read, mostly because these days metal has to be something I really enjoy to purchase it.  Thankfully, I am a fan of FREE, so downloading Abigail's latest EP from 2011 was a pleasure.  No Clean Singing is a metal blog, and Abigail is a metal band.  They play loud and aggressive prog-styled metal with vicious growls and blistering howls.  Somewhere within the cacophony of sound are the roots of doom-oriented themes and melodies.  This band is similar to As Daylight Dies and Insomnia, yet heavier.  Abigail is from Romania.  They would certainly appreciate if you download their EP "It is the Night I Fear."  They are currently amping up to produce a full-length album, which I might pick up.  This music is not for the faint at heart, but it is FREE.  Download this EP at Abigail's Bandcamp page.  As always thanks for reading and enjoy!

A Mass of New Music

Good afternoon everyone!  Since we've fallen a little a lot behind on all the new music we like, we are going to take this opportunity to roll them into one huge post.  We are passing all of these along because we discovered them on the various blogs we follow.  We are also nice enough to cite our sources even though it is not a legal requirement.  Gotta give some love to those blogs. 

Here they are in no particular order:

Trapt-This California hard rock band's self-titled debut album was something else and turned into a huge hit.  We have just discovered through The NewReview that they have a new album on the way.  The following song is a typical Trapt rocker that includes their trademark harmonic vocals with occasional screams.


Caligula's Horse-We heard about this group through No Clean Singing. This band crafts amazing jazz-fusion guitar work and chugging metal riffs.  Similar in some ways to Animals as Leaders, they play an interesting brand of jazzy shredding laced with melodic clean vocals.  Their latest album is available now.  Check it out below.


SPC ECO-This long-standing British shoegaze band have just released their spacy new album "Dark Notes"  The new song below features more of the same nu-gaze reverb we loved from their previous work, but adds to it with a more impressive array of mostly electronic sounds. From what we've heard so far it is even better than "3-D" was.  We learned of this new track through Sounds Better with Reverb. The new track is below.



Teen Daze-Dream pop rarely comes to life like it does with Teen Daze's latest effort, which we also heard through Sounds Better with Reverb.  As advertised, this song begins with spacy echoes amidst comfortable and recognizable electronic pop beats.  This band is one of the best dream pop artists around and it is easy to see why.  Listen to their newest track from their upcoming album "The Inner Mansions" below.


Causemos-We discovered this Finnish band's new EP from No Clean Singing.  This is a spaced-out progressive extreme metal band that we find to be quite talented.  Here, ambient atmospherics combine with subtle keyboard-fueled symphonic sections and chunky metal riffs.  The vocals vary from hardcore yelling to gutteral roars to soaring clean vocals all in the same song.  This happens to be a 'name your price' download from Bandcamp, so if you like what you hear, you have nothing to lose. Listen below.

Qurious-This artist, which we heard about from Sounds Better with Reverb, is an electronica outfit from Atlanta, Georgia.  Sometimes electronic music can get stale and repetetive if artists don't put enough effort into creating new and unusual sounds.  We like what we hear from them so far and will be eagerly awaiting the new album, "Void Vanishing" on November 20.  Listen to a selection from that album below.


As always, thanks for reading!

My top Electronica artists

Hello everyone!  I'm flying solo today, mostly because Kristy isn't a fan of this type of music and doesn't know of enough artists to have any opinion one way or another.

The first thing you may imagine when you think about electronic music is cheesy, synthesized dance beats over a tapestry of record scratching and noodling 'bleep' sounds.  But these days, there is so much more you can do with electronic music.  Electronica music can be moody, disjointed, dissonant, ambient, and soulful just in the matter of how samples are mixed.  Some DJ's or artsists can do the job better than others.  If you haven't explored the realm of electronic music, there is a lot of great music you have been missing.  I love exploring new music and have only really 'discovered' electronica in the last year, so naturally, there is a lot I am missing.  My top three artists are as follows.

3. The Luna Sequence.  Similar in style to Celldweller or Blue Stahli, The Luna Sequence (aka Kaia Young) produce a rock-fused blast of hypnotic, dancy music that is really fun to listen to.  As with most electronic music, you have to go into it with an open mind or you will find yourself judging it before the sound registers in your brain.  Rock beats merge with higly distorted guitar sounds, loops, and samples to create a dazzling effect.  Listen to Sanctuary in Dying light from "This is Bloodlust" below.


2. Trentemøller.  Anders Trentemoller is a Danish producer and electronic musician who has been on the scene since 2006 with his album "The Last Resort."  This album is a fresh take on electronic music with twists of atmospheric ambiance bleeding through the rich texture of the music on most of the tracks.  Especially for a debut album, Trentemoller puts out an impressive array of sound that you really must hear to believe.  The track I have chosen is Always Something Better from "The Last Resort."


1. Ulrich Schnauss.  Over the years, German producer Schnauss has performed under various pseudonyms such as View to the Future and Ethereal 77 to name two.  He produces a musical downbeat variety similar to chillwave music on most of his projects.  In the music you hear lots of looping reverb with samples that sound much like acoustic guitar.  He has two albums under his real name, one with Jonas Munk and the other with Mark Peters.  Both are interesting listens, but the music on "Underrated Silence" is stunning.  Take a listen to Gift Horse's Mouth from "Underrated Silence" and see for yourself.
Thank you for reading and enjoy!