The Top 5 Ambient Albums of 2013

Good evening, readers!  Another year has come and gone.  Per tradition, we like to break down what we feel are the top album releases of the year. 

In December of 2012 we published a list of the top 12 overall albums.  There were some great albums that year, and limiting the list to only 12 releases proved to be difficult.  The year 2013 has been even busier.  So many new albums and EPs were released this year that we decided to make a simple top 5 for each genre we cover.

I have been increasingly enthralled with ambient music, and 2013 has given us at least a dozen masterful releases.  We have five spots and some honorable mention awards to hand out.

1. Olekksii-Iris
This Kiev, Ukraine composer put together a very impressive album early this year.  Iris presents to us a classy mixture of lovely, minimal synths and modern classical-styled compositions set against electronic elements to add further texture.  The result is a real treat.  Listen for yourself below.


2. A Veil of Water-Reminder
Norway may be home to numerous metal bands, but sometimes a more somber, beautiful type of music emerges from the chaos.  Reminder is a remarkable album that renders thoughtful, airy piano work into a breathtaking work of art.  Not many pianists can do what Rune Trelvik has done.  Trelvik is a self-taught musician of piano, drums, guitar, and bass.  This album is almost entirely piano melodies interspersed with some lightweight ambient guitar textures.  Listen to some of this incredible work below.


3. Endless Melancholy-Epilogue
We have raved about Endless Melancholy here before, and with the sheer number of quality releases Oleksiy Sakevych has put out this year alone, it should come as no surprise that his debut full-length album makes our list,  Like A Veil of Water, Endless Melancholy's works appear on the Hidden Vibes record label.  And, like said band, Endless Melancholy deliver sensational piano tunes interspersed with electronic ambient music.  Sakevych is also a self-taught pianist.  Listen to the title track from Epilogue here.


4. Olafur Arnalds-For Now I am Winter
Olafur Arnalds is an Icelandic composer we have talked about here before.  This year he released a spectacular album that is as much about varying styles as it is peaceful melodies.  Several tracks on this album feature vocals from a variety of artists.  This style of music is easy to enjoy.  You just sit back and lose yourself in the waves of layered sounds. A featured track is available here.


5. Gamardah Fungus-Night Walk With Me
This Ukrainian band's music is slow, meditative, and, at times, dark.  This may be as close to drone as I can realistically enjoy, but the band incorporates a plethora of other sounds from a variety of instruments, all juxtaposed against a backdrop of sweeping, atmospheric synths.  Night Walk With Me was largely inspired by a 1992 prequel to the movie Twin Peaks, starring David Bowie.  While no Bowie-esque music makes its way into this release, it has plenty of other things going on.  It is more than good enough for a top five ranking.  Check it out here.


One of the better aspects of these brilliant pieces of work is that most of them are available as name-your-price downloads from the respective bandcamp pages. 

If you liked what you heard above, check out these honorable mentions from 2013:
Berserker Children Club-Someday (EP)
Endless Melancholy-Five Songs, Autumn Outtakes, and November
Equal Stones-To Erase a Lifetime
Linear Bells-For Your Eyes Only
Myosotis-Too Little Too Late
Ulver-Messe I.X-VI.X

As always, thanks for reading and enjoy these wonderful tunes!

David Bowie-The Next Day review

I admit I am jumping on this one a little late, but I just heard about it.  After a 10-year wait, David Bowie has finally released a brand new album.

I enjoyed "Heathen" a ton, and even though this style of music isn't at the top of my list, I listen to it fairly often.  What impressed me with "Heathen" was how dynamic Bowie sounded.  Having to wait ten years between albums from your favorite artists can feel like torture, but the excitement when the new album does come is genuine.

Whereas "Heathen" offered a more alternative mainstream style of pop sound, "The Next Day" should turn out to be an instant classic in the genre of rock.  As is usual with Bowie, the music is filled with unusual twists and sounds that are both surprising and pleasing.  The new album is a real rocker, leaving nothing to be desired.  What makes Bowie so famous, of course, is his style of singing. 

Needless to say, I took time out to listen to the new Bowie album and it definitely lived up to its billing.  If you are a big Bowie fan, you probably already own this.  If not, you are perhaps wondering what all the fuss is about.  I mean, can't dinosaur rock finally go the way of the dinosaur? 

In a genre filled to the brim with classless rip-offs, and rock musicians simply interested in selling, Bowie is a breath of fresh air.  He has truly stood out as one of the best.  One thing that comes to mind while listening to this album is that it does not include any remixes or covers.  Each of the albums' 13 tracks are original David Bowie material.

"The Next Day" has a big, full sound with impressive range.  The instrumentation is nearly perfect this go-around and contains a steady diet of differing styles, from eerie, grandiose reverb to subtle plucked harmonies to full-on dark ambiance all while keeping its cool rocking.

This is a good album and will be a great addition to nearly any music collection.  Enjoy the full album stream, via YouTube below.  Enjoy!

Seven Remixes you gotta hear

If you are not familiar with the term 'remix' it is possible you have lived under a rock for the duration of the computer age (just kidding).  For those of you uninitiated, a remix is an original song that another artist rebuilds.  I prefer remixes to covers in most instances because I find that the process of remixing a song is much more creative than just performing a cover version.  Thankfully, there are a lot of great remix songs out there today.  Here are seven of them.

Omega Lithium-This Croatian alternative metal band writes synthy, dancy rock tunes with electronic sounds to add flair.  Perfect target to remix.
Dance With Me (Darkstep Remix):


Active Child-Active Child is an indie electronic musician who specializes in incorporating the harp into his music. 
Playing House (Chad Valley Remix):


Bush-Bush reeased a remix album in the late 90s called "Deconstructed."  Some of the tracks were throwaways, but some were excellent.  Among the better ones was this gem.
In a Lonely Place (Tricky mix)


David Bowie-Bowie dabbled in electronic and synth music himself for part of his career.  As part of the deluxe edition of his album "Heathen", there was a second disc with rarer recordings.  This track was on that second disc.
A Better Future (Remix by Air)


Deadlock-Deadlock is a German extreme metal band that incorporates lots of electronic and dance beats into the grinding metal.  Their latest album "Bizarro World" includes two remixes.  This is the better one.
State of Decay (S.U.N. Project remix)


Natalie Walker-She is an excellent electronic jazz/trip hop artists.  Her EP "Quicksand" contained the original single plus four alternate version remixes.
Quicksand (Bautista remix)
Quicksand (Bautista Remix)

Sybreed-This Swiss metal band is sometimes referred to as deathwave music, which intends to mix extreme metal with new wave music.  I really like this band.  Their EP "Challenger" includes the original version of the track and four different remixes.
Challenger (Voician remix)


Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Our top Pop artists

Today we are looking at our top Pop artists.  We believe that pop is a wide, sweeping genre of music that can include various styles.  It can also be vague as to what you might consider to be pop music.  I'm not a huge fan of pop music overall, but that doesn't mean there aren't occasional artists or tracks that I enjoy.  Here are my three favorites, whith an honorable mention shout out to the Lemonade Mouth sountrack.

3. Selena Gomez & The Scene.  Yes.  Odd choice.  I get that.  I will also admit that I was watching the Disney Channel when I discovered her.  What, a guy like me can't enjoy a little good-natured humor, even if it is aimed at teens?  This song I have chosen is incredibly catchy and includes a beautiful changeup two thirds of the way through the track.  This track is from "When the Sun Goes Down"


2. Airiel.  Just because an artist is considered pop music does not mean it has to be played on your favorite radio station seven times an hour.  Airiel put together an elctronic blast of reverb-laden dream pop that is both accessible and otherworldly.  That may seem like an odd adjective, but how else do I put it.  This artist loves looping keyboard and vocal lines.  They incorporate shoegaze elements to a good extent.  Check out Funerals from their EP "Kid Games" below.


1. David Bowie.  Bowie has embraced many styles throughout his long and storied career, meshing synth pop sensibilites with electronic experimentation and the occasional stint of glam rock, particularly early in his career.  The track I have chosen to share with you is from "Heathen".  It is an amazing piece.  Listen to Slow Burn below.


Kristy's list follows.

Today I get to write about a genre that I know a little more about.  As I was browsing the music on my I-pod I noticed that a fare share of them come from pop music.  I did have to laugh and some of the artists that I-tunes listed as pop, but I have chosen some of my favorites.  I am also excited because this is the genre where my ladies shine.  I'm not saying that men don't write great pop music I just think that the ladies are a little more popular and so without further ado here is my list.

3. Kelly Clarkson: Sober.  I've liked Kelly Clarkson ever since she won American Idol in 2002.  I think that she has a rich tone to her voice and she is one of a few artists who writes her own music.  I love this song.  Anyone who has ever dealt with an addiction can relate to this song.  When I first heard this song my addiction was for this guy that I had a crush on and I played this over and over again.  I just think that the melody is beautiful and the lyrics are so powerful.  This song is featured on her album My December.  I hope you like it.



2. Pink:Mean.  I love this song.  First of all I think that Pink's(Alecia Beth Moore) music is awesome.  She can be bad a$& if she wants to or she can write a song that can move you to cry your heart out.  Mean appears on the album FunHouse.  This song has powerful lyrics and beautiful vocals.  I think that this song is meaningful and so it appeals to many different people.  Enjoy. Oh I do need to warn you that this song has a few explicit lyrics.  There is a warning label on the cover of this cd.



1. Avril Lavigne:Hot.  Canadian singer Avril Lavigne broke out onto the music scene in 2002 with her single Complicated.  I have been a fan ever since.  Over the years her music has evolved and become more appealing to larger groups of fans and not just those interested in pop music.  I chose Hot because this song is fun. I love the beat of this song.  I think the lyrics are relateable and it's very catchy.  Plus towards the end of this song the music slow down and we get to hear how sweet Avril's voice actually is.  Check it out below. :)