I made a few slideshows for Cause of death: woman containing Linda Forsells great images. James Fahy aka ambienteer were kind enough to let me use his music for the project. I´ve been a fan of his ambient music for a long time and it´s been great to use his music here. Check out more of his music at his bandcamp site.

About the project

Cause Of Death: Woman – USA from SKR on Vimeo.

and there it was
the glass wall like a mirror to my life
sometimes broken, sometimes painted
layers on top of layers
covering and uncovering
what I felt standing
in a silent place on my mind

The ep marks a new turn on my work, focusing on delivering a coherent set of music, based almost exclusively on analog sources in my studio manipulated afterwards with a Kaoss Pad and granular synthesis effects (a piano, sruti box, marimba, and several objects) This set has been matured since 2009, and it had several different versions, from a voice over highly experimental album into a minimal live set.

The source of inspiration is a text I wrote called Subterranean Speechless where the main theme is the troubles we have in expressing ourselves with others.
Leonardo Rosado

It started out with a poem and has been evolving since 2009. The final result is called Studies on Solitude. It´s a beautiful ambient based ep. Released in June on Twisted Tree Lines. This is music to listen to with headphones. It´s meditative and beautiful. I´ve been following Leonardo Rosados work for a while and it´s nice to see progress in an artists body of work. This is an album to listen to while working, while meditating and/or to listen to fully concentrated.

Leonardo Rosado – a short bio
Leonardo Rosado’s main musical focus explores the collision between sound, poetry and everyday life by using automatic expressions what he likes to call – wordsoundscapes. The construction of his music pieces expose daily life happenings that are individual and at the same time universal: it has a strong sense of suggesting a pause to think about our actions and our surroundings. Words and sounds have different meanings, depending on the listener, but only if s/he takes some time to delve into the complexity of his or her own stimuli.

Leonardo Rosado
Experimental artist (photo, poetry and music)
FeedbackLoop Label curator

Twitter: http://twitter.com/sbtrmnl
Blog: http://subterminal.tumblr.com
Music: http://works-by-lr.tumblr.com/

FeedbackLoop Label website: http://feedbacklooplabel.blogspot.com

Photo by: Sebastien Gesel

In an attempt to change things around here I decided to try and start writing about things that inspire me. Music has always been a big part of my life so it seemed like a good topic to start with.

One of the many cool aspects of being on twitter is that you can meet and collaborate with people who share your interests. Fernando Mateus is a graphic designer from Lisbon, Portugal. He asked me if he could use one of my images for dustmotes (Paul Crokers’) upcoming album equilibria. I was delighted. I like both Fernando and Pauls work so of course I said Yes!

Here´s the final version. The album is out. It´s released on dusted wax under creative commons so just grab it! Equilibria is a lot of things,it´s full of beats and glitches, vinyl sounds, electronic, ambient and yet groovy.

I just finished a cool assignment! The cover art for asleep, bubbles latest album. Normally he does fatbass music with a heavu groove. this time he has changed gear and made an ambient album.

A departure from the last couple of albums, bubbles comes at us with a finely crafted ambient album. “Asleep” is a collection of songs with vast depth and plenty of space. Indulge in the music by listening on head phones. An album that grows on you like a dream.

It´s a fine crafted album. I think you should head over to his site and get a copy and even though it´s up for free you should consider contributing a few dollars. Making music is a costly process!

I got to do basically what I wanted with the art work and for some reason I got to think about the brain. Maybe because it is a big part of the sleep process perhaps? ;)
Anyway I started to play around with X-ray scans of a brain and ended up here. It was a fun process to be involved with! I´d do it again!

In no particular order

Brian Eno – Small Craft On A Milk Sea

Much talk and anticipation over Enos latest album before it came out. It´s well crafted and has some great songs but perhaps it doesn´t reach the levels of Plateaux of mirrors, Apollo or Thursday Afternoon. Doesn´t matter. Eno is a master.

Massive Attack – Heligoland

Massive Attack is the type of band that´s always there. Perhaps not always played but always coming back to. I can listen to Paradise Circus over and over. I love how Hope Sandoval sounds sedated and french and yet distinctively Hope Sandoval. Magic!

David Sylvian – Sleepwalkers

Mr Sylvian is another artist that has reemerged in my playlists this year. We go way back together. I was a huge fan of Japan, a fan with pimples and bangs too long for anyones own good. Sleepwalkers is a compilation from the 00s. A fairly wide range of styles held together by his voice. Highlights: Ballad of a Deadman, World Citizen, Playground Martyrs and Pure Genius

Stretta – A funneled stone

Well produced pop! ”A Funneled Stone’ is a pure modular synth release, tracked in the old-shool, 1970′s way: one monophonic line at a time. Every sound you hear was created, patched and recorded for that moment in time. When a new sound is needed, the patch is torn down and a new one is built. Polyphony is achieved by tracking each voice individually.”

LCD Soundsystem – This is happening

James Murphy sings I can change. Please don´t. We want to continue the party

Somió – Organised Sound

Kieron James as Somió created Organised sound. Came out late this year but made it right into the favorites list. Inspired by Edgard Varèse and Northern Spain among other things. Under the wings of “Father of electronic music” (Varèse) this is a world of beautiful sounds and beats. A bit meditative. Kind of like smart party music and headphone music at the same time.

How To Destroy Angels – How To Destroy Angels

Trent Reznor after Nine Inch Nails collaborating with his wife Mariqueen Maandig. This is an ep that was supposed to be followed up with an album last summer. Suppose it´s delayed for some reason or other. Ep is fantastic!

Jimi Hendrix – Valleys of Neptune

His debut single came out december 1966, less than four years later he was dead. An album with archive material 40 years later. Can it be any good? YES! Creams Sunshine Of Your Love. Tempo raising, speeding away from Mr. Clapton. A good version of Stone Free. I´m glad this came out.

Four Tet – There Is Love In You

More goodness from Kieran Hebden

Thomas L Raukamp – Ologie Project

This year has also been a year of netaudio and netlabels for me. So much good music to be found through Twitter and on the net. Clear Notice being one of the favorite labels. The host of Somió, Stretta and Thomas L Raukamp to name a few. TLR does it all. He´s a journalist, music writer and writes music.  “Ologie is a journey into sound and an exploration of the possibilities of today’s music technology”

Mr Bitterness and The Guilty Pleasure – Epic Flail

Pop, Rock, label it any way you want. This is plain great!

Röyksopp – Senior

This album makes me happy.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Arcade Fire is a band you´re supposed to like. I didn´t really get them until The Suburbs. It´s kind of gentle, fragile and a bit angsty. Like great pop music often is. Win Butler describes the overall sound of The Suburbs as “a mix of Depeche Mode and Neil Young,” stating that he wanted the album to sound like “the bands that I heard when I was very young, and wondered what those crazy noises were.” That sums it up :)

Neil Young – Le Noise

Maybe Neil Young is for a more mature audience? I thought he was just whiny and sounded the same. Then when I reached 30 someone played After The Goldrush and I was hooked. Le Noise is his 34 album! Daniel Lanois adds distortion and loops and it just fits.

Midlake – The Courage Of Others

I played Roscoe endlessly, like everyone else did and all of a sudden I could´t listen to it anymore. Then The Courage of others came and they seem to be an entirely different band. Proving a thesis that growing up isn´t so bad. All those traditions and references yet managed to create something new.

Balmorhea – Constellations

This is so well crafted. Down to the last note. And it grows on you for every listen. Just like a good album should do. I loved All is Wild, All is silent and I love this album too.

Autechre – Oversteps

It´s like a soundtrack to something indescribable. Sets you in semi trance. It can be ignored or dived into head first. The music is somewhat stupid and absolutely fantastic.

Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky

Even when Swans were the angriest, loudest, foulest and coolest they were always melancholic at the same time. maybe because of Giras voice. Now that he´s aged the melancholic side seems deeper. It´s remarkably angry, loud and foul too. It´s in your face and can´t be played at all times. But when it can be played!

Lots of electronic stuff this year! I´ve been listening to a lot of pop, rock and distortion too but not really anything that came out this year.

One of my biggest interests is music. I usually play music while I work, I sometimes DJ at venues and parties and I´m always on the look out for a new artist or new albums. The good thing about music is that there´s always more to find. At times I feel I have everything good that´s been made and that I should settle with it but always end up finding something new and worthwhile.

First off. On a technical note. Being on a Mac there is a slight problem of handling FLAC files. Being a snob I try to keep everything in LossLess because I like audio at its best. MP3s in 320 is good too. Sometimes, rarely but still, there are albums only available in FLAC and crappier MP3 encoding. Problem solved, I found XLD whcih does the work of converting files to LossLess and many more formats nicely, keep your tags and all. At the moment my only complain is that perhaps they should choose a better App icon.

Recent musical finds

Ambienteer – James makes ambient music. He has a knack for beautiful sounds. Blending influences of all sorts into a world of his own. Ambienteers music is a great companion for all times. As a backdrop while working, listening intently to with headphones. The perfect music for dinner. When having trouble winding down. I really like how there is an intellectual aspect to his music and yet it is all about moods and senses. James is and has been on heavy rotation around here.

Bubbles – His music puts you in a good mood. It´s story telling with a G R O O V E. Anything with Zombies and bass fits in my book. #speech and Commuter are two great albums too.

“My new album “Split Infinitive” is the best album ever. It has zombies, the apocalypse, crazy robot voices and heavy thick bass. The drums are of death and will rock you.” Bubbles pins it there.

Auditorycanvas – Easiest way is to quote Andrew Lockwood. He sums it up:

“Fabric Of Life certainly has a cohesion. The cinematic soundscapes, epic panoramas and majestic audio horizons are conjured up beautifully. The texture and treatment to each piece has angular and harmonious presence in equal degrees. The sometimes off beat and awkward instrumentation only heightens the intensity of the music for the listener. Although most tracks have a certain soundtrack feel to them they are easily justifiable on their own merit. David’s previous work as score writer on theatre productions has only served to hone his skill at creating atmosphere through a musical manifestation.” Andrew Lockwood Contactmusic

Kieron James - The fine dining of Electronica. Kieron gives out tracks and remixes that makes me eagerly await his forthcoming album Four. Try his remix of Last Brief Seconds to see what I mean.

Zoë Keating – is a cellist and composer, Canadian born and classical trained. For some reason I imagine large parts of Canada be just like her music sounds. Her latest album Into the Trees is magical.

Stellarium - Growing up with Cure, Siouxsie, My Bloody Valentine and the world of shoe gazers and general noise makers it´s nice to hear a band flirting with tradition. Their album “Self titled” is dirty, distorted and filled with great melodies. Just like we like em.

Mr Bitterness –   From Long Beach California mixes American smartness with a flair of british popness. Listen to Epic Flail to see what I mean. On soundcloud.

Last but not least. Benjamin Strehm. Don´t know that much about him and his music but Ive become fond of his album “The other horizon for the others” Minimal, Techno, Tech-House. Splendid!

That´s it for now. That was some music that has been inspiring to me. Hopefully there´s something in it for you!

I hear your voice
Way down inside
A whispering sea
Of towering trees
But no reply

David Sylvian – Before the bullfight

My Bloody Valentine

Antony & The Johnsons with Göteborg Filharmoniker

Robyn

Wilco

Beirut

Got home last night from a great weekend with Bodil. So much great music in 2 days! More pictures to come when they are sorted through. Robyn was fantasic. Jenny Wilson did a great show. My Bloody Valentine was great and like My Bloody Valentine. Amadou & Mariam made us dance. Antony & The Johnsons with Göteborgs Symfoniorkester was good but would´ve been better in a more closed set. I really liked Wilco and Band of horses. Phew!