Unrelated to epic instrumental music, but here is a gif that previously did not exist, and now does thanks to the host of NLP.

Nowlikephotographs episode 398: last week of the port-royal tour

Episode 396

Nowlikephotographs episode 396: featuring new music from Bouquiniste, Hammock, Collapse Under the Empire, Falcon Arrow, Caspian, The American Dollar, and Eus.

This week’s Photographic checks out 5 tracks from artists playing with port-royal on their Fall 2012 North American tour – sponsored by n5MD and Nowlikephotographs!

Record of the Week: Sophie Hutchings – Night Sky

Episode 397

Nowlikephotographs episode 397: this week it’s 4 30-minute tracks, from Dirty Knobs, Current 93, Equus, and Jakob. Longer tracks can often be overlooked, but it’s important from time to time to sit down, tune in for (at least!) half an hour, and get immersed in the music.

New music this week comes from Duluth, Minnesota-based Zac Bentz, also known as Dirty Knobs. He released a 4+ hour album of cinematic, deep drone music earlier in 2012.

Episode 394: From Minneapolis to Boston

Nowlikephotographs episode 394: From Minneapolis to Boston follows our recent relocation from the state of Minnesota, to the capitol of Massachusetts.

We take a listen to instrumental tracks from our old home of the Twin Cities of Minnesota, cities passed through on the way to Boston like Chicago and Pittsburgh, and finally a whole hour of Boston & greater-Massachusetts epic instrumental music.

Episode 395

Episode 393

Nowlikephotographs episode 393: featuring new music from Sontag Shogun, Tineidae, r.roo, and Frames.

This week’s Photographic is a half-hour set of dark ambient, electronic, and IDM, heavily featuring artists from the Tympanik Audio label.

Record of the Week: Frames – In Via

Episode 411: kid enkidu

“kid enkidu” is the January show at In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre in Minneapolis, and is being scored in a live & improvised fashion by local Minneapolis artists Dosh and Tom Woodling. The show combines music with live drawn computer animation and large scale shadow puppetry loosely based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, and premieres on Thursday, January 24th at 8pm.

We take a listen to snippets of Dosh’s improvised score for “kid enkidu,” as well as new music from Cass., Brokeback, Pleq and Hakobune, and Mountains.

Record of the Week: Sunlight Ascending – Leaving My Waiting Room

Links:

www.doshfamily.com
www.hobt.org
http://bit.ly/146PpVS http://bit.ly/146PnNQ
http://bit.ly/146PpVV http://bit.ly/146PpVW

Episode 410: Am I Happy? Or Am I Sad?

This week’s program title is taken from a track by Elohymn, a post-rock band from England; the program features a mix of darker experimental drone and electronic music, and a spot of uplifting post-rock.

New music featured: Elohymn, Gate, Michel Banabila & Machinefabriek, How Comes the Constellations Shine, Arafúra, Stafraenn Hakon, and Lights & Motion.

Record of the Week: SaffronKeira – Tourette

Top Instrumental Records of 2012: Post-Rock

1. Dumbsaint - Something That You feel Will Find Its Own Form (Birds Robe)
   Something That You Feel Will Find Its Own Form is not a typical post-rock record of the year, and it’s a real banger. Coming a bit from the left-field of heavier “post-metalish” music, and packaged as a concept record to which each of its tracks is paired an original video for live performances, the debut release from Australian instrumental trio Dumbsaint absolutely wowed us around mid-2012 with its stunning maturity. Debut single “Don’t Forget to Bring Down the Sky” perfectly captured the record in its entirety – searingly intense at times, contemplative, and tied together with a keen sense of sparsity. Definitely one of the finest harder instrumental releases in recent years. Originally featured in program # 376 here, and full review from The AU Review here.
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2. Balmorhea - Stranger (Western Vinyl)
   We’re no stranger (pardon…) to Austin, TX based Balmorhea here at NLP, having played them since their selt-titled debut was released in 2007. Where 2010′s Constellations might have felt a little subdued and somber at times, Stranger lengthens the compositions (and is a considerably longer record, too) & exudes a more playful and optimistic atmosphere. Stranger is a gorgeous, genre-spanning record, one that barely fits into the post-rock category, but its compositional variety is a primary strength. Read a full review here courtesy of Earmilk.
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3. The Calm Blue Sea – Arrivals & Departures (Modern Outsider)
   Another Austin, TX instrumental band (it’s a hotbed for this kind of thing) made its way to the NLP 2012 lists. A band we had in-studio following the release of their score for the Fritz Lang film Siegfried, and whose track “We Happy Few” maintains its status as one of the best post-rock tracks of the last decade - The Calm Blue Sea have crafted another post-rock record steeped in instrumental lyricism and melody, and even got attention on the often-indie-focused NPR Music. Check out a review from ovlrd here, and the episode with Arrivals and Departures as the record of the week.
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4. pg.lost – Key (Black Star Foundation)
   If you need a soaring, intense post-rock experience from outside the US, you might turn to the Swiss Evpatoria Report, Japan’s Mono, or Denmark’s The Seven Mile Journey – NLP also recommends trying the most recent offering (and the entire back-catalog for that matter) of Sweden’s pg.lost. Key follows 2009′s In Never Out, which was comparatively subdued when stacked against their 2008 behemoth It’s Not Me, It’s You! Featuring a little less bombast and a little more of the finer details, Key shows the band evolving. Review from The Alternative Review here, and NLP episode 386 here.
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5. If These Trees Could Talk – Red Forest (Science of Silence)
   Hailing from Akron, Ohio, If These Trees Could Talk bring a harder, more punch-happy edge to post-rock music that has been very refreshing since the debut of “Malabar Front” from 2006′s self-titled release. Red Forest more fully fleshes out some of the moods and ideas present from 2009′s Above the Earth, Below the Sky, with the ever-present brooding (and loud) dynamics the band employs. A “feel-good” crushing post-rock release, if that’s your sort of thing. Full review from The New Review here, and NLP episoide 373 here.
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6. Leech - If we get there one day, would you please open the gates? (Self-Released)
   Leech is a Swiss band with a long history. Initially formed in 1995, put on hiatus in 2000, and reformed in 2006, they have consistently focused on instrumental experimental & progressive music. They released a split record with Germany’s Long Distance Calling in 2008, before preparing to write a monstrous progressive post-rock release for 2012. If we get there one day, would you please open the gates? runs over 76 minutes across 10 tracks, and just plain sounds good. It’s polished, well-produced, lyrical progressive post-rock at some of 2012′s best. Earning a 4.5 on Sputnik Music, we originally featured the record in episode 373.
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7. Mono - For My Parents (Temporary Residence)
   Perennial international favorites Mono return once again for another outing into orchestral, bombastic post-rock – or so we expected. With every record, the Japanese quartet dial up the orchestral mojo and down the post-rock, sounding more compositionally mature. Perhaps at some point the band will score a film. For My Parentsthrows no unexpected loops or surprises, but is comfortably a very listenable record, one that tells a story of a child’s love for its parents. Review courtesy of Consequence of Sound, and NLP episode 404.

Top Instrumental Records of 2012: Ambient

1. Hammock - Departure Songs (Hammock Music)
   It’s no secret that we have a lot of love for the Tennessee duo Hammock here at NLP. They’ve consistently been one of our favorite artists across the years, from the earlier releases around Kenotic, through the improvised ambience of Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow, to 2012′s monolith double-disc set Departure Songs. Focusing on themes of grief, death, and loss, the pair set out to craft an album broader, deeper, and more emotionally expansive – and intense – than their previous works. For all intents and purposes, Hammock have utterly succeeded, and they received critical acclaim for it (read a full review here, courtesy of Matt Gilley & Fluid Radio). Featured as Record of the Week for our 7-year retrospective program, episode 400.
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2. Richard Skelton – Verse of Birds (Corbel Stone)
   Richard Skelton is another name often seen here at NLP, frequenting the contemporary classical, drone, and ambient categories. His previous works, including the acclaimed Landings, set the standard for dark, brooding, slightly depressive drone-classical music. Verse of Birds, released on Corbel Stone following the archiving of his previous works on Sustain-Release, is a sprawling double-disc set of some of his best work to date. Featured in episode 389, you can find full reviews courtesy of A Closer Listen and Fluid Radio here & here.
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3. Brian Eno – Lux (Warp)
   There really isn’t much left to be said about the UK ambient and pop music giant Brian Eno. He returned to his ambient roots (think Music for Airports) in 2012 with a four-part excursion into the land of Eno we know and love. Glittering, shimmering minimal electronic & piano soundscapes dance around for the better part of an hour – it feels as though Eno never made any missteps between Airports and Lux, though they are separated by several decades. Even Pitchfork couldn’t downgrade the release below an 8.0, and Slate hopped in with a full feature article. Originally featured on NLP in episode 403.
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4. loscil - Sketches From New Brighton (Kranky)
   loscil is another perennially appearing artist here at NLP, consistently releasing some of the finest records in ambient dub and minimal ambient electronic music. Coming a bit full-circle in thematic elements from several records’ previous with First Narrows, Scott Morgan returns with an evocative electronic painting of the expansive and quiet Canadian landscape. Find a full review here courtesy of Headphone Commute, and the original NLP feature in episode 405 here.
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5. SaffronKeira - A New Life (Denovali)
   The music project of one Eugenio Caria, SaffronKeira resides firmly in the darker corner of electronic music on the Denovali imprint out of Germany. A stunningly mature and expansive debut, A New Life is the third double disc set that made the cut for 2012′s best ambient releases. Its music evokes imagery of desolation & empty hospital corridors and beds at night. A full review courtesy of Headphone Commute can be found here, and the original episode 391 here.
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6. From the Mouth of the Sun – Woven Tide (Experimedia)
   From the Mouth of the Sun is a collaborative effort from Aaron Martin and Dag Rosenqvist of Jasper TX. Planted firmly in the ambient drone and modern classical realms, Woven Tide elicited a wide range of emotions upon each independent listen. A quick NLP review & the original episode 369 are here, and a full review from Headphone Commute can be found here.
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7. bvdub - Serenity (Darla)
   Brock Van Wey produces an incredible amount of material, and unlike so many artists who attempt to produce multiple albums per year for consecutive years, bvdub maintains exceptional quality of composition and production. Serenity is not his most recent work – that would be All Is Forgiven on n5MD - but it’s what made the NLP end-of-year lists for 2012. Deep electronic with swirls of ambient dub and beat-driven soundscapes, Serenity pulses along for over an hour. Not one to miss – find a full review with snippets here.
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8. North Atlantic Drift – Canvas (Self-Released)
   Rounding out the best of ambient releases in 2012 is North Atlantic Drift with the Canadian duo’s debut release. Sounds ranging from post-rock to dark ambient to experimental electronica are all contained within the span of an hour. A brief NLP review & episode 371 are found here, and a full review from A Closer Listen is here.

Top Instrumental Records of 2012: Neo-Classical

1. Christoph Berg – Paraphrases (Fluid Audio)

   Christoph Berg is the German artist behind the neo-classical & ambient mashup moniker Field Rotation, and now has released a record more than worthy of mention under his own namesake. One of the year’s freshest releases in the category, it contains both familiar and unfamiliar territory musically. Very much in the feel of  Featured as Record of the Week in episode 407 here, and an in-depth full review on Hear-Feel can be found here.

2. Sophie Hutchings – Night Sky (Preservation)

   Sophie wowed us in 2010 with Becalmed, a first glimpse into her compositional world of delicate piano & string structures, tinged with minimal electronics and sampling. Night Sky is a more mature, fleshed-out neo-classical effort with more expansive ideas; it garnered excellent reviews, including this one by our own James Catchpole for Fluid Radio here. Featured as Record of the Week in episode 396 here.

3. Bersarin Quartett – II (Denovali)

   II, the latest effort from Münster, Germany-based artist Thomas Bücker, is far and away ome of 2012′s best genre-hybrid albums. Predominantly an ambient electronic record, it’s sitting here among the purer neo-classical releases due to its extensive use of strings and its reserved, “chamber” feel. This record was featured during our Earth Day 2012 special, episode 378. The fantastic Headphone Commute has a full review here.

4. Greg Haines – Digressions (Preservation)

   The Preservation label has a habit of releasing records in the loosely-defined ambient/neo-classical/electronic realm that 1) defy classification, and 2) are often really, really good. Not quite as sad a record as Berg’s Paraphrases, but lacking some of the youthful hope exuded by Hutchings’ Night Sky, Haines weaves piano & string-centric swirls, mostly across the better part of 10 or more minutes per track. But for a record with as lengthy compositions as these, it’s remarkably listenable. A full review at A Closer Listen can be found here, and episode 395 where Digressions is featured is here.

5. Anoice - The Black Rain (Ricco Label)

   One of 2012′s best international releases, Anoice hails from Japan & the Ricco Label collective, amongst music friends of Yuki Murata, Takahiro Kido, RiLF, and others. Owing no small debt to Murata’s solid classical piano skills (which were on display during a netcast concert in December, videos here), the record is firmly anchored in sweet neo-classical and chamber territory, but does break out into a post-rock finale in its conclusion. Introspective, sorrowful, and speckled with hope, The Black Rain continues the legacy of excellent music from these Japan-based artists. Full review courtesy of Richard Allen and A Closer Listen here. Episode 375 is here.

Episode 409: stars decorate the fire

This week’s program (title taken from the 2008 Lakes of Russia record) features a host of new music, including the first new records for 2013. New this week: SaffronKeira, krill.minima, Thalamos, Pleq & Phillippe Lamy, A Sudden Burst of Colour, and the latest from Sunlight Ascending.

Record of the Week: Ethernet – Opus 2

Episode 408: top instrumental records of 2012

It’s year-end rundown time here at NLP. In the past we’ve compiled a single list of the best 20 records of the year, but as the world of instrumental music is vast and spans an incredible web of moods, colors, and genres, this year we’re breaking it down into three broad categories. Neo-classical, ambient, and post-rock.

Summary lists for each of the categories will soon be available here, here, and here.

Episode 407: poems written by an old (prepared) piano

This week’s episode name is taken from a track off Christoph Berg’s latest release, “Paraphrases,” this week’s Record of the Week.

A bunch of new music featured this week, including Horses Die Standing, Ambidextrous, Ana Never, Amp Rive, Late Night Venture, Neko Nine, and Solar Fields. This is the last new music program of 2012 before we do our annual countdown of the year’s top records.

Record of the Week: Christoph Berg – Paraphrases