Detektivbyrån - E18 Album (2008)

Genre : Experimental, Electrocoustic
Myspace
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Tracklist

1. E18
2. Hemvägen
3. Nattöppet
4. Monster
5. Dansbanan
6. Granmon
7. Vänerhavet
8. Lyckans Undulat
9. Hem Ljuva Hem
10. Home Sweet Home
11. Laka-Koffa

Detektivbyrån is a Swedish electronica and folk music trio from Gothenburg. The group consists of Anders Flanders (Accordion, Music Box); Jon Nils Emanuel Ekström (Drums, Sound Box, Small Bells); and Martin Molin (Glockenspiel, Traktofon, Toy Piano). In 2007 their song Nattöppet was featured in a Sprint Nextel television ad.

E18 Album is Japan Only released album, consisting songs on the Hemvägen EP, the Lyckans Undulat single, plus two extra tracks.

A very unique and beautifull album. Brilliant !

Peter Bjorn And John - Seaside Rock (2008)

Genre : Instrumental album by PBJ.
Myspace
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Tracklist

01 Inland Empire
02 Say Something (Mukiya)
03 Favour of the Season
04 Next Stop Bjursele
05 School of Kraut
06 Erik's Fishing Trip
07 Needles and Pills
08 Norrlands Riviera
09 Barcelona
10 At the Seaside

Seaside Rock, the album Peter, Bjorn and John have been hinting at since the spring, is finally ready to rock. A vinyl- and digital- only release, it will come out in the U.S. on Almost Gold/Star Time International on September 23. The U.S. edition is limited to 5000 LPs, each accompanied by a download code. (V2 will release the album in the trio's native Sweden, while Wichita will handle it in the UK.)

It turns out that Seaside Rock isn't a completely instrumental album after all. According to a press release written by PB&J themselves, "As homage to Peter Bjorn and John's respective hometowns they wanted to feature the voice and dialect from each of the three areas. So apart from the instrumental soundtrack to the lonely childhood of northern Scandinavia you can also hear three monologues about some sort of seaside. The stories are read by a real saxophone player from Norsjö, a grandfather from Vika and the hairdresser Siw from Piteå."

The album was recorded in spring 2007 at the same studio in Sweden where Abba recorded most of their material. Its sound was inspired by "the memory of the sound of the Swedish music school orchestras from hell," according to PB&J's press release. (Actually, this press release they wrote is pretty funny. So we've included most of it below the jump.)

After a spate of solo shows in support of this year's The Last Tycoon, Peter Morén will rejoin Bjorn Yttling and John Eriksson for a spate of full band dates in the early fall.




[me]PBJ release an instrumental album? That's sound interesting. Once again, Thx to my friend @ IP ;)

Asal-Usul Nama Indonesia

PADA zaman purba, kepulauan tanah air kita disebut dengan aneka nama. Dalam
catatan bangsa Tionghoa kawasan kepulauan kita dinamai *Nan-hai* (Kepulauan
Laut Selatan). Berbagai catatan kuno bangsa India menamai kepulauan ini *
Dwipantara* (Kepulauan Tanah Seberang), nama yang diturunkan dari kata
Sansekerta *dwipa* (pulau) dan *antara* (luar, seberang). Kisah Ramayana
karya pujangga Valmiki yang termasyhur itu menceritakan pencarian terhadap
Sinta, istri Rama yang diculik Ravana, sampai ke *Suwarnadwipa* (Pulau Emas,
yaitu Sumatra sekarang) yang terletak di Kepulauan Dwipantara.

Bangsa Arab menyebut tanah air kita *Jaza'ir al-Jawi* (Kepulauan Jawa). Nama
Latin untuk kemenyan adalah *benzoe*, berasal dari bahasa Arab *luban
jawi*(kemenyan Jawa), sebab para pedagang Arab memperoleh kemenyan
dari batang
pohon *Styrax sumatrana* yang dahulu hanya tumbuh di Sumatra. Sampai hari
ini jemaah haji kita masih sering dipanggil "Jawa" oleh orang Arab. Bahkan
orang Indonesia luar Jawa sekalipun. "Samathrah, Sholibis, Sundah, kulluh
Jawi (Sumatra, Sulawesi, Sunda, semuanya Jawa)" kata seorang pedagang di
Pasar Seng, Mekah.

Lalu tibalah zaman kedatangan orang Eropa ke Asia. Bangsa-bangsa Eropa yang
pertama kali datang itu beranggapan bahwa Asia hanya terdiri dari Arab,
Persia, India, dan Cina. Bagi mereka, daerah yang terbentang luas antara
Persia dan Cina semuanya adalah "Hindia". Semenanjung Asia Selatan mereka
sebut "Hindia Muka" dan daratan Asia Tenggara dinamai "Hindia Belakang".
Sedangkan tanah air kita memperoleh nama "Kepulauan Hindia" (*Indische
Archipel, Indian Archipelago, l'Archipel Indien*) atau "Hindia Timur" *(Oost
Indie, East Indies, Indes Orientales)*. Nama lain yang juga dipakai adalah
"Kepulauan Melayu" (*Maleische Archipel, Malay Archipelago, l'Archipel
Malais*).

Ketika tanah air kita terjajah oleh bangsa Belanda, nama resmi yang
digunakan adalah *Nederlandsch-Indie* (Hindia Belanda), sedangkan pemerintah
pendudukan Jepang 1942-1945 memakai istilah *To-Indo* (Hindia Timur). Eduard
Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), yang dikenal dengan nama samaran Multatuli,
pernah mengusulkan nama yang spesifik untuk menyebutkan kepulauan tanah air
kita, yaitu *Insulinde*, yang artinya juga "Kepulauan Hindia" (bahasa Latin
*insula* berarti pulau). Tetapi rupanya nama *Insulinde* ini kurang populer.
Bagi orang Bandung, *Insulinde* mungkin cuma dikenal sebagai nama toko buku
yang pernah ada di Jalan Otista.

Pada tahun 1920-an, Ernest Francois Eugene Douwes Dekker (1879-1950), yang
kita kenal sebagai Dr. Setiabudi (beliau adalah cucu dari adik Multatuli),
memopulerkan suatu nama untuk tanah air kita yang tidak mengandung unsur
kata "India". Nama itu tiada lain adalah Nusantara, suatu istilah yang telah
tenggelam berabad-abad lamanya. Setiabudi mengambil nama itu dari Pararaton,
naskah kuno zaman Majapahit yang ditemukan di Bali pada akhir abad ke-19
lalu diterjemahkan oleh J.L.A. Brandes dan diterbitkan oleh Nicholaas
Johannes Krom pada tahun 1920.

Namun perlu dicatat bahwa pengertian Nusantara yang diusulkan Setiabudi jauh
berbeda dengan pengertian, nusantara zaman Majapahit. Pada masa Majapahit
Nusantara digunakan untuk menyebutkan pulau-pulau di luar Jawa (antara dalam
bahasa Sansekerta artinya luar, seberang) sebagai lawan dari
*Jawadwipa*(Pulau Jawa). Kita tentu pernah mendengar Sumpah Palapa
dari Gajah Mada,
*"Lamun huwus kalah nusantara, isun amukti palapa" *(Jika telah kalah
pulau-pulau seberang, barulah saya menikmati istirahat). Oleh Dr. Setiabudi
kata nusantara zaman Majapahit yang berkonotasi jahiliyah itu diberi
pengertian yang nasionalistis. Dengan mengambil kata Melayu asli antara,
maka Nusantara kini memiliki arti yang baru yaitu "nusa di antara dua benua
dan dua samudra", sehingga Jawa pun termasuk dalam definisi nusantara yang
modern. Istilah nusantara dari Setiabudi ini dengan cepat menjadi populer
penggunaannya sebagai alternatif dari nama Hindia Belanda.

Sampai hari ini istilah nusantara tetap kita pakai untuk menyebutkan wilayah
tanah air kita dari Sabang sampai Merauke. Tetapi nama resmi bangsa dan
negara kita adalah Indonesia. Kini akan kita telusuri dari mana gerangan
nama yang sukar bagi lidah Melayu ini muncul.

Nama Indonesia

Pada tahun 1847 di Singapura terbit sebuah majalah ilmiah tahunan, *Journal
of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia* (JIAEA), yang dikelola oleh
James Richardson Logan (1819-1869), orang Skotlandia yang meraih sarjana
hukum dari Universitas Edinburgh. Kemudian pada tahun 1849 seorang ahli
etnologi bangsa Inggris, George Samuel Windsor Earl (1813-1865),
menggabungkan diri sebagai redaksi majalah JIAEA.

Dalam JIAEA Volume IV tahun 1850, halaman 66-74, Earl menulis artikel *On
the Leading Characteristics of the Papuan, Australian and Malay-Polynesian
Nations*. Dalam artikelnya itu Earl menegaskan bahwa sudah tiba saatnya bagi
penduduk Kepulauan Hindia atau Kepulauan Melayu untuk memiliki nama khas (*a
distinctive name*), sebab nama Hindia tidaklah tepat dan sering rancu dengan
penyebutan India yang lain. Earl mengajukan dua pilihan nama: *Indunesia*atau
*Malayunesia* (*nesos* dalam bahasa Yunani berarti pulau). Pada halaman 71
artikelnya itu tertulis: *... the inhabitants of the Indian Archipelago or
Malayan Archipelago would become respectively Indunesians or Malayunesians.*

Earl sendiri menyatakan memilih nama *Malayunesia* (Kepulauan Melayu)
daripada *Indunesia* (Kepulauan Hindia), sebab *Malayunesia* sangat tepat
untuk ras Melayu, sedangkan *Indunesia* bisa juga digunakan untuk Ceylon
(Srilanka) dan Maldives (Maladewa). Lagi pula, kata Earl, bukankah bahasa
Melayu dipakai di seluruh kepulauan ini? Dalam tulisannya itu Earl memang
menggunakan istilah *Malayunesia* dan tidak memakai istilah *Indunesia*.

Dalam JIAEA Volume IV itu juga, halaman 252-347, James Richardson Logan
menulis artikel *The Ethnology of the Indian Archipelago.* Pada awal
tulisannya, Logan pun menyatakan perlunya nama khas bagi kepulauan tanah air
kita, sebab istilah "Indian Archipelago" terlalu panjang dan membingungkan.
Logan memungut nama *Indunesia* yang dibuang Earl, dan huruf u digantinya
dengan huruf o agar ucapannya lebih baik. Maka lahirlah istilah Indonesia.

Untuk pertama kalinya kata Indonesia muncul di dunia dengan tercetak pada
halaman 254 dalam tulisan Logan: *Mr. Earl suggests the ethnographical term
Indunesian, but rejects it in favour of Malayunesian. I prefer the purely
geographical term Indonesia, which is merely a shorter synonym for the
Indian Islands or the Indian Archipelago.* Ketika mengusulkan nama
"Indonesia" agaknya Logan tidak menyadari bahwa di kemudian hari nama itu
akan menjadi nama bangsa dan negara yang jumlah penduduknya peringkat
keempat terbesar di muka bumi!

Sejak saat itu Logan secara konsisten menggunakan nama "Indonesia" dalam
tulisan-tulisan ilmiahnya, dan lambat laun pemakaian istilah ini menyebar di
kalangan para ilmuwan bidang etnologi dan geografi. Pada tahun 1884 guru
besar etnologi di Universitas Berlin yang bernama Adolf Bastian (1826-1905)
menerbitkan buku *Indonesien oder die Inseln des Malayischen
Archipel*sebanyak lima volume, yang memuat hasil penelitiannya ketika
mengembara ke
tanah air kita tahun 1864 sampai 1880. Buku Bastian inilah yang memopulerkan
istilah "Indonesia" di kalangan sarjana Belanda, sehingga sempat timbul
anggapan bahwa istilah "Indonesia" itu ciptaan Bastian. Pendapat yang tidak
benar itu, antara lain tercantum dalam *Encyclopedie van
Nederlandsch-Indie*tahun 1918. Padahal Bastian mengambil istilah
"Indonesia" itu dari
tulisan-tulisan Logan.

Putra ibu pertiwi yang mula-mula menggunakan istilah "Indonesia" adalah
Suwardi Suryaningrat (Ki Hajar Dewantara). Ketika di buang ke negeri Belanda
tahun 1913 beliau mendirikan sebuah biro pers dengan nama *Indonesische
Pers-bureau.*

Makna politis

Pada dasawarsa 1920-an, nama "Indonesia" yang merupakan istilah ilmiah dalam
etnologi dan geografi itu diambil alih oleh tokoh-tokoh pergerakan
kemerdekaan tanah air kita, sehingga nama "Indonesia" akhirnya memiliki
makna politis, yaitu identitas suatu bangsa yang memperjuangkan kemerdekaan!
Akibatnya pemerintah Belanda mulai curiga dan waspada terhadap pemakaian
kata ciptaan Logan itu.

Pada tahun 1922 atas inisiatif Mohammad Hatta, seorang mahasiswa *Handels
Hoogeschool* (Sekolah Tinggi Ekonomi) di Rotterdam, organisasi pelajar dan
mahasiswa Hindia di Negeri Belanda (yang terbentuk tahun 1908 dengan
nama *Indische
Vereeniging*) berubah nama menjadi *Indonesische Vereeniging* atau
Perhimpoenan Indonesia. Majalah mereka, Hindia Poetra, berganti nama menjadi
Indonesia Merdeka.

Bung Hatta menegaskan dalam tulisannya, "Negara Indonesia Merdeka yang akan
datang (*de toekomstige vrije Indonesische staat*) mustahil disebut "Hindia
Belanda". Juga tidak "Hindia" saja, sebab dapat menimbulkan kekeliruan
dengan India yang asli. Bagi kami nama Indonesia menyatakan suatu tujuan
politik (*een politiek doel*), karena melambangkan dan mencita-citakan suatu
tanah air di masa depan, dan untuk mewujudkannya tiap orang Indonesia (*
Indonesier*) akan berusaha dengan segala tenaga dan kemampuannya."

Sementara itu, di tanah air Dr. Sutomo mendirikan *Indonesische Studie
Club*pada tahun 1924. Tahun itu juga Perserikatan Komunis Hindia
berganti nama
menjadi Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI). Lalu pada tahun 1925 *Jong
Islamieten Bond* membentuk kepanduan *Nationaal Indonesische
Padvinderij*(Natipij). Itulah tiga organisasi di tanah air yang
mula-mula menggunakan
nama "Indonesia". Akhirnya nama "Indonesia" dinobatkan sebagai nama tanah
air, bangsa dan bahasa kita pada Kerapatan Pemoeda-Pemoedi Indonesia tanggal
28 Oktober 1928, yang kini kita sebut Sumpah Pemuda.

Pada bulan Agustus 1939 tiga orang anggota *Volksraad* (Dewan Rakyat; DPR
zaman Belanda), Muhammad Husni Thamrin, Wiwoho Purbohadidjojo, dan Sutardjo
Kartohadikusumo, mengajukan mosi kepada Pemerintah Belanda agar nama
"Indonesia" diresmikan sebagai pengganti nama "Nederlandsch-Indie". Tetapi
Belanda keras kepala sehingga mosi ini ditolak mentah-mentah.

Maka kehendak Allah pun berlaku. Dengan jatuhnya tanah air kita ke tangan
Jepang pada tanggal 8 Maret 1942, lenyaplah nama "Hindia Belanda" untuk
selama-lamanya.

MONO (Japan) Discography

Genre : Post-rock, Ambient, Experimental

Myspace























Gone - A Collection of EP's 2000-2007

Tracklist :

1. Finlandia
2. Black Woods
3. Yearning
4. Memorie Dal Futoro
5. Due Foglie, Una Candela: Il Soffio Del Vento
6. Since I've Been Waiting For You
7. Gone
8. Black Rain
9. Rainbow
10. Little Boy (1945 - Future)

Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (2004)

Tracklist :

1. 16.12
2. mere your pathetic light
3. halcyon (beautiful days)
4. 2 candles, 1 wish
5. ode
6. The sky remains the same as ever
7. lost snow
8. a thousand paper cranes

One Step More And You Die (2002)

Tracklist :

1. Where Am I
2. Com(?)
3. Sabbath
4. Mopish Morning, Halation Wiper
5. A Speeding Car
6. Loco Tracks
7. Halo
8. Giant Me On The Other Side

Under the Pipal Tree (2001)

Tracklist :

1. Karelia (opus 2)
2. The Kidnapper Bell
3. Jackie Says
4. Op Beach
5. Holy
6. Error #9
7. L'america
8. Human Highway


Clik HERE! for the rest of MONO's stuff :)


from Wiki

Mono were founded in January 2000 by guitarist Takaakira Goto. Working by himself, Goto completed most of Mono's demo tracks, partly influenced by guitarist Loren Connors. By late 1999 Goto began the search for band members; the first to join was fellow guitarist and long time friend Yoda. Soon afterwards the two guitarists linked up with bassist Tamaki and drummer Yasunori Takada. The group soon released a 4 track EP entitled Hey, You on the small independent label Forty-4.

Following Hey, You Mono put together its first full length album, Under the Pipal Tree in 2001 on Tzadik Records. Under the Pipal Tree, along with the EP, introduced Mono's style, which is focused on layered guitar melodies. All of Mono's songs are entirely instrumental, and Strings and pianos are also prominently featured in several songs. Under the Pipal Tree was met with somewhat mixed reviews and was referred to by Goto in a 2006 interview with Phil McMullen as a "very, very young album"[1]. Whilst recording the album, the September 11th attacks took place, which were to have a significant effect on Mono's later work.

In 2002, Mono finished their second album, One Step More and You Die. Many critics considered this as having a more distinctive sound than the preceding album. An abbreviated tour in parts of New York and Sweden took place after the album's release. The length of the tour and the behavior of some of the American crowds, who Goto said in the McMullan interview were "always talking a lot and drinking beers and making a lot of noise" left the band somewhat unsatisfied.

Soon afterward, Mono moved on to a new project in direct response to the aftermath of September 11th. This album was titled New York Soundtracks and was recorded in collaboration with several important members of the New York experimental scene, such as DJ Olive, Jackie-O Motherfucker, and Loren Connors. New York Soundtracks consists of remixes of all of One Step More and You Die's tracks.

Following Soundtracks, Mono embarked on the production of their next album, Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined which was released on October 5, 2004. There is much back story to this album, especially behind one of its songs, A Thousand Paper Cranes. The inspiration for this song was the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl from Hiroshima who contracted leukemia at the age of 13, dying shortly afterwards. While in her hospital bed, Sadako attempted to fold one thousand paper cranes, which, according to Japanese folklore, had once cured a girl of disease. Following the release of this album, Mono began a lengthy world tour.

On June 24, 2006, Mono released their next album, You Are There. You Are There met similar success to Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain and was accompanied by worldwide tours throughout 2006 and 2007.

A collection of EPs entitled "Gone", as well as a 100 minute long documentary called "The Sky Remains the Same as Ever", were released in late 2007.

Mono, like most bands associated with the underground music scene, tries to maintain a strong relationship with their fans. Goto, in a recent interview with Semtex Magazine, pointed out that for Mono, promotion is not a priority, they tour "to meet the crowd".

Followed By Ghosts - Dear Monsters, Be Patient (2008)

Genre : Post-rock

Myspace
Download

Tracklist :

01. 5:52 am
02. Dear Monsters
03. Riga
04. Showdown At High Noon
05. Discussion Among Men
06. All Is Lost
07. Be Patient

Followed by Ghosts is an instrumental band from the heartland. Drawing influences from post-rock gods Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Explosions In The Sky, they have created their own melodic brand of instrumental guitar rock.

Followed By Ghosts' second album, "Dear Monsters, Be Patient" is a worthy follow up to 2007's critically acclaimed "The Entire City Was Silent." Now, with much more recording and songwriting experience, Followed By Ghosts has made a powerfully emotional and dynamic record. Spreading styles from slow, emotional chamber music to happy melodic in-your-face
punk rock, this album has something for everyone.

from Afterthepostrock
"yo, this is daniel from followed by ghosts. we put our new record up on megaupload and rapidshare, since we figure its gonna get put on the internet anyway when it comes out, we just want people to hear it and spread it around. "

[me]Yes, Sir! I am following his orders. Get it and spread it. *lol*

Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect EP (2008)

Genre : Post-metal, Post-rock, Shoegaze, Drone, Sludge, Ambient, Electronica
Myspace
Download

Tracklist :

1. Farewell
2. Blind And Faithless
3. Why Are We Not Perfect
4. Farewell [Alternative Version]
5. Why Are We Not Perfect [Alternative Version]

Jesu is an experimental rock band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of Godflesh. Jesu was the name of the last song on the final Godflesh release, Hymns, and Broadrick decided to adopt it as the name of his new project.

Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, drawing from and incorporating an eclectic mix of influences, ranging from ambient music, post-metal and drone doom, to shoegazing, downtempo and industrial music. Their recent releases have been described as "avant-pop" and avant-garde doom.

Why Are We Not Perfect, is a CDEP that will feature the Jesu songs originally only available on the Eluvium split vinyl album, as well as new two new remixes. Daymare will release the album in Japan, with an additional third remix not available on the American release.

Ben Woods - A Collection of Thoughts (2008)

Genre : Ambient, Modern-Classical Piano
Myspace
Download

Tracklist :

1. Taking Small Steps Pt.1
2. A Calm Yet Determined Wind
3. Left At Sea
4. A Crowded Corridor
5. About To Fall
6. Running After Clouds
7. Walking Away Unwillingly
8. Waking Up With Stories Of You To Tell Nobody
9. A List Of Things I Said I Would Do
10. Taking Small Steps Pt.2

Ben Woods Is a full time student at the University of Plymouth UK, where most of this music is written and recorded. His style is has been described as dense and intoxicating whilst at the same time beautiful and deep. His music is written to audibly represent recent emotions and feelings with regard to situation, experience and circumstance.

His latest work is predominantly piano based but Ben is always working on the newest approach he discovers. He has been working on a series of acoustic guitar lead soundscapes and has also been experimenting with turning written acoustic songs into beautifully layered drones.

After receiving some interest by some artists in the Plymouth area, Ben is working on a way to translate his music to play in a live setting.

[me]Beautiful piano instrumental. If you like Goldmund, i think you'll gonna like Ben Woods. Thx to sir Mayo @ IP ;)

Javelins - Heavy Meadows (2008)

Genre : Indie,Rock,Experimental GREAATT!!
download

Tracklist

01. Flowers
02. Heavy Meadows
03. The Pounding
04. El Dorado
05. Roman Saints
06. Out On The Sand
07. Pickup Lines
08. Entropy
09. JConnected
10. Red Handed

"Javelins have created the perfect summer record for 2008. From the very first shimmery wall of guitar, every note of Heavy Meadows is capable of sticking to a listener's heart and brain." - Metro Times

"Javelins have gone the extra mile on all fronts.... literate, orchestral pop, heightened by their ear for whirling futuristic breakneck rock." - Real Detroit Weekly

"Javelins didn’t just write a collection of random songs. They aimed to achieve a cohesive work of art, capturing in music the contradictory nature of the wounded lover.... this is the sound of zero gravity." - Detour Magazine

"Whether it’s the small thread of psychedelia running throughout the album, the lush instrumentation, driving guitars, danciness, expansiveness, smoky-yet-sharp feel — I’ve found myself enjoying each one." - Buzzgrinder.com

"Jangly and dreamy, but also poppy. and Awesome." - Relevant Magazine

Simon Bookish - Everything/Everything (2008)

Genre : Indie,Pop,Electronica,Classical,Singer-Songwriter GREAATT!!
Myspace
Download
Tracklist

01. The Flood
02. Dumb Terminal
03. Portrait Of The Artist As A Fountain
04. Carbon
05. Victorinox
06. Il Trionfo Del Tempo... (Ridley Road)
07. Synchrotron
08. A Crack In Larsen C
09. Alsatian Dog
10. A New Sense Of Humour
11. Colophon

The new album, EVERYTHING/EVERYTHING, is finished, polished, cooked and ready for release this Autumn... there's a sneak preview in the music player above...

An unpredictable and dramatic "big band song cycle about science and information", EVERYTHING/EVERYTHING is a new departure for Simon Bookish, being his first album for TOMLAB.

Additionally, whilst previous Simon Bookish releases have been informed by the sounds of digital synthesizers, EVERYTHING/EVERYTHING does away with them entirely to focus on live instruments.

Scored for an ensemble dominated by saxophones, brass, piano, harp and Farfisa organ, it features luminaries from both the jazz and experimental classical music scenes.

Whilst this is almost certainly his most pop-oriented release to date, EVERYTHING/EVERYTHING, as it's name suggests, finds room for moments of racing Philip Glass minimalism, lop-sided disco, expressionist cabaret, and even an eery ambient interlude.

Lyrically, the album's concept is "the flood of information" in our modern age, taking in chemistry and ecology, language and art, sometimes surreal, sometimes humourous, sometimes provocative, a weird blur of fact and fiction, delivered in Bookish's distinctive English-eccentric vocal.

It's only natural that Simon Bookish would want to tackle this chaos of stuff, since 'Simon Bookish' is the pseudonym of London-based composer Leo Chadburn, whose diverse recent work has included everything from sound-art installations in Bregenz, Austria, improvisation and guest spots with Leafcutter John and Polar Bear's Seb Rochford, and computer music for contemporary dance at the Royal Opera House to an acclaimed appearance with the National Theatre as "The Singer" in Brecht's "Caucasian Chalk Circle".

Herman Dune - Next Year In Zion (2008)

Genre : Indie,Pop,Folk GREATT!!

Myspace
Download

Tracklist

01. My Home Is Nowhere Without You
02. Try To Think About Me
03. When The Sun Rose Up This Morning
04. When We Were Still Friends
05. On A Saturday
06. My Baby Is Afraid Of Sharks
07. Lovers Are Waterproof
08. Next Year In Zion
09. Someone Knows Better Than Me
10. My Best Kiss
11. Baby Baby You’re My Baby
12. (Nothing Left But) Poison In The Rain

On the new album Next Year In Zion, songwriter and vocalist David-Ivar Herman Dune and drummer Neman Herman Dune deliver a dozen charming and intricately constructed pop songs. Next Year In Zion is the Parisian duo’s debut long-player for the City Slang Label. It is the sound of Herman Dune, all grown up.

After years as a highly prolific, mostly DIY band, Herman Dune gained considerable cult status across Europe and in New York City, where the young band lived off and on for nearly 8 years. Releasing 5 official albums and distributing countless homemade CDRs at live shows, they found an early champion in legendary UK Radio DJ John Peel. The archive of Peel Sessions the band performed for the BBC number in the double digits. With their tireless work ethic, ramshackle shows in NYC artist squats eventually gave way to headlining sold out gigs at the 2,500 seat Olympia, in Paris. Tours with Arcade Fire, The Kooks and good friend Kimya Dawson (Moldy Peaches, Juno) put them in front of increasingly larger crowds, and even without a U.S. release to their names, Rolling Stone tagged “I Wish That I Could See You Soon” in their year-end list of the Top 100 Songs of 2007.

Frontman David-Ivar Herman Dune’s facility in bending the English language to his whims is impressive, given that he was raised in Paris but born in Stockholm of Swedish and Jewish descent. He learned American English playing chess with his grandfather, a Swedish diplomat who lived in DC, and began writing simple songs in English at the age of 11. There is sly playfulness and whimsy in David’s lyrical acrobatics (rhyming ‘coconuts’ with ‘cigarette butts’ and ‘Pelican’ with ‘Mexican’) and his phrasing and cadence pay tribute to songwriters like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Jonathan Richman and Stephen Malkmus. On drums and percussions, Neman Herman Dune (who is Swiss born, but also raised in Paris) provides the steady heartbeat that syncopates David’s words and music. The elegant polyrhythmic thump hints at an affection for Charlie Watts, Can and Mo Tucker, and gives a buoyant foundation for David's chiming guitar. These two play off each other’s strengths with the familiar ease that comes from life-long friendship.-CITY SLANG