Ponceland

 Better if this was in a music non-recommendations collection because I advise you to not listen to this. The Gerogerigegege's 1999 album "Hell Driver" is one of the greatest Free Improvisation albums of all time. It's this jumbled up collection of the most depressing bits and pieces of sound all piled up together with a few field recording mixes.  The title track "Hell Driver" is the real start and kick to this album. It's quiet, nothing like what we've seen from The Gerogerigegege's past few releases. It's one person in a dark room, presumably an attic playing the piano for 15 minutes. He records this slow, atonal, and somewhat shattered piano piece. You're in an intimate atmosphere with the guy, like you're in the same room together and the piano's only three feet away from you. The piano is out of tune, that adds to the charm of the atmosphere. Some parts of the piece cut off, especially during the end. It adds to that feeling...

 Karlheinz Stockhausen's Aus den sieben Tagen is one of the best recordings of Modern classical music in modern history. The randomness of Indeterminacy can know no bounds when we're talking about Karlheinz Stockhausen.  The process of recording every single piece here was an arduous process. Being in the same room as Stockhausen as he was writing these would have been some of the most intense situations you could be in. Sitting in his room chopping up random notes on his tinkly winkly grand piano while recording them on small equipment like I don't know let's say a walkman back in the early 1970s I have no idea they must have had legendary recording equipment by then.  Trying to criticize what is not absolute, what is not organized is like trying to teach a lion how to not act the way it is.  This type of music is devoid of criticism and analysis. It's pointless, trying to do that is useless. Given that, it must be impossible for things like these to standalone lik...

Everything jazz stands for is completely abandoned.  John Coltrane having completely abandoned every single aspect of traditional jazz. Losing the quartet form by adding another Pharoah Sanders and Rashied Ali to the mix. Sanders' saxophone emitting ferocious, primordial shrieks and Ali's omnipotent prescence with his spot on drum solos.  The influence from the avant-garde and Albert Ayler is clear, from the first track "The Father And The Son And The Holy Ghost". This track being the wildest as it sets the tone for the whole record, the other four are more compact but still provide the same energy as the first. What most free jazz albums lack is expression while still keeping musical liberties. Ascension (Edition I) being one of those many records. Compare Ascension as being more subdued to Meditations being full of adventure and feel as if it's about to combust due to the restlessness of the fiery spirits of the musicians. Coltrane's capabilities never fail ...

 Bill Evans' 1960 album "Portrait in Jazz" is in my opinion, the best jazz album to put in the background.  It's almost everything you'd want in a cool jazz album, Bill Evans' laid back piano playing, Scott LaFaro's flawless bass accompaniment, and Paul Motian's almost carefree drum playing. Sweet ballads played by the sweet and delightful touch of Evans, not the biggest energy like what you'd get from a Bebop album. No, Bill Evans strayed away from that style long ago. While that's true to some extent, the smallest bit of energy presented here fits in this context. You can see that energy in songs like "Autumn Leaves", and "What Is This Thing Called Love?" it's like a small fire that's good enough to keep you warm.  Fresh reinventions of old standards. Relaxed and supple this measly collection of recordings are. Even though I seem to talk about the most legendary albums created, it's really nice to chill and tal...

 I can't believe I almost missed this 09/15/2022 Bill Evans' death anniversary. He died today 42 years ago today because of untreated hepatitis.  I raise a glass to you and your music. I will now smoke a huge cigarette and drink scotch whiskey while listening to The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings as a tribute to you. https://open.spotify.com/album/0rdlBkBl9UWoLDcEfxAkU5?si=ixu7CJ6XRf2IjZj22QcntQ&utm_source=copy-link

Alienation. Haunting yet oddly peaceful. Something about this is lonely yet comforting. Imagination. Pictures of the wildlife, pictures of old memories. The musical embodiment of a daydream. Mystery. The mystery of not understanding anything enhances the experience.  Ichiko Aoba is a fairy living among us. Her bright acoustic guitar, her soothing voice, the sound of nature. Those three things make up a strong atmosphere for an hour. That's all it takes for this album to be captivating.  This album succeeds at being both minimalist and lush. The simplicity works beautifully. The outside ambience on almost every track here works perfectly with the peacefulness this album brings.  There's music where you just have to listen in the right situation and in the right headspace. This is one of them. Sitting alone in a dark room, all by yourself.

 It seems I always go back to jazz no matter how hard I try. We'll be talking about You Must Believe In Spring by Bill Evans.   This is it. Everything in Bill Evans' life has not been friendly to him in some way. "In late 1959, Evans left the Miles Davis band and began his career as a leader, with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian, a group now regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. In 1961, ten days after finishing an engagement at the New York Village Vanguard jazz club, LaFaro died in a car accident. Evans's heroin addiction increased following LaFaro's death. His girlfriend Ellaine was also an addict. Evans never allowed heroin to interfere with his musical discipline, according to a BBC record review article which contrasts Evans's addiction with that of Chet Baker. On one occasion while injecting heroin, he hit a nerve and temporarily disabled it, performing a full week's engagement at the Village Vanguard virtually one-handed. In 1973, whi...

 I'm very new to vaporwave, so there's always something new for me to fall in love with. Out of all the albums I've listened to so far, all of them have been nothing short of fantastic.  The newest member to that club of beloved albums is the album 星間性交 (Seikan seikou) by t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者. I never thought that something would top my love for death's dynamic shroud - I'll Try Living Like This, atleast when we're talking about vaporwave. Yet this album takes the genre and turns it into its own beast.  This was t e l e p a t h's final "great" album. The culmination of his amazing discography.  Each track lives to the feeling of the album art, floating in the void, entering a state of bliss, soaIf you are a fan of vaporwave, or are new to the genre, this album is the perfect introduction. It's not the perfect example of everything the genre has to offer, it shows the capabilities of it.ring through the beautiful night sky like the lady in t...