Dense

Bon Iver – 22, a Million

Style: Glitch-Pop, Art Pop, Singer/Songwriter

Vibes: Cryptic, Surreal, Mechanical, Mystical, Existential, Knotty, Warm, Alienation, Bittersweet, Futuristic, Anthemic

Musical Qualities: Glitchy, Catchy, Sampling, Distorted, Vocal Manipulation, Dense, Melodic, Electro-Acoustic, Lush, Vocal Harmonies, Digital Production

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Autechre – Exai

Style: Glitch, IDM, Experimental Electronic

Moods: Futuristic, Mechanical, Cold, Urban, Hypnotic, Surreal, Anxious, Dystopian, Mysterious, Cinematic, Suspenseful

Musical Qualities: Digital, Generative Software, Percussive, Polyrhythmic, Glitchy, Repetitive, Dense, Complex, Sampling

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El-P – Fantastic Damage

featuring Aesop Rock, Vast Aire, DJ Abilities, Cage, Ill Bill, Camu Tao, Rob Sonic, Mr. Lif, C-Rayz Walz, Nasa

Style: Hip-Hop [Experimental, Hardcore, Industrial, East Coast, Abstract]

Vibes: Rebellious, Dystopian, Futuristic, Urban, Sarcastic, Rebellious, Aggressive, Chaotic, Surreal, Angry, Industrial, Confident, Political, Science Fiction, Energetic, Sexual, Colorful, Messy, Apocalyptic, Disturbing, Raw

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Alan Silva and His Celestrial Communication Orchestra – Luna Surface

featuring Leroy Jenkins, Archie Shepp, Malachi Favors, Anthony Braxton, Grachan Moncur III, Dave Burrell, Claude Delcloo, Kenneth Terroade, Bernard Vitet, Berb Guérin

Style: Free Space Music, Cosmic Jazz, Avant-Garde Big Band

Vibe: Intense, Chaotic, Bombastic, Ecstatic, Free, Cosmic, Hypnotic, Raw, Communal, Apocalyptic

Musical Qualities: Conducted Improvisation, Dense, Atonal, Dissonant, Acoustic

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Exploding Star Orchestra – Lightning Dreamers

featuring Rob Mazurek, Jeff Parker, Nicole Mitchell, Damon Locks, Gerard Cleaver, Craig Taborn, Angelica Sanchez & Mauricio Takara

Style: Cyber-Jazz, Cosmic Big-Band, Jazz Fission

Vibes: Futuristic, Communal, Triumphant, Cosmic, Surreal, Exploratory, Anthemic, Colorful

Musical Qualities: Dense, Collective Improvisation, Polyphonic, Percussive, Progressive, Rhythmic, Spoken Word, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Suite

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Joanna Newsom – Divers

“But stand brave, life-liver, bleeding out your days in the river of time.
Stand brave: time moves both ways, in the nullifying, defeating, negating, repeating joy of life.
The moment of your greatest joy sustains: not axe nor hammer, tumor, tremor, can take it away, and it remains.
And it pains me to say, I was wrong. Love is not a symptom of time. Time is just a symptom of love”

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Ornette Coleman – Of Human Feelings

tyle: Free-Funk, Jazz Fission, Mutant Disco, No Wave, Abstract Groove

Vibe: Surreal, Kinetic, Angular, Knotted, Playful, Manic, Groovy, Energetic

Musical Qualities: Harmolodic, Polyphonic, Rhythmic, Dissonant, Dense, Instrumental, Collective Improvisation, Technical

Prime Time Band: Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Electric Bass); Denardo Coleman (Drums); Bern Nix (Guitar); Charlie Ellerbee (Guitar); Calvin Weston (Drums)

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Billy Hart – Enchance

featuring Buster Williams, Dewey Redman, Dave Holland, Oliver Lake, Eddie Henderson, Don Pullen & Thabo Michael Carvin

Style: Jazz-Fission, Spiritual Jazz, Post-Bop

Moods: Exploratory, Forest, Spiritual, Nocturnal, Triumphant, Communal, Energetic, Free, Knotty, Intertwined, Mysterious, Spontaneous

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Collective Improvisation, Ostinato, Acoustic, Complex, Dense, Progressive, Technical

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Heart of the Ghost – Live at Rhizome

Jarrett Gilgore (alto saxophone); Luke Stewart (upright bass); Ian McColm (drums)
with Dave Ballou (trumpet)

Style: Free Jazz

Moods: Adventurous, Earthy, Driving, Exploratory, Free, Energetic, Abstract, Colorful, Communal, Complex, Determined

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Ostinato, Polyrhythmic, Dense, Acoustic, Uncommon Time Signatures, Instrumental, Dynamic, Live Recording

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Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile

Style: Jazz (Spiritual, Avant-Garde, Folk), Modern Creative, Spirituals

Moods: Spiritual, Storytelling, Passionate, Reflective, Intertwined, Rootsy, Warm, Uplifting, Poetic, Communal

Musical Qualities: Suite, Progressive, Acoustic, Collage, Complex, Dense, Conducted Improvisation, Thematic,

Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone, Group Vocals, Wordspeak, Operatic Vocals, Piano, Trumpet, Upright Bass, Drums

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Sunburned Hand of the Man

Style: Free-Rock, Ritual-Psych, Group Therapy, Abstract Groove

Moods: Spontaneous, Communal, Groovy, Ritualistic, Exploratory, Primordial, Abstract, Meandering, Mysterious, Cathartic, Primal, Kinetic, Spacey, Eccentric, Stream-of-Conscious

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Propulsive, Rhythmic, Percussive, Spoken Word, Dense, Droney, Lo-Fi, Repetitive

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Oceansize – Frames

Style: Progressive Rock, Shoegaze-Influenced

Moods: Passionate, Epic, Melancholy, Cryptic, Sentimental, Moody, Longing, Cathartic, Dark, Triumphant, Monolithic

Musical Qualities: Complex, Progressive, Melodic, Uncommon Time Signatures, Polished, Atmospheric, Dynamic, Dense

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Boris – Smile

Styles: Stoner Metal, Heavy Psych, Drone Metal

Moods: Passionate, Heavy, Melancholy, Cathartic, Manic, Energetic, Stoned, Raw

Musical Qualities: Fuzzy, Riffs, Noisy, Dense, Dynamic, Droney

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Miles Davis – On the Corner

featuring Billy Hart, Bennie Maupin, Badal Roy, Mtume, Michael Henderson, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, Paul Buckmaster, John McLaughlin, Dave Liebman, Don Alias, Carlos Garnett, Colin Walcott, Khalil Balakrishna, Lonnie Liston Smith, Chick Corea, Harold Williams, David Creamer

Style: Abstract Groove, Jazz Fission, Avant-Funk

Moods: Surreal, Urban, Hypnotic, Communal, Groovy, Colorful, Playful, Circular, Futuristic

Musical Qualities: Rhythmic, Repetitive, Dense, Improvisation, Instrumental, Studio-as-an-instrument

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Cecil Taylor – Indent

Style: Free Improvisation, Free Jazz

Moods: Passionate, Kinetic, Complex, Ecstatic, Dramatic, Energetic, Angular, Exploratory, Meditative, Focused

Musical Qualities: Solo Improvisation, Dense, Acoustic, Progressive, Dynamic, Percussive, Atonal, Active Listening, Instrumental, Technical, Rhythmic, Live

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Aa – ZebrAa

Style: Neo-Psychedelia, Noise Pop, Experimental Rock

Moods: Chaotic, Anthemic, Mechanical, Hypnotic, Surreal, Psychedelic

Musical Qualities: Noisy, Melodic, Percussive, Polyrhythmic, Dense, Repetitive

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Horace Tapscott with the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – Live at I.U.C.C.

Style: Spiritual Jazz, Avant-Garde Big Band

Moods: Triumphant, Communal, Spiritual, Uplifting, Epic, Warm

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Progressive, Uncommon Time Signatures, Live, Dense, Acoustic, Complex, Rhythmic, Thematic, Collective Improvisation, Orchestral

Instrumentation: Piano, Horns, Drums, Percussion, Upright Bass, Drums, Woodwinds, Cello

Horace Tapscott with the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – Live at I.U.C.C. Read More »

Arthur Blythe – Illusions

Style: Free Jazz, Abstract Groove, Avant Jazz-Funk

Moods: Funky, Playful, Angular, Driving, Passionate, Intertwined, Eccentric, Triumphant, Uplifting, Knotty, Exploratory, Kinetic, Spiritual, Energetic

Musical Qualities: Thematic, Rhythmic, Uncommon Time Signatures, Progressive, Dense, Collective Improvisation, Technical

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Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh – Overloaded Ark

Style: Progressive Folk, Acid Folk, Psychedelic Chamber Music

Moods: Mysterious, Exploratory, Medieval, Mystical, Ancient, Brooding, Forest, Haunting, Serpentine, Ritualistic, Cinematic

Musical Qualities: Complex, Dense, Acoustic, Progressive, Percussive, Noisy, Improvisation

Instrumentation: Cello, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Organ, Sho, Banjo, Renaissance Harp, Rauschpfeife, Crumhorn, Cornamuse, Hurdy Gurdy, Electronics, Darbuka, Riq, Frame Drum, Percussion, Recorder, Piano, Vocal Harmonies

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Brand New – Daisy

Style: Post-Hardcore, Art Rock, Noise Rock, Emo

Moods: Angsty, Self-Loathing, Misanthropic, Nihilistic, Depressive, Dark, Menacing, Aggressive, Existential, Shadow, Raw, Sombre, Alienation

Musical Qualities: Noisy, Lyrical, Dynamic, Riffs, Dense, Heavy

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Horse Lords – Comradely Objects

Style: Experimental Rock, Totalism, Math Rock

Influences: Tishoumaren, Krautrock, Free Jazz

Moods: Triumphant, De-Hypnotizing, Propulsive, Knotty, Angular, Kinetic, Energetic, Dancey, Embodied, Tangled, Communist, Chaotic

Musical Qualities: Polyrhythmic, Complex, Dense, Just Intonation, Instrumental, Uncommon Time Signatures, Microtonal, Dissonant, Polyphonic, Technical, Repetitive, Drones

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Feu Thérèse

LP, Constellation Records, 2006 Style: Experimental Rock, Noise Rock, Post-Rock Moods: Motorik, Visceral, Sureal, Playful, Energetic, Driving, Angular Musical Qualities: Rhythmic, Repetitive, Noisy, Dissonant, Dense, Fuzzy Feu Thérèse by Feu Thérèse Reviews: https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/feu-therese-feu-therese https://www.allmusic.com/album/feu-therese-mw0000409509

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Björk – Fossora

Styles: Progressive Pop, Post-Industrial Chamber Music, IDM, Gabber, Deconstructed Club

Moods: Earthy, Knotty, Sensual, Futuristic, Surreal, Romantic, Mystical, Passionate, Messy, Hallucinogenic, Intense, Forest, Eccentric, Epic, Tribal

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Dense, Dynamic, Complex, Glitchy, Progressive, Uncommon Time Signatures, Electro-Acoustic

Instrumentation: Digital Programming, Woodwinds (Bass Clarinet, Oboe, Clarinet), Strings, Choral Vocals

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Yves Jarvis – The Zug

Style: Neo-Psychedelia, Free Pop, Progressive Songwriter, Hypnagogic Pop, Psychedelic Jazz-Folk

Moods: Uplifting, Personal, Existential, Warm, Groovy, Summer, Surreal, Psychedelic

Musical Qualities: Studio-as-an-Instrument, Processed Vocals, Melodic, Home Recording, Dense, Catchy

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Sun Ra – Nothing Is…

Style: Cosmic Jazz, Free Space Music

Feelings: Exploratory, Cosmic, Forest, Mysterious, Abstract, Intense, Energetic, Spacey, Surreal, Warm

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Acoustic, Polyphonic, Dense, Live Performance, Dissonant, Complex, Dynamic

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Land of Kush – Against the Day

Land of Kush’ Against the Day is a passionate, adventurous & rebellious masterpiece of mystical electrified big-band compositions, inspired by the surreal novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon. Bilocal oudist & composer Osama Shalabi (Montreal/Cairo) bravely leads this 20+ member orchestra through a progressive suite of long form arrangements that synthesize sounds of spiritual jazz, Arabic folk & experimental rock into a sound that’s overwhelmingly unique and gripping.

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Moor Mother – Circuit City

Style: Future Jazz, Free Jazz Theater, Jazz Poetry

Vibe: cathartic, cerebral, dystopian, energetic, futuristic, bombastic, intense, noisy, passionate, poetic, political, powerful, rebellious, urban, heavy, AfroFuturist

Musical Attributes: Complex, Conceptual, Dense, Dissonant, Spoken Word, Theatric, Progressive, Polyphonic, Improvisation

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Sun Ra – Lanquidity [Definitive Edition]


Style: Cosmic Jazz Fusion, Avant-Garde Big Band

Vibe: Mysterious, Elegant, Hypnotic, Nocturnal, Cosmic, Futuristic, Spacey, Ethereal, Groovy, Mellow, Flowing

Musical Qualities: Rhythmic, Atmospheric, Collective Improvisation, Thematic, Polyphonic, Odd Time Signatures, Melodic, Progressive

Instrumentation: Fender Rhodes, Synthesizers (Arp, Minimoog, Crumar Electronic Keyboard), Organ, Piano, Bells, electric Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Group Vocals, Trumpet, Saxophone, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Congo, Baritone Sax, Bass Clarinet, Upright Bass

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mewithoutYou – Brother, Sister

Style: Post-Hardcore, Art Rock, Folk-Influenced

Vibe: Spiritual, Poetic, Angsty, Introspective, Psychedelic, Energetic, Autumnal, Passionate, Sombre

Themes: Existential, Religious (Christian), Personal, Allegory, Symbolic, Philosophical

Musical Qualities: Spoken Word, Shouting, Groovy, Lush, Dense, Dynamic, Progressive

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Eiko Ishibashi – Imitation of Life

Style: Chamber Pop, Prog-Pop, Jazz Pop, Singer-Songwriter

Vibe: Lush, Warm, Sunny, Sci-Fi, Playful, Philosophical, Surreal, Energetic, Imaginative

Musical Qualities: Progressive, Dense, Catchy, Complex, Melodic, Dense, Technical, Rhythmic

Instrumentation: Piano, Vibraphone, Drums, Flute, Rhodes, Electric & Acoustic Bass, Saxophone, Clarinet, Violin, Cello , Synthesizers, Steel Drum, French Horn

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Bardo Pond – Amanita

Style: Psych, Shoegaze, Free Rock

Vibe: Cathartic, Searching, Cryptic, Heartfelt, Warm, Hypnotic, Sensual, Meandering, Nocturnal, Lethargic, Introspective

Musical Attributes: Collective Improvisation, Dense, Washy, Riffs, Lo-fi, Loose

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Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quintet – The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange

Style: Psychedelic Jazz Fusion, Prog, Jazz-Rock

Vibe: Psychedelic, Chaotic, Bombastic, Energetic, Groovy, Heavy, Manic

Musical Attributes: Polyphonic, Polyrhythmic, Dense, Instrumental, Odd Time Signatures, Complex, Progressive, Technical, Riffs, Improvisation, Studio-as-an-Instrument

Instrumentation: Electric Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Electric Bass, Saxophone, Keyboards

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Spellling – The Turning Wheel

Style: Progressive Pop, Baroque Pop

Vibe: Epic, Surreal, Haunting, Ethereal, Passionate, Dramatic, Dreamy, Romantic (LP1), Triumphant, Fantasy, Uplifting (LP1), Grandiose, Theatric, Brooding (LP2), Spacey (LP2)

Musical Qualities: Dense, Orchestral, Progressive, Polyphonic, Polished, Melodic, Rhythmic

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Swans – The Glowing Man

Style: Experimental Rock, Post Rock

Vibe: Cathartic, Visceral, Spiritual, Brooding, Shadowy, Apocalyptic, Ritualistic, Suspenseful, Climactic, Dark, Powerful, Heavy, Cryptic, Philosophical, Surreal, Epic, Hypnotic, Sombre, Meditative, Mysterious, Monolithic, Longing, Existential, Disorienting

Musical Qualities: Dynamic, Repetitive, Dense, Crescendo, Rhythmic, Droney

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Miles Davis – Live Evil

Style: Social Music, Abstract Groove, Psych-Jazz, Free Fusion

Vibe: Adventure, Driving, Groovy, Menacing, Confident, Energetic, Complex, Climactic, Exploratory

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Dense, Percussive, Polyrhythmic, Thematic, Instrumental, Polyphonic

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Holden – The Inheritors

Style: Progressive Electronic, IDM, Microhouse

Vibe: Ancient, Tribal, Ritualistic, Pagan, Brooding, Mythic, Cold, Visceral, Mechanical, Hypnotic, Driving, Epic, Focused, Mysterious, Mystical, Patient, Powerful, Suspenseful, Earthy

Musical Qualities: Repetitive, Distorted, Heavy, Rhythmic, Percussive, Loops, Dissonant, Dense, Instrumental, Pulse, Noisy, Progressive, Field Recordings, Sampling

Instrumentation: Bodhrán (Irish Frame Drum), Synthesizers, Drum Machine, Saxophone, Organ, Chanting, Melodeon (Pump Organ), Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Xylophone, Live Electronics

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Brainticket – Celestial Ocean

Style: Kosmische Musik, Prog, Space Rock, Progressive Electronic

Vibe: Cosmic, Ethereal, Aquatic, Groovy, Exploratory, Hypnotic, Meditative, Hallucinogenic, Spiritual, Futuristic

Musical Qualities: Progressive, Suite, Raga, Headphone Album, Raga, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Dense

Lyrics: Conceptual, Egyptian Book of the Dead, Spiritual, Philosophical

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Land of Kush – Sand Enigma

Style: Avant-Garde Big Band, Arabic/Egyptian Folk, Psychedelic Jazz

Vibe: Intense, Sombre, Cathartic, Psychedelic, Complex, Ritualistic, Communal

Musical Qualities: Dense, Progressive, Dissonant, Acoustic, Percussive

Instrumentation: Santur, Upright Bass, Piano, Saxophones, Vocals, Percussion, Drums, Clarinet, Flute, Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello), Keyboards, Synthesizer, lap Steel Guitar, Electronics, Harp

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Sunburned Hand of the Man – Fire Escape

The free-form psychedelia and tribal “group therapy” of Sunburned Hand of the Man are in great hands with producer Kieran Hebden (Four Tet)—his dubs and cuts transform their usually lo-fi, meandering jams into something much more immediate, without losing any of their exploratory and spontaneous energy. Recommended for fans of polyrhythmic Afro-inspired percussion, dubbed out production, communal sound rituals, and dense psychedelia.

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