Thrill Jockey

YoshimiOizumikiYoshiduO – To the Forest to Live a Truer Life

Style: EAI, Progressive Electronic

Vibes: Reflective, Winter, Ethereal, Meditative, Playful, Hypnotic, Exploratory, Abstract, Deconstructed, Forest, Futuristic, Intimate

Instrumentation: Piano & vocals processed through modular synthesis

Musical Qualities: Studio-as-an-Instrument, Electro-Acoustic, Dynamic, Glitchy, Improvisation, Extended Technique

Trans Am – Red Line

Style: MotoRock, Cyberpunk, Experimental Rock, Krautrock

Vibes: Mechanical, Futuristic, Driving, Aggressive, Dystopian, Energetic, Powerful, Spacey, Energetic

Musical Qualities: Rhythmic, Motorik, Riffs, Uncommon Time Signatures, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Repetitive, Noisy

Daniel Higgs – Say God

Style: Mystical Folk, Devotional Poetry, New Age

Moods: Poetic, Mystical, Devotional, Spiritual, Meditative, Surreal, Eccentric, Cosmic, Ecstatic, Utopian

Musical Qualities: Mantra, Spoken Word, Acoustic, Sparse, Improvisation

Instrumentation: Voice, Banjo, Sruti Box, Harmonium

Tortoise – Rhythms, Resolutions & Clusters

Tracks from Tortoise’s debut LP remixed by Bundy K. Brown, John McEntire, Jim O’Rourke, Steve Albini, Mike Watt, Brad Wood, Rick Brown, Casey Rice

Styles: Ambient Dub, Electroacoustic, Electronic, Post-Rock

Moods: Deconstructed, Futuristic, Meditative, Mechanical, Cold, Open, Abstract, Airy, Eclectic, Mysterious, Peaceful, Spacey

Musical Qualities: Remix, Atmospheric, Sparse, Sampling, Loops, Instrumental, Electro-Acoustic

Pullman – Viewfinder

featuring members of Tortoise, Codeine, Rex, Tower Recordings, etc.

Style: Chamber-Folk, Back-Porch Minimalism, Post-Rock

Moods: Peaceful, Back-Porch, Mellow, Airy, Focused, Impressionistic, Intertwined, Light, Open, Warm

Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Minimalist, Instrumental, Repetitive

Isotope 217° – Utonian_Automatic

Rob Mazurek, Dan Bitney, Jeff Parker, John Herndon & Matt Lux

Style: Cyber-Jazz, Future Dub, Jazz Fission, Abstract Groove, Post-Rock

Moods: Futuristic, Playful, Spacey, Driving, Mechanical, Abstract, Groovy, Surreal, Suspenseful

Instrumentation: Cornet, Electric Guitar, Percussion, Electric Bass

Sam Prekop – Sam Prekop

Featuring Jim O’Rourke, Josh Abrams, Rob Mazurek, Chad Taylor, John McEntire, Julie Pomerleau, & Archer Prewitt

Style: Chamber Pop, Jazz Pop, Lounge Music

Influences: Bossa Nova, Math Rock, Post-Rock

Vibe: Gentle, Breezy, Intricate, Summer, Intertwined, Mellow, Bright, Smooth

Musical Qualities: Lush, Soft, Polished, Melodic

Pullman – Turnstyles & Junkpiles

LP, Thrill Jockey, 1998 Reissue (2015) Style: Chamber Folk Vibe: Pastoral, Peaceful, Warm, Focused, Morning, Intertwined Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Technical, Melodic Instrumentation: Acoustic Guitars, Acoustic Bass, Classical Guitar, Irish Bazouki, and Dobro

Califone – Heron King Blues [Deluxe]

Style: New Weird Americana, Warped Folk Rock, Psych Folk

Vibe: Twangy, Cryptic, Mythic, Surreal, Mysterious, Rustic, Mellow, Warm, Rootsy

Musical Qualities: Percussive, Loops, Electro-Acoustic, Rhythmic, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Improvisation

Instrumentation: Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Percussion, Organ, Piano, Vocals, Electronics, Cello, Electric Guitar, Pump Organ, Bass

Golden Retriever & Chuck Johnson – Rain Shadow

Overview
Bass clarinet, pedal steel guitar, and synthesizer swirling together into a highly immersive and emotive combination of voices. Truly beautiful soundscapes that melt the worry away, with moments of quiet catharsis that I don’t experience very often in ambient music.

Jim White and Marisa Anderson – The Quickening

This impressionistic and contemplative collaboration channels deep American folk roots through free flowing improvisations. The panoramic and sensitive drumming of Jim White (Dirty Three, Cat Power, etc) is a perfect match for Marisa Anderson’s primitivist guitar sensibilities, which feel both immediate and abstract.

Plankton Wat – Drifter’s Temple

Released in 2013 on Thrill Jockey Format: LP Style: Psych-Folk Vibe: Pastoral, Warm, Cosmic, Nature, Psychedelic Musical Attributes: Instrumental, Droney Instrumentation: Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Slide Guitar, Keys

Trans Am – Trans Am

Originally released in 1996 on Thrill Jockey Records 2017 Reissue on clear vinyl Format:: LP

Tortoise – Tortoise

Originally released in 1994 on Thrill Jockey Records 2016 reissue Recorded November 29 thru December 5, 1993

Brokeback – Field Recordings from the Cook County Water Table

Doug McComb’s first album as Brokeback is imbued with pastoral Impressionism, experimentalism, and a sense of Zen contentment. The record is mostly centered around his Bass VI, a short-scale bass with six strings that is trebly enough to function in both guitar and bass roles. This versatile instrument is usually wet with chorus and reverb that sculpt a fluid, aquatic tone to complement the slow, tranquil melodies. Outside of some solo pieces Doug is joined by a variety of accompaniment including lap steel guitar, synth, upright bass, Rhodes, vocals from Mary Hansen, and light percussion provided by producer/Tortoise bandmate John McEntire. This is a record that can be appreciated from a passive impressionistic standpoint, as well as under the microscopic attention of an engaged ear. (Follow link for full review)

Recommended for fans of Tortoise or Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti Western soundtracks

Holy Sons – The Fact Facer [Review]

I highly recommend this album to any nocturnal recluses looking for a shadowy singer-songwriter to listen to during their next existential crisis. Emil’s experimental blend of hi- and lo-fi recording methods and tasteful use of psychedelic atmospheres allow his strong songwriting to take precedent, while simultaneously offering plenty of new textures to discover with each subsequent listen. Diverse range of influences include Indian classical, psychedelic rock, drone, folk, dub…the list goes on.