experimental – New Album A Day

#174 – Neu! 75 by NEU!

Sometimes you just have to get away from it all with some nice krautrock. Neu! was an offshoot of Kraftwerk and pioneered the “motoric” drum beat that characterizes much of the krautrock scene. Their influence on later electronic music is on full display, in this, their third studio album.

#138 – Fourth Wall by The Flying Lizards

I set out to find today’s selection, intending to listen to some interesting modern classical or experimental music and, a few dozen clicks down the road, I came across the collaboration between The Flying Lizards and minimalist pianist and composer Michael Nyman entitled “Hands 2 Take.” Fourth Wall features some experimental noise-making, but there areContinue reading “#138 – Fourth Wall by The Flying Lizards”

#132 – Independent Worm Saloon by Butthole Surfers

Anyone who has been to a concert has experienced the camaraderie of strangers who have been thrust into each other’s presence for a little while. It doesn’t matter who they are, they like the same band as you and they’ll be standing close by for the next few hours, so it’s preferable to have friendlyContinue reading “#132 – Independent Worm Saloon by Butthole Surfers”

#131 – Ege Bamyasi by CAN

A German avant garde rock band from the 70s is generally a good source of weird music. The use of dissonant noise in music is fairly common these days, so a modern music fan might not find this album particularly unusual, but these albums were and are extremely influential. So many sounds that have nowContinue reading “#131 – Ege Bamyasi by CAN”

#127 – The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips

Until a few months ago, I had only ever listened to one album by the Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Robots. I’ve written before about a theory posited by a friend, who is a musician and music appreciation professor, that music finds you when your are ready for it. The Flaming Lips are another bandContinue reading “#127 – The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips”

#115 – Luciferian Towers by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

I had never heard of these guys until I went to the Desert Daze festival a few years ago. Desert Daze is in Joshua Tree National Park, in California and it is some serious desert. The main stage is oriented so the moon comes up behind it, hence the name Moon Stage. Godspeed You! BlackContinue reading “#115 – Luciferian Towers by Godspeed You! Black Emperor”

#89 – Ghost In The Shell: Arise by Cornelius

This album is actually a soundtrack for a reimagining of the anime classic Ghost in the Shell. I was recently introduced to Cornelius by a colleague and it’s to be able to pick some random part of his catalog and be both surprised and supremely entertained. His approach to composition is pretty unique and heContinue reading “#89 – Ghost In The Shell: Arise by Cornelius”

#79 – ONDA by JAMBINAI

Back when there were still concerts, I worked on the Coachella webcast. The big perk of that job is that you end up having the opportunity to see a lot of bands in between the times when you actually have work to do, especially early in the day. These early slots will often have upContinue reading “#79 – ONDA by JAMBINAI”

#53 – KiCk i by Arca

It occurred to me today that, in my zeal to show support for the Black Lives Matter and police reform movements, I have completely forgotten that this month is Pride. Sorry to my LGBTQ+ friends. It was never my intention to overlook your community and this week’s selections will reflect that. I grew up goingContinue reading “#53 – KiCk i by Arca”

#23 – Blackstar by David Bowie

Today’s selection was Bowie’s 25th, and last, album, released just two days before his death in 2016. It was rare that year to not hear a tribute to him at concerts of all kinds. I’ve always been a fan of his, but my knowledge of his later albums is pretty limited. It’s interesting and fittingContinue reading “#23 – Blackstar by David Bowie”