Unwound - Fake Train (V0)

So somewhere in the world right now the former members of Unwound are probably reveling in their greatness and telling everyone they were the best post-hardcore band to ever exist, a statement which is entirely true.

They probably go around with pictures of their albums and push them into peoples faces and say, hey look at how much more awesome we are than you; because they fucking are. I mean, they defaced a Tom Jones album cover for their album cover. Tom motherfucking Jones. You don't see many bad asses willing to fuck with Tom Jones, but Unwound was.

Ian Mackaye probably looks at Unwound's discography and says, "This is the greatest fucking thing I've ever heard, fuck my shit" as Guy Picciotto looks back at all the Fugazi records and points out all the reasons why Unwound's albums are better (on a side note, I fucking love Fugazi).

So here is Unwounds 1993 debut titled Fake Train, somewhere on the site is Unwound's final album, Leaves Turn Inside You in which you'll find the greatest post-hardcore experimental album, while this one will be the greatest of a more traditional type.

Download

Foals - Antidotes (320)

Ah, the Foals. A band that opened the pathway to indie and alternative for me. I don't have much to say about the Foals except that they are awesome. They have a very interesting yet extremely catchy sound. A few of my favorite tracks of this album would be "Mathletics" and "Cassius" but I would say that the whole album is simply amazing. Give it a shot, you might just like it, especially if you like indie rock or really anything kind of indie music.

Get it here or buy it here.

Thievery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy (V1)

Hey guys,

I'm Peter, the new blogger on animationmusicvolume. I am a hipster from Fairfax, Virginia and enjoy a good variety of music that I hope to bring to here. I wanna add that I am a little bit different than everyone else on here because I am a bigger electronic music listener.

First off I wanna make my first post of a band that I have been listening to and following for a few years now. Thievery Corporation, a trip-hop duo based out of the nation's capitol of Washington, D.C. I was first introduced to them while on a vacation trip in Hawaii by two 40 year old surfers who ran a para-sailing company. I would say that that's a great way to be introduced to a band right? Back to the duo, Thievery Corporation has used their music to take a stand in political scenes around the world with some of their tracks like "Amerimacka."

Anyway, this is their second debut album. It was released in 2000 and had one of their biggest hits "Lebanese Blonde," which is included in the OST of the movie Garden State. This album is a lot more down tempo then some of their other ones though, so keep that in mind. If you are a fan of trip-hop then I would recommend giving this album a shot and trying their other stuff.

Download the album here or buy it here.

Kronos Quartet - Black Angels (256)

Kronos Quartet are a couple musicians who I really only know a little about. I first heard them on the charity album Dark Was the Night, which I have raved about in the past. They contributed the title track, which, admittedly, was a bit strange. The track consisted of awkward cellos making noises that most people would say are simply that: noises.

I heard a bit about them on NPR, which was a very favorable review of their newest composition. I have no idea which one that was.

So, my life moved on. Then I read about this album/collection/thing on 1000recordingstohearbeforeyoudie and I was finally sold. I think their description of this music does a lot more justice to the recording than I could do, explaining symbolism that I wouldn't have known, as well as the actual composer's (Crumb) methodology behind creating the music.

The first three tracks are Crumb's compositions, which are absolutely full of dissonant noise, nerve-wracking cacophony and dark and fear-inspiring sessions of cello-centered ecstasy. You might not believe that the sounds are actually coming from stringed instruments, unless you play one yourself.

The rest of the collection is a much more conventional selection of arrangements, sad and emotional pieces that would be perfect, were they set to some sort of apocalypse. Black Angels has been touted as one of the darkest collections of music available, and you might understand that if you scroll back up and read the 1000recordings description.

In any case, it makes for a very entertaining listen, and if you really want to be put out of it, turn off the lights, put your headphones on, and just kind of listen to it. It's something to focus on, and it'll make you think.

Download here, and buy it here.

Akron/Family - Akron/Family II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (V0)

Finally, after months of waiting, Akron/Family has shipped their new album to Dead Oceans Records. Bizarrely, despite their change in record labels, Akron/Family has become progressively less folky and more freaky. Rich with the same old campfire harmonies and shamanism, Akron/Family II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT, which the Family admits they frankly don't know the meaning of, is as powerfully emotional as it is heartwarmingly fuzzy. I've heard complaints about the step up in production values from the latest releases, but you'll see none of these from me. Although Akron/Family has refined their sound in this album, they certainly haven't put any less effort into its musical and lyrical content.

Download.

Lou Reed - Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse (V0)

An incredible work but ultimately a commercial failure, the rock noir opera Berlin had been one of Lou Reed's greatest kept secrets. The record is a classic amongst Reed fans, notably for its personal and gritty subject matter. Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse is the first time Reed has played this album live in over thirty years, since Berlin flopped almost immediately after release. Don't be alarmed, though; Berlin easily draws comparisons to, and arguably supercedes, the masterwork of storytelling that is The Who's Tommy.

Download.
Buy the DVD with concert footage!

SPC ECO - Silver Clouds EP (V0)

What do you think of female fronted shoegaze bands like Pinkshinyultrablast? Well, as we both know, you fucking love them. Yes you do. Totally. So for the Pinkshinyultrablast fan looking for a more Slowdive-esque approach to shoegaze this is for you, and since I'm already making the assumption that everyone goes to sleep every night listening to Happy Songs For Happy Zombies then I'm sure this EP is for every god damn one of you.

If you aren't in love with this song after the 2:40 mark passes then I might hate you, no I think I WILL hate you.

But lucky for you I'm very forgiving, and here's the download.

Anamanaguchi - Dawn Metropolis (V0)

I spent my childhood playing SNES and Sega genesis, and that's completely unrelated to this album being that I have no memory of playing them at all other than actually doing the act, oh and that one level in Donkey Kong Country 2 or 3, whichever one you were the girl and the baby (not Diddy) and I think it was the lava level and I kept losing and, well I don't know where the fuck I'm going with this.

I guess my point is, this is a happy, childlike album, made up of all your favorite 8bit sounds but also using actual instruments to make it even more awesome. Now, you could turn away now and say this is too childish and stupid to look into, or you could look into this because of how much you love childhood (in which case you should just click the link and stop reading, because there's nothing more after this), but this isn't a novelty album. This isn't Cee-lo's "Fuck You" which will in time be looked back as nothing more than a novelty hit played as much in movie scenes as "Walking on Sunshine", this is an actual piece of artistic work created with the idea of making you re-experience the one time in your childhood where you were in an actual trance without the use of drugs, the time that you spent playing video games. You probably won't find another album as happy and childlike as this without hitting some kind of joke act or something terribly un-listenable to, so this is your only choice, John Conner.
Get the album if you want to live.

This is going to make your underpants wet.

This is what you should download while you're getting a new pair.

Ellul - Ashes (V0)

I haven't listened to all of this yet, to be honest, but these guys are so great that I thought it would be appropriate to post this album up as soon as I had it.

"Ellul is this San Francisco based group centered around the brainwork of “Blanket Head” and “The General” (Joel St. Julien and Joel Tarman, respectively.) The whole album is sort of a collection of juxtapositions of electronic and folk music, often dancing between the two with this light pitter-patter of beats (such as on the opening track “Cages,”) or going all out in one direction or the other (as is discernable in the back-to-back tracks “Good Night” and “Debris”). The album is also lyric-heavy, with some really beautiful lines filling the record.

Ellul reminds me often of a Justin Vernon project, maybe that went on vacation one time with Ben Gibbard (circa Postal Service) but then decided to go his own route and get a new usually heartfelt, occasionally winey vocalist. And then also throw a bunch of other random shit into it too. Whatever, it works! I recommend the album!"

Now that I think about it, Ellul does remind me very much of Justin Vernon's collaboration with Collections of Colonies of Bees, Volcano Choir. Comparisons to Radiohead are less fitting here, but hints of their influence still remain.

Ashes is available as a digital download in any bitrate from Ellul's bandcamp for $8, and we've also uploaded it here in V0. If you live in San Francisco, please support these guys locally; they definitely deserve it.