Yann Tiersen – Skyline [2011]

Title: Skyline

Artist: Yann Tiersen

Year of Release: 2011

Yann Tiersen is a musician I’ve mentioned before on this blog, having reviewed his famous soundtrack album for the 2001 French film Amelie. Due to his claim to fame with the soundtrack, he is often mistaken to be a composer for films. However, he is actually a very talented musician who has a rich and diverse discography to his name. Having started out being influenced by post-punk bands in the 80s, he marries the conventions of rock and classical music while crafting his own unique sound. There’s always a distinctive “watermark” in each of his albums that you can identify as his, as far-fetched as that might sound.

Cults – s/t [2011]

Title: Cults

Artist: Cults

Year of Release: 2011

Cults is an indie pop project of vocalist Madeline Follin and guitarist Brian Oblivion, of which I had the pleasure of seeing live at the Singapore stop of Laneway Festival, an Australian-born music festival focusing on the hottest upcoming indie acts in the scene. Their self-titled debut is a catchy and pretty pop record that is can be easy to enjoy, but I’d imagine some people might be turned off by the production, like how I was at the beginning.

Bohren & der Club of Gore – Sunset Mission [2000]

Title: Sunset Mission

Artist: Bohren & der Club of Gore

Year of Release: 2000

Another album that helped me through my revision. Bohren & der Club of Gore are a jazz outfit from Germany. They’re probably one of the most unique jazz groups out there in the scene right now. They’ve develop a very interesting sound over the years, combining genres such as jazz, ambient and doom metal. Early in their career they were primarily centered around rock instruments as shown in their earlier efforts Gore Motel and Midnight Radio (they used to have an electric guitarist, but he left before this album) but they’ve since grown into a relatively traditional jazz outfit. Sunset Mission was their first effort as their current incarnation.

Phaeleh – Fallen Light [2011]

Title: Fallen Light

Artist: Phaeleh

Year of Release: 2011

Since I had to stop writing for a short while due to my exams, I had to make use of the time by going through hours of revision and music made that a lot easier. Obviously they’re more quiet in nature, as I can’t concentrate with dynamically loud albums, but at the same time the silence can be distracting for me as well. It’s weird, but anyway that’s where music comes in. I selected a few albums that are ambient in nature but also musically interesting. The first of this is Fallen Light by British dubstep producer Phaeleh (yes, dubstep)

I’M BACK

WOOHOO

So close…

My last exam’s tomorrow which means…

The Lazy Listener will be back again!

In the meantime, enjoy the new Meshuggah song from their upcoming album, Koloss.

 

I’ll be back very soon.

Just some updates…

Hi everyone!

Sorry the lack of posts during the past few days. I’m currently preparing for my exams that start next week, so I won’t be able to have the time to post more often for this week and the next. Also, with Laneway happening during my exam period, looks like I gotta work extra hard in order to have fun.

I’ll be back soon!

Cheers!

All Shall Perish – This Is Where It Ends [2011]

Title: This is Where it Ends

Artist: All Shall Perish

Year of Release: 2011

This is Where it Ends is extreme metal band All Shall Perish’s fourth album. While I have not heard their older material, I got a kick out of this album. All Shall Perish created something special here that many modern metal bands wish to make: a technically-demanding metal album with undeniable catchy hooks.

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory [1991]

Title: The Low End Theory

Artist: A Tribe Called Quest

Year of Release: 1991

The Low End Theory was the second album released by American hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Fans and critics are divided over which album by them is their best: this or Midnight Marauders. Whatever it may be, there’s no denying that The Low End Theory is a classic, and its legacy can be felt even today.

Top 15 Albums of 2011…so far

I guess it’s time for me to buckle down and decide which were my favourite albums of last year. I held it up for so long because I still have yet to listen to some albums (Bon Iver, St. Vincent, The Roots, The Beach Boys, Animals as Leaders, Stray From the Path, The Black Keys etc.)

This list will be modified when I get the opportunity to buy those albums and listen to them. Hopefully they’re good.

Anyway, here’s the list I have so far. Most albums are linked to reviews already posted on this site. Artist names on the Top 15 are linked to their last.fm pages for better reference.