More snow-inspired music...

This is a band called Johnny Poindexter, a six piece Englsih outfit that disbanded in 2006. They sound like a cross between Joy Division, Radiohead, Tool, and My Bloody Valentine-- as produced by Aphex Twin!

Sort of hard to explain, but worth a listen! Great production, with some really interesting audio FX, panning and such... dark but not dismal, complex but not fathomless...

They were on the Lost Children label, which I will be posting more of in the future. I'd advise you to NOT wait for my posts-- and go check them out now. Math rock, shoe gaze, drones-- they have a definite aesthetic and are sticking to it. Highly recommended!

Here's the Johnny Poindexter album http://www.archive.org/details/LostChildren006

Try the first 2 tracks-- I think you'll know by then if it's worth a download...

Here's what the critics have said about it:

"this is a deep, dark record that should please followers of obscure Factory records whilst the more modern, haunting soundscapes should ensnare a new generation of miserablists." - Leonard's Lair.co.uk

"Place Your Trust in Empty Spaces sounds like a post rock dream run through a shoegazers nightmare. It's atmospheric and haunting, yet textured and tuneful. This is the sort of record that flirts with the unknown and then processes the results through 8,000 pedals. Perhaps Johnny Poindexter is a bit like Love Lies Crushing but most of the time, the band is in a post-whatever league of its own." Paul Zimmerman - First Coast News

FREE NIN

This is an all instrumental release... some of it is ambient, some of it is unclassifiable-- what it is NOT is Pretty Hate Machine or Broken. I've heard about half of it so far-- and all I can say is with "Ghosts" as the title, I had expected something more spooky. Not bad music, though...
Listen and download here:
http://www.archive.org/details/nineinchnails_ghosts_I_IV

It's funny-- reading down through the reviews-- so many youngsters think that NIN is "heavy metal"...
I first saw NIN open for Peter Murphy back in 1990. My friends and I went in very skeptical but came out convinced that Trent was the next big thing. And it turned out-- he was! Before long he was playing festivals and then arenas... and he deserved to! His shows were the most powerful thing we'd ever seen. I saw him probably 5 times in the early 90s.
Not too long after that-- his stickers started showing up on the back of gun rack-toting pick-up trucks (alongside Def Leppard and Alice in Chains stickers) and it then was out of style for hipsters and goth kids to like NIN.
He should write a whole album about the angst this must have caused!
Now-- with the passing of time-- people think of him as "heavy metal"
To prove he is not-- go seek out the song "in a warm place"-- from the Natural Born Killers soundtrack.
A beautifully moody song full of atmosphere.
At any rate, it is very kind of him to release a free album- it even has Adrian Belew on it. And totals 36 tracks. Check it out.

Ambient music for falling snow... the Kilchurn Sessions Vol 1

There is something about a snowy winter day and listening to ambient music. Maybe it is the silence, or the speed of snowfall, or the shimmery white- stocking caps and headphones. A warm fireplace and hot cocoa. Yes, winter and ambient go hand in hand around here...

I found this link on an ambient blog and then found an easier way to explore it through archive.org.

Ambient, chill, trip hop, even a little IDM.

Stoke the fire and crank it up... enjoy!

Listen here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TodosTodos-KilchurnSession

A Christmas Carol... Orson Welles & Lionel Barrymore

The classic Campbell Playhouse dramatization of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore. Original commercials and network/station id included.

LISTEN TO IT HERE:   http://www.archive.org/details/CampbellPlayhouseAChristmasCarol12241939

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Some end of the year Psytrance to dance with upon the snow...

There is endless Psytrance available in the archive. This is the first one I downloaded (but hardly the first I ever heard)... it's an excellent starting point if this sort of music is new to you.

http://www.archive.org/details/puMpL008_-_postunder_records_va_-_these_boots_are_made_for_stomping

John Todd-- mad prophet of the far Christian Right

I'm sure everybody has found one of these little pamphlets in a bathroom somewhere-  some folks ((like me) even have a collection of them. But-- ever wondered where the creative force behind them got their inspiration?  The one and only John Todd--

There are 12 recordings to listen to. Find out how many witches there are in the music industry, how the music is tainted with Satanism (even David Crosby claims to be a part of it, according to Todd), learn about Manson and his followers, the Trilateral Commission, the Occult, PROCESS CHURCH, Freemasons, CS Lewis, JFK, fortune-telling, communist books that are being staged for burning (Atlas Shrugged is one of the evil tomes), and far more than I have time to mention. The recordings are made in front of Church assemblies, who listen closely, ask questions, and laugh at his jokes.

Some of you will be shocked by what you hear-others who were raised in this sort of environment of devil-conspiracy will have a fine time as they stroll down memory lane and remember all the fear that was dumped into them on a weekly basis.

During one sermon, they are reading from a list of "supplies" that they want the congregation to buy for the church. Which is mainly shotguns, 357s, and barbed wire!

Depending on your point of view- you will be either entertained or scared out of your skin by these sermons.

Each one is worth a listen. If you are collector of vocal samples-- make lots of room on your hard drive, this stuff is priceless!

He also dabbles into some Illuminati territory- which is probably why he was scandalized and thrown into a mental institution for the remainder of his short life. But-- someone else can write his biography-- I am only showing you where to hear his Spoken Word.

And remember-- the Beatles wrote the guidebook for witches...

Learn all about the deception here:

http://www.archive.org/details/JohnToddFormerIlluminatiOccultMemberGivesTestimonyOfInvolvementIn

Industrial Techno Psytrance?

Whatever you wish to call it- it's good! Hard and dark in all the right places, constantly driving and ever-evolving. In fact, every mix I've heard by psyCodEd has been good and worthy of recommendation.
Zimmer is a consistent label. I can't say I've liked every release- but the ones that are good are VERY good.

This one, recorded live at das Ende, Cologne- is certainly one to take note of.

My only problem with it... I still like to put some music on CD- I plan on giving up this practice someday, but not in the near future- this mix is just a bit too long to fit on a 79 min disc.

Listen to it- LOUD. You can almost envision shadowy concrete structures rising up and looming spookily on the distant horizon.

Peruse their catalog and artwork here: http://www.zimmer-records.org/

(And look for mix 009 by psCodEd)

The exciting world of Plundersphonics

This picture really has nothing to do with Plunderphonics, not to my knowledge anyway. I suppose one could get really deep about it and imagine that the tiny records are symbolic of the "snippets of sound" that will be heard when listening to this fascinating release by plunderphonic artist "41"

Honestly, I'm amused by the picture because it says "ohio art" on it...

This album is nothing but snippets of music and dialogue, looped and manipulated into new sentences and songs. It changes constantly. Music for a madhouse would probably sound like this. ADD folks will love it- and I can assure you that many people will be postively annoyed by it. But, it is wildly creative and after only a minute or two, you will realize how much time was put into the construction of it. It's probably best to absorb in small doses...

Listen to it and download here:   http://www.archive.org/details/csr041

DIY HANDS-ON ExPeriMENtal ADVENTURES IN SOUND

In recognition of being THANKFUL on THANKSGIVING DAY- (tho' I try to be thankful every day)

I declare thankfulness for sound, the ability to hear it, and a mind to process the result!

And with that theme, featured is the work of K.M. KREBS "The Jade Furnace"

In the abbreviated words of the producer: Play with this recording- slow it down, put it on random, play several copies at once...

I did my own experiment with it by streaming it on the archive and playing one of the individual tracks via Windows Media and even slowed it down a bit-- the result? Audio chaos with some distant and almost mystical sense of order...

The Flaming Lips have a release with the same concept- I would like to hear it someday.

Roll up your sleeves and get involved here--http://www.archive.org/details/Jade_Furnace_I

The operatic voice in "Where the Long Shadows Fall" by Current 93

No- this is not a link to the Current 93 release. This blog is about all the free music and media available on archive.org.
But this post IS in reference to the amazing work of Current 93 and how many times you've wondered "Where do they get all those strange sounds?"
The voice you hear looped into spooky oblivion is none other than Alessandro Moreschi, known as "The Last Castrato." If you do not know what that means- fire up your search engines and educate yourself.
These are brilliant recordings, especially since they date back as far as 1902 and 1904. Very good sound considering their age.
Gentlemen- while listening to this recording you may find yourself unconsciously holding a protective hand across your private regions!

Listen to it (and squirm) here: http://www.archive.org/details/AlessandroMoreschi19021904Recordings

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS TRIBUTE ALBUM

Tributes are always a mixed bag- some song versions show the proper respect, others are comical, and a few are downright bad. Once in awhile, a version sounds brand new and takes the original song in a whole new direction. I will leave opinion of these interpretations up to you, the Pink Dots fans...

If you are new to the world of Edward Ka-Spel-- this may be too unusual of a starting point-- but it is free, Creative Commons music nonetheless- and all it will cost you is your time.

Listen to it here:   http://www.archive.org/details/PowderedHeavenDressedinPlastic2

WE HAVE WALKED BEHIND SKIES AND DANCED ABOUT ARCHITECTURE

Webbed Hand records is a very strange label. It is not the easiest listening- and there are many releases that I've turned off after a few minutes, only to find myself fascinated by six months later. This one in particular is pretty good- although I just recently picked up on a weird conversation that is somewhere in the middle of it- it takes away from the mood slightly- but then again, I heard this multiple times before even noticing it!

This is a great intro to the twisted world of Webbed Hand... and one of the coolest album titles, right?

Get it here:     http://www.archive.org/details/wh048

INTRODUCTION

I probably won't get to update this as often as I'd like to--
There are a few blogs that I follow, all of which are very good at mentioning music and related things of interest. This will be my attempt to do the same.

I spend a lot of time at archive.org-- searching for background music, foreground music, headphone music, and everything in between. I've been a music fan all my life- I spent the late 80s as a teenager obsessed with bauhaus and Skinny Puppy, but as the 90s began I saw my first Grateful Dead concert and my musical horizon expanded even further... at the very same time, Techno was hitting all  of the clubs that I went to in the Northeast Ohio region and the sounds of producers like Quadrophonia and The Orb were thrilling, as was all the Industrial music that my friends (and future wife) were dancing to at a place in Akron called Carol's cage.

Needless to say, this was a very exciting time to experience the thrill of a loud sound system!

My name is Max and this is my blog.

A Journey into the World of Open Source Audio, Netlabels, and Public Domain Media....