If

When Anna Burch introduced herself on her 2018 debut Quit The Curse, it was with a concentrated wash of energetic, serotonin-boosting pop. Jangly guitars, blithe vocal harmonies and an occasional undercurrent of grungy fuzz all converged in seemingly straightforward songs that hid their complexities under sunny hooks. The impact of the songs was immediate and exciting, presenting narratives of confusion and upheaval with melodies so bright it was hard to do anything but smile. Two years later, Burch’s follow up If You’re Dreaming takes us down a different path than its predecessor, shedding some nervous energy in favour of a deeper exploration of an internal world.

Sting - If On A Winter's Night… (2009)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 300 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 127 Mb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 11 Mb
© 2009 CherryTree / Deutsche Grammophon | 06025 270 1743 GH
Pop / Rock / Christmas / Folk

It's no secret that Sting is a serious man, so it's only logical that his holiday album – his first new music since the Police reunion, not that it really matters – is a serious endeavor, thank you. No niceties for him, no comforts of carols; he favors formal over familiar, writing madrigals, not ditties. It is music made by someone who lives in a castle, which isn't necessarily such a bad thing: the austerity is genuine, not affected, and the cerebral nature of the album is fascinating, albeit mildly so, as this is as sleepy as it is thoughtful. And it's that thoughtfulness that does distinguish If on a Winter's Night…; no other Christmas album exists in the head like this. It's a holiday album for people who have never wanted to hear a holiday album, let alone own one.

David Crosby's debut solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name is a one-shot wonder of dreamy but ominous California ambience. The songs range from brief snapshots of inspiration (the angelic chorale-vocal showcase on "Orleans" and the a cappella closer, "I'd Swear There Was Somebody Here") to the full-blown, rambling western epic "Cowboy Movie," and there are absolutely no false notes struck or missteps taken…

Jazz fusion from a man who has performed live and/or on recordings with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino, Dave Fiuczynski, Allan Holdsworth, Andreas Oberg, Scott McGill, David Torn, and more.

By some standards, the Illusion were one of the most successful unknown psychedelic bands of their generation – unknown, yes, but with three LPs to their credit on the Steed label…

Bill Bruford - If Summer Had Its Ghosts (1997) {Discipline Global Mobile DGM9705}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 271 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 117 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1997 Discipline Global Mobile / Bill Bruford | DGM970
Jazz / Fusion / Modern Creative / Post Bop / Drums

On If Summer Had Its Ghosts, a primarily acoustic trio recording, drummer Bill Bruford, bassist Eddie Gómez, and pianist/guitarist Ralph Towner create some lush, wondrous, spontaneous and melodic music. It has jazz roots, improvisational branches, and elfin extensions. There's no gimmickry or pretension, although Bruford does add some sampled colors, and Towner overdubs his instruments as well as throwing in a pinch of electronic keyboards. What you basically hear is Bruford's newest and freshest music, interpreted and extrapolated upon by three virtuosos in mellifluous interactive conversation. At their most swinging, as on the lively, four/four, tick-tock, light rimshot, mid-tempo swing of the title track, they are telepathic, with Towner effortlessly switching from acoustic 12-string to piano and Gómez laying down soulful, full, deep bass punctuations.

If I Could Tell You is the twelfth studio album by Yanni, released on the Virgin Records label in 2000. It peaked at #1 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #20 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year. This was Yanni's first studio album in seven years, an introspective and deeply personal project which came in the wake of a two-year sabbatical, a move to the east coast of the U.S., and other changes which refocused his life and life's work.