Loki 04

Lóki?, released in 1974, was the first solo effort of former Os Mutantes member Arnaldo Baptista. Probably reflecting Baptista's own mood and feelings at the time, this album is decidedly slower, darker, and more melancholic than the Os Mutantes albums ever were. The lyrics are often quite sad and confused, though it has to be said that on several occasions Baptista shows that he had preserved his sense of humor from the Os Mutantes years. Musically, Lóki? is dominated by Baptista's typical way of singing and his excellent piano playing (similar to Elton John during his glory years in the '70s). Six out of the first seven tracks are really good…

It is virtually impossible to write a review which does justice to this impressive release. No less than 4 CD’s at a time of one of the best dark ambient acts around, which has always stood more for quality than quantity. Since the early 90′s this German project, consisting of René Lehmann & Knut Enderlei, only released three albums, plus a couple of hard to obtain vinyl and tape releases and compilation appearances. All the material included in this boxset was recorded during live performances and rehearsal sessions. The recordings span almost their entire career, from 1995 to 2002, at appearances in Germany, France, Russia, Prague, the UK, the USA and Canada. While listening you will hardly notice that these are live recordings, since they were edited and mastered to create the highest possible sound quality…

Shaping The Unknown (2006). The debut album of Circular defines an opulent style of meditative ambient music and celebrates the pure sound engines of perfect analogue synthesizer music. Johannes Riedel created an elegant and stylish form of drone music to build ellipses in-between sculptures blowing through the triangular center. This aural paintings discover sacred landscapes of drifting loops, analogue synthesizers and the brilliant use of guitars to set up an unearthly visionary wall of sound. The method of Circular's music dispose a special principle where tracks build up slowly and take the period of concentration, of taking shape, followed overwhelming massive soundworlds from outer states. Sounds are swirling around the cuboid and adhere at the cognition through unique scapes of the swelling and digressing resonance…

The myths of the Norse come to life in Northern Seas, Al Conti’s Grammy Nominated fourth album. As with his previous award-winning album, Scheherazade, Conti has taken well-known tales, this time from the mystical lands of the north that originated during Scandinavia’s Viking Age, and woven music around themes and images. By combining ancient and exotic instruments with modern ones, Conti has created a mythical landscape carrying the listener to another time and place, one cloaked in veils of mist, when the gods ruled over harsh Nordic lands. Alongside the Grammy Nomination, the album also ranked Top 10 Best New Age on Amazon in 2010.