Overheard 2 (2011)

With Graceland, Paul Simon hit on the idea of combining his always perceptive songwriting with the little-heard mbaqanga music of South Africa, creating a fascinating hybrid that re-enchanted his old audience and earned him a new one. It is true that the South African angle (including its controversial aspect during the apartheid days) was a powerful marketing tool and that the catchy music succeeded in presenting listeners with that magical combination: something they'd never heard before that nevertheless sounded familiar. As eclectic as any record Simon had made, it also delved into zydeco and conjunto-flavored rock & roll while marking a surprising new lyrical approach (presaged on some songs on Hearts and Bones); for the most part, Simon abandoned a linear, narrative approach to his words, instead drawing highly poetic…

Don Byron - You Are #6 (2001) {Blue Note 7243 5 32231 2 0}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 388 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 138 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 137 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2001 Blue Note / Capitol Records | 7243 5 32231 2 0
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Post Bop / Clarinet

Don Byron's fourth Blue Note album is a belated follow-up to 1995's Music for Six Musicians. Six musicians are once again featured here, but they're joined by a large number of guests, bringing the cumulative total to 20. As always, Byron looks to unlikely sources for inspiration, beginning with Henry Mancini's theme from the 1962 John Wayne flick Hatari. (The artist is a diligent student of Mancini's music in general.) The rest of the tracks are originals, save for "Shake 'Em Up," a calypso party song that features Don Byron, Sr. on bass and Designer on vocals.

Keyboardist Kevin Moore will be familiar to fans of modern progressive rock through his work as a former member of Dream Theater and from his solo work under the name Chroma Key; more recently, he has worked with several other prog luminaries in the experimental supergroup O.S.I. But Ghost Book is an almost purely solo endeavor, a soundtrack album consisting of work commissioned by Turkish novelist Dogu Yucal for use in the film adaptation of his novel Havalet Kitap (or "Ghost Book"). Yucel was a longstanding fan of Moore's work in Dream Theater and had quoted some of the band's lyrics in his novel, so the pairing was natural…

With Graceland, Paul Simon hit on the idea of combining his always perceptive songwriting with the little-heard mbaqanga music of South Africa, creating a fascinating hybrid that re-enchanted his old audience and earned him a new one. It is true that the South African angle (including its controversial aspect during the apartheid days) was a powerful marketing tool and that the catchy music succeeded in presenting listeners with that magical combination: something they'd never heard before that nevertheless sounded familiar…

Mick Harvey - Intoxicated Man & Pink Elephants (2014) {2CD Set Mute Records CDSTUMM331 rel 1995, 1997}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 658 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 233 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 114 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1995, 1997, 2014 Mute Records | CDSTUMM33
Rock / Alternative / Chanson / Blues Rock / Experimental

Mick Harvey released Intoxicated Man and Pink Elephants in 1995 and 1997, respectively. They were two of his first three solo albums apart from being musical director for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and they are both tribute albums to Serge Gainsbourg. Harvey was among the first native English musicians – if not the first – to delve so deeply into the vast catalog of songs from France's great musical icon (who was Belgian by birth). Both titles feature well-known Gainsbourg tunes, done in English with their French titles placed in italics side by side.

Fluid Audio and Handstitched have joined forces to release this album by Hessien entitled "Obelisk | Stelea" including exclusive reworking of the original source material by Solo Andata, Jasper TX, Zelienople and Konntinent… Surprising astrologists everywhere, Hessien continue to generate spontaneously out of the ether near the equator, somewhere between Australia and the UK. The most recent occurrence being "Obelisk|Stelea", constructed in between the north-south divide.
"Obelisk" - as Hessien's landscape evolves, the sound continues to push into an environment littered with obstacles. Although not obvious at first, there is a relationship between these objects; a focus on submerged, hazy rhythms and textures that mirror the unconventional landscapes and surrounds…

Paul Simon - Graceland (1986) {2CD+2DVD Set, 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 422 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 159 Mb
DVD9+DVD5 -> 11.0 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9/4:3 | English (LPCM, 2 ch / Dolby AC3 6 ch) | ~ 2h 23m + 1h 30m
Subs: English, Nederlands, Francais, Deutsch, Italiano,Espanol | ISO Images
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 2.19 Gb | 5% repair rar
© 1986, 2012 Legacy / Paul Simon | 88697977152OS
Rock / Soft Rock / Folk Rock / International Folk

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of Graceland, Paul Simon's groundbreaking album that continues to influence and inspire generations. Following its Sundance Film Festival premiere in the US, the Joe Berlinger-directed documentary Under African Skies, chronicling the creation and lasting influence of Graceland, it has its UK premiere at Sundance London. The documentary garnered critical acclaim on the film festival circuit with screenings at SXSW 2012, where it received an Audience Award, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival. To help commemorate the anniversary and celebrate the indelible musical legacy of Graceland, this is a special Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set with two CDs and two DVDs including the re-mastered original album, audio narrative The Story of 'Graceland as told by Paul Simon, Under African Skies, documentary film with extended interviews, the original 1987 African Concert from Zimbabwe, three original music videos and the iconic Saturday Night Live performance of "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"; replicas of an original Graceland poster, handwritten lyrics pad; deluxe 80-page book featuring new and archival photos and interviews with Paul Simon.