Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field I’ll meet you there.
When the world lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn’t make any sense.
- Rumi
a one-hour ambient mix inspired by the few quiet moments in Indian movie Rockstar (2011).
set list:
Pine - Olan Mill (2010) The Meeting Place - A.R. Rahman for Rockstar (2011) Watching It Unfold - Lawrence English (2009) Rokuu - Illuha (2011) To The Order Of Night - Balmorhea (2010) Soaring Beyond - Badmarsh & Shri (2001) A Difficult Year - Flights (2012) Þú Ert Jörðin - Ólafur Arnalds (2010) H In New England - Max Richter (2008) Late Anthropocene - Brian Eno (2010) Lokaðu augunum - Ólafur Arnalds (2009) Restless Mystic - A.R. Rahman for Raavanan (2010) The Jaguar Sun - Helios (2009) Ice glass - Gustavo Santaolalla for Nanga Parbat (2010) The Rip - Portishead (2008)
i’ve had lots on my plate lately with my final exams coming up but strangely, that didn’t keep me away from all those marvellous new albums that just got released. the new outing from veteran Lambchop and live recordings from new band Flights (free DL) can both fit on a long road trip. So does Olan Mill, which i rediscovered since after listening to Alex Smalley on the post-rock paper scissors podcast.
on the Bollywood side of things, i’ve been singing along to practically all the songs of Rockstar after watching the movie twice. this truly is a masterpiece from A.R. Rahman and Imtiaz Ali, so it deserved to make a re-appearance on my top list. then there’s that odd music album from established composers Vishal-Shekhar that got released this month, one that reminded me of Amit Trivedi’s No One Killed Jessica that released at the same period last year. Hard-hitting, experimental, requiring tough singing performances from the likes of Javed Bashir, Usha Uthup, Sukhwinder Singh and even Amitabh Bachchan, don’t miss this one.
In my humble opinion, bandcamp is becoming the bastion of underhyped, under-the-radar gems of a wondrous kind, where the music, simply presented, is ripe for the picking in vast amounts. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the high-profile releases (I do, to be sure) but there’s an element at play in sleeper albums like the previously posted Corridors, or my persistent favorite New Animal. Now I get to add Flightsto the list.
Anywhere But Where I Am is a piece of work that needs to be heard in a complete, unbroken listen. Taller is a great example of what I mean - a listen from beginning to end has the song unfolding from its opening acoustic riff into a tapestry of sound that is subtle, intricate and masterfully done. The claps in the background by song’s end can almost be missed, but fill the song out so well it’s an absolute joy to listen to. Altogether, the whole album listens extremely well at its own pace, slowing life down to those calmer, unhurried, more reflective moments. Not to be missed.
The whole thing can be picked up at a name-your-own-price via bandcamp, which is an absolute steal for music this good. Support these guys!
