Best of 2012 instrumental mix

Pictured: Toto

Click here to listen

01 Evenings - Golden
02 Snow Palms - Blue Yonder
03 Andrew Bird - Things Behind The Barn
04 Two Bicycles - Voice Clouds
05 Message To Bears - Farewell, Stars
06 Dead Rat Orchestra - Salt Slide
07 Alamaailman Vasarat - Riistomaasiirtäjä
08 Black Prairie - Evil Leaves
09 Mount Eerie - (something)
10 Library Tapes - End of the Summer
11 dalot - haiku 16
12 Indian Wells - In The Streets
13 Errors - The Knock
14 Balmorhea - Artifact
15 Godspeed You! Black Emperor - We Drift Like Worried Fire
16 Memory Tapes - The Black Reel

~90 minutes counting the last two tracks, ~45 without them. Think of it as a 2-part deal if you want, or just skip the long tracks at the end, idgaf. It was a good year for instrumental music. I could have made this go on for hours, easily. I left most of my favorite ambient stuff off since a lot of the same artists are on the Hurricane Sandy Relief compilation posted below, which you should really check out in lieu of any mix I could make.

...and darkness came [2012] - First Impression

I'm only really thirty-eight or so songs into this absurdly large (86 tracks!) compilation, but i'm fairly confident it's worth recommending to you. I haven't heard a bad track yet, and still to come further down the list are the likes of Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Max Richter, Hauschka, Clint Mansell, Celer, and many, many more of your favorite ambient, drone, and modern classical artists. The album is free to listen to, but if you choose to buy it, 100% of your $10 for a download in a format of your choice (including FLAC) will go to Doctors Without Borders and The Humane Society. And, thanks to this compilation, I'm now subscribed to the excellent electronic music review mag headphonecommute, which I hadn't known about until now. Whether you're really into this kind of thing, are feeling particularly contemplative on a grey day with nothing to do, or just need some pretty music to fall asleep to, this 86-track monstrosity is probably for you.

Best of 2012 mix

Pictured: None of the below bands.

I don't do lists, I do do mixes. click here to listen or check out the streaming link below.
hehe. do do.

01 Secret Mountains - Golden Blue
02 Thee Oh Sees - Lupine Dominus
03 Frankie Rose - Interstellar
04 Grass Widow - Milo Minute
05 Seapony - What You Wanted
06 Ilyas Ahmed - My Mirage
07 Mount Eerie - Ocean Roar
08 Sharon van Etten - Serpents
09 Black Prairie - How Do You Ruin Me
10 Efterklang - Dreams Today
11 Stars - Progress
12 The Luyas - Channeling
13 Memory Tapes - Neighborhood Watch
14 Aesop Rock - Racing Stripes
15 Boy Eats Drum Machine - The Devil's Wheels
16 Liars - WIXIW
17 First Aid Kit - Dance To Another Tune
18 Andrew Bird - Beyond the Valley of the Three White Horses

If i get DMCA'd for not blacking out any of those names, so help me god, (insert empty threats here). Run time is ~80 minutes, and watch out for a follow-up all-instrumental mix coming soon.

On the topic of Black Prairie, Secret Mountains, and Sharon Van Etten, I still have some pictures and videos from shows I attended last month to round up and post here. Secret Mountains are playing again this coming Friday, 12/14 at Union Pool in Brooklyn. They'll be opening for Andrew Cedermark (who sounds promising from the brief sample I heard) along with The Heaven's Jail Band and Gem Trails. While theirs will probably be a short set, Secret Mountains alone will be worth the price of admission, so drop by that show if you have nothing better to do.

Update: Secret Mountains canceled so I hope no one took my advice.

House-Mixes.com

Andrew Bird - Live at Riverside Church, New York City, December 10th, 2012

Andrew Bird performed this (and one other) new song last night at his first Gezelligheid show in New York City, which, for those unaware, is a series of shows Bird usually plays solo in Chicago at which he improvises on old songs and tries out new material. Riverside Church was an excellent choice of venue, Mr Bird was brandishing his typical awkward, mumbling charm, and the horns that festooned (that's right. "festooned") the stage behind him contributed a lot to both the visual and audible atmosphere, especially the pair of spinning Janus Horns (one much larger than the other) standing at center stage. The hornmaker's wares were on display along with Bird's own merchandise in the church lobby, and there were snacks.

There were two sets broken up by an intermission, both of which were quite long. Almost the entire Fingerlings 4 album was reprised, along with a much of this year's Break it Yourself and a smattering of older songs, like the Dylan cover "Oh Sister" and the frequent live show favorite, "Plasticities". The single, "Eyeoneye", and another track, "Orpheo Looks Back", both got a special, softer treatment for this show, which was quite special indeed. Tift Merritt contributed guitar and vocal accompaniment at times, and I'd say it was the show's only (and very slight) bad mark, because she's definitely no Annie Clark. This is the second time I've seen her contribute vocals at an Andrew Bird show in New York City and she frankly seems like a poor match. I'm probably just being overly picky, she's definitely competent, I'm just not happy with what is clearly a deliberate choice.

The second show (tonight, 12/11) is still not sold out as of this writing, and anyone skipping it without a good reason is a fool. Some of the performances from these and the shows in Chicago will likely be used for an upcoming Fingerlings album, if past habits are any indication. These shows are one of a kind (okay, 6-8 of a kind per outing, whatever) and are not to be missed. Below you may find the other new song - an untitled instrumental introduced as yet innocent because he hasn't had to come up with lyrics for it; before it has "the burden of ideas" - and a song released on the recent Hands of Glory record called "Something Biblical".

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A quick note about the recent hiatus - there was one. Yep. Will posts be resuming regularly? Watch this space to find out!