The Index

It's about time to give some credit to the band, who gave this blog it's name. The Index was a californian band in the sixties. They recorded their debut album in a cellar and so it was later released on DC Recordings. Later on two of the members met again and recorded another album.

A lot of feedback on about every instrument ensures that this album has an amazing dreaming sound. Truly ´67 psych.

Listen Here.

Nick Drake - Pink Moon

Recommending Nick Drake, shouldn't really be necessary these days. We’ll do it anyway in case that someone should have missed him. Nick Drake was an English singer/songwriter born in 1948 and died in 1974 – only two years after releasing his third album; Pink Moon.

During his lifetime he never managed to reach commercial succes, and none of his works sold more than five thousand copies. Despite this fact, he is, today, considered to be one of the most important artists in English singer/songwriting tradition.

Drake was signed to Island Records, who after the lack of succes related to the first releases – Five Leaves Left (1969) and Bryter Layter (1970) – didn’t showed much interest in releasing another album. However the founder of Island Records; Chris Blackwell, liked Nick Drakes music and believed that Pink Moon could reach commerciel succes, and thus the album was released in the end.

Pink Moon is a very stark and bare recording, mainly because Drake had been really dissapointed with the sound on his previous releases. It is approximately 28 minutes, with Drakes voice and guitar – only accompanied by a piano once (on the title track). This record should be in every record collection really, and there is no reason to make further comments to the music itself, just enjoy this fantastic piece of musical art.

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Jim O'Rourke - I'm Happy And I'm Singing, And a 1,2,3,4

Jim O'Rourke er født i 1969, og associeres ofte med Chicagos Tidlige experimental scene. På de seneste år vil mange dog nok forbinde ham med Sonic Youth, som han blev medlem af i 2000. Siden (2005) er han dog stoppet som fuldtidsmedlem for at fokusere på sin filmkunst.

Udover at have udgivet en god portion soloalbums har han også produceret for en lang række artister. Af de mest kendte kan man nævne bl.a. Wilco, Smog, Faust og Beth Orton. Han er meget alsidig både som musiker og producer, hvilket vel også fremgår ret åbenlyst af ovenstående navne.

I'm Happy And I'm Singing, And a 1,2,3,4 består af tre numre, der hedder henholdsvist I'm Happy, And I'm Singing og And a 1,2,3,4. Åbningsnummeret er relativt syret/dronet electronica, man vil kunne drage sammenligninger med bl.a. engelske Orbital. Et langt trancendentalt stykke, der langsomt bygger op omkring aggressive panorerede lyde, for til sidst at gå ned i det dybere register og blive mere meditativt.

And I'm Singing Har nogenlunde samme princip, men er dog, umiddelbart mere lettilgængeligt, hvis man kan bruge et sådant ord i sammenhæng med denne plade. Rent faktisk har dette nummer også en stortromme der giver noget der kan minde om tempofeeling.

Tredje nummer er den 21 min. lange And a 1,2,3,4, der er min personlige favorit. Den er langfra ligeså aggressiv som de to foregående, men bygger langsomt op med synths og rolige guitarklangflader. Det er meditativt, roligt, behageligt og en masse andre dejlige ting.

Man bør høre denne plade.

Myspace (dog ikke indeholdende nogen tracks fra omtalte plade)