The "classical" music you buy from Boomkat (2010): a thread to discuss Sylvain Chauveau, Johann Johannsson, Peter Broderick, Olafur Arnalds and others

Recommendations?

Criticisms?

And perhaps to consider this assertion, from a friend: "I have regularly wondered if it's pointless listening to Peter Broderick/Olafur Arnalds when solo piano stuff is probably done best by those who have stood the test of centuries."

Not sure if this is quite inside the Boomkat context, but I'm very fond of this band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR6axzyFX-k

"I have regularly wondered if it's pointless listening to Peter Broderick/Olafur Arnalds when solo piano stuff is probably done best by those who have stood the test of centuries."

But certainly there's more interesting new stuff out there besides quasi-classical music aimed at the indie set?

For the most part, I agree with both of the two previous posts.

I do find Richard Skelton quite moving:

http://www.mixcloud.com/FluidRadio/richard-skelton-exclusive/player/

a lot of that boomkat modern classical kinda stuff is really wonderful

who do you rate in particular?

Richard Skelton is one of my very favourite musicians of the last few years. Everything he's done that I have is amazing; particularly notable is the attention to the physical packaging etc (though even without that, the music is amazing).

What would you go for next, after "Landings"?

i really like Olafur Arnalds. i haven't heard much of his other music, but 'the blue notebooks' by max richter--while a fairly obvious and PFM-approved pick--is really great. 'a box of birch' by a broken consort is good (another skelton project, i think?) would leyland kirby/the caretaker count?

Loving the Kirby album, all three discs of it.

Interesting that Richter's album on the (um, late) Late Junction imprint got picked up by FatCat's neo-classical off-shoot.

these were the other three Type things that arrived from boomkat the other day (in addition to zelienople mentioned elswhere). not listened to it all in depth yet but have shuffled it during last three commutes. i got the On lp (ambient drones), the Goldmund (reminds me of music for airports piano bits) and the recent Helios (like the quiet bits of mogwai)

http://typerecords.com/releases <- handy podcast section

there's also a boomkat winter sale featuring a lot of Type lps, mine came to about £4 each

> "I have regularly wondered if it's pointless listening to Peter Broderick/Olafur Arnalds when solo piano stuff is probably done best by those who have stood the test of centuries."

i kinda thought the same with the goldmund, whether there were classical piano works i should be looking up, but in addition to rather than instead of.

Koogs, thanks for the heads-up on the Boomkat deals. I went for the On record too. Sounds awesome: "SYLVAIN CHAUVEAU AND STEVEN HESS REWORKED BY DEATHPROD... this is the great 'lost' Deathprod album".

that On cover pic as well, is lovely (folded out is even better). a lot of the Type records have covers that remind me of red house painters 4ad sleeves.

Also went for the ON cd ...

Yeah, that whole visual aesthetic is something that I'm quite easily sold on. x-post

(On photographer has more photos here:
http://blog.shawnconvey.com/#57065/Your-Naked-Ghost )

Woah unexpected mental guitars on the last track of Olafur Arnald's Eulogy for Evolution.

Eluvium's piano stuff definitely worth a mention here - An Accidental Memory in Case of Death, When I Live by the Garden and the Sea. Also Copia, and Miniatures under his name of Robert Cooper Clarke, more instrumentation but still of the 'classical' bent.

Would be happy to listen to older stuff if I knew of any that sounded like this, but aside from Satie, I don't. Recommendations welcome!

> Woah unexpected mental guitars on the last track of Olafur Arnald's Eulogy for Evolution.

mental guitars = industrial revolution

so anyway, pilfering the Type podcasts. and there's pme by Simon Scott, ex-ex-ex of slowdive. and there's a link to his blog. and there's an lp by him ('Navigare') and a link to Boomkat who gave it record of the week last october

http://typerecords.com/typecasts/9
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=232012

is in a similar vein to the On record (in the way all ambient stuff sounds the same) but with tinges of the old slowdive sound (or am i imagining that?)

(typed in classical piano to amazon's mp3 downloads site. millions of hits. oh um)

What would you go for next, after "Landings"?

Either "Marking Time" or "Box of Birch", I guess. It's all good though.

On a piano bent, it's not exactly the same as this stuff, but if you don't know Chopin's Nocturnes, you should definitely check them out.

this week's boomkat recommendations (link should be good for future use too):

http://boomkat.com/genres/32/recommendations

the Minamo sounds nice from the samples (but i have more cheap Type records to check out first). the Owen Pallett is miss categorised i think, sounds more like the beach boys.

i also find there's some crossover with the Dark Ambient / Drone / Metal genre

http://boomkat.com/genres/137/recommendations

(the mp3 versions have samples of all tracks, not just the three they choose for the cds)

*Loving* On's Your Naked Ghost Comes Back At Night.

If you like Johann Johannsson you should investigate ... ? (contemporary or otherwise)

On's a bit bleak for my tastes. Where's the choons?

Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain by Mono & World's End Girlfriend is a bit Johannsonesque. Well it has violins anyway. Pretty miserablist though.

I have never heard of these composers. I assume they sound something like Satie informed by minimalism with subtle O'Rourke-ish electronic touches, with higher production values and lower standards of performance technique than most 'new music'? Which could be great or not, depending.

(Ha, OK, just noticed the Satie comparison.)

Thanks for the Skelton link!

Johann Johannsson & Greg Haines (?) live in London in May:
http://www.last.fm/event/1380575+Arctic+Circle+Presents+-+J%C3%B3hann+J%C3%B3hannsson+-+Greg+Haines

Hildur Gudnadottier's Without Sinking deserves a special mention.

(Any thoughts on her other releases? I haven't heard them).

this thread title cracks me up and is so otm

Do any of these artists get reviewed as "classical" music in anywhere other than the Wire? Do they get coverage in what might be described as "traditional" classical music magazines?

the actual boomkat category is 'classical / home listening / ambient' and it's pretty much a catch all for slow quiet stuff.

Do they get coverage in what might be described as "traditional" classical music magazines?

judging from a cursory search, not at all.

Never bought it myself, but I think that the BBC Music magazine (mostly classical, some jazz too) has Late Junction-type stuff in it (Late Junction being the one mainstream radio programme that plays this sorta stuff).

Nils Frahm added to the Johann Johannsson show.

Akira Rabelais has a new album coming out soon. Everyone should listen to Eisoptrophobia. Lovely, haunted reworkings of gorgeous piano pieces from the likes of Satie et al.

Frahm's The Bells sounded lovely earlier while cleaning the kitchen; Johannsson's Virdulegu forsetar sounding gorgeous now (possibly my favourite classical album ever, up there with my favourite albums of any genre); have also been enjoying Valgeir Sigurdsson's Draumalandid.

Anyone heard the Rachel Grimes album?

BTW, djh, thanks for starting this thread...hadn't heard Chauveau or Arnalds yet and grabbed a bunch of both. The Arnalds albums I got have rapidly become some of my favourites.

Anyone else picked up the newish Johannsson soundtrack to the film Varmints? Grabbed it on vinyl and ripped it to MP3 (guess the CD isn't out yet) but there seems to be some weird distortion that comes in on the last track of side one...not sure if that's part of the sound or whether my rip was bad...was perfectly clear up until that point. Either way, enjoyed the album.

the Varmints soundtrack turned up in today's boomkat newsletter (vinyl only until april it says) and actually goes by the snappy title "And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees"

samples here:
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=245281

You can get Varmints on CD - it came out as a tour CD - I got my copy from Insound. It's being re-issued in the UK in April.

Free compilation that partly matches this thread's aesthetic here: http://jointhecircle.net/

nils frahm's wintermusik sounding fucking gorgeous right now (washing the dishes, glass of red on the go).

Want to echo the Richard Skelton love upthread - Landings is great. Maybe I just don't listen to enough of this sort of thing, but the strings on it sound fantastic, there's a really earthy resonance to them.

In the mood to buy a record in this genre ... Any suggestions?

One artist you may want to check out is Harold Budd - a lot of good albums dating back to the 70s, even. It varies a bit, from very piano-heavy to highly processed, so you'll want to preview them first I guess. I have a soft spot for Lovely Thunder and his collab with the Cocteau Twins, Moon and the Melodies but people often point to The White Arcades as a good starting point. (He also has some newer releases too which I'm somewhat less familiar with.)

From 130701:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=R1IvMex1geQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpO_8tk6yNQ

How's the new Olafur Arnalds album?

https://soundcloud.com/djfryer/sets/andrew-wasylyk-the-paralian-01022019-athens-of-the-north

Anyone heard this?

https://www.normanrecords.com/records/174651-gideon-wolf-replicas

I've just ordered the cd, will report back.

re: arnalds - I like his previous work better but still going to see the tour again next Sunday

What did you think Le Bateau Ivre?

I got it in the mail yesterday so only played it through one time, but it's gorgeous. Delicate, fragile piano/violin music mostly, very melancholic, at times droney w/ strings. Music instilled with a sense of swelling unease and quiet mourning. There's little that makes me happier :)

Ha! It has sold out since yesterday ... I've had a bit of a poor run on Fluid Audio releases where I've liked the Soundcloud link but then less so the album (though clearly the physical objects are constructed with fuck of a lot of love).

I can hook you up if you like (send me an ilxmail)

(my ilxmail doesn't work, apparently, if you give me an email addy i'll be in touch)

Does using my ilxor webmail work as a way of making contact?

Only one way to find out, sent you a message

Weird. Nearly missed my bus stop after becoming engrossed in the last Bing & Ruth album on my MP3 player, today.

New Crash Ensemble album coming soon, this Nico Muhly piece is beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee4Kidn4aCc

Very beautiful indeed, thanks for linking!

I’ve been listening through my various favorite albums of the years of the 2010s and I’m reminded that this was my very favorite album of 2014: Rebekka Karijord, Music for Film and Theatre.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1ov6TyW9dXfGU6RZTCFOxO?si=-Qxw3dzyTNy3AlFj7Yoqrw

This has been good for home working ...

https://claricejensen.bandcamp.com/album/the-experience-of-repetition-as-death

Any recent recommendations? I've got the next Bing & Ruth on order but haven't discovered anything new since, well, April 6.

I really like max de wardener's music for detuned pianos played by kit downes, very light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHvXYi3xMxQ
http://somekindofpeace.com

new, more minimalist than the previous, album from ólafur Arnalds, being streamed + some stuff on youtube (Q&A etc) planned in the coming hours as well

(so... at 8 PM (your time) it will start playing)

Anything new-ish to recommend? I have £20 to spend at Norman (sorry, Boomkat!)

I'd completely missed this until this evening:

https://angeledavid-guillou.bandcamp.com/album/a-question-of-angles

Even before the Moby album, Deutsche Grammophon seemed to be releasing some unexpected artists (Clark, Balmorhea etc).

I know it's only a small part of what they do but wondering if it can be tracked to anything?

I'd track it to the start of their ReComposed series back in 2009:
https://www.discogs.com/label/660411-Recomposed

Of course. I'd forgotten about them.

I was half wondering if there was one person commissioning these things, some of which seem great and some ... a bit less necessary.

Might be of interest?

"Dustin O'Halloran continues The Classical Takeover with his all-time favourite tunes."

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWXtBjoO4Thyy?si=bcb89bebbc7c482c&nd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFRdoYfZYUY

Good, that. Ta.

There might be better threads for this (Fat Cat ones, I guess) but I'm going to put this here:

https://headphonecommute.com/2021/08/10/130701-a-20th-anniversary-mix/

Oh, dear God. Johannsson's "The Cause of Labour ..." sounds magnificent, tonight - but lots of other stuff, including some things I've missed (not heard/not bought).

that's a fantastic mix

Lubomyr Melnyk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr2ofP0Qof4

A Spotify playlist (an edit of a CD made for a holiday):

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KXOjOAdxsaHdSZYgE4E9g

But, more, heard anything good recently??

15 disc François Bayle box set to go along with the Radigue and Parmegiani boxes ... oh go on then

https://boomkat.com/products/50-ans-d-acousmatique?fbclid=IwAR1ISsvByUMZVhngX4OG0g19njLWphM5OkekwspeEbS7bQq-3vdHYCdkdKE

Heard anything incredible? I'm in the mood to buy something Boomkat Classical.

Shilling for myself here djh, but I've got a record coming out on Sound in Silence soon which may fit the bill -

Preview link - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0zjx6jy8ob32kto/AAChpnpsA1Ja4rZYov7V3dMta?dl=0

Ta - look forward to that later!

would Alison Cotton fit in this thread? plays viola, harmonium. droney. ned's a fan. has a dark folk tinge to it, especially when she sings.

maybe start here (largely because it is cheap)

https://bloxhamtapes.bandcamp.com/album/all-is-quiet-at-the-ancient-theatre

@Maresn3st, it worked! I liked the sustained tension - so I'm going to buy it when it comes out :)

Ah, thank you Stan!

Had wine and made a CD-R for a friend. Here it is as a Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7yBvydRPnLza5ijwEHKPC7

(Not my most thought-through playlist).

I reviewed five new CDs on the Another Timbre label. link

used to lurk in this fine thread quite a bit a couple of years ago

recently I thought of it again because I started to work on solo piano music that fits the thread title quite well, although with somewhat of a different twist than most of the other artists discussed here

well I just released my first piece and while technically not on boomkat just yet, I’m definitely planning to sell my album there eventually maybe next year or so :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpwN-QxJiGs

(feel free to ignore if this kind of shameful self-promotion is making you nauseous)

Weirdly missed this:

https://bleep.com/release/329892-cate-blanchett-hildur-gunadttir-tar

Enjoyed this - Elizabeth Alker on Radio 3 - Sacred Spaces

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001fx2s

Has there been anything good this year??

Didn't know where else to put these modern percussion ensemble pieces, but album title of the year for sure:
https://juliansartorius.bandcamp.com/album/rllrlrllrrlrlrlrllrlrlr?label=1968817536
Julian Sartorius - RLLRLRLLRRLRLRLRLLRLRLR

This video of one of the pieces is fantastic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ4HRiNTQC4