M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (2011)

This has been in-the-making for a little over a while now. 22-track double album, a gem really; can't say we get many of those anymore! Title says it all too, entire album sounds and feels like a dream. Almost like the should-have-been soundtrack to Spike Jonze's mixed bag of a film, Where the Wild Things Are. Hurry up, and listen.

Since this is a mega pre-release, the download link may not work. Nothing is guaranteed. Please leave comments to let us know if there is a problem.

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Walt Mink - Goodnite (1998)

walt mink formed in 1989 and split in 1997, only having one or two appearances since then. this is a live recording of their last show in a small venue in 1997; and what an impressive record of live precision it is. walt mink was a power trio who unfortunately got lost midst label problems and was drowned out by other big 90s names such as nirvana et. al. powerful structures along with melodic proficiency ensure this to be one hell of a fun cd. this is the closest we'll ever get to having a "best of" cd, without all the mainstream pretenses, but make no mistake, this is a damn good album. the recording quality is truly impressive for the setting under which this was recorded - this record has magnitude similar to that of how the west was won. super recommend!

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Mount Eerie - No Flashlight: Songs Of The Fulfilled Night (2005)

an usually overlooked album (surprisingly so too, this was the first breath of life that the mount eerie project took right after the moniker of "the microphones" was abandoned), "no flashlight" is a surprisingly melancholic and somber album. it's gloomy and upbeat production only serves as a contrast. it's heavily bass'd up songs are also in an inverse relationship with the wispy guitar compositions; and it's instrumentation remains as strong as elverum decided to make it during his previous works. a truly aspiring release that was a sort of reflection album, this is sure to revitalize your nostalgia while paving the way for new memories.

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Big Blood - Big Blood + The Grove (2007)

sensational songwriters with an aptitude for lyrical & musical dexterity that sends chill down any spine. very good conceptual placement for the songs make this a great listen, and those especially fond of experimental folk magnates fire on fire and cerberus shoal should also take a certain liking to it. superb album with some of the more intricate production to be found in recent folk. vocals are just down right cogent enough to leave auditory imprints in you. really enjoy!

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Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane (2008)

what a strangely appealing album. chad vangaalen has dabbled in some interesting sounds here. make no mistake, this is a folk-founded record, but that does not negate it's inevitable exploration within itself. the music itself explores the genre very well, and even manages to mix the rest of it's influences into a tight knit album. swell production, and fun song composition make this an excellent listen, some of the songs are densely energetic - something music seems to remiss lately. sounds like: big blood, the sandwiches, arcade fire(funeral era).

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Fire Spoken by the Buffalo - Hiatus (2011)

the first time i heard about this band was on what.cd, the forums to be specific. i thought not much of it, except they had a fancy name - so i did what i had to - listen to it. despite the name seeming like some sort of platitude about weirdness(which it is not, it's rlly cool guise), this was an exiting post-rock band. "but dantelop, post rock is dead!" no it's not, as FSbtB demonstrate in their two ambitious albums. unfortunately, the band has gone lp2 and begun an actual hiatus; but fear not, as they have reassured me that they will maybe reincarnate in something cooler. enjoy bros.

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Gato Barbieri - Last Tango in Paris OST (1972)

Argentinian sax player Gato Barbieri's score to Bertolucci's meditation on death and dirty, dirty sex. obviously, lots of tango but also Afro-Latin jazz, sexy waltzes, and extraordinary lyrical sax playing. uber edition includes remarkable 29-part orchestral suite by Barbieri using cues/scenes not referenced on the original release.

go get the butter

SpaceghostPurrp - Blackland Radix 66.6 (1991) (2011)

one of those releases where the cover does all the describing for you. Miami hip-hop cut with a dose of Gravediggaz horrorcore and early 90s low-budget basement beats. don't let the Mortal Kombat samples and juvenile pussy/posse tracks ("Suck a Dick for 2011," "Like a Strippah," "Grind on Me," "Stoner Gang!") fool you, there's some intelligent sequencing to be found here ("Been Fweago," "Legend of the East Pyramids"). if you're looking for overtly misogynistic screwed&chopped/witchy/southern/808 shit, and who isn't, then look no further than SpaceghostPurrp.

i got yo bitch on my dick, bitch

Francis - Beautiful Town, We Swear!

Beautiful Town, We Swear! is the strange, yet wonderfully-haunted sound-collage project of Francis, a Saint-Louis-based minimalist pop musician and classically-trained pianist. On Beautiful Town, We Swear! the album unfolds in a fashion that embraces natural silences, imperfections of analogue recording, the repetitious nature of pop music and the undeniable warmth of the Wurlitzer Funmaker Sprite.

Fun fact: The album was originally recorded as one continuous take, but has since been released as an 11-track project.

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DJ Quik - The Book of David (2011)

modern west coast masterpiece? late career renaissance? both equally apply here. i equate Quik to an LA version of Too $hort - a local legend whose greatness has been mostly ignored by the national press. he proved he still had fire on 2009's BlaQKout with Kurupt, and this time he pairs his deceptive emcee destroying intensity (what up MC Eiht?) with signature silky g-funk sex-party beats and chilled-out flows. and oh look, it's Bizzy Bone, Suga Free, Bun B, Jon B, and... Ice Cube! been waiting years for Quik to re-establish himself as the elder statesman of the LA scene, and with this release it appears he's finally decided to lay a claim to the throne instead of just making cameos on Entourage.

party at the St. Regis multi-purpose room

Nujabes - Hydeout Productions 1st Collection (2003)

On February 26, 2010, 39-year old Japanese DJ and hip-hop producer Nujabes (Jun Seba) was involved in an automobile accident. He passed away. Hydeout Productions 1st Collection is considered Nujabes' debut as an artist. He is also responsible for the music in the hit anime television series, Samurai Champloo. Known for his heavy use of jazz sounds and various Herbie Hancock samples, Luv(sic) Part 2 (track#14) is, without a doubt, a staple of the Nujabes sound.

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The Samps - The Samps EP (2010)

When a group of friends get together to make a record they both love, you get something like The Samps' The Samps EP—true story. The Samps is the side-project of "sometimes-guitarist for Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti" Cole M. Grief-Neill and friend(s?) Crazy cover art; crazy-good EP. Layering samples upon samples upon samples, The Samps manage to create a sound that doesn't sound sampled at all; rather, you get funk-tastic tracks like Peppergood and FXNC but the true highlight, the this-is-so-good-you-need-to-download-this-album-right-now-because-of-this-song track is Yellow Jacket. Sounds like "music from another planet," or something. Crazy. Oh and Samps actually stands for something: South African Metaphysical Society. Neat.

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Four Tet - Locked (2011)

Four Tet is releasing a Fabric Live mix this September. For those of you in the know, this a pretty big deal. It's a big deal because regular artists will usually spend a good two days on a mix before sending something in. Most mixes nowadays are extremely predictable and habitually done sort of last-minute. Four Tet went to the extra mile here by including three brand new unreleased tracks as well as several hidden gems from like-minded musicians, including some fantastic self-recorded transitions/interludes. Furthermore, Four Tet personally ripped every single track for the upcoming FabricLive.59 mix from vinyl to give it a sort of organic-feel. Many people will never know the difference but for WFLM people, this means a world of difference. Enjoy this cinematic-sounding 8:31 epic wooze of a track.

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Susumu Yokota - Grinning Cat (2001)

This album has always stuck with me; sounds from it enter into my head sparked by the most disparate stimuli. With such absolutely mellifluous piano samples you could collapse, and from drowsy beauty to engaging orchestral expanse, this album is marked by stellar melodies and real instrumentation, top notch percussion, the weirdly enveloping, dulcet atmosphere of a dream, and something wholly intangible.... I think they call it inspiration.

Wet breasts.

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Love is a Stream (2010)

Shimmering, unrelenting, cosmic, blistering, powerful, soothing, hypnotic, dreamlike, pure and loving noise and feedback with beautiful melodies undulating under the surface. This is love like standing too close to the sun.

Love it.

Robyn - Body Talk (2010)

This is far from anything I would ever usually listen to, but a friend of mine laid the unusually addicting video for Call Your Girlfriend on me, which spanked my interest. This chick has some surprisingly good electronic dance pop. That's right, the same one from the 90s, but she delightfully turned out to be kind of a weirdo. She goes a few different places on this record though. Fembot starts it off and sets the tone with a serious dance beat and its playful melodic cheekiness and crisply delivered vocals. She churns out some dance floor anthems with Dancing On My Own (sure to exhaust a number of harshly rejected womyn) , Indestructible and Love Kills (which both feature a Tron: Legacy-like undergroove, but have completely contradictory themes), Hang With Me, and most of the uddas. Dancehall Queen is one of the biggest standouts, with its nice shiny reggae vibe, and quality vocal. There's a Snoop Dogg cameo in the aggressive U Should Know Better for those of you into that kind of thing, and you should listen up to the libretto of We Dance to the Beat.

Link taken down. Check it out anyway if you want.

The Bird Ensemble - Evensong (2009)

More good ol' melodic instrumental from the men who brought you the lovely and talented Migration. Essentially sweet guitar melodies for everyone without an obnoxious voice to muddle them. As it's not what these guys normally do, thankfully only crescendo-centric at the end of the fifth and last songs (fuck you, an intro song normally builds).

Here.

Tamaryn - The Waves (2010)

very good shoegaze record from San Fransisco (by way of NZ/NYC) outfit Tamaryn. i don't really even like 'gaze but this record is dope, reminds me alot of first gen stuff like MBV and The Pastels, with swirling/ethereal Cocteau Twins-style vocals and insistent basslines, especially on the opening and closing tracks. one of those albums that kind of floats by without being too ponderous, but that nevertheless leaves a lasting impression on you. more solid late night music for the end of the summer.

Mild Confusion

God Bows To Math - Solar Lights Don't Work At Night (2011)

another release from my favourite new zealand record label. nice punk-y dirty noise-y shit. if you're into that description, you will like it.

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The Weeknd - House Of Balloons (2011)

i'm sure most of the WFLM readership probably picked this up in April when the hype was reaching ridiculous proportions, but with the follow-up's delay it remains, irregardless, the undisputed afterparty record of the summer. Toronto r&b replete with 808 drum samples, silky synths, skittering snares, and 90s vocal stylings; Sontag naive camp, so earnest that every listen indebts it to you a little bit more, a Jodeci-like album that makes you want to curl up with a girl (put in work!) and spend a sweaty night macking on a grimy, sandy couch. tracks 2, 3 (esp. after the beat swap), 6, and 7 are favourites, but The Morning (track 4) has been a go-to late night mixtape cut for the past couple of months and the perfect soundtrack for wrapping up the last few sunsplashed nights of August. bonfire that shit, you know you want to.

my niggas stay tight, got my back like Pippen