Caustic Reverie is a side project of Byrn Schumann who has been previously reviewed on this site for his other project titled TheForgotton. This project is darker, minimalist and full of haunting drones. Caustic Reverie has 13 full length albums, each being over an hour long, and one 36 minute EP. All fo these albums are well developed soundscapes that inspire a sense of calm and meditation

Instead of boring you with a paly-play description, I will focus on the newest album titled Mithridatium. As stated by the artist, Mithridatium “is a collection of drones and soundscapes created from an eight-string fretless guitar. “. The sound is almost cavernous. The first track sound like a piece written for a post-modern cathedral. While the tracks are mainly drone oriented there are lots of subtleties and layers.

The other albums are quite similar although I prefer the later albums to the earlier ones. Schumann is a soundscape artist of exceptional talents.

You can find all fifteen albums listed on Caustic Reverie’s JamendoPage or you can download them from their individual album pages as linked below.

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Mithridatium
Sunset Reposed
Glacial Procession
Inadmissible Evidence
Rust Shore
Fissure
Bower
Theme for Guitar and Voice Volume 1
Theme for Guitar and Voice Volume 2
Word Salad Surgery
Stochastic Resonance
Mute
Absent
Project 168 EP

If there is anything that can be called pure unadulterated music nirvana, this comes awfully close. Four exquisitely orchestrated female voices singing music written for the angels. As usually, I’m over-rhapsodizing but I think you will understand when you download and listen to this beautiful album of tangos and Argentinian folk music titled Cuatro Voces en Tango.

The album is available on Jamendo in VBR MP3 format.

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You know DIY has gone over the edge when the artist braggs that his music was recorded “with one mic made out of cell phone parts and a ball of aluminum foil”. The album titled Arecibo Psycodelic Classics 17: Abortos Musicales by Mu. is a cornucopia of percussive sounds that seem to be dually influenced by John Cage and an army of toddlers let loose in a music store. While there is a temptation to think of Mu as someone who simply wants to find as many sounds as he can get out of the household appliances, he is actually quite imaginative and has some structure hiding behind the noise. Those familiar with avant jazz percussion of the 70s will get this album faster than most but I think the rest will still enjoy this interesting noisefest.

The album is available from the Headphonica netlabel in 320kbps MP3.

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While listening to her four free and legal online albums, New Zealand musician Jordan Reyne reminds me of a number of artists yet still manages to be uniquely herself. The first comparison is the most arguable, Reyne’s atmospheric background and her plaintive Celtic vocals hints of Enya yet Reyne is more darkwave than Enya could ever be. More accurate might be the Gothic renderings of Dead Can Dance. I also hear the epic combination of rock and electronic of Peter Gabriel especially on the two later albums. Yet the comparison game can only go so far, Jordan Reyne has clearly carved out a niche of her own.

Passenger (2004) is dark and hypnotic. Reyne remains a haunting vocalist throughout. The title track and “Waiting For The Sun” are stand-out tracks. I do hear that Enya influence, perhaps Enya by way of Brian Eno?

Birds of Prey (1997) is my favorite of the four album and the most accessible. The title tracks gives you a good example of the Peter Gabriel influences. Reyne in a bit sharper in her vocals on this album which rings best on the harder edged tracks like “Perfidity” yet milder songs like “Long Way To Climb” are quite impressive too.

While marked as albums by Jordan Reyne, The Ironman (2000) and The Loneliness of Creatures (2002) appears originally released under the name of Dr. Kevorkian and The Suicide Machine. Changing the name was a good move. Yet these two albums are very different from the artist’s other two efforts. These are dark ambient bordering on drone music. The albums convey a dark and disturbing musical environment. I prefer the other two CDs but these will have their moments for those into dark ambient.

All albums are available in 128kbps MP3. If you like the music, you can also purchase Jordan Reyne’s latest CD, How The Dead Live.

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I’m still trying to get a grip on this self-titled manic album by Banda Tre. dance music, party music, out-of control techno dub, but mainly just totally fun reggae and world beat. It is a bit cartoonish but the fast-based beats are certainly contagious. I think kids would like this music but I have no idea if the lyrics are suitable as they are in a language I do not understand, They are certainly fun to hear. “Reggae-Brazil” has the heaviest rock beats and is my personal favorite. “Stare Kwasy” is the most traditional reggae track and still somewhat outrageous. Also worth a listen is “Nowe Zasady” which sounds like a bizarre version of the Macarena. Let’s see…fun, dance, outrageous, contagious…you get the idea. Give it a try.

The Album is available from Afterbeat in 192kbps MP3.

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Ernest Bloch is a Swiss born American composer most noted from his use of Jewish traditional and liturgical music in his compositions. His music is derived from Late Romantic and Impressionistic influences yet his liberal use of Jewish themes and motifs makes him stand out in 20th century music.

The Violin Concerto was written for Joseph Szigeti and is performed by Szigeti on this 1939 recording with the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire of Paris. The conductor is Charles Munch. The concerto is a serious affair but loaded with beautiful melodies. Szigeti is a violinist of unparalleled brilliance and it shows on this masterly transfer from 78rpm to MP3. If you have not heard this somewhat forgotten composerbefore then this virtuoso performance is a good place to start.

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Indo’s Creative Commons Licensed albums are a series of global ambient experiments utilizing multiple musical cultures. Each album appears to be focused on a certain world music. However the Hungarian artist uses his own electronic and sampling tricks to give them an unique and individual sound. I prefer these albums as essentially background music for reading or working but they would also work well for meditative listening.

Tangata Manu has an album cover of the Easter Island statues. I do not know if the sound sare of Easter Island music specifically but there is definitely a Pacific Island beat going on. Actually it reminds me of the Kodo album I have on my shelf. I love the way Indo builds the tension on track two. Other tracks tend to be less tense yet it remain an intriguing listen from the first to last track.

Based on the title of Tropical Dream Forest, I dreaded the album would be something like the mass produced New Age “relaxation” tapes. However this is another good mixture of Indo’s experiments with electronics and nature. I especially like “Rain and Sunshine”. There doesn’t seem to be a coherent theme here. Rain Forest themed pieces are mixed with a 9/11 tribute called “The Two Towers”. Yet there are plenty of nice experiments.

Al-Isra (The Night Flying fo Mohammed is derived from the 17th Sutra of the Holy Quran focusing on Mohamed’s night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem. Between it chant-like recitations and the long drones, it is quite a mystical journey. I find this the most involving of Indo’s efforts.

Khastra Vairya is Indo’s own Persian fantasy. In many ways it is the most abrasive of the sound journeys. Not my favorite but still interesting. Indo appears to be echoing Muslimgauze on this album. Frankly I think Indo’s ambient soundscapes are more accessible than those of Muslimgauze.

Finally, the single tracked Pneuma is essentially a thirty minute drone exercise incorporate nature sounds including bird calls and water sounds. It is the most meditative of the albums.

All five albums are available in mp3 format.

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Tangata Manu
Tropical Dream Forest
Khastra Vairya
Pneuma
Al - Isra (The Night Flying Of Mohamed)

The Indonesian cornucopia of music on netlabel Yes No Wave gets especially weird with this online album by a group of anarchic rockers called Zoo. The 25 minute EP titled Trilogi Peradaban, actually a trilogy of three shorter EP that come together in a download zip, is an unrelenting barrage of screaming and frenzied musicianship . I’m not sure of their point most the time but the brevity of most tracks makes this music not only tolerable but interesting. The two longer tracks, “Kelana” and “Eskalator” gives the band a chance to stretch out a little. I admit I have a soft spot for chaotic experiments like this, so give it a listen. It might help you break that apartment lease you have been trying to get rid of.

The album is available in 128kbps MP3. The very brief Kebun Binatang is also available from Yes No Wave.

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There are lots of top class musicians showcased on the music page of the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum web site. However their own chamber orchestra shouldn’t be missed either. Three compositions are available at the Free Music Archive under the heading Live at The Gardner Museum’s Tapestry Room. The two Mozart works and a serenade from Anton Dvorak make up the gentle Classical program for a Sunday afternoon of your choosing. It is as relaxing as a outdoor picnic but without the ants and the drunken relatives.

If you enjoy the concert go back to that music page linked above and feast on the loads of classical music so generously uploaded by the splendid people at the museum.

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I love Anti-Clockwise and I make no apologies. It takes me back to the my days in Los Angeles as I waited in line to see X or Black Flag while the young punks wondered what this old guy in his 30s was doing there. This Lisbon based band has a good old school punk sound even though it leans toward heavy metal a bit too. While some of the lyrics on their album titled Love Bomb Baby are silly and overly violent (”Domestic Tattoo”: “You break my heart, I’ll break your face”), it mainly comes across as good comic book sensationalism. Due to lyrics like the one I quoted, I wouldn’t recommend this to the easily impressible. However, those mature punkers who understand the music’s cathartic benefits will like it.

The album is available from their web site in 320kbps MP3.

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Tamerlan inhabits a musically dark area that straddles goth, folk, and ambient. Predominantly acoustic, it hints of darkwave and rock yet sounds very mystical, almost medieval. Their album is titled The Antiexistence and it is eerie and relaxing, sort of new age on the dark side. Highlight tracks include the only vocal “Beneath the Moonlight” , the tribal “Manipura”, and “Arcane Dreams”.

The album is available from the Ekleipsi netlabel through the internet archive in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis format.

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I’m not a big turntablism fan but I must admit the artistry of Manuele Atzeni is quite appealing. Sporting a urban soulfulness and a lounge style hipness, The Miyazaki Tour EP is a nentertaining five track collection of hip hop and electronica laced with a lot of jazz and funk. Atzeni, aka Miyazaki, comes from Florence, Italy and is apparently a major influence in the hip/hop & dance scene of that area. This is a nice mellow mixture of the hip and the cool.

The album is available from WM Recordings in 320kbps MP3.

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When the words “experiment” and “music” are used together I usually know what to expect. An experiment is just that, an attempt at something in which the actual results are not totally known. It may be interesting, even groundbreaking, or it may be a failure. Australian avant-garde violinist Jon Rose loves to experiment. His album Fringe Benefits is a two disc, 29 tracks collection of experiments from 1977 to 1988 ranging from brilliant to “WTF!”. Fortunately for the listener, very few of these tracks can be called boring.

The tracks tend to fall into not-so-well-defined areas. Many of them are played on prepared instruments such as a 19 stringed violin or complex installations involving violins and other apparatus. Others can be loosely called field recordings but are essentially duets with nature. A couple of the more interesting are “Cattle Train and Violin” or “Fly trapped in violin”. I was especially amused with “Chinese 1:4 violin with 50 feeding parrots”. Some tracks are more conventional, as if that word can be used regarding the eccentricities of this artist. One cut, “The Relative Band 1984″ involves Rose’s continuing collaboration with other like minded improvising musicians. The string trio might actually be considered a conventional composition at least by post-classical standards. Finally I enjoyed Rose’s rendition of Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” reminding me of the tongue-in-cheek “America Drinks and Goes Home” by Frank Zappa. Rose shows some good jazz chops but Ray Nance and Stuff Smith need not be worried. Overall, this large collection will bewilder some and dismay others but hopefully some will be fascinated by the wide range of ideas that are explored in this avant-garde retrospective.

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Claire Hamill is a British singer/songwriter that has been composing and recording since the 70s. She has a slew of albums over the decades and most of them can be downloaded with her blessing from her website. If you have heard of this talented musician, it is probably due to the fact that she wrote “You Take My Breath Away”, a song that became a hit for Eva Cassidy. Hamill has a soft voice in which personal intimacy wins out over power. She has been compared to Joni Mitchell but I hear a tantalizing mix of folk and traditional chanteuses like Judy Collins and Sandy Denny. She is a consummate storyteller in her lyrics. Nine albums are available on her download page and they all have high quality original songs and covers that are worth listening to.

Her first album was One House Left Standing (1971). The first track “Baseball Blues is a raggy affair but most of the songs are steeped in the English folk tradition. I especially like “Urge For Going” which shows that Sandy Denny influence.

The sophomore album October (1973) isn’t all that distinctive. However her third album titled Stage Door Johnnies (1975) is my favorite of her albums. This is the album that includes “You Take My Breath Away” but all the tracks are quite strong. “All The Cakes She Baked Him” is quite Joni Mitchell-like. “Geronimo Cadillac” proved that Hamill can excel on an upbeat song. There are also some nice covers of The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and The Moody Blues’ “Go Now”.

Abracadabra (1975), Touchpaper (1984), and Voices (1984), and Love in The Afternoon (1988) are all good solid performances. However the later albums loses that mellow folk influence and tend toward over-produced pop. I would especially recommend her cover of The Kinks’ “Celluloid Heroes” on Abracadabra. I believe most of these albums were originally released on Ray Davies’ Konk record label.

Summer (1998) and The Lost and The Lovers (2006) are collaborations with Andrew Warren. They are essentially conceptual albums with more hyper-produced studio tricks. The songs are quite catchy, some even gorgeous, but I prefer the earlier efforts.

All albums are available in 128kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, support the artist by leaving a donation through Paypal or by buying her CDs.

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The neat thing about the net label Clinical Archives is that I never know quite what I am going to hear. After all, who would have thought that mixed in with all the avant-garde, electronica, and experimental music would be this very down-home country EP that reeks of dogwood, cicadas and Hank Williams. Live Candy gives us a very live and very authentic country honky-tonk experience that defines the terms “Alt-country” and “Americana”. Keith Morris with his back-up band The Crooked Numbers is the real thing. This is evidenced from the first track, “Snowday” which immediately hooked me on the plaintive and somewhat nasal voice of Morris. The instrumental and vocal backing is especially nice. Morris has no problems sharing vocals with Devon Sproule on “Billie Weir’s Dress” and Jen Morris on “Waltzing”. The songs are all Morris originals and all tracks but “Candy Apples” are performed live. The non-live track is a March Rosetta re-mix which is more pop oriented than the rest of the EP but it is still a delight. Alt-country fans need to grab this up quick.

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Richmond hip-hop producer Just Plain Ant has a good thing going for him with his new netlabel Just Plain Sounds. Unencumbered by the demands of the corporate music machine, JPA can go ahead and release something like The New Black, 50 minutes and 30 less than 2 minute tracks of music borrowing from classical, urban soul, reggae and anything else the artist can fit into his urban soundscape. This is the fourth album I’ve featured from JPA and he just seems to get better each time. I especially like “Della Reese” because it is sassy and classy like its namesake. The entire album has the unavoidable problem that brief track albums have. I get into the beat and…Wham!…off to something else. However the overall album holds up well as a continuous listen. It may be hip-hop for the ADHD music fan but I still dig it.

The New Black is available in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis format

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Capisconne aka Ivan Kapec is a Croatian jazz guitarist and founder of the experimental band TrianguliZona. His new project, Capisonne Electro Unity, has a free online album titled Activity. It is a mellow, slowly chilled effort of smooth jazz and acid jazz. The four tracks are live recordings with no overdubbing or studio tricks. Quietly soulful, this album should smooth out the stress wrinkles after a hard day at work.

Activity is available from the Breathe netlabel in 320kbps MP3.

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Benjamin Britten’s two act chamber opera titled Turn of The Screw is based on the novel of the same name by Henry James. This intriguing opera is modern and quite accessible to the casual listener. The plot involves a nanny’s suspicion that her wards, two children, are being possessed by spirits in the house. Certainly, if there ever was an opera meant for Halloween, this is it.

This version is from 1954 and is the first recording of the composition. It is by the English Opera Group Orchestra and is conducted by the composer. It features Jennifer VyVyan, Peter Pears, and Joan Cross. It is still considered the definitive version of this work and merits a listen by everyone. The transfer to 320kbps MP3 from mono recordings is done masterfully by Bob Varney. You can access the download page at The Internet Archive through the link below.

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Blind Moany Wat is a music project from David B. Applegate and friends off the new Immigrant Breast Nest netlabel. He describes the music as “Porch Techno” which I believe is literally techno he creates on his porch. However, this is not techno dance but electronica that is meant to be listened to earnestly. In other words, you’re not going to be tapping your foot to it. This is not so much ambient as dys-ient similar to some of DJ Spooky’s more “out-there” works. Not everyone will dig it but those who like their electronic music scratching the boundaries will find this interesting.

This self-titled album is available in 192kbps MP3.

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In a genre where “keeping it real” is interpreted by rappers as massaging their own egos it is always nice to find a hip-hop artist who knows that music is an art and a way to express reality as he sees it. Shape is one of those artist and his new Glass House EP is a good example of the marriage between hip-hop beat and meaningful lyrics. There are a lot of good cuts on this album including the title track, “Ruthless” and “Sadder Lights”. If there is any weakness, it is in the non-varying beats that slows the excitement a bit. Yet this is a consistently good hip-hop effort.

Glass House is available in 160kbps MP3.

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Mach FoX comes out of the Twin Cites electro-punk scene in Minneapolis and St. Paul. I have previously given my visitors a taste of them when I reviewed TC Electropunk. Here is their self-titled full length album which gives us a better look at this band that blends punk and techno.. The general focus is on the dance floor yet the vibes remain dark and a bit 80s electropop slick. “AXion FiXion” is dance floor worthy while “The Subversives” adds a nice funky edge to the darkwave feel. Overall, the album has a good sound and lot of interesting tracks for your listening and dancing pleasure.

Asides from the full album, the Mach FoX website has a number of equally free and legal EPs available. Yet the only one that really stands out on its own is The Last Planet EP. This is very different from their other EPs. It is a conceptual soundscape of three tracks and two remixes. The 21 minute EP is an interesting ambient experiment and worth a listen.

Mach FoX is available in VBR Mp3 and Ogg Vorbis format while The Last Planet is 320kbps MP3.

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Mach FoX
The Last Planet EP

The Justnotnormal netlabel has released what may be the best online collection of experimental music currently available. no-R-mal is a 4 CD collection of 52 tracks and over 5 hours of music representing some of the finest experimental music artists you will find. The vast majority of these tracks are previously unreleased.There are a number of musicians that I have heard and featured in the past including Mystified, D’Incise, and Phillip Wilkerson. However there are also plenty of new artists and amazing music to marvel upon. A sampling of previously unknown artists to me that I want to hear more from would include Bob Dickinson, Kendall Station, Gurdonark, and Controlled Dissonance . Most of the music is on the tonal but “dronal” side although there are a few that stretch the ambient limits like Nagual Arts’ “Niobe and The Sea” and Cousin Silas “Dreaming in Dunwich” which I suspect is a eerie salute to H. P. Lovecraft. Overall, this is a nice retrospective that will be essential listening to anyone into experimental music.

The album set equals 4 CDs of music and is available in 320kbps MP3.

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The Overcast Project by British hip-hop producer Formula is a moody piece of hip-hop accented by tight rapping by some gifted rappers including Zack S. Byers, Aynzli Jones, and Dabbla. The introductory track, “Ebony Shards”, gives you a nice preview of the atmospheric mix of beats and samples. It is followed by a hot track titled “Shipwrecked” with Zack S. Byers, a quick tongued rapper that has charisma and wit. All the tracks are of high quality yet there are a few that are quite unique such as the klezmer influenced “Weebles”. The instrumental “Poster Boyz” adds an industrial tint to the hip-hop. Overall, I found this an enjoyable album bearing up well over multiple listens. Another top-notch release from the Blocsonic crew.

The album is available in MP3 or FLAC format.

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I do not often use the words “funny” and “light-hearted” to describe electronic albums but they certainly fit Daniel Corral’s free and legal album titled Die Laughing. When he is not writing scores and dance pieces, he passes the time with putting together these …yes…funny and light-hearted pieces. Fortunately for us he has decided to share them with us on this free online EP titled Die Laughing. They are amusing and imaginative compositions that should give you a smile. However my two favorites are actually re-mixes. ” “Dirt Star” is a remix of Iggy Pop’s “Dirt,” while “Ba Doo Be Chum Chum” uses Roy Orbison’s wonderful “Cry Softly, Lonely One” in ways Orbison probably never dreamed of. “Thugs” is also interesting since it uses a sample of Sergei Esenin reading his poem “Confessions of a Hooligan” in Russian. This may not be Stockhausen or Babbitt, but who said electronic music can’t be fun?

Die Laughing is available in VBR MP3 format.

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The second online album. Generation of This Order from the Italian alternative / grunge band Confusion is Next surpasses their first well received effort. Their post-rock tendencies have been sprinkled heavily with 90s influences from band like R.E.M. and Nirvana. The six tracks on this excellent album gives you 32 minutes of dense rock riffs and plaintive vocals.

The album is available from the Trastienda net label in 192kbps M3.

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