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1. "The lights that we saw that evening were the passing of distant trains" by Sandcastles from the EP of the same title (2011).

I randomly discovered this young, Swedish ambient composer on his soundcloud page. The first time I listened to this track, I was staring out at Lake Michigan on a humid day, watching fog lift from the water. The way the horizon was blurring combined with  this beautiful track made me feel as if I were passing on from this life into the rest of the universe. It was a quiet, surreal, intense, and beautiful experience, like the majority of the music Sandcastles makes.



2. "A Relationship With the Sublime" by The Caretaker from An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (2011).
I believe I've mentioned before that this incarnation of Leyland Kirby's compositions is inspired by the closing scene from Kubrick's The Shining. Most of The Caretaker's pieces seem to imply some liminal space of waiting and nostalgia that lies beyond our corporeal world. The repetition of phrases creates an unease that suggests atmospheres of tense unknowing, but it's still in a dreamlike haze that the listener floats through various waiting rooms of The Caretaker's estate.




3. "J'Ai Deux Amours" by Josephine Baker from the self-titled collection.
I've been obsessing over Baker's recordings all summer long. This is just another excellent example of her vocal range and the excellent compositions that accompanied her.









4. "Eu Sonhei Que Tu Estavas Tao Linda" by Telebossa from their self-titled LP (2011).
Imagine Nick Drake singing his songs in Portuguese, with Philip Glass having redone the arrangements. Minimal deconstruction of bossa nova and samba.









5. "Beyond The Wychelm" by The Advisory Circle from As the Crow Flies (2011).
It's always exciting when Mr. Brooks releases a new album of his library music-inspired, um, music. This album finds him experimenting more in very specific aural structures. Also known as "songs". Creepy and soothing at the same time. Check out his blog.






6. "Notre Silence" by Michel Cloup (duo) from Notre Silence (2011).
Excellent spoken word pieces with moody, Mogwai-esque music.










7. "Hypnotic Light" by Jon Brooks from Music For Thomas Carnacki (2011).
Brooks is indeed a busy fellow. Here's more creepy music, this time Brooks focuses on an Edwardian fictional detective who explored supernatural cases.










                         
8. "Hoop Earrings in the Slush" by Trouble Books & Mark McGuire from their self-titled LP (2011).
Laid back acoustic jamming with Mr. McGuire providing some awesome layers.









9. "Beyond the Tide" by Jürgen Müller from Science of the Sea (2011).
In which Mr. Müller evokes the otherworldly realms of the ocean via swirling keyboard arpeggios and drones. Simply stunning on headphones.









10. "Bataille" by The Men from Leave Home (2011).
At this point, Sacred Bones Records has a pretty amazing track record. Here's another stellar entry, this time from aggressive punk-garage rockers The Men.










11. "Solid Space" by Tunnels from The Blackout (2011).
Nicholas Samuel Bindeman of Jackie-O Motherfucker and Eternal Tapestry presents another side of his musical rates with this excellent visitation of minimal cold-wave. One of the best albums of the year.
















12. "Earth Radar" by Charlatan from Voyagers (2011).
Minimal IDM with chilly spaced-out synths.






















13. "Memory Lost" by Snowman from Absence (2011).
A singular and final release from these Aussies. Hard to describe without sounding cheesy, which would be a shame because this is a really fantastic album. Too bad they've called it quits.
















14. "Hounfour" by The Haxan Cloak from the Observatory EP (2011).

This is one of two spectacular releases by Bobby Krlic this year. This one focuses more on electronic, gothy atmospherics, while the other, a self-titled full length, utilizes traditional instruments to the same, if not more sparse, effect. Definitely get them both.












15. "Palm Tree Corpse" by Prurient from Burmuda Drain (2011).
Prurient is a well established noise artist, but here we find him taking a slightly more melodic approach to his explorations in sound. Round and ominous synthesizers replace grinding noise, for the most part, as he emulates Rodan and Slint in his angst filled vocal deliveries. 












16. "Coto" by Kashiwa Daisuke from 88 (2011).
Daisuke steps away from his usual intense mashup of cinematic experimental chamber/electronic music with this collection of introspective piano pieces. 


















17. "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra from Selected Favorites.
Here's the original "Minnie the Moocher" from the brilliant Cab Calloway. The entire collection is a must for any true music collector.
















18. "La Banane" by Katerine from Philippe Katerine (2010).
Katerine is hands down my favorite contemporary French musician (that's him in the baseball t-shirt). Throughout his musical career he has challenged the conventions of art, music and society. He continues to do so on last year's Philippe Katerine, which is full of silly but infectious pop gems.  










19. "Light Echoes" by Barn Owl from Lost In the Glare (2011). 
Barn Owl's third release in less than a year finds them still out exploring the boarders of psychedelic dronescapes and reporting back with another mind-bending recording. 














20. "Fooling No One" by Cut Off Your Hands from Hollow (2011).
Bright, jangly pop that brings to mind early R.E.M. and the shoegaze/britpop merger of the early 90s. Perfect end of the summer album.
















21. "Nightscape" by EL Heath from Shropshire Hill County (2011). 
Strangely nostalgic, eerie, experimental sound pieces from Mr. Heath. The music is evocative, timeless, gorgeous. He continues to delight and amaze. 














22. "Kokyu" by Teruyuki Nobuchika from Sonorité (2011). This is an exquisite collection of minimal piano pieces, mostly optimistic, at times child-like. "Kokyu" in particular struck me with its overlapping, repetitive phrasing. As the field recording of waves gently washes in, the piano work seems to evoke sunlight sparking off of the water's ripples, as the tide ebbs and flows.