Been trying to think of my all time favourite drone pieces of late after having an enjoyable revisit of EAR material. But when i tried to compile a list of favourite drone pieces, there isn't really anything by Spiritualized other than the Pure Phase drone or Electric Mainline. I've been racking my brains to see if i could think of any others that Jason has done of the years but he has kinda turned more to the freakouts/noise instead.
So, are there any others Jason has done that i'm forgetting?
Also looking for suggestions to check out. I'm familiar with bands like Boris and Sunn O))) who make a living from this kinda stuff but looking for other suggestions that maybe i'm not aware of or songs i may have overlooked.
If people can provide a top 10, then feel free... thats what i'm trying to get to.
Drones
Moderators: sunny, BzaInSpace, runcible, spzretent
Re: Drones
(Long post alert!)
I love drone, so I've scoured my iTunes collection and picked out some of my favourite examples of the genre, with commentaries where necessary. I've avoided mentioning Sunn O))), Boris and Spacemen 3 related tracks, since you're already familiar with them, but they're all architects of many a favourite. You may already be familiar with some, but hopefully there's some new stuff in there
Brian Eno - Discreet Music
More ambient than drone, but it was my gateway into minimalist music and a perennial favourite. Very little happens, but what does is impossibly beautiful. I'd also seek out Ambient 4 - On Land (Tal Coat is pure E.A.R.), "Lightness": Music For The Marble Palace, Neroli (get the recent rerelease with New Space Music on the second disc) and Thursday Afternoon.
Fripp & Eno - (No Pussyfooting)
A drone masterpiece. "The Heavenly Music Corporation" is a dense Eno synth drone with Fripp playing ominous solos on top. The guitar tone he employs is incredible, particularly the oscillator-like bass drops at the end. Anything else by this pair will do the job too.
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 2
I expect you're familiar with this already, but there's some beautiful drone pieces in this 167 minute behemoth of an album. Don't miss out on Stone In Focus, which was only on the vinyl and cassette versions. It's on youtube...
Coil - Time Machines
I'm still a newcomer to Coil and slowly getting to grips with their vast discography, but this is a highlight so far - 4 analogue synth drones named after the chemical structure of various hallucinogens (e.g. 5-Methoxy-N, N-Dimethyltryptamine: (5-MeO-DMT)) designed to create "temporal slips" on listening.
Gavin Bryars - The Sinking Of The Titanic
A woozy, seasickness-inducing orchestral piece of drone with snatches of voice and song. Hauntingly beautiful and eerily evocative of certain doom.
Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio - The Creation of the Universe
The great LR and a couple of chums making a beatiful drone racket live in 2008. I don't yet have the Reed/Laurie Anderson/John Zorn live album, but I expect it's wonderful too. Also in Lou Reed's catalogue, seek out Hudson River Meditations, Like A Possum and Rock Minuet for the drone guitar tones, and the frankly gorgeous cello drone underpinning Junior Dad.
In fact, get Lulu if you don't already have it. It's what happens when Reed tells Metallica to give up the fret-wankery and start making some REAL noise. Loud, abrasive, repetitive and VERY drone-like at times. It's bloody marvellous.
Henry Flynt - You Are My Everlasting
Eccentric folk violin playing over tabla/sitar based drones. He's a mathematician by trade, was involved in Fluxus back in the day and sat in for John Cale at a couple of early VU gigs when JC was ill. Great stuff, and available on Amazon mp3 for literally pennies.
Julian Cope - Odin
The Arch Drude going ooOOOOOOOoooooMMMMMmmmm for 70+ minutes. Much better than it sounds, I promise! The newer (but contemporary) Woden is lovely too. Lots of great drone moments in the L.A.M.F and Queen Elizabeth albums too.
Holy McGrail - Collecting Earthquakes
A Cope associate doing his own Sunn O))) esque thing.
Vesuvio - Vesuvio
Julian Cope, Holy McGrail and Stephen O'Malley. They're pretending to be one of the bands mentioned in JC's novel One Three One. It's heavy as hell and drones to Sardinia and back.
Grouper - AIA: Alien Observer
Haunting music with cavernous reverb and ethereal voice. This is my favourite album of hers, but it's all great.
Pharmakon - Abandon / Bestial Burden
Vicious, abrasive industrial drone with much existential angst and guttural screaming present. Difficult but rewarding listening.
Phurpa - Trowo Phurnag Ceremony
Tuvan Throat Singers performing sacred Tibetan music. One of the most hypnotic vocal forms devised by man. Another piece of astonishing drone music featuring this style of singing is Dio Fa by Frank Zappa, one of the last pieces he composed before his death. No jokes about titties, beer and golden showers here: the spectre of cancer, pain, futility and frustration haunts this piece. It's almost frightening in places.
Swans - The Seer
Huge, huge, huge drones abound on this brutal, punishing album. The Seer, A Piece Of The Sky, The Apostate
Anna von Hausswolff
I've only just heard her work, but it's incredible. She plays church organ and sings, and I've seen her band described as 'folk metal'. The new album The Miraculous is wonderful.
Some other albums I'd recommend:
Terry Riley - Persian Surgery Dervishes/In C
Black Swan - In 8 Movements
Folke Rabe - What??
Motion Sickness of Time Travel - S/T
Ø (Mika Vainio) - Heijastuva
Anything by Thighpaulsandra
If you want to hear the most blatant E.A.R. homage (or ripoff!) try It Would've Happened Anyway from Mogwai - Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. It's essentially all of Mesmerised condensed into two-and-a-half minutes
And to finish off, I suspect you're already familiar with OM and Sleep, but if not, they'll satisfy all your stoner metal needs. All the Sunn O))) offshoots/precursors and related projects - Æthenor, Burial Chamber Trio, Ensemble Pearl, Khanate, KTL, Pentemple, Ambarchi/O'Malley/Dunn, Pentemple, Teeth Of The Lion Rule The Divine - are worth investigating. Anything Dylan Carlson touches turns to drone gold, obviously.
Lastly, I'll mention this track. It's from the Sunn O))) & Boris album, but only on the limited editions so isn't so well known. Dylan Carlson plays on it too, and it towers above anything on the regular release.
Sunn O)) & Boris - Her Lips Were Wet With Venom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohgu2NWdW7Q
And that's a good place to stop, I think
I love drone, so I've scoured my iTunes collection and picked out some of my favourite examples of the genre, with commentaries where necessary. I've avoided mentioning Sunn O))), Boris and Spacemen 3 related tracks, since you're already familiar with them, but they're all architects of many a favourite. You may already be familiar with some, but hopefully there's some new stuff in there
Brian Eno - Discreet Music
More ambient than drone, but it was my gateway into minimalist music and a perennial favourite. Very little happens, but what does is impossibly beautiful. I'd also seek out Ambient 4 - On Land (Tal Coat is pure E.A.R.), "Lightness": Music For The Marble Palace, Neroli (get the recent rerelease with New Space Music on the second disc) and Thursday Afternoon.
Fripp & Eno - (No Pussyfooting)
A drone masterpiece. "The Heavenly Music Corporation" is a dense Eno synth drone with Fripp playing ominous solos on top. The guitar tone he employs is incredible, particularly the oscillator-like bass drops at the end. Anything else by this pair will do the job too.
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 2
I expect you're familiar with this already, but there's some beautiful drone pieces in this 167 minute behemoth of an album. Don't miss out on Stone In Focus, which was only on the vinyl and cassette versions. It's on youtube...
Coil - Time Machines
I'm still a newcomer to Coil and slowly getting to grips with their vast discography, but this is a highlight so far - 4 analogue synth drones named after the chemical structure of various hallucinogens (e.g. 5-Methoxy-N, N-Dimethyltryptamine: (5-MeO-DMT)) designed to create "temporal slips" on listening.
Gavin Bryars - The Sinking Of The Titanic
A woozy, seasickness-inducing orchestral piece of drone with snatches of voice and song. Hauntingly beautiful and eerily evocative of certain doom.
Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio - The Creation of the Universe
The great LR and a couple of chums making a beatiful drone racket live in 2008. I don't yet have the Reed/Laurie Anderson/John Zorn live album, but I expect it's wonderful too. Also in Lou Reed's catalogue, seek out Hudson River Meditations, Like A Possum and Rock Minuet for the drone guitar tones, and the frankly gorgeous cello drone underpinning Junior Dad.
In fact, get Lulu if you don't already have it. It's what happens when Reed tells Metallica to give up the fret-wankery and start making some REAL noise. Loud, abrasive, repetitive and VERY drone-like at times. It's bloody marvellous.
Henry Flynt - You Are My Everlasting
Eccentric folk violin playing over tabla/sitar based drones. He's a mathematician by trade, was involved in Fluxus back in the day and sat in for John Cale at a couple of early VU gigs when JC was ill. Great stuff, and available on Amazon mp3 for literally pennies.
Julian Cope - Odin
The Arch Drude going ooOOOOOOOoooooMMMMMmmmm for 70+ minutes. Much better than it sounds, I promise! The newer (but contemporary) Woden is lovely too. Lots of great drone moments in the L.A.M.F and Queen Elizabeth albums too.
Holy McGrail - Collecting Earthquakes
A Cope associate doing his own Sunn O))) esque thing.
Vesuvio - Vesuvio
Julian Cope, Holy McGrail and Stephen O'Malley. They're pretending to be one of the bands mentioned in JC's novel One Three One. It's heavy as hell and drones to Sardinia and back.
Grouper - AIA: Alien Observer
Haunting music with cavernous reverb and ethereal voice. This is my favourite album of hers, but it's all great.
Pharmakon - Abandon / Bestial Burden
Vicious, abrasive industrial drone with much existential angst and guttural screaming present. Difficult but rewarding listening.
Phurpa - Trowo Phurnag Ceremony
Tuvan Throat Singers performing sacred Tibetan music. One of the most hypnotic vocal forms devised by man. Another piece of astonishing drone music featuring this style of singing is Dio Fa by Frank Zappa, one of the last pieces he composed before his death. No jokes about titties, beer and golden showers here: the spectre of cancer, pain, futility and frustration haunts this piece. It's almost frightening in places.
Swans - The Seer
Huge, huge, huge drones abound on this brutal, punishing album. The Seer, A Piece Of The Sky, The Apostate
Anna von Hausswolff
I've only just heard her work, but it's incredible. She plays church organ and sings, and I've seen her band described as 'folk metal'. The new album The Miraculous is wonderful.
Some other albums I'd recommend:
Terry Riley - Persian Surgery Dervishes/In C
Black Swan - In 8 Movements
Folke Rabe - What??
Motion Sickness of Time Travel - S/T
Ø (Mika Vainio) - Heijastuva
Anything by Thighpaulsandra
If you want to hear the most blatant E.A.R. homage (or ripoff!) try It Would've Happened Anyway from Mogwai - Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. It's essentially all of Mesmerised condensed into two-and-a-half minutes
And to finish off, I suspect you're already familiar with OM and Sleep, but if not, they'll satisfy all your stoner metal needs. All the Sunn O))) offshoots/precursors and related projects - Æthenor, Burial Chamber Trio, Ensemble Pearl, Khanate, KTL, Pentemple, Ambarchi/O'Malley/Dunn, Pentemple, Teeth Of The Lion Rule The Divine - are worth investigating. Anything Dylan Carlson touches turns to drone gold, obviously.
Lastly, I'll mention this track. It's from the Sunn O))) & Boris album, but only on the limited editions so isn't so well known. Dylan Carlson plays on it too, and it towers above anything on the regular release.
Sunn O)) & Boris - Her Lips Were Wet With Venom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohgu2NWdW7Q
And that's a good place to stop, I think
Re: Drones
Superb mc! Just the kind of thing i'm looking for. Yes, i'm familiar with Boris and SunnO))) and you've just reminded me of the Holy McGrail album which i do have already. Copey seems to have a hand in many of these but i haven't looked into many of his collaborations. I might still have a Thighpaulsandra album (Queen Elizabeth? - the one with him surfing in space on a moog type thing).
The Carlton Melton track Adrift (full) from the Photos Of Photos album is one of the best modern drones i've heard in a long time and has quickly become one of my favourites (second only to Spacemen 3's Suicide) but i'm looking for more of this stuff to explore.
I've got some Youtube searching to do!
The Carlton Melton track Adrift (full) from the Photos Of Photos album is one of the best modern drones i've heard in a long time and has quickly become one of my favourites (second only to Spacemen 3's Suicide) but i'm looking for more of this stuff to explore.
I've got some Youtube searching to do!
Re: Drones
Yeah, Carlton Melton do great drone - I didn't mention them 'cause I knew you'd be more familiar with them than me
The Thighpaulsandra you mentioned is the first Queen Elizabeth album - all three are very worthwhile in my opinion (the third is a live download from Head Heritage).
Cope's Black Sheep project might be called "fölk drone" - "Kiss My Sweet Apocalypse" and "Spades, Hoes & Plows" (with David Wrench) get quite mesmerising at times. They also did "Orcadia", an album of drunken chants recorded in various megalithic monuments around Orkney - the taster e.p. "Grain House" was enough for me...
If you want to go really minimal, the likes of Charlemaigne Palestine and La Monte Young might be worth a spin.
As far as Spaceman goes, I've got his 2009 Kilkenny Castle performance, which is very minimalist, and the 2013 Ellnora Guitar Festival performance. SpaceShipp is a good example of his drone work too. I don't have (and have never even heard!) Silent Sound, which makes me sad
I didn't mention it because I assumed you'd be familiar given the Sunn O))) connection, but I really can't talk about drone and not mention the all-conquering Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version. All modern droners worship at Dylan's altar; I'd call this album the ultimate drone, the Ur-Drone if you will! It might be split into three tracks, but really it's one colossal 70 minute drone piece. It's riffy and sludgy at first, like a warped piece of Sabbath-esque metal played at 16rpm, but gradually dissolves into pure, woozy sound. One of my all-time favourites, naturally
The Thighpaulsandra you mentioned is the first Queen Elizabeth album - all three are very worthwhile in my opinion (the third is a live download from Head Heritage).
Cope's Black Sheep project might be called "fölk drone" - "Kiss My Sweet Apocalypse" and "Spades, Hoes & Plows" (with David Wrench) get quite mesmerising at times. They also did "Orcadia", an album of drunken chants recorded in various megalithic monuments around Orkney - the taster e.p. "Grain House" was enough for me...
If you want to go really minimal, the likes of Charlemaigne Palestine and La Monte Young might be worth a spin.
As far as Spaceman goes, I've got his 2009 Kilkenny Castle performance, which is very minimalist, and the 2013 Ellnora Guitar Festival performance. SpaceShipp is a good example of his drone work too. I don't have (and have never even heard!) Silent Sound, which makes me sad
I didn't mention it because I assumed you'd be familiar given the Sunn O))) connection, but I really can't talk about drone and not mention the all-conquering Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version. All modern droners worship at Dylan's altar; I'd call this album the ultimate drone, the Ur-Drone if you will! It might be split into three tracks, but really it's one colossal 70 minute drone piece. It's riffy and sludgy at first, like a warped piece of Sabbath-esque metal played at 16rpm, but gradually dissolves into pure, woozy sound. One of my all-time favourites, naturally
-
angelsighs
- Known user
- Posts: 4876
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Re: Drones
Stars of The Lid? if you want some softer drones.
on the heavier side there's Om and Jesu.
building on some suggestions above, there are some great drones on Swans 'Soundtracks For The Blind'.
Brian Eno and Robert Fripp's 'Live in Paris' is essential in my opinion. it was released in excellent quality fairly recently, with a 3rd CD of just Eno's drones.
the holy trinity of minimalism- Philip Glass, La Monte Young, Terry Riley
Godspeed open their concerts with the 'Hope Drone', and one of their albums has two drone tracks.
I'm sure if you look there's plenty of other tracks you could extract from artists catalogues that usually act as an interlude or anomoly. e.g. some of my favourites:
Yo La Tengo- Spec Bebop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao-7p0FOcT8
July Skies- Skies For Nash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRxaZfPQZVo
M83- Midnight Souls Still Remain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uu9G2p9sis
on the heavier side there's Om and Jesu.
building on some suggestions above, there are some great drones on Swans 'Soundtracks For The Blind'.
Brian Eno and Robert Fripp's 'Live in Paris' is essential in my opinion. it was released in excellent quality fairly recently, with a 3rd CD of just Eno's drones.
the holy trinity of minimalism- Philip Glass, La Monte Young, Terry Riley
Godspeed open their concerts with the 'Hope Drone', and one of their albums has two drone tracks.
I'm sure if you look there's plenty of other tracks you could extract from artists catalogues that usually act as an interlude or anomoly. e.g. some of my favourites:
Yo La Tengo- Spec Bebop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao-7p0FOcT8
July Skies- Skies For Nash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRxaZfPQZVo
M83- Midnight Souls Still Remain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uu9G2p9sis
-
BzaInSpace
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3864
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
- Location: HELL
Re: Drones
Incredible list there mc, must say other than Earth and some others mostly unknown to me...
Check out some of Miles Davis' latter works - 'He Loved Him Madly' from 1974 is an incredibly pure drone style epic (30 mins), despite the big band recording: Eno later described that one as hugely influential.
For a far heavier and relentless drone, try 'Rated X' or just the On The Corner LP: incredible locked groove drone mayhem...
Those live recording are definitely quality drone material. SpaceShipp was/is listed as "celestial drone" to this day via Treader, and the "Outer" part is like galaxies slowly turning. Wild...mc wrote:...As far as Spaceman goes, I've got his 2009 Kilkenny Castle performance, which is very minimalist, and the 2013 Ellnora Guitar Festival performance. SpaceShipp is a good example of his drone work too. I don't have (and have never even heard!) Silent Sound, which makes me sad
Check out some of Miles Davis' latter works - 'He Loved Him Madly' from 1974 is an incredibly pure drone style epic (30 mins), despite the big band recording: Eno later described that one as hugely influential.
For a far heavier and relentless drone, try 'Rated X' or just the On The Corner LP: incredible locked groove drone mayhem...
O P 8
Re: Drones
Ah, Bza! Thanks for the reminder, because I totally forgot to mention Miles Davis' electric period. Huge, huge love here for everything he did between '68-75. On The Corner is an utterly mental album, as is Get Up With it. As you say, Eno drew much influence from She Loved Him Madly. I adore Calypso Frelimo too; I remain convinced that the "underground" music in the NES version of Super Mario Brothers is a homage/direct copy of the Calypso Frelimo bass line, particularly the slower version that kicks in around the 10 minute mark. And Rated X isn't just a brutal drone piece, it's drum 'n' bass 25 years before such a thing existed
I'll reiterate angelsighs' citation of Fripp & Eno - Live In Paris. I had the bootleg for years, but when the official version came out If you find yourself enjoying F&E, Robert Fripp's solo work is well worth delving into - his "Frippertronics" and "Soundscapes" pieces all drone like the proverbial and contain moments of sheer beauty. I also forgot to mention Harmony Rockets and Bong...
I've never heard Stars Of The Lid for some reason, so I'll be investigating them...
I'll reiterate angelsighs' citation of Fripp & Eno - Live In Paris. I had the bootleg for years, but when the official version came out
If you find yourself enjoying F&E, Robert Fripp's solo work is well worth delving into - his "Frippertronics" and "Soundscapes" pieces all drone like the proverbial and contain moments of sheer beauty. I also forgot to mention Harmony Rockets and Bong...I've never heard Stars Of The Lid for some reason, so I'll be investigating them...
Re: Drones
If you're into minimal ambient, neo-classic, drone, this is all I seem to listen to these days. Some recommendations...
Stars of the Lid - And their refinement of the decline & The tired sounds of...
Iasos - Celestial Soul Portrait
Loscil (Don't know the albums well enough yet to recommend a specific one, but the latest is great).
Brian Eno & Harold Budd - The Pearl
Labradford - Prazision LP
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - self-titled
Brian Eno - The Shutov Assembly
Brian McBride - The Effective Disconnect
Thomas Koner - La Barca & Permafrost
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
If you wan't louder...
Merzbow - Hybrid Noisebloom
Government Alpha - Open Your C**t
Merzbow & Jamie Saft - Merzdub
SunnO))) i guess you know, only LP I rate highly is Oracle.
Stars of the Lid - And their refinement of the decline & The tired sounds of...
Iasos - Celestial Soul Portrait
Loscil (Don't know the albums well enough yet to recommend a specific one, but the latest is great).
Brian Eno & Harold Budd - The Pearl
Labradford - Prazision LP
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - self-titled
Brian Eno - The Shutov Assembly
Brian McBride - The Effective Disconnect
Thomas Koner - La Barca & Permafrost
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
If you wan't louder...
Merzbow - Hybrid Noisebloom
Government Alpha - Open Your C**t
Merzbow & Jamie Saft - Merzdub
SunnO))) i guess you know, only LP I rate highly is Oracle.
Re: Drones
Wonderful thread !
Thanks guys.
I often turn to the medieval rebec for my drone needs.
http://youtu.be/IhrtApWvyjg
actually I'm not sure if a rebec is used there, either way, sounds great!
This below I know nothing about but it sounds terrific so far, so I thought I'd share:
http://youtu.be/P3-NzKK3Ki0
Thanks guys.
I often turn to the medieval rebec for my drone needs.
http://youtu.be/IhrtApWvyjg
actually I'm not sure if a rebec is used there, either way, sounds great!
This below I know nothing about but it sounds terrific so far, so I thought I'd share:
http://youtu.be/P3-NzKK3Ki0
-
BzaInSpace
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3864
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
- Location: HELL
Re: Drones
Awesome Ro!
I'm gonna suggest this too:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1KXOtlYCS0
The drone kicks into Ringo, John, Klaus and Yoko on drums, guitar, bass and vocals (respectively) doing hypnotic/Can/VU magus-like repetition....
Tune is still amazing though.
And keeps on pushing through that deep and dark groove ploughed by the initial drones...
I'm gonna suggest this too:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1KXOtlYCS0
The drone kicks into Ringo, John, Klaus and Yoko on drums, guitar, bass and vocals (respectively) doing hypnotic/Can/VU magus-like repetition....
Tune is still amazing though.
And keeps on pushing through that deep and dark groove ploughed by the initial drones...
O P 8
Re: Drones
I am a huge fan of the early Kranky material.. Jessamine, Stars Of The Lid, Labraford, Philosopher's Stone, etc are all favourites of mine, so thanks for the reminder. Will go back and search through those. Think i've heard a track or two by Loscil but not overly familiar with them. Will dig a bit deeper.
The new Godspeed stuff is incredible and their drones are really some thing else too. Good call on those.
Miles Davis i'm completely unfamiliar with. This might be a hole new rabbit hole to look into.
I've struggled with some of the more recent Copey projects (Black Sheep, etc). I appreciated the heavy, in-your-face output as Brain Donor more, although i did enjoy that first QE album. Think i should still have that kicking about.
I do have the Harmy Rockets album so will go back to that. Its been quite some time since i listened to that.
The Swans seem to be getting a couple of mentions too. Never checked them out so will look into that too.
The Carlton Melton track i mentioned is the kind of thing i was looking for... it has a much more spatial sound to it compared to some of the heavier Earth/SunnO))) style stuff. Just a huge pounding mantra with some amazing guitar flourishes but that driving synth drone throughout is what just melts my mind. Its just phenomenal. For those unfamilar with this, here it is in all its glory!
The new Godspeed stuff is incredible and their drones are really some thing else too. Good call on those.
Miles Davis i'm completely unfamiliar with. This might be a hole new rabbit hole to look into.
I've struggled with some of the more recent Copey projects (Black Sheep, etc). I appreciated the heavy, in-your-face output as Brain Donor more, although i did enjoy that first QE album. Think i should still have that kicking about.
I do have the Harmy Rockets album so will go back to that. Its been quite some time since i listened to that.
The Swans seem to be getting a couple of mentions too. Never checked them out so will look into that too.
The Carlton Melton track i mentioned is the kind of thing i was looking for... it has a much more spatial sound to it compared to some of the heavier Earth/SunnO))) style stuff. Just a huge pounding mantra with some amazing guitar flourishes but that driving synth drone throughout is what just melts my mind. Its just phenomenal. For those unfamilar with this, here it is in all its glory!
Re: Drones
Laz69 wrote: I do have the Harmy Rockets album so will go back to that. Its been quite some time since i listened to that.
Laz, there are now three Harmony Rockets albums available - Angels Are Spirits, Flames of Fire and The Crawling Journey of the Serpents of Starry Light came out a few years ago and are available as downloads from Mercury Rev's webstore:
http://mercury-rev.myshopify.com/collections/music
In a very similar vein, there's The Mercury Rev Cinematic Silent Sound Tettix Wave Experiment, which was a live drone improv recorded in 2013 at a mini-festival curated by Swans.
Swans-wise, I'm still exploring their discography, but I'd heartily recommend The Seer, To Be Kind, Soundtracks For The Blind and The Great Annihilator as possible start-off points.
Re: Drones
sunray wrote:Windy and Carl? They have some nice drones.
yes! those guys are brilliant.
-
BzaInSpace
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3864
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
- Location: HELL
Re: Drones
Wow! Really? I would have thought a long-seasoned electric mayhem devotee would have been right in there: it was awesome at 21:10pm in late September in the Brudenell to suddenly hear Miles' incomparable playing against a heavy pulse of mad improv, and knowing the band were surely gonna come on next...Laz69 wrote:Miles Davis i'm completely unfamiliar with. This might be a hole new rabbit hole to look into...
There is always here for intros, etc:
O P 8
Re: Drones
That linked Miles essay of yours is a strong contender for 'best Spz forum post of all time', if such an award existedBzaInSpace wrote:Wow! Really? I would have thought a long-seasoned electric mayhem devotee would have been right in there: it was awesome at 21:10pm in late September in the Brudenell to suddenly hear Miles' incomparable playing against a heavy pulse of mad improv, and knowing the band were surely gonna come on next...Laz69 wrote:Miles Davis i'm completely unfamiliar with. This might be a hole new rabbit hole to look into...
There is always here for intros, etc:
I'm now definitely in the mood for "A Tribute To Jack Johnson". It really doesn't get much better than this.
-
semisynthetic
- Known user
- Posts: 1444
- Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 5:39 pm
- Location: Undefined; drifting ever further and further away
Re: Drones, Bees and Flying Machine Noises.
I just cannot see omitting the ORIGINAL "Metal Machine Music"; a 2-LP set on RCA. Incredible Droning!
"Everything is a Poison; it is the amount or degree that separates one Poison from another"
Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Re: Drones
Miles Davis is one of those artists that is always name-dropped and sounds fascinating but i've been scared off with the thought of it being the stereotypical free-jazz (i.e. completely unlistenable!) which is weird i suppose when i think about all the mad noise i do listen to so maybe its time to dip my toe in the water. I'll have a read through that post and seek out the albums you mention. Having literally heard NOTHING by him, this will be, if nothing else, interesting...BzaInSpace wrote:Wow! Really? I would have thought a long-seasoned electric mayhem devotee would have been right in there: it was awesome at 21:10pm in late September in the Brudenell to suddenly hear Miles' incomparable playing against a heavy pulse of mad improv, and knowing the band were surely gonna come on next...Laz69 wrote:Miles Davis i'm completely unfamiliar with. This might be a hole new rabbit hole to look into...
There is always here for intros, etc:
I've been reading Copey's book Compendium recently but haven't got to the section on Miles Davis yet, so will have a read through that too.
-
angelsighs
- Known user
- Posts: 4876
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Re: Drones
The Miles Davis chapter of Copendium will be an essential primer for you (it was certainly what made me take the plunge), Cope admits that he is not a great fan of jazz himself and links it all via psych rock.
Re: Drones
Couple of wonderful drones on the latest Loop ep, in fact probably 50% of its 35/40 min running time is drones, no surprise really as Robert( moderator comedy?, Bza?) specialized in that field for 20 yr after Loop with Main an solo,
Not the main track , but at 17 min, its kinda the centre piece,
Not the main track , but at 17 min, its kinda the centre piece,
Last edited by niamhm on Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
BzaInSpace
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3864
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
- Location: HELL
Re: Drones
Massive amounts of stuff I need to check out I think - what a beautiful thread.
All in pursuit of the D R N.
I listened to the album this track is from the other week: despite my misgivings and such (which belong in another forthcoming thread) this struck me as being an ideal, if completely lo-fi track for here:
I'm certain with no written (or otherwise) evidence that this was influenced by his pal Dylan Carlson... it's a very old recording. Late 80's
All in pursuit of the D R N.
I listened to the album this track is from the other week: despite my misgivings and such (which belong in another forthcoming thread) this struck me as being an ideal, if completely lo-fi track for here:
I'm certain with no written (or otherwise) evidence that this was influenced by his pal Dylan Carlson... it's a very old recording. Late 80's
O P 8
Re: Drones
Yup, that track absolutely screams DRC. Good stuff!
-
angelsighs
- Known user
- Posts: 4876
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Re: Drones
just noticed from one of my posts above- that this forum automatically changes 'R-o-b-e-r-t' to 'Josh'. whoever thought of that, you're a genius..
Last edited by angelsighs on Tue Dec 01, 2015 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
coffeepotman
- Known user
- Posts: 61
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 2:42 pm
Re: Drones
One of the best drone bands around now that I'm really digging is Opium Eyes of Nico.
I strongly recommend getting their CD Dronecaine it's on Bandcamp so you can check it out first but it's really good and you can name your price. https://opiumeyesofnico.bandcamp.com/album/dronecaine
I strongly recommend getting their CD Dronecaine it's on Bandcamp so you can check it out first but it's really good and you can name your price. https://opiumeyesofnico.bandcamp.com/album/dronecaine
-
Aquarian-Time
- Known user
- Posts: 688
- Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:22 am
Re: Drones
The heads up on Windy and Carl is a good one. I have 3 of their albums and they have loads of drone and space rock type ambiance. Similar in a way to Transient Waves whom were of a similar vein obviously without any vocals
Re: Drones
I have 2 beautiful albums by a Matthew Bower offshoot : Sunroof! , the albums are 'Bliss' and 'Cloudz'
fairly low fi, lots of erratic percussive and FX driven guitars clanging and banging but underneath this web of noises, a throbbing hypnotic pulsing drone can be located. awesome.
prefer Sunroof! to his Skullflower stuff.
fairly low fi, lots of erratic percussive and FX driven guitars clanging and banging but underneath this web of noises, a throbbing hypnotic pulsing drone can be located. awesome.
prefer Sunroof! to his Skullflower stuff.
Re: Drones
I thought this made a pretty good drone, of sorts.
Funny, the things you find out there...
Funny, the things you find out there...