Some (very unexpected) News

A triple whammy of sorts, straight form the horses mouths. There was me thinking it was impossible for 2007 to get any better:

Last Days

"Ok, over 2 months without an update isn't great but there's little info to share. At the last count I had 49 minutes of new music worth hearing, most of it is finished and a couple of tracks are still in demo form. At this time i would predict that it will be complete by the end of June at the latest but I'm aiming for the end of May. Artwork is being produced as I type.

In about 4 weeks, or when i'm clearer about the final tracklisting I'll put 1 or 2 new tracks up on the last days myspace.

One of the new tracks called 'Points Bridge' will appear on a forthcoming compilation, more about that when I get the go ahead to talk about it!" (via Graham Richardson aka Last Days)

There's a new Last Days interview with Foggy Nations Magazine, but it is eerily like the one I conducted.


Sigur Ros

I never believed those Sigur Ros rumours, until this was posted on the SR message board:

"the band has recorded and mixed "Rokklagið", "Lagið í gær", (new version of)"Von" and "Salka" but these songs will not be included on the next album. instead, they will appear on an EP to be released (tentatively) later this year. the band wants to build the next album on a clean slate instead of mixing together old and new songs.

I think this is going to make a fucking great EP... three of the band's most conventional basic instrument "rock" songs and then the sugarsweet "Von" in between....." (via the moderator of the Sigur Ros Message Board)

Just in case you forgot how wonderful they are.

Helios

John Xela announced this on the Type Recordings Message Board last night:

"Okay I thought I might break some news to you... the long awaited followup to Helios' "Eingya" is finally here - it's a 6 track (30 minute) EP called 'Ayres' and it's going to be out in early July on CD and very limited vinyl (the LP version of Eingya sold out most stores in about 4 weeks...). As some of you might know it's quite a progression from "Eingya" and I'm really excited about it indeed. More news soon and maybe some sound samples." (via John Xela)

The progression he is talking about, might or might not be be the tracks you can listen to here.

Last Days Almost Spring Mix

Hot on the heels of my cinematic mix yesterday, it is now the turn of the professionals. Last Days has completed the follow-up to his Best of 2006 and New Year Mix. It's entitled "Almost Spring"....

"This quiet mix ended up being quite ambient and classical with some recent favorites and some i'd forgotten i had.
About half way in is a sample from a 45 minute piece of audio art by Alvin Lucier 'i am sitting in a room' from 1970 in which he records his voice saying one short statement then plays it back while recording that on another machine. He then plays that back while recording it on the first machine. After an hour all that can be heard is the natural droning reverb that particular room provides. His words explain why he conducted this experiment. It's hardly the kind of thing you'd put on in the background when having friends round for dinner and perhaps it's not right to mess about with such a piece in a mix but it's a fascinating piece of work."

Tracklist

00.00 - 04.54 D_rradio - Perfect For The Fall
04.45 - 07.45 Your Ten Mofo - 3
07.37 - 12.09 Isolee - Picture Loved
11.56 - 14.42 Khonnor - Rooms
14.24 - 19.17 Andrew Hodgeson - Set Your Feelings Free
19.10 - 24.11 Marsen Jules - Chanson Du Soir
24.07 - 28.11 Kazumasa Hashimoto - Milmils
28.08 - 33.05 Fourcolor - Empty Sky
30.22 - 39.49 Alvin Lucier - I Am Sitting In A Room
36.32 - 40.03 Jóhann Jóhannsson - Ef Ég Hefdi Aldrei...
40.03 - 47.20 Ludovico Einaudi - Primavera
47.18 - 51.12 Erik Enocksson - The Lingering Procession
51.08 - 54.45 Bjork & Lars Von Trier - Overture

Get It Here

Last Days New Year Mix

Last Days has posted another mix of his favourite tracks of the moment to see in the new year. It's a timely boost with not much happening in the first week of 2007 and I can vouch for a few tracks on the mix (Winterpark, Pluto,Migala). There are also some surprises on there too. I'll leave it to Last Days to explain himself...

"One month since the last little mix here's another. This started as a 'sad song mix' but has really gone off course becoming a mix of tracks i've been playing recently to soothe the bad times. It's not too happy but we all know the slow songs are the best, right?"

For the full tracklisitng and downloading purposes, go here.

Top 5 Albums Of The Year : Last Days

This is the first in a series, where I have asked , a select few musicians, what each of them think is THE release of 2006. First up, is n5md artist Last Days, who mesmerised us all with his serene "Sea" album back in September.
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5 Ass - s/t (headspin recordings)

"I spotted this oddly named artist in on the myspace friend list belonging to swedish trio 'tape' early this year. Only recently did an album appear. It turns out that Andreas Söderström the solo artist responsible often plays with tape live in their native Stockholm along with him many other projects. Witnessing a live performance sealed his fate in my top 5. His style of minimal, monotonous acoustica mixed with standard pop melodies make this an easier listening experience than tape".


4 Songs Of Green Pheasant -"Aerial Days" (fat cat)

"Duncan Sumpner's debut seemed to make it to a few end of year lists in 2005 including my own. 'Aerial Days' i fear, won't. Not because he's lost his touch, the tunes on here are stunning, easily as good as anything on the first album. The production remains the same too, just him sat in his kitchen with plenty of hiss emanating from his 4 track recorder. My problem is not with the sound, it's with the length of the album. 36 minutes to be exact including one 5 minute cover. In short, it's superb, but perhaps it should be called an e.p.?"


3 Julian Fane - "Our New Quarters" (planet mu)

"Anyone who was a bit dismayed at 'special forces' unfinished quality will be happier with 'out new quarters'. This offering is fuller and sounds more complete. Loud electronics and loud guitars sounding violent at times but the mood shifts so frequently making this album a bit of an epic. The first album of the year i got really excited about."




2 Yasushi Yoshida - "Secrect Figure" (noble)

"When i read this Japanese artist had worked with Piana, i had to investigate. Slightly too sweet at times but the rest is heartbreaking. Mainly driven by a strings and piano there's frequent abstract electronic added to the mix making this a haunting soundtrack to film yet to be made."




1 Jóhann Jóhannsson - "ibm 1401, a user's manual" (4ad)

No album this year has moved me as much as this. Spine tingles, distraction and being close to tears are the side effects of this stunning piece of work. Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson and member of Apparat Organ Quartet was inspired to record this orchestral album when he found cassette manuals of an ibm 1401 computer which his father used to operate in the 60's. The result transports you straight to the attic looking through forgotten boxes at forgotten photos. All the 5 long tracks on here are amazing but it's the final track which is certainly one of the most impressive pieces of music i've heard in recent years.

Last Days Mix

Last Days has just informed me that he has posted a "Quiet Times Mix" up for your downloading pleasure. This mix is inspired by "warming yourself up during these cold dark nights and frosty mornings". There are some excellent inclusions in the mix tracklisitng including Type Records artists Helios and Deaf Center, while older tracks from the likes of The Dead Texan, Efterklang and Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson make up some of the end tracks in this mix.
There are rumours that these mixes from Last Days may become a monthly occurance. Lets hope so!, go here for the complete tracklisitng and downloading information . For those of you unaware of Last Days' work, I interviewed him here and reviewed his record here too.