hunting the sounds...

[kuangning]

Nice, lazy day it's been today. I've spent it accomplishing nothing more strenuous than being glad I'm indoors, and watching the ice sculptures outdoors that used to be trees. When I walked under them this morning, the wind was blowing slightly, and that was enough to set the ice to crackling and rattling. I walked by as quickly as I could manage on the icy pavement, half-braced for a spill of ice down my neck and back.

I went on a musical forage today... tired of all the stuff that's dominated my playlist of late. I wanted something completely outside my normal realm... so I went romping through audiogalaxy. I came up with enigma, Satriani, Deep Forest, Moby, Brian Eno... (thanks, puppeteer...) Delerium, Crystal Method, my old favourites Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, and Sash, among others. I'm still searching... I want mood music. Any suggestions?

Comments

[damienroc.livejournal.com]

What mood?

[kuangning]

Almost any, it just needs to be really emotive and not heavily vocal. I did get some Sash, and those are vocals... but I think the majority of the appeal there is that it's new. It'll probably bore me soon.

[damienroc.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I've a preference for a few Ayla tracks (Brainchild and Ayla Part II mostly), Hans Zimmer soundtracks, and the Run Lola Run soundtrack (though that's got quite a few vocals.)

I've got a few things up on my old student account, if you want to look. Umm... I'll pass it along in AIM. I doubt the university would appreciate me passing out the link to hundreds of people. ^_^;

[kuangning]

Thank you! :)

[wiredferret.livejournal.com]

Vangelis and Moby are some of my favorites.
Soundtracks are always good mood music for me -- Last of the Mohicans took me through an entire paper once.
PM Dawn
Gypsy Kings
The Chieftans

[kuangning]

Thanks! :)

[theomachio.livejournal.com]

Right now, I'm crying to "I Believe" by Blessid Union of Souls. If you haven't heard it, I suspect it'd make you cry, too.

[kuangning]

Searching for it now. :)

Re:

[theomachio.livejournal.com]

That song is the reason I list Eliot Sloan (the lead singer) among my idols. If I can make music that affects someone the way that song affects me, I'll be happy.

[kuangning]

I owe you big time, Michael. Blessid Union is wonderful. :)

Re:

[theomachio.livejournal.com]

I thought you'd like it. Yay me! :)

Tilting head to one side and activating music catalog...

[envoy.livejournal.com]

Mood music is an intersting challenge:

The Fifth Element Soundtrack (if you have a burner, hack a version that has the ruby rod track removed and it's fantastic)
The orchestral score to the first Batman movie.

KareKano score (a series that I'm *dead* positive you'll like, I've been meaning to mention it to you, it's a Gainax series done by the same guy who did NeonGen.)

Art of noise, The Seduction of Claude Debussy

Cocteau Twins, just about anything.

Everything But The Girl - Back To Mine (important, this is a compliation, part of a series, the songs on it are _Selected_ by Ben Watt and Tracy Thorn, but not actually by them.)

Jean-Michelle Jarre - The Live Houston-Lyon concert. All the music is together, and it has the best rendition of the song Ethnicolor I've ever heard done. There is a sound in it that sounds like the morunful keening of angels.

Cibo Matto - the Sugar Water remixes are nice.

Oooo!!! newly discovered, E.S. Posthumus - Unearthed, really cool. The latest Spiderman trailier uses a track from this album.

Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet - The Juliet Letters, more classical, be careful the songs can be quite quite depressing, but they are exquisitly beautiful.

And for a curve, find some Zap Mama, nice, positive, exotic.

Underworld, epsecially the remixes of Jumbo, very very nice stuff.

OK... I'd better stop now.

Re: Tilting head to one side and activating music catalog...

[kuangning]

oooohh... thank you! :) I've already been exposed to KareKano and Jarre, but you've given me a great deal to look for. :)

Re: Tilting head to one side and activating music catalog...

[gurath.livejournal.com]

Hey! I like that Ruby Rod number! ...and the extra "medley" at the end of the soundtrack CD. : )

How about Jean Michelle Jarre "Oxygene"? Good planetarium music from way back, except one part reminds me of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble pedaling this squeaky flying bicycle around in the air all night...

Re: Tilting head to one side and activating music catalog...

[envoy.livejournal.com]

There's nothing wrong with the Ruby Rod number, except that it completely disrupts the otherwise nice mood-music flow of the disk. Even the Diva Dance is a bit much if you're just looking for mellow, but it's like a sorbet, refreshing in the middle of the feast.

I like a lot of JMJ's stuff, but the live recording gives an organic side to his music that it normally lacks. Hearing the subtle echos of his music coming back off the skyscrapers is really a nice effect.

[arafel.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you and I have very similar musical tastes. :)

Try Cocteau Twins; the album Treasure is terrific. Also search for Balligomingo - their stuff is more rare but worth the effort. Balligomingo is fronted by the same two guys who front Delerium, and while they don't have a formal album, there are MP3's available. I recommend "Falling" and "Purify."

Too bad I can't just zap the MP3's to you; I have the whole collection! ;)

[kuangning]

Thank you so much! :) I'm not sure how similar our tastes are... the point of this was to get completely away from my normal tastes... but the suggestions are appreciated. :)

[gurath.livejournal.com]

Lovely icon... Lady Amalthea from "The Last Unicorn". I actually managed to get the soundtrack CD of that, but it had to be special ordered from Germany. Anyways, you have good taste in icons.

: )

[phenyx.livejournal.com]

You like Tangerine Dream? See if you can dig up some Christopher Franke Babylon 5 soundtrack stuff. It's Good. [tm]

Also, generic suggestions... Sasha and Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Pete Tong...

Re:

[kuangning]

Paul Oakenfold, I found... can't say I really liked it, but it wasn't bad. I'll look for the others... thanks! :)