Jóhann Jóhannsson

Jóhann Jóhannsson is an Icelandic composer who creates some of the most beautiful music in the world. His projects have ranged from electronic improvisation to full orchestra recordings. He has collaborated with artists including Sigur Ros, Mum, and others. A good friend introduced me to Jóhannsson's work about 5 or 6 years ago.


Englabörn (2002)
This was Jóhannsson's first solo album; his other work included the band Apparat Organ Quartet who consisted of 4 vintage refurbished synthesizers and drums. Englaborn is scored for string quartet, keyboards (piano, harmonium, organ), glockenspiel, electronics, and percussion. It was originally created as a score for a play by Hávar Sigurjónsson. This album consists of many shorter tracks, creating swells and ebbs of sound.


Virðulegu Forsetar (2004)
This albums is devastatingly beautiful and powerful. From the opening chord, it grips and pulls you with a slow but immense draw. The album was recorded in the Hallgrímskirkja Church in Reykjavik. (photos of this church from my my trip to Iceland)This album only has four tracks and is much slower and gradual than Englaborn. There was a CD/DVD release of the album where the DVD was audio only- providing the music in 5.1 digital surround sound. I have never had the opportunity to listen to the DVD in a proper environment, but I believe it would be pretty amazing.


IBM 1401- A user's manual (2006)
This album's theme is centered around the first computer brought to Iceland- the IBM 1401. Johannsson uses original recordings made on this computer that his father created. Additionally there are audio instructions for the computer laced between the music. Much less heavy, this album is more whimsical and light. This is the first part of Johannsson's planned trilogy on technology and iconic American brands. Johannsson just release the second part of the trilogy, Fordlandia, in November of 2008. I haven't heard this album yet, but greatly anticipate it.

Turing Machine

I don't remember where I first heard this band. Probably from the rotation at the radio station or from a friend. I totally forgot about this album until yesterday. I pulled it off the shelves and really enjoyed remembering this. This is a great mix of post rock, math rock, and of course great instrumentation. The rhythms are great- time changes, syncopation, and great melodies. They released a second album about 4 years after this one, but I have never heard it. I'll have to check it out.



A New Machine for Living (2000)
This album was released on the Jade Tree label. A turing machine is an abstract device that simulates computer logic and is used to explore the limits of computation. As archaic as their name suggests, the band pushes the limits of rhythm and dynamics to produce something altogether original. This can be difficult when most "math rock" bands utilize finger tapping, chaotic drumming, and time changes as stock within the genre.

Trans Am

I first heard of Trans Am back in 1997/1998. I had just discovered Sunny Day Real Estate and my world was changed. A friend suggested that if I like SDRE, I should check out Trans Am.

So I did...

And to this day I still do not see any connection between SDRE and Trans Am. But I am thankful for that recommendation.

Most Trans Am albums have some amazing songs- driving bass, pounding drums, and a rhythmic hypnotic pulse that is great. Their instrumentation changes. It typically involves drums, synthesizers, bass, with guitars, electric percussion, and samples filling the void. For as many great songs on a Trans Am album, there are usually as many filler songs. Maybe I just don't appreciate the noise/electronic/sample ridden songs as much as others, but it is the harder songs that brought me to appreciate Trans Am in the first place. I saw them once at CMU probably back in 2000. It was a great show. So here are a bunch of albums that I have from them. They have a couple newer albums; TA- an album with an 80's glam cover, and an album where Trans Am combines with The F-ing Champs. Both of these albums I listed to while I was a DJ at WPTS, but never really got too psyched (in all honestly I never listened to each album in its entirety).

Trans Am (1996)
This was their first full length release on the Thrill Jockey label (as all of their following releases are). It has their drum/bass pulses with some righteous lead melodies reminiscent of 70's rock.


The Surveillance (1998)
This was actually the first Trans Am album I heard. There are some great tracks on this album. I believe it may be a concept album, but I never really got the concept...


Futureworld (1999)
This album has some fantastic songs- super driving, rhythmic, and with the addition of vocoder/synth vocals. This may be my favorite Trans Am album... "No future here in the future"


Red Line (2000)
This is a pretty diverse album. A mix of loud rhythms and soft quiet ambient instrumentals. I haven't listened to this album in a while, but thought I would put it up with the rest of my records.

Thee Speaking Canaries

Thee Speaking Canaries initially started in Pittsburgh; Damon Che of Don Caballero decided to change things up and play guitar and sing, rather than punish the drums. It also features Noah Leger on drums (he also played with Hurl, Milemarker, and Taking Pictures) and Karl Hendricks (of the Karl Hendricks Trio). This lineup existed from about 1991-1995. The band was on hiatus for a while and Che relocated to Chicago. They reformed in 2004, however only Che remains of the original lineup. The new lineup includes Adam Crane and Eugene Doyle (who plays guitar in Don Cab, but drums for TSC).



Songs for the Terrestrially Challenged (1995)
This is the second album released by the band. Two versions of this album were released on different labels. There was a hi-fi and a lo-fi version. The lo-fi is more rare and some believe to be the superior version. It was only limited to 500 copies and the liner notes were hand written with polaroids pasted inside. This is a rip of the hi-fi version. Where Don Cab can be described as prog-rock-metal-jazz, Thee Speaking Canaries is more of a 80's heavy metal-indie rock-van halen-esque sound. Che has some great songwriting. His ability to play the drums and guitar well is rather sickening. I guess it gives him a reason to throw cymbal stands at people (I'm looking at you Juice). Nevertheless; this is a great album and I'll always be on the lookout for the lo-fi version in the used bins...

Rachel's

The Rachel's consists of a main trio: Rachel Grimes on piano, the late Rodan's Jason Noble on bass and organ, and Christian Frederickson playing violin. In addition, each of their album features various horn players, percussionists, and other musicians playing what eventually makes up a small orchestra. Orchestral is one of the best ways to describe this band. At the heart, there is absolutely a post-punk approach to the songwriting and cadence, although the intricate composure of the songs, chord and time changes as well as the sheer diversity in the instrumentation makes the album more like a orchestra rather than a punk band. Selenography is one of their best albums, but I will post the first album I heard of theirs.



The Sea & The Bells (1996)
I first listened to the Rachel's, particularly this album, one day as I was falling asleep, trying to take a nap after school. The melodies were enchanting. I suspect this may have been a concept album, the songs too powerfully create an atmosphere of an open ocean to go unnoticed. You feel the ebb and flow of the currents, the high and low tides, and the crushing of the surf. As I was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly awoke truly frightened by the ghostly and haunting melodies of some of the later songs. It isn't often that an album has the power not only to create such positive but also harrowing emotions in the listener. Truly a great album. Check out their other albums, you won't be disappointed!

Face to Face

I listened to these albums last month for the first time in probably 12 years. It was great. I remembered all the words and it brought back some great memories of playing in my first bands. One of my earliest bands when I was in 9th grade covered Disconnected for a little while. So fun! I actually saw them in a small bar in Philly in 1995. They were recording a live album that night and I think you can hear my friend Ed yell about the place smelling like feet on the album...

Don't Turn Away (1992)
This is the first Face to Face album I heard. It has the quintessential photo of the guy with his head resting on crossed arms (see also Minor Threat, Neurosis, etc). This is by far their rawest album, and many say their best. Originally released on Dr. Strange records, and re-released on Fat Wreck Chords.

Big Choice (1995)
This is a poppier album with less of an edge. This is more melodic, and the songs tend to get stuck in my head more so than Don't Turn Away. Really fun album, if I ever start lifting weights this will be the album I listen to during working out... How I remember all the lyrics to these songs while not listening for 12 years is crazy. I wish I remembered other things half as well...

Francisco López

My good friend (Mikey C) turned me on to Francisco Lopez years ago when we both went to the University of Pittsburgh. We both had radio shows on WPTS and I believe that is where he first heard of Lopez. Francisco Lopez is an avante-garde minimalist composer who uses many field recording in his works. I have three albums of his. Some may find these unlistenable, others mellowing and soothing, others confused. Many of his records come with no artwork and he often performs in total darkness with blindfolds passed out to the audience. These three albums were released on Alien 8 recordings.



Untitled #123
This was the first album that I heard from Lopez. The instrument in this album was a grain silo in Montreal that was microphoned in various ways. Over the course of one year, many artists utilized this grain silo for various projects. This album (like many of Lopez' works) utilizes silence, sub-frequencies inaudible to human ears, and sound textures to create a canvas opening itself to the listener. I once listened to this album alone in my apartment while studying. The opening few minutes are mostly silent, so I soon forgot that I was listening to an album. I suddenly was hearing a hissing noise that was becoming slowly louder. I started freaking out because I couldn't figure out what it was. I honestly thought that my stove had developed a gas leak and pulled it out to look behind the oven for a broken gas line. I was trying to smell where the gas may be leaking from. After several very nervous minutes, I remembered that I was playing a cd and soon discovered that the gas leak was just the silophone. Amazing.



Addy en el pais de las frutas y los chunches
"Addy in the land of fruit and thingymmujiggs"
This is a collection of field recordings made in Costa Rica during the rainy season of 1995. Lopez layers these landscape recordings together to create a soundscape where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This has been reported to be Lopez' favorite work he has done.


Untitled #104
This album is very different from the above, and probably the most unlistenable. Instead of using field recordings and sound textures, this album consists of layers of Metal- and when I say metal I mean death, black, doom, and dare I say new wave of british. I am not sure if he took samples of albums, created the sounds himself, or simply mic'd 3 or 4 bands playing at the same time. Harsh, but still creates swells and troughs with these tones...