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The stats for my first year of last.fm (aka A Professional How-To Regarding Doing Useless Things)

General stats
23974 tracks scrobbled
65.68 tracks per day
461.03 tracks per week
1997.83 tracks per month

Artists with >= 100 plays
1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 324
2. Tom Waits 309
3. Marissa Nadler 263
4. 16 Horsepower 259
5. Low 250
6. Robert Wyatt 242
7. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band 223
8. Morphine 218
9. Nico 211
10. Sonic Youth 204
10. The Red Krayola 204
12. The Knife 195
13. Lost Sounds 185
14. Slint 182
15. Bola 181
16. Burial 177
16. The Black Heart Procession 177
18. Einstürzende Neubauten 175
18. Arcade Fire 175
20. Joanna Newsom 172
21. Leonard Cohen 171
21. The Doors 171
23. Bob Dylan 166
24. Big Black 161
25. Brian Eno 159
26. Faust 152
26. Lisa Germano 152
28. David Sylvian 145
28. Six Organs of Admittance 145
30. 高木正勝 142
30. Pere Ubu 142
32. Dirty Three 140
33. Balmorhea 136
34. Gang Gang Dance 135
35. Autechre 133
36. Woven Hand 128
37. The Velvet Underground 127
37. Pussy Galore 127
39. This Heat 124
40. Black Lips 121
41. Coil 117
42. Crystal Castles 116
43. Jay Munly 115
43. Suicide 115
45. Tortoise 113
45. Soap&Skin 113
47. Frank Zappa 111
48. Sun Ra 109
49. Pink Floyd 108
50. Tim Buckley 106
51. Kraftwerk105
52. Wu-Tang Clan104
53. Popol Vuh 104
54. Fennesz 103
55. Camille 103
56. Yann Tiersen 101
57. Max Richter 100

Top 50 albums
1. Morphine - Good 133
2. 16 Horsepower - Sackcloth 'n' Ashes 131
3. Low - I Could Live in Hope 130
4. Marissa Nadler - Songs III: Bird on the Water 119
5. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna 116
6. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible 111
7. The Knife - Silent Shout 105
8. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles 103
8. Burial - Untrue 103
10. Camille - Le fil 101
11. Soap&Skin - Lovetune for Vacuum 99
12. Bola - Gnayse 95
13. Dusk + Blackdown - Margins Music 93
14. Lost Sounds - Black Wave 92
15. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica 84
16. Slint - Spiderland 83
17. Autechre - Incunabula 81
18. The Black Heart Procession - 2 80
19. Max Richter - Memoryhouse 79
20. Balmorhea - Balmorhea 76
21. Dirty Three - Ocean Songs 74
21. Suicide - Suicide 74
23. Lisa Germano - Geek the Girl 73
24. 高木正勝 - Coieda 72
25. David Sylvian - Secrets of the Beehive 71
25. Nico - The Marble Index 71
27. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs 69
27. Six Organs of Admittance - Dark Noontide 69
27. Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance 69
30. The Black Heart Procession - 1 68
30. Joanna Newsom - Ys 68
32. Marissa Nadler - The Saga Of Mayflower May 67
33. This Heat - This Heat 66
33. Jay Munly - Jimmy Carter Syndrome 66
33. Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom 66
36. 16 Horsepower - Secret South 65
36. Slint - Tweez 65
36. Big Black - Atomizer 65
39. Squirrel Bait - Self Titled 63
40. The Doors - Waiting for the Sun 62
40. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey 62
42. Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade 60
43. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico 59
43. Einstürzende Neubauten - Strategies Against Architecture II 59
45. Sebadoh - III 58
45. Burial - Burial 58
47. The Birthday Party - Hits 57
47. Arcade Fire - Funeral 57
49. Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra 56
49. DM Stith - Heavy Ghost 56

OMR Tag pie


The tag cloud

alt-country alternative alternative rock ambient avant-garde blues classic rock electronic electronica experimental female vocalists folk garage rock indie indie rock jazz noise noise rock post-punk post-rock progressive rock psychedelic singer-songwriter

AEP Score: 4.35

The milestone tracks


Nations stats

Ok, so a significant part of the draw to Last.fm has always been the recommendations.

You listen to a bunch of tracks that you like and through the magic of databases, algorithms, and other listeners with similar tastes; you're presented with artist recommendations courtesy of the machine.

Their used to be a sweet feature subset of the recommendation engine that allowed groups and other users to send you recommendations to which you could also mix in to your musical discovery journey.

Unfortunately with the most recent 'overhaul' of the site, group recommendations went away completely and personal recommendations went to pot. Instead of being displayed on a singular page and allowed to populate a radio stream of unbroken recommendations, they now appear in your inbox where you have to sample them one-at-a-time.

Not nearly as fun nor conducive to the discovery listening process. :-(

I'd previously found a tool (I'll stick a link in here later) that would scrape some of your top artists data and present you a cloud of recommended artists -- it worked as good or better than the machine recommendations mentioned above.

As good as artists recommendations are however, I've always hoped for a track recommendation system... and now there is!

My understanding is that your top tracks are compiled, the most similar tracks to these, which you have not previously scrobbled, are extrapolated and then weighted on how many times they appear as a similar track to one of your top tracks. You're then presented with a list and a Last.fm friendly bb code you can copy-paste. One day hopefully there will be the ability to quickly dump the list in to a playlist or mass tag the result set in order to effortlessly begin the listening discovery process.

Until such time we'll just have to dump them somewhere here, such as a journal and either sample independantly, or use the resulting links to compile a tag set or playlist ourselves.

They say that one day in the future, the machines will do all the work for us, instead of us doing all the work for the machines...

IIRC, the first list is from feeding in my top 50 tracks, and the second list (which should be more accurate) is from feeding in my top 200. I decided to save both for sake of comparison. I expect a lot of duplicates, which should be strongly recommended, but am also interested in the uniques.

The author of this tool, kurtrips also presents a 'Random Song Statistics' generator, that will reveal how many unique tracks represent the total of all your listened tracks, and present as well an SRI or 'Song Repetition Index' representing how many times you listen to a track, when averaged over all the tracks to which you have listened.

In fact, you need to run the Random Song Statistics tool on that site before you can benefit from running the Song Recommendation Tool.

More information can be found here: Random Song Statistics And Song Recommendation Tool

Recommended Songs (sorted by most recommended songs)

Lady Folly : Ilya (Score = 114.66)
Inside My Mind (Blue Skies) : Groove Armada (Score = 93.58)
Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens : DJ Cam (Score = 86.25)
Ramblin' Man : Lemon Jelly (Score = 85.65)
La Luna : Robert Rich & Steve Roach (Score = 84.87)
The Dream Is Always the Same : Tangerine Dream (Score = 83.91)
SOS : Asura (Score = 83.85)
1/1 : Brian Eno (Score = 82.95)
Yo-Yo (Abbey Road Version) : Amorphous Androgynous (Score = 82.46)
Tristesse Globale : Röyksopp (Score = 82.3)
Soluble Ducks : Animals on Wheels (Score = 81.54)
Lunar Orbit Four - Back Side Of The Moon : The Orb (Score = 81.39)
The Rhythm Resonator : Kilvo (Score = 81.39)
Self transforming experience : Solar Fields (Score = 81.24)
Velius : Helios (Score = 81.2)
Novio : Moby (Score = 81.19)
Understars : Brian Eno (Score = 81.11)
The Claddagh of Sera Kirby : Flim (Score = 81.07)
Noun : Pan•American (Score = 80.73)
Out Of Nothing : O Yuki Conjugate (Score = 80.71)
Heliopolis : Banco de Gaia (Score = 79.86)
Nummer 6 : Porn Sword Tobacco (Score = 79.83)
MOS 6581 (Album Version) : Carbon Based Lifeforms (Score = 79.68)
Waveform (Ambient Jungle mix) : The Irresistible Force (Score = 79.67)
Black Lamb & Grey Falcon : Biosphere (Score = 79.53)
Green Reflections : Biosphere (Score = 79.45)
Nummer 14 : Porn Sword Tobacco (Score = 79.2)
Mobility Cookie Redirection : SK123 (Score = 78.99)
Big Teeth Man : Metricks (Score = 78.95)
Night Bus : Burial (Score = 78.81)
Everyone in the World Is Doing Something Without Me : The Future Sound of London (Score = 78.77)
Blue Haze : Ishq (Score = 78.57)
Butterfly : Piana (Score = 78.5)
Beat of Desire : Steve Roach (Score = 78.37)
Isometric unit construction : Domotic (Score = 78.16)
Snowflake 8 : Yagya (Score = 78.15)
Lucky Saddle : FFWD (Score = 77.97)
Sensitive Data : Chris Korda (Score = 77.89)
Mullholland : Stars of the Lid (Score = 77.88)
Poem - Aztec hotel : Harold Budd (Score = 77.86)
Remember My Name : Bliss (Score = 77.8)
The Sea is in the Boat : The Boats (Score = 77.77)
Yara 06 : Marsen Jules (Score = 77.75)
Winston : Naked 9 (Score = 77.58)
Dark Eyed Sister : Harold Budd/Brian Eno (Score = 77.53)
Chinook : Loscil (Score = 77.46)
Reliant : Planet Bliss (Score = 77.44)
Ultrasound : Transient (Score = 77.41)
Chamber of Synthi Dreams : Pete Namlook (Score = 77.38)
Subharmonic Passage : Pete Namlook (Score = 77.38)
Fractal Liason : System 7 (Score = 77.32)
Nea 3 : Solar Fields (Score = 77.29)
Ruido : Murcof (Score = 77.26)
Lazy Sunday Funerals 01 : Marsen Jules (Score = 77.16)
A Swimming Pool Down the Railway Track : Colleen (Score = 77.12)
A Year in a Minute : Fennesz (Score = 77.1)
Samsara : Helios (Score = 77.1)
Pictures at an Exhibition : Tangerine Dream (Score = 77.02)
Through You : Seefeel (Score = 77.02)
Disk 0 : Atom Heart (Score = 77)
Track 01 : Atom Heart (Score = 77)
Kincajou (Duck! Asteroid) : Banco de Gaia (Score = 76.98)
015 + - 06 - 8.01 : Fennesz (Score = 76.91)
smell memory traktor remix : MUM (Score = 76.9)
Cloud Cover : O Yuki Conjugate (Score = 76.89)
In Moll 5 : Markus Guentner (Score = 76.86)
Shark : Juno Reactor (Score = 76.84)
Kojan : Omnimotion (Score = 76.81)
How Vacantly You Stare at Me : Harold Budd (Score = 76.75)
Speedleam (empathy mix) : The Higher Intelligence Agency (Score = 76.72)
Halcyon : Loscil (Score = 76.7)
Yu : Ishq (Score = 76.7)
Long Life : Bliss (Score = 76.68)
d|p 4 : William Basinski (Score = 76.66)
Wing : Pan•American (Score = 76.65)
District : Patrick Pulsinger (Score = 76.55)
der wuestenplanet : Markus Guentner (Score = 76.46)
DSP Terminal : Tetsu Inoue (Score = 76.44)
Untitled 9 : Sutekh (Score = 76.29)
from star to seed : Rena Jones (Score = 76.23)
Undercurrent : Rena Jones (Score = 76.23)
The Deep (original mix) : Global Communication (Score = 76.18)
Bubbaluba : Renegade Soundwave (Score = 76.18)
Starethrough : Seefeel (Score = 76.08)
Falling, Flying, Dreaming : Steve Roach (Score = 75.99)
Holy Dance : Tetsu Inoue (Score = 75.96)
The Biosphere : Global Communication (Score = 75.95)
One Night and It's Gone : Colleen (Score = 75.85)
Mmin : Bad Loop (Score = 75.79)
Reverendrum [Tunnel Mix by Nylon Union] : Abuse (Score = 75.74)
Selinite : The Higher Intelligence Agency (Score = 75.73)
Track3a(2waynice) : Keith Fullerton Whitman (Score = 75.65)
Here : Manual (Score = 75.55)
Amongst the Ruins : Delerium (Score = 75.5)
Snowflake 10 : Yagya (Score = 75.47)
Transmit Liberation : Single Cell Orchestra (Score = 75.46)
Kika : EZ3kiel (Score = 75.39)
Flight 2127 : Single Cell Orchestra (Score = 75.33)
Lifeforms (Path 5) : The Future Sound of London (Score = 75.31)
Sketch : Julien Neto (Score = 75.18)

=====

Recommended Songs (sorted by most recommended songs)

Lady Folly : Ilya (Score = 178.04)
Inside My Mind (Blue Skies) : Groove Armada (Score = 160.08)
pure : Sal Boca (Score = 156.63)
Ramblin' Man : Lemon Jelly (Score = 153.65)
Angel : Massive Attack (Score = 134.6)
Message in a Bottle : Saint Etienne (Score = 132.53)
Deep Love (Nitin Sawhney remix) : Mandalay (Score = 130.92)
Going Under : Rockers Hi-Fi (Score = 130.73)
La condition pour aimer : Autour de Lucie (Score = 130.69)
Either Way : Etro Anime (Score = 130.53)
Overdue : Bitter:Sweet (Score = 129.65)
Associates : Simpletun (Score = 127.78)
Tripping on a Trip : Felix da Housecat (Score = 126.88)
Venus : Funki Porcini (Score = 126.54)
Heaven : Bitter:Sweet (Score = 125.09)
The Big Sea : Funki Porcini (Score = 124.92)
Underground Vibes : DJ Cam (Score = 124.9)
Diablo : Etro Anime (Score = 124.61)
Let Me Sleep : Laika (Score = 124.58)
Enough : Alif Tree (Score = 124.58)
Abandoned : Cling (Score = 124.07)
Bittersweet : Atomica (Score = 123.89)
Lifeboat : Lovage (Score = 122.72)
Shock Corridor : Saint Etienne (Score = 121.1)
Keep On Moving : Audio Bullys (Score = 121.1)
No Feedback : Khoiba (Score = 120.76)
Worry : Atomica (Score = 119.86)
Laisse le temps : Olive (Score = 119.3)
Bad Things : Tricky (Score = 119.09)
Alicia Blue / Flow : Material (Score = 118.99)
Seven Souls (Tim Simenon Mix) : Material (Score = 118.99)
Ghetto Youth : Tricky (Score = 118.8)
Intro : DJ Krush (Score = 118.49)
Sweet : Lamb (Score = 117.99)
Spooky Rhodes : Laika (Score = 117.52)
Glory Box : Portishead (Score = 117.23)
07. Piano Playa Hata : Wagon Christ (Score = 116.02)
Downhill Racer (Kenny Dope Remix) : Everything but the Girl (Score = 115.82)
Scratch Yer Head (Squarepusher mix) : DJ Food (Score = 115.36)
Another Membrane : MUM (Score = 115.02)
Blue Movie : Sneaker Pimps (Score = 114.93)
Candy Mckenzie : Death in Vegas (Score = 113.37)
Beautiful (7 Canny Mix) : Mandalay (Score = 113.22)
La contradiction : Autour de Lucie (Score = 112.59)
Little Hitler : Everything but the Girl (Score = 112.07)
Shorty's Judgement : The Herbaliser (Score = 111.85)
Beautiful World : Archive (Score = 110.26)
UNKLE (main title theme) : UNKLE (Score = 109.73)
Softly : Lamb (Score = 109.49)
This Love : Sarah Brightman (Score = 109.47)
Women Lose Weight (feat. Slick Rick) : Morcheeba (Score = 109.3)
Love Dub : Waldeck (Score = 108.4)
Spirits Fall : Pressure Drop (Score = 108.32)
Sheared Box : Portishead (Score = 106.91)
A Well Deserved Break : Morcheeba (Score = 106.38)
Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens : DJ Cam (Score = 106.35)
Safe From Harm (Perfecto Mix) : Massive Attack (Score = 105.43)
Attica's Puma States Remix : Sneaker Pimps (Score = 104.62)
what are you to me : UNKLE (Score = 103.82)
Lunar Orbit Four - Back Side Of The Moon : The Orb (Score = 98.58)
Perfect : Supreme Beings of Leisure (Score = 96.97)
Battersea : Hooverphonic (Score = 96.82)
Novio : Moby (Score = 96.07)
Sister Curare : Kid Loco (Score = 94.81)
Tristesse Globale : Röyksopp (Score = 94.01)
Double Drums (DJ DSL mix) : Peace Orchestra (Score = 93.94)
Everyone in the World Is Doing Something Without Me : The Future Sound of London (Score = 93.77)
Soluble Ducks : Animals on Wheels (Score = 93.03)
Remember My Name : Bliss (Score = 92.81)
La Luna : Robert Rich & Steve Roach (Score = 92.6)
SOS : Asura (Score = 91.61)
1/1 : Brian Eno (Score = 90.9)
Lifeforms (Path 5) : The Future Sound of London (Score = 90.8)
Not So Blue : Quantic (Score = 90.46)
Ain't Got Nothin' : Supreme Beings of Leisure (Score = 89.62)
The Rhythm Resonator : Kilvo (Score = 89.22)
Reliant : Planet Bliss (Score = 89.17)
Guimar : Aim (Score = 88.82)
Understars : Brian Eno (Score = 88.64)
MOS 6581 (Album Version) : Carbon Based Lifeforms (Score = 88.56)
Yu : Ishq (Score = 88.35)
The Dream Is Always the Same : Tangerine Dream (Score = 88.08)
Heliopolis : Banco de Gaia (Score = 87.49)
Yo-Yo (Abbey Road Version) : Amorphous Androgynous (Score = 86.71)
Night Bus : Burial (Score = 86.48)
Blue Haze : Ishq (Score = 86.2)
The Sea is in the Boat : The Boats (Score = 85.6)
Lucky Saddle : FFWD (Score = 85.56)
Dark Eyed Sister : Harold Budd/Brian Eno (Score = 85.27)
Pure Synthetic : Planet Bliss (Score = 85.17)
The Claddagh of Sera Kirby : Flim (Score = 85.16)
Ultrasound : Transient (Score = 84.9)
Ruido : Murcof (Score = 84.88)
smell memory traktor remix : MUM (Score = 84.53)
Moon : Sia (Score = 84.47)
Hide and Seek : Kruder & Dorfmeister (Score = 84.44)
d|p 4 : William Basinski (Score = 84.38)
Out Of Nothing : O Yuki Conjugate (Score = 84.24)
Kojan : Omnimotion (Score = 84.18)
der wuestenplanet : Markus Guentner (Score = 83.95)



I'm pleased to notice that the vast majority of these recommendations are streamable!

Now off to build a tag set to have a proper listen. :-)

Thought it was about time I wrote a journal... anyway...

The idea is to go to the page of your number one artist, and follow the link of it's number one similar artist, then repeating that for this artist and so on, noting down each artist as you go. Do this until you've got to 50 artists. If you get any repeats, just go to the second similar artist or the nearest one that you haven't already had.

Starting with:

1. The Beatles
2. John Lennon
3. George Harrison (seeing a pattern here)
4. Paul McCartney
5. Paul McCartney & Wings
6. Paul & Linda McCartney (lol)
7. Wings
8. Ringo Starr
9. John Lennon & Yoko Ono
10. Yoko Ono
11. Nico
12. The Velvet Underground
13. Lou Reed
14. Lou Reed & John Cale
15. John Cale (hmmmm)
16. Brian Eno & John Cale
17. Brian Eno
18. Harold Budd/Brian Eno
19. Harold Budd
20. John Foxx & Harold Budd
21. Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd
22. Robin Guthrie
23. Cocteau Twins
24. This Mortal Coil (I stopped recognizing the names around here)
25. The Hope Blister
26. Dif Juz
27. The Wolfgang Press
28. Colourbox
29. Ultra Vivid Scene
30. Pale Saints
31. Chapterhouse
32. Ride
33. Slowdive
34. My Bloody Valentine
35. The Jesus and Mary Chain
36. Spacemen 3
37. Spiritualized
38. Spectrum
39. Sonic Boom
40. The Telescopes
41. Loop
42. Flying Saucer Attack
43. Bardo Pond
44. Hash Jar Tempo
45. Roy Montgomery
46. Dadamah
47. Dissolve
48. Magnog
49. Amp
50. Windy & Carl

So... wtf.

1. What's your favorite song by 14? Brian Eno
Discreet Music turns any bedroom into a cocoon.

2. How did you get into 20? The Prodigy
Like most 10-year-olds, I was eager to align myself with whatever older kids were listening to, and often stole my dad's radio to find out what that was. Hearing Firestarter one night really excited me in a way that Savage Garden didn't.

3. Who is your favorite member in 8? The 69 Eyes
Jyrki 69, who does the finest Andrew Eldritch impression of any I've heard - while embodying everything that Andrew Eldritch hates about his own legacy.

4. What's your favorite lyric by 29? Das Ich
Weis mir den Weg
Das Licht aus deiner Hand
Gleicht der Sonne hell entbrannt

Weis mir den Weg
Ins unbekannte Reich
Wo Blut und Wein sich gleichen

Weis mir den Weg
Das Licht aus deiner Hand
Strahlt hinab ins dunkle Land

Weis mir den Weg
Ins unbekannte Reich
Wo Leib und Brot sich gleichen

5. Have you ever seen 22 live? Black Uhuru
If they ever again tour in any incarnation, I definitely will. This question made me check their relic of a web site; the 'Tour Dates' page 404'd, and likely has been that way for nine years.

6. What's your favorite album from 10? Kate Bush
Hounds of Love, though this answer changes six times a week.

7. Do you own any merchandise from 3? The Smiths
One t-shirt. Does a ticket to a Morrissey gig in two weeks count?

8. What is a good memory you have of 7? Loreena McKennitt
Having sex to The Mummers' Dance. Hey, you asked.

9. Is there a member of the same age as you in 2? Depeche Mode
No.

10. When did you first get into 1? Tori Amos
Seven years ago, after a chance encounter with Under the Pink.

11. Who likes 4 along with you? Biosphere
No one that I know of.

12. Which song did you first hear from 15? Imogen Heap
Headlock - loved her instantly.

13. What song made you fall in love with 5? Boards Of Canada]
Olson

14. Which song do you not like by 18? Frank Zappa
There are literally about a thousand to pick from, but I can't name one.

15. Why do you like 14's songs? Brian Eno
The theory of generative music really intrigues me.

16. Where did you first hear 6? The Cure
I heard Maybe Someday on the radio in the seventh grade, but it would be years before I gave The Cure a proper listen.

17. How long was 19 a musician before you liked them? Aphex Twin
I would think that he's experimented with electronic music all his life. About 35 years.

18. Does 13 have a song that gives you a bad memory? Coolio
Coolio is a bad memory. I once dared myself to listen only to him for a straight week. I don't consider the high fever that I caught that Thursday to be a coincidence.

19. When did you get into 17? The Sisters of Mercy
A couple of years ago.

20. How long have you been into 1? Tori Amos
Sorry, is this a different question from #10?

21. If 9 have a concert 300 miles away, would you drive there to see them? Dead Can Dance
Say the word and I'll start driving. I've already missed one chance to see them reunited.

22. How many CDs do you own of 11? Qntal
Qntal I - Qntal V.

23. Does 21 have a song that makes you cry? Blutengel
No.

24. Does 27 have a song that makes you happy? Enya
Tea-House Moon reminds me of a girl.

25. Does 23 have a song that makes you smile? Stevie Wonder
Dozens.

26. What's the last song you've listened to from 28? KMFDM
WWIII; played it for a friend.

27. Is there a song by 32 that you've listened to more than 30 times? The Smashing Pumpkins
No - at least, not without counting pre-last.fm listens.

28. What is a song from 50 that you've only listened to once? Inkubus Sukkubus
There isn't one.

29. Is there a song you are sick of hearing by 24? Kraftwerk
Never.

30. What song got you into 40? David Bowie
One day, I woke up and realized that I knew nothing about David Bowie. For someone who takes music history seriously, this was unacceptable. I listened to most of his studio output (out of order) in the span of a week, and Suffragette City was the first track to really grab me.

31. What is your favorite single by 37? Bauhaus
The Passion of Lovers

32. If 49 hated you, what would you do? Toots & The Maytals
Figure that it was because I'm white.

33. Would would you say if 42 or one of the members from 42 asked you out? Marilyn Manson
I'd enjoy the infamy, and so would he.

41. Would you care if 41 had a boyfriend/girlfriend? Lustmord
What makes these quizzes so interesting is the likelihood that at least one question will be paired with the perfect artist for it. Unfortunately, it can't work that way for all of them. I've never thought about it. I really wouldn't care.

35. Who has the best voice in 30? Mindless Self Indulgence
The synthesizers.

36. Do you think 26 is/are good looking? Garmarna
Just looked up a picture. I had expected to see three or four Brendan Perrys and a Lisa Gerrard and...I wasn't wrong. So, yes.

37. How many times have you listened to your favorite song by 36? Soft Cell
Frustration: 26. You are now surprised that I didn't say Tainted Love.

38. How many CDs do you own of 30? Mindless Self Indulgence
If we take 'own' in the modern sense: four. Otherwise, none.

39. Is there a song from 38 that makes you mad? Björk
Björk makes me many things, but never mad.

40. Which member from 33 do you want to see go solo? If 33 is only one artist, what would you do if they joined a group? Harold Budd/Brian Eno
I think Brian Eno would have a pretty interesting solo career.

41. What does your favorite song from 48 remind you of? Ladytron
Another Breakfast With You: The morning after. A couple of them, actually.

42. Did you hate 43 at first? Nine Inch Nails
No, though I might have if The Slip were my first impression.

43. Does your best friend also listen to 33? Harold Budd/Brian Eno
No.

44. Do you think your parents would like 23? Stevie Wonder
Both love him. I saw him live with them - phenomenal.

45. Does 47 have a song that makes you want to dance? Stephen Rippy
Battle, from the Age of Empires soundtrack. How did this breach my Top 50?

46. Have you ever seen 34 in person? múm
Maybe I will, once I move to Iceland.

47. Do you like 44's name? The Beatles
What if I didn't? I can't allow myself to speak ill of The Beatles.

48. Is there someone in 48 that you want to go out with? Ladytron
The person I took this survey from had Auf der Maur at #48. Having lusted for Melissa Auf Der Maur since I was 13, I'm going to forget about Ladytron and say 'Yes' to her instead.

49. Do you know anyone that hates 3? The Smiths
Many do, but none that I know personally.

50. Have you ever danced to a song from 35? Talk Talk
Not that I can recall.

Albums that are not scrobbled by me because of the fact that I listen to them at night. This report contains mostly ambient related albums. I am going to update it every week(or maybe more often, i will see). This list was created for my own usage, so it probably won't be interesting for the other peple, but who cares...

25.01.2009 - Fennesz - 'Black Sea'

26.01.2009 - Deaf Center - 'Pale Ravine' & Biosphere - 'Man with a Movie Camera'

27.01.2009 - Harold Budd/Brian Eno - 'The Pearl'

28.01.2009 - Steve Roach - 'Structures from Silence'

29.01.2009 - Steve Roach - 'Structures from Silence' & Harold Budd/Brian Eno - 'The Pearl'

30.01.2009 - Harold Budd/Brian Eno - 'The Pearl'

31.01.2009 - Slowdive - 'Catch the Breeze', Disc Two.

01.02.2009 - Vidna Obmana - 'The River of Appearance' & Harold Budd/Brian Eno - 'The Pearl'

02.02.2009 - Tim Hecker - 'An Imaginary Country' & Harold Budd/Brian Eno - 'Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror'

03.02.2009 - Harold Budd/Brian Eno - 'Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror' & excerpts from Steve Roach - 'Structures from Silence' & Fennesz - 'Black Sea'

04.02.2009 - Steve Roach - 'Mystic Chords and Sacred Spaces', Disc One.

05.02.2009 - Solar Fields - 'Leaving Home'

06.02.2009 - Various Artists - 'Lost in Translation' & excerpts from Steve Roach - 'Mystic Chords and Sacred Spaces', Disc One.

07.02.2009 - Steve Roach - 'Mystic Chords and Sacred Spaces', Disc Two.

08.02.2009 - Harold Budd - 'The White Arcades'.

09.02.2009 - Global Communication - '76:14'.

10.02.2009 - Biosphere - Substrata.

11.02.2009 - Brian Eno - Apollo.

12.02.2009 - Global Communication - '76:14'.

13.02.2009 - Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson & Sigur Rós - 'Angels of the Universe'.

14.02.2009 - Michael Stearns - 'Encounter'.

15.02.2009 - Michael Stearns - 'Encounter'.

16.02.2009 - Brian Eno - 'On Land'.

17.02.2009 - David Helpling - 'Sleeping on the Edge of the World'.

18.02.2009 - Steve Roach, Patrick O'Hearn, Vir Unis, Stephen Bacchus & Vidna Obmana - 'Ambient Expanse'.

19.02.2009 - Steve Roach, Patrick O'Hearn, Vir Unis, Stephen Bacchus & Vidna Obmana - 'Ambient Expanse'.

22.02.2009 - Steve Roach, Patrick O'Hearn, Vir Unis, Stephen Bacchus & Vidna Obmana - 'Ambient Expanse'.

23.02.2009 - Brian Eno - 'Apollo'.

24.02.2009 - Biosphere - 'Substrata'.

25.02.2009 - Steve Roach & Robert Rich - 'Soma'.

26.02.2009 - Steve Roach & Robert Rich - 'Soma'.

01.03.2009 - Deaf Center - 'Pale Ravine'

02.03.2009 - Steve Roach, Patrick O'Hearn, Vir Unis, Stephen Bacchus & Vidna Obmana - 'Ambient Expanse'.

http://www.[spam]/download/53216057cc026a12/

Seefeel - Plainsong
His Name Is Alive - One Year (Four Tet Remix)
Aphex Twin - Xtal
Boxcutter - Chlorophyll
Pantha du Prince - Asha
Flying Lotus - Tea Leaf Dancers
Crisopa - Another flying cathedral
DeepChord - Grandbend (Echospace dub)
Susumu Yokota - A Heart-warming and Beautiful Flower Will Eventually Wither Away and Become Dirt
Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint: Fast
Marsen Jules - Chanson Du Soir
Harold Budd & Brian Eno - Against The Sky

So I decided to make another "top albums" list. Sure, it's not the most creative thing you'll read on this site, but I decided to do it anyways. The title is self-explanatory, this is a list of the 20- well, make that 21- best ambient albums I've had the priveledge to listen to, from best to worst. Keep in mind that all of these albums are brilliant, and that I would gladly recommend any of these to anyone interested in familiarizing themselves with ambient music. Also, this list does not include albums with ambient influences but are not "pure" ambient, such as Global Communication's 76:14, Biosphere's Microgravity, and Autechre's Tri Repetae++ (all of which are excellent albums in their own right). Enjoy.

1. Steve Roach- Structures from Silence (1984)

Words cannot describe how intricately beautiful and compellingly layered ambient soundscape is. It is minimalistic in structure and intensity, yet it pulls the listener into a world of deep bliss, serenity, and abstract geometric sounds. It's hard to believe this album is well over 20 years old. The perfect ambient album.

2. Harold Budd- The White Arcades (1988)

After collaborating with Brian Eno, it is apparent that Harold Budd was influenced by the supposed creator of ambient music. Eno's influence is easily seen on The White Arcades, as less emphasis is put on Budd's minimalistic piano composition, while the synthesizers dominate the sound. This does not take away from his beautiful composition, though. In fact, they highlight Budd's subtle yet evocative and atmospheric touches. Each song acts as a soundscape, transporting the listener to a realm of child-like innocence and bliss. Here, Harold Budd surpasses anything he has done with Brian Eno, as well as anything Eno has done himself. This is my personal favorite from any of Harold Budd's solo albums and collaborations, and it is essential for any ambient collection.

3. Harold Budd/Brian Eno- The Pearl (1984)

While I probably shouldn't put two Harold Budd albums back-to-back on this list, it's just too hard to resist. The Pearl continues on Budd's minimalistic touch, and combines it with Brian Eno's atmospheric input. The result is quite stunning, just as impressive- or more so- than their first collaboration, Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror. The Pearl has a more subtle and minimalistic approach than The White Arcades- partly due to the relative lack of electronic synthesizers-, but the sound that culminates from this different approach is very similar.

4. Brian Eno- Ambient 1: Music for Airports (1977)

If this list were to be determined by influence alone, this would without a doubt be #1. It is accredited with the creation of ambient music, and is seen as an ambient masterpiece. The concept is solid, and unlike many concept albums- although this is a concept album of an entirely different sort than most-, Eno pulls it off with brilliance. Each song acts as a seperate entity, but when listening to the album as a whole, the tracks melt together seamlessly, despite their evident differences. Ambient 1 combines the neo-classical influences of Discreet Music, arguably his first ambient effort, with the electronic/synthesized sounds of his later ambient albums. Even though albums like Ambient 4 and Apollo are almost perfect in their own right, Ambient 1 will forever be Eno's true ambient masterpiece.

5. Steve Roach- Dreamtime Return (1988)

Steve Roach is one of the most prolific artists in electronic music- let alone ambient music-, and Dreamtime Return does the daunting task of summarizing his entire catalog in one album. It combines his purely electronic ambient efforts (see Structures From Silence) with his tribal/spiritual efforts (which encompasses the majority of his solo albums and various collaborations). This mixture seems rather intimidating at first, but given time this album reveals itself to be one of the greatest achievements in ambient music.

6. Robert Rich- Inner Landscapes (1987)


7. Aphex Twin- Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (1994)

Richard D. James is one of the most innovative and creative artists in the 90s electronic movement, and S.A.W. Vol. II showcases his creativity in full force. Rather than consisting of an endless array of chaotic noises, or even the catchy ambient techno sounds of Selected Ambient Works 85-92, this album is ambient music in the most literal sense. S.A.W. Vol. II should be seen as one of the most important ambient releases ever, because it encompasses a wide variety of ambient sounds, from the most blissful, to the darkest and downright bone-chilling, and almost everything in-between. While this album is quite intimidating in length and consistency (or lack thereof), it deserves top be in the top 10 of this list.

8. Brian Eno- Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundscapes (1983)

One of Eno's most essential ambient works, Apollo follows in the footsteps of Ambient 4, both created to evoke images of certain places, as Apollo was created as a soundscape of the Apollo space missions. This album does this, and more. It is a perfect catalyst for sending the mind to the stars above the night sky.

9. Biosphere- Substrata (1997)

The synthesis of the cold and desolate enviornment of the world above the Arctic Circle into sound, Substrata is revered as one of the top ambient albums of all time, and for good reason.

10. Stars of the Lid- Avec Laudenum (1999)

Stars of the Lid have been one of the most promising new-comers to the ambient scene since the mid 90s, and while their entire catalog is impressive, Avec Laudenum is my personal favorite. It consists of droning electronic sounds that change at a snails pace, but this album never gets dull or boring, despite its intricate subtlety.

11. Steve Roach & Robert Rich- Soma (1993)


12. Brian Eno- Ambient 4: On Land (1982)


13. Stars of the Lid- and Their Refinement of the Decline (2007)


14. Suspended Memories- Forgotten Gods (1993)


15. Steve Roach- The Magnificent Void (1996)


16. Brian Eno- Music For Films (1978)


17. Stars of the Lid- The Ballasted Orchestra (1997)


18. Ulver- Svidd Neger (2003)


19. Brian Eno- The Shutov Assembly (1992)


20. Steve Roach- Immersion: Three (2007)


21. The Future Sound of London- Lifeforms (1994)

I received a lot of really nice feedback on my last mix Music for Stargazing Vol 1. Thanks for all of the nice comments. One listener asked if I could go from night to day and do a sunrise mix. So, per your request, I would like to present: Music for Sunrise.

This mix, like the last, was inspired by the annual trips I take to a lake cottage in northern Wisconsin. Besides putting together music mixes for looking at the night sky I had also, over the years, collected tracks to play in the early mornings. The tracks collected for this sunrise mix are ambient in nature--songs that give a sense of an awakening dawn sky. Most of the tracks also have a Classical Music "sound" to them. I’ve always associated early mornings with Classical Music and that first hot cup of coffee. I also included a few very slow, quiet Classical works in the mix as well. Music for Sunrise was originally inspired by the work of Harold Budd. He is an amazing piano player with a massive body of excellent ambient compositions. The album he did with Brian Eno, Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror, was my first introduction to him many moons ago. If any album evokes “dawn” this beautiful work would be it. So, the next time you awake at dawn, grab a hot cup of joe and play Music for Sunrise. I hope you enjoy it.

T R A C K L I S T I N G

1. Deon Rowe - Early Morning Birds (field recording)
2. Olivier Nijs – Cornfield Insects and Birds (field recording)
3. Harold Budd & Brian Eno - First Light
4. John Foxx & Harold Budd - Long Light
5. James Johnson – Remembrance
6. Kit Watkins - Beauty Drifting
7. Patrick O'Hearn - A Lovely Place To Be
8. Aaron Copeland - Appalachian Spring: Andante
9. Rachel's - Egon & Wally Embrace and Say Farewell
10. Michael Hoppé - Martin Tillman - Tim Wheater - Long Ago
11. Erik Satie - Gymnopdie I (Orchestration Debussy)
12. Roger Eno - Days Like This
13. John Didlock – Dawn Chorus (field recording)
14. Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
15. Max Richter - Sunlight
16. Henry Purcell - Sonata for Trumpet & Strings in D Major - Adagio
17. Stars of the Lid - Jon McCafferty - Anchor States - Part I
18. Harold Budd + Ruben Garcia + Daniel Lentz - Somos Tres
19. Roger Eno - Turning
21. Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - The Memories Returning
22. Helios - Halving the Compass

Downloads (right click, save target as):

MP3 [68:25m] (192k) (96 mb)

Cover Art & Score (624k Zip)

Additional artist links can be found on my main blog site here.