TranscendNoise

40. Anna Von Hausswolff – The Miraculous The Miraculous is one dark, brooding organ trip. Shedding almost all the lighter, more uplifting moments of Ceremony , Anna Von Hausswolff creates such a mood, the images of Gothic churches and evil processions don´t even start to capture the feel. While the few longer tracks like “Come Wander With Me / Deliverance” and “The Miraculous” bring out the atmospheric qualities of Hauswolff and her instrument of choice, the short, almost song like tracks, have a much sharper, invocational vibe, putting the lyrics upfront and attacking you with long, drawn out howls. The power and reward of The Miraculous will only show after continuous listens, when you begin to grasp the whole nuance of the gloom. 39. Caspian – Dust & Disquiet I´ve followed Caspian since they broke with their first EP You Are The Conductor in 2005. Their music has been a constant in my life, delivering a unique headspace of its own, helping me cre...

10. Alessandro Cortini – La Guardia ( Risveglio ) La Guardia is mind-set music for intellectual work as well as getting ready for a fistfight. There is creativity in the way Cortini utilizes the Roland MC 202 and TB-303 synthesizers. With this minimalistic setup he creates dense patterns, with a good amount of noise and grime but still able to appear clearly constructed and satisfyingly predictable. While I myself evoke images and Risveglio could easily be the soundtrack to a documentary of any sort or a new film by Nicolas Winding Refn, the purity of these tracks should not be overfilled with representations. Mind-set is the term, and you can feel how Cortini is transferring his onto the switchboards and showing us how mastering technology is close to overriding mind and matter. 09. Empress Of – Standard ( Me ) Empress Of delivered the best electro-pop album of this year. Not only because of her superb and varied set of instrumentals, but for her songwriting. N...