"Cover versions in This Mortal Coil-es..." more

"Cover versions in This Mortal Coil-esque fashion - a postscript of sorts. Not quite as all consuming as TMC, but the atmospherics are still wonderful. 'Let The Happiness In' is truly sublime." less

"Their second opus. Sonically more int..." more

"Their second opus. Sonically more interesting than the first, albeit without the Liz Fraser highlights of that record. That said, some of the keyboard programming is VERY mid-eighties, but if you can deal with that (and hey, why not make the effort?) it's an astonishing trip from start to finish." less

"A mighty fine vocalist. True, it's a ..." more

"A mighty fine vocalist. True, it's a mixed bunch of songs, and sometimes it sounds like it could all just fall apart under the weight of it's own production (though that's cool in moderation), but there's atmosphere by the bucketload nonetheless... Not that the atmosphere comes in buckets, obviously." less

"Modern and classical: a juxtaposition..." more

"Modern and classical: a juxtaposition to strike terror into most emusickers' hearts, no doubt. Well, you could be right, and if it's songs you're after, look away! Those with a penchant for wild and bleak open spaces who might like to imagine how they sound, however, come hither..." less

"Quite uptempo for the list, this one,..." more

"Quite uptempo for the list, this one, but there has always been a darkness at the heart of tango. GP's update of the form is no exception." less

"Supposedly the inspiration for Kate B..." more

"Supposedly the inspiration for Kate Bush's Bulgarian experiments on The Sensual World (and to a lesser extent The Red Shoes). Thrillingly dissonant harmonies all over. The sound quality isn't fantastic (it's quite old), but like black and white films you wouldn't want it any other way once you've fallen in love with it. Kalimankou Denkou is a standout track." less

"Covers, yes, but what covers! It coul..." more

"Covers, yes, but what covers! It could almost be the soundtrack to a David Lynch film. Ghostly country-esque waves from start to finish, with echoes of love lost, found and lost again. The singer's serene vocal take on Song To The Siren is in the running for the definitive take on the song (and I do love the TMC version). Meanwhile, Angel Eyes is a revelation, with a deftly underplayed chorus emphasising the harmonic line and not the melody." less

"The album is all over the place in te..." more

"The album is all over the place in terms of mood and the artists on it. Make of it what you will. I include it on this list solely for 'All My Mistakes' by Teitur, which is a stunning piece of music and rapidly becoming one of my all time favourites." less

"Drifting, drifting, drifting into the..." more

"Drifting, drifting, drifting into the darkness... It is all quite similar throughout, but sometimes that's JUST what you need." less

"You love him or hate him - I rarely h..." more

"You love him or hate him - I rarely hear anyone in between. Some people might argue that 'beautiful' shouldn't come anywhere near the man, but hey, it's my list! Not everything beautiful is shiny, not everything shiny is beautiful. It's a shame the download is only at 128 when his other stuff on here appears to be in better quality... Get it on CD if you can." less

"Almost as love/hate inducing as the T..." more

"Almost as love/hate inducing as the Tom next door. Needs no introduction methinks... This is the edgiest thing on the list by some distance. I would happily have included Radiohead's Kid A or In Rainbows, but of course they're not available on emusic. I would also recommend the recent Radiohead song 'Harry Patch (In Memory Of)', available from their website, which nearly had me in tears the first time I heard it (whilst washing up)." less

"Their previous album is better (calle..." more

"Their previous album is better (called Morning Light), but it's not on emusic I'm afraid. This is pretty darned fine too though. Quite poppy in some ways, but too sonically dense to ever be commercial as such. Impossible Adventure and Haze are fantastic." less

"Anyone for a bit of Prog-Indie? :) An..." more

"Anyone for a bit of Prog-Indie? :) An ambitious album, quite catchy in places; strangely hopeful and melancholic in equal measure. Still not entirely sure what it's about, but that's my deficiency, not theirs." less

"One of those 'why hasn't everyone hea..." more

"One of those 'why hasn't everyone heard of this?' albums. Wonderfully intricate string and piano arrangements aplenty, it also uses different vocalists for every song (and what sounds like a church choir on one track). There are elements of rock, alt-pop, classical, even jazz floating through, and it all somehow forms one near continuous and magically melancholic whole. The Calm and Zero are superb." less

"From an interesting ambient composer,..." more

"From an interesting ambient composer, this is a richly textured mix of orchestral and beat-laden instrumental pieces and vocal collaborations, the latter including Paul Buchanan from The Blue Nile and, er, Sir Richard Burton! The vocal contributions make this particular album a cut above the rest of his ouevre. Pasadena 1+2 is a treat (feat Ben Christophers, see a little down and to the left)." less

"More high quality collaborations. I n..." more

"More high quality collaborations. I need to spend more time with this so can't say too much about it right now, but 'Is This' is especially fine." less

"Sadly lost in the late mists of trip-..." more

"Sadly lost in the late mists of trip-hop, this deserved a much wider audience than it got. Clever rhythms and half-whispered vocals abound, the whole thing dissolving gently toward the finish. Delightful." less

"An abundance of riches... What more c..." more

"An abundance of riches... What more can I say?" less

"A simple concept CD, consisting entir..." more

"A simple concept CD, consisting entirely of cello and piano improvisations. Undeniably calming and charming initially, repeated listens show the darkness round the edges. A grower." less

"An underrated artist. Probably not th..." more

"An underrated artist. Probably not the most obvious album of his to choose, but it's the one that I love the most. He has a strange vocal style (we're back in love/hate territory almost) but that serves to underpin the uneasy semi-gothic beauty he presents. There are a few upbeat moments, but mostly it's down, down, down... River Song is as good a place to start as any." less

"And another underrated artist, this o..." more

"And another underrated artist, this one having made many albums in his career (and written for Snow Patrol along the way). Whilst fairly conventional indie-rock in some respects (with a roughly even mix of down and uptempo tracks), Magnetic North somehow manages to avoid cliches to create a perfect blue state as suggested by the artwork. A consistently fine set of songs; 'Canal Song (End Of Sentence)' sets the mood very well as the opening track. His latest album (To The Pine Roots) is not yet available on emusic, but it's an understated thing of loveliness. The man deserves much greater recognition..." less

"Their last album, and supposedly not ..." more

"Their last album, and supposedly not as good as the others according to emusic... (Pah! What do they know?) Ignore that poor advice, for it is merely different in tone, not inferior. Undoubtedly softer and more reflective than the earlier works, there are too many lovely moments to mention here, so I won't even begin to try. Download the whole bloody thing, why don't you!" less

"More love/hateness (it's a recurring ..." more

"More love/hateness (it's a recurring theme here...) from a woman who hardly needs introducing. That is, unless you're expecting 'kooky'. There is very little 'kooky' about Homogenic, apart from the usual vocal tics. The beats are serious, the lyrics are serious, the strings (oh, the strings!) are transcendent. There's wildness, despair and love all rolled up in this album. We should be grateful." less

"Arresting artwork. The contents are p..." more

"Arresting artwork. The contents are pretty darned good too, with the usual blend of Brendan and Lisa taking their multi-cultural influences from various centuries. Whilst the songs and vocals err toward the timeless, sometimes the rhythms are a little too precise for my liking, but it's a minor criticism. They have (had, rather) a uniquely broad philosophical vision in their music. A rare commodity." less