Ardavan Kamkar is an Iranian santur master, and a santur is a Persian dulcimer. This album is solely performed on this instrument, but the melodies are so entrancing and resonant, that it comes off quite full sounding. His Middle-Eastern traditional stylings blend smoothly with Bach-like adroitness, and the end result is truly haunting. right here folks
edit: apparently the second track is corrupt, so here's that.
Genre: Instrumental Progressive Rock Country of Origin: Sweden
Carrying a tradition on is sometimes not an easy task. And when prog rock fell into a lull sometime in the 1980s, the odds did not appear to be in its favor. Several groups kept the flame burning, and some lights shone brighter than others. Gösta Berlings Saga is one of those beacons. Pushing the envelope on technicality, while staying true to the eerie, almost dirty sound of their predecessors.
Along with the technicality, there is emotion behind the keys, guitars, bass and drums; working together, even if they are in separate time signatures at times. True musicianship throughout.
Everybody has their favorite local band. docks is mine.
The following, taken from their last.fm page, sums up them up well-
"docks is a four piece instrumental post-rock group from northern Minnesota. They formed in November of 2007, sculpting their first songs in a wood-stove heated garage, amidst the tundra-like conditions. docks is a cosmic conglomeration of Alex Narveson (drums), Elijah Balbach (bass), Carl Goughnour (guitar), and Simon Mahlberg (guitar). During the summer/fall of 2008 they recorded their first, self-titled album with the help of their friend and fellow musician Cory Newman."
This album was sent to me by a very good friend of mine, their drummer, Alex Narveson, and he gave me the go-ahead to post it here. It is in essence a raw recording, having been done in their guitarist's basement, without mixing or mastering. The music featured is mix of new material and reworked songs from their first album, with extra (awesome) guitarwork having been added since the inclusion of Simon Mahlberg into the band's lineup. This is the band in all their feedback-laden, sometimes-out-of-tune, glory, and I'll be damned if it didn't come off incredibly well.
(I'll be posting more local & Minneapolis-St. Paul-region stuff in the coming days)
I've seen them live 4 times this year, and each one has been an awesome experience. The bandmembers are some of the raddest dudes you'll ever have the chance to meet.
