Records of the Week for 2006

	Written by Clint Mansell Performed by Mogwai & Kronos Quartet	The Fountain: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	Nonesuch	12.24.2006	If instrumental music was a movie than this would be it. Daren Aronofsky's film "The Fountain" is the first ever soundtrack to become a record of the week. You might know Daren's other movies Pi, and Requiem for a Dream (also good soundtracks). Just think of Now Like Photographs when the music crescendos as Wolverine ascends from his orb into the Sun. Too bad he doesn't bust out his claws in this one.
	Precious Fathers	Precious Fathers	White Whale Records	12.17.2006	Somewhere between free jazz and post-rock lie Precious Fathers' debut self-titled record. It's slinky and jam-packed with grooves, but they're the grooves you'll think about and have revelations to, never lazy or unconscious. Guitars reminiscent of The Six Parts Seven and percussion harking back to 33.3, this is classic instrumental music that while not quite epic, is infinitely appealing.
	Yasushi Miura	Eternal Clash	Karidome	12.10.2006	"Totally whacked out" isn't usually a phrase we use to describe our Instrumental Records of the Week here at Now Like Photographs, but when we received this tiny little release from Japan, we couldn't resist. All over the place and completely proud of it, this glitch mastermind finds cohesiveness in his electronic album through a gentle human touch not often found in the genre. Don't fret though, because this is an album that can please fans of melody and murkiness.
	Feathers	Synchromy	Home Tapes	12.03.2006	The 2nd EP in this band's debut Triology after the "Absolute Noon". They're back with more instruments on this one and a bigger sound. Written in Miami and recorded in Chicago where they were able to collaborate with John McEntire of Tortoise fame.
	DoF	Sun, Strength, and Shield	Abandon Building	11.26.2006	DoF is back and building on the sound of his previous release. Brian Hulick is still doing the acoustic guitar/electronica sound but are leaning more into the electronica side for this one. That's ok with us, we don't discriminate unless you use vocals. It's a great follow up to "Mine is May" and is the second to be put out on Abandon Building Records.
	F.S. Blumm	Summer Kling	Morr	11.19.2006	Never have so many wind instruments graced the airwaves of Now Like Photographs as when Berlin composer F.S. Blumm is at the helm of one of his whispy tunes. Carefree and still full of caring, these carefully crafted fragile wooden pieces are like little snapshots of log cabins and cartoon howling wind. Acoustic guitars and gentle horns are used to show the strength in Blumm's eclectic and lightweight songwriting rather than weakness in the lack of density.
	65daysofstatic	One For All Time	Monotreme	11.12.2006	Somewhere between the seedy underbelly of a dark and not-too-distant future city and a soundscape for outer space lie 65daysofstatic. Pools of distortion, broken electronics, and wallowing piano rolls encapsulate the UK band's latest disc without labelling it merely "depressing" or "melancholy." Glimpses of hope are tapped into through dense meditations on the darkness. Loud, proud, and still utterly self-aware of humanity's insignificance.
	Tim Hecker	Harmony in Ultraviolet	Kranky	11.05.2006	Probably the instrumental artist that has received the most critical attention and praise in recent past, this Canadian semi-ambient artist blends the painful and the breezy into a continuous album of sonic spectrum explorations. We've never been fans of noise, but the slight stabs of static accentuate the album's beauty rather than detract from it. Way to go once again Kranky!
	Crime In Choir	Trumpery Metier	Gold Standard Laboratories	10.28.2006	"Prog" is definitely not a four-letter word when you're as breathtakingly original as Crime in Choir. Here, the organ is triumphantly grimacing rather than cheesily triumphant and the guitars are infinite rather than directionless. More bold than your average instrumental rock and yet not too bold to be cocky.
	Clark	Body Riddle	Warp	10.22.2006	This is as hip-hop as NLP will ever get. With the big drum sound of Prefuse 73 but the sensitivity of Amon Tobin, Clark brings suspense and humanity to his traumatic electro-rock sound. It's in your face and soothing all at the same time, with peaks that are ground-shaking and valleys that come out of nowhere. This is truly a unique instrumental experience.
	Red Sparowes	Every Red Heart Shines Towards The Red Sun	Neurot	10.15.2006	With a concept album about billions of people dying of starvation, you KNOW it's GOT to be dramatic. But the thing about Red Sparowes is that they straddle the line between realistic and melodrama so beautifully and perfectly that their massive dedication to their craft comes across as painstakingly honest rather than excessive. Sprawling guitars and beaten-to-a-bloody-pulp drums stream and scream out of the speakers and into your ears. DEAFENING.
	Del Rey	A Pyramid for the Living	My Pal God Records	10.08.2006	The word that comes to mind when we hear Del Rey's sitars and homemade percussion instruments drenched in distorted guitars is "booming." As one of the bands determined to take all connotations of dull and boring out of instrumental music, they have crafted a nearly flawless record comprised of five sprawling songs that are loud without being dumb as well as intricate without being overly meticulous. Rock music can be intelligent and still be rocking and this Chicago outfit is going to prove it...with a vengeance.
	Chris Herbert	Mezzotint	Kranky	10.01.2006	If ambient music is a blank sheet of stark white paper, then Chris Herbert crumples up the paper, uncrumples it, singes the edges, and flattens it back out. On NLP staple label Kranky, Mr. Herbert knows how to tweak the quietest of the quiet to make his sound fresh and sparse at the same time. It's no wonder he creates soundtracks for post-industrial art projects - viva la pretense (the barely there variety)!
	Instrumental Quarter	Traffic Jam	Sickroom Records	09.24.2006	This Italian 4-piece has put out their 2nd LP and we happen to be suckers for good instrumental music tied to projected stage art. They're a little softer than their label-mates Chevreuil but have that similar percussion-driven sound. Check out the podcast for a free song off their new release "Traffic Jam".
	Eluvium	Where I Live by the Garden and the Sea	Temporary Residence	09.17.2006	Some people call him the best composer of our generation, but that formalizes what Matthew Cooper does too much. It's not just sweeping dramatic swells of piano and ambience. No, it's more child-like than stiff and grown-up. From sampling Tom Hanks to having live Tim Burton-esque animation accompany his mesmerizing live show, don't dismiss Eluvium as another stick-in-the-mud ambient artist.
	Canyons of Static	EP (Self Titled)	Self-Released	09.10.2006	This Milwaukee based band has decided to stay instrumental in order to avoid being classified in to a genre. Hopefully they don't mind the awesome instrumental genre that we're placing them in. They have put together an experimental visual / sound project for their live shows and will even be coming into Radio K to play on Now Like Photographs October 22nd. Further proving that midwest instrumental music is where it's at.
	Ecstatic Sunshine	Freckle Wars	Carpark	09.03.2006	Not since the 90s can we remember another band that mixed the lion-hearted with the carefree (we miss you Pele!). This duo of "two humans, two guitars, every riff in the world," will make even the shyest of shy want to stand up on a table and air guitar in a completely sincere manner. Once again we have proof that life is messy and funny just as it is climactic.
	Ratatat	Classics	XL	08.27.2006	This guitar+electronics duo may sound like straight-up dance music, but dance music has never sounded so grandiose and, here comes the ubiquitous NLP word: EPIC. The whirring effects-laden guitars are back and this time they've added a Mexican tinge, a real life panther roar, and much more to fill out their sound and make it even more NLP-friendly.
	Triosk	The Headlight Serenade	Leaf	08.20.2006	NLP has been digging the ambient music lately so we're bestowing the honor this week to Triosk. Besides being from the orgin of our favorite TV show's plane crash (Lost, Austrailia), they are signed to the UK label Leaf which helped get their name out to us folks on this side of the pond. Think piano with computers and check out this week's podcast to hear more.
	Anoice	Remmings	Important	08.13.2006	With alternating simplistic ambient exercises as the odd-numbered tracks and heartwrenching neo-classical as the even-numbered, this Japanese sextet put together some tremendous peaks and valleys that are equal parts relaxing and melodramatic (in a good way). Mandolins, viola, and backwards guitar fill up your headphones and it's as cinematically lovely as you could ever imagine.
	Stop, Thief!	Self Titled	Self-Released	8.6.2006	Don't doubt the awesome music finding ability of Myspace. Stop, Thief! is a living example of both NLP and it's listeners benefit from this internet relationship. They put out a self-titled EP which is this week's record of the week. Check out the podcast for 2 tracks including an unlreleased live track recorded in the Radio K studios.
	My Dad vs. Yours	After Winter Must Come Spring	Duotone Records	7.30.2006	This week we're happy to bring you the new record from My Dad vs Yours. We found out about them much later than we should have but we'll call it being fashionably late. They managed to surpass even their previous record with a whole new LP of sleigh-bell-ringing goodness. It was first put out in Japan and is now making it's way to the states. Merry Christmas!
	Thank You	Sun Sons	Home Taping...	07.23.2006	Holla at yer local boys. Officially the first Twin Cities instrumental artist to garner the Instrumental Record of the Week title and deservedly so. Their full-length debut ripples and skidders across your ears with intricate guitar loops and sparse percussion. This is ambient music for the ambient music-haters. Be sure to tune in for their live set on NLP on August 27th!
	Unfortunaut	Of Here & Now	Feast of the Unicorn	7.16.2006	This Chicago 4-piece got together out of their love for 120 minutes and The Metro, both of which have a special place in Joe & Chris's hearts as well. This is their debut LP, we highly recommend giving it a listen and to make that conveniet for you we've included a song off of their LP "Of Here & Now" on this weeks podcast. Check it out here.
	Triple Burner	Triple Burner	Madrona	07.09.2006	More Canadian instrumental genius from the man Harris Newman, who has mastered CDs by Esmerine and HRSTA, and Bruce Cawdron (drummer for NLP staple Godspeed). Elegant yet earthy in its essence, there's plenty of banjos and playful drumrolls, with a haunting ghost underneath all of it. Completely distinguishable from so much of the post-rock we tend to throw at you here at NLP.
	This Will Destroy You	Young Mountain	MagicBullet	06.25.2006	Have you ever listened to something and been like "this sounds so familiar...yet still so awesome..."? Well if you haven't, get prepared, because This Will Destroy will literally destroy you - mind, body, and soul. Forget all notions of "they sound like, they emote such..." and just become engulfed by a crushing tidal wave of guitars, drums, and atmospherics.
	Chevreuil	Capoeria	Sickroom Records	6.18.2006	Chevreuil is expanding their horizons with this new record entitled Capoeira by adding a third player that contributes keyboards and synth to the tracks. Don't worry though, it still has the angular guitar/drums duo that we all love from Chevreuil. This week's podcast has 2 tracks so it's extra long. Check it out!
	Couch	Figur 5	Morr Music	06.11.2006	The German masters of geometric instrumental post-rock have returned! After a 5-year hiatus, we can once again embrace the wall of blocky and crisp melodies that is Couch. Minimalizing the use of guitars and organic drums and synthing it up big time, you think it would de-humanize the project. Luckily, this is not the case and we have the best version of not the future, but a confident and optimistic present.
	Loscil	Plume	Kranky	06.04.2006	Loscil is the musical name of Scott Morgan who put out his latest record, Plume - his fourth, on Kranky records. Scott does his work from Vancouver and when he's not making awesome instrumental music he makes sound effects for video games. His avant-electronica sits well with us and we're pretty sure you'll like it too.
	Shogun Kunitoki	Tasankokaiku	Fonal	05.28.2006	NLP welcomes Finland to the wonderful world of epic instrumental music with this week's featured record. Probably the most precise synthesis of electronica and post-rock we've heard yet, this quartet uses organic instruments to create futuristic (without being spacey) anthems worthy of multiple headphone listens.
	Paik	Monster of the Absolute	Strange Attractors	05.21.2006	Imagine if Pelican were remixed by Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine. This is as heavy as instrumental rock gets, but it gets a tinge of humanity and fragility infused into it with the help of almost countless washed-out, underwater fuzz effects affecting not only the guitars, but the low end, the percussion...EVERYTHING. With a sense of impending doom and a sliver of hope, Paik know exactly how to balance the daunting and the dawn.
	I'm Not a Gun	We Think as Instruments	City Centre Offices	05.14.2006	There's a lot of stand-alone ambient electronica as well as a lot of the building sparkling guitar stuff, but this is the first time we've heard it blended together - and so flawlessly! It's incredibly bold and has the ability to blow you away, but when you listen close enough, you realize - this is TWO guys: John Tejada and Takeshi Nishimoto. Now THAT'S a dynamic duo.
	Russian Circles	Enter	Flameshovel	04.30.2006	Sometimes, rather than catering to a certain niche, you have to take the lead and play amongst the naysayers. The Chicago trio are known for touring with the indie rock circuit (Chin Up Chin Up, Minus the Bear, etc.) and wowing whiny kids into crossing into the enigmatic world of instrumental music. Part-math rock, part art-metal, and all GIANT-sounding - their debut full-length should not only be heard by the usual crowd, but everyone.
	Mono	You Are There	Temporary Residence	04.23.2006	They are back. Mono is one of the bands that inspired Chris and Joe to start an instrumental radio show. The new record, the fourth from this Japanese group, is 6 gloriously long epic tracks. Think these tracks are slow and quiet, give it time, they build to the point of noise-rock. You won't be disappointed. This may even become our longest Podcast since Mono like's doing the 15+ minute songs. Check out a free track from their new LP entitled "You Are There" on the Now Like Photographs podcast.
	Talkdemonic	Beat Romantic	Arena Rock	04.16.2006	These songs are as miniature as EPIC gets. A two-person crew creates the vast assortment of plucking, strumming, pounding, and bowing sounds that are neatly packaged in palpable 2-3 minute spurts. It's instrumental hip-hop, neo-classical, electronica, and above all, ROMANTIC. Prepare yourself for a gorgeous collection of post-modern dream sequences...in audio form.
	Et Ret	Gasworks	Western Vinyl	4.9.2006	After making folk music for a long time, Et Ret decided to cross over into instrumental music with his debut album "Gasworks". He brings simple string instruments together with some electronics but it's easy to hear his folk influence. Check out the Now Like Photographs podcast to hear the track "Letting Go of the Balloon".
	Te	If That is What is Being Thought, Liberated Sound Talks the Depth of [Musical] World"	Status Quo Audio	04.02.2006	Yeah, that's the longest name for an album we've ever seen too. And this is the staple sound that NLP fell in love with in the first place: straight-up blistering post-rock melodies with guitars, drums, and nothing else. The songs may be shorter than expected, but their essence is epic. If this is what the masses are clamouring for in Japan, then we're ready for a trip across the ocean.
	Lanterna	Desert Ocean	Jemez Mountain	03.26.2006	This week everyone will hear the beauty that is Laterna. The music is arranged by Henry Frayne and he couldn't have picked a more appropriate album title to describe the tracks. Think of Friends of Dean Martinez - atmospheric-open sounds but Franye pins several tracks down with 4/4 drum beats. It's epic, it's awesome, and it's our instrumental record of the week. Make sure to check out our podcast to hear another track off the album.
	Marconi Union	Distance	All Saints	03.19.2006	Instru-metallic. No, not metal. Metallic. Shimmering, bright in the sun or conversely, moonlit - frosty in the cold. From Brian Eno's very own label comes the new wave of ambient music. Marconi Union offer moods and textures, rather than sparse atmospherics of the Eno variety. It's not evolution or even progression when you're comparing to the inventor of the genre himself, but it's a beautiful variation.
	Fence Kitchen	Beading the Rook	North East Indie	03.12.2006	Chris described this as epic yet playful. True but don't take it lightly; this is a seriously good record. Tim Harbeson put's together some tracks that go with dance movements by Buffy Miller and some inspired on his own. You might know Tim Harbeson from some other Temporary Residence bands like Cerberus Shoal, but whatever he calls himself, it's good instrumental music.
	Tic Code	FBCCADE	Sickroom	03.05.2006	There's a fine line between pretention and goofin' around, believe it or not. Tic Code not only know that line, but they've mastered straddling it with their debut full-length. Dubbed as "a classical string quartet disguised as a metal band," they know how to keep instrumental music dramatic and have some fun at the same time. Don't take our words too lightly though, because this is some heavy, no-nonsense post-rock you don't want to miss.
$Tribes of Neurot: Meridian\$	Tribes of Neurot	Meridian	Neurot	02.26.2006	Neurot Recordings have done it again. Tribes of Neurot have the instrumental record of the week today with their new LP "Meridian". Appropriate band title for a group featuring members from other Neurot bands. Their sound is a musical wasteland of ambience. The perferct thing to chill out or even fall asleep to.
	Things Falling Apart	As Above-So Below	Self-Released	02.19.2006	So undergound that they don't even have a web site OR a label. Some students from Northwestern University in Illinois get together and make some Constellation Records-influenced racket, complete with erratic strings, freaked-out drumwork, and feedback frenzy guitars. Not quite noise-rock, but still off the wall and hyper-dramatic. And that's the way we like it here at Now Like Photos.
	Tone	Solidarity	Neurot	02.12.2006	Joe won't lie. He had no idea how good Tone was or that it would be the instrumental record of the week 5 minutes before the show began. That was changed quickly as Chris played a track and he skimmed over the rest of the record. Tone is maticulous with their guitar work and this album sees them doing the epic-building guitar thing that Now Like Photo's first fell in love with. This is the basis of all things good when it comes to instrumental music.
	Belong	October Language	Carpark	02.05.2006	The first, and quite possibly only, release to come out of New Orleans in 2006. The duo wrote an entire record of fuzzed-out ambient music as a soundtrack to the travesties their hometown endured in the past year. While it might not be as controversial as Kanye's famous outcry, it's definitely more contemplative, powerful, and downright epic.
	Landing	Brocade	Strange Attractors	01.29.2006	Proving that you don't need structure to make good music. Landing takes 5 songs and turns them into a full LP that rises and falls just as much as a record with 3 times as many songs. From a dead calm to a lively cacophony, reminiscent of the forest and of the mechanical, "Brocade" will definitely shift your understanding of epic instrumental music.
	Clogs	Lantern	Brassland	01.22.2006	We're going to be honest. The National are a mediocre gloom-pop band and their sister band Clogs' other records are mediocre percussive wanderings. However, their newest effort is the glorious second coming of the strings + post-rock combination resposible for NLP saviours such as Rachel's and Dirty Three. The kind of instrumental music that makes you want to drink expensive drinks and smoke expensive cigarettes. In other words, it's incredibly intoxicating.
	Signaldrift	Set Design	Consumer Research	01.15.2006	This might be our first electronica instrumental record of the week but what a helluva a record it is. Signaldrift is the asperations of Franz Buchholz from our home town of Milwaukee, WI. The record is basically 4 main staple tracks that are seperated by short ambient ones. Despite what other reviews say, this is not another Brian Eno wanna-be. Signaldrift's Set Design rises and falls more than any of Eno's stuff. This proves that electronica can be epic.
	The Drift	Noumena	Temporary Residence	01.08.2006	NLP has been waiting awhile to get our hands on this one. Chris finally made a run to the record store last week and picked us up a copy. Jazz meets folk meets post-rock. Listen for the kick-ass upright bass playing that gives this LP the little something extra and makes it our first instrumental record of the week for 2006.