R@diohe@d- Hail to the Th13f (2003) Special Collector's Edition (Bonus Disc) MP3 & FLAC -For ZackyJ-

"I can watch and not take part, where I end and where you start."

In the early noughties, it appeared that Radiohead had painted themselves into a corner artistically. Having largely traded in the "PoMo" Art-Rock of The Bends and OK Computer for the glitchy electronic textures of Kid A and its sister album Amnesiac, it seemed to set them up for the inevitable "return to form" or for official resident status in Autechreland. As a resolution to this cliffhanger, Hail to the Thief seems, on the surface, to indicate the former, as many of its songs are certainly more conventional in sound and structure than those found on its two predecessors. However, it quickly becomes apparent upon further listens that Radiohead is attempting to integrate both aesthetic inclinations into something new, both organic and electronic, both melodically inviting and chillingly alienating. In a way, Hail to the Thief can be viewed as the last album on which Radiohead was unselfconsciously pursuing their sonic muse; it's follow-up, In Rainbows, seemed much more preoccupied with the band's legacy than with sonic inventiveness. A truly underrated album.

Nicolas Jaar- Space Is Only Noise (2011) MP3 & FLAC

More fascinating pastiche than anything else, Nicolas Jaar's debut Space Is Only Noise is too introverted to be labeled techno and too spaciously comfortable to be labeled minimalist. However, Jaar is clearly out to deconstruct such genre-reifying labels, and does so by weaving together disparate textures such as subterranean beats, glitches and static, impressionistic piano passages, stringed instruments, heavily treated vocals, ambient recordings, and samples to create a strangely cohesive and stunningly singular listening experience. Don't let the breakbeats fool you, this is music that quietly demands to be contemplated rather than quickly consumed. Needless to say, this is quite a contrarian move for someone considered to be one of the rising young stars on the techno scene. Highly recommended.

Tim Hecker- Ravedeath, 1972 (2011) MP3 & FLAC

Aside from having one the best album titles I've heard in awhile, Ravedeath, 1972 represents Tim Hecker's finest work in the minimalist Electronic vein. That eye-catching title reveals much about the music, in that it signifies, among other things, temporal displacement, the way past and future perpetually act upon and redefine each other. Recorded in a church, the album reverberates with the spaciousness of such a structure, but does so sounding both strangely organic and highly treated. As with much of Hecker's work, Ravedeath, 1972 is deceptively ambient. What I mean by this is that the compositions refuse any sense of linear progression or any trace of hierarchy among elements; however, they also insist on and reward one's close attention. "Cathedral Electronic," maybe, but Hecker's gift is to be both philosophical and visceral while never being aggressive about either.

James Blake- S/T (2011) MP3 & FLAC

"Crease your pride, telling lies, that you're not on your own."

Such an interesting confluence of hype, expectation and originality, James Blake's debut album will inevitably disappoint those who prefer their enigmas cut into nice palatable bites. Rather, Blake chooses to hold back easy revelations and resolutions in order to deceptively force the listener into more oblique, marginal, minimalist soundcsapes. In the process, he borrows (overly) familiar elements from genres such as Dub-Step, R&B, and Soul but turns them inside out, creating beautiful grotesques that seem simultaneously familiar and insistently disorienting. However, Blake does occasionally strip away all the abstraction, relying only on voice and piano, and here he can sound a little like Chris Martin sans all the sappiness. Clearly, Blake's at his best when inhabiting the margins of a song, foregrounding the seams and stress points, masterfully twisting expectations to take the listener somewhere less comfortable, even occasionally uncanny.

Tim Hecker- Haunt Me Haunt Me, Do It Again (2001) MP3 & FLAC

Haunt Me Haunt Me Do It Again bears little resemblance to Tim Hecker's previous output as Jetone, a minimalist-leaning Techno-based project that is also well worth seeking out. Recording for the first time under his own name, Hecker makes a radical departure into minimalist ambient territory, but such a description does little justice to the cavernous depths and glacial beauty that characterize this recording from start to finish. While lacking any trace of traditional song structure, each track is shaded with many layers of textural detail that make the album surprisingly accessible and conducive to repeated listens. Every percussive effect, every glitch, every plunked piano key reveals the vast sense of space woven into the music. This gives the album a bottomless feel, pulling the listener in but never fully revealing its depths. Completely belying its laptop origins, this is Electronic music at its best.