The Bakerton Group - El Rojo [2009]

First up, I'd like to say hello everyone! It sure has been a while. All the well-known file hosts seemed to lock down on music uploads at roughly the same time I went to university, so I kinda crapped out and stopped uploading stuff for a while. But fear not! I'm back and starting off with an album that came out three years ago.

"Who are The Bakerton Group?" I hear you ask. Well, they may be better known for some of their other albums, including Blast Tyrant, the bluesy From Beale Street to Oblivion and of course the dark and brooding Ghost Reveries.

Wait, what? Yep, that's right. The Bakerton Group is essentially the US stoner rock band Clutch, with the help of former Opeth keyboard player Per Wiberg on the ivories. This, their second full-length, is a psychedelic blues-influenced instrumental album. In terms of a description of the album, I've said about all there is to say in that there last sentence. What I can add though is that this album has a pretty damn cool feel to it. It just feels like a bunch of dudes jamming in the spare room of their house, with a bit tighter production. So kick back like the constellation on the cover and give it a listen.

10 tracks, 47:15, 68.55MiB

Zippyshare (Mp3, 195kbps)

Aphex Twin - Drukqs [2001]

On it's tenth anniversary, Aphex Twin's last studio album remains a significant cornerstone of modern electronic music. Drukqs shows Richard D James forming a distinctive collage of the styles acquired through his past albums. It's contents show inspiration ranging from the abrasive acid techno of his notorious Richard D James Album to the cold drones of James' early ambient work.  What you also get are 13 solo piano compositions, making up almost half the album, a decisive turn of direction for a musician more prominently known for testing the sonic boundaries of electronic equipment. The album's ambition admittedly overweighs it's quality (spanning 2 discs and a meaty 100 minute running time, it's way too long!) but Drukqs is certainly one to check out if you want an introduction to Aphex Twin's vast musical output.

256kbps

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Jeff Beck - Emotion & Commotion [2010]

And here's my other favourite Jeff Beck album. As great as his '70s releases were, many of them don't offer much that "Wired" doesn't.

Beck's most recent studio release is this, the astonishing "Emotion & Commotion". In what was an interesting step away from his usual works, "E&C" contains a wide variety of styles. This includes (but is not limited to) the hard-rock track "Hammerhead", the cover of well-known soul song "I Put A Spell on You" and the orchestral album-closer "Elegy for Dunkirk". As usual, most of the tracks are instrumental, but where there are vocals, Beck has enlisted the help of such well-known singers as Joss Stone and Imelda May. Although this album is lacking somewhat in original compositions, the cover versions are done in Jeff's unique style which makes them massively enjoyable to listen to again and again.

Mp3, 128 kbps

Link was taken down. Comment on this if you would like to see a reupload.

Jeff Beck - Wired [1976]

Jeff Beck is perhaps the least-known of the famous three Yardbirds guitarists (not without reason; the other two are Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton), but in my opinion the music he made after leaving that band blows Page and Clapton out of the water.

Here then is "Wired", my favourite. Brilliantly blending his intricate solos with jazz influences, "Wired" is a completely instrumental album that contains some of Beck's best tracks (including "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and "Sophie"). For anyone interested in jazzy/bluesy rock, this is an essential.

M4a, ~320 kbps

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(n.b. Also, I'm not going to be uploading it here but give "Jeff Beck With The Jan Hammer Group Live" a listen. It has a very similar sound to this album.)

Hans Zimmer - Inception: Music From The Motion Picture [2010]

It seems as though Hans Zimmer has the uncanny ability of making soundtracks which fit the on-screen action to within a millimetre. A prime example of this is the soundtrack to the blockbuster Inception.

The now-infamous "BRAAAAAAAAAH" at the start of the film is but one piece in the complex jigsaw of layered orchestral arrangements, sweeping soundscapes and intense crescendos that this soundtrack offers. Featuring guitar work from Johnny Marr of The Smiths fame, "Inception" is a soundtrack which - quite simply - works.

~320 kbps (VBR)

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