Again, a weather inspired top 5. Inspired by the oppressive humidity and overall gray-ness of the day. A top 5 of my favorite (moody) instrumental records:
1. Stars of the Lid - And the Refinement of Their Decline
2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#∞
3. Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
4. Six Organs of Admittance - For Octavio Paz
5. Brightblack Morning Light - S/T
So before you get all critical of Brightblack Morning Light’s inclusion on an instrumental list, I dare you decipher any of the actual “lyrics” from that album. When I saw them in concert, you couldn’t even tell what the dude was saying with the absurd amount of reverb on his mic. Stars of the Lid is #1 no question. It is the most listened to album on my ipod because I listen to it almost every night to fall asleep. Which does not, by any means, infer that the record is boring. It is quiet with it’s hushed tones and lack of melodies. But I often find myself lying awake in bed listening to it’s intricacies. Tough call on which GY!BE record to include. But the creepy monologue from “Dead Flag Blues” and the amazing cresendo from “East Hastings” put F#A#∞ over the top. I was always amazed with how loud Explosions in the Sky are live. The record has awesome dynamics, but the live show puts those dynamics over the top. For Octavio Paz is not my favorite Six Organs record, but it’s his only fully instrumental album (but I did already break the “instrumental” rule for BML, but Ben Chasny sings recognizable words comparatively). For Octavio Paz does contain one of my favorite Six Organs songs though, “V” (the songs are all called by their roman numerals, “V” is actually just song 5).
