Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday (2008)

"Written and recorded over the last 18 months, Doomsdayer's Holiday delivers on the promises made by their previous albums, taking equal pride in smoky psychedelics and mountain-ascending riffs .... Doomsdayer's Holiday finds their already-broad palette continually expanding with 70s European film noir and cosmic free jazz explorations complimenting the Middle Eastern psychedelic folk-metal the group is already known for."

Nothing else can prepare you for Grails. This album is worth listening to just for the last track, "Acid Rain". It reminds me of the opener of Deerhunter's new record, "Cover Me (Slowly)", except it's eight minutes of the same bliss. Everything tastes different.

Preview on Myspace
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Grails - Take Refuge In Clean Living (2008) and more!

Phenomenal new album. To be released on May 13th. The best description actually comes from their Sounds Like on Myspace: "Tibetan Crime Jazz." The name of the first song sums it up nicely, as well: "Stoned at the Taj Again."

Try it - mediafire, .mp3, 192kbps

If you don't know them, here are links (not mine! is that allowed?) to their two previous albums. Both also phenomenal. Yes, that really is the only word to use.

Burning Off Impurities (2007) - megaupload, 192kbps

Black Tar Prophecies Vol. 1, 2, 3 (2006) - megaupload

Sainkho Namtchylak - Who Stole the Sky? (2003)

At least one person wanted to hear more, so here is more Sainkho! And if I find the other album I've misplaced, I will eventually have even more for you.
If you're more interested in her vocals than anything, this is the album to get. It's less accessible than Stepmother City, but that also means it's more interesting.

Try it - 230kbps(VBR), .mp3, mediafire
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Sainkho Namtchylak - Stepmother City (2000)

Sainkho is a Tuvan throat singer, and though I couldn't begin to adequately explain what throat singing is exactly, it's incredibly interesting and she has a range of seven octaves. Her music has too many influences to list, but it's often jazz-like and improvised.

Comment if you actually download this and enjoy it and would like more of her work.

Try it - 230kbps(VBR), .mp3, mediafire
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Boubacar Traoré - Mariama (1994)

Boubacar Traoré is songwriter and guitarist from Mali. I don't know much about African music (though I will say that this is an incredible recording), so here is some info from Wikipedia:

"Traoré first came to prominence in the early 1960s. He had taught himself to play guitar and developed a unique style that blended American Blues music, Arab music, and pentatonic structures found in West Africa's Mande cultural region. He was a superstar in Mali and a symbol of the newly independent country (see History of Mali). His songs were immensely popular and he enjoyed regular radio play. However, he made no recordings, and since there were no royalties paid to musicians, he was very poor and had to work odd jobs to make ends meet.

During the 1970s Traoré's popularity faded, until a surprise television appearance in 1987. Soon after this "rediscovery," Boubacar's wife died. Grief-stricken, he moved to France and did construction work to support his six children. While there, a British record producer discovered a tape of one of Traoré's radio performances, and he was finally signed to a record deal. His first album, Mariama, was released in 1990. Since then, Traoré has enjoyed international popularity, touring Europe, Africa, and North America."

Try it - 128kbps, .mp3, mediafire
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