These are songs that conjure up images of wind blown landscapes, tumbleweeds, sunbleached rocks, dusty roads and heat waves rising off the ground. Of course most of the music in this mix has an ambient/atmospheric feel.I remember the first time I heard Daniel Lanois' use of slide guitar on "Apollo - Atmospheres & Soundtracks", I hated it. I guess I thought of the slide guitar as too close to "country music" which I definitely hated.
Well over the years I've come around on the slide guitar, I love it now. I'm still not a big country music fan, though I do have a ton of Johnny Cash recordings. I've come to appreciate the lonely, melancholy feel that can be expressed through twangy, dusty western music.
Of course the ultimate in great ambient twang is Ry Cooder's "Paris, TX" soundtrack. That makes an appearance in this mix along with standbys like Lanois, Steve Roach & A Small Good Thing. I was happy to sneak in a piano tune, "Alice & twins" by Japancakes. It just sort of fit with the overall feel & then the slide guitar comes in to make it even more "dusty".
Whether it's the twang of an acoustic guitar, the wail of a harmonica or the ethereal sound of a slide guitar, this mix will drop you off on an abandoned rail line in the middle of nowhere.
Download (right click/save as) : 77mb, 41:45
left in the desert
T R A C K L I S T :
- 00:00 Earth - left in the desert
- 00:45 George Winston - Farewell
- 01:50 Ry Cooder - nothing out there
- 03:00 Chas Smith - an hour out of desert center
- 03:50 Bill Frisell - lonely man
- 04:52 p.g. six - 6 for wire, strung harp with slide, with Steve Roach buried underneath
- 06:15 A Small Good Thing - drowning light
- 09:00 Daniel Lanois - Asylum
- 11:30 Steve Roach & Roger King - rain & creosote
- 15:30 Six Organs of Admittance - oak path
- 18:50 Balmorhea - Palestrina
- 20:10 Steve Tibbetts - kili-ki drok
- 21:10 Balmorhea - on the weight of the night
- 25:00 Esmerine - There Were No Footprints In The Dust Behind Them
- 27:35 Badgerlore - goodnight, sweet rabbits
- 29:20 Chronomad - aksak
- 33:50 Ennio Morricone - man with a harmonica
- 34:10 Japancakes - Alice & twins
- 37:50 Steve Roach - new moon at forbidden mesa
- 38:20 Loren Mazzacane Connors - lullaby (the 1st)
- 40:10 July Skies - branch line summers fade
- 41:45 end
GORGEOUS!!!! but no Hammock?
ReplyDeleteWow!- you really are on a roll. I thank you again and again for the archive you are creating. My biggest problem is finding enough time to listen to all this great stuff....
ReplyDeletechas smith and lorne mazzacane connors...and all the rest! I might drive to vegas tonight!
ReplyDeletethanks for so many mixes so fast; this one will drive the winter away one day soon...
sylvester
thanks for all the great comments!
ReplyDeletesylvester - good to hear from you again. when are you going to crank out some of your own mixes? I'd gladly post them here.
Daniel Lanois' work is pretty amazing and tranquil. I hear it now and think country music, but without some whiny guy dressed like a tool. I dig it in this context. Steel guitar in the Dire Strait's 'On Every Street Album' is pretty good, even though it's a bit more 'country-ish'. And I have the Ry Cooder soundtrack, which is pretty dark and amazing. Actually had a chance to drive through Paris, Texas, and it was a hole...
ReplyDeletetonepost,
ReplyDeleteyou're right about Lanois, I love his stuff too. Do you have his 3 cd set the Omni series? Great music!
Thanks for the recommendation on the Dire Straits album, I'm going to check it out for sure.
Thanks for listening.
Dave
this is an incredible site mate. you're doing our ears and the internet a huge favor. keep them coming...
ReplyDeleteHey Dave! Thanks for reminding me of Japancakes haven't thought of them in many years but often played "I Can See Dallas" on constant repeat back in the day. Very thought-provoking track here (as they often are in all your LL mixes).I would be interested to know what people are doing when listening to these. I often retouch photos or do design work, write or walk when listening to these. Maybe a poll? Be interested in people's answers. I wanted to also share that I became a big fan of ambient when I first experienced tinnitus in my left ear as a way to quell the ringing/rushing noise. I have since discovered that I probably also have hyperacusis which is a sensitivity to too many sounds that has an an emotional effect on the nerves. Ambient helps to keep some balance in my daily life. I am also an Infp he you follow the Myers-Briggs, we gain strength from quiet contemplation and solitude.
ReplyDelete