Spacey guitar music recommendations

September 17, 2007 8:55 PM

Looking for spacey ambient guitar recommendations.

I'm actually searching for something pretty specific. A long time a go I was listening to college radio late at night when there was no DJ naming the tracks on-air.

The music was made with spacey, echoing, delayed guitars, had a lot of negative space in it (I was visualizing the stargate sequence from 2001 while listening to it) and had a forward propulsion to them, i.e. they were sort of melodic, loopy and trancy, not chaotic, static and flat. It was instrumental and there were no percussions. The production values were low-key and grungy, which added a pleasant texture to the sound. The mood was somewhat similar to Aphex's SAWII, but obviously with guitars instead of synths.

Can you recommend music in this vein? I'm now checking out Zoviet France which is interesting, but it sounds earthy, static and flat. I tried Sleep's Jerusalem and Dopesmoker, but I didn't get into it.

posted by jchgf to media & arts (40 comments total)

I didn't mean to dismiss Zoviet France with that but, I quite like what I'm hearing.
posted by jchgf at 9:02 PM on September 17, 2007

Windy & Carl and Fear Falls Burning might be up your alley.
posted by infinitywaltz at 9:15 PM on September 17, 2007

This sounds like Steffen Basho-Junghans. The link has a few of his mp3s you can download.
posted by driveler at 9:23 PM on September 17, 2007

Got your spacey, echoing, delayed guitar right here.
posted by flabdablet at 9:23 PM on September 17, 2007

melodic, loopy and trancey says Sigur Ros to me, and they're a likely candidate for college radio, but the rest of your description makes me think that's not who it was. Maybe you'll like them anyway, if you don't already.
posted by slow graffiti at 9:28 PM on September 17, 2007

My Bloody Valentine?
Primal Scream?
posted by lannanh at 9:40 PM on September 17, 2007

Fripp and Eno?
posted by bunglin jones at 10:01 PM on September 17, 2007

Definitely Windy & Carl; Antarctica might be a good starting point. Other bands you might like: Seefeel (esp. the album Quique which just got a re-release), Amp, Flying Saucer Attack, maybe Spiritualized / Spectrum / Spacemen 3...
posted by xil at 10:03 PM on September 17, 2007

Michael Brook?
posted by doctor_negative at 10:07 PM on September 17, 2007

My first guess was Stars of the Lid who primarily use guitars, but after rereading it sounds like you heard something with a little more structure and less ambience.

Rhys Chatham might be interesting to you, especially 'A Crimson Grail (For 400 Electric Guitars)'.
posted by chimmyc at 10:09 PM on September 17, 2007

2nding Flying Saucer Attack. the sally free and easy EP is beautiful - supposedly they couldnt cut it to vinyl in stereo since the left and right channels were so out of phase that the needle would just pop out of the groove. it was mixed down to mono for vinyl release. i think my fave FSA disc is still their first ("rural psychedelia", or just "flying saucer attack.") "chorus" is probably my next favorite.

Seefeel is amazing in that they managed to make their guitars sound like vacuum cleaners (Quique and Polyfusia.) great stuff.
posted by joeblough at 10:21 PM on September 17, 2007

It's probably not in the right vein but Emmylou Harris's Wrecking Ball definitely has an interesting sound, particularly the guitars. It's hard to describe but there's a sort of airy, atmospheric quality. It's also a really solid album. And, though her roots are country, it's not a country album (only noted because the country label turns some people off).
posted by 6550 at 10:27 PM on September 17, 2007

Jon Hopkins:

http://www.amazon.com/Opalescent-Jon-Hopkins/dp/B00005N8JG


Buckethead:

http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Tears-Buckethead/dp/B00006JTH4


Rom Ryan:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/romryan

posted by mikeand1 at 11:02 PM on September 17, 2007

3rd the recommdation on Flying Saucer Attack & Michael Broke but would add "A Beautiful Machine" since much of their music is released for free online. Some of it has drums, and some tracks do contain what may be vocals but all of it is way spacey guitar based and may be very similar to what you're looking for.

Free Creative commons licensed tracks are available here:
HERE
posted by ninepin at 11:12 PM on September 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

Robert Fripp - especially Eno collaborations
Robin Guthrie - Imperial, and his collaborations with Harold Budd
Jeff Pearce
Windy and Carl
Igneous Flame - SATU
Eril Wollo - For a more "new agey" treatment
Stars of the Lid - For guitar treatments so dense that you can't tell its guitar anymore.
posted by Crotalus at 11:23 PM on September 17, 2007

Spacemen 3?
posted by chillmost at 12:26 AM on September 18, 2007

You definitely need to hear some Bill Frisell.
posted by wsg at 1:44 AM on September 18, 2007

The Durutti Column

Steve Hillage

What you described makes me think of Hillage's 70s stuff, but it's a long time since I listened to it.

A l-o-o-ong time...
posted by Grangousier at 3:43 AM on September 18, 2007

Labradford - Me Media Naranja.
posted by mattholomew at 4:03 AM on September 18, 2007

The Gentlemen Losers (particularly their song "slow guitars" on the myspace...
The Red Sparowes (whom I will forever evangelize on behalf of).
Mono who are in the same vein as Red Sparowes in that their songs typically start out in the trippy spacey vein you describe, but then get much harder at the end.
Windmills By The Ocean also seems maybe about right in terms of your description.
posted by extrabox at 4:37 AM on September 18, 2007

I think you could be describing Robert Hampson's Main recordings.

Clips here and here.
posted by SpacemanRed at 4:55 AM on September 18, 2007

I dig a lot of the same stuff being metioned on this thread, and I had a similar experience hearing some pleasant stuff playing in a bookstore recently: when I asked the clerk what was playing he said the artist was "Emeralds." (Or maybe it was "Emerald" or even "Emeril!").

I haven't yielded any results looking up any of those, but maybe if that band does exist, they could be what you're looking for as well (or just up your alley).
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 5:49 AM on September 18, 2007

A lot of my favorite non-drum ambient guitar stuff has already been mentioned here, but you should check out Valium Aggelein; they were a side project of the band Duster, and only put out one EP in 1998 that was fairly well passed over (I don't think it's even on Allmusic, but mp3's are pretty easy to find on the the internet).

They've got drums and even occasional lyrics but it's one of the spaciest, sleepiest, most addicting albums I own and repeatedly bring out. There's a LOT of slowwww repeat delay pedal echoey stuff, which is really satisfying.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 5:56 AM on September 18, 2007

Oh, and on the less-ambient-more-rock side, check out "Yume Bitsu," who were on K Records in the early 2000's. Lots of loopy delay pedal space rock, but with a big big post-rock sound; lots of buildups and crescendos. Similar to other stuff mentioned in this thread (like Spacemen 3, or even Galaxie 500), but not as close to what you're describing as some others. Still, you might enjoy.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 6:05 AM on September 18, 2007

I also thought of Steve Hillage but I know his work with The Orb on their first album. The track that sounds most like what you describe is "Star 6 & 7,8,9". If you don't know it, buy it anyway, it's pretty!
posted by merocet at 6:08 AM on September 18, 2007

Oh, and one more thing in mention of Valium Aggelein: My sophomore year of college I fell asleep every night listening to one of two albums- Aphex Twin's selected ambient works vol 2, or Valium Aggelein's Hier Kommt der Schwartze Mond.

So I guess you could say they're very similar in mood, while not necessarily in arrangement.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 6:08 AM on September 18, 2007

Tom Verlaine's Warm and Cool
posted by grateful at 7:00 AM on September 18, 2007

There's lots of vintage Krautrock in this neighborhood.

If you don't object to album sharity, you can grab Achim Reichel's A.R. IV from 1973 on the blog 8 Days In April. Ash Ra Tempel is another name to look for.
posted by omnidrew at 7:50 AM on September 18, 2007

BORIS
posted by Mach5 at 8:03 AM on September 18, 2007

What the? 29 comments and no Explosions in the Sky (whose 'All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone" is probably one of the best albums of 2006-07?).

Maybe i just don't know what spacey means anymore
posted by fishfucker at 8:21 AM on September 18, 2007

The Cocteau Twins is one of my fav groups that might have the feel you're looking for, except with vocals... though the vocals might as well be an instrument since mostly the vocals are artfully incomprehensible. For starters, the Victorialand album presents a more acousticy-spacey-mood that might appeal to you.
posted by mikshir at 9:10 AM on September 18, 2007

Hammock
posted by davebush at 9:30 AM on September 18, 2007

Oh. You may like Procer Veneficus. Specifically the "Ghost Voices" lp.
posted by punkrockrat at 9:58 AM on September 18, 2007

Seconding the Durutti Column, though it tends to be more slow and contemplative than you may be describing and they do use some (limited) percussion. Still, some very nice melodies. You can hear some songs on their MySpace page - "Sketch for Summer" is a favorite of mine.
posted by whir at 11:59 AM on September 18, 2007

I came in here to mention FSA, but they're well covered. Good job, AskMe!

Other bands: Kiln, Ampday, Galajica, Crescent, Third Eye Foundation, Movietone, Cul De Sac and Octal.
posted by klangklangston at 12:15 PM on September 18, 2007

Wait, no on that Third Eye Foundation. They shared members with FSA, but I think I remember them actually being ugly jungle.
posted by klangklangston at 12:16 PM on September 18, 2007

Roy Montgomery/Hash Jar Tempo or even some of John Fahey's later stuff.
posted by deern the headlice at 12:46 PM on September 18, 2007

Not my cuppa, but Charlambides (and post-Charlambides solo Tom Carter) seems to fit your bill.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:50 PM on September 18, 2007

Thank you all! Will take me some time to sample all these recommendations.
posted by jchgf at 12:38 AM on September 19, 2007

i think i'm getting away from the OP's genre, but for some homegrown shoegazing/space rock, check out 7% solution's first album "all about satellites and spaceships"
posted by joeblough at 10:32 PM on September 19, 2007