Looking for beauty

[Matse]

I am looking for musical recommendations. Not music for everyday life but music that is just nothing but beautiful. Something like the calmer Ulver albums (Perdition City, Svidd Neger, Shadows of the Sun) or DT's Projector. Music like that just makes me happy listening to it and while listening to music like that I can't do anything else but just listen. Bad part is I don't know enough like it so I depend on your recommendations. Can be classical, can be ambient, can be partly metal (not that I don't like to listen to some death metal, but it isn't what I am looking for in this thread), whatever fits the description.

 

[suwat666]

Alcest - Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde


"It can’t be easy being a morbid black metal kid in Provence. There’s simply too much sun, too much lavender in the air, too much beautiful scenery, too much Peter Mayle-style quaintness about the Côte d’Azur region to elicit genuine feelings of morbidity and misanthropy. Multi-instrumentalist Neige has tried valiantly with his black metal-inspired project Alcest, most notably on 2005’s attention-grabbing EP Le Secret, but his long-awaited full-length debut completely abandons the chilly darkness for the warmth of the summer sun, eschewing screams for gentle singing, bleak lyrics for romantic poetry and metal for darkwave and shoegaze, resulting in a drop-dead gorgeous piece of work. If Jesu’s Conqueror sounded majestic, Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde is devastating.

Although Neige claims he was unfamiliar with early ’90s shoegaze, Souvenirs overflows with the layered guitars of My Bloody Valentine and sumptuous vocal melodies of Slowdive, which, coupled with a very strong Dead Can Dance influence, is reminiscent of 4AD’s glory days. We get faint traces of black metal, some tremolo picking here, some double-kick there, but that’s it, as the entire album is awash in pastoral melodies and imagery: “Printemps Emerause” shimmers achingly, the contemplative “Ciel Errant” is shamelessly rosy-hued, and “Sur l’autre rive je t’attendrai” has guest vocalist Audrey Sylvain channeling both Bilinda Butcher and Rachel Goswell. There’s an innocence to this record that’s absolutely beguiling, as our composer emerges from the black, rubs his corpsepaint-smudged eyes in the bright sunlight, and comes to the humbling realization that it’s a nice day, and life ain’t so grim after all. —Adrien Begrand"

http://www.decibelmagazine.com/reviews/oct2007/alcest.aspx?terms=alcest&searchtype=2&fragment=True

 

[Caotico]

That Alcest album is outstanding, one of the best metal related releases of 2007.

For something more ambient, I'd recommend Sigur ros.

 

[Siren]

I am looking for musical recommendations. blah blah that is just nothing but beautiful. blah blah just makes me happy listening to it

Shame on you. My soft whispering voice in your ear every night should have been enough.


Siren (sorry for the spam)

 

[DisplayofCharacter]

Firstly I'd like to echo both Sigur Ros and Alcest without being a kiss-ass (which is what I'm invariably doing anyway). Both are excellent, and although I've only heard Le Secret by Alcest (as opposed by Souvenirs), it was awesome.

A great, individual song I've always thought was beautiful is Leaving Hope by Nine Inch Nails (maybe a curveball for some, but Trent can compose - check out Ghosts I-IV; not god's gift to music as some fanboys would claim, but still pretty excellent and more mature than his usual stuff). Its an instrumental and quite quaint and beautiful/melancholic.

In addition to that, I would have to say I do really enjoy some of Opeth's instrumentals and a lot of prog rock in that aspect I can find beautiful. Its an easier pace, and some of the compositions can be excellent. Good luck in your quest.

Siren (sorry for the spam)

Howdy stranger, you from around these parts?

 

[Lina]

I've heard mention of Alcest before but was always too lazy to check it out. But I just did, and oh my gosh, it's so beautiful it hurts. I'm so excited to get to know these albums.

 

[Matse]

Thank you all very much for the recommendations. Alcest and Sigur Rós both sound excellent. If they keep on growing on me I will love them a lot in no time. If anyone has more recommendations, keep them coming since it seems like I am not the only one here appreciating good music.

About prog rock (including Opeth here): I already listen to several Prog Rock bands but it doesn't go quite enough in the direction which I am looking for here.
I will have a look at that NIN song though.

@ Siren: Couln't decide which of the following replies I should post, so you may pick one:

1. I just wanted to find the 2nd most beautiful sound in the world with this thread.

2. I wish you would actually speak to me, but every time you see me, my stunningly awesome appearance seems to take your breath away.

3. You call that whispering? Your tongue is just playing around with my ear. It makes me horny though so don't stop.

4. Well, somehow it seems to me every time you are around, you love to, erm, how do I say this in a public forum, eat German sausages, since they are so big and tasty, so you aren't able to speak.

Matse

 

[Siren]

@Matse: I will keep replies 1-3, thank you.

 

[Jolty]

I'd recommend Agalloch, but you've probably already heard them, and they're probably not quite what you're looking for.

 

[Rusty]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is the very definition of beauty.

 

[La Rocque]

If You'd like to try some old school check out
Traffic - the low spark of high heeled boys
I've been listening to it for decades -

 

[Naglfar]

I am looking for musical recommendations. Not music for everyday life but music that is just nothing but beautiful. Something like the calmer Ulver albums (Perdition City, Svidd Neger, Shadows of the Sun) or DT's Projector. Music like that just makes me happy listening to it and while listening to music like that I can't do anything else but just listen. Bad part is I don't know enough like it so I depend on your recommendations. Can be classical, can be ambient, can be partly metal (not that I don't like to listen to some death metal, but it isn't what I am looking for in this thread), whatever fits the description.

You just described Therion.

Get Gothic Kabbalah / Vovin / Secret of the Runes / Crowning of Atlantis / Theli. Probably Gothic / Vovin / Theli first.



Here's Son of the Staves of Time from Gothic Kabbalah.

 

[DisplayofCharacter]

Therion

I really like Son of the Staves of Time. But just that song. And only for its sentimental value. Largely, they can get boring IMO because it can be too much at times.

 

[brownden]

listen to Porcupine Tree. some of their stuff is pretty slow, ambient etc. the song Lazarus is the most beautiful prog track i've ever heard

 

[Matse]

I don't like Therion. Just a matter of personal taste in this case.
About Porcupine Tree: See Nr. 6 of Top Artists http://www.lastfm.de/user/Matse_L/
Nr. 12's soundtrack for Max Payne 2 is recommended to everyone and would fit in this thread (The longest name in the list just in case the rank changes).

As always I will listen to the other recommendations (probably won't comment on every single one though. I am too lazy, but thanks for the effort nevertheless )

 

[Nt3N]

alcest is probably the best 2007 metal realease besides fiction and the blackening

 

[Siren]

@Matse: How about some classical music? The kind your mom listens to at 9am in the morning?
Seriously though, i've always loved Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

 

[Matse]

It was before 9 a.m.. Well, I have wanted to take a look into classical music for a while but never knew where to start. I don't like the loud epic pieces though, but a more minimalistic work could erect my tastebuds, I think. Will have a look at Tchaikovsky.

 

[anita_job]

I second Agalloch.

Klimt, 1918 is beautiful melancholy music. Kind of metallish but difficult to describe. Here is they're myspace:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=11424657

Arcturus's "La Masquerade Infernale" and "Sham Mirrors" is also really good, and I'm sure you'll dig it because you like late Ulver.

 

[Rusty]

If classical is on the table, you should listen to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I love it like I love beansprouts in stir fry, which is quite a lot really.