Deaf Center- Pale Ravine

Artist: Deaf Center
Album: Pale Ravine (purchase)
Year Released: 2005
Country: Norway
Label: Type Records
Genre(s): ambient, noise

Last year, while searching for a more interesting ambient/noise project, I stumbled upon Norway's very own Deaf Center. Pale Ravine has just about everything you could want in an ambient release: the minimalist piano work, the layered keyboards, the atmospheric nature/percussion sounds- and even better, these aspects exceed the quality of a lot of other ambient projects. Halfway between the abstractions of Lotus Eaters and the melodic, calculated works of Eluvium, Deaf Center displays uniqueness in a style many artists are afraid to experiment with.

Link: http://lix.in/333598ff

The Pirate Ship Quintet- The Pirate Ship Quintet EP

Artist: The Pirate Ship Quintet
Album: The Pirate Ship Quintet EP (purchase)
Year Released: 2007
Country: UK
Label: Sound Devastation
Genre(s): Post-rock, instrumental


The Pirate Ship Quintet is the best band I have ever heard in my entire life that uses trumpets. What you'll get with England's The Pirate Ship Quintet is a pretty standard post-rock structure executed incredibly well. This EP consists of long build-ups to fantastic ambient explosions. The addition of cello, and especially trumpet, to their line-up gives them a distinctive sound that you're sure to appreciate. I can't stop listening to this release, and I expect great things from these guys in the future.

Link: http://lix.in/d3773aac