[GirgleMirt]

Any album which just have sounds which sound great?  I'd say that I'm looking for exactly the opposite of live music or an audiophile record which simply focuses on voice + instruments.  I'm more looking for music with sounds/music that sounds amazing rather than life-like... For instance, Pink Floyd's Marooned, Terminal Frost, Time, Dogs, Welcome to the Machine, etc.   You know, albums/songs which are more like musical paintings, that take you on a musical journey where you're exploring new and amazing musical realms...  It doesn't have to be Pink Floyd-esque, but it would at least need to make an effort to sound special and exactly not sound like a bland voice, guitars & drum band...  Something that sounds out of the ordinary, but at least at the same time also be really good musically, because in the end, that's what it is, music!
 
I could give more examples but rather than steer this thread in any paritcular direction I'd rather hear your suggestions. 
 
Thanks! 

 

[TheAttorney]

Here's some suggestions - each completely different from each other - and quite possibly different to what you're after. I rate all of them from both a musical and "different" sound point of view. There are some similarities though: All of them, bar maybe the Tomita, are dark, moody, and all of them sound best late at night in the dark. 
 
Tomita - Snowflakes are Dancing. 80's (ish) synth versions of Debussy classical music. This might not seem a promising start, but it's full of fun and invention. I heard it before I became aware of the Debussy originals - and I prefer Tomita's versions. Some of the syth affects sound great on headphones.
 
Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas (soundtrack). Incredibly atmospheric, slow, slide guitar. Basically variations on a theme - but what a theme! If you like this, then also try "A Meeting at the River"
 
Laurie Anderson - Bright Red. Strange, even by Laurie's standards. Ok, so this has voice as well as a Brian Eno backdrop, but there's no actual singing as such. Some parts are genuinely creepy. Audiophile SQ.
 
Twin Peaks soundtrack. The sound isn't particularly experimental, just weird (to match the TV series), yet somehow satisfying musically.

 

[gretchenne]

Hey,
 
There's one band that came to my mind after reading your first sentence. I don't know if you'll like it though but here it is: Animal Collective. I have been listening to their most recent CD, Centipede Hz, and it is in my opinion captivating from beginning to end. The thing is though, I believe it classifies as electronic psychedelic experimental music, so even though Animal Collective has an overall "great sound", you might not like it.
 
If ever you want to give it a try, know that the first time listening to it, you will probably hate it or not understand their musicality. Personaly I think they have one, but it's a kind of pattern very hard to define, compared to the pop music we hear nowadays. So yeah, pick a song you like, (I fell in love with "Rosie Oh") and go from there. I might not have the best terms to describe their sound but it's definitely bright and there is always some kind of beat or sound/effect in the background. There is just so many things going on but it works for me!
 
Tell me what you think about them once you have listened to a (few maybe?) song(s).

 

[GirgleMirt]

Thx! Sorry for the long response time,  should have posted earlier but I wanted to have a good listen first.  And even now, I'll have to listen more to Animal Collective to have a good opinion, I guess they're quite different sounding and my brain just needs a while to adjust...   Ry Cooder, I'm not a big fan of slide guitar which I seem to associate to country, but Paris, Texas was something though!  Quite atmospheric indeed, very enjoyable!  For some reason it reminded me of Micheal Hedges Aerial boundaries which could very well also qualify for this thread, and truly is excellent music!  I had a hard time going through Laurie Anderson though...   I'll also have to listen more to Tomita but that seemed not too bad.
 
Any more suggestions?  I'm surprised many bands haven't come up yet.   For example:
 
Godspeed you black Emperor, ex:Moya   Static
Porcupine tree: Heart attack in a Layby
 
I don't know... I guess in the end, any music can fit the description, it's just rarely that ordinary music will manage to pull it off...  So it's not essentially a type of music...  Often soundtracks do seem to fit the bill, in terms of atmosphere, but it can often be rather too passive which is normal in some ways because as it's a soundtrack the goal seems more often to generate an atmosphere rather to be only listened to.  So they can tend to be somewhat bland/uninteresting for dedicated & focused listening, vs for instance a 'real' music album where hopefully the music is made to stand on its own.  (not all OSTs are like that obviously, but some are...)
 
...   But I don't know, I can't even really describe what I was trying to ask lol 
 
I guess it would have to:
1) Be great music, if it's not great, why should you be listening to it in the first place?
2) Sound phenomenal in some way
3) Take you places; can get lost in the music; the music takes you somewhere.
 
modest mouse is a fine example I think with some of it's songs, Stars are projector for instance..   Or even plain guitar, as I mentioned earlier;  Micheal Hedges, simply one guitar, but oh man...  For some reason, it fits. Aerial boundaries, Rickover's dream,  Spare Change
 
[edit:damn, I can never get the links to work (display) correctly on this site... Oh well, they seem to be working well at least...]

 

[Asr]

Electronica as a genre tends to have really unique sounds, depending on what you're looking for....
 
- Autechre - Tri Repetae++ (IDM)
- Global Communication - 76:14 (ambient)
- Laika - Sounds of the Satellites, Good Looking Blues (ambient/trip-hop)
- Massive Attack - Mezzanine (trip-hop)
- Neotropic - Mr. Brubaker's Strawberry Alarm Clock (prog electronic)
- Orbital - Snivilisation, Orbital II, In Sides, The Middle of Nowhere (electronic/techno)
- Portishead - Portishead (self-titled) (trip-hop)
- Shpongle - Nothing Lasts But Nothing Is Lost (prog electronic)
- Teargas & Plateglass - Teargas & Plateglass (electronic/industrial)
- The Future Sound of London - Lifeforms, ISDN, Dead Cities. Also known as Amorphous Androgynous, under which they have Alice in Ultraland. (ambient/techno/psychedelia)
- Thievery Corporation - Mirror Conspiracy, Richest Man in Babylon, Outernational Sound (trip-hop)

 

[dizzyorange]

  Thx! Sorry for the long response time,  should have posted earlier but I wanted to have a good listen first.  And even now, I'll have to listen more to Animal Collective to have a good opinion, I guess they're quite different sounding and my brain just needs a while to adjust...   Ry Cooder, I'm not a big fan of slide guitar which I seem to associate to country, but Paris, Texas was something though!  Quite atmospheric indeed, very enjoyable!  For some reason it reminded me of Micheal Hedges Aerial boundaries which could very well also qualify for this thread, and truly is excellent music!  I had a hard time going through Laurie Anderson though...   I'll also have to listen more to Tomita but that seemed not too bad.
 
Any more suggestions?  I'm surprised many bands haven't come up yet.   For example:
 
Godspeed you black Emperor, ex:Moya   Static
Porcupine tree: Heart attack in a Layby
 
I don't know... I guess in the end, any music can fit the description, it's just rarely that ordinary music will manage to pull it off...  So it's not essentially a type of music...  Often soundtracks do seem to fit the bill, in terms of atmosphere, but it can often be rather too passive which is normal in some ways because as it's a soundtrack the goal seems more often to generate an atmosphere rather to be only listened to.  So they can tend to be somewhat bland/uninteresting for dedicated & focused listening, vs for instance a 'real' music album where hopefully the music is made to stand on its own.  (not all OSTs are like that obviously, but some are...)
 
...   But I don't know, I can't even really describe what I was trying to ask lol 
 
I guess it would have to:
1) Be great music, if it's not great, why should you be listening to it in the first place?
2) Sound phenomenal in some way
3) Take you places; can get lost in the music; the music takes you somewhere.
 
modest mouse is a fine example I think with some of it's songs, Stars are projector for instance..   Or even plain guitar, as I mentioned earlier;  Micheal Hedges, simply one guitar, but oh man...  For some reason, it fits. Aerial boundaries, Rickover's dream,  Spare Change
 
[edit:damn, I can never get the links to work (display) correctly on this site... Oh well, they seem to be working well at least...]

 
First time hearing Godspeed You Black Emporer... good stuff!  Will have to check out one of their albums.  Any recommendation for which one?  I'm probably going to get the EP first cause its cheap.

 

[Lady Stoneheart]

Sigur Ros is definitely a band that comes to mind. You could also check out a band called Toundra which is instrumental rock and guitar with a relaxed and euphonic sound. 
 
 
 
Quote:

   
First time hearing Godspeed You Black Emporer... good stuff!  Will have to check out one of their albums.  Any recommendation for which one?  I'm probably going to get the EP first cause its cheap.

f#a# infinity is the first one that I'd recommend. It is my favorite of Godspeed's

Heres a link the review of it at Sputnik http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8477/Godspeed-You!-Black-Emperor-F%23A%23-(Infinity)/

 

[Headzone]

Amon Tobin. I just discovered him, and he has a very unique style and sounds. 
 
This is not the best example, but I love the song:
 

 
Also recommend listening to "Kitty cat", "Piece of Paper" from him for more reference..

 

[beerguy0]

I would suggest Porcupine Tree, especially their earlier stuff. (Up The Downstair, Stars Die, The Sky Moves Sideways). Very Pink Floyd like. Lots of voices and atmospheric sounds. Their later stuff trended more towards alternative rock, and their most recent material is more in the progressive metal genre.