Inspired by this article where Martyn Ware chooses 21 'headphone albums', what are the albums that you find particularly well-suited for listening to on headphones?
Mine - including some old tropes of mine, admittedly - include...
Biosphere - 'Substrata'. This is one of those albums where you have to sit through the whole thing and immerse yourself, in one sitting, really, though.
John Foxx - 'The Garden'. There's a surprising amount of detail on that album which, in its lushness, was a complete reversal from the brutalist minimalism of his previous (solo debut) album 'Metamatic'
Various (Om Records artists) - 'Sound Of The Absolute'. I suppose people don't ordinarily associate House music with obssessive attention to detail, but it seems to run throughout this compilation of tracks from the label's early EPs.
The Black Dog - 'Tranklements'. Most people associate The Black Dog with the late 80s / early 90s heyday of acid-tinged electronica, but the quality of their work has actually improved consistently ever since and I think they're currently at their Zenith, as this (entirely unpromoted) album from last year shows.
Vector Lovers - 'Capsule For One' and 'Iphonica'. One of my favourite artists. Electronica always lends itself to detail, I suppose, with its traditional genesis in the bedrooms of geeky techy types, and this is probably never more obvious than in Vector Lovers' quieter, more introspective stuff.
This Mortal Coil - pretty much anything, really, but the first two albums, 'It'll End In Tears' and 'Filigree And Shadow' are the best. Considering how the digital synths they used were still in their infancy when they made the former of these two albums, the sounds they coaxed out of the old Yamaha DX7 are absolutely incredible!
Of course, Youtube videos are never the best way to appreciate the qualities of music, but I wanted to include examples, so I felt compelled to include them.
I could go on (and on) but...
Mine - including some old tropes of mine, admittedly - include...
Biosphere - 'Substrata'. This is one of those albums where you have to sit through the whole thing and immerse yourself, in one sitting, really, though.
John Foxx - 'The Garden'. There's a surprising amount of detail on that album which, in its lushness, was a complete reversal from the brutalist minimalism of his previous (solo debut) album 'Metamatic'
Various (Om Records artists) - 'Sound Of The Absolute'. I suppose people don't ordinarily associate House music with obssessive attention to detail, but it seems to run throughout this compilation of tracks from the label's early EPs.
The Black Dog - 'Tranklements'. Most people associate The Black Dog with the late 80s / early 90s heyday of acid-tinged electronica, but the quality of their work has actually improved consistently ever since and I think they're currently at their Zenith, as this (entirely unpromoted) album from last year shows.
Vector Lovers - 'Capsule For One' and 'Iphonica'. One of my favourite artists. Electronica always lends itself to detail, I suppose, with its traditional genesis in the bedrooms of geeky techy types, and this is probably never more obvious than in Vector Lovers' quieter, more introspective stuff.
This Mortal Coil - pretty much anything, really, but the first two albums, 'It'll End In Tears' and 'Filigree And Shadow' are the best. Considering how the digital synths they used were still in their infancy when they made the former of these two albums, the sounds they coaxed out of the old Yamaha DX7 are absolutely incredible!
Of course, Youtube videos are never the best way to appreciate the qualities of music, but I wanted to include examples, so I felt compelled to include them.
I could go on (and on) but...
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