耳熟能詳的旋律 + 簡單卻餘韻無窮的空心吉他，醞釀出如夢似幻的音樂氛圍。Innocence Mission情感深刻、迴轉自如的優美清澈嗓音被民謠傳奇Joni Mitchell譽為最能打動她的聲音
Innocence Mission的音樂清澈有如森林深處從未被人發現過的一流靈泉。聆聽The Innocence Mission你會立刻感動！《Now The Day Is Over》裡玻璃般玲瓏剔透的鋼琴、弦樂與吉他悠然響起，女主唱清澈靈透的嗓音，彷如夢境中傳來的天籟。這張專輯用極簡而純粹的手法詮釋你我耳熟能詳的曲調。
"Over the Rainbow"清新、溫柔；朦朧如霧的背景音樂有如彩虹般的夢幻感。名曲What A Wonderful World與Moon River，女主唱Karen Peris那出自天主教唱詩班鮮嫩欲滴的嗓音，對比起阿姆斯壯的滄桑，別有一番趣味；Moon River的吉他伴奏，更賦予這首浪漫歌曲一種甜美的節奏感，而電影「真善美」中著名的插曲"Edelweiss" 則彷彿一陣和煦春風吹拂過山頂，溫暖如愛人懷抱。The Innocence Mission用耳熟能詳的旋律、如夢似幻的音樂氛圍、清新如黃鶯出谷的嗓音來告訴你：生命，其實可以很簡單，純潔，美好。

God is An Astronaut的配器虽然遵循英式摇滚的传统，但还是充满了古老冲动与激情。God is Astronaut这支柏林的乐队是2002年由两兄弟Niels 和Torsten还有他们的朋友Lloyd三人行而成的。他们的音乐清澈而具有质感，旋律优美却多愁善感，并且运用大量美妙的电子声效。2002年成立，2003年3月在他们自己成立的厂牌Revive Records发表了第一张专辑《The End of the Beginning》。2005.2第二张专辑《All is Violent，All is Bright》依然在Revive Records下发表。God is An Astronaut在采访中形容他们的音乐是“Electronic，chill out synthisised rock ”，这是由于他们受主流摇滚的影响同时又喜欢The Chemical Brothers（着名Synth pop乐队），而将两者合而为一的产物。
第一次听这张《All is Violent，All is Bright》已经让我爱不释手，在我听过的音乐中特别是postrock这类型中，God is Astronaut创作出来的声音竟然是如此独特。
如湖水般清澈，如空气般清新。虽然专辑名字中有Violent，但是猛烈程度却不如Mogwai，而因为有Bright，明亮欢快，尤胜Sigur Ros，旋律悦耳程度简直让我惊喜。第三首Forever Lost中清脆的钢琴配上空灵的吉他，我完全沉浸在那种境界，永远迷失在那优美的旋律中。
God is an astronaut是一支来自爱尔兰首都都柏林的后摇团体，风格是吉他为主的器乐后摇。《Fragile》一段轻柔的吉他开篇，仿佛来自遥远的外太空一样空灵飘渺，但要是你认为接下来是更加延长的继续下去的话就错了，歌曲进行到一半的时候，吉他开始更有节奏的轰鸣，变的更加饱满更有力量。《All Is Violent All Is Bright》带我们进入另一个魔幻的世界，行至3分钟的时候，吉他构建的空间氛围感越来越强烈，形成一种压迫感，却在你变的狂躁不安之前噶然而止。奇怪的是，我们没有感到不适，反而觉得很爽。第三首有一个很好听的名字《Forever Lost》,不同于其他歌曲的是，用钢琴弹奏取代了吉他而作为引子，显得特别乾净。整张唱片的旋律都漂亮的很，很容易被记住，但每首歌呈现给我们的世界是不同的。when everything dies！你会联想到什么？末世的荒凉，还是万物待生的希望？专辑的最后一首歌《When Everything Dies》却奇妙的将两种感觉带到你面前。
如果你在午夜十分因为某种原因而无法入睡，那么这张唱片绝对是带你进入梦幻旅行最好选择。

4th album by God is an Astronaut.

Music comes from many different places. Some of it comes from happy accidents; a lot of it comes from the programmed, laboratory environment of a hit factory. Very occasionally, great pop music comes from somewhere deeper within the soul. So it is with The Orange Lights. Their epic, widescreen guitar soul has melodies that scare the sky and words that come laden with meaning and tug at the heartstrings. One listen and there's every chance you'll be hooked. This was definitely the case for fabled Coldplay producer Ken Nelson, who ignored the pile of lucrative offers from major artists and chose instead to work with The Orange Lights when they were still unsigned. Nelson felt - and responded to - the band's music and their passion. It was a similar case for Richard Ashcroft producer Chris Potter, who worked on the album initially, and Chris Lord-Alge, the LA-based award-winning mix engineer who polished the record with his trademark 3D sound.
It's been a similar tale as the band have begun making live appearances: blowing people away as far apart (geographically and spiritually) as Newcastle, Los Angeles (where they appeared at Musexpo, LA's In The City) and Ibiza (Ibiza Rocks supporting the Editors, and broadcast on Channel 4). When the band performed acoustically in front of the BPI / The Brits committee at an industry gathering at The Staples Center in LA, Steve Redmond stated: "I was knocked out. Four out-of-the-box radio records".
America seems to love them too: the band have stacked up 56 plays on Indie 103 in Los Angeles, and 17 plays to date on KCRW - the two most influential radio stations on the West Coast - before even releasing a record! And now Nic Harcourt is championing the band on his hugely influential Morning Becomes Eclectic show with strong support of Let The Love Back In.
In one sense, The Orange Lights are the vehicle for the enormous, emotional vocal chords of Jason ("Jay") Hart - a deceptively quiet, unassuming man with a big, big voice. Which makes it quite ironic that his previous claim to fame was as a touring guitarist - in Jason Pierce's Spiritualized. Jay hasn't quite put the guitar down - he still plays in The Orange Lights - but is mostly concentrating on his vocals. Still, it's unsurprising that The Orange Lights have been compared to - along with New Order and Primal Scream circa Damaged - "a mainstream Spiritualized."
Co-creator of The Orange Lights is Newcastle-based songwriter Paul Tucker, who had had considerable past success but was at a loose end when he came across Nottingham-born Jay after a mate gave him a CD. At the time he'd just been looking for a guitar player, but was struck not just by Jay's distinctive fretwork, but that voice. It sounded then as it still sounds now: wounded, fragile but powerful, soulful. "I was blown away, transported," says Paul. "There was this huge landscape of guitar... and somebody singing. I just had to meet this guy." Even now, Paul is in raptures as he tries to describe what it felt like when he heard that voice for the first time. "It was very warm... but there was something almost ghostly about it."
They met and bonded over music, as mates do - spending a lot of time playing each other differing influences from old soul to Echo And the Bunnymen, and all points in between. In fact, if there is an Orange Lights sound it's the collision between soul and indie or alternative guitar music. "In many ways we're a soul-rock band,' muses Paul, who in a previous musical life penned most of soulsters the Lighthouse Family's biggest hits. There's also something different and nagging about the music: it's hugely positive, but post-traumatic: songs which sound like they're trying to find something good after something horrendous. Which, it turns out, is exactly how they came about.
Three years ago, a family tragedy led Paul to experience what he calls "My own personal 9/11. I think the band's music was defined by that," he says, quietly, telling of a "big black cloud" that followed him around for the best part of two years. One night, he sat at the piano and wrote the first of The Orange Lights' trademark songs. "I thought about what had happened and Life Is Still Beautiful came out of my fingers in about 10 minutes," he says. "It was probably the quickest thing I've ever written. It just flooded out.
Jay was the perfect person to sing it, because at the time he was going through a similarly traumatic period involving someone he was very close to. "The synchronicity was uncanny," he admits of the way Paul would write words that seemed eerily appropriate to him. "We'd go in there [Paul's Tyneside rehearsal room and recording studio The Beach] and the pair of us were in bits. You can hear it, the processes we went through." Indeed. There were moments, Jay admits, when they were too bound up in trauma to write anything in the studio. However, usually, explosions of feelings manifested themselves in uplifting music. Sometimes, only afterwards they realised just how much of what Paul calls the "dark stuff" had found its way into song.
When Jay recruited Chris Gittins (bass) and Alex Lucas (drums) - mates he'd known and played with on and off for years - The Orange Lights became a band. Paul and Jay then saw guitarist Ewan Warden playing with London band Grand National and was blown a y. Together, they talked about what they wanted soundwise and all agreed that it should be widescreen, symphonic, like a "sound prssure wave."
The band adopted the unusual strategy of approaching producers rather than record companies, and were amazed when one of their favourite sound shapers - Ken Nelson, whose work they'd loved with Kings Of Convenience and early Coldplay. Coldplay's X & Y album was erupting just as the unsigned band's demo landed on the table. Out of the blue, the band received a message saying Ken Nelson wanted to meet them. He travelled up to Newcastle, listened to a "very rough" demo of the achingly personal My Guardian Angel - and simply nodded his head. All went quiet for three weeks before he suddenly phoned up saying he'd love to do it. It was a similar tale with Chris Potter, best known for his work on the Verve's truckload-selling Urban Hymns - who has produced no less than seven Orange Lights tracks. Both producers have captured The Orange Lights as they sound during their well-received live performances: emotional, raw, epic; in your face.
Some personal situations are ongoing, but they've clambered from the wreckage with great songs, driven skyward by the sheer force of Jay's soul and golden voicebox. "When you get a tune together and the hairs on the back of your arms stand up, you know you've got to carry on," he smiles, quietly. "I think it is something special, because it's come from a genuine place."

2006 import EP from this Irish duo (brothers Niels and Torsten), who are considered by many to be the most intense live act to emerge from Ireland in recent times. This release trademarks their intense build ups from serene ambience to searing intensity. Five tracks including 'Frozen Twilight'.

IS#1(Indie Soundcheck Project No.1)，这张台湾流行音乐史上绝无前例的创作合辑，即将在六月中旬问世！IS#2将会紧接着在七月出炉。不仅音乐品质足以打死一大票主流的作品，制作物的精致程度更是五四三音乐站创立以来最最不惜工本、手工最细腻的一次，IS#1将会以一本精装书的形式呈现，外包书衣、烫白箔，内页则用了昂贵的描图纸和风云纸，最后再围上印着白字的透明书腰带。整体印刷之精美，拿来报名年度设计大奖，都不为过。

IS#2 (Indie Soundcheck Project No.2)，這張精彩絕倫的創作合輯，預計在8/25問世。繼承IS#1極度費工、憚精竭慮的設計包裝，IS#2這次仍將以一本迷你精裝書的形式呈現，外包書衣。不過這次的設計是全黑風格，書衣燙黑，內頁仍有風雲紙和描圖紙，歌詞部份用「開門摺」方式裝訂，前後頁面用滿版特別色印刷，恐怕再度創下了台灣音樂專輯印製的費工紀錄。
當然，IS#2並不會因為物料成本的昂貴而哄抬價格，這麼一張令人愛不釋手的專輯，售價是多少？沒錯－－照舊是新台幣238元。是的，不是438，不是338，只要238。
而這系列合輯的銷售盈餘，將會存入「鼓勵獨立音樂創作」的公益帳戶，讓創作歌曲的火焰，可以繼續燃燒下去。
【IS#2曲目】 - 2004年8月發行
1. 黃韻玲／Arthur
2. 黃小楨／I Drop & Pick
3. 林暐哲／夢想
4. 馬大文／在我前面的那個人
5. 李欣芸／吃早餐
6. 巴奈／並沒有
7. 葉樹茵／Answer Me
8. DJ Heal featuring Sandee Chan／Baby, I'll Heal You
【IS#2的故事還有更多更多】
◎ 黃韻玲的"Arthur"，這首所有工作人員第一次聽到demo都感動得掉眼淚的歌，是小玲繼1994年「黃韻玲的黃韻玲」專輯出版後，10年來首度發表的個人演唱作品。只要聽聽這首歌，你就知道，小玲那令人動容的才華，一絲一毫都沒有在歲月的淘洗中失落，反倒愈發洗鍊了。
◎ IS#2無意間讓「黑名單工作室」以間接的方式重新聚首了︰林暐哲、李欣芸、葉樹茵都在這張專輯裡獻出自己的歌，其中葉樹茵的"Answer Me"正是由黑名單工作室的「首腦」王明輝擔任製作人。當年掀起「新臺語搖滾」狂潮的另一位大將林強，新作「我想和你一起」則收錄在IS#1專輯中。
◎ 林暐哲的「夢想」是他在1992年Baboo樂團發表「新台幣」專輯以來，首度錄製的個人演唱作品，中間足足相隔12年。這中間，林暐哲投身音樂製作與詞曲創作，成為十年來台灣最成功的製作人之一，然而那個滿腔熱血的音樂青年一直都沒有離開我們，對IS計劃的全力支持、積極發掘新生代樂團蘇打綠、夢露，透過獨立通路販售DIY單曲等等，都是例證。
◎ 李欣芸在Baboo樂團解散之後赴美深造，1998年返台投入製作編曲的幕後工作，極為成功。「吃早餐」是她首度以獨立創作者身分發表的演唱作品。欣芸的首張個人專輯已經錄製完成，近期將會正式問世。
◎ 巴奈的「並沒有」由她自己彈吉他演唱，這首歌是2001年台權會合輯「美麗之島．人之島」裡翻唱「美麗島」以來，巴奈首度發表的歌曲，也是2000年「泥娃娃」專輯之後，四年來發表的第一首錄音室原創作品。
◎ 馬大文和DJ Heal都是首度發表錄音室作品，大文這幾年經常演出，作品也在網路上流傳頗廣，網友對她的作品比較熟悉，但「在我前面的那個人」經過陳珊妮製作、嗦吱編曲之後，大文的作品有了全新的音樂風格，連她自己都驚喜不置。DJ Heal是生平第一次發表作品，他的真實身分是錄音室裡的專業工作者，在陳珊妮大力鼓吹、並且答應替他錄演唱部份之後，他交出了"Baby, I'll Heal You"這首霧氣氤氳的Ambient作品，作為IS#2的壓軸作。
啊，是的，我們正在寫歷史，同時也在聆聽歷史的發生。你儘可忘記上面這些有的沒的，單純享受這張專輯裡的美好音樂。但我們都很清楚，IS#2除了八首不得了的好歌，它承載的動人故事，其實還有更多更多。
【IS Project：奇蹟式的「零圓計劃」】
IS Project（Indie Soundcheck Project）是一個廣邀創作人才參加的公益企劃，所有參加的音樂人均不領取個人酬勞，專輯銷售盈餘將會存入鼓勵獨立音樂創作的專款帳戶。
我們的初衷很簡單：能不能讓創作人拋開主流唱片公司企畫方向和市場因素的壓力，盡情做出自己最最想做的音樂？能不能拋開華而不實的企宣套式，讓一切回歸音樂本質，讓作品自己說話？
2004年夏天，我們完成了足足十六首歌，從創作、編曲、製作，到錄音、混音、母帶後期處理......這一切工作的總支出，是奇蹟式的「零元」。而且，這些作品也足以傲視市面上絕大多數花了大錢的產品－－耳聽為憑，相信你會同意的。
【統籌製作人的話】／陳珊妮
對流行音樂的迷戀我有我的數字 排行榜和點播率 有時候和大眾唱片的不太一樣 智慧財產的公定價格偶爾便宜了誰委屈了他 也是自言自語各自幻想 如果愛情不自私 那情人就不妨輪流交換情歌支支歡唱 這個星球越來越老人人難免一死 林強寫了首「我想和妳一起」我開始喜歡這個調調 是的 我要我們一起 就我們這些人 讓我感覺到某種被抬舉了的優越 這世界上有太多更愛音樂更偏執的人 我們其實可以混同一個幫派的也說不定 夏宇問：要不要就一起加入共產黨？其實大家早在他開口之前就開始這激烈爭吵 辯論永遠不會停止的 我想 但音樂是不是可以自由就好？就我愛你你愛我的 說來有點噁爛 但 降 就夠了
【企劃統籌的話】／馬世芳
這張專輯真的做出來了。回頭想想，整件事情簡直像一場夢。
「IS計畫」的緣起，可以回溯到兩年前陳珊妮和我的一場閒聊。在華語唱片工業一路崩潰、音樂內容愈來愈不被尊重的時節，我們提起一些心目中頂尖音樂人的名字，非常希望能聽到他們「撒開來寫」的作品。聊著聊著，漸漸就有了「邀請大家寫歌，一起做個合輯」的想法。
我們的初衷很簡單：能不能讓創作人拋開主流唱片公司企畫方向和市場因素的壓力，盡情做出自己最最想做的音樂？能不能拋開華而不實的企宣套式，讓一切回歸音樂本質，讓作品自己說話？
說到做到，我們興奮地開始列舉可能邀請的創作人名單，並且幾經討論，擬出以下的共識：
－－ 不設主題限制，任何內容、任何風格的音樂作品都可以接受。
－－ 不問輩分高低、大牌小牌，只要作品夠好，一律歡迎。不僅希望資深的創作人能盡情施展，也希望發掘有潛力的新秀。
－－ 由陳珊妮擔任製作統籌，負責音樂內容的品管；由我擔任企劃統籌，負責生管、行政、通路諸般雜事。在毫無經費奧援的前提下，儘量尋求「資源分享」的管道。創作人若是無法獨力完成所有工作，珊妮會盡可能協助尋找錄音、編曲、配唱、演奏、製作各方面的支援。
－－ 基於互助、分享的原則，專輯販售盈餘，無論是多是少，將會另外存入「鼓勵獨立音樂創作」的公益專款帳戶。專款使用方式必須經過全體創作者同意，所有參與「IS計畫」的個人都不領酬勞。
－－ 這是一個持續的計畫，將會不斷邀請各方人才加入、不斷推出新的作品。
看看我們的創作人陣容、再看看製作和企劃的複雜程度，這個計畫註定不可能被主流公司接受，也完全不可能用唱片工業既有的製作、企劃模式來處理。唯有音樂人彼此支援、分攤勞務，才能一舉而竟全功。我們首先跟林暐哲解釋這套構想，彼此的理念一拍即合，他慷慨開放自己的錄音室讓大家自由使用，「IS計畫」遂有了錄音製作的「基地」。
接下來，我和珊妮分頭聯繫創作人，幾乎每個人都不假思索、一口答應。透過他們的引介，我們又陸續連絡到更多願意「入幫」的人才。時間慢慢過去，我們手邊收集到的作品也愈來愈多，每首新歌的demo，都是一樁撞擊靈魂的狂喜經驗。此外，無論編曲、錄音、演奏、混音、母帶後期處理、乃至於專輯裝幀設計，我們都獲得了頂尖人才的奧援。大家不問酬勞、義務相助，心裡想的是同一件事－－讓一切「回歸音樂的本質」，替獨立音樂找到新的道路。
說真的，我們當初沒敢想像事情竟會這麼順利。這樁夢幻計畫，竟然一步一步成真了。2004年夏天，我們完成了足足十六首歌，從創作、編曲、製作，到錄音、混音、母帶後期處理......這一切工作的總支出，是奇蹟式的「零圓」。也就是說，除了壓片包裝印刷的必要開銷，這個計畫真的創下了不可思議的「零元完工」紀錄。而且，這些作品也足以傲視市面上絕大多數花了大錢的產品－－耳聽為憑，相信你會同意的。
這些歌曲，將會以迷你專輯的形式，分兩輯推出。你手上這片CD，就是我們的第一份成績單。辛苦兩年，是否值回票價？請你按下PLAY－－答案應該是再清楚不過了。
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重听这张05年非常喜爱的专辑，是在这样一个燠热的下午，窗外的阳光异常热烈，我却真实的有种蹲下身拥抱自己的欲望：是的，因为寒冷。冰岛凛冽的风低低地在耳边呜咽，卷裹着缺乏温情的电子气流，漫过周身，沁入发肤，将指尖残留的温度一点点抽离；阴冷平滑的Trip-hop节拍蹑足而入，将一种叫做孤独的空洞无限扩大，于是我就在这样一个明媚的下午不可遏制地感到了一种找不到重心的惶恐。
封面上一个丑陋，残缺，面目可怖的生物站在一团悚然的白色背景之中，红色的左眼直直地望入你的眼睛：这和上一张专辑Automagic的封面里那一片朦胧的景致几乎形成了完全的具象对立，一个诡异的开场。我隐隐地感觉到也许这一张从某种程度上说会是一次颠覆。事实也的确如此，Automagic里post-rock感觉的器乐运用在这张里被大大弱化，更多的down-tempo, chill-out和electronic的种子植入了他们的音乐土壤，零散的电子碎拍贯穿始终，将时空的概念最大程度地虚化和混淆，依稀描摹着未来文明的废墟。晦暗而指代模糊的歌词同样在这一张里被提到了相当重要的位置，Gudridur Ringsted甜润的嗓音诉说的与其说是故事，不如说是一些被解构的影象和被打乱顺序的描述，意识流般的离散。
整张专辑的基调相当统一，从Army of Them到11分钟的Push Play，我经历了一次让心脏不断紧缩的过程，郁结在胸口的寒意层层迭加，以至于偶尔的温暖让人感动莫名，比如在Synthia的前奏响起时我分明感到了一种哽咽的酸楚。
终于当最后一个音符逐渐淡出，我又看向了那只红色的左眼，我看到了一团混沌的呆滞，忽然间感到有些瑟缩：当文明发展到将情感也完全编制成某一套既定的程序，这究竟是进步还是末日的征兆？看着它的眼睛，也许你可以找到答案。 [转自极品音乐]

Full title - There Is Nothing Left To Lose. Australian edition of their third album, originally released in 1999, includes one bonus track, 'Fraternity'. 12 tracks in all including their hit singles, 'Learn To Fly' & 'Next Year'. BMG.

Artist：Múm
Album ：Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know
Date ：2009.08.24
Label ：Fatcat
Style ：Electronic、Experimental
Myspace：
Website：
Múm，来自冰岛，签约Fatcat厂牌、由四个中产阶级家庭的孩子组成，他们和其他同龄人一样有自己的烦恼，一样普通。他们有着平常的名字，就像其他人一样。他们温和平淡的努力驱除束缚着冰岛乐团的某种神话。相对奇特的地方也只是乐队成员中的两个女孩儿是一对双胞胎。唯一值得注意的是Múm做出的都是真诚美妙的音乐！
Múm将流行音乐探索至美妙的境地，他们的作品中充满了沁人心脾的旋律、嘎吱嘎吱的易碎节拍和顽皮的哔哔声响。Múm就像是一个BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, ISAN, RAYMOND SCOTT, PLONE and BOARDS OF CANADA的混合体。或许乐队成员不愿承认，但他们的作品确实是机灵聪颖清澈见底。聆听者会感受到飘荡在空气中的那份真挚，就像歌曲《I am 9 today》中所表达的，这种令人欢欣的东西在时下的音乐中真是难寻啊。