New at Magnatune May 2008

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You asked for it and we listened. Now available for the very first time, Magnatune Memberships allows you to hear Magnatune music without any announcements or interruptions between songs!

Starting at just $9 a month, you can stream over 500 albums and mixes into iTunes or player of your choice. Listen online all day, every day wherever you are. For serious audiophiles, we recommend our Download Membership, an "all you can eat" plan that lets you download any of our music, whenever you like, as many times as you like, and in any format, including CD quality WAVs. BONUS: BOTH PLANS include access to our new two hour, talk-free podcasts. Compare plans or sign up here: compare_plans

Album Releases:

Ty Burhoe - Sky

In this profoundly elegant blend of jazz, classical, and world music, it's extraordinary how seamlessly the sounds of Indian tabla merge with melodic piano and soulful rhythms. Ty Burhoe is known for his A-list collaborations, and delivers with Sky, which features the music of composer/pianist Bill Douglas, the brilliant bass of Kai Eckhardt, and drums from Steve Smith. Together the quartet traverses some diverse musical territory from groove ballads to J.S. Bach, but in one cohesive and incredibly lucid style. Says one fan, "I've been listening to jazz for years, but this album really is something special. I knew Eckardt and Smith were super muscicians, but Bill Douglas blew me away with his virtuoso technique and melodic compositions." Says another, "This album is my constant companion."

Chris Harvey - Otherwake

Bewitching microhouse meets minimal techno with progressive melodies and intricate, sophisticated beats. Otherwake definitely deepens our Chris Harvey fandom, and we love how the entire album sounds like zillions of synthy bubbles popping all around you. Sounds amazing on good speakers.

Monks of Kiev Pechersk Lavra - Chimes of Kiev Pechersk Lavra

The Great Lavra Belltower is one of the most notable features of the Kiev skyline and this unique recording captures the sounds of its renowned church bells. The bells are a popular attraction among worshippers of Eastern Orthodoxy as well as a diverse range of spiritual and health practitioners who say that the bells' unusually pure consonances have health giving benefits. Even speaking purely musically, however, here's definitely something special about these chimes, which are some of the most distinctive and resonant on earth. A rare and wondrous recording.

Katherine Roberts Perl - Bach - Well Tempered Clavier Book 2

Bach's pure polyphony gets along grandly with Katherine Roberts Perl's improvisatory spark for a recording that is fresh and fluid, yet also skillfully precise. Many musicians are intimidated by the complex, cerebral nature of the fugues, but Perl's expressive gifts and masterful sense of timing mean that she took great pleasure in playing these compositions, and her delight definiely comes through in the recording. Perl chose to performs these pieces in related key groups, which she describes as "a much more organic choice for the player."

Mountain Mirrors - Dreadnought

There were once certain bands and performers like Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and even Nick Drake who really knew the art of beautiful brooding, and if you're a fan of their more eerie and atmospheric stuff, then you simply must check out Mountain Mirrors' latest album, Dreadnought. It's darkly melodic and profound and sorta settles on you like a mist on an early November morning. Says Metal Storm Magazine, "Beautiful, catchy and really deep."

Trip Wamsley - Curve

Rich melodies and gentle harmonies make for a soothing album of instrumental bass guitar by the capable Trip Wamsley. Wamsley has a patient sense of pacing, allowing his music to unfold gracefully and on its own time. Says one reviewer, "this album is a quest through mood, tone, timbre, texture. As the album title suggests, Curve is completely without any sharp angels...it's polished and graceful as an old cherry wood banister.

Four Stones - Chronic Dreams 2

ccMixter wizard Victor Stone aka "fourstones" remixes his favorite Magnatune tracks and brings in some great new talent in the process including Calendar Girl and DJ Vadim. As usual, there's a whole lotta warm and friendly funkiness in Stone's sensibilities, although the more tender and reflective "July" is a really strong showing as well. Other highlights include "Trashy GT" and the sultry "Let Them Quake."