The Musical Stones of ... Sacha

In The Musical Stones, the people who follow the Collective's work share their musical tastes, memories and luggage.

Today : Sacha from France

 

What is your first musical memory?  

 

My father's vinyl collection. A few classics like old Elvis Presley or Pink Floyd records, some French singers songwriter (Renaud especially). The feeling that unique support has, the cracks and sound coming from the disc itself, more thant the music it holds, is something I hold dear...

 

The first album you bought?  

 

A compilation of celtic inspired music featuring a wide variety of artists (Blackmore's Night, Lords Of The Dance...). One of my childhood relics that got lost during one of our house moves...

The essential albums for you?

 

That one's tough... At the moment, I would say either (Sandy) Alex G 's Rocket or Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts Of The Great Highway.
 

 If you had to choose only one album?

 

Ghost by Devin Townsend, always there when I need calm... 

 

  

The album that seems terribly underrated to you?

 

Maybe Johnny Cash's Bitter Tears, a concept album about the genocide of the Native population of the U.S. A bold statement released in the early 60's, wich makes it even more brave... Not so many people seem to know about it, except maybe for "The Ballad of Ira Hayes".

 

 

This one or maybe Anathema's A Fine Day To Exit, criminally underrated, in my opinion...

 

  

Your favorite album artwork?

Again, this changed (and changes) all the time, I really dig Mastodon artworks, Blood Mountain in particular (I'm so happy to have finally found a t-shirt that has the goddeer on it). 

 

  

A film whose soundtrack stroke you?
 

First Gangs Of New York by the great Howard Shore, which has the unique Scorsese blend of rock n' roll and historical accuracy. That movie is so underrated...

 

Second (yes, I'm cheating since the beginning haha) is a particular song in Once Upon A Time In The West: Jill McBain's theme. Elegant, beautiful, emotional, a tear rolled on my cheek the first time I heard it in a theater... One of Ennio Morricone's greatest achievments, in my humble opinion.

 

Your current discoveries?

 

I listen a lot to two video games soundtracks: Occupy White Walls and Outer Wilds. OWW is an interesting mix between jazz, classic and smooth ambiant music, perfect when you're looking for some quiet strenght while working. Outer Wilds by Andrew Prahlow is like country got its ass in space, emotional, poetic, soothing... Two great games, each in it's own way... 

 

  

Your favorite album of the Collective?

 

Occult by C H A P E L for the dark ambiant vibes

 

 

Dry by Eagle Stone for the distortion

 

  

Brockenwood by Old Green Mountain for the lumberjack mood

 

  

Meander by Abigail Lily O'Hara for the sweetness.

The Musical Stones of ... Michael

In The Musical Stones, the people who follow the Collective's work share their musical tastes, memories and luggage.

Today : Michael from Germany

 

What is your first musical memory?
 

As a kid I used to listen to audio dramas particularly Die drei ??? (The Three Investigators). The jazzy instrumental soundtrack - my first musical memory - was created by the great multi-instrumentalist Carsten Bohn. The original themes can be found on youtube (I highly recommend checking them out) but haven't been released officially thanks to a lawsuit.

 

The first album you bought?
 

Michael Jackson's Bad. I bought the tape in Spain during the holidays as a kid. As I had no tape recorder there I couldn't wait to come home to be able to listen to the tape. Back at home I immediately ran over to my best friend's home to listen to the album together just to find out that he also bought the very same tape.

 

The essential albums for you?

Black Sabbath: Master of Reality / Blur: Blur / David Bowie: Low / Joy Division: Substance / Love: Forever Changes / Morrissey: Viva Hate / Radiohead: OK Computer / Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dreams / The Smiths: The World Won't Listen / The Zombies: Odyssey and Oracle ...just to name a few!

 

If you had to choose only one album?

 

I don't know if this is cheating but I'd choose The Beatles "1967 - 1970" (a.k.a. The Blue Album)... Although you heard it a thousand times there is still enough to discover... and it brings a lot of (bitter-)sweet memories along.

 

 

The album that seems terribly underrated to you?

Dog Man Star by Suede... Critics preferred their self-titled debut but I (being a confused teenager) loved Dog Man Star's pathos.

 

  

Your favorite album artwork?

OK Computer, for sure. Although most of Radiohead's artwork is fabulous.

 

A film whose soundtrack stroke you?

The Falcon and The Snowman... I remember singing "This is not America" by David Bowie & Pat Metheny in elementary school when I was a small boy. Many of the instrumental tracks are even greater.

 

A single track of a soundtrack that struck me is "Homecoming" by Thomas Newman on the Brothers soundtrack.

Your current discoveries?

Deafheaven... A great mixture of Black Metal and Shoegaze.

 

  

Your favorite album of the Collective?

 

Super difficult to say... But I'd choose The Lonely Plains Sessions #04 by Caleb R.K. Williams.

The Musical Stones of ... Wout

In The Musical Stones, the people who follow the Collective's work share their musical tastes, memories and luggage.

Today : Wout from Belgium

 

What is your first musical memory?

I am not really sure. I grew up with a combination of Synthesizer Music (Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, all the synthesizer Classics) Classical music and Kleinkunst (songs in Dutch, mainly Boudewijn De Groot).

I was especially captured by classical music, things like the Slavonic March from Tchaikovsky. 

 

The first album you bought?

I was already 15 or 16 before I started buying music, because my dad really had a lot of music and I listened to the stuff he liked. I think one of the first albums I bought was Black Sunday from Cypress Hill. Shortly after that, at the age of 16  I discovered Gothic, EBM, neofolk and (post)industrial music and I started to buy (too much?) music.

The essential albums for you?

Pfffff.... with essential I mean albums that changed my musical tastes or had a huge influence on my taste. They are not "the best, or the most essential" in their genre.

 

- Boudewijn de Groot: Picknick (1967) For me the best dutch singer, and essential in my life, especially in my youth. 

 

 

- Wumpscut: Music For a Slaughtering Tribe (1993) Wauw, that was really something. I was hooked for years on this kind of music. Now, only every now and then I listen to EBM.

 

- Death in June: But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter? (1992) The discovering of neo folk. Still one of my favourite genres until this day.

- Cold Meat Industry: The Absolute Supper (1997) Discovering my love for Dark Ambient, but then I just called it Industrial. Raison d'être, Desiderii Marginis,... . Probably my most beloved musical genre.

 

- Yahel: Waves of Sound (2000) I really loved House music, and trance music (Cosmic Cubes compilations) but somewhere in the early 2000's I discovered goa-trance, psytrance and a whole new world opened up. I still like goa-trance a lot, and is probably my favourite dance music.

If you had to choose only one album?

 

The essential Pär Boström: volume I-V  (if that would exist).

The album that seems terribly underrated to you?

An album that I can listen to again and again is New Kings And New Queens from Phragments. I dont think it is 40min long and a lot of people think that there is something wrong with my equipment when I play it but I really, really love it. I dont really know why, but I think it is great.

 

Your favorite album artwork?

Maybe the artwork from Braided Paths, a split from Sangre De Muerdago and Novemthree. The artwork is from Bluttanzt, who is one of my favorite artists.

 

A film whose soundtrack stroke you?

Pfioe, I really really like movie soundtracks so this is difficult. 

Requiem For a Dream, Clint Mansell.

Recently watched a flemish tv-show De Twaalf (the twelve), and I really liked the music by David Martijn.

 

 

Your current discoveries?

Some of the stuff I bought recently on Bandcamp: Интерkосмос by Проект Звездолет.

 

 

 Your favorite album of the Collective?

 

I really enjoy the Kaya North albums!