RockRoast

Thanks to a recent blog post from the WFMU radio station, I’ve been made aware of a band who’s entire discography is available online for free.

Go back and read that again. Yeah, it’s free. Pretty much all of it, including compilations and live performances. I think there’s even a single thrown in there. But the catch is that the band is Bourbonese Qualk. It’s not like U2 decided to make their dozens and dozens of well-known, well-loved songs available for free. It’s Bourbonese Qualk.

Never heard of them? I hadn’t. Apparently they were an experimental band formed in the early eighties. From 1983 to 2000, they released nine full-length albums. They disbanded following the death of guitarist Miles Miles in 2002. Since then, former members of the band have dedicated a website to the free distribution of their music.

I’m only finishing up their second album now, but so far the music has been very intriguing. “Experimental” certainly is the easiest way to describe Bourbonese Qualk, but it’s not an exact descriptor. What I’ve heard so far is ambient music that, in places, is strongly reminiscent of funk, no wave and electronica. I’m also wondering if this stuff is one of the earlier incarnations of–or at least an influence on–post-rock. It’s weird. It really is. But it’s also kind of cool.

If you’re interested in ambient, funk, no wave, electronica, post-rock, or the broad genre of “experimental music,” you should give it a try. All nine albums are available at . Download to your ears’ content.

Although, a word of advice…if you try going through it chronologically and you don’t like the first album, Laughing Afternoon, don’t give up just yet. I didn’t much like Laughing Afternoon, either, but I found Hope to be much more enjoyable.

It’s been a busy year for Porcupine Tree.

Since the April 2007 release of Fear of a Blank Planet, the band have put out a followup mini-album in September (Nil Recurring) and, as of last week, have made a new live disc available.

We Lost the Skyline is a live release of an acoustic set performed in an Orlando, Florida music store. The tracklisting promises some of the band’s most beautiful mellow tracks, including “Even Less,” “Trains,” and “Lazarus.” “Lazarus” is currently available on Porcupine Tree’s official MySpace page, and it’s an excellent live arrangement of a fantastic song.

In my opinion, despite its release during a year which boasted a large number of great records, Fear of a Blank Planet emerged as the best album of 2007.  (For a periodically updated list of albums emerging as the best of 2008, click here.)  It’s filled with ambient soundscapes fused with progressive rock and a healthy dose of metal and the band manage to reconcile these different genres very well, offering something to fans of any kind of rock music. If you haven’t already done so, I’d strongly suggest buying Fear of a Blank Planet, Nil Recurring, and We Lost the Skyline. You won’t regret it.

They are all available at Porcupine Tree’s official online store.