Favorite Music of 2012

Here are the releases that I’ve spent the most time with this year in no particular order:

Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams
Twigs & Yarn – The Language of Flowers
Kane Ikin – Sublunar
Andy Stott – Luxury Problems
Hiss Golden Messenger – Poor Moon
Punch Brothers – Who’s Feeling Young Now
Voices From the Lake – S/T
Beach House – Bloom
The Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
Grizzly Bear – Shields
Andrew Bird – Break it Yourself / Hands of Glory
Wild Nothing – Nocturne
Brambles – Charcoal
The Boats – Ballads Of The Research Department
Sigur Ros – Valtari
Actress – RIP
Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
Band of Horses – Mirage Rock
Father John Misty – Fear Fun
Tame Impala – Lonerism

The Green Kingdom – Incidental Music

The heart of Incidental Music is the acoustic guitar: melodies, chords, drones, and percussive sounds sometimes used in a straightforward manner, while at other times abstracted and manipulated to beautiful effect. Upon this foundation the palette of sounds expands quietly to include various small acoustic instruments and vinyl samples.

The result is an album more reserved and patient than any in The Green Kingdom’s repertoire. These minimal themes serve as an apt score to the small scenes occurring around us all the time. An audio accompaniment for a spontaneous still life, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Something for those stolen moments when we stop and appreciate the beauty of minutia in the often unseen world all around us.

Incidental Music was mastered by M. Ostermeier.

Photography by Russell Burden.

Tracklist:
three friends of winter   (4.05)
backyard epiphany   (4.24)
over treetops   (6.29)
cherry theme   (3.11)
slow bloom   (5.01)
green theme   (2.40)
flotation theme   (6.36)
rshda   (3.08)
whispered through pines   (4.07)

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Being – Quiet Rain (The Green Kingdom Remix)

Prismatic in Fluid Radio’s August Top 10

http://www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2010/08/augusts-top-10/

Following the beautiful Twig and Twine (November 2009, Own Records), Michael Cottone returns with Prismatic, his latest work under the moniker The Green Kingdom. The Detroit based sound artist has once again mixed many disparate influences and ideas into a wonderfully creative album…

Live Set on July 30

I’ll be playing a rare live set on July 30th at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, opening for the Montreal band Ismism. Stop by if you’re in the Detroit area!

CAID
5141 Rosa Parks Blvd
Detroit MI 48208
www.thecaid.org

Stream “Wetlands” from the upcoming Prismatic album

Fluid Radio has posted a nice little track by track breakdown of Prismatic. You can also stream the track Wetlands, one of my favorite pieces from the album. Check it out here.

Prismatic forthcoming

My next release, entitled Prismatic, will be released by the excellent Yorkshire-based label Home Assembly Music, more  info coming soon…

Ian Hawgood – Slow Films In Low Light

I have a remix appearing on this great new collection from Home Normal records. ALL the proceeds from this release will go to The Archway Foundation (http://www.archwayfoundation.org.uk/), a UK charity who serve those hurt by loneliness.

The tracklist is as follows:

01. A Film by Federico Durand
02. A Film by Pan Am Scan
03. A Film by The Remote Viewer
04. A Film by Danny Norbury
05. A Film by Color Cassette
06. A Film by Geskia!
07. A Film by Hannu
08. A Film by Yuri Miyauchi
09. A Film by Miko
10. A Film by The Green Kingdom
11. A Film by Library Tapes
12. A Film by Ten and Tracer
13. A Film by Chihei Hatakeyama
14. A Film by He Can Jog feat. Nick Sanborn

January 2010 Fluid Radio Mix

The Green Kingdom returns with his second exclusive mix installment for Fluid Radio focusing on some wonderful folk type experimentation…

The Green Kingdom Vol. 2

Track List:

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – What Must Be Done
Jasper TX – Gone, Away
Diane Cluck – Easy to be Around
Mountains – Sewn Two
Neil Halstead – Oh! Mighty Engine
Jimmy Behan – Box of Broken Things
Tomoyoshi Date – A Water’s Game In The Limestone Cave
Le Lendemain – Linden
PJ Harvey – White Chalk
Ethan Rose – The Floor Released
Pan Am Scan – Rosa
Shuttle 358 – Finch
To Rococo Rot – A Little Asphalt Here And There
The Books – None But Shining Hours
Clickits – Brttle
Danny Norbury – Version Trail (Beppu Constucts Norbury)

Textura 2009 Artist Picks

I contributed some comments on some of my favorite albums of 2009 for Textura’s year-end feature:
http://www.textura.org/reviews/2009artistspicks.htm#greenkingdom

Below is a full list in no particular order.

Peter Broderick and Machinefabriek – Blank Grey Canvas Sky
Jónsi and Alex – Riceboy Sleeps
Le Lendemain – Fires
Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Mountains – Choral
Volcano Choir – Unmap
Intrusion – The Seduction of Silence
Northerner – 1976
Broadcast and The Focus Group – Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age
The Archivist – The Keeper of the Library
Belbury Poly – From An Ancient Star
Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care
Doom – Born Like This
Sleep Whale – Houseboat
Black to Comm – Alphabet 1968
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – White Lunar
Demdike Stare – Symbiosis
Solo Andata – s/t