Friendly Noise: Whether or not we're dealing with noise here can remain a side issue for the time being. This record lable based in Stockholm, Sweden can rightfully call itself friendly, considering its generous offering of mp3s at its website. And the spectrum is wide. There are European-styled jazz-pop duets here as well as organic, woody instrumental progressions, and oddball studio outtakes (of the interesting type.)
Despite the variety, all the music at Friendly Noise has a warmth to it, a self connectedness, that doesn't often show itself at this level of independence. Friendly Noise also sells physical recordings, for a not-bad price, considering the distance. (... yes from everywhere. It's Sweden.)
Hörbar Abstrakt w/ Dr. Nachstrom-- This is the podcasted version of a radioshow on Radio Helsinki. I think. Dr. Nachstrom delivers his material in what appears to be Swiss German, so it's hard for me to pick out a lot of details. The details are unimportant, though, because Nachstrom's 120-minute show is fanatastic whatever the case may be.
Also, if you don't speak Dr. Nachstrom's language, you get a nimbly-gathered assemblage of music, presented almost entirely without context. It's this lack of context that I think I enjoy so much about Hörbar Abstrakt. Hearing all of this great music without knowing what it is or where it comes from somehow enhances the experience. And the range of music that Nachstrom plays is, perhaps, without boundaries.
This is a good program to slap on when you're hanging out at home and you don't particularly care what you listen to, so long as it's good.
... meanwhile in the good old US of A, music streamers are being shaken down. Some big names are fighting the internet royalty rates that are about to go into effect, but time is running short.
