Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.- "La Novia" (2000)

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. are an extremely large "spirit collective" from Japan who stand as monoliths in the current experimental rock scene as one of the most prolific and varied bands around, going from ephemeral noise rock blasts to strung-out psychedelic droning.

Ghosts of Television - Forsaken Empire (2009)

Ghosts of Television are a group from Sydney, Australia who produce some music quite contradictory to a lot of unremarkable music it seems Australia has been giving us lately, they offer us a tossup of several great genres and work to provide an amazing listening atmosphere. Unfortunately since releasing this album the band has broken up and very little information can be found on them.

Eduardo Rovira - Tango Vanguardia (1963)

Eduardo Rovira was an Argentinian composer, bandaneón player, and musical arranger best known for expanding El Nuevo Tango to unpredictable lengths. If it weren't for the Lanusian composer, tango would have probably never met with such intriguing composition techniques like twelve tone and counterpoint.

Andre Popp - Delirium in Hi-Fi (1957)

There are two types of avant-garde music, segregated not by a link to any one tradition but by why they are classified as avant-garde works. One group pushes the boundary of what we consider enjoyable art music - for example, Arnold Schoeneberg, Faust, or John Coltrane's free jazz era. The other group pushes not sonic boundaries but maintains innovation by presenting familiar sounds and melodies with a twist - for example, Charles Ives, or The Books. While this group is less immediately recognizable as avant-garde, it is no less enjoyable. Andre Popp's excellent 1957 space age pop album, Delirium in Hi-Fi, falls squarely into the latter group.

Sparklehorse + Fennesz- In the Fishtank 15 (2009)

Indie rock namesake Sparklehorse, led by the late Mark Linkous, and glitch artist Christian Fennesz combined their disparate sounds to an amazing effect for this installment in Konkurrent’s Fishtank series. 

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

James Murphy's second album with LCD Soundsystem, after starting the group in his 30s, disillusioned with the current music scene, feeling old and out of touch - and then going on to make some of the best dance and pop music of the 00s that's as witty and fun as it is danceable and upbeat, being able to go from heartfelt ballads to caustic critiques of society, never missing a beat.

Edith Hillman Boxill - Music Therapy With The Developmentally Handicapped (1976)

Folkways Records has been a constant source of music (mostly of the folk and traditional variety) for both enjoyment and educational purposes for most of the 20th century and into the 21st, with its catalogue forever to be kept in print at the request of the founder, Moses Asch, after the Smithsonian Institute acquired the label after his death. One can explore the Folkways catalogue and find endless amounts of music to be enjoyed and appreciated, as well as learning a thing or two not just from music, from spoken word lectures, poetry, speeches, field recordings and much more. Music Therapy With The Developmentally Handicapped, arranged by Edith Hillman Boxill, is a combination of education, enjoyment and something else.

The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea (2006)

The Fiery Furnaces, consisting of brother/sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Freidberger, spent most of 00's proving just how ambitious, inventive and varied pop music could be. The two started attracting attention after the release of their debut, Gallowsbird's Bark, but that was primitive, at least relative to what the duo would produce later. 2004's sophomore release, "Blueberry Boat" showed just how ambitious they were in terms of song structure and lyricism - the album played out like a series of schizophrenic operas, Eleanor's pinpoint enunciation ringing clear over Matthew's oddball synthesizer melodies and constant changes in rhythm, tempo and style that made their music seem so irreverent and unique, and as an album, really showcased how talented the two were, and lay the foundation for their later work - including this, which in my opinion, is truly their magnum opus.

João Alegria Pécurto - Une Autre Mer (2013)

This is a cold, stark record. The album cover spells the music. 

Mr. Pecurto really detaches himself from the stigmas of the genre he inhabits, for the minimalistic string-based experimental sound has been overwrought with stale, nondescript efforts over the course of the past couple years. Hence my personal scepticism in even listening to this record.

Nat Adderley - Work Song (1960)

Nat Adderley, the second half of the legendary Adderley brothers, draws us the stellar 1960 Hard Bop "Work Song" album. "Work Song" is ,without the slightest doubt, lyrical and moody in its essence, showing that a breath-taking line-up (both in players and composers) can go a really long way. Though instrumentation can feel a tad grotesque at times "Work Song" never looses or overhauls its charm, its utterly dainty and articulate nature.