Atmosphere

These are two Canadian bands that I find myself putting on mostly when its raining outside or when I feel like trying to achieve that very pleasant, but difficult to find space between sleeping and being awake. Both play what I would describe as atmospheric music, but they do it using different means. Kepler uses quietness, subtlety and simplicity (with some loud guitar bursts thrown in for good measure) while Sianspheric uses every effects pedal in existence to create songs built around thick walls of distortion and white noise. In the end, both create some very organic sounding soundscapes. And both have new albums out.

Sianspheric - To Myself
I love how the vocals in this song have such a hard time competing with the gigantic guitar swells that seem to fill every space in the room when you're playing this. Obviously this needs to be played loud to be appreciated, and it pretty much goes without saying that you should also be lying on your back with your eyes closed. This song is from Sianspheric's new album RGB which is a kind of 'best-of' package and is a worthwhile introduction to the band if you're unfamiliar. It's originally from the great album The Sound of the Color of the Sun.
[Buy RGB from Sonic Unyon]

Kepler - Broken Bottles, Blackened Hearts
This song has the kind of understated, melancholy sound of much of Kepler's earlier material. I especially like how the song is built around a simple piano part backed by gently feeding-back guitars and the occasional cymbal crash. A lot of their new album, Attic Salt, is more pop oriented but, even as such, the songs still maintain the atmospheric quality that attracted me to the band in the first place. You can find some more Kepler MP3s from Attic Salt and earlier albums here.
[Buy Attic Salt from Troubleman Unlimited]