new music note mainly for me

Quick note of music for the month: Edits (opinions) in grey. Schakal by Lacrimosa. Because it was on the start page. Lacrimosa is fairly typical German electro-goth, although they do draw from some classical sources. Empire & Love by The Imagined Village, simply because it's got a version of Space Girl on it, although it will be interesting to hear their versions of other classic British folk pieces. The Imagined Village is the brainchild of Simon from Afro Celt, and is a collection of classic British folk songs that have been updated (musically and sometimes lyrically - My Son John speaks of running from Taliban cannonballs rather than Napoleon's), and given a sharp modern edge by some pretty heavy musical talent. This and the other self-titled album are really really good. Epic Lifestyle by Andra Dare, because I quite like the song Lilith they used to close of the first season of Femme Fatales (not that I'd particularly recommend this series; The Hunger did it better), and the rest seem suitable in a breathy cabaret way. Darkwave techno with an adequate, but not exceptional, female vocalist. The bits where the darkwave techno don't compete with the singer are better than the parts where they seem to. Labyrinth by Juno Reactor because a musician I like (Alexandra) listened to it according to MySpace. This ability is marginally useful, although it's pot luck whether they are listening to it because they like it or because they are curious. Still, the new layout of MySpace makes it more difficult to try and mine connections between groups in order to discover new music as I used to. Hmmm. It seemed my sampling of their musical wares before purchase was the stuff I liked, in other words very orchestral techno-house. Those bits are still good, but sometimes the extended tribal beat sequences get a bit boring, but would probably be OK if you were out on the dance floor. Still some of the more orchestral pieces, such as Conquistador I have an interesting complexity to them. Masquerade by Caprice as I quite like this bunch of Russian classical musicians with Tolkeinesque leanings, although the recoding quality of one of their early albums really put me off (but at least I got a refund). It's still Elvish woodwind and string music as imagined by Russians, although far less Tolkeinesque than their dedicated Tolkein music. Some Lessons Learned by Kristin Chenoweth because it's Kristin.Oh well. It's country. I prefer her stage persona. At least it's not quite a case that playing it backwards means her husnband comes home. Clotho's Web Fist, Second & Third, and This World Goes Round and Round by Julie Felix. Old 60/70s folk singer whose albums I found at a church charity sale. Attracted by the name of the first album, but really liked Space girl. Oh and it looks like there might be an interesting steampunk collection coming out as the soundtrack for a book.