Mark Chu-Carroll (aka MarkCC) is a PhD Computer Scientist, who works for Google as a Software Engineer. My professional interests center on programming languages and tools, and how to improve the languages and tools that are used for building complex software systems.
Porcupine Tree, "Kneel and Disconnect": New Porcupine Tree! It's always great to get new stuff from these guys. It's good, but it's not up to the quality of their last two albums. (But given that their last two were...
Peter Hamill, "The Unconscious Life": A track from an amazing live performance. In general, I'm not a big fan of live recordings - you really need to be there for a live performance. There's a dynamic between the performer...
As long-time readers know, I'm an amateur musician, from a very musical family. My sister is a music teacher, and my brother used to be a professional french horn player and composer. I personally play classical clarinet, a very...
Russian Circles, "Youngblood": post rock, in the Mogwai style. Very nice stuff. Not the most exciting PR band around, but good. The Flower Kings, "World Without a Heart": typical FK. Since I pretty much worship the ground that Roine...
John Corigliano, "Fantasia on an Ostinato": Corigliano is absolutely my favorite modern composer. He writes stunningly beautiful music. This is a wonderfully subtle piece: unaccompanied solo piano. Just incredible. Isis, "Not in Rivers, But in Drops": The transition between...
The Flower Kings, "The Truth Will Set you Free": One of the superlong Flower Kings opuses - in fact, the first thing by the Flower Kings that I ever heard. Solas, "Pastures of Plenty": a stunning version of the...
Gordian Knot, "Singing Deep Mountain": As frequent readers of my FRTs may have figured out, I'm not typically a big fan of instrumental progrock. Most of the time, I find it to be cold, sterile stuff - technically impressive,...
Explosions in the Sky, "Yasmin the Light": beautiful post-rock. Kansas, "Miracles Out of Nowhere": Old Kansas - great stuff. The Flower Kings, "Starlight Man": People who've read my FRTs know that I pretty much worship the ground Roine Stolte...
The Flower Kings, "Retropolis By Night": Not one of the best things ever by the Flower Kings, but Roine Stolt's mediocre is other peoples' brilliant. Porcupine Tree, "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here": very typical longish PT. Very good. Moxy...
Valley of the Giants, "Back to God's Country": I mentioned Valley of the Giants a few weeks ago, as one of my favorite post-rock bands. A few weeks of listening to them incessantly hasn't changed that. They're absolutely brilliant....