I need some good "chillin" music! (1 Viewer)

[Kevin M]

Andreas Vollenweider's Behind the Garden's - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree & White Winds are favorites of mine, although many label it as elevator Muzak. :rolleyes

 

[Greg_Y]

Thievery Corporation.

Thanks for this recommendation, Larry. I picked up The Mirror Conspiracy today and it's really great. I know I've heard track 4, Lebanese Blonde, somewhere before but I can't seem to place it.

 

[Jan H]

I second Sigur Ros and David Gray's "White Ladder." For pop, try Jack Johnson's Brushfire Fairytales and for jazz, Ralph Towner's brilliant "Anthem."

 

[KyleK]

Moby
The Alan Parsons Project
Supertramp (Man, those guys really hate school:rolleyes.)

 

[andrew markworthy]

A slightly bizarre one - Queen's 'Made in Heaven'. On the UK issue at least, after the last official track is a long hidden bonus track which is very ambient indeed.

Two more:

Steve Hillage - Rainbow Dome Musik (the original vinyl issue came in clear vinyl, but I believe it's available in conventional CD form). It's some ambient music composed for an exhibition. If you like Brian Eno's stuff, you will probably like this.

Walter (whoops, I mean Wendy) Carlos - Sonic Seasonings. This is arguably the original chill-out album. Recorded in the early 70s (after Carlos's success with 'Switched on Bach') it combines natural sounds with ambient synthesiser sounds. Be warned that it's a piece that you either love or hate - I've never known anyone adopt a middle ground over this one.

 

[Paul_D]

Kinobe - Soundphiles. While its a great chillout album in its own right, it contains what is IMO the best chill out track ever produced: the instrumental version of Slip into something more comfortable. It's probably the most chilled out listening experience of your life. It'll literally lull you to sleep. Check it out now. Also tyr,
anything by David Holmes, particularly Out of Sight soundtrack, and Let's Get Killed.
Generalisation by Midfield General is great for "chillin".
Car Boot Soul by Nightmares on Wax is an absolutely superb album. Definitely check that one out.
Anything Lisa Gerrard has done is good for "chilin".
The Handsome Boy Modelling School get a great big recommendation from me. Tracks like Sunshine can really help wile away a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Also, I'm gonna second Massive Attack (everything they've done) and Morcheeba (first two albums more than the 3rd)

 

[John Berggren]

The ambient track on Made In Heaven is indeed on the US pressing. I ignored it when it first came out, but was happily surprised by it after I grew to enjoy ambient music. It's a great ambient track made all the better with it's references to Queen music.

 

[Dean DeMass]

Also got to add the Grateful Dead to the list. The live stuff is way better than the studio stuff. You can't go wrong with any of the Dick's Picks. I am recently hooked on #17 and #18.

-Dean-

 

[William G. Lipe]

I don't think any of these have been mentioned yet.
Zero 7 - Simple Things
Coldplay - Parachutes
Anything by Bjork
Al Di Meola - The Infinite Desire
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Angie Stone - Mahogany Soul
These are just a few artists I like to "Chill" to.
WiGgLe

 

[Dave Isham]

I second Boris M's nomination for Morcheeba's Big Calm and Mr. Lipe's Zero 7 recommendation.

Also try:
Mono - Formica Blues
Arto Lindsay - Noon Chill Brazilian infl. trip hop
Ani Difranco Revelling/ Reckoning
Bill Frisell/ Fred Hersch - Songs We Know, guitar/piano jazz standards from a very non standard duo.
Eric Bibb - Good Stuff, folk blues

 

[JasonK]

I'll 2nd the Handsome Boy Modeling School recommendation. Great disc.

Here's some of the stuff I 'chill' to:

Kruder and Dorfmeister: K+D Sessions

Medeski Martin and Wood: Combustication

DJ Shadow: Endtroducing

Flanger: Templates

Cinematic Orchestra: Motion


I'l have to check out Thievery Corporation, as I've heard nothing but good things about them.

 

[Marshall Alsup]

Dark Side of the Moon

Thats all you need man

 

[Stephanie T.]

Another vote here for the previous mentions of Morcheeba, Massive Attack, Spacemen 3 & spinoffs, Mazzy Star, and Brian Eno. Given your prior interest in electronic/techno, you might also like Mu-zik and 808 State. And I can't believe no one's mentioned it, but Portishead's Dummy is a must-have for your low-pulse moods!
For stuff in a more pop/rock vein, there's always Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry's solo LP's (of the latter, I recommend Bete Noire or Mamouna. A tradition of cool, understated, no-sweat pop going back 30 years. Pick up a greatest hits package, Avalon, or any LP at random; you can't miss.
Also going back in time: Cocteau Twins's Blue Bell Knoll was the Dummy of the '80's. The The's Soul Mining or the newly-issued digital remixes of his hits & singles 45 R.P.M. might also work.
A sure can't-miss pick: any of Arto Lindsay's solo albums of bossa-nova-inflected arty ambient pop (Mundo Civilizado, for one). Can't-miss, that is, unless that sort of music makes you break out in hives...
Other artists/albums that come to mind: Madder Rose's Tragic Magic(seductively beautiful, no-stress trip-hop-inflected pop), Belle & Sebastian, Galaxie 500 (and spinoffs Damon & Naomi and Luna; I actually think Luna's latest LP is their best), some of Robert Fripp's stuff (esp. solo LPs and League of Gentlemen material), Drugstore (esp. their eponymous LP), Gay Dad's eponymous debut (smooth, electronica-tinged pop), White Town (the Women in Techology LP is pretty good and has "Your Woman" on it), the "Trainspotting" sndtrk., Morphine (sax instead of gtr. jazz-pop), The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin, Mercury Rev's All is Dream, some Bjork (Homogenic, perhaps).
That's all stereotypically "chillin'," though -- smooth, electronica-tinged, trip-hoppy, etc. Personally, I find Louis Armstrong to be extremely soothing and de-stressing, as well as 20's "hot jazz" bands, The Squirrel Nut Zippers, Sam & Dave, James Bond soundtracks, and certain punk and post-punk bands. That's the maddeningly subjective aspect of this.

 

[Rob M]

And I totally disagree with the previous posters who think 311's best album is Transistor. My opinion is that it is, by far, their worst. 311 is best when putting out their rock/rap/reggae/etc stuff (Music, Grassroots), not hippie/stoner/trippy music to smoke to.

Fair enough, but I find all of that rap/rock/reggae in Transistor albeit, in a much darker tone. I absolutely love all their albums, but something about that album just overwhelms me (21 tracks).
As for the hippie/stoner/trippy music to smoke to, most 311 is like that, new and old....IMHO.
Transistor just happened to take it, maybe a little too far. I think it was a very experimental album, possibly due to the success of the Blue album before it.
I think every one of their albums has that 311 feel to it, but all of them are always very different.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Aaargh! How in all of this could I have forgotten the Durutti Column? This is basically the front for a guy called Vinni Reilly, who writes some of the most woefully under-rated but completely relaxing music ever.
Try the following site which has some free (and to the best of my knowledge legitimate) downloads of his music (complete tracks). I promise you that what you hear on these tracks is his average product. On his really good albums, he is sublime:
http://www.ultranet.com/~rps/durutti-column/audio.html

 

[Jon_Are]

When I saw the heading, one and only one cd came to mind:

The Trinity Sessions, by Cowboy Junkies.

Chill!

Jon

 

[John Berggren]

The Trinity Sessions, by Cowboy Junkies.

You know for years I've loved the song "This Street, That Man, This Life" which I had on a compilation CD. But the CD I managed to get first (as a gift from their label) was a random double-disc album which I can't find on UBL anymore. I could never get into it and never tried another.

I'll have to give Trinity Sessions a try.

 

[John Berggren]

I found it, it's 200 More Miles, Live Performances 1985-1994

 

[Kolya]

Mark Farina - Mushroom Jazz

 

[Paul_Medenwaldt]

How about:
Norman Brown's "Just Chillin"
I have not heard this album, but I thought it fit the topic!
Paul