Post Rock Ambient Traveler.

On this week's edition of our weekly internet radio program, Six Degrees Traveler, we spin two hours of lovely tracks that all loosely fit into a "post rock", ambient mode. In case you're wondering, Wikipedia defines the term "post rock" as "a genre of alternative rock characterized by the use of musical instruments commonly associated with rock music, but using rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbre, and chord progressions that are not found in rock tradition. It is the use of 'rock instrumentation' for non-rock purposes. Practitioners of the genre's style typically produce instrumental music."

The show was inspired by a recent trip to a coffee shop located by my wife's work place, which always plays wonderful, eclectic music. A few weeks ago they were spinning a gorgeous piece that sounded like a cross between Popol Vuh and one of my all time faves, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. I love being blind sided by hearing great new music that I'm not familiar with- It's a phenomenon that I wish happened more often. The guy working the espresso machine was happy to clue me in and tell me that we were listening to K.C. Accidental, a mostly instrumental band that was a precursor to the more rock oriented, Broken Social Scene. I quickly gobbled up the duo's two great EPs and their haunting, elegiac music inspired me to piece together two hours of like minded sounds. I find that this is music that is unabashedly "pretty" without ever succumbing to the easy pitfalls of saccharine cheesiness. Hopefully you'll agree.

Check out the full playlist at http://sixdegreesrecords.com/radio/playlist.php?week=01_21_09

And here is the rest of it.