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1
Hats (1989)
Released
On “The Downtown Lights,” the synthesizers and steady drums make a big space for Paul Buchanan’s voice to cross. “From a Late Night Train” lets much more of that space stay empty. Listen to them on the same walk and notice how an avenue can feel full of possibility before it suddenly feels deserted.
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Nightclubbing (1981)
Released
The rhythm of “Walking in the Rain” is steady enough to slip into without making you hurry. On “I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango),” the accordion and measured vocal make the street feel stranger. It’s good for the stretch of a walk when people and doorways still seem to hold a few surprises.
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Rain Dogs (1985)
Released
“Singapore” starts with a clatter that makes you want to see who’s making all that noise. By “Downtown Train,” the guitar and voice give you a clearer route through the bustle. The shifts between rowdy and tender are what make this feel like a real stretch of streets, with a different kind of life at each stop.
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Liumin
Sounds gathered in Japan fed into this album. They’re hard to separate from the haze of “In Echospace,” where there’s no beat to tell you how fast you’re moving. The pulse on “Maglev” feels like finding a route through the same city after your ears have had time to get used to it.
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The Cold Vein (2001)
Released
The voices on “Iron Galaxy” come through a beat that sounds cold enough to make the city feel exposed. “Pigeon” leaves space for a closer look at who has to get by there. Choose it when you want the people in the city to have as much presence as the streets around them.
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Taxi Driver (Original Soundtrack Recording)
You can hear the saxophone pull one way and the darker orchestral sounds pull another. Compare “Theme From Taxi Driver” with “I Work the Whole City” on the original Arista album. Put it on when a passing view of the city can look inviting for a moment, and the next moment you want to keep moving.
More about Taxi Driver (Original Soundtrack Recording)7
Black Focus (2016)
Released
The open space in “Black Focus” invites you to slow down and notice how the band plays off one another. On “Strings of Light,” the drums find a quicker pace within the same kind of space. It can feel like passing a room that’s still playing music after most of its neighbors have shut for the night.
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Foley Room (2007)
Released
On “Kitchen Sink,” little rattles and scrapes keep trying to turn into a beat. “Bloodstone” gives those close-up textures a wider dramatic space. It’s a pick for the walk where a sound from an unseen doorway is more interesting than whatever you can see straight ahead.
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Memories of the Future
The Spaceape’s voice seems very near on “Sine,” while the low end draws your attention farther away. Try “9 Samurai” afterward to hear a firmer pulse move through the space. It works for a stretch of road where the only thing you can make out clearly is whatever’s closest to you.
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Lifestyles of the Laptop Café (2001)
Released
“Let Me Be Me” has a compact electro rhythm and a repeated voice that can start to feel like company. When the airier tones of “Sunrays” arrive, the pace eases considerably. Save this for one of the more sociable stretches of a solitary walk, when there are still lights on inside.
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Maxinquaye (1995)
Released
The close voices on “Overcome” make the music feel as if you’re hearing someone talk just to one side. The rough guitar and forward rush of “Black Steel” feel like a sudden move into a busier street. The record is useful when the night has both of those temperatures in it.
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Is This Desire? (1998)
Released
“A Perfect Day Elise” pushes forward on a tough beat. “The Wind” uses a lower, more secretive voice and makes you lean in closer. The album can put you in the mood to notice a street’s closed doors and lighted windows without needing to know what’s going on inside every one.
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Blade Runner (Original Score from the Motion Picture)
The synthesizer takes long, unhurried turns on “Blade Runner Blues.” The piano in “Memories of Green” sounds much closer, as though you’d left a large public space for a quiet room. You can take this record on a perfectly ordinary walk and find yourself hearing two scales of city at once.
More about Blade Runner (Original Score from the Motion Picture)14
Night Lights (1963)
Released
The piano of the original title track and the unusually easy pace of “Prelude in E Minor” suit the end of the walk. The players leave enough room for a note to fade into the background before the phrase moves on. It’s a good choice when most of the noise is behind you and no one is asking you to hurry.
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