Beginning as an experimental acoustic jazz ensemble, the brainchild of saxophonist Jørgen Munkeby transformed to a progressive jazz-fusion outfit before the release of its 2005 album, In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster. The band followed in 2007 with what, under normal circumstances, would be considered a magnum opus: the epic, classically infused prog compositions of Grindstone.

Now, as a collaboration with Norwegian black-metallists Enslaved paved the way for another transformation, Shining pushes deeper into music’s dark recesses with Blackjazz, forging a progressive industrial sound for the young century.

Big, complex rock riffs, twisted through gnarly distortion, form the foundation of Blackjazz and support a mass of frantic, whirring synth lines and gut-wrenching black-metal screams. Crucially, Torstein Loftus’ drums are playing “all over, all the time” (in the words of Munkeby), inundating the material with impeccable fills and a gargantuan sound.

The classical interludes and scrupulous arrangements of Grindstone have given way to an unadulterated despondency, albeit one with brilliant technical overtones, and Blackjazz is a new epic — one of powerful grooves, sinister diminished keys, and hefty durations.

Shining: "Fisheye"
Shining: \"Fisheye\"

Daníel Bjarnason: Processions (Bedroom Community)

Debut works seldom deserve instant acclaim, but this full-length by Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason does just that.

Best known as a conductor and arranger for indie groups such as Sigur Rós, Bjarnason also holds a lofty classical résumé, one that boasts the London Sinfonietta and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Processions, his proper debut, is, at many points, a challenging classical work. But even listeners who don't gravitate toward classical may find themselves enraptured with the first movement of "Bow to String," the album's first piece.

In the first section, "Sorrow Conquers Happiness," powerful cellos scale and race with crackling percussions before settling into gently bowed and pizzicato string accompaniments; easily half a dozen strings battle for dominance in a sorrowful, harmonic piece that resonates long after hearing it.

The second movement is utterly somber, at times sounding like feedback, and the strings cause dissonance in a delicate fashion. The first movement of the title concerto, "Processions," presents a thunderous piano that trades leads with its orchestral brothers, dancing between irreverent beauty and sudden backlashes of force.

It's a daring and original work. Undoubtedly, Processions will make year-end lists in classical circles.

Daníel Bjarnason: "Bow to String I: Sorrow Conquers Happiness"
Daniel Bjarnason: \"Bow to String I: Sorrow Conquers Happiness\"

Økapi (& Aldo Kapi’s Orchestra): Love Him: Okapi Plays the Music of Aldo Kapi (1914-1952) (KML / Sonic Invaders)

Allegedly, Aldo Kapi was a Kyrgyz composer whose imperfections on piano led him to experiment and buck classical convention.

For as interesting as his story seems, however, it appears all too fake, particularly in this age of digital duplicity. Perhaps tellingly, the only information on Kapi comes from Økapi, an Italian cutup artist named Filippo Paolini, and the information on Kapi's Wikipedia entry is exactly the same. No other photos of Kapi can be found, nor can information on his supposedly famous parents.

Nevertheless, it doesn't particularly matter, and it wouldn't be the first time that an elaborate story was made to publicize an album. The bottom line is that the first of these two themed albums by Paolini is great.

A semi-IDM affair with glitch elements and chopped vocal cuts, Love Him is a cut-and-paste musician's dream, recalling artists such as End and Tipsy. Samples of soothing, sweeping strings and woodwinds paint a pretty backdrop that wavers between classical and lounge, before cutting into short upbeat bursts, frequently calling upon snare rolls and clattering bits.

Økapi: "Love-him"
Okapi: \"Love-him\"

Tipsy: www.tipsy.org
Ipecac: www.ipecac.com

Tipsy: Buzzz (Ipecac)

Built around the lounge-heavy mixture of cut-and-paste artist Dave Gardner, Tipsy has a new live lineup that recreates the quirky film noir / spy thriller / Hawaiian electronica of its albums.  The group's new album, Buzzz, is another engaging stylistic union that doubles as perfect background music.

Tipsy: "Reverse Cowgirl" (sample)
Tipsy: \"Reverse Cowgirl\" (sample)

Zak Riles: s/t (Important)

As a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter in Grails, Zak Riles is responsible for much of the band's worldly acoustic sound.  With his self-titled solo album, Riles releases similar acoustic instrumentals of beauty and melancholy – some of which were worked into Grails songs — but without the group's heavy psychedelic bent.  Riles' album also includes pretty numbers that might not fit into Grails' repertoire.

Zak Riles: "Sand/Silk Road Origin"

Black Moth Super Rainbow: Drippers EP (Graveface)

In what is likely its last release for a while, Black Moth Super Rainbow presents the Drippers EP before taking an indefinite hiatus.  The group's synth-heavy, effect-laden psych hop is detailed here with a few new tracks, rarities, and a remix.

Black Moth Super Rainbow: "Happy Melted City"
Black Moth Super Rainbow: \"Happy Melted City\"

Peter Brötzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm: The Brain of the Dog in Section (Atavistic)

German free-jazz reed player Peter Brötzmann has a tight relationship with Chicago's experimental scene — so much that he leads a group aptly named the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet.  On The Brain of the Dog in Section, Brötzmann makes squealing, noisy improvisation with Windy City cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm of the Vandermark 5.

Past Lives: Strange Symmetry EP (Suicide Squeeze)

When the Blood Brothers ended its ten-year reign of mathy post-hardcore, high-pitched vocalist/keyboardist Johnny Whitney and frenetic guitarist Cody Votolato joined with Jay Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves to form Jaguar Love.

Past Lives is the other prominent Brothers — vocalist Jordan Blilie, drummer Mark Gajadhar, bassist Morgan Henderson, and former guitarist Devin Welch.  This debut EP is more focused on indie rock and dance beats than the Blood Brothers' catalog, but it shows promise for the group's future as it gains cohesiveness.

- Unpredictable super-group Fantômas will perform on New Year's Eve at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, where Mike Patton, Buzz Osborne, Trevor Dunn, and Dave Lombardo will have their only US performance of The Director's Cut. Ipecac label mates Tipsy and Zach Hill perform as well.

- Exceptional Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel takes his Orange Tulip Conspiracy on a short West Coast tour in November.

- On his MySpace page, producer extraordinaire Jon Brion released "Croatia," a streaming standalone tune that carries a bit of Balkan flavor.

- For the second straight year, charming oddball folk rapper Tim Fite will release a free EP, this one called Ding Dong Ditch, available for one day only on Halloween. The Halloween-themed effort will be available through www.timfite.com.

- Starting today, a Doomriders / Disfear split 7" is available to pre-order from Deathwish Inc. The heavier-than-thou groups will play two weeks of European shows together in November.

- MySpace has posted a full streaming video of Ben Folds Five's recent one-off reunion performance of The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner for its Front to Back series.

- On Monday, enigmatic Icelandic songstress Björk released "Nattura," a single available through One Little Indian. The song encourages support for the Nattura campaign, which seeks to provide eco-friendly options to Iceland.

- London's freak disco/metal collective Chrome Hoof has set a pair of rare performances in France for Halloween and November 1.

- February 17, 2009 marks the release of Animals in the Dark, the ANTI- debut by raspy folk singer William Elliott Whitmore. As of Thursday, Whitmore joined Murder by Death for a month-long US tour.

- Wired has dug into the world of internet radio alarm clocks, devices that can wake you up using a directory of more than 11,000 worldwide internet radio stations. They can also use your flash / external hard drive to play your choice of tunes.