Bandcamp Friday Shopping List : Brain Soothers Edition
I don’t know about you but this has been a hell of a week, my every muscle is so tense you could poke me and I’d snap in two. I’ve really needed some quieter, mellow sounds of beauty to put on to quiet my racing thoughts and I’m sure you do too. Here’s what’s been helping.
The Howard Hughes Suite – Stereochrome
The elusive lonesome folk known as tHHs is one of my favorite ambient pedal steel players. This album is less Hearts of and more Space, layering atmosphere with psychedelia and showcasing the mysterious, shadowy cowboy’s intricate skill.
Jeffrey Silverstein – You Become the Mountain
We met Jeffrey when he made us an amazing mix of pedal steel with a clever name. Close your eyes and listen to his reassuring voice guide you in transfiguration. A little forced meditation for those of us who think it might be impossible. Jeffrey’s music makes you breathe.
Turn On the Sunlight – Warm Waves
This California collective’s creation is the exact sound of flowers blooming, sun beaming, leaves unfurling, stretching and growing. It’s a great soundtrack for a climate of change.
Josh Kimbrough – Slither, Soar, Disappear
You know I love finger style guitar more than almost anything. Josh’s debut on Tompkins Square feels cozy and familiar, an immersive, warm curative for all ailments with resonant, soul-stirring depth and texture.
Golden Brown – Flora and Fauna of the Uncanny Valley
The gossamer sounds of Golden Brown are so pacific, intricate and involved, it’s surprising that they’re made by just two people maximum – or really, any humans at all. If you can’t stretch out and close your eyes in a forest, this is the next best thing.
Starbirthed – Verdant Pastures
If I close my eyes, I’ll be transported back to the salt cave I first heard Starbirthed play in, surrounded by twinkling pink crystals, listening to Ash Brooks whisper about moon phases. A visit to Flower Room Records’s Bandcamp page is a guaranteed cure-all.
Evidence of Yesterday – Stay Away From The Unoriginal Cloned Minds
Sometimes ambient doesn’t mean quiet and melodic, it means a lush, fuzzy, noisescape that reaches just the right frequency to deliver a tingling ear massage. This collection of “sonic explorations of social distancing” from a DC-based studio and label hits just the right spot.
Barry Walker Jr – Shoulda Zenith
More pedal steel? Yes please. Barry’s album, out next week on Holy Mountain, shows us a funkier, freer side of the instrument we so strongly associate with country music and ambient experimental. It’s certainly inspired by that in many ways, but carves out its own niche, paving a path for unlimiting our imaginations when it comes to the beloved, versatile instrument.
