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Aspirational Arias : Experimental & Ambient Music to Breathe To
There was a recent article slamming many ambient albums I love and it seems so strange because that’s the beauty of the genre- it’s abstract, thwarts tradition, and what’s incredibly boring to one person could be extremely soothing to another, and vice versa. It’s like, criticizing dreams?? Weird. I already know I’m going to get some backlash for this article so prefacing now with a disclaimer that I am not any sort of scholar of ambient music and as someone who just barely started listening to it, I understand that there is depth and nuances I cannot yet grasp. I…
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Nashville Ambient Ensemble – Conversion : Listen
This is not your mama’s Nashville sound. The elements are there – unmistakably hypnotic vocals, haunting pedal steel, and the spirit of collaboration and community. But this talented collective has arranged the parts in an experimental, genre-defying manner, and the results are glorious. Cerulean by Nashville Ambient Ensemble Organized and led by electronic composer Michael Hix who plays synth, the group also includes Luke Schneider on pedal steel guitar, Kim Rueger (Belly Full of Stars) on piano, Jack Silverman on baritone electric guitar, Deli Paloma-Sisk (Diatom Deli) on voice, Cynthia Cárdenas on guitar synth, and Timon Kaple on electric guitar.…
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Sounds from the Bardo, Volume II : Experience!
Psychedelic Sangha, the NYC-based collective of ‘misfit seekers,’ is back with their second immersive, packable psychedelic experience. This time, Scott Metzger, Jeff Hill, and Tony Leone provide aural accompaniment to Jessica Angima’s guided meditation and Bubba Ayoub’s visuals. “We approached the music knowing that people would be meditating, so we wanted the music to be conducive to that,” Leone says. “We also hoped to lead the meditators on a sonic journey. The same way a dance band inspires its listener to dance, we wanted to invite our meditators to a “mind dance.” The three musicians’ goal was:• Keep the music…
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Sounds from the Bardo Vol. I : Experience!
This is not a song – this is a psychedelic experience. Last time we talked to Prana Crafter, he was writing his PhD dissertation on psychic communication in music. Makes perfect sense that he’d partner with the “misfit seekers” that make up Psychedelic Sangha, an NYC-based collective that offers peer-supported psychedelic experimentation, and hosts soundbaths, guided meditation, and spiritual arts programming. “Sounds from the Bardo” is a new album-based series of immersive journeys produced by Psychedelic Sangha. Each ‘transmission’ is a unique sensory adventure featuring ~ 1 hour of guided meditation, exclusive music and accompanying video light show. Prana Crafter…
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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. Stereochrome.…
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John Jeffrey – Passage
Each of John Jefrey’s “anti-compositions” are like pieces of stained glass. The multi-instrumentalist spent breaks between tours as drummer for Moon Duo working on his solo record, inspired by the serene natural landscape of his home of Vancouver and propelled by the idea of nature’s sentience; as well as Alice Coltrane and Canadian painter Takao Tanab. This music is a living, breathing thing – pastoral, intricate, multi-faceted. Though instrumental, it’s not a passive voyage. Each track is a journey unto itself, weaving an illuminated, brightly colored experience, listening not to pass the time but to reshape it. “Lonely Years” kicks…
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Gunn-Truscinski Duo – Soundkeeper : Review
Soundkeeper is a 72-minute suite of swirling guitar, gentle and decided drums, a cascading sound odyssey. It’s instrumental, but far from ambient- engaging, pulsating, building tension that culminates in staggering climaxes, crashing and oscillating, waves of sound. One song flows seamlessly into the next, only the sounds of cheers from the audience in the midst of “Pyramid Merchandise” rouses you from deep hypnosis to remind you that the sound is manufactured by humans, not elemental (only “Merchandise” and “Soundkeeper” are live – recorded at Union Pool). “Valley Spiral” is a synesthete’s dream, throbbing, blooming. “Northwest” incorporates bottleneck guitar to tip…
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Gunn-Truscinski Duo – For Eddie Hazel : Listen
Long time collaborators Steve Gunn and John Truscinski are releasing their glorious sonic masterpiece, Soundkeeper, on Friday, October 9th. Following the first single, “Valley Spiral,” here’s a taste of what’s to come. On this single, Gunn says: For the Duo, our collaboration over the years has been inspired by extensive discussion of albums and musicians we love and admire. The tone and feel of Eddie Hazel’s guitar playing has always been a particular talking point, especially Hazel’s open playing and inventive use of the echoplex on the album ‘Maggot Brain’. Because we’ve listened and talked about him so much, we…
