rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Timberline might make music that is essentially a voice and a guitar, but it is what he (they?) does (do?) within that framework that makes Florescence stand out from the usual gap-year troubadours with their wide-brimmed hats, black stretch jeans and working knowledge of A minor. There is something in the delivery and production of... Continue Reading →
I spend a lot of my time writing about music in a very specific way. A band or artist releases a record, pushing a certain, established signature sound, it is part of a linear musical canon, generally speaking, and the music is backed up by supporting videos to help underline the message. With collectives, for... Continue Reading →
If you decided to boil hip-hop down to its basic essence, just its vibe, and underlying groove, you would eventually end up with something so understated and refined that it would probably be better labeled ambient soul. Just before you get to the point, you will pass through a sound that is typified by It's... Continue Reading →
Whilst this debut album from YYY might be genre-hopping, musical gene-splicing, sonic scatter gun of sounds and ideas, the more you play it the more you are drawn not so much to the obvious and slightly mad eclecticism and increasingly to its more subtle and supple elements. Less to the building blocks and more to... Continue Reading →
A moody mix of orchestral compositions and contrasting man made and found sounds. TV and film soundtracks are hinted at throughout. You can make up your own plots, visualise your own cinematography and write your own scripts but all of your stories will be heavily laden with an over-arching darkness. The recording is clearly a... Continue Reading →
Books and covers eh? Maybe it is just me but the name Kid Kin conjures images of down-with-the-kids, rappy, cooler than thou, music, a fad which blew in on this week's zeitgeist shortly to be replaced as another fashion is ushered in. But that's the problem with pre-conceptions and jumping to conclusions. We all do... Continue Reading →
Just reading the titles of the tracks found on this gorgeous e.p. suggests that you are about to experience something a bit out of the ordinary, being that they all seem to be themed around ancient Egypt. But as the first song, Nile, opens up, its full understated majesty…if such a thing is possible…is revealed.... Continue Reading →
I've never really known where the sonic demarcations in dance music lie, where Downtempo merges into Ambient, where Deep House gets so blissed out it becomes Chill-wave, but then, I suspect not many people have, certainly not those who make the music. To such creatives, it is just music, and the sounds, styles and samples... Continue Reading →
The quirky and cooly odd (or perhaps oddly cool) cover might hint at some sort of alt-pop explosion or indie-infused anthemics treating your ears but what lies within is something altogether more original and satisfying. Ambient, filmic, cinematic, experimental, understated and deft are all words that sum up what is happening here but even those... Continue Reading →
It's fairly easy to write a song that has a lot going on. Pop and rock music is littered with over-egged, more is more slices of it. Writing a song that is built out of the bare minimum, out of only what really matters, however, is a different art altogether. Those who are successful at... Continue Reading →
After charming us for just over a minute with a delicate wash of shimmering, ambient indie vibes, Neon then pulls the rug away from the listener's expectations and turns into an upbeat and texturally rich, pop song. And no matter at which end of the song's sonic journey you find yourself, you are cocooned in... Continue Reading →
Having waxed lyrical about Ruth Blake's tasteful and gorgeous Brave Ships not so long ago, it is great to see her as part of this latest single from Damien Mahoney's musical collaboration Caulbearers. Like Blake herself, Caulbearers make ultra-modern folk music, music which takes perhaps only the vital essence of the folk spirit and etches... Continue Reading →
Ahead of a new album planned for later in the year, Nick Nicely presents us with a lovely single to act as a sonic scouting party. But like all great art, On The Beach is a double-edged sword, a wonderful contradiction and although it outwardly shimmers with gorgeous fragility and paints some deft and delicate... Continue Reading →
Not every band seems to come with full working knowledge of musical dynamics. Many are just happy to throw all their ideas, sonic kitchen sink and all, at the listener and hope that style rather than substance wins the day. Of course, sometimes it works but usually only temporarily before the next fashion or fad... Continue Reading →
Music is a broad church. It takes as many forms as there are artists making it, and it serves as many purposes as there are those consuming it. It can be big and bombastic, still and delicate. It can carry global messages as easily as it can intimate conversations. It can be poignant and powerful,... Continue Reading →
When I saw the title, State Line, I was expecting to be met by some sort of hootin' and a-hollerin' road warrior, cowboy country music. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'd be wearing my Joe Ely t-shirt with pride if I could still fit into it. But no, what greets you here... Continue Reading →
This is the second time that Mark Z. Danielewski's much talked about novel, House of Leaves has cropped up in conversation in as many weeks, Firstly, via a trusted literary friend waxing lyrical about it and now as the partial inspiration for this wonderful, musical side project. this is not for you is the debut solo album... Continue Reading →
Ask me to name the things that I love about Forest Robots and it is difficult to know where to start. Perhaps start with the names of the tracks. Take, In The Climb, Not The Summit, Lies The Most Wisdom, for instance, it sounds like a piece of ancient teching rather than a song title... Continue Reading →
Never rely on genres. They always let you down. I should imagine that ten different journalists writing about Arhkota's strange and beguiling new single would label it with ten completely different generic soundbites. And even then, none of those would accurately capture the broken, classical grace, the oriental vibe, the blending of ambience with abrasion,... Continue Reading →
Having woven his way through some very innovative and interesting musical landscapes over the years, on stage, in the studio and behind the scenes, any new music from Sebastian Reynolds makes a loud ping on the radar of any interested in experimental, forward-thinking music. Nihilism Is Pointless, following very quickly (certainly by modern standards) on... Continue Reading →
So many people listen to music quite wrongly. That might sound like a bit of an elitist thing to say but we seem to have become so invested in the throwaway, six-word, repetitive pop chorus that we miss the deftness and smarts of the music which it uses as a musical vehicle. It's why I... Continue Reading →
I’m not saying that he makes a conscious effort to do so but Simon McCorry’s music does raise the question of where the border lies between music and what lies beyond. Of course, there is no real answer to that and Nature in Nature is as musical and relevant…perhaps even more so, than the pop... Continue Reading →
There has been an undoubted rise in people's consumption of ambient and understated music in the last year or so. Lockdown has meant that rather than getting their musical kicks from more energetic forms, played live before your very eyes and ears, people have been more inclined to consume deft and delicate music in the... Continue Reading →
Right from the start, there is a wonderful longing to be heard in the music that Myles Cochran makes. You hear a nostalgic yearning for the big skies of American, the place he first called home, but also for the more intimate landscapes of his adopted UK place of residence. But the traditional sounds of... Continue Reading →
As part two of the Monomyyth Trilogy, which began with the breathtaking beauty of Astronomica, you would expect there to be some similarities between the two albums. And indeed there are. But there is also plenty which makes this album able to stand alone from its predecessor. As the opening track, Kabuki of the Starred... Continue Reading →
Ambient music has probably been the saviour of the soul over the last, terrible, year. Many people, unable to go to live shows or hang around in the usual hustle and bustle of a lively social scene, have been turned to ambient music to add some colour and company to their isolated existences. The art... Continue Reading →
It’s been a tough year. There is no denying that. Add all the usual concerns of Christmas with the stresses and strains of this year's political machinations and pandemic related isolation worries and it has unquestionably been a taxing time all round. What you need is some soothing music. Something that you can lose yourself... Continue Reading →
Words paint pictures. You hear words like Dance or terms such as EDM and your mind conjures images of packed clubland dance floors moving to euphoric and bombastic electronica. Hear the word ambient and you think of drifting minimalism and gossamer light sonic threads. Yet Present Paradox manages to blend both of these mutually exclusive... Continue Reading →
It’s a strange job being a music writer. One moment you are trying to capture the energy and euphoria of a high-octane, throw-away techno tune, the next you are putting pen to paper on behalf of classical delicacy and understated piano lines. It shows the eclecticism of my day, but more importantly it shows just... Continue Reading →
There’s a point where the likes of rap and hip-hop sounds tip over a creative cliff and land in a place which has more to do with conceptual art than anything as conformist as mere song. Distorted Reality is a great example of that idea. Although it retains some of the beats and lyrical style,... Continue Reading →
