Hammock - Chasing After Shadows... Living with the Ghosts (Hammock Music)

I know that an album is timeless, when after many years I return to it, and it still sounds fresh. Not only does the sound not age, but I feel like I should tell everyone about it all over again! And the music... it slowly hovers over the roofs of the sleepy houses, swirling down the chimneys into my cold morning room, and slips into my mouth with the steam of the freshly brewed coffee... This soaring quality is the staple sound of Hammock. I first became aware of the band with their 2006 release, Raising Your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo. There is a special quality to that album. Like an old friend, it can bring back the eternally haunting feelings of belonging with a simple gentle hug. The fourth LP by Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson, Chasing After Shadows... Living with the Ghosts, is a follow-up to the duo's Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow (Hammock Music, 2008). Hammock returns with the multi-layered, reverb-heavy, sonic drifts, blending organic ambient with shoegaze and skydrift. The guitars again play as the foundation of every composition, complimented with the resonant voices of strings and subdued percussion, ready to lift you above the trees and let you fall with leaves and the warm summer breeze. Washing away the edgy remainders of last night's bad dreams, Hammock paints a soundscape of pillow-soft meadows, deep ocean breathing, and boundless time. These ethereal lullabies are perfectly accented with track titles like "In The Nothing Of A Night", "The World We Knew As Children", and "Something Other Than Remaining". In addition to the six-panel digipack, the album is released as a limited edition book collaboration with photographer Thomas Petillo. This hardback volume, North West East South, includes a four-track ambient EP. Make sure to also pick up Hammock's prior releases, The Sleep-Over Series (Volume 1), and Kenotic (Hammock Music, 2005). Chasing... is quickly rising to the top of my favorite albums of the year so far... Highly recommended for the followers of Lights Out Asia, Port-Royal, July Skies, Stars of the Lid, and The American Dollar. This is music for driving with the top down in the back country. This is music for meditating on a cliff above the ocean. This is music for chasing after shadows... and for everyone one of us, living with the ghosts.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Hammock

myspace.com/hammockmusic | hammockmusic.com

Loscil - Endless Falls (Kranky)

It begins and ends with rain. But when the waterfalls subside, a picturesque landscape reveals itself through haze and fog. Vast fields of textural sound unfold beneath the soaring heights, with a slight pulse of bass vibrations, originating from the unexplored depths, and an echoing muffled synth line, dying in the cavernous emptiness of this landscape. With a microscopic nod to dub, Loscil weaves sonic parachutes that lift up beyond the clouds and slowly coast down to earth, only to have it curve beneath them, in an endless fall. Endless Falls is Scott Morgan's fifth full length album on Chicago's Kranky, not counting the digital freebie, Stases, released out by a net-label, One. Endless Falls also comes on the heels of Strathcona Variations digital EP, released by Ghostly International in October 2009. I was sure that the follow-up full length was going to be put out by Ghostly as well. But, alas, Morgan returns to Kranky, which has been the home for his last four albums, Triple Point (2001), Submers (2002), First Narrows (2004) and Plume (2006). Since Plume, Morgan has been busy developing his ambient soundscapes, complimenting looped drones with subliminal melodies and modulated bass. The intricately designed dense textures wrap one's unoccupied consciousness in melancholy, sadness and reflection. The mood fluctuates the listener from wakefulness to hypnotic dream states, crackling and clicking with stripped down rhythms and wet minor pads. On the last nine minute piece, "The Making Of Grief Point", Morgan features a long spoken word piece by Daniel Bejar (member of indie band, Destroyer, for which Morgan plays the drums and saxophone), delivered softly and deliberately, over a pulsing tone and walking synth notes through an unresolved chord. This is the first time Loscil brings vocals of any kind into his work. About this choice, Scott Morgan states: "The collaboration with Dan made us both incredibly nervous. Dan felt out of his element doing 'spoken word' but rose to the challenge. I felt self-conscious about changing the listening perspective from abstract, ambient music into foreground, conscious listening. The first time I heard Dan's voice recording I was terrified and was tempted to call the whole thing off. I listened to it a few more times and it completely grew on me. Now I can't imagine that piece without his performance. I love Dan's use of words, his vocal rhythms and the intimate intensity of his voice." Additional collaborators on the album include the return of Jason Zumpano on piano, Kim Koch on strings and Robert Sparks on bass recorder. Scott's four year old daughter, Sadie, is responsible for providing the cover art for the album, taken from the backseat of the family car. Check out an interview with the photographer on Loscil's Blog. Endless Falls is incredibly gorgeous, sublime and subtle yet precise. Recommended for fans of Pole and Gas, as well as Stars of the Lid, Christopher Bissonnette and Tim Hecker. "The answer to the making of grief point is picnic baskets filled with blood."

See also Two and a Half Questions with Loscil

myspace.com/loscil | loscil.ca
myspace.com/krankyltd | kranky.net

Sam Amidon - I See The Sign (Bedroom Community)

In 2007, I had the luxury of traveling to Cuba for a vacation. I arrived with no real plan other than to try and fit in as much as possible and in order to do that I needed a car. Fully expecting to ride the 1950s Chevy that is synonymous with Cuba, I of course ended up with a brand new, bright red, 2007 model Volkswagen. Now, what on earth has this to do with the excellent new record from Sam Amidon, I hear you cry? Well, whenever I reminisce over those journeys through broken roads and dense vegetation I’m always reminded of the track “Head Over Heels” which Sam so beautifully covered on his LP, But this Chicken Proved Falsehearted (Birdwar, 2007), which had been released at the time and was on repeat in the car stereo. It also seems appropriate to mention this brief insight into my Cuban adventure as, reflecting on this now, the image of a shiny new motorcar juxtaposed with the crumbling backdrop of Cuban villages does to some degree allude to the sound Sam has mastered so perfectly. His ability to mesh the old with new, to breathe freshness into trusted and forgotten folk tales is taken to new heights on this latest record, I See The Sign. Staying true to the formula found in Sam’s aforementioned 2007 LP and also in 2008’s All Is Well (Bedroom Comunity), this new record largely comprises of old-time melodies and lyrics, with children’s singing games common throughout. Where “All Is Well” built upon his sound, adding horns and string arrangements to bring a greater sense of depth to the instrumental constructions of his work, “I See The Sign” evolves this sound significantly. Calling on a host of collaborators including multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, the prolific composer Nico Muhly, and the charming support vocals of Beth Orton, on “I See The Sign”, Sam groups this talent together and outputs a collection of songs bound together by a passion for musicianship. Whether it be the joyous harmonies between Sam and Beth, the spine tingling string, brass and woodwind arrangements that Nico lends to the tracks or Shahzads’s expansive contributions there is a sense of total unison here between all contributors including of course producer Valgeir Sigurðsson. In fact, never has the name of a record label been so apt at summarizing the sense of togetherness that this album provides for it is a real feel of community that one experiences when listening to this Bedroom Community release! So what of the songs themselves? I was initially taken back by “Way Go Lily” when I first heard it performed live in January. To hear it again in fully produced form is fantastic. This is one of the examples of the children’s singing songs originally popularized by Georgia Sea Islands songstress Bessie Jones. For Sam’s reimagining his delicate guitar strumming is supported some truly remarkable work by Nico Muhly on strings and horns, while Beth Orton’s echoed harmonies are just delightful. Similarly on “Johanna The Row-di” Beth lends continued support to the vocals, with contributions here also from Shahzad Ismaily. It is worth mentioning that amongst all these joyful songs, there are still a host of melancholy numbers that lend themselves so well to the Sam Amidon sound. Songs like “Kedron” and “Rain and Snow” are poignant reminders that indeed not all is well. However the stand out track for me has to be “Relief.” Covering a song by R. Kelly is risky not just in transferring it to a completely different genre, but there is also a danger of it appearing as a gimmick. Fortunately Sam and his pool of talented contributors successfully recreate this number so much so that one would have no idea of its source. In summary it really is hard to fully convey the success of this album. Over the brief time I’ve had with it, I’ve wanted to grab the person nearest me and give them a massive hug. It’s not only uplifting, but the songs here are ones that feel like they need to be shared. We live in an age where the retro craze seems to be an ongoing fad, one that doesn’t want to leave. Whether it is fashion, films or music there is a consistent yearning for the repurposing of nostalgia. Fortunately, Sam Amidon’s music is bigger and better than any retrospective reworkings. For this is contemporary music, providing an outlet for forgotten sounds and breathing oxygen into new creations.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Sam Amidon

samamidon.com | bedroomcommunity.net

Slugabed - Ultra Heat Treated EP (Planet Mu)

Listening to Slugabed for the first time brings back the memories of hearing the complexity of Squarepusher or the insanity of Venetian Snares who, incidentally, released his sweet venom on Planet Mu as well. But the music of this 19 year old, Bath (UK) based producer, Greg Feldwick, is not the broken rhythms of breakcore or drill'n'bass. It is a slow-paced wobble through the square edged 8-bit world of two-dimensional cardboard trees and bass-growling monsters. At times comical and playful, at times nasty and evil, the sound of Slugabed doesn't commit to classification - instead it begs for a genre of its own. Going back to my mentioning of the complexity of sound with which I was struck upon the first listening of Feldwick's six-track EP, the thick layers of sound and fractured beats take the listeners' time to fully unwrap and appreciate. The sluggish rhythm trolls through an alley of bit-crushed chords, often changing direction of the syncopated step. Closer to the sound of Harmonic 313 then any other dub-step producer, the raw production re-wires the bleeps and lasers of arcade-boxes and turns them into dance tracks that skipped the 80s to time travel to 2010. And if you listen closely, you will hear that behind the sharp and distorted hard-panned sounds, hide the beautiful melodies, as sung from the land of The Uglydolls. Slugabed's debut 12", Gritsalt, appeared in May of 2009 on Ramp Recordings. That summer, he followed it with a split with Coco Bryce, titled MYOR 02 on a brand new Dutch MYOR label. Another 12", Superphreak, appeared on Stuffrecords. And finally, Slugabed got picked up by the beloved Planet Mu. Welcome. This is your new home. Now get comfortable and bring us a full-length.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Slugabed

myspace.com/slugabedmusic | planet.mu

Nest - Retold (Serein)

As the snow blankets the ground, and the earth hibernates in preparation for a new cycle of life, gentle sonic frequencies vibrate our outer shells, to keep us warm throughout the season. The sound of Nest is simple, contemplative, intelligent and incredibly gorgeous. Kicking off 2010, and in a sense a brand new decade, Retold is sure to capture your heart and set the bar for all the modern classical compositions to come. The album strikes your soul with its beauty from the very first track, and you are immediately immersed in the soothing sounds of piano, strings, and tender electronics. Crafted cinematic soundscapes are at the center of the production, setting up the mood and feelings to become the soundtrack to your daily life. Boomkat properly places Retold into its Home Listening category, and I say we should have a Work Listening genre as well – the music of Nest is the only thing that carries me through the insanity of this empty day at work, molding the wasted time into a positive ripple, one note at a time. Retold is the first physical output by a British netlabel, Serein, which has been releasing digitally since 2005. Nest is a collaborative project of the label owner, Huw Roberts, and Otto Totland, who along with Erik Skodvin (Svarte Greiner) releases as the beloved Deaf Center on Type. And it seems that the first release will set the stage for all of the label's future output. Serein, following in the footsteps of another netlabel, Miasmah [which, not coincidentally, is run by the above named Skodvin], is hoping to take up some real estate among our shelves of preciously collected masterpieces. And with Retold, I think it has convinced me to shove a few aside. The album itself could be divided into two parts. Its first half compiling the previously released six tracks on Nest EP (Serein, 2007) in a newly re-mastered form. And the second is made up of new compositions. Musically, however, the story flows, inseparable by medium and time. Between the sound of rain and soft piano keys, the music seeps with melancholy, slowly rolling down my cheek, in a tear of solitude and acceptance. This is how things must play out, I guess, in an intricate web of patterns and cycles, with one action setting off the next, including thought and motion. And since this is the first physical release, a quick nod to the packaging. A six-panel digipack with design by Roberts contains a solid red disc, with no etching or writing of any kind. The spine of the cover has an echo of the same color in a small square next to the catalog number. I'm going to go completely on a whim here and guess that the subsequent releases will have a similar pattern. That would be neat. Fans of Biosphere, Deathropod and of course Deaf Center will enjoy this release immensely, as well as followers of everything touched by Peter Broderick, Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Helios, Jacaszek and Ólafur Arnalds. Need I say more?

See also Two and a Half Questions with Nest

serein.co.uk

VA - Pop Ambient 2010 (Kompakt)

Kompakt Records kicks off the new year with the tenth installment of its annual Pop Ambient series — a decade of densely layered drones, tones, and sounds, showcasing the best artists making music in modern classical and ambient genres. The compilations are curated each year by label head and music legend, Wolfgang Voigt (aka Gas), and have basically been a staple in my morning and late evening playlists for an entire decade. The musical discoveries I have made because of this yearly release are unparalleled — over the years the series has acted as a who’s who in forward thinking electronic compositions that aren’t concerned with beats, bass, or the dancefloor. Artists like Marsen Jules, Klimek, Andrew Thomas, Markus Guentner, Donnacha Costello, Triola, and Thomas Fehlmann have all been mainstays throughout the decade long series, and all artists I respect and adore. A quote from press release: Newcomers may ask - so what is POP AMBIENT? A genre? Possibly. A statement of musical mindset? Absolutely! [...] Throughout POP AMBIENT's editions, the music has evolved ever so naturally - almost characterizing the blossoming of the floral arrangements that have graced the series covers year after year. [...] We say this every year but POP AMBIENT 2010 is a defining moment for the series - a change in pace but a familiar face for those that have been yearning for our annual remedy. The opening track for the 2010 edition starts with quite possibly the best Marsen Jules track I have ever heard. The aptly titled “The Sound of One Lip Kissing” sweeps from right to left channel and builds around a single dark and reverberating chord that is accompanied by the hesitant tinkle of piano to amazing effect. Brock Van Whey is welcomed into the Pop Ambient family this year and lulls listeners with two beautiful tracks under his bvdub moniker. “Lest You Forget” follows the opening track and offers a sense of air and light, after Marsen Jules’ somewhat ominous beginning. Van Whey also closes the album with the sprawling “Will You Know Where to Find Me” that features haunting vocals and rich delay that peacefully dissipates as the 17-minute track comes to an end, leaving you calmed and happily brooding. Kompakt’s own Dettinger, returns with “Therefore” his first new song in nearly a decade – a smooth and droney track, that features a slight hi-hat shuffle buried in the mix. Label head, Wolfgang Voigt also shows up with the excellent “Zither und Horn”, which sounds like nothing I’ve heard from him before. It’s a pastoral and string-based track that feels more traditionally “song-like” in its composition, and much different than his work as Gas. Offerings from DJ Koze, The Orb, and Jürgen Paape are equally as strong, and overall, this is another sterling edition to an already fantastic oeuvre of ambient music. Check it.

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Review by Matt Leslie (Inaudible). Edited by HC. Republished with permission.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Wolfgang Voigt

myspace.com/wolfgangvoigt | kompakt.fm/artists/wolfgang_voigt
myspace.com/kompakt | kompakt.fm

B.J. Nilsen - The Invisible City (Touch)

I have to admit that I'm mildly surprised by where my musical preferences are taking me these days. Until recently, I didn't really have much patience for drone and noise music. I found it intriguing but I couldn't really wrap my head around it. Now I find myself increasingly gravitating toward these more abstract forms of music, especially if they incorporate field recordings. There's something primordial about this music, as if it allows you to engage with some elementary force deep within. The sharp edges that I used to find grating are now so deeply satisfying. Am I hearing it differently? I don’t know. But I do know that for me, listening to music like B.J. Nilsen's seems to slow the passage of time. Gradually, the sounds combine to build a scene that remains constant over an extended period of time, giving you the time to peel away the surface and submerge yourself in the substance beneath. It really focuses the mind. It's what I imagine meditation must be like. B.J. Nilsen is one of the shining lights of the treasured Touch label roster and a luminary of electronic drones and field recordings. I just recently discovered his stunning last album, The Short Night (Touch, 2006), and his latest, The Invisible City, is another high water mark. Nilsen has traveled as far afield as Japan and Portugal for the source material for his field recordings and the track notes provide fascinating insight into the building blocks of Nilsen's compositions. Along with the electronics, acoustic instruments (Hildur Gudnaudottir makes another appearance on [pitch-regulated] viola) and processors he uses, Nilsen lists the recorded sound sources. And so, “amplified chair dragged across floor”, “window shutters”, “steel whistle coffeepot” and “birdsong” place their indelible mark on the opening track Gravity Station. A few minutes in, underneath a steady thick metallic drone and the hum of vibrating electrical lines, you can just barely make out what sounds like the weaving tones of a Middle Eastern flute – something you might hear off in the distance in a busy sun-drenched Arabian market. Or is it my imagination? Then, halfway through the almost 17 minute track, the chair and shutters lurch loudly and rudely across the sound field, heralding a rather menacing and doom-laden finale. A frantic chorus of birdsong whips things into a frenzy before the end comes with desperate bursts of twisted noise. What does it all mean? I don’t know. But on the whole, Nilsen's sound sculptures – which seems to me a more fitting description than “music” – are ominous. If they are indeed a representation of some aspect of city life, then it must be of an urban underbelly. Of dark things that lurk underneath the surface, like the high-pitched static squeals in Scientia that recall rats scurrying around the sewers beneath our cities. But more than anything, the music evokes industry and technology, from churning motors and machinery grinding to a halt in Phase and Amplitude to a burst of a fax transmission at the beginning of Virtual Resistance. Digital data snaking its way through the invisible passageways that lie behind the walls of our constructions. The ironic thing is that many of the field recordings originate in nature. Bumblebees, wasps, birdsong, flapping wings, crows, rain, footsteps on snow, “dead trees leaning against each other”. But they are usually manipulated and processed to such an extent that they are unrecognizable. Nevertheless, they bring life, depth and movement to a cold and hard backdrop constructed of wires and steel. And together these elements form remarkable sound sculptures that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.

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Review prepared by Tigon for Headphone Commute.

See also Two and a Half Questions with B.J. Nilsen

myspace.com/bjnilsen | bjnilsen.com
touchmusic.org.uk