Review: We also heard from Andrew Wasylyk late last year when he offered up his second LP for the esteemed Clay Pipe Music label. Now it is to Edinburgh's Athens of the North for Parallel Light, another collection of sumptuous ambient sounds that are so much more than just background music. The album is actually an alternate mix of his 2020 long player Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation so offers a different perspective with plenty of moving spiritual-jazz and neo-classical sounds that help paint alluring musical landscapes.
Review: The festive season can be busy, stressful and quite frankly hard work. Thank you to Joel Andrews then for serving up this perfect excuse to take half an hour to yourself and get lost in his most lush and soothing ambient sounds. The A-side is taken up entirely by 'Paradise Bird' which is rich with spring-like energies and delightful uplifting melodies. But this limited long player also offers more quiet moments of calm and introspection such as on the harp-like and heavenly melodies of 'Chamber Of The Heart.' Glorious stuff that will enrich and energise your life with its subtle and charming beauty.
Review: Ellen Arkbro's accomplished drone practice won her fans in an instant when she released her debut album For Organs And Brass in 2017, ably followed up by CHORDS two years later. The Swedish composer arrives on Superior Viaduct sub label W.25th with her latest work, which draws on Arkbro's exploration of resonant spaces as a result of her increased profile and the chance to perform in many acoustically-rich spaces around the world. Setting up drones on organs and from other instruments, she tunes and retunes and then moves through the space to explore the harmonic and spatial behaviour of the sound and this album is an attempt to manifest her observations in five pieces. "Rough, focused and yet strangelyAtransparent" is how she describes the sweet spot she's looking for, and you'll find many such moments on Sounds While Waiting.
Review: Leading British composer Craig Armstrong truly broke through with his second studio album As If To Nothing in 2003. It came five years after his 1998 debut The Space Between us and now celebrates its 20th anniversary with a deluxe reissue treatment that sees it get remastered at half speed for extra loudness and clarity. This special edition also comes with heavyweight villa and an embossed sleeve making it the ultimate collectors' package. The modern classical sounds contained within have more than stood the test of time, too.
Review: olafur Arnalds' Broadchurch: The Final Chapter captures the conclusion of the acclaimed British drama with a deeply atmospheric score. This 15-track collection, released by Mercury KX, showcases Arnalds' signature emotive style, blending haunting melodies with subtle, immersive textures. The soundtrack is integral to the series' final season, enhancing its dramatic and emotional impact. From the introspective 'I Could Hear Water' to the poignant 'Take My Leave Of You' featuring Arnor Dan, the music threads through moments of tension and resolution with grace. Each composition, such as 'Ellie's Theme' and 'Going Under,' builds on Arnalds' previous work, reflecting the show's profound narrative and character arcs. Housed in a single-pocket picture sleeve, this LP offers a seamless continuation of Arnalds' collaboration with the series and an exciting and dramatic ending.
Review: olafur Arnalds' re:member originally released by Mercury KX on August 24, 2018, and now available on special marble vinyl, showcases the Icelandic composer's innovative musical journey. The album employs Stratus Pianos alongside a string quartet, synths, electronics, live drums, and a string orchestra recorded at London's Air Studios. This release envelopes listeners into a world of diverse moods and emotions, with Arnalds exploring new musical landscapes throughout. The Stratus technology allows notes played on the main piano to generate corresponding notes on two supplementary pianos, enhancing harmonic exploration. This sophisticated approach reflects Arnalds' commitment to innovative yet restrained use of technology, creating a measured balance between the new sound potential and formal compositional considerations. Tracks like the title piece and 'Unfold' (featuring Sohn) highlight Arnalds' ability to blend keyboards, strings and rhythms seamlessly, avoiding any sense of being overwrought. 'Brot' and 'They Sink' demonstrate his skill in developing complex layers around simple sequences, creating expansive soundscapes from fragile beginnings. Remember demands attentive listening, especially on tracks like 'Undir,' where the interplay between strings and programmed beats drives the piece with subtle vigor. Ultimately, this album shines through Arnalds' masterful craftsmanship, blending technological innovation with deeply human creativity.
Review: For Now I Am Winter is Olafur Arnalds' third full-length studio album. His earlier albums, soundtracks and EPs, have been released through the Berlin based cult label Erased Tapes. Building and expanding on his previous more minimalist work, Arnalds' new album is his first to involve a full orchestra (co-arranged by Nico Muhly) and a vocalist (Agent Fresco lead singer Arn). Three shorter pieces - 'Sudden Throw', Nils Frahm's rework of 'For Now I Am Winter', and 'Brim' first signalled the emergence of the album, which now hears a full length release, with additional sonic pearls including 'This Place Was A Shelter' and 'Words Of Amber' standing out as especial highlights.
Review: Iceland's Olafur Arnalds (Kiasmos) and German multi-instrumentalist Nils Frahm team up again for some breathtaking excursions in classical/ambient crossover bliss. Frahm's sombre piano passages gently dance over Arnalds' serene soundscapes and eerie field recordings on this bittersweet and emotive journey. What was meant to be a one hour video recording of the duo in action turned out to be an eight hour long improvisation session and these are some of the segments of the wonderful marathon recording. We particularly enjoyed the gorgeously haunting electronic soul captured on "23:52" where those analogue synth strings just rise and rise to an epic climax.
Review: British crime television series Sherlock has proved hugely popular in recent years. The latest adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writings have also been hugely enhanced by the soundtrack. That score has been composed by David Arnold and Michael Price, and has won the pair numerous awards including a 2014 EMMY as well as two further nominations for an EMMY and a BAFTA nomination. Their contribution to Sherlock is immeasurable as exemplified by this soundtrack which is thrilling and sinister, playful and suspenseful in equal measure. The music from all three of the first series is captured here on this limited blue vinyl.
Review: Arv & Miljo's new album delves into radical environmental activism and draws from the Swedish Plogbill movement's early 90s actions alongside Earth First! and Earth Liberation Front. Mixing monologues, interviews, protest songs, and site recordings with raw kosmische synth music, the pair crafts a mesmerising audio collage. Chaotic yet harmonious, disorienting yet soothing, the album reflects dedication, passion, and the spirit of change. Originally a limited CDR release in 2021, it quickly became a highlight in Arv & Miljo's discography. Now on, Jorden Forst offers a multi-faceted journey through environmental activism and the human spirit's resilience.
Review: After two albums on A Strangely Isolated Place as Comit, James Clements returns under his ASC alias and does so with yet another brilliantly fresh and introspective approach. Original Soundtrack shifts focus to the piano and so invites you to construct your own interpretations within an imaginary cinematic framework. Known for his mastery across genres from autonomic and jungle to ambient, techno and IDM, Clements narrows his focus here with great results. Crafting eight evocative pieces centred on the piano is not something he has done before but it results in another deeply personal and immersive work that adds a new dimension to ASC's artistry.
Review: James Clements (ASC) has been one of the most highly regarded artists in ambient, ambient techno and IDM scene since his evolution into the sound about 15 years ago. His ability to create deep soundscapes over lush beats and atmospheres come from his liquid drum n bass background prior to working with more cinematic tracks. ASC is back with a new release and it finds a home at the Past Inside the Present stable where he had put out a few EPs on the last couple years. This haunting and beautiful release Loss, explores various moods and atmospheres to great success. Tracks like the amazing and spacious 'Sensory Disintegration' to the poignant 'What More Can Be Said' which adds a lush airspace to a stunning piano piece. Some soundscapes are majestic and triumphant while others are minimal and then foreboding. New age and ambient fans will rejoice after hearing this magical album. Available in limited quantities so act quickly! Comes with download code inside.
Review: Emerging from the ether in July 2024, Surfacing is the third collaborative long player from ASC and Sam KDC. Producers known for their ability to create and set moods with comparatively abstract ambient soundscapes, their latest is no exception. A collection of work which opts for an un-rushed approach to creating big feelings and moments from relatively consistent sounds and noises. Not much seems to happen, until you realise how much has been happening. In many ways, it's a maximalist thing - attempting to pick apart tracks like 'Mirage' and 'Shimmer' reveals the density of these sonics. Walls of sound that are acoustically and melodically light enough to float on air, yet actually so thick they swallow the listener hole, with little hope of escape until the final refrains fade.
Review: French artist Felicia Atkinson invites us to a new type of mind space, one in which silence ushers in clarity and allows us to focus on the grand design of existence. Like gazing up at the night sky and realising its vastness and beauty, Space As An Instrument is as mysterious as it is compelling and enlightening. Less conceptually, it's also musically accomplished, with the artist described recording sessions as "meetings" between her and piano, instrument and player communing in these elegant, hypnotic tracks. According to Atkinson, her music sits "on the verge of understanding and not unerstanding," which speaks volumes about how deep the rabbit holes go. In many ways, here listening is an exercise in trust - she has faith in us to have faith in her, and it's this mutual respect that ultimately acts as a guiding light to the soundscapes that emerge.
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