This is the most frontloaded season we’ve seen in some time, as nearly half of the spring slate is set to drop within the next two weeks. Hundreds of albums have already been announced, with hundreds more on the way. This is a great time to be a music fan!
We begin in the ambient field as we ease our way into spring. These are the calmest sounds on the spring roster, offering a panacea for anxiety and fear and a counterbalance to anger and aggression. When the horror of the news cycle becomes overwhelming, this is where we turn. Not that these artists are detached from world events; instead, they have a unique mode of addressing actions by first addressing mood. We hope you’ll enjoy our 6-day Spring Music Preview!
We begin with a final glance at winter weather. Inspired by a winter residency on the Norwegian island of Andøya, Kit Grill composed an album of the same name to reflect the frigid cold, limited sunlight and vast open spaces. A sense of isolation is palpable, along with a stark appeal (Primary Colors, April 10). The first track on Electric Supply Station‘s Constellation of Scars EP is titled “Cool Winter Silence,” and yields spoken word musings about the cosmos (See Blue Audio, March 27). Yui Onodera + Arovane team up on Stillform, a quietly undulating release that investigates the boundary between stillness and movement (Affin, April 3).
The first of four solstice releases, odd person‘s dream rituals of the flower cult is filled with the sounds of flowing water and a sense of ritualistic humility (March 20). Hollie Kenniff‘s For Those Who Stay exudes sounds associated with spring, preceded by a quintet of pastel singles (Nettwerk, March 27). Ed Herbers returns with Season Cycle: Spring, his second solstice release, with two more on the way (Passed Recordings, March 20). Keyboardist øllø jumps even further, as Unreal Landscapes includes a track titled “Song for the End of the Summer” (Night-Night, March 27).
Matti Bye‘s The Sea is as peaceful as can be, inspired by watching the waves in Fårö. The closer one gets to this feeling, the more tranquil one will be (Denovali, March 27). The opening track of Félicia Atkinson and Christina Vantzou‘s Reflections Vol. 3: Water Poems is also titled “The Sea,” filled with whispers, birdsong and chimes, the perfect lead-in to a seaside study (RVNG Intl., April 10). Caminauta spent an atypical summer by the sea, while embedded in a retirement community. Unseen Dimensions is a shoegaze-inflected reflection of seaside isolation, leading to an eventual metamorphosis (Wayside & Woodland, March 20). Unable to access recording areas near the Mediterranean Sea, SHHE took things into her own hands, recording THALASSA to be the voice of the sea herself. The album is prefaced by the fascinating video below (One Little Independent, May 15). The Hadal Zone is the deepest, darkest, most pressurized section of the sea, for the most part unexplored by human eyes. On PSALM025: The Hadal Zone, Will Gardner uses the zone as a metaphor for humanity under pressure, blind and lost (Phantom Limb, March 20). In like fashion, Daryl Groetsch unveils Fathoms, inspired by the depths of the sea and Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us (April 6). David Cordero‘s La Imagen Muda lives in the liminal zone, inspired by “the silent solitude of the sea” at sunset (Noray, April 3), while Bhajan Bhoy puts the images to video in Yangqin Beach, from Meditations (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube, April 17).
Eluvium is back with Virga III, the latest installment of what now seems to be an ongoing series. The latest installment focuses on “minor green spaces” as a starting point for meditation on the cruelties of the world and the fact that nature always seems to find a way (Temporary Residence, May 15). Kirk Monteux offers Total Tranquility on the album of the same name, prefaced by the synth and birdsong of the title track (May 8). What’s your Dream Temperature? Anenon muses through wind synthesizer, piano and tenor saxophone. For us it’s about 78F / 25C (Tonal Union, April 24). Clocolan uses the sun to meditate on the nature of relationships; When the Emptying Sun Filled the Sky is ruminative and reflective, filled with as many phases as the day (March 26).
Antarctic Wastelands is about to complete the Worlds quadrilogy with Worlds: Imagined, expanding the project into time and space (Echoes Blue, April 24). Ben McElroy is two editions into his year-long Allotment Tapes series, with the third set to drop March 27. We Are All Visitors Here visits the community orchard, and buzzes with the sounds of spring. A couple years ago, we heard a batch of albums inspired by Brutalist architecture released at the same time, so many we wondered if it might become a subgenre. Wil Bolton revives the association on Barbican, the first of Home Normal’s spring slate (March 20). Bolton also appears on margins / shapes continue to exist, a split tape with Ouvala on handstitched* presented with DIY flair (April 6). An Earring Is A Galaxy, proclaims Miles Eichner, reminding us of a poem by William Blake. These meditations concentrate on the little things and find them holy (Island House Recordings, March 20).
Shimmering Moods is back after a half-year hiatus. The March batch includes three albums that can be purchased separately or together as a package deal. Linden S offers Notes from the Nave, piano improvisations recorded in an Antwerp church, looped and accompanied by cello and sax; Jet Jaguar and Cole are Tending and Processing while introducing the world to New Zealand’s mānuka tree; and international duo POŁAĆ mesh guitar and electronics on From the Places, creating immersive atmospheres. All are released on March 27.
Alexander Eldefors offers the lovely Vivel (Swedish for Mountains), the first of LAAPS’ spring releases, highlighting the sound of snow melt and the feel of emergence. Fifteen years of field recordings decorate TRU FOLK, an expressive set from HOLODEC that finds as much pleasure in people as it does in nature (Phantom Limb, April 17). When “ambient worlds” collide, they do so slowly, gently and reverently. This is the case with Demetrio Cecchitelli and Stefan Christoff, as piano notes meet field recordings and electronics. Andare Oltre is out March 20 on oscarson. Prymek & Sage recorded Shelter in a “pole barn studio in rural Colorado;” the LP’s patient Polaroids vibrate with an unhurried form of life (AKP, April 10).
Zoltan Fesco & Anna Morley (synthesizer and vibraphone) celebrate nature on Desire Path, with tracks such as “Flight of Starlings” and “Butterflies” sailing into the heart of spring (Oxtail Recordings, March 27). Inspired by the happy correspondence between Emerson & Whitman, Ben Seretan & John Thayer offer Sunbeam of No Illusion, which travels through microseasons, using field recordings as a backdrop (AKP Recordings, March 27). Tape loops and active birdsong fill Ümlaut‘s Because you are alive, everything is possible, a patient, springlike album with two side-long tracks (Audiobulb, April 4).
Alva Noto‘s Wave Weave – Sono Obi is the original score to a film by Carsten Nicolai, inspired by kimono textiles. The album attempts to put into sound what the weavers cast into cloth (Noton, May 28). Bassist Devin Sarno creates a spacious sound on Flowers on the Ocean, surrounding the instrument with field recordings and close mikings. The listener leans in to catch every nuance (Histamine Tapes, May 1). Originally a four-channel installation, Joshua Abrams‘s Music for Pulse Meridian Foliation is now translated to stereo so people can enjoy it at home, and perhaps prepare their own installations (Drag City, March 27).
Pictured at the top of this article, Juha Mäki-Patola‘s Momentary Movements of Landscapes unfolds in a dozen “Moments;” tender piano and tape loops create a lulling effect (FatCat/130701, April 10). Igor Ballereau‘s UMWeLT is built on samples, layers and loops, producng a feeling of soft disorientation (Pharmafabrik, March 20).
Blurstem‘s Fallen Fragments rearranges the piano textures of a prior work, using the album to look back on eight years of fatherhood and other life changes (We All Speak in Poems, March 26). Also on the label: weareforests & Six Missing collaborate on pigment of the form, already preceded by the single transient phenomena (April 24), while Six Missing’s own drift, sway completes the story begun by drift and boasts a perfect ambient title (Nettwerk, April 10). But wait, there’s more! Six Missing then returns with Eben Vogel for the piano-based Beyond, a smudged EP matched by its purple cover (May 8).
Seulement La Nuit‘s Landscapes won’t be available until June, but we’re enchanted by the lead singles, which range from piano-based to electronic. Self-proclaimed “ambient country” artists SUSS return with Counting Sunsets, revisiting their patented blend of synth, harmonium and pedal steel (Northern Spy, May 15). Skerik wants to make “saxophonics” a household word; on SKERIK 061725, he enlists his instrument in the ambient arena. Air Garden is the opening single (Loosegroove, April 24). On the heels of January’s Hidden Time Loops, Mikael Lind returns with Norðaustur, a sparkling collaboration with visual artist Sigga Björg. The project began as the score to an Icelandic installation, with images “projected inside a large fish tank” (March 27).
zakè and Ian Hawgood join forces for Repetitioneer Suite I & II, a pair of extended pieces that border on drone (Home Normal, April 3). The battle of Garry Kasparov vs Deep Blue now seems incredible prescient, revisited in the electronic textures of Francis Henry‘s album (Flaming Pines, May 8). Charles Vaughn offers A Ritual For Poisoned Land, combining organic and electronic instrumentation. Sarah Kemp guest stars on violin (Wayside and Woodland, April 24). Gentle and partially electronic, L, Jacobs‘ Behind the Great Curve soothes and entertains in equal measure (Blinkwinkel, April 10). Trio Ramberget unveils the whopping eighty-nine track Anthology – The Complete Unreleased Recordings 2016-2026, a perfect gift for completists. The set showcases their rare setup of trombone, bass clarinet and double bass (March 20).
Sax, piano and guitar create jazzy atmospheres on Momen‘s Sympathetic Resonance, which includes a tiny bit of drone but little hint of the duo’s post-punk history (Tin Angel/Meat Machine/Unheard of Hope, May 8). The name HARA-KITTY! suggests a Japanese punk band, but the artist’s music is actually sedate. Guitar and violin decorate paint the dead like gods, an occasionally mournful EP released March 21.
Anton Toorell‘s Solos II is a sequel to well, you know. Toorell’s guitars create “cascading tonality,” a tonal blanket that envelops the listener (thanatosis, March 27). Pan•American‘s Fly the World in a Silver Plane is a reflection on travel, marked by pensive guitar and sparse vocals. That’s not Amelia Earhart on the cover; it’s the artist’s mom (Kranky, March 27). periferi is an even quieter expression of guitar and voice, whispery and serene. Ekin Fil‘s album is described as a study of suspension (el manto, March 20). Schatterau‘s Wir gingen durch leere Stunden skirts the edge of drone without falling in; expressions of guitar and whisper are wrapped in a gauzelike cloud (Hands in the Dark, April 30).
One of the season’s most poignant releases is Cities burn as we dream of a return, recorded by Rayan Haïdar before and during the devastation in Lebanon. The grief is palpable, the weight immense (Dragon’s Eye Recordings, March 20). Jolanda Moletta recruits eleven female vocalists for Oceanine, a celebration of feminitity and a reminder of ancient goddesses and their veneration. The reverent tones create a calm, spiritual space of their own (Beacon Sound, May 1). more eaze‘s sentence structure in the country contains some vocals, but also yields some amazing textures, and Thrill Jockey is having such a good year that we couldn’t bear to leave one out. A number of collaborators contribute along the way (March 20).
Carlos Niño & Friends is a collaborative effort that justifies its name. The artist recrutis twenty guests for Bubble Bath for Giants, creating a sound both soothing and experimental (March 20). Ten guests appear on Masahiro Takeashi‘s In Another, many contributing vocals, although not necessarily lyrics; the mood is light, the tone jazzy (telephone explosion, March 20). Seven guest musicians and over a dozen instruments are featured on Ylva Ceder‘s Tree Vibrations, the most vibrant album in this article and the most redolent of mid-spring. By the time one reaches “Safe Space,” all is well (Flora & Fauna, March 28).
Ambient-electronic duo Visible Cloaks expands its roster on Paradessence, inviting guests to appear on three of the tracks, most notably Félicia Atkinson. But we’re most interested in hearing how a balloon is used on the track “Balloon” (RVNG Intl., May 22). Green-House is set to unveil Hinterlands, a restive recording that comes with a plush sloth, our favorite addition of the season (Ghostly International, March 20). Buildings and Food honors Yutori, the Japanese art of slowing down to create time for contemplation. This lovely set clears an aural space in which such meditation might occur (May 8). Erma Grid‘s Eleven Forms is a lot more active than the usual material from LINE, marked by electronic pulses and bass. The label calls it “a mist, not a dark cloud” (April 10).
Coral Club‘s Follow the Mirage is a shimmering, summer-like album, which kicks into high gear when the kalimba arrives. Is summer still three months off? While listening, it seems as if it has already arrived (Not Not Fun, April 3). Also on Not Not Fun, Acid Twilight offers Trippo Nova, a laid-back, mystical, trance-like album (April 3); and Phil Geraldi balances the dour title of Rural Deceased Undiscovered with chippy Appalachian-inflected tracks such as “Sunny Smile Raining” (May 1). Finally, Blue Gardenia displays the ladder to the sea on the cover of Here We Are, whose closing track, “Sea Glass,” reminds us of all that we’re looking forward to. Summer will be here before we know it (Friends of Friends, March 20).
Richard Allen
a closer listen 