Category Archives: Ambient
Orla Wren ~ The Blind Deaf Stone
Sequestered deep in the Scottish countryside, Orla Wren composes wistful electroacoustic soundscapes that float through genres with the gracefulness of a roaming herd of cattle. His latest release, The Blind Deaf Stone, contains four longform tracks that shift through gracious
Orla Wren ~ The Blind Deaf Stone
Sequestered deep in the Scottish countryside, Orla Wren composes wistful electroacoustic soundscapes that float through genres with the gracefulness of a roaming herd of cattle. His latest release, The Blind Deaf Stone, contains four longform tracks that shift through gracious
James Osland ~ Almond Drive
Almond Drive is dedicated to memories of a “safe and loving home,” and the people who made it that way. The album is a panacea, offering warm hints of how to make it through a pandemic year with love. Not everyone
James Osland ~ Almond Drive
Almond Drive is dedicated to memories of a “safe and loving home,” and the people who made it that way. The album is a panacea, offering warm hints of how to make it through a pandemic year with love. Not everyone
Drifts and Flurries ~ A Second Language Collectanea
Few pairings are as exquisite as winter music and snow; Drifts & Flurries provides one in hope of the other. Distinctly British in tone, this set begs to be accompanied by a good book; we recommend The Wrong Kind of Snow (Penn
Drifts and Flurries ~ A Second Language Collectanea
Few pairings are as exquisite as winter music and snow; Drifts & Flurries provides one in hope of the other. Distinctly British in tone, this set begs to be accompanied by a good book; we recommend The Wrong Kind of Snow (Penn
Animated Matter ~ Selkie
The concept album is a much-maligned tradition, but only because too many artists go overboard. Selkie is a concept album done right, with a simple premise based on a well known legend. From Scottish and Irish mythology to movies such as
Animated Matter ~ Selkie
The concept album is a much-maligned tradition, but only because too many artists go overboard. Selkie is a concept album done right, with a simple premise based on a well known legend. From Scottish and Irish mythology to movies such as
Of Thread & Mist ~ Static Hymns to No One
Gizeh Records may be located in the U.K., but Static Hymns to No One seems like the perfect selection for Inauguration Day in the U.S. The music is mournful and melancholic, an elegy for all that has been lost and much
Of Thread & Mist ~ Static Hymns to No One
Gizeh Records may be located in the U.K., but Static Hymns to No One seems like the perfect selection for Inauguration Day in the U.S. The music is mournful and melancholic, an elegy for all that has been lost and much
Ai Yamamoto ~ Pan De Sonic ~ Iso / Monster Hurricane Wihajster ~ U nas dobrze, choć trochę strzyka w kolanach
Two new recordings turn the sounds of domestic lockdown into music. One album is percussive and electronic, the other improvisational and intimate. Together they demonstrate the creativity of artists who are unable to perform in concert halls yet find music
Ai Yamamoto ~ Pan De Sonic ~ Iso / Monster Hurricane Wihajster ~ U nas dobrze, choć trochę strzyka w kolanach
Two new recordings turn the sounds of domestic lockdown into music. One album is percussive and electronic, the other improvisational and intimate. Together they demonstrate the creativity of artists who are unable to perform in concert halls yet find music
2021 Winter Music Preview ~ Ambient and Drone
With over 200 releases listed, this is once again our biggest Winter Music Preview ever, and the largest instrumental music preview on the planet! Winter is a fitting season for ambient music, which seems tailor-made for the soft, the still
2021 Winter Music Preview ~ Ambient and Drone
With over 200 releases listed, this is once again our biggest Winter Music Preview ever, and the largest instrumental music preview on the planet! Winter is a fitting season for ambient music, which seems tailor-made for the soft, the still
ACL 2020 ~ Top Ten Ambient
A Closer Listen received over 10,000 submissions this year, 7000 of them valid, and we listened to at least a segment of every one. Now we’ve chosen 70 of them ~ one percent ~ to include in our year-end lists. The competition has never
ACL 2020 ~ Top Ten Ambient
A Closer Listen received over 10,000 submissions this year, 7000 of them valid, and we listened to at least a segment of every one. Now we’ve chosen 70 of them ~ one percent ~ to include in our year-end lists. The competition has never
a closer listen 