ACL 2013: Top Ten Ambient

Ambient music continued to stretch its wings in 2013.  Among our top picks: an album conceived as a love letter, an EP addressing mental illness and a 7″ vinyl that samples the original Dracula.  It’s not just piano and birds anymore.

Ben Fleury-Steiner ~ Clearings

In the summer of 2012, I passed through Philadelphia on tour with a friend and had the privilege of a casual evening set with my usual Philly show-mates Northern Valentine. We played in ferocious thunderstorm weather at a delightfully cramped