ACL 2025 ~ Top Ten Experimental

Some of the year’s most unique releases appear here, including the sounds of Middle Eastern street protests, traditional Crimean song, diamond on disputed mud and a seminal field recording series.  Some of these artists record in perfect freedom and peace;

Penelope Trappes ~ A Requiem

Penelope Trappes makes a massive leap forward on A Requiem, her most definitive statement to date.  In 2023, ACL‘s Jennifer Smart compared the artist to Liz Harris, writing, “Trappes finds haunting, ethereal beauty in hesitation and minimalism.”  In 2025, the artist fully

ACL 2023 ~ Top Ten Ambient

By our estimate, there was enough ambient music released in 2023 to fill every waking minute of every day.  How does one stand out in a genre that values slipping beneath the surface?  These ten artists found a way, whether

Penelope Trappes ~ Heavenly Spheres

On Heavenly Spheres the Australian born vocalist and musician Penelope Trappes depicts the fragility of improvisation and experimental practice, while imbuing the spaciousness of ambient music’s soundscapes with surprising heft. On album opener “The Bitterness of Parting,” an opening wave