Foxy Digitalis
From a quixotic trickle, an entire atmospheric world unfolds. Synthetic aquifers spring into crisp atmospheres, buoyed by gentle orchestrations and elegant vibraphone resonances. William Selman’s intricate sound world is rich with vivid details coloring in the aural textures of “Leaky Paradise” with concentric melodies and blurred boundaries. It’s difficult to tell where field recordings end […]
There’s a feeling of worlds colliding to form new worlds on Cheryl E. Leonard and Wobbly’s fantastic debut collaboration, Multiple Park. Familiar sounds are dissected and processed, combined with synthetic environments and machinations, pressing listeners into spaces, at times uncomfortable, for inward investigation of outside areas. “Ostrasidian” rattles and gently grinds against a phantom backdrop, unearthing […]
The opening rattles and lilting repetitions foreshadow the emotional gravity Ky releases on “All The Sad And Loving People.” Auto-tuned vocals flicker from all directions over repeating synth phrases and spacious, atmospheric loops. Wistful memories bleed in from the periphery, covered in a vaporous hiss, obscuring details so only the most powerful feelings make it […]
On Garudan Wing by Matt LaJoie On his fifth solo guitar LP, Matt LaJoie further ascends toward swirling star masses and an ever-brightening sun. This is effervescent music, bubbling with the sparkling joys of life. Elusive melodies flit between clouds, sharpening the glistening timbres with assuredness and purpose. LaJoie weaves resonant worlds from guitar loops. […]
The day is bright on “Bloom,” the latest single from Blue Lake’s forthcoming Sun Arcs. Using a hand-built 48-string zither, guitars, cello, woodwinds, percussion, and more, Jason Dungan creates an expansive, resonant landscape glittering beyond the horizon. Emergent melodies fold into each other, sending cascading harmonies skyward as the piece takes on an effervescent hue. Dungan […]
A sense of urgency blossoms in the synthetic waves of Apologist’s “Skin Like Ghosts” from her upcoming album, Everything Feels Brighter. Subtle shifts in the sonic terrain cast prismatic shadows against a swaying backdrop of electronic glimmers. This music has an edge, as though it cuts through a barrier holding back emotional crests. Everything is trying […]
NYC multi-reedist Doug Wieselman takes a captivating approach on his upcoming album, WA-Zoh. He crafts a sonic wonderland of alien landscapes using birdsong recordings taken everywhere, from his apartment in Brooklyn to the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. “Fourvière” sings beneath a dense rainforest canopy. Tonal flutters skip through fuzzy mazes where woodwind serenades get lost […]
Siavash Amini envelops listeners in harmonic shades through expansive tonal corridors exploring and engaging with different tuning systems (particularly Safi-al-din Urmav’s 17-tone scale). The Iranian composer, a self-described tuning obsessive, creates compelling sonic spaces on “Instantia” where harmonics resonate and intersect almost suffocatingly. Parched resonances spread through languid, emotive drones, toying with dissonance and harmony, […]
Waves lap the shores, hidden within a shimmering resonance. Light filters through the wistful drones, spreading ethereal glimmers across a quiet city in the early morning hours. “Brilla Deserto” sings without words, part of Renato Fiorito’s poignant and beautiful tribute to Naples, Lustra. Melodies intermingle with the cool breeze, stretched from the darkest nights into the […]