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Releases come in all forms and formats these days. CDs, vinyl, digital downloads, tapes, special editions of all kinds... There seems to be no limit to the imagination as far as releasing music is concerned. However, there is one label that always manages to strike me with its beautiful simplicity. Greek label Sound In Silence delivers their music in handmade cardboard envelope (and as digital downloads), which are just so charming that I can't get enough of them.
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I already received plenty of these neat collector items, so many that I must have missed some over the course of time. So, in a way of both making up to that and to support a hard working quality label, I decided to combine a bunch of their releases into one big Brieviews special. I guess the word "ambient" will appear quite often on this page, which obviously is another reason why I like this label so much.
Ben Rath - Anything Is Possible
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We begin with the second output of Ben Rath on this label, one that immediately hits the right spot. Residing in Manchester, England, Rath is a multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer who creates magic with drones and soundscapes. On this album you can find eight tracks, eight gently flowing musical dreams, reminding me of acts like Eluvium, Tim Hecker and BJ Nilsen, to name a few. Although minimal, the tracks on 'Anything Is Possible' have a narrative nature, a bit similar to classical compositions like 'Die Moldau'. 'Flow Of Creation' is absolute ambient brilliance and the rest also comes highly recommended.
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David Newlyn - Collected Fictions
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After a strange, experimental intro, David Newlyn takes his listeners on a cruise along unconventional pop instrumentals and downtempo ambient experiments. This album, eight tracks and a bit over thirty minutes long, contains pleasantly surprising pieces of music, like the psychedelic jam 'Ghost-Out' or the gloomy 'Close Again'. It's as if Plaid and O Yuki Conjugate accidentally got stuck in an elevator and decided to makes the best of the situation. My favorite track here is the long and complex 'Travelling For A Living' but I'm damn sure that all these tunes will end up in my day to day playlist.
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Gray Acres - Gray Acres
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Twin brothers Andrew and Michael Tasselmyer, of Hotel Neon fame, debut on Sound In Silence with a dreamy, be it somewhat murky set of seven ambient tunes. Layers of soundscapes, drones, piano and field recordings create freely floating sonic sculptures that are perfectly suited for every fan of every thing between Olafur Arnalds, Helios and Biosphere, so to speak. The overall atmosphere is as gloomy and foggy as the beautiful album artwork promises. My suggestion? Purchase this thing, play it loud and allow yourself to dream away on ambient gems like 'Return To Self' and 'Portal'.
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yndi halda - A Sun-Coloured Shaker
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With UK born act yndi halda we enter the regions of post rock and shoegaze. This EP contains one track, over eleven minutes long. It showcases the band's talents and chemistry, as well as their flair for composing immersive pieces of cinematic post rock. Bands like Sigur Ros, Blueneck and Ef come to mind, which obviously is good news for yndi halda fans. Personally, I'm not always a fan of vocals in this kind of music but here they certainly add a certain value to the whole thing. Besides, I'm in love with the string arrangements. So yeah, this is a must have for yndi halda fans.
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Sweeney - Middle Ages
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Is it wrong to be reminded of Chris Rea while I listen to this album by (Jason) Sweeney. People might know him under the moniker Panoptique Electrical but with this project, he takes on some sort of dark folk, singer/songwriter approach. With the help of Jed Palmer and Zoë Barry, Sweeney delivers ten emotional songs, often gaining the tearjerking-level. His voice here and there brings Chris Rea to mind but for the majority these tunes are deeply introvert post rock tunes with calm ambient layers and an emotive overtone. It's probably different from the usual releases on this label but certainly a nice one.
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Yellow6 - About The Journey
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Speaking about emotive, introvert and minimum post rock music, here is an absolute recommendation. This album by Yellow6 is a certain candidate for my favorite release in this edition of Brieviews. In six song and no less than 75 minutes, Yellow6 enchants the listener with sweet ambient loops and cinematic soundscapes. This is excellent forest stage material for Dunk festival, for example. I'm sure that in the right setting, musical pearls like 'First Day #1' or 'The Death Of Nostalgia' can easily lift people's consciousness to otherworldly levels. This is pure brilliance.
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con_cetta - Origine
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On the somewhat harsher and more intense side of the ambient regions, we find con_cetta and his new album 'Origine'. This project by Giuseppe Cordaro delivers eight pieces, ranging from gloomy ambient soundscapes to piano experimentals. 'Origine' is not a long album but it is surprisingly varied. It begins dark and impending, nudges towards classical music, flirts with drones and noise and combines soulful acoustics with ice cold electronics. 'III' would make a perfect Marvel Movies soundtrack while 'IV' likes to hunt you in a dark forest. In all, this is very interesting piece of work, certainly comes recommended.
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Moshimoss & Stabilo - FIIElI
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We end this edition of Brieviews Label Special with a split between two highly talented one-man acts. Both Moshimoss and Stabilo delivered two tracks of experimental ambient and glitchy classical instrumentation. The result is a coherent array of soundscapes, drones, piano play and ambient textures that will guide some of your most pleasant dreams at night. My personal favorites are the gentle tracks by Stabilo but the uncompromising and often haunting experimentation of Moshimoss will also be a constant in my massive playlist. So yep, this one too comes highly recommended.
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Written by Serge
