Hour’s ‘Ease the Work’ Is Hypnotic and Beautifully Strange
The latest release from Michael Cormier-O’Leary’s instrumental collective, Hour, is a deliberately paced work that’s peaceful and oddly disarming.
ambient
Josh Johnson’s ‘Unusual Object’ Is a Fascinating Record
Celebrated saxophonist Josh Johnson infuses his music with various styles on this surprisingly accessible new LP of processed, ambient jazz.
Ambient Matters: The 15 Best Ambient Albums of March 2024
This month’s best ambient/experimental releases yielded enough sublime music to send you drifting into transcendence for many moons to come.
MIZU Creates an Experimental Masterwork with ‘Forest Scenes’
As a composer and performer, MIZU embraces uncharted territory with her cello not so much in hand but working fully as an extension of her body and voice.
Maya Shenfeld Works on a Cosmic Scale with ‘Under the Sun’
Under the Sun has a gravity that helps it stand out in the vast field of contemporary electronic music as Maya Shenfeld considers the magnitude of the cosmos.
Avi C. Engel Evokes Ancient to Modern Sounds on ‘Too Many Souls’
Too Many Souls is the latest installment in Canadian alternative folk artist Avi C. Engel’s pursuit of “one long continuous song”.
Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann Create a Stunning Experimental Soundscape
The sophomore collaboration from experimental musicians Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann comes four years after their debut, and builds on it.
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The 10 Best Ambient Albums of 2023
In a digital landscape where consumption methods are constantly fracturing, leave it to the best ambient artists to excel and innovate despite impossible odds.
Mukqs Shatters Electronic Music Conventions on ‘Stonewasher’
Chicago-based weirdo pioneer Mukqs returns with one of the best electronic albums of 2023. Enter the dizzyingly immersive world of Stonewasher.
Past and Future Clash in Gazelle Twin’s ‘Black Dog’
Black Dog is reminiscent of Gazelle Twin’s past but also forges a new path. One that’s able not only to merge these disparate aspects but also to surpass them.
Justin Walter Travels to the Outer Cosmos on ‘Destroyer’
Justin Walter’s Destroyer is a rich and colorful work established through subtle means. It establishes an immersive world filled with wonder and emotion.
The Fragmented Quality of Boards of Canada’s ‘Music Has the Right to Children’
Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children is murky, burned, and melted. It sounds like 1980s synth, disco, new age, and new wave heard through a wall.
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