Just a brief one this week, folks. Heading off on spring break shortly, and since I'll be away from home next Friday, this may be the last post til April. Really excited about these four albums, though! I've heard the first two already, and am looking forward to digging in to numbers three and four this weekend. And as always, be sure to check out both bonus recommendations at the bottom of this piece.
Enjoy!
Cedar Loop - Being on Fire - I really couldn't find any information about this artist or their music, but by the looks of their name, a geographically-specific song title, and their field recordings of rain, I'm guessing that they're based in the PNW? Not sure though. In any case, this collection of ambient music characterized by crackles and drones feels as melancholic as the gray skies in our corner of the world - a last sigh of winter before some (hopefully) sunnier days.
Jeremy Young - August Tape Sketches (Meakusma) - This is Jeremy Young's third feature on DC just this year! Keeping busy up there in Montreal, I see. August Tape Sketches is exactly that - a collection of warped melodic fragments, and as the artist puts it, "a lullaby of concrete musical." It's great from start to finish, but Delphinium, the album's longest track and centerpiece, is my favorite. Maybe I'm just ready for blooms.
Robert Haigh - Human Remains (Unseen Worlds) - Piano Day 2022 is quickly approaching, so Robert Haigh's final installment in his solo piano trilogy could not come at a better time. I loved Black Sarabande a couple years back (though another Unseen Worlds release has my heart), and while the title immediately conjures a dark image, the artist expresses that "it could represent the persistence of human spirit and resourcefulness in the midst of catastrophe and upheaval."
The Arteries of New York City - S/T (originally on Bloxham Tapes) - A second edition of this popular release, it isn't technically a new album, but it's new to me. The Arteries of New York is a photographer/musician duo who collage together phone memo field recordings and improvised piano. Their final pieces (largely left unedited) are both haunting and beautiful.
Bonus music: I've got two very different bonus recommendations this week - one I've heard and another I haven't yet. First, I stumbled across The Pattern Forms' The Scenic Route earlier this week, and found it absolutely enchanting. Apparently the album came out nearly a year ago and I missed it completely. The music (or rather muzak) here meanders leisurely, and the harp adds such a nice touch. A perfect soundtrack for your spring walks. And my second rec is a cassette/book combo of original poetry and backing music. An old college acquaintance of mine co-hosts the Indiana-based podcast, It's a Beautiful Day in the Gulch, and episodes capture curious Midwestern adventures narrated in a buddy talk sort of way. Alex often contributes poetry, and Fine Editions has just released a collection of his work, as well as a recording of his readings over top Rich Ruth's musical textures. Check out both the podcast and the cassette/book release. Gotta order me a copy.