Stara Rzeka - Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem

Being Polish, I can’t miss any chance to promote great music from Poland on my blog. Stara Rzeka (“Old River” in Polish) is a solo project from Kuba Ziołek who also takes in part in many established bands, like the cathartic noise rock assault unit Ed Wood or psychedelic ambient group Innercity Ensemble. On “Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem” (translated literally as “Shadow of a cloud over a hidden field”) he combines bucolic fingerpicked guitar folk, progressive electronic beats and dreamy, druggy drones (even some excursions into black metal!!) to create an eclectic sound that avoids any categorizations but keeps you drawn. What is more interesting is the fact that the album was released both on CD (via Instant Classic label) and on cassette (via Few Quiet People) and both formats contain different music. Stream both versions of the album below and buy it if you enjoy the sound! Recommended for fans of Grouper, Alexander Tucker, Natural Snow Buildings or the most far-out, experimental moments of Mount Eerie.

James Ferraro - Live at Primavera Sound 2012

Ye Holy Gods! Among all the fine outer limits music outfits that perform at Primavera Sound every year, James Ferraro’s set must’ve been one of the most hypnotic and dazzling. A strange combination of heavenly drones, New New New Age synthesizer noodling and a contantly looping somewhat IDM-ish mutant beat that has no end. Even though Ferraro was well into the “Far Side Virtual” era at this stage (2012), he managed to perfectly blend his earlier crystal healer ambient with the newer vaporwave phase of his oeuvre. 25 minutes of trippertronic bliss. Highly recommended!!

Joonatan Elokuu - The Tower & The Hanged Man

Amsterdam, Netherlands based bard Joonatan Elokuu conjures magic with his bucolic string ballads with a certain penchant for Christian choral music and bits of Gregorian choirs. It’s delicate as a flower on the cover, touching psychedelia gently, coloring up the song collection hidden within. Too hear his more abstract, ambient-oriented work, check out “Earth, Sky, Moon & Sun” ready to swallow you whole, Brian Eno style.

Apollo Vermouth / Skamp - A Simple Sadness

Sometimes the simplest things are the deepest and the most effective of all. A Simple Sadness, a split between Milwaukee units Apollo Vermouth and Skamp. The first one does a heavenly, minimalistic wall guitar drone while the latter play deconstructed punk with a neurotic math rock edge. It’s fiuckin messy and lo-fi as shit, as it’s supposed to be. As Apollo V. reminds us on their 15 minute monoliuth epic: DON’T BE SAD!

TVNOISE - IIOII B

Chilled as fuck, lazily flowing psychedelic Germanik autobahn musik, picking up a frenetic pace on the course of the near 14 minute krautrock journey “I N T O / We Are the Jungle”. Gently flowing between guitar-susatined ambient atmospherics and plodding sludge rock into a rainforest like foggy heat haze. The album cover is a warning. But don’t be afraid to swim in deep water. Highly recommended!

Seria Numeryczna

Seria Numeryczna (“The Numeric Series”) is the ongoing digital single series from the Polish record label Oficyna Biedota. Even though the label usually focuses on the more experimental and rebellious side of rock music, the three (so far, I guess) Seria Numeryczna singles dig deep into cold electronic paranoia, taking inspirations both from drone music as well as dark ambient and industrial atmospherics. Dig deep into the numbers and receive nirvana in return.

Bridgetown Records on Bandcamp

Here’s a real treat for fans of widely-understood ambient music and cassette labels in general: one of the strongest players in the scene, Kevin Greenspon’s Bridgetown Records, have uploaded pretty much all of their catalog to Bandcamp, so now you can stream and listen to every cassette ever released by that imprint, but also buy the tape (if still availbale) or digital version for a really cheap price. 5 years. Over 60 releases. Go for it!

Bridgetown Records on Bandcamp

Notthere - Suspense and Denial

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Monumental, all-enveloping work from the looming, heavy Los Angeles post-smog cloud Notthere, exhausting both in lenght of pieces and the number of them, elegantly topped with a fittingly minimal and apocalyptic cover. Sleepy ambient (sometimes straight up dark ambient!) blends perfectly with occasional harsher, cinematic drones. Will drift you off to sleep on a rainy day in no time. Highly recommended. For the cloudier days.

Gripgevest & Kling - Untitled

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Deeply underground hasheeshian communal exploration from the newest cosmic nugget in the Hare Akedod roster by the Antwerp psychedelic duo Gripgevest & Kling. The cassette is a recording of several live improvisations played during concerts and festivals in Antwerp and it seems that the live setting suits them: the paganic explorations filled with lazy synths and ritualistic flutes and drums propel forward the sloppy, molasses-like atmosphere steeped in druggy mist and the tropical fog. Let the magic work for you.

Innercity Ensemble - Innercity Ensemble (Milieu L’Acéphale présente)

Deep, psychedelic four-track attack from northern Poland, where dense post-rock atmospheres meet the kaleidoscopic, shimmering classic acid rock and krautrock influences to create an ambient-infused, sprawling narcotic vista for the endless summer evenings. Some of the strongest trippy music from this country since Same Road’s stoner journey “Sensem przekaźnika jest przekaz”. While waiting for the new Ścianka album (which is taking forever), check out this third eye, mind-opening free download offering from Toruń’s Innercity Ensemble. Highly recommended!