A small “scene”—or simply a bunch of friends with benefits like talent, good ideas and a shared sense of whimsy, as heard on ensemble efforts […]
Author: Stephen Fruitman
Forrest Fang :: Animism (Projekt)
In his seamless marriage of acoustic and electronic, Fang speaks a whole other language of ambient, fluently through golden syrup. Forrest Fang returns to the […]
Moon Ate the Dark :: Molt and Grow (Brian)
Last year, Moon Ate the Dark presented itself with a stellar, self-titled debut album. It impressed everyone who heard, including the proprietor of tiny, tasteful […]
Jerusalem in My Heart :: Mo7it al-Mo7it (Constellation)
A heartfelt lament for a sick goat is performed, with Moumneh’s voice fraying at the edges before being carpeted with frazzled synths. Founded by Radwan […]
Gastón Arévalo :: Rollin Ballads (Oktaf)
Rollin Ballads is classically ambient, a watercolor wash of palpable, agreeable texture beneath which themes emerge and recur, amounting in a graceful, nine-movement suite beautifully […]
LGBT Rights for Russia Now!
“They’re so tired of shooting protest singers,” Elvis Costello once sang, “that they hardly mention us.” And yet what can they do but keep singing—or […]
Brandon Hurtado :: Bonfires for Nobody (Self-Released)
Harrowingly lonely at times, this gap in Hurtado’s life is a struggle conveyed in specific terms with universal implications. At some point we all have […]
Michelle Cross & Joe Frawley :: Dolls Come to Life (Dolls Come to Life)
A suite that plays like an Edmund Gorey children’s book, with Cross’ unsettling but deeply affecting song illustrated with dark romantic flourish by Frawley. Joe […]