Softest - Music for Rain: Volume One (Inner Islands - 028)

Music for reflection - and some kush never hurts. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

 After being near the abyss, a return to bliss is needed to keep this joint rolling. My head was feeling weary and I needed to recover. Thus, I decided to plunge my hand into the Inner Islands jar which sits on the top shelf. They always deliver me to a serene place where my soul becomes enlightened. The first of two Summer releases on Inner Islands, Softest is the new project of Braden J. McKenna. On Music for Rain: Volume One introspective, soothing music provides one with the space and aural light to meditate on the beauty of the moment. Guitar, synth, and field recordings create slowly morphing soundscapes.

As the first track commences, morning dew glistens softly in the faint, embryonic light. Soft nascent vibrations act like the first cup of coffee, slowly shaking off the slumber in the sun's vastness. The mood is light and airy throughout. Waves of soft colors coalesce begetting undulating tranquility. When you breathe with these sounds, the environment shimmers; the bark of the tree uneven, stale and damp; a sheet of heavenly light flashes hot across the saturated grass coating it in brilliance; and the seemingly immutable sweet scent of the Earth that permeates the nostrils like the first few conscious breaths of the day - sweetly flowing and music for anytime of the day. Ascendant energy rings faithfully in "Surface Dance." Shifting radiance and delicate sounds are interspersed with nature. Peaceful loops combine with gentle streams of rain and crystalline radiance in "Trying"; gentle sounds wallow and ripple in the final track. 

One may purchase Music for Rain: Volume One directly from Inner Islands.

peace and love, friends :)

Dura - Silver/Lawns (Cut#10)

start your week with these kind vibes. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

When the sun is mostly enveloped by clouds, strokes of light escape the opacity. Vivid burnt orange and yellow streaks swirl within a murky formation. As the shrouded warmth breaks through subtly, tranquil energy contacts the bare skin. Then, all one can feel is light and unabated warmth. The soul of the solar system lighting the path that leads to kindness. Silver/Lawns resonates deeply with nature. Fused with the outdoors, this tape assumes a majestic quality. Dura's recent release on Warsaw's Wounded Knife puts the listener in a dreamy state for a little less than one hour. On Silver/Lawns, Dura uses layers of guitar and lustrous loops to make the speakers breath. Placid waves of guitar drone cascade and solitary strings glisten in the morning dew. Shimmering strings are worked into a dither, while kind american primitive guitar plays over top of ethereal drone. As the sustained sonic energy abates, the strings still smoldering, lovely patterns emerge.    

Wounded Knife produces tapes for tape lovers. This label based in Warsaw exerts tremendous effort to create a memorable audio-visual experience. I highly recommend Wounded Knife to readers of this blog. Limited to 50 copies, it is already sold out at the source. However, digital files may be obtained from the artist. Also, I am in the possession of two copies. If anybody would like the second copy, then send me an email. The first person to email me will receive the tape.

peace and love, friends :)  

Les Halles - Invisible Cities (PURR 042)

tranquil energy that permeates the radiant, yearning soul. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Whether shards of sunshine illuminate the quiescent soul or opaque, introspective clouds muddle the tempo of the breath, Les Halles, to borrow a phrase from the beautiful Pema Chödrön, makes music to help the listener start where you are. Invisible Cities, by Les Halles on Constellation Tatsu, utilizes flute and strings among other instruments. Introspective, languorous waves of flute flutter in a hazy atmosphere and dissipate in the palpable crackle and hiss. As we begin the climb this morning to the zenith of 4/20, the sun is engulfed by ubiquitous sonic fog. Yet, Invisible Cities is the perfect accompaniment for a journey over a tortuous route that leads one to the light.  

 Waves of warm hiss and crackle combine with mellifluous flute that billows lightly through the head in the opening track, "Between Two Deserts." Jovial voices circulate harmoniously. The hiss bubbles and surges, spraying the exterior with a fine mist. In the following track, patient strings exude calmness and mix with looped flute, the wavelength of which stretches from the speakers to the soul. Layers of placid energy echo and meander over the fragile resonance of plucked strings. "Wave from Memories" presents music that is intertwined with the breath. As swaths of equanimity multiply, rippling peaceful energy engulfs the listener. In the final track on side A, meditative tones twinkle and abut mystical loops. The flipside commences with my favorite track, "Grow in Lightness." Serene beams of sunlight are spread wide across the blue sky, breathing life into the still, dormant body. Contemplative tones with a light and airy character circulate while  faint strings whisper in the penultimate track. Flute ripples softly dissolving in the opaque atmosphere. The final track, "Illusion of Movement" is notable for its adroit use of space. Flowery, inner seeking waves drift lazily and slowly disperse. Occasionally, the hushed murmur of brushed strings is audible - lovely!

Constellation Tatsu tapes are omnipresent in my cassette deck. Released as part of Constellation Tatsu's spring batch, the artwork and design are credited to Dieter Durinck. Invisible Cities is highly recommended and may be purchased directly from Constellation Tatsu.  
  

peace and love, friends :)

Dura - Altered Resonance (PS047)

Help is on the way - Dura and Pure Kush! Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Potent oscillations arrive quickly, burrow deep within the still body and illuminate the inner architecture of the listener. Throughout Altered Resonance, on Patient Sounds, there are copious opportunities to merge with the vibrations of life. Mattson Ogg, of Dura, adeptly combines warm drones and ambient/american primitive guitar. With eyelids tightly closed, the supreme resonance cascades through the bones and begets enhanced perception. Nestled in the wave of awareness, one notices the manifestation of delicate strings. Much like the slowly rising sun, incipient strings are initially cloaked by robust drones before becoming a more active part of the compositions - often vacillating between the background and the surface. Overall, Altered Resonance triggers awareness with ease - highly recommended!    
        
Much like my favorite sonic healers, Ogg triggers the sixth and seventh senses. Powerful drones pulsate as solitary strings vibrate throughout the soul. A deluge of majestic vibrations infuse the atmosphere with vitality -  a crest so high that the infinite blue sky seems proximate. Restrained, tranquil guitar becomes more active, even ascending to the fore as the side progresses. Toward the end of side A, a lovely tempo is achieved; surging and receding drones abut serene strums - heavenly. As the flipside commences, an embryonic drone alternatively oscillates and pulses. Fragile strings and field recordings remind me of the lovely elements that pervade a Josh Mason recording. Ogg's use of texture and tone are prominent on side B. Sustained tones bend toward the light -soothing and comforting. Flowing waves in continuous motion become more reflective toward the end. Ethereal and harshly resonant drones combine with shimmering strings near the end.

Altered Resonance, produced in a limited edition of 50 copies, is sold out at the source. However, Tomentosa appears to have the last copies - vital stuff if you prefer to inhabit these zones.

peace and love, friends :)