Cinematic ambient with neo-classical instrumentation, dreamy electronics, and the occasional rain.
Tale Of Us – Endless
Julianna Barwick – Healing Is A Miracle
Peaceful, soothing, ethereal ambient with choirlike vocals. It keeps amazing me what comes out of the Ninja Tune roster sometimes.
Ital Tek – Outland
Bass heavy, melodic, dreamy and moody, slow paced but not fully ambient electronics. It explores space, goes under the ocean, travels in the belly of the Earth—all the places where dark is the domain but textures can be observed by some shimmering traces of light.
Gidge – New Light
Beautiful, easing ambient, IDM, and some very soft techno. Think Moderat but with more chill.
Reigns – The Walled Garden
As the first notes started playing on this record I thought Reigns turned to a lighter mood since I fell in love with them with The House on the Causeway. I starts that way. Then they quickly delve into their home territory of eerie land where rock and electronic holds no real meanings—this music is not defined by its instruments but its super heavy atmosphere. It’s a beautiful wondering in a haunted garden with dark crimson roses, piercing thorns, and an ominous yet not at all depressing constant dusk.
Richard Norris – Elements
Hypnotic ambient, great for focused work.
Ten Walls – Lights For The Dreams
At the beginning it totally starts like some Brandt Brauer Frick record, having all those acoustic instruments, drums, guitars, strings, brass instruments, making all those little noises mixed up with the electronics. Then from the third track it goes fully electronic and creates this wonderful, cinematic journey with pulsing techno, ambient soundscapes, and broken beats. It all creates this great flow even though stylistically it’s not the most coherent album. I’m not afraid to say that it could well deserve a spot on my year-end toplist, even if it doesn’t make the Top 10 it could easily sit within the twenty.
nthng – Hypnotherapy
Subsea trip with thumping, soft dub techno and ethereal ambient. Good for chilling, brilliant for work.
On a sidenote: when will this album cover trend stop, I wonder… Photos of parts of stuff so that it looks disturbing. It may have started around Dumb Flesh, but I wouldn’t mind if it stopped.
Nicolas Jaar – Cenizas
I still have a hard time to slap a label on Nicolas Jaar. But this record is pure gold, again. Overall I can call it modern classical, although that’s not because of its use of traditional instruments and orchestration, but because it sounds like my idea of a perfect, meticulously crafted classical music today. Genrewise it’s some kind of ambient with a very wide range of intruments and sounds (drums, chimes, keys, strings, experimental textures, and voice), using inspiration from all over the world, and melting it into a introvert mind trip. As advertised on the cover. And an amazing cover art it is, too.
Update: the totally ethereal sounds of Hello, Chain gives me the goose bumps. I’m in awe.
Kelpe – Run With the Floating, Weightless Slowness
I find peacful ambient and modern classical best for work nowadays. I have a lot going on these days, and it’s like my mind is completely full with information and decisions and there’s just no room for too many beats and spoken words. Albums like this keep my mind clear and leave room for thinking. Besides it’s pretty nice, too.
Melodic ambient with a wide array of acousitc instruments. The second track (All the Way Round) reminded me of a soundtrack hook from Penny Dreadful (the London series), which nailed my attention for the rest of the record. The rest is not at all like that, btw. But still, no regrets for staying.