The lovechild of composer Harold Budd and Ambient legend Brian Eno, The Pearl is a decently engaging ambient release that floats quietly between calming, meditative waves and sadder, more emotional ties.

The soundscapes on The Pearl are pretty well-composed, with lighter drone acting as an background accompaniment to well-chosen chords and keyboard. The project is sonically no different than a lot of the other ambient that I've listened to, although The Pearl is consistently melancholic ... read more

One of the more decent Brian Eno projects, Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror is a pretty decent ambient project that didn't blow me away, but did enough to make it memorable.

Not much to say about this album, great atmosphere, as always. Brian Eno really is a genius,

The debut release by Dark Ambient/Drone artist 아버지 [father2006], 흰색 죽음 [White Death] is a decently interesting collection of gloomy and foreboding ambient melodies that manages it's spooky ambiance well.

흰색 죽음 [White Death] feels like a languid, creeping journey through dark, stygian environments that seem eerily cold and empty. Lightly airy and vapor-like whispers and shadowed mumbling come in and out between the subtle rumbling of the background track, making for ... read more

宇宙 日本 世田谷 [Uchu Nippon Setagaya] is magical. But then again, that's just Fishmans. 宇宙 日本 世田谷 is probably Fishmans' most ambient record, and as always, I greatly enjoyed the lush, intricate soundscapes that the band has become known for.

宇宙 日本 世田谷 is an ethereal experience, a psychedelic journey that manages to be pretty complex musically and aesthetically. At this point in their career, Fishmans had already gotten down the key ingredients ... read more

The debut mixtape by Drain Gang rapper and creative Thaiboy Digital, ส [Tiger] is a surprisingly potent debut that provides a heavy dose of Cloud-Rap/Trap charm, without overstaying its welcome.

The production on ส [Tiger] is a hazy mix of neon-like synths, deep trap and bass, and plucky near-medieval strings and chords. Thaiboy’s vocals here are pretty similar to his delivery on future projects, and we get the very laid-back and uninterested autotuned mumbling that would later ... read more

A magnificent two-hour collection of graceful ambient melodies and musical drone, The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid is about as liberatingly beautiful as ambient can get.

The minimalistic ambiance that defines this record is so soothingly entrancing, and like the name suggests, these really are "tired" melodies. Stars of the Lid have always been one of the best bands for just sitting back and existing, and that's still true here. There's not a lot to say in terms of the ... read more

There is more to Plantasia than meets the eye. The last album by Mort Garson, Plantasia was the first album on the West Coast to be produced with a Moog synthesizer. As the cover of the album describes, Plantasia is an album for people who love plants, or for plants themselves. Created with the intention of making music that even plants could enjoy, Mort Garson’s vision on this album is certainly unique. Originally released in a limited number as part of a shopping deal with the Mother ... read more

Wide-mouthed, eyes wide, head bobbing, this is what it feels like to listen to Half Blood. Half Blood really put Slayr on the map, and I, like many others, first heard about him shortly after this mixtape's release. Even with the huge growth of the underground in the past few years, it's abundantly evident that Slayr is among one of the strongest creatives in the space right now. After multiple listens, I can pretty confidently say that Half Blood is my favorite underground release ... read more

Like many familiar with Hemlocke Springs, I discovered her shortly after the release of her 2022 single "girlfriend" that would later feature on her 2023 EP. At the time, I enjoyed the unique artistic identity that Hemlocke seemed to be crafting for herself, but I didn't end up having enough interest to listen to her full 2023 release. Having heard a generally positive reception regarding her newly released debut, I decided to give it a listen. I'm delighted to say that I ... read more

Grouper's Ruins might be one of her quietest records. Devastatingly haunting, like most of the Grouper discography, Ruins is a much more minimalist and deconstructed release that isn't afraid to build space using instrumentals. Harris' vocals are a great addition to this record, and at this point in her career, she knows just how to invoke the heavy emotional atmosphere that her albums are known for. However, Ruins leaves the listener without the small comfort of Harris' ... read more

After a 13+ year hiatus, Boards of Canada triumphantly return with Inferno, their newest release. Going into a first listen, I had already been intrigued by the cryptic pre-release album rollout from BOC. Teasers online, snippets, and exclusive listening parties around the country, I was interested to see whether or not Inferno would live up to the hype. After a full listen, I can say this: while Inferno isn't BOC's best release, it is a great addition to the band's discography, ... read more

The debut album from Ethereal Wave and Dream Pop band Them Are Us Too, Remain is a wonderfully dreamy and atmospheric release that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Formed by Kennedy Ashlyn and Cash Askew, Them Are Us Too was a relatively short-lived band that dissolved after the tragic death of Askew in 2016. While its sad that the band didn't get the chance to release more music in Askew's lifetime, Remain is a beautiful testament to the artistic vision that the duo sought to display.

Taking ... read more

Homogenic is one of the greatest Art-Pop albums of all time, and one of Björk's best, which is saying a lot. Björk's communication of love, hate, heartbreak, and the overwhelming wonder of intimacy is just so pure on this album. A musician who can evoke emotion in their audience is skilled at their craft, but one who can make listeners feel as though they’ve lived through those emotions themselves reaches an even greater level of artistry. Björk’s ... read more

This is the first Stereolab album that I've listened to, and I absolutely loved it. Like many of my favorite albums, Dots and Loops is a fantastically diverse showing of musical talent from Stereolab that really impressed me.

The first two songs on Dots and Loops show some really interesting fusion between Twee-Pop vocal styles and breakbeat production, utilizing a nicely mellow jazz background that creates a sound that, right out of the gate, feels unique among other albums I've ... read more

This was my first introduction to Toronto-based shoegaze creative what is your name?, and I think it was a good place to begin. The now now and never is a pretty decent debut, and I think it does enough to communicate the overall vein of shoegaze that what is your name? seems to fall under.

Musically, the riffs on the now now and never are pretty decent, but nothing that I haven't heard from instrumental shoegaze in the past. I wish that there was more meat to this album, because while ... read more

Grace, the only studio album released by monumental singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, is undoubtedly one of the greatest pieces of musical achievement in history.

Grace is a stunningly constructed debut album by Buckley, incorporating a plethora of genres that I definitely didn't expect to see. From the rolling folk-like sound of "Grace," soothing "Lilac Wine," or the grungy "Eternal Life," I was really impressed with what Buckley managed to put together on ... read more

Sade’s 1992 masterpiece Love Deluxe is a world unlike any other. Smoothly spectacular vocal delivery, light and rich instrumentals, and an air of romance and graceful love and soul, Love Deluxe does everything right in constructing a beautifully cohesive environment of sound and life.

Lush is the best way to describe Love Deluxe’s soundscapes, elegantly framing Sade’s vocals on a bed of heavenly sophisti-sound and soul. The songs on Love Deluxe are pretty minimal, mostly ... read more

輪廻交響楽 [Ecophony Rinne], the ambient masterpiece by Japanese instrumental collective Geinoh Yamashirogumi, is an amazingly rich near-spiritual journey through exotic soundscapes that's truly unforgettable.

輪廻交響楽 feels like a soundtrack to a darker, pagan world where spirits and forest-dwelling demons and old gods take center stage in a play of ritualistic proportions. I went into this album completely blind, and that's exactly how it should be enjoyed.

The ... read more

Cambodian Rocks is a very interesting album. A collection of 60’s and 70’s Cambodian psychedelic rock songs, the sound on this album is unlike a lot of the stuff I’ve listened to in the past. The 60’s and 70’s in Cambodia (and the larger Southeast Asian region) were marked by immense innovation in musical style and arrangement, a movement marked by Western-stylized and inspired garage and rock roots. There are plenty of moments on this record where ... read more

I've been meaning to listen to Venice for quite a while now, and just got around to listening to it. Venice does a pretty good job carving itself a more noisy niche amidst more laid-back ambient artists, and it's definitely clear on some of the tracks. Fennesz's usage of dense glitch and drone is interesting but also jarring at times.

The first half of this album is definitely much more stripped-back and calm than the second half, and while the intensity switch halfway through ... read more