Collective – Aftermath (Spotify)
Collective is a band or project that makes home in the mountains of Appalachia. Combining genres such as jazz, indie-folk, rock and classical, the band has a sound that’s both energetic and cinematic. The band leaders; Brennen and Beth Meek, are seeking to simply tell their story, but tell their story in a way that everyone who wishes can join them on their journey.
Manon – Streams (Spotify)
Manon paints landscapes for your ears. The palette of the singer-songwriter is full of contrasting tone colors: light and shadow collide in a universe that is as alien as it is earthbound.
Her pictures captivate with filigree lines, wide surfaces and powerful accents. Composed by Manon, the music unites infinity and intimacy and pulls away from classical structures. Sometimes the work floats slightly, the next moment it erupts like a volcano. Delicate melodies flow into menacing abysses. The result though, is always both organic and authentic.
The new songs were recorded by Manon at Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavik and produced with Francesco Fabris.
Jeremy Cullen – Theme from the Handover (Spotify)
This track is the main theme from a New Zealand short film called "The Handover". It tells the story of a single dad who is struggling to move on from his previous relationship, and the tune captures his feeling of helplessness and melancholy about his situation.
Edward Delsing – Remembering the Moment (Edit) (Spotify)
Edward grew up in rural Canada. When he was young, his parents bought him a piano, which quickly became his favorite thing in the world. He became drawn to instrumental piano music by Chopin, Beethoven, Vangelis, Yiruma and others, and fell in love with creating music at the piano at an early age. Edward has been performing and teaching music for 20 years, during which time he has been honing his craft as a composer.
Edward has written many styles of music, but his current focus is on writing instrumental contemporary classical music. His piano music is sentimental, relaxing, stirring, often nostalgic, and his melodic style has been compared to Ludovico Einaudi, Nils Frahm, and Max Richter. Edward has piano recordings coming out on BandCamp and all music streaming platforms throughout 2019 and beyond, including his anticipated debut album, Suncatcher (July 2019).
Moshi – Here, Always (Spotify)
This is a peaceful piano ballad over a beautiful ambient backdrop of synth pads, evoking a "longing" feeling by using inverted chords and a flexible tempo to give the effect of always almost arriving home, but always leaving a desire for resolution, finally landing on it by the end of the song.
Jacob LaVallee – This Time (Spotify)
This is a track written with a melancholic, classical music tone. It was written during a time of personal trial by the artist , the music itself helped pull him through.
Macgray – Oblivion (Spotify)
The album "Journey to the Dawn" is the collapse of a man's world and its subsequent reconstruction. Panic attacks follow glimpses of absolute calm. When the inner voice awakens, reality is buried. Shadows of the unconscious become real. The whirlwind of thoughts suffocates. There is no way out, only a sense of the imminent arrival of the end.
In this story, "Oblivion" is a moment of passage, a transition to forgiveness. When one accepts and learns to forget...
Paul Haslinger – Berlin 86-11 (Spotify)
On Paul Haslinger's forthcoming LP Exit Ghost, the Tangerine Dream alumni has put together a solo offering that’s a world removed from the explorations of the seminal electronic outfit, as well as the recent sonic trips of Neuland. It sees him in a more reflective territory, from organic ambient constructions a la Colin Stetson to inward looking piano pieces a la Hauschka. All material emanated from a grand piano, and expanded outward from there.
Exit Ghost is his long thought out opus, a moment caught in time, flicking through reference points, taking an ethereal excursion that permeates musical genres as it becomes awash with intricate sounds and cross-pollinating rhythms. It’s out on new label Artificial Instinct on February 7th, 2020.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – The Staggering Girl (Spotify)
On his score for Luca Guadagnino's (Suspiria) The Staggering Girl, acclaimed visionary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto says, “When approaching the score for The Staggering Girl, I wanted to incorporate the tactile sound of Valentino's fabrics. So I asked them to send me some samples and utilizing special sensitive microphones, I experimented ‘playing’ the fabrics. I love the sound and how it forces one's attention to a sound all around us, yet almost entirely ignored.” Score details at Pitchfork.
Thomas Jackson – Den inre skogen (Spotify)
Thomas Jackson has directed and made the music for the documentary ”Den inre Skogen” (Inner woods) which is now showing on Swedish national television and selected cinemas. The soundtrack will be released on Flora & Fauna in February 2020.
It is a film about our relationship to nature and about how our preconceptions shape how we see everything around us. The documentary features Swedish artists and activists such as Lars Lerin, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Helena Granström, Eirik Havnes, Helene Schmitz and Pella Thiel.
Thomas Jackson’s acclaimed films have been shown around the world at Berlin Film Festival, Toronto Hot Docs and San Sebastian Film Festival amongst others, and at art institutions such as MOMA Tokyo and Bonnier konsthall.