Hakobune - Evergreen/Faraway (2017)

 

GENRE : Japan, ambient, experimental, noise, drone, ethereal

RECORD LABEL : self-released

Hakobune is the musical project of Takahiro Yorifuji from Hyogo, Japan. He making stunning guitar-based ambient music, and has an incredibly large discography. 'Evergreen/Faraway' is the only release of his that I've listened to so far, and it's a killer. Ideal ethereal ambient music for reading, studying, meditating, getting high or just thinking... 

Stream/Download here :

https://hakobune.bandcamp.com/album/evergreen-faraway-2

Gratitude - If Ever (Acoustic)

GENRE : emo, acoustic, post-hardcore, alternative rock, indie rock

RECORD LABEL : Atlantic Records

Like most people, I was first exposed to this song in the first episode of the Masters of Horror series (''Incident On and Off a Mountain Road'') and was gripped immediately. The beautiful hushed voice of Jonah Matranga floating over simple acoustic emo guitar chords while you're watching the car driving along a deserted moonlit road, before the horror begins...

Anyway, this is a gorgeous song. I wasn't too taken with this particular band (Gratitude) tbh, but this one song is beautiful.

Jonah Matranga was the frontman of the legendary post-hardcore band Far, who you should definitely listen to. Great band. Also check out his lo-fi singer/songwriter solo project OneLineDrawing.

Official website :

https://jonahmatranga.com/

Sarah La Puerta - Strange Paradise (2021)

 

GENRE : doom pop, freak folk, alternative, indie, dream pop, lo-fi, synthpop

RECORD LABEL : Perpetual Doom

The soundtrack to being alone and depressed on a tropical island. Everything is hot and sticky and miserable, and no one speaks the same language as you, and the food sucks...

'Strange Paradise' is the debut album of Austin songwriter/musician, Sarah La Puerta. It's dark and funny and weird and beautiful. Perpetual Doom is a great quirky record label that mostly specializes in limited vinyl/cassette releases of a raw lo-fi aesthetic. They have released many great albums of artists I've never heard of. This one ranks amongst their best.

Stream/Download album here:

https://perpetualdoom.bandcamp.com/album/strange-paradise

Official Website :

https://www.sarahlapuerta.com/

Crystal Winds - Lovers Holiday 7" (2021)

 

GENRE : 70's soul, R&B, disco

RECORD LABEL : Athens of the North

Damn, this is smoooooooooooooooooooooth..... 

Stream/Download here :

https://aotns.bandcamp.com/album/lovers-holiday

Grouper - Shade (2021)

GENRE : experimental pop, ambient, singer-songwriter, noise, drone

RECORD LABEL : Kranky

Grouper is the music project of experimental songwriter/musician Liz Harris. Her latest release is 'Shade', and it's my personal favourite work of hers to date. Beautiful, bare, stripped-down, sleepy, introspective folk music mixed with tape loops and ambient noise experimentations. It's almost unbearably raw and intimate, with room sounds, squeaky fret noises and owls hooting in the background. I personally hope she releases more albums like this. 

Stream/Download the album here :

https://grouper.bandcamp.com/album/shade

William Patrick Corgan - Cotillions (2019)

GENRE : acoustic, alternative folk, americana, country, roots, singer-songwriter,

RECORD LABEL : Martha's Music

William Patrick Corgan is Billy Corgan. Billy Corgan is William Patrick Corgan. This guy shouldn't need any introduction. He gets a lot of shit from the media, and people in general, but he's a truly incredible artist/musician, and his three solo works to date (TheFutureEmbrace, Ogilala & Cotillions) are among my favourite albums of his vast discgraphy, and easily rival/exceed anything he's done with The Smashing Pumpkins.

I really wanted to NOT like 'Cotillions'. I think it takes audacity to release a 17-track album, but it's so damn good if you let it play out. There's only maybe 1 or 2 songs that I could take or leave, which is pretty impressive. I do admit that there's an undoubted samey-ness to the songs on this album, but it's a beautiful album to take in in its entirety during long drives through barren country landscapes. The lyrics are mostly nonsensical (ridiculous) to me, but I accept them. They do resonate in some strange way that I'm unable to put my finger on. 

Overall I do love this album. One that gets better and better with subsequent listens. Available to buy from Amazon, iTunes, etc...