Ali Murray - Wilderness of Life (2022)

GENRE : alternative folk, dream pop, shoegaze, post-punk, Scotland

RECORD LABEL : Dead Forest Records

Ali Murray is a half-Scottish/half-Filipino songwriter/musician hailing from a cold little Scottish island - the Isle of Lewis, to be precise, and this is his first solo album since 2017. I've been highly anticipating this album for what seems like an eternity. Often when I build things up in my head over a long period of time, they inevitably disappoint...but this album was even better than I expected it to be.

This album is a dark lonely introspective journey through ambiguous dreamscapes. Musically, it's an interesting mixture of ethereal alt-folk and melancholy dream-pop, with some elements of shoegaze and gothic post-punk thrown in there for good measure. Lyrically, it tackles profound themes of mortality, love, loss, freedom and the fragility of our existence. 

It is not light shallow music for the masses. Murray constantly manages to tap into something deep, dark and uncomfortable... but somehow turns it all into wonderful dreamy pop music.

The atmospheres and soundscapes within the album are exactly how I imagine the Isle of Lewis to be - cold, barren and beautiful...

I would highly recommend this album. It's one of the best singer-songwriter albums I've heard in years. And while you're at it, you should definitely check out his older albums.

Stream/Download the album here...

https://alimurray.bandcamp.com/album/wilderness-of-life

Western Skies Motel - Reflections EP (2014)

 

GENRE : experimental, electro-acoustic, ambient folk, drone, Denmark

RECORD LABEL : Audio Gourmet

Western Skies Motel is the solo music project of Danish multi-instrumentalist Rene Schelbeck, and this is his debut EP, 'Reflections'. I originally discovered Western Skies Motel through the now-defunct music blog Make Your Own Taste, quite a number of years back. I was immediately intrigued by the project name and artwork, and knew I had to check it out. I'm so glad I did...

It's a perfect soundtrack for driving down dark deserted highways at night, seeing all the passing streetlights blur and flicker through the spattering raindrops on your windshield. I used to listen to this EP a lot while driving home from sad lonely night shifts, contemplating my own existence... 

The central focus of the songs is Rene's beautiful lush acoustic Americana-style finger-picking, accompanied by dark metallic drones that create these rich dreamy textures, making the whole thing very tense and atmospheric from start to finish. I'd recommend checking out all his work, but I think this EP is a good starting point. It's a beautiful taster of what's to come.

Stream/Download the EP here : 

https://westernskiesmotel.bandcamp.com/album/reflections