Let's start with an overall winter favorite. “Iskra” – spark – is one of those words that's the same in all Slavic languages, so the title of Olga Anna Markowska's debut album immediately signaled a new beginning of sorts. From the sound of it, though, we're dealing with a confident, well-rounded statement. Using cello, zither, electronics, loops, and voice, the Polish interdisciplinary artist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer meticulously crafts an intricate atmosphere that's hard not to get wrapped up in. From the soft glow of the long “Train Ride Home” to the melodic drone of “Fever Dream” to the gorgeous minimalism of the closing “Dusk,” ISKRA is a striking ambient album that feels deeply introspective. Another winter highlight incidentally also comes from Poland – Tonarium Live documents Aleksandra Słyż's monumental live performance on two sets of modular synths. Having had the pleasure of seeing her live back in January, I can confirm that this set still holds the number one spot in favourite shows of the year.
Inspired by the work of poet and author Aimé Césaire, one of the most important anti-colonialist thinkers alongside his fellow Martiniquais Frantz Fanon, Keep Smoking Swamp is a collaboration between Dania and Milan-based duo Rosso Polare. Exploring the metaphorical and literal swamps of entrenched tensions, the record's six tracks generate a vividly haunting and thick, almost suffocating atmosphere; its deep, gooey ambience is occasionally softened by a range of electroacoustic sounds, ethereal vocals, and glimmers of melody.
A decidedly more intimate affair, Freddy Ruppert's I Dreamt We Lost Everything marks a welcome return for the Prague-based US transplant, whom some of you fellow scene veterans may remember from his aughts projects Former Ghosts and This Song Is A Mess But So Am I. Ruppert's music has always been heavily emotionally charged, and this also translates to vocal-less ambient, or what is perhaps more accurately self-described as “adult contemporary industrial”. From the tender opening track, to a prophetic tribute to David Lynch on “when I feel particularly mournful,” to the record's shattering, instrumental emo banger finale, I Dreamt We Lost Everything made for one hell of a winter listening experience (complimentary).
Another release that I wouldn't expect to be described in those terms, but that landed in my inbox with the confident tagline “a giant ambient banger,” is Øhavet, the latest offering from Copenhagen project 2014_Assembly. Known for its ever-shifting lineups, on this occasion the only constant member – drummer Rune Kielsgaard – was joined by Wilbert Gavin Mays (aka African-American Sound Recordings), Nova Varnrable, Mija Milović, and Cæcilie Trier (aka CTM). Despite its improvisational nature, once it gets going, the recording holds up as a fairly compact release, with a very strong middle section and an expansive ending that piques the curiosity enough to warrant another listen.
Longform Editions, a series of – as the name suggests – long-form releases, decided to call it a day earlier this year and, well, go out with a bang, with releases by Natalia Beylis, Fennesz, Tujiko Noriko, and whait. The latter, a collaboration between more eaze and Wendy Eisenberg, hits the project's conceptual nail on the head, delivering an ambient americana étude for banjo and guitar that patiently unravels into an increasingly detailed composition as more elements like bass, violin, pedal steel, and vocals are introduced. Its title referring to “a pun on quarter notes and cohabitation,” Close Quarters presents not only long-form composition goals, but also relationship goals, tbh. more eaze’s other recent collaboration, with Lynn Avery, is behind another first-quarter gem, the self-titled Pink Must album.
The multi-artist compilation Les Heures Claires - the first release from the French label Collerette - explores different approaches to memory and nostalgia. Based on the prompt of finding an old box in the attic of the family home, it seems that for most of the artists involved, it called for a return to the indie folktronica of the early aughts. The fragile, glitchy atmospherics, reminiscent of disintegrating music boxes, suggest a view of old memories as a time of innocence, with each new listen revealing another delicate gem.
The collaboration between Japanese-American saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi and Polish composer Piotr Kurek brings out the best of both worlds in a restrained, quietly exciting way. Greyhound Days is a largely understated, soothing ambient jazz record, rich with details that reveal themselves with repeated listening. The effortless feel of a long-standing collaboration gives hope that there may be more where this came from.