While some are already knee-deep in their best-of-the-year lists and think pieces, some of us prefer to take things one step at a time. There'll be plenty of time for reflection in January, so here's a look back at some of the album highlights of the past few months.
Ok, this one is a bit of a cheat as it was released back in July, but I think you'll agree that Secret Boyfriend’s abrasive dream-pop gems only truly come into their own in the cold, foggy months. Listener’s Guide is a selection of the more pop-leaning tracks from the back catalog of Ryan Martin's project for the Enmossed label. Of course, all the “pop” here is very much obscured by buried lyrics combined with grainy synths and drum machine beats. It makes for a lovely introduction to the simultaneously warm and fuzzy, and cold and aloof universe of Secret Boyfriend’s lo-fi melancholia.
The new release from Polish ambient specialist Mateusz Olszewski aka Zaumne, Only Good Dreams for Me, is his first for Warm Winters Ltd. and possibly his most compact to date. “Airport City” and “Iskra” straddle the line between 90s downtempo and 10s witch-house, “Sleepwalking” evokes The Caretaker's haunted ballroom; elsewhere splashes of ASMR add to the soundscape’s palpability while gentle melodies peek through hazy textures, eventually opening up into the gorgeous two-minute epic of the closing track. Sure, labels like Zaumne's own “emo dub” or claire rousay's “emo ambient” probably started out half-serious, but I'd say we can soon drop the quotes and admit they have been manifested into existence (complimentary).
While it may be all good dreams for Zaumne, Mónica Mesa aka Doris Dana offers a glimpse into the more uncanny side of the illusionary spectrum. Released on Glasgow's Somewhere Press, the label behind another fall gem – the Alliyah Enyo and Angel R collab Selkie Reflections – Reveries is a captivating set of lush dark ambient. The album fulfills the pyramid of basic fall needs from top to bottom – from whispered spoken word and haunted guitar chords through field recordings, cracks, and squeaks to deep dub beats. While listening to Reveries on a walk the other day, the real sound of wind in the trees intertwined with the similar recorded sound on one of the tracks, and when the vocals whispered: “Are you sure you are not dreaming?” it sent shivers down my spine. So liminal!
Stroom TV strikes again, and while everyone is losing their shit over that Milan W album, I'd rather go with something much, much weirder. A collaboration between Belgian composer Ben Bertrand and artist/theatre-maker Manah Depauw, Black Zodiac is a sci-fi cosmic recital that draws you deep into its bizarre narrative and delicately woven sonic maze. On paper, it may not seem like the sort of thing that invites repeated listening, but there is something deeply magnetic about this oddball sound play.
Civilistjävel!'s latest, released on FELT, is a colossal, expansive exploration of ambient dub. From the speaker-piercing dub techno of the opening track to the more subdued vocal tracks featuring the likes of Mayssa Jallad and Laila Sakini, the subtly hypnotic Brödföda takes its time to gently unfold over an hour and fifteen minutes. Civilistjävel!'s Tomas Bodén described Brödföda as his “summer album” in an interview, before going on to praise autumn as the season with the best ratio of light and dark (100% agree!). Well, I don't know what kind of summer we're talking about, but I'd say the album sounds just perfect now that we're in the dark more or less full-time.
A few bonus releases – black and white covers only! Speaking of FELT, label boss Fergus Jones fka Perko has recently released his excellent debut full-length, Ephemera, which explores similarly dubby territory, albeit with a smooth progression from more pop-leaning tracks to full-on ambient. Also contributing to the new trip-pop resurgence, Bristol trio Jabu offer a fully fleshed-out statement in restrained, late-night meditative pop on A Soft and Gatherable Star, arguably their best work to date. On her new EP Nutrition, Carmen Villain doubles down on the previously hinted-at dub influences, suggesting a more extroverted, perhaps even club-oriented path for her future releases. Described simply (and accurately?) as “shrapnel lullabies”, Chino Amobi's mammoth 26-track release Eroica is a typically cacophonous collage of sounds and genres that goes straight for the throat.