#Seil Records

[iamlisteningto]

Hainbach’s Breve

[trevlad-sounds]

Mystery Ramsgate Community

29.12.2024

There Is Another System – Affres de la Mort (Live) – 00:00 Scott Campbell – Centering – 04:48 HAWKSMOOR – Solstice Alignment – 09:04 Folclore Impressionista – Fox Likes the Sun – 10:29 Her Majesty’s Coroner for Wirral – dont wake the kids luv x – 10:49 Concretism – Beach – 14:54 Field Lines Cartographer – Shining Ramshorn Snail – 16:18 Folclore Impressionista – The Problem Of Symmetry – 25:27 The Hardy Tree – All the Hours – 28:39 HAWKSMOOR – Methods of Dreaming – 47:51 THE DANDELION SET & ALAN MOORE – Memoir Of A Black Spider – 51:35 Gustavo Jobim – 1.00 am deckard zapping tv channels – 54:11 The Overload – Low Flying Aircraft – 59:23 The Overload – Gated Community – 01:01:52 Vic Mars – Plastic trees – 01:04:19 Town & County – Intercity House – 01:07:39 Aural Design – Light and movement – 01:10:52 Mike Dickinson – Return To Love – 01:12:16 30 Door Key – Mistery & Imagination – 01:15:48 The Focus Group – Salty Sun Tales – 01:17:55

[scotianostra]

Janet Elizabeth Macgregor was born on January 12th 1920 in Glasgow.

Born as Janet Elizabeth McPherson at Lynedoch Place in the cities Hillhead area, you may not have heard of Janet, but in her work she has no doubt saved countless lives as a pioneer of cervical screening.

Betty, as she became known, attended school at Bearsden Academy, going on to study medicine at the University of Glasgow during the Second World War, graduating in 1943.

Betty Macgregor was the cytologist who made northeast Scotland the United Kingdom's first centre for systematic cervical screening. It was because of her published results that screening was taken up throughout the country.

She published important papers on many aspects of screening, including cervical cytology, the epidemiology of cervical cancer, improving the prognosis, cost effectiveness, cervical abnormalities in various subgroups of women, and the problems of false negative results. Her booklet Taking Uterine Cervical Smears, published by the British Society of Clinical Cytology, sold 25 000 copies.

It was not a period when priority was given to such a lengthy and complex medical programme: politicians had other demands on public funds. It was the way Macgregor organised the tests that brought the programme so much renown. Everything was meticulously documented and recorded with great care and attention. After five years she had assembled such powerful scientific evidence that other health authorities throughout the UK immediately adopted her system.

She retired to Isle of Seil. She died of cerebrovascular disease on 8th October 2005 at the Lynn of Lorne Nursing Home, Benderloch, near Oban.

You can find out more about this life saving woman here

[bonzo193]

Belgian Country Radio Russell's Country & Western Music Show  August 11th.,2023 01 Lee Browing - Ring From A Quarter Machine   CLB 02  The Hammond Brothers - Susie 03 Michael Moncada & Whiskey High - Walk No Line      Winter 04  Helena Mace   When Those Stars Align    countrymusicsocialmedia   05 Glen Shelton   I'm All In    Jordash 06 Amy Rose - One Love    Wild Rose Music 07 Vicki Lynn Maxwell - Goodbye Darling 08 Ray Shavers - Country Living 09 Jimmy Nash - Green     Cloverdale Music 10 Eden Langworthy    Heaven 11  DebbieNunn - World On My Shoulders 12  Lone Rider                Debbie Bergeron   album She Drives 13 David Wilcox - We Make The Way By Walking       What Are 14  Rae Leigh - Faith In Us  key2artistpromotions.com 15 Paul Seils JNR -  HOLD THE LINE      key2artistpromotions.com 16 Miranda Easten - View From Here   Tasman Records 17 Michael Botte Band    New Rising Sun 18 Cardboard Cowboy Cutouts_Long Black Veil    Megalith Records 19 Warren Kearney'    The Road Beneath My Wheels     Blue Shamrock Music 20 Eileen Carey - Land With You   RolleyCstr Music 21 Cabela & Schmitt  This Is My Life 22 Rob Georg - Won For Y'all    Coast 23 AJ Kross - She Gets What She Wants (2015) 24 Ashley Puckett - Live Like You Love 25 Paul Jupe   .LATE NIGHT BY THE RIVER      Hometown     Country Music Social media 26 Alana Springsteen - Think About You (2020) 27 Jesse Hackett - California Dime   Evolution 28 Rich Owen - Line Dance King   Evolution 29Alyson Tracy - Doin' My Own Thing     Twelve Seventee 29  Paul Jupe    Best Friend     countrymusicsocialmedia  30 Singin' Sam Little - Boxcar Children   LSI 31  Robert Eskridge - Takes     Bucket List

Time 2 p.m to 4 p.m B.S.T.  on  https://countryradio-musicbox4friends.torontocast.stream/ Nova Scotia (Atlantic Time) 9a.m to 12. p.m New York/Toronto (Eastern Time) 10a.m  to 1 p.m Nashville/Tulsa/Chicago (Central Time) 9a.m to12 p.m Alberta/Montana (Mountain Time) 8a.m. to 11 a.m British Columbia (Pacific Time) 7a.m. to 10.a.m

[burlveneer-music]

KMRU - Jar - peaceful ambient with environmental sounds (Seil Records)

Jar is a journey through the dust of time. Merging found sounds, analog warmth and granular dreams along the way.

[soundaslanguage]

Release Day Picks: 4/10/20

Here’s my release day picks for today! This will be a normal Friday posting going forward.

Eerie Gaits - Holopaw (sound as language)

- I apologize for the self promotion here (not really) but I love this album and I love John Ross and everything he’s done since we started working together years ago. His work has always been a comforting and rewarding source of inspiration to me and Holopaw continues that streak. Thrilled to have it be sound as language’s first release.

https://eeriegaits.bandcamp.com/album/holopaw-2

DJ Python - Mas Amable (Incienso)

- One listen in and I got a feeling I’m gonna be into this just as much as I was into 2019′s Derretirse. Chilled out ambient dub to the max.

https://djpythonnyc.bandcamp.com/album/mas-amable

Ben Bondy & Exael - Aphelion Lash (West Mineral Ltd.)

- West Mineral continuing on that wild ambient/electronic tip. Another solid one.

https://westmineral.bandcamp.com/album/aphelion-lash

Exael + Arad Acid - Furi (Motion Ward)

- Exael staying very busy and we should all be very happy about more Exael.

https://motionward.bandcamp.com/album/exael-arad-acid-furi

Jamison Isaak - Spring Patterns 3 (Flora)

- More soothing guitar looping ambient from Jamison Isaak aka Teen Daze.

https://helloflora.bandcamp.com/album/spring-patterns-3

Jogging House - Chants (Seil)

- Another surprise release from Jogging House who have been one of my favorite discoveries in the last year. Beautiful ambient.

https://jogginghouse.bandcamp.com/album/chants

Laurel Halo - Possessed (The Vinyl Factory)

- Being that this is a movie score it’s probably not the ideal place to start with Laurel Halo’s catalog but it is a worthy addition. Might I suggest Raw Silk Uncut Wood for Laurel Halo beginners. One of the best ambient/electronic artists going right now.

https://laurelhalo.bandcamp.com/album/possessed

Long Neck - World’s Strongest Dog (Self-Released)

- Indie punk/rock with amazing vocals and strong lyrics. Long Neck rules. Plain and simple.

https://longnecklass.bandcamp.com/album/worlds-strongest-dog

Midwife - Forever (The Flenser)

- Madeline Johnston has been around for a while now with Midwife and Sister Grotto. Midwife finally hits the big time with a new album on The Flenser. Haunting, hazy and heavy sounds even better on a bigger stage.

https://midwifemusic.com/album/forever

Passepartout Duo - Vis-à-Vis (Self-Released)

This is one of those wonderful stumble-upon Bandcamp finds. The album is hard to pin down but it’s a fascinating listen as I’ve already spun it through twice today. Unique experimental ambient that I’ll be writing about more I’m sure.

https://passepartoutduo.bandcamp.com/album/vis-vis

[jay-is-not-alwright-at-writing]

Old draft from 2020. Enjoy!

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・ ★・・・・

“Time is dead and meaningless, go back to bed”

Scratchy black and white footage that has been horribly corrupted. White text pops up onto the screen in all caps. ‘Look at you’. Yeah, look at him; exhausted and fruitlessly combing through hours of stupid grainy footage because his paranoia had finally gotten it’s cold death grip on him. Look at him go.

A still image of a brain, with an arrow pointing at the temporal lobe. In white text it reads: 'You are who you are'.

Fading and flickering footage of people, all warped and melting together as the footage staggers on. 'You are you.' The video flicks through individual people. Nobody Jay recognizes. His head throbs with a sharp ache, eyes burning.

'But who are you?'

The video goes on, but soon it all begins to blend together as homogenous grays and blacks in Jay’s vision as his eyes unfocus, concentration drifting as he nods off.

Jay’s body slumps to the side as his eyes close, grip slacking on the laptop, causing the bright screen to tip towards the wall above him, and away from his tired face.

. . .

Switching the camera off, Hoodie sneaks towards the window and peaks through, silently scanning the mostly barren room, eyes falling upon a figure slumped in the bed. Jay’s chest raises and falls with every steady breath, his too-bright-laptop screen a flickering gray and white beam of light against the painted concrete titles of his room.

Carefully sliding the window open and moving the blinds, Hoodie steps into the small room and lets out a silent huff as he takes in the area around him.

Walking over to the sleeping form, Hoodie glances at the screen, seeing one of his own videos looping, volume low.

Skillfully, Hoodie eases the heated laptop from Jay’s slack hold and sets it on the nearby nightstand, plugging it in before shutting it off and turning back to the sleeping form.

With a shake of his head, Hoodie gently tugs at the blankets around Jay and over the man's body, glancing around for something to write on.

Bingo.

Mindful to be silent, Hoodie makes his way towards a drawer and carefully slides it open, finding a stack of sticky notes and a cup of pens and pencils.

Grabbing a yellow sticky note and pencil, Hoodie slides the drawer closed and walks back over to Jay, watching his sleeping form for a moment before sticking the note on the nightstand and quickly scribbling on the note. Standing up, Hoodie glances at Jay one last time before slipping through the window and into the night.

. . .

A loud, rhythmic beeping wakes Jay up with a start, heart pounding as his body tenses.

Jay relaxes a moment later, realizing it was his alarm. Giving a tired glance at the numbers, he clicks at the buttons and stops the beeping.

"11:00 AM"

What? When had his alarm been tampered with?

heart leaping into his throat, Jay's mind races as he thinks of how his alarm could have been changed without his notice. Maybe he just set the alarm for the wrong time. Maybe .... he hoped.

With a groan, Jay stretches and regretfully sits up, untangling from the warm blankets before yet another moment of panic hits him. Where was his laptop?? He was sure he had accidently fallen asleep holding it--

With a sigh, Jay scans his room and sees his laptop resting on the nearby nightstand, closed and charging.

Had … had one of those masked people broken into his room last night? The thought alone makes his hair stand on end. But a hint of confusion also stirs.

Why hadn't he been attacked? Nothing seemed to be missing (not that there was much of his that was of value, anyways) and Jay notes his camera to still be in its correct spot, red light blinking slowly; untouched and still recording.

Stretching as he stands, Jay huffs and walks over to his laptop, moving to open it up, before something next to the laptop catches his attention.

A yellow sticky note simply reading:

"seil l eH. Backwards thinking.

-H.M."

Jay blinks. What in the-

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・ ★・・・・

This work belongs to Jay-is-not-alwright-at-writing, if you have read or come across this outside of this Tumblr account that means it was stolen and reposted without my knowledge or consent. Please do not support apps or websites that repost without permission and/or illegally profit off of other people's work. ♡

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・ ★・・・・

[jgthirlwell]

playlist 08.30.21

Boys Noize  Strictly Raw Vol 2 (BoysNoize Records) Henry Cowell Music For Strings (CPO) Noveller Aphantasia (Bandcamp) Lingua Ignota Sinner Get Ready (Sargent House) Aaron Dilloway and Lucretia Dalt Lucy And Aaron (Hanson Records) Valgeir Sigurosson Kvika (Bedroom Community) Flying Luttenbachers Negative Infinity (ug EXPLODE) Billie Eilish Happier Than Ever (Interscope) Liars The Apple Drop (Mute) Sophie Birch Planetes (Seil Records) Nick Cave & Warren Ellis Carnage (Goliath) Beatriz Ferreya Echos + (Room 40) Wolves in the Throne Room Primordial Arcana (Relapse) The Bug Fire (Ninja Tune)

[earinfluxion]

Ear Influxion 2020 Favorites

Life changes and priorities left me without much time to write about music in 2020. Despite that, Bandcamp Fridays have rekindled my love of discovering new music, connecting with and supporting artists directly, and engaging more deliberately as a listener. In a way, not writing about music allowed me to more fully do all of those things.

Here’s a list in alphabetical order of the various works that have moved me in some significant way. I’d planned to write a blurb about each one, but since that is taking some time, and we’re already into January, I thought I’d do this differently. Instead of linking to reviews from the past year, I will add links to this list as I add reviews after the fact. Many of them are already written, but it’s grown in scale to the extent that I don’t think it would make sense to publish them all in line here.

AHRKH: Beams From a Spiritual Panorama (Golden Ratio Frequencies)

Ellen Allien: Auraa (BPitch Control)

Atom™ <3 (Raster)

Autechre: SIGN (Warp)

Autechre: PLUS (Warp)

Daniel Avery: Love + Light (Mute)

Julianna Barwick: Healing Is a Miracle (Kranky)

William Basinski: Lamentations (Temporary Residence Ltd)

Bellows: Undercurrent (Black Truffle)

Frank Bretschneider: abtasten_holden (Faitiche)

Cabaret Voltaire: Shadow of Fear (Mute)

Caribou: Suddenly (Merge)

Richard Chartier: Variable Dimensions 1-6 (LINE)

CLEARED: The Key (Touch)

Lucretia Dalt: No era sólida (RVNG Intl)

Destroyer: Have We Met (Merge)

Beatrice Dillon: Workaround (PAN)

C. Diab: White Whale (Injazero)

The Fear Ratio: They Can't Be Saved (Skam)

Feu St-Antoine: L’eau Par La Soif (Éditions Appærent)

Gallery S & MoMA Ready: Gallery S (HAUS of ALTR)

Ghostwerk: Ghost Dive (Schematic)

Grand River: Blink a Few Times To Clear Your Eyes (Editions Mego)

Giuseppe Ielasi: Five Wooden Frames (12K)

Ital Tek: Outland (Planet µ)

KMRU: Jar (Seil)

Thomas Köner: Motus (Mille Plateaux)

Gabor Lazar: Source (Planet µ)

Sophia Loizou: Untold (Houndstooth)

Kevin Richard Martin: Frequencies for Leaving Earth Vol. 4 (Bandcamp)

Monolake: Archæopteryx (Imbalance Computer Music)

Morusque: The End of Music (Bandcamp)

Chad Mossholder: Receiver (Somewherecold)

Jake Muir: the hum of your veiled voice (Sferic)

Oneohtrix Point Never: Magic Oneohtrix Point Never (Warp)

ONO: Red Summer (American Dreams)

pinkcourtesyphone: Leaving Everything To Be Desired (Room40)

Potter Natalizia Zen: Magari (Ecstatic)

Lyra Pramuk: Fountain (Bedroom Community)

Ana Roxane: Because of a Flower (Kranky)

SAULT: Untitled (Black Is) (Forever Living Originals)

Scanner: An Ascent (DiN)

Simon Scott: Migrations (Touch)

Shit and Shine: Malibu Liquor Store (Rocket Recordings)

Geneva Skeen: Double Bind (Room40)

Richard Skelton: LASTGLACIALMAXIMUM (Corbel Stone)

The Soft Pink Truth: Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? (Thrill Jockey)

Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry (Planet µ)

Squarepusher: Be Up a Hello (Warp)

Sufjan Stevens: The Ascension (Asthmatic Kitty)

Rian Treanor: File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet µ)

Yaeji: What We Drew (XL)

Ye Gods: Dumah (L.I.E.S.)

Flora Yin-Wong: Holy Palm (Modern Love)

Zakè: Orchestral Studies Collectanea (Past Into the Present)

[iamlisteningto]

Jogging House’s Rendezvous

[trevlad-sounds]

Sleep Space 2

19.08.2024

Sleep Spaces

Hey everyone,

A series of ambient mixes designed to help you unwind and drift off into a peaceful sleep. As someone who struggles with sleep deprivation, I know firsthand the power of ambient music to create a calming atmosphere.

I’ve curated a collection of what I believe are particularly positive and soothing ambient pieces, weaving them together into roughly two-hour mixes. The goal is to provide a consistent and relaxing soundscape to help you relax and prepare for a good night’s sleep.

Sweet dreams! Trevor

Sleep Space 1

Ishqmatics-Aqua Dub 00:00 Luke Sanger-Monday Misfit 11:08 David Cordero, Rhucle-Beyond the Horizon 15:52 Thrupence-The Difference (Original by Flume & Toro y Moi) 19:18 Sam Rosenthal-leading to the edge 25:38 Go Outside-not far away 26:39 Dark Fidelity Hi Fi-Outcodes 29:29 Christopher Willits, East Forest-Tunnels – East Forest Remix 31:17 anthéne-monochrome (awakened souls rework) 35:06 JB Dunckel-Égérie 38:53 From Overseas, zakè, Chihei Hatakeyama, Hakobune-Live Improvisation II – Live 41:53 Lesjamusic-Lesjamusic is Lost 1:02:32 Kenneth James Gibson-The Art Of Forgetting Yourself – Awakened Souls Remix 1:06:08 Giulio Stermieri-Wide Plain, Desolate Place 1:09:52 Ann Annie-Cottonwood 1:15:39 Paperbark-Faint Roads 1:17:40 Ed Herbers-Cruising Altitude 1:23:35 The Green Kingdom-Arcadian Skies 1:29:59 Tim Linghaus-Poplars In Your Eyeball 1:34:17 The Green Kingdom-Softly Away 1:37:06 No Death, Rhucle-Twilight Mood 1:41:09

Sleep Space 2 synkrotron-Pallas 00:00 Socool & Ireless-Ground 09:50 Francesca Heart-Circular Motion of the Nine Muses 11:58 Paul Cousins-Improvisation for 3 Tape Loops 15:32 Binaural Space-Use Your Illusion 30:20 Garden Gate-The Overground Church 35:19 Francesca Heart-Angelsummit.net 36:50 Time Rival-Pumice 41:36 Rhucle-Holy 46:08 Maps and Diagrams-An8kh 48:35 Lionmilk, Club Diego-Delagation of Delights 49:55 Willebrant-Sands l (New Light) 56:00 Viul-Eighties 59:03 Paper Relics-I Know The Way 1:01:05 Chris Russell-Forever In Blue 1:04:07 Paperbark-Antique Correspondence 1:13:00 Mark Ellery Griffiths-I sailed to meet her 1:19:57 Multi-Surface-Wrinkled Smile 1:22:58 Bvdub, Inquiri-Please Let Go and Let Me Hold You 1:25:40 Letters from Mouse-Piglet 1:44:45

[scotianostra]

Janet Elizabeth Macgregor was born on January 12th 1920 in Glasgow.

Not a name the vast majority of you will know, but I love finding the unsung heroes, and Jane Macgregor is certainly in that category, her work has definately helped save countless women's lives.

Born as Janet Elizabeth McPherson in Glasgow, Betty, as she became known was just 7 when her mother died from tuberculosis. Betty attended school at Bearsden Academy, going on to study medicine at the University of Glasgow during the Second World War, graduating in 1943. It was there she met Alastair Macgregor and they married a year later. She did her house jobs at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Western General Hospital.

During the next few years she raised their four children and worked part time in child welfare clinics. In 1958 Alastair was appointed to the regius chair of materia medica and therapeutics at Aberdeen University. Betty became a research assistant in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, run by Sir Dugald Baird, regius professor of midwifery, who was famed for his compassion and social awareness.

It was in 1960 that it was decided to embark on a schedule of cervical testing for the entire area, Dugald Baird, inspired Macgregor to research the origins of cervical cancer and to concentrate especially on all the women - and in particular disadvantaged women - of the north-east.

Macgregor brought to the project a dedication, determination and considerable medical skills that ensured her programme worked efficiently. Diplomacy was also required, as all the GPs had to be written to (often repeatedly) in Aberdeenshire to obtain their approval so that smear testing could commence. Macgregor created a comprehensive call-and-recall system that broke new ground with its findings.

It was done so expertly under her supervision over the first five years there was such a decrease in the cervical cancer in the area and she had comprehensively proved her case. Betty was a superb cytologist and it has been commented, "the most delightful person. Without a doubt, she saved many lives."

It was not a period when priority was given to such a lengthy and complex medical programme: politicians had other demands on public funds. It was the way Macgregor organised the tests that brought the programme so much renown. Everything was meticulously documented and recorded with great care and attention. After five years she had assembled such powerful scientific evidence that other health authorities throughout the UK immediately adopted her system.

Her work brought Macgregor much esteem within the medical profession. She was much honoured by several of the Royal Societies and was a most distinguished president of her own medical association from 1980-83. During that presidency of the British Society of Clinical Cytology (BSCC), she published a book about improving the smear-test programmes nationally. It became a medical best-seller and sold 15,000 copies in its first edition and 10,000 in its second.

A memorable evening was held in 1985 whenBetty retired from Aberdeen University.

But this most active lady did not slip gently into retirement. She had bought a house on the Isle of Seil, off the coast at Oban, but Prof Templeton suggested she join a Birthright Programme he was initiating at the university. It was to research into pre-cervical care and patients who had slightly abnormal smear tests. "Betty accepted immediately and was as focused and enthusiastic as ever," he said. "She bought a house back in Aberdeen and did three days a week here and then travelled back to the west coast.

Macgregor wrote several medical books and was a regular contributor to the British Medical Journal. She was awarded the OBE in 1984/

It wasn't all work fior this dedicatec lady, Macgregor was devoted to her family and enjoyed taking her grandchildren sailing around Seil. She had her own yacht and loved the spectacular scenery of the west coast. 

Betty Macgregor developed Alzheimer’s disease and died of cerebrovascular disease on 8th October 2005 at the Lynn of Lorne Nursing Home, Benderloch, near Oban.

[becausegoodbye]

a few of my favourite albums of 2020

Jogging House - Be ... (plus Morimoto Naoki - Hibi) (plus Green-House - Six Songs for Invisible Gardens ...) (plus Denis Tremblay - SLEEP BETTER IN NOISY CLASSROOMS ...)

2020 was the year I got super into ambient music. There've always been albums I felt worked best nestled into the background, and Brian Eno's 'Ambient 1' has been a favourite for almost a decade, but this year the search took on a different energy. I approach ambient music with an extremely indulgent kind of simplicity  — "Are these pretty sounds that make my ears feel good?" — and there's something really gratifying about setting yourself a question simple enough that you know you'll always be able to answer it. The ambient albums I loved this year I discovered almost entirely through Bandcamp, which is replete with so many tiny cassette labels that you can find ones that cater to every possible sub-calibration of ambient vibe (my personal favourites are Seil, Constellation Tatsu, Aural Canyon, Dauw, Global Patterns, and 梅レコード). It feels a little rude to combine several different albums into the same entry here, but for me, my unwillingness to analyse them is part of their strength. I just put them on and sink into my chair. They feel good the same way a fluffy dressing gown feels good against your skin, or a cat feels good pressing itself against your shin. This year, I decided that it didn't need to be any more complicated than that.

Dan Deacon - Mystic Familiar For a microfiction competition late last year, I wrote a short story about everyone in the world simultaneously deciding to lie down permanently and let the bugs eat us. The idea was to try and describe something intuitively repulsive to us (beetles licking your eyeballs, ants carrying off your flesh) in a way that made it feel meditative and beautiful. Then not even a week later, the video for ‘Sat By a Tree’ came out, which was about almost the exact same thing. This album doesn’t seem to have struck a chord with very many people, and I can get why: the vocals are still too shyly buried for lyrics people, and too nakedly earnest for folks who just want to bliss out. Even I can’t deny that I’d probably like this album more if the vocals were treated differently, or if it were reworked as a totally instrumental piece. But there’s a pursuit in all of Dan’s music that resonates with me on a subdermal level, and it’s carried through on this album beautifully. It’s the quest for density, for something maximal and full enough to approximate the teeming microscopic and macroscopic busyness of life. When I listen to Dan Deacon, I always think about microbes: about how each of us is a teeming metropolis more than a singular being. It’s the missing perspective that allows a person to see that being eaten by bugs isn’t so bad; it’s the most appropriate possible thing that could happen to us. (Emphasis on the ‘us’.)

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud

Nobody needs me to tell them that Katie Crutchfield is a great songwriter. This is a classic album of heartbreak, of regret, of sobering up: a splint on an arm that’s still holding onto what it’s lost. The lyrics are pitched at this particular allegorical intensity – hells, landslides, scientific cryptograms – and the country-inflected indie-rock instrumentation largely has the sense to simply get out of the way. There’s a sympathetic wisdom to the songs here, focused less on the worst intensities of grief than on the life you figure out how to live afterwards. It’s an arm on your shoulder and an eye to the horizon. 

“You might mourn all that you wasted That's just part of the haul Tangling up all your good fortune Bearing the heart of the fall You won't break it after all”

Dirty Projectors - 5EPs This is silly, incautious conjecture on my part, but Dave Longstreth feels like he's putting in the work of redemption. I was close to writing him off after the arch bitterness of 2017's self-titled record (a break-up album that was nauseatingly heavy on the arrogant self-righteousness), but 2018's Lamp Lit Prose did a lot to re-interest me. Its smile felt forced at times, but its melodies and rhythms were undeniable: reminders of why I was invested in this asshole in the first place. This year, Dirty Projectors put out five separate EPs, the first four each with different lead singers, then everyone coming together on the fifth. It feels as though Longstreth is making a conscious effort to bite his tongue, to clutch his micromanaging hand under the table, so that everyone else can have a chance to breathe and actually enjoy being in this band. The result is a collection of songs with a really pleasurable lightness: not the tortured and perfectionistic Artistic Statements that Longstreth's been prone to over the years, but a pigeon's glide, a coin's flash -- a less ponderous engagement with Longstreth's peculiar musical gravity. It's a lovely bunch of songs even without this projected-on story about Longstreth's personal growth, but try as I might, I can't not hear that story.

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher

Ambient soothing aside, life's complications still exist, and Phoebe Bridgers is the queen of them. She's the only musician who seems like she thrived in quarantine, somehow cotton-candy-swirling all this loneliness and introspection and yearning and 'fuck it' into an album that feels miraculous and inexhaustible. Punisher is without doubt my favourite album of the year. It's anxious, funny, miserable, and sly. It's a dog-shaped helium balloon majestically floating into the stratosphere. I can't say enough good things about the production side of it, which maintains this perfect illuminated-manuscript balance of enhancing the text/song/scripture without ever overshadowing it. At the centre of it, though, is a songwriter who's figured out how to make every song its own entire world, keening and quaking in resonance with whatever you're going through. This has been a shit sad year, and it’s been a lot better facing that with this album than without it. No question, Phoebe was the year’s MVP. 

[asexual-hugger]

Detective Ernest Sinclaire and Allison McQueen drive through mild London traffic to the modeling venue. Allison sits in the passenger seat wearing the Elsa-inspired dress that her boss picked out for her. Her hair is fashioned in a long braid over her shoulder, and the icicle tiara rests perfectly straight on her head. Sinclaire keeps tossing occasional glances over at her as he drives, the smile on his face one of encouragement.

“Are you nervous, Miss McQueen?”

“A little.” Allison stares straight ahead. “I haven’t been onstage since high school. I’m just wondering if they’re even going to have room for me in the lineup. This is rather last-minute.”

“It is, but with that dress on, I wouldn’t be surprised if they fit you in.” Sinclaire goes around a van. “That getup was practically MADE for you. Seeing you in it, I can’t picture anyone else wearing it.”

A long line of cars and paparazzi surrounds the entrance to the venue, and Allison stares in awe up at the large building.

“This is where they’re holding the show?” she asks.

“It’s what my GPS gave me,” Sinclaire replies. “By the looks of the crowd, this is definitely the right place. Let’s get you inside and signed in.”

“But I don’t have registration,” Allison presses. “I’m literally a last-second add. And I’m working undercover, so it’s not even going to be a real gig for me. I’m doing this so that you can get backstage and investigate that judge.”

“True.” Sinclaire nods, and is about to say something else when they’re spotted by some reporters. “Brace yourself. The wolves are out for the hunt. Put on your best modeling face, Miss McQueen. This is your moment. I’ll be right here the whole time.”

Allison holds her head high and prepares for the mass of questions. Sinclaire stays true to his word and stands next to her proudly, his arm slowly circling her waist.

“Hey, are you one of the contestants?” A gentle-faced woman approaches with a microphone in hand, a cameraman wobbling up behind her with a large camera on his shoulder. She stares at Allison’s dress as if hypnotized, taking in every sparkle and intricate detail.

“Yes, but I’m last-second,” Allison answers bravely. “I heard about this show today and thought I could try my hand at modeling. I’ve never done it before. Allison McQueen.” She extends her hand, and the woman shakes it.

“It’s indeed a pleasure, Allison McQueen,” the woman answers. “If all the contestants had as lovely manners as you, this industry would be a much better place to be in. Stephanie Seils, Britain Daytime.”

“A television reporter?” Allison is stunned. “Wow. I didn’t think this show would be big enough to be covered on the news!”

“Yes, well, one of the judges is a good friend of the producers.” Stephanie seems to say it with a groan. “And I mean like a buddy-buddy good friend, as in joined at the hip. I think he made a secret deal with the producer to cover this spot. I don’t know about you, but off the record, there’s something fishy going on here.”

“Really?” Allison tries to act surprised. She tosses a glance at Sinclaire. “How do you figure?”

“When you’re in my business, you start to pay attention to things,” Stephanie explains. “You start having hunches, like odd feelings of suspicion or dread. I’ve been doing a lot of digging off the tabloids, and I’ve discovered things that many people would take to their graves. But enough about that. You said you were a last-second competitor in today’s show. Have you ever modeled before?”

“No, but I have been onstage many times.” Allison answers the question with ease. “I wanted to see what it felt like to be on the runway. My friend here convinced me to do it. I only hope there’s room for me in the lineup.”

“With the way you’re dressed, I highly doubt that even the most serious judge would dismiss you.” Stephanie beams at her widely. “Your friend had good instincts to convince you. Your dress is gorgeous. It reminds me of that movie.”

“Frozen?” Allison guesses.

“Yes! Most definitely!” Stephanie agrees. “It’s like the dress that the snow queen wore when she sang Let It Go. Where did you get that outfit?”

“Well, Ernest here found it and delivered it to me.” Allison nods at Sinclaire, who blushes. “He thought the exact same thing when he saw it. It was sitting in the window of a dress shop.”

“How thoughtful of you, Ernest.” Stephanie turns to Sinclaire and gives an order to her cameraman. “Kyle, be sure you get all of this. I want the whole dress seen from top to bottom, including the tiara. Miss McQueen, even if you do get dismissed today, let me assure you that you will be featured in tomorrow’s story as the primary speaker of today’s events. Everyone inside this venue has got to see your magic. I never would have imagined showing up at the 2021 All That Glitters competition dressed like Queen Elsa. If I were the producer of this event, I’d be a fool to turn you away. You’ve already wowed ME with that ensemble. There’s more glitter on your dress than any of the other girls’ combined.”

“Oh?” Allison seems curious. “Did you already interview the other girls?”

“Unfortunately.” Stephanie sighs dramatically. “They pretty much pushed me down. Not one of them was interested in talking to me. Seems I’m too much of a small-town girl for these big-city elites to take notice. All they seem to care about is winning.”

“I’m a small-town girl,” Allison tells her. “I grew up in a tiny farming village outside of London. I moved to the city to go to college, and after that I kind of made a home there.”

“How interesting!” Stephanie gushes. “Kyle, zoom in to full frame. Please continue, Miss McQueen. You’re the first friendly face I’ve seen since arriving here. What are you studying in college?”

“Criminal justice,” Allison replies. “I’m hoping to graduate next year with my master’s. My career goal is to be a crime scene investigator.”

“You want to be a crime scene investigator, and you’re trying modeling?” Stephanie looks impressed. “That is the most interesting and unique story I’ve ever come across. Do you mind if I send this footage to the studio tonight so it can go on air? I find you to be a real inspiration. You seem like someone that a lot of young girls can look up to. I think Britain Daytime needs to hear your story.”

“Of course you can use it,” Allison tells her. “I’m glad there’s someone else out there who cares about the little people. If only I can use that same charm on the show runners and the judges.”

“Good luck,” Stephanie says. “I hope you can get squeezed in to the competition, because you are clearly more than just a pretty face and an elegant dress. Your manners are enough to win over the entire venue.”

Just then, another woman races up and practically knocks Allison down. “Bloody hell, where is Lindsey?” She yells at someone behind her. “What are you doing dawdling out here? Get inside now! The contestants are lining up!”

She doesn’t even apologize for nearly bowling Allison and Sinclaire over, just grabs her wrist and starts pulling her through the doors.

“Oh...okay.” Allison doesn’t argue, and looks back at her boss. “Sorry.”

“Go,” Sinclaire urges. “I’m right behind you. I’m fine. I’ll figure out a way to sneak backstage while everyone’s eyes are on you. You’re the star today, Miss McQueen. You heard what Ms. Seils said: those judges would be crazy to not take at least one glance at you. My guess is that the lady you’re with now is the show runner. Convince her that you belong here, and we’re golden. Be the snow queen that you were born to be.”

[soundaslanguage]

Morimoto Naoki - Hibi (Seil Records)

hibi is an album about the beauty of everyday and the little moments that make us human. Honest, full of warmth and always surprising.

By arranging sounds from his daily life and surroundings, morimoto naoki creates minimalist compositions with the most gentle soundscapes.

I was unfamiliar with Morimoto Naoki before but I’ve been enamored with this album and his back catalog since first listen. hibi was released earlier this month on Seil Records out of Germany. I discovered the label from their wonderful Friends compilation which included cuts from Emily A. Sprague, Lightbath, Amulets, R Beny & more. Since then the label has become one of my favorites over the last year with every release being high quality, Sofie Birch and Jogging House being personal favorites. More on the new age side of ambient, Morimoto Naoki’s hibi is the perfect soundtrack for a peaceful day indoors while the outside world crumbles.

https://seilrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hibi