Kate Carr - brisbane river (Flaming Pines, 2011)

"Brisbane River" is part of a project called "Rivers Home", conceived and released on Flaming Pines, a label run by Kate Carr.

10 artists are invited to release three inch-cd EP developed around the theme of rivers as some of the most vulnerable eco-systems worldwide. Each artists "explores" the river he is familiar with.

Umber - earth feet, lifted (2011, Hawk Moon)

The good thing with this EP is first, that it made me listen once again to "For Carl Sagan" on Tarentel's first album, to the first album by This is a Process of a Still life or to Sonna's "Smile and the world smiles with you". 

"Umber" is a two track release of eleven minutes from Alex Steward, a young musician from UK.

Steiner - 01_12 (2012)

I discovered the music of Stijn Huwels last year, through a self-released untitled composition close to an half hour.

Since then, he has been working on music, uploading tracks on soundcloud and working on a debut album and an ep.

Caithlin de Marrais - red coats (End Up, 2011)

Between 1995 and 2006, Caithlin de Marrais, was behind the bass and most of the vocals or Rainer Maria, an indie rock emo band which one was one of the prominent formations of the indie midwest emo scene along Mineral, Appleseed Cast, American Football, and a few others.

Nobuto Suda - sensitive fields (2010, Tobira)

An edition of 50 hand numbered tapes, now exhausted and now offered as a digital download, "Sensitive Fields" is one more of these ambient drone records released by Nobuto Suda, a musician from Kyoto, Japan.

Looking Glass & Vio/Miré - split ep (Tip Top, 2011)

Things have been really quiet for Brendan Glasson (Vio/Miré) since the release of "January 2009', with just this split EP in 2011.

It features two tracks from both songwriters. 

Foxes in Fiction - alberto ep (Orchid Tapes, 2010)

Since the release of "Swung from the branches", fist album, but mostly a compilation of tracks, things have been quite quiet with the Foxes in Fiction discography, with just a "7inch" in 2011.

His more recent consistent release is this 7 songs EP from late 2010, which one, slipped out of my mind until recently, when I discovered a splendid cover of Felt's "The World Is As Soft As Lace" he recently uploaded, which decided me to give it a listen to "Alberto".

S ND Y P RL RS - bring death to (211)

A demo (2005), a mini-album (2007) and a split with Anois (2007), and (Songs for) Sundays Parlours, a duo from Germany disappeared from the surface of the netlabel scene, only to reappear in 2001 as a solo project, having lost a few vowels in the meantime.

GlowStone - todo está bien, todo va a estar bien. (2011)

"All is Well, Everything will be OK". From the Mexican city of Queretaro comes GlowStone, project of Jorge Hernandez, started in 2007 with a handful of releases so far, and this ones seems the be the eighth album.

He embraces many styles, from folk to instrumental music for a result which could appear at times as a lo-fi / low scale version of Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Yann Tiersen and at others like drone ambient or more typical folk explorations. 

Shores - to volstead (2011, No Idea)

Second album for Shores, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and yes, so far, they didn't get the attention or recognition they deserve, and they are back, plowing the same slowcore ground as ever.

Smyth - sanibel (2012, Analog Path)

Analog Path is a Japanese ambient label which focus on the analog sound with so far, among a few others releases by Celer or Brian Gainger.

Jared Smyth is a musician and designer from Tallahassee. Last summer, he spent some time on Sanibel Island, Florida, recording field recordings and manipulating sounds, achieving the present album, trying to capture the aural atmosphere of the settings.

Megan & Amelia - demo ii & iii (2011)

There is no Megan and there is no Amelia behind these two demos, but the solo project of Ryan Fleischer, bassist of Matsuri and DEERS!, two screamo/hardcore bands. 

But what he records and writes solo is centuries away, much more akin to the works of artists such as The Secret Stars, Owen, Talons', Havergal, S, Low or Vio/Miré.

David Andree - in streams (2011, Sunshine Ltd)

I find it difficult to imagine that this album was only released as a tape on Sunshine Ltd, as it is an obvious and intense masterpiece which I found as essential as "Composite" by Pasture,  another glorious unknown but essential album.

Black Sea Storm - 2006

Second part of the triptych made by "2005", "2006" and "2009", featuring the solo production of Ali Ozkan during a first period of composition in which he favored the use of English language for his vocals, before moving to Turkish afterwards.

If I wasn't so convinced by "2005", here I am much more pleased and I discover most of the elements that made me enjoy his records with Channing Cope ("Sugar in our Blood" - 2005; and "Plunge into concept" - 2008) and Shere ("Not Los Angeles" - 2003).