My Autumn Empire - ii (2012, Wayside & Woodland)

Second solo album for Ben Holton (Epic45), exploring a much more straightforward folk-pop approach, à la Elliott Smith and Sparklehorse, with the previous Hood references mostly swept under the carpet.

It's charming but mostly it is sleep inducing. I'm a little bit at loss when I come to compare this record with his previous one, "The Village Compass" as there is nothing in the same vein. Nostalgic UK autumnal folk influences have been replaced by nonchalant late summer US (indie) pop references.

Pastoral - pastoral (2012)

I recently reviewed the "Believe you me" EP by Drops, solo project of Liam Hennessy, writing that it sounded close to an American indie influenced version of Umber, solo project of Alex Steward, both from Nottingham, UK.

We are now one step further with a purely American instrumental solo project. Pastoral is Zachary Thachet, from Huntington Beach, California and his debut EP sounds as warm, as positive, as euphoric than the two others, even more. 

Federico Durand - El libro de los árboles mágicos (2012, Home Normal)

Fourth album by Federico Durand, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I have the feeling that I never stopped listening to his music since I discovered "La siesta del ciprés", "Elin" and later "El éxtasis de las flores pequeñas".

While starting to listen this new album, I had no special expectations, just the certitude to expand his lovely atmospheres and to welcome a few more of his sensitivity and aesthetic experiences in my daily aural environment.

T̶o̶n̶g̶u̶e̶ - demo (2012)

Ryan from Megan & Amelia/DEERS!/Matsuri, Andrew from Matsuri/Ten Thousand Leagues, Conrad from John Cota and Nik from Calculator are forming T̶o̶n̶g̶u̶e̶.

This is their first demo and they belong to the post-hardcore genre and are potentially my favorite discovery in this category since Ohana. They are the grandchildren of bands such as Hoover, Bitch Magnet, Slint, Four Hundred Years or Rodan.

Bart and Friends - there may come a time (2012, Matinée)

I was surprised to read that it's the first EP of Bart & Friends on Matinée, as they sound like they have always been there. After having been silent during most of the 00's, they now multiply releases in the 10's.

Tawny Peaks - tawny peaks (2012)

Tawny Peaks are a band from Montclair, New Jersey, formed by  Charlie Perris (vocals),  Molly Grund  (vocals),  Jonah Fried ( bass, vocals),  Sam Skinner  ( guitar, recordings & production) and Dexter Loos (drums). 

This is their first self-recorded, self-released album, offered graciously as a free download on their bandcamp page.

In my book, indie bands with vocalists on one side and musicians on the other side don’t really work.

I was wrong.

Pausal – forms (2012, Barge)

The trouble with ambient drone music is that it is quite simple to start repeating yourself after a few compositions and through the process, you may lose a part of your appeal, as, not matter the level of quality you'll achieve, you will start to fail at surprise listeners.

To this situation, Alex Smalley and Simon Bainton brought the option to broaden their sound, giving rise to backwards influences.

There are ten compositions on this second album but they are regrouped into sets of two and three, so we end up just to have four tracks.

Seaworthy - sleep paths (2012, Slaapwel)

First Wim Maesschalck came with the the concept behind Slaapwel Records, a small record label specialized in music to fall asleep to, then artists belonging to the ambient instrumental scene adopted the idea. "Sleep Paths" by Cameron Webb's Seaworthy project is the eleventh release.

As a listener you're left with sleep-inducing records which don't need to keep your attention but just wish to quiet you down and disarm your brain. Suspense, tension, entrancement and surprise are out of question, so it is works conceived at first for fans of these artists and to those interested by the idea.

Eiji Mitomi - planet (Childisc, 2007)

I listen to "Planet" ans I ask myself, where I've been these past five years?

Eiji,Mitomi is a musician, guitarist, composer from Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. This is his third instrumental solo album for Nobukazu Takemura's Childisc Recordings.

Unrecognizable Now ‎– two rooms (Kesh, 2012)

Since his debut album on 12k, "Monocoastal" (2010), Marcus Fischer has been quite busy with a bright second album on Tench, "Collected Dust", and successful collaborations with Taylor Deupree, The OO-Ray, Devin Underwood and Cory Allen.

He also found the time to record a new album with Matthew Jones for their project Unrecognizable Now which as been on the quiet side since an EP in 2008.

Orca Orca - make live (2012)

If we were 20 years ago, "Make Life" would have been released on an obscure but reputed lo-fi tapelabel (Blackbean and Placenta, Cactus Gum, Studio Muscle or Shrimper maybe?) and I would be writing this review for some hard to find printed black & white indie fanzine.

Today, "Make Live" is available to everyone for free on Bandcamp and I'm publishing this on my Blogspot, both virtually available for anyone. I see this as a huge progress, and it helps to makes indie and the whole d-i-y. attitude as an even better alternative to mainstream art, while avoiding a sometimes too elitist or arty attitude. 

Drops - believe you me (2012, Heat Death)

A few months ago I discovered the lovely summer intimate pastoral songs of Umber, solo project of Alex Steward. 

Liam Hennessy, of Drops, coming from Nottingham//Sheffield, might just be his sibling or best friend as both share a lot of similarities through their solo projects. 

A quick Google search confirmed this bet as it appeared they are indeed close friends.

Outerhope - no end in sight ep (Number Line, 2012)

Outerhope is an established Filipino indie band from Manila. Composed of siblings Mike (guitar/harp/vocals) and Micaela Benedicto (synth/piano/vocals) they released so far two albums, one released in 2005 and the other one in 2009.

They just released a new EP available for free on the netlabel Number Line records.

Bee Eyes - honeymoon ep (2012)

Bee Eyes is a polymorphous indie band from the Philippines and more precisely from Metro Manila. A four people band with the usual setup of two guitars, vocals, drums and bass. They play indie lo-fi songs which could have been recorded during de early nineties, somewhere between USA and UK. 

Jedadiah Bernards - two poems/piano - (2012, Vintermusik)

This is official debut release of a young musician from Portland, Oregon : two short concise piano pieces for a total length underneath four minutes.

The contrast with the capharnaum which is his Soundcloud page is surprising.

Josh Mason - temple bell (Sunshine Ltd., 2011)

Moving slightly forward in my exploration of the quite under the radar but inversely proportionally precious Sunshine Ltd label, after having enjoyed records by Jared Smyth and David Andree, I now discover the works of Josh Mason.

Vio/Miré - four songs (2012)

Four new songs by Brendan Glasson, alleviating the wait for a new album, next to the superb "January 2009".

I surrender as soon as "Foxes" starts, as I know his songwriting escapes categorization and makes trial at criticism futile.

Each song is a grower and turns out to be dear.

Eyedress - half japanese (2012, Number Line)

Idris Vicuña plays guitar for Bee Eyes but when he is busy with his solo project he almost totally forgets the guitar and embraces an immoderate love for all things synths, keyboards, beats and related to electro chillwave.

He released an instrumental album last June, called "Nature Trips" but forgot one important element, the vocals, and I find it indigestible.

Kane Ikin - sublunar (2012, 12k)

First solo full-length release from Kane Ikin, who is also one half of Solo Andata, and who recently recorded one album with David Wenngren (Library Tapes). "Sublunar" follows the "Contail EP" (2011).

At first the moist, dense and warm atmospheres of the record made me think of Pan American, but the nearly absence of regular beats and melodies as central driving force made me realize it was somewhat a misdirection.

Stephan Mathieu - coda (for wk) (2012, 12k)

New CD-EP (one single track of 20 minutes exactly) from Stephan Mathieu on 12k.

Sounds source have veen two antique mechanical-acoustic gramophones, fully processed and transformed digitally on a computer later. 

David Newlyn - deterioration (Flaming Pines, 2012)

David Newlyn is a musician based in Durham, England. 

This new album has been recorded on micro cassettes, phones and cameras, using fields recordings taken while visiting the Belgian medieval city of Bruges. 

You never identify precisely those outdoor sounds but you can feel these through the music, as they create the atmosphere of the songs, so I imagine myself easily walking through quiet and dormant small roads between old buildings and along canals.

Linear Bells - summer haze (2012)

Linear Bells is the project of David Teboul, a composer and sound artist based in Nantes, France. 

On "Summer Haze", he produces instrumental music which tends to be layered and finely textured ambient soundscapes. 

Waves on Canvas - into the northsea (2012, Psychonavigation)

I have bad reasons for listening to "Into the Northsea".

Three singers related to the glory days of 4AD, Louise Rutkowski (This Mortal Coil), Pieter Nooten (Clan of Xymox / Michael Brook) and Ian Masters (Pale Saints / Spoonfed Hybrid) are contributing each one to a single song.

Picture - true EP (2012, Cascine)

New pseudonym for David Kyhlberg: The Morning Paper, Sail a Whale and now Picture; and a first EP.

Which I found mind-blowing. I see parallels with the work of Stumbleine but David is much more belonging to the dreampop, shoegaze & twee scene, uses his own voice and shows an immoderate love for all sounds Fairlight CMI. You may call this dubtstep, chillwave, but mostly it is simply wonderful and heavenly, even if you're bathing into light and warm melancholic feelings.

Marcus Fischer + The OO-Ray - tessellations 12" (2012, Optic Echo)

Sometimes collaborations between two artists you enjoy as seen as happy events you'll discover full of expectations. But the hopes are rarely met, and if it turns good it is sometimes by chance or by concessions.

Very rarely you can find complementarity and even less ofter symbiosis.

But as soon as I read that Ted Lateras (The OO-Ray) and Marcus Fischer were working on a record together it was bingo, I had the intuition it could be only very very good.

Max Fotheringham - in all amber EP (Higher Living, 2012)

First release from Brussels-based singer-songwriter Max Fotheringham. Second release for the Belgian netlabel Higher Living Records. Bedroom folk solo recordings related to insomnia.

During the two first minutes of "Broken Banks" you get the impression that it will be very conventional and then at 2:00, his voice, progressively goes almost falsetto and you suspect the ghost of a whisper, and an electric echoed guitar joins injecting some welcome melancholy for the instrumental second part of the song. Your finally free to drift. 

S.R.Félix - ep (My Little Cab, 2012)

There are plenty of interesting instrumental ambient records released monthly if not weekly, and it is simply impossible to keep up with these. As a listener, I'm looking for an identity, a particular perspective, and mostly for depth, sensitivity, warmth and melancholy.

This is the debut EP of Simon René Félix, an ambient folk musician from Lille (France). He is embracing the warm, quiet and atmospheric side of the genre.