1. “from morning no. 2” – Airport People. An expansive, elegant, languid piano and drums piece that seems effortlessly peaceful and calm. The recordings of rain (or what sounds like rain) plus the piano pedal noises make for a rich atmosphere. Highly recommended.
2. “Rusty Trucks and Daisies (Midnight Version)” – Martin Ruby. A friend dying unexpectedly is a truly awful experience. Singer/songwriter Marco North (aka Martin Ruby) offers a true lament: a deeply aching song of remembrance for a lost friend. The song itself uses a nearly meterless acoustic guitar as the base, with North’s gravelly vocals tumbling out over the chords. A pedal steel guitar floats above the proceedings to complete the instrumental contributions. The almost continuous sounds of late-night street action complete the ambience of late night gloom and sorrow. It’s a good one to grieve to. Highly recommended.
3. “Interstellar Medium” – Lunar Lemur. This fantastic piece lands somewhere between the gentleness of William Basinski’s ambient work, the forward motion of The Album Leaf’s pieces, and the dreamy electro of Teen Daze. It’s evocative without being over-the-top and thoughtful without becoming ponderous. Highly recommended.
4. “At the Harbour” – Velt. Delicate, calming piano work with subtle beachside recordings for atmosphere. Beautiful.
5. “For a Chisos Bluebonnet” – Eli Winter. Winter has employed a collection of musicians to bring this lovely instrumental folk tune to life: the drums, electric guitar, and pedal steel fill out the tune and transform the song (which was previously released as a two-guitar live recording) into a heady, full-band jam.
6. “The Lighthouse of Alexandria” – Beatenberg. Fans of Belle & Sebastian, Vampire Weekend, Wes Anderson, and basically the year 2010 in indie music will be electrified by this floating, charming, walking pace stream of consciousness.
7. “Disappear” – Catherine Campbell. A slow arpeggiator, warm Rhodes keys, and a laidback drum groove give this singer/songwriter track a lightly psychedelic flair. Campbell’s smooth voice fits the vibe perfectly.
8. “New Light” – Stefania Avolio. A dark, dramatic electro/singer-songwriter piece that opens with ominous vibes before blossoming into a soaring, operatic chorus. The song fits emotionally with the strangely mesmerizing video of a dancer in an abandoned, dilapidated building (mansion?).
9. “The Rumination Waltz” – kid null. Primarily gloomy, between the bass and downtempo percussion. The melismatic vocals give it a little levity, which the crunchy electric guitar snatches away. Feels like a fitting piece for a gritty, perhaps even dystopian, street movie.
10. “Headache” – Adam Rich. An old-school rock/metal instrumental that features a winding guitar riff and fun guitar tricks in the bridge. It’s a solid opener to Rich’s latest, Peaceful and with Purpose.
11. “Bal” – Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek. A funky, groovy, enigmatic piece that fuses bits of many different world music styles into a distinctive whole. Fans of Khruangbin will find much to love here.