Lost Children netlabel and The Silent Ballet have put together an absolutely stunning 75 minute long adventure through the universe of post-rock with the release of The Silent Ballet Compilation volume 14. Featuring some very diverse artists from all over the world, the stand out track on the album is from a Ukrainian band called Nice Wings, Icarus! Their track, Eagle, is absolutely superb. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of them here on the orbit in the very near future. Back to the current release, it grabbed me from the very first track – a very ambient piece by The Sight Below – and wouldn’t let go. I literally listened to the entire album as soon as I clicked play – given my schedule, thats a rarity for me. The intensely mellow first track quickly gave way to an onslaught of post-rock, shoegazer, psychedelic and even modern piano composition. Each track is unique, making this a difficult album to describe. I’ll simply say this: it’s an incredible album, and I urge you to give it a listen.

The Silent Ballet Compilation – Volume 14

Nettless has created eight tracks of beautifully flowing, ambient space music. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Nettless – From Beyond

Carl Sagans Ghost – Colonial Spa EP.

A deeply touching release, that induces a feeling of quiet reflectiveness. At 36 minutes, Forlorn Memories combines ambient synths, deep bass sounds, minimal piano parts and acoustic guitar melodies to paint an audio picture of those despondent, melancholy times in our lives that for some reason we hold so dear and meditate on from time to time.

Chris Tenz – Forlorn Memories

Casimirs Blake – Ejecta Nebula

In Chains – Dead Heart Bloom.

Wixel dreamed up a project in which he would record an album a month; he followed through, bringing to life twelve albums of music (not all of which I’ve checked out at this point). His album from February 2009 stands out to me, with five tracks at just under thirty minutes. Each track is reminiscent of a certain aspect of atmospheric water vapor grouping; for instance, the first track, Cloud Formation, is a rambling and haunting ten-minute build that puts the evaporative process in  sonic form. The second track, Rising Clouds, is a slow paced, smooth yet grating discord of sound that makes you feel as though your floating upwards into the sky. Track three is a disonant mish mash of ambient acoustic guitars backed with meandering sounds that tie it all together. Track four, In Clouds, is a fuzzy bit of static that drones on giving the impression that you’ve arrived in the middle of the cloud layer, about to break through into the sunlight at any moment. And when that moment comes, 3:26 later, you’re in a Fog Rainbow, a melancholic soundscape of cloud-like sounds with an atmospheric vibe.

Wixel – Clouds | 2009.

Very mellow ambient electronica. The compositions in this release are astounding. If you like Boards of Canada then you are going to love Orange Crush. Moving pads swell and fade with subtle melodies fading in and out.

Orange Crush – Autumn Reflections

Mark.Nine – In Memories

So, musically here’s what I have for you today. StillStream Radio, a net radio station, plays all sorts of ambient music, 24 / 7. It’s great for background noise while you’re being creative, or to fall asleep to. When I say all sorts of ambient music, I mean ALL sorts. From the website:

- Soothing light ambient
- Ambient mood music
- Impenetrable dark ambient
- Berlin-school electronic ambient
- Challenging experimental ambient
- Futuristic ambient noise
- Powerful tribal ambient
- Cinematic symphonic ambient
- Expansive space music
- Textural abstract ambient

I didn’t realize all that even existed. So enjoy some ambient sounds, be creative, and check back here in a few days – music is on the way.

StillStream Radio