That Girl is Like a Virus” to “We Go Back to the Well” (featuring the always great Dane Black). And of course, the final track “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” should be reason enough to press play. – – – – – – – – – – “Astronaut” by Cove Reber A few weeks back, New Jersey native Cove Reber posted “Astronaut” which, as it turns out, is a track he has been releasing since September of 2017. Reber’s previous works can be found on a variety of sites including Loud Fidelity, WAX, and Stereoboard. His sound is a melange of everything from jazz to classical. This track is a good mix of both while leaning toward the new age side. A cool and soothing melody. – – – – – – – – – – “Eternity is a Long Time” by Glimpses Glimpses is the name of Norwegian experimental pop musician Kaja Kallas’ side project, and as we speak she has just released her latest EP, “Eternity Is a Long Time,” which she describes as a “meditation on existentialism.” It is a well-written and performed effort. A very cool track. – – – – – – – – – – “Victory” by JM Fripp and Kundalini Research Institute If you listen to any progressive rock, chances are there is a Fripp song on there somewhere. Fripp is a pioneer of the genre and his band, King Crimson, is easily one of the all time greats in prog. And with the release of his debut album, “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic,” 40 years ago, Fripp and his son Mike and cohorts began what would become KRI. Fripp’s influence on electronic and ambient music is vast. – – – – – – – – – – “Ugly City” by Infected Mushroom feat. Loudpvck A rather random collaboration between two rather popular artists, but one that works. This is a Loudpvck original that has been floating around on his SoundCloud page for some time now. And the track is still pretty unknown, at least to me. – – – – – – – – – – “Pale Skin” by Kronos Quartet With the release of the fourth and most recent album by the quartet, “Pale Fire,” comes yet another new track from the group. Produced by Michael Pope, “Pale Skin” is a relatively slow and introspective number in terms of sound and mood. It is beautiful and atmospheric, and makes me wish I knew the lyrics. – – – – – – – – – – “The Sink of Being” by Kronos Quartet As if one Kronos Quartet track wasn’t enough, this new one is a lovely piano piece written by David Harrington. From the opening chords, it is slow and meditative, with the soft crackles of the piano, and soft trumpet and strings giving it a mellow feel. It is very lovely and very evocative. – – – – – – – – – – “Vulkan II” by Echolyn A recent discovery of mine was the Echolyn album “Vulkan.” While the album has some great songs on it, for some reason, this one stood out to me. There is a bit of prog and electronica involved, but it is mostly a very dark piece with acoustic guitar and violin doing the heavy lifting. It is very lovely and moody. – – – – – – – – – – “Lava Lake by the Way” by Joris Van den Heuvel Joris Van den Heuvel is the lead singer of a band called Sonata Arctica and he is releasing a solo album, “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which is the third studio album he has released with the band. The second is “Eclipse” and the first is “The Way.” – – – – – – – – – – “The Sun’s Alignment” by Garm Garm has released a lot of great albums. “Inertia,” “Fractals,” and “Mosaic” just to name a few. And now he has a new album on The Vandenberg Project called “The Sun’s Alignment.” With its title track, what else would you expect. This track blends all of the sounds of the album together to create something really cool. – – – – – – – – – – “Harping” by Tore Brunborg A few days back, I discovered that Tore Brunborg had a few albums that have been floating around for a while. At least five years. And while he has had other work since that album, these are still worth a listen. His music is very relaxing and hypnotic. Like an acoustic version of Sigur Rós. Not too hard to imagine that he had a hand in the band’s sound. – – – – – – – – – – “Dark Side of the Moon by Fruuppa” by The Fruuppa With all of the talk of Pink Floyd, it’s easy to forget how many great artists the band has influenced. This very interesting track by The Fruuppa is the perfect ending to my article. It sounds like Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” with all of the acoustic guitars, sitars, and strings and also with the moody feel it has. This new version of Fruuppa’s “Dark Side of the Moon” uses parts of the original version, just replacing the original’s acoustic guitar with the original’s electric guitar. It doesn’t take away from the song, rather it adds some great guitars to the mix. Nice! – – – – – – – – – – That’s it for today, but I have many, many more articles in the pipeline that I hope you will check out. For more great music, please check out the best music websites out there! (Yes, I know there are many of them.) – – – – – – – – – – Drew Hester has been writing for PopMatters since 2012, focusing on events in the folk, Americana, and roots genres, as well as broader appeal to rock, country, blues, and beyond. His first book, Bad Seed: American Gothic Rock from the Inside Out, was published by Backbeat Books in 2014. He also hosts the podcast, Americana Roots Radio. Share this: Share Print Pinterest Facebook Twitter Tumblr Reddit Like this: Like Loading...