Bandcamp Reviews: The Birdtree, Ringo, Maria Moles and Space Blanket
Every Friday, I plan to buy one or two "new to me" releases on Bandcamp. ”New to me” is something I just now discovered or finally bought. Whether it be from 1972 of 2025. I will then listen to these releases for a couple of days and then post my unfiltered thoughts*. So, at the very least there should be a post a week (with some exceptions of course).
*there is no such thing as bad music – just music you dislike. So you won't ever see me saying something is bad etc – just why it didn't work for me.
Orchards & Caravans by The Birdtree
This album was released in 2001 by the Jewelled Antler Collective and you might be asking, recent discovery? And the answer would be yes and no. I am aware of Jeweled Antler but not this album.
In the early 2000s, a new take on an old type of music appeared and took hold in the underground. This was largely part to Jeweled Antler. This "take" is almost impossible to describe, but I will attempt to:
Folk music that has been evolved to be hallucinatory, psychedelic, pure sound, heartfelt, deep drone, beautiful, ugly, noise, new, familiar but experimental -- This is the music of the future we should have had
The thing is, I struggled with this music when it first came out. Some of it I got and some of it, I completely missed. I remember particularly struggling with The Jewelled Antler Library box set. What is funny is despite not getting it I still tracked down this release (and had to buy a damaged version) when it came out. Somewhere in my brain, I knew there was something there. Weirdly, at the time I appreciated the artists who were influenced by them more than the originators.
Either way, that brings us to now. I have been slowly digitizing my CD collection (around 3-4k I think) and came across the box set. I remember my difficulty and thought this was a good time to see if it was more palatable now. Which in turn got me interested in Jewelled Antler again. When they first emerged there was something mysterious about them - undercurrents of the old gods (all manufactured or imagined). So, I knew by now someone on the internet had gone down that rabbit hole and wrote about it. A quick google search later and I found an article on Aquarium Drunkard. Which was quite the coincidence – as had only recently subscribed to their site. This release was recommended in that article and there was something about the words that made me think, I have to get this.
Which finally brings us to the review. This albums shifts from beautiful folk songs to noise to cosmic drones - back to folk songs but this time they are acid soaked. And sometimes it is all this at once. The sound of organized chaos merged with beautiful madness that ends in oblivion. Despite how that sounds, there is hope and redemption in the darkness – Which is the future we should have had.
Essential
Pax Texiana by Ringo
I came upon this release because of the podcast, Ambient Country. Which I have briefly discussed before – I am not entirely sure I like the term ambient country because in some ways that discounts the music. Mostly because of preconceived notions about country music. But lets ignore that for now (at some point there needs to be a post about this and perhaps even about "new age" music)
Pax Texiana is a reflection of the Artist's experiences of living in the Texas hill country (per Ringo). This also happens to be where I live. As such, the music is sparse, gentle at times, more complex than first realized and a darkness permeates. Which honestly explains the hill country and Texas. Despite the politics and uneducated vitriol, there is an underling beauty here that is often betrayed by the natural undercurrents of the state.
While this is ambient music through the lens of the banjo (and more) it is not necessarily furniture music – it demands your attention and envelopes you. At times the minimal beauty of the banjo is juxtaposed against an organic darkness – the best example of this is the track, Earthwide. It begins with a heavy bass sounds (likely the slap of an acoustic guitar or similar) and what can only be described as an electrical or contact glitch. This continues through the track – ensuring that any beauty is replaced by an anxiousness that the listener hopes will eventually resolve. Which accurately describes present day Texas.
Essential
Opening by Maria Moles
I purchased Opening because I simply adore Maria Mole's earlier release, For Leo Landa. Where that release was a drone album that used percussion, this is a percussion album that uses drone. I will review the former on some future date but for now, the concentration is on the latter.
So what does a "percussion album that uses drone" mean? Percussion is the primary musical instrument in these compositions. Sometimes, they are beat like and at other times, they speak their own language. The drone enhances that language and magnifies the hypnotic quality of the work. But this is not drone music - the drone is just an instrument to achieve very similar goals. A lot of percussion based music has a similar effect that drone does. It can hypnotize, suspend time and momentarily transfer you elsewhere. Where drone is oneness, percussion attempts to enable an alternated state that is ecstatic and mystical.
The other shared experience is patterns and/or sounds that are not there. With drone this happens often. You really aren't sure you heard what you heard or a rhythm seems to emerge (but maybe it doesn't?). With percussion and deep listening your ears hear tones, new sounds, complex rhythms and compositions that may or may not be there. Further heightening the mystical experience.
Music to explore and get lost in.
Worth your time.
Sonic Balms For Soothing Souls by Space Blanket
I really am not sure how I discovered this – maybe quietus or maybe I just liked the name (very close to Sonic Therapy). Either way, it was a good discovery.
There is something very late 1990s IDM (pre-glitch) about this album and that is not a bad thing at all. In fact it is very welcome – especially since the drums and synthesizes are paired with a trumpet. This is to me is a very natural instrument to compliment electronic music. It lends soul to the music while not being too much outside of the soundscape. IE it does not elevate it to another genre. Nor does it become fusion.
Overall, the release is a sonic balm that does its job but it is not sleepy music (though it can be used to sleep). It is electronic music pushing off its robotic ideals and embracing empathy/being human.
Worth your time.
Photo by Daniel De Los Santos, Round Rock, TX