Great Friends Great Music 2020

Episode 1: Lofty Lofters

oneL - Passive Music for Background, Contemplation, and Resting

The title of the first and only track says it all: Staring up at a clear sky on a cold winter night. If you need 45 minutes to escape from the city and let your thoughts meander unbounded through space, listen to this album. Eventually the thoughts turn into stars and the stars melt away one at a time. 10/10 celestial bodies.

Blue Domino - Nothing But Blue Skies

Now this is an album to sweep your floor to. These grooves put you in such a good place you almost don’t realize how compelling the composition is. Blue Domino takes you on a series of short field trips. No roller coasters or theme parks, more like nice nature walks. Sonically it is very economical. Each sound is whole and beautiful. The form is light and performative. 10/10 bag-lunches. 

Garret Wingfield - Handwashing Etudes

Now that's jazz! There is something that is just right about these pieces. Each video is simple and surprisingly distinct. Equal parts performance art, musical improvisation, and absurdist youtube content, Handwashing Etudes is truly the 2020 music. Not to mention it taps into our collective fixation on sanitization, making each handwashing feel extra visceral. 10/10 bottles of sanitizer.

Liew Niyomkarn - LONG

Writing this about 5 minutes in to track 1 and I can feel my molecular makeup changing. LONG is like a massage for your electrons. The inspiration for this track is a quote: “sound is more certain than time and matter“ (The World Is Sound: Nada Brahma).  I’m starting to believe it. This is an understated, beautiful piece of sound art by virtuoso artist Liew Niyomkarn. 10/10 dimensions of string theory.

Ted Taforo and Scott Ray - What is Beauty

Two outward-facing souls invite you to share their journey to a new sound. Forged out of the chaos of a shattered world-view brought about by pandemic, this album makes you feel like a single-celled organism swimming in a primordial soup. Fearless, light-hearted, touching, fun for the whole family, coming to a theater near you. What is Beauty 10/10 protozoa.

Matthew Clough-Hunter - music for art galleries

It's the second Saturday of the month and the neighborhood art-walk is poppin’. You wander in and out of galleries with abstract paintings and patrons with fluffy sweaters and wine. Next door onlookers watch somebody spray painting a canvas. On the sidewalk handmade jewelry sits on a blanket. Well, art-walks are canceled but the next best thing is Matthew Clough-Hunter’s music for art galleries. Boundless sound and savvy rhythms. 10/10 handmade bracelets.