Title track from the new album out on Azure Vista Records on August 11th! CD and limited edition vinyl shipping now from: azurevistarecords.bandcamp.com

Info:

American ambient masters zakè (a.k.a. Zach Frizzell) and City of Dawn (a.k.a. Damien Duque) return with a mesmerizing follow up to last year's "Agape". The music the two create together reflects the expansive landscapes of their native Texas and Indiana. Slowly unfolding melodies that seem to rise like the sun from a Texas horizon, and drones that resonate like leaves in an endless Indiana woodland. It's a sound that's both beautiful and slightly haunting – a sound that encompasses the listener and demands attention. This is music to get lost in.

Zach and Damien can both be considered veterans of ambient drone by now, and the five composition on Ash present a rarefied ”complex simplicity”. With few means they manage to create sonic and compositional depth, on par with classics of the genre from the likes of William Basinski, Brian Eno and Stars of the Lid.

The CD version of ”Ash” includes the previous album ”Agape”, which hasn't been previously released on CD.

zakè & City of Dawn: "Ash"

thatched

On episode 302, hear from Johnson Space Center’s Safety and Mission Assurance Director who describes NASA’s safety culture today and how it has evolved over time.

Houston We Have a Podcast: NASA Safety Culture

On episode 303, hear from the CHAPEA crew and the principal investigator as they give us an update on how life has been in the simulated Mars habitat. This is the first audio log of a monthly series.

Houston We Have a Podcast: Mars Audio Log #1

With this album, Glåsbird's 'A Sonic Expedition' draws to its close. It began at the North Pole, in the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean and it ends at the South Pole, on the world's least populated continent; the ice-capped desolate grandeur that is Antarctica. It had been suspected that this land existed long before it had been discovered and many had died in their pursuit to find it. Some may even have died as a consequence of accidentally discovering it, through detoured voyages striking into glaciers.

The music here in Antarctica returns to Modern Classical, as the artist comes full circle. Echoes of 2019's debut album set in Greenland can be felt in places, as soaring violin and cello collide. However, these 8 tracks gather up the compositional and technical learning throughout the series, as Glåsbird looks forward to the challenges of the future.

The photography in this album is from Oceanographer Neha Ramsarup, who traveled on the South African polar vessel SA Agulhas II, deploying instruments and collecting seawater samples along the voyage from Cape Town (South Africa) to South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE IV). These trips are joined by a range of marine scientists, whose keen interests lie in ocean properties such as sea ice and weather as well as mammals, birds, whales and penguins who call these polar regions home.

This series of 8 albums has been a world of discovery for this anonymous composer, as their work etches into sound the hours of inspiration drawn from vintage maps, documentaries, Google Earth explorations and countless articles. Along the way, a familiar theme threads through the work as at every turn, Glåsbird's studies led to the events of climate change. The devastating effects are real, with melting glaciers, rising seas, disintegrating ice caps, wild fires, war and warming seas unintentionally finding their way into the concepts of this series.

As a clear juxtaposition to this, the sheer beauty of our world is also uncovered, with the work of visual artists helping bring this to life through the album covers and packaging imagery. There's an enormity and poignant feel to the music too, as melancholy classical notes extend through an eerie chill, or sun-bleached tapes explore hidden islands and tropical climes. The natural beauty of our world can be felt throughout this collection alongside a sense of despair too, at its apparent demise. Humans are doing what they can to build a momentum of awareness on our tired old planet, through education and urgency. It is hoped through this series that it can add to this movement somehow even if in a small way, to build a sense of care for our planet.

releases October 14, 2023

Written and produced by Glåsbird
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by nehar63 - www.instagram.com/nehar63/
Art and design by Andrew Heath

Antarctica

wlr144 glåsbird - antarctica

On episode 305, hear from chief flight director Emily Nelson as she discusses her journey to NASA and what it takes to lead teams inside Mission Control Houston.

Houston We Have a Podcast: The Flight Directors' Flight Director

On episode 308, the CHAPEA crew gives an update on how life has been in the simulated Mars habitat for their one-year stay, and a human research expert discusses the virtual reality spacewalks within the analog. This is the second audio log of a monthly series.

Houston We Have a Podcast: Mars Audio Log #2

A song about a river, although my memory is possibly untrustworthy. I wrote and recorded it in January 2023, and mastered it in April. This track features on Ambient Online Compilation Volume 26, although the mastering will differ slightly from this version.

Stay awake

Orders of Magnitude

Bathe at Your Own Risk

Buy at Bandcamp

Bathe At Your Own Risk

This previously unreleased track can be found on the Side B CD that comes with the book, "Time Released Sound: A Decade Of Handmade Music Packaging”. Pre-orders start on November 18th, 2023.

Time Released Sound: A Decade Of Handmade Music Packaging (CD 2)

Catherine Watine "Time As A Hole"

In season six, meet researchers who are using sounds from the Sun to learn unlock new details about our star, explore the “dark side” of the universe with scientists who study dark matter and dark energy, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the first NASA mission to deliver an asteroid sample to Earth. A new episode drops every Tuesday.

NASA's Curious Universe: Introducing Season Six

Special thanks to my friend M'terra (@mterrain) for providing field recordings that were sampled on this track.

Dazed

Hello, we’re NASA. You may have seen our astronauts, rocket launches, or Mars rovers — but have you heard our sounds? From interviews with astronauts and engineers to stories that take you on a tour of the galaxy, NASA’s audio offerings let you experience the thrill of space exploration without ever leaving Earth.