Release of the Month: January Picks

Release of the Month ~ January 2011

The Silent Ballet staff counts down its top picks of the month.

The year’s first list is a chance to jump the gun, to say, “these are the best releases of the year!” 2011 is only a month old, but the excitement level over these releases, especially over our top pick, indicates that we like this new year; musically, it’s already worth keeping, because we couldn’t imagine our lives without these sounds.

Globally, however, 2011 has been tough. From the shooting of a Congresswoman in Arizona to the unrest in Egypt, we have already experienced a fair share of violence, and in its aftermath, a tentative bipartisanship laced with fear. On the environmental front, the U.S. and Europe have experienced the worst winters in recent memory, with tag teams of record snowfalls and arctic cold, and Australia has suffered through floods and a cyclone. (Is this what we get for using all that styrofoam and hairspray?) The wonder of the new season has long since faded, and that hopeful, global New Year’s Eve seems like it was celebrated a long time ago.

This is where music comes in: in some cases a solace, in others a rallying cry, in others a valuable reminder. Music can soothe the savage breast, memorialize a fallen hero, even speak for a nation. Sometimes, it’s simply a welcome distraction, a momentary escape. During these tumultuous months, we salute those who seek to balance the world’s more sordid sounds with others less harsh; or if harsh, those with their own peculiar beauty.

1) MØN ~ Sikfor Harenstrüp in 326 Øllegårt
Self-Released
Magyar fans, you have just found your new favorite band! Combining the technical prowess of progressive rock with the fluidity and finesse of post-rock, the French seven-piece “Rock Orchestra” is a breath of fresh air. The band’s first album proper comes as a self-fulfilling prophecy after the excitement generated by the opening track, “Lukrym”, a couple of years back. Sikfor Harenstrüp in 326 Øllegårt is enticing and captivating from start to finish. While it was released on the first second of the new year, it seems destined to remain in people’s memories until the last. (Mohammed Ashraf)

2) Fabio Orsi ~ Stand Before Me, Oh My Soul!
Preservation
Berlin-based ambient artist Fabio Orsi’s latest release is a major evolution in his sound, and a fitting inauguration to the Preservation label’s new Circa series of limited edition CDs. His past work has mostly revolved around slowly shifting freeform ambient guitar washes suitable for getting lost in. Stand Up Before Me, Oh My Soul! takes the layers of guitar and waves of distortion in a different direction, with Rich Baker’s drums providing a guide that grounds and steers each composition. Noisier and more dissonant than past excursions, the trance-inducing beauty of Orsi’s work has taken an intriguing new incarnation. Limited to only 300 copies, with design by Mark Gowing, we recommend you get one while you can. (Joseph Sannicandro)

3) Simon Whetham ~ Prayers Unheard
Dragon’s Eye
On Prayers Unheard, sound artist Simon Whetham captures the spirit of Krakow by recording its empty spaces. But even empty spaces have resonance: in this case, the echoes of human horror. As evident by its title, Prayers Unheard is a document of yearning. It delves into mystery and emerges without answers, which is how it achieves its unsettling power. The voices of the Holocaust are still whispering, still falling on deaf ears, still being dismissed as the wind, but here at least, they have been given a new throat. (Richard Allen)