Welcome to Ambient Explorations! This is your first visit so please feel at home. Comments are appreciated! -Flict

One of the things I love the most about the whole music experience is the discovery. In fact I think I’m addicted to it. The thrill of discovering a band or project, sometimes by pure luck, is what gives me faith that the music world is always progressing independent of money or media.

I’m saying all this to introduce you to the best “found by luck” band of the last don’t-know-how-long: Magnolia

The first time I heard the  album (“This is Magnolia”) I had to stop doing whatever I was doing and just soak in the lazy post-rock waves of emotional lap guitar, minimalistic piano and smooth light grooves.  It’s not the most original sound ever.. In fact the Tortoise, Mogwai, Sumner McKane influence is so obvious (for me anyway) that is like a bow or homage. And I don’t care at all. Since the last Sumner McKane I didn’t get so emotional connected to album like this one.

Well, enought talking. Just listen and fly.

Following Magnus Birgersson (aka Solar Fields) musical recommendations, I purchased the new Hammock album in flac format… and it is amazing!!

The first thing that came to mind when listening to “Chasing After Shadows… Living With the Ghosts” was Godspeed You Black Emperor. Like the Canadian band, Hammock uses a lot of guitar feedback drowned in reverb. But sounds here are a lot more gentle and melodic than the former. It is also a very visual album, reminding me of childhood memories and places that I miss.

I can tell this is one of the albums that will grow on me. A lot of depth and atmosphere here. Can be quite transcendental at times… Recommended, especially for fans of Post-rock!

Buy it here.

I came across “What a great place to be” 3 months ago on the web. Do you know when something catch your attention and you think: this is special! The cover, the title(s), the theme… At the minute I saw it I knew I was going to love it. And that´s what happened!

It´s a really special album, full of organic and deep emotions. It fully transport me to a childhood that I never had… Very special feeling.

Easily one of the best albums of 2009 (the best?).

Sumner McKane Website

… and a review by Joseph Sannicandro:

“Sumner McKane’s much anticipated new album is a tribute to his home state of Maine, each song encapsulating a different aspect or historical or personal anecdote. The narrative quality of What A Great Place to Be is clear, but of course he achieves this in an ambiguous way, by means of song titles and styles of playing. It is also obvious that it was a labor of love, from the subject matter, from the care of production. McKane, in the time between records, has also become a father twice over, and I can only imagine that this impacted his work as a musician. (His daughters’ can be heard buried in some of the tracks, according to this cute story). In January of 2007, I reviewed Sumner’s last studio album, Two if By Sea. At the time I knew it to be a magnificent record, but in the time since then the album has only served to become more and more dear to me. McKane is without question amongst the most talented songwriters, producers, and guitar players making ambient instrumental music right now.”

(Read the rest of the review here)