Wixel - Clouds

I have written about Wixel before here on You Disappear and his wonderful series of releases from this year (2009) where he is releasing a new album of music each month for the whole year. Each holds a different idea or theme and so far all of them have been pretty wonderful considering most of the time I see musicians try to pull off this sort of project it sort of end up falling flat in a lot of ways. Wixel has done a wonderful job of keeping things interesting and continues to putt out release after release of beautiful, understated music from month to month. Among these releases Clouds, his February release, is easily one of my favorites. It comes across as an ambient music record only a highly organic one that, as the title implies, feels like a perfect soundtrack for watching clouds drift across a sky. The opening track sets the mood all to perfectly as it leaves your mind instantly drifting through your thoughts as you get tangled in its web of warm drifting ambience. Easily a record I highly recomend.

Artist Page • BandCamp page where you can purchase the songs (name your own price!)

Tags: Wixel

Well, I have decided to start up a podcast for the site. It will act as a radio show of sorts for the great music here on the site. Hopefully twice a month I will compile a short podcast of music to give readers a chance to hear more of what they are reading about and maybe catch something that they missed. The obvious aim here is to expand the listener base of the artists featured in the show. I have decided not to host the show with any sort of narration and simply let the show notes, the embedded links, and the music speak for itself.

Read the show notes for each episode in the post that contains them and please note that this is an enhanced aac audio file for playback in iTunes or other compatible player like an iPod and contains links to find out more about the artist you are listening to by clicking the cover art of the music you are hearing in the show. I hope that everyone enjoys the shows and I hope that I can manage to stay under the radar with it to avoid any legal backlash what with this whole crazy world of the internet and digital media.

To subscribe to the show simply add the RSS feed for this page to iTunes or another podcast catcher type program and it should download episodes as they become available. Here is the RSS link to make it easy ( http://www.youdisappear.net/files/blog.xml ) and below you will find the show notes for this episode.

...and please, by all means, let me know what you think of the idea and the show.
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The first Episode of the You Disappear Podcast. A mostly secret place for you to sit back, put a nice pair of headphones on, and get lost in some beautiful music.

This episode features music from Brian Borcherdt, Mount Eerie, Colleen, Wixel, and Laura Gibson. (intro music from the Buddha Machine by FM3) Visit their websites or youdisappear.net for more information on the artists.

*Support artists you enjoy here and buy their music, we have to do what we can to keep them making these wonderful sounds.*

The podcast has been created as an enhanced aac file therefore the artwork will change according to the song and the songs have been seperated into chapters as well. Each time the artwork cahnges you will be able to use a link in the artwork which will take you to the artists page.

It is best enjoyed in iTunes or on an iPod of some sort for these features. An mp3 version is available upon request.

If you are an artist featured on this podcast and you wish to have your music removed please contact me directly at john@youdisappear.net and I will be more than happy to remove it for you. I completely understand, the intention of the site is to promote great music of a calm mindset, not capitalize from it. Its for the love of the music.

Direct Link for the show.

Tags: Laura Gibson, Wixel, Brian Borcherdt, Colleen, Mount Eerie

Wixel (2009) - Blood Red Bird

I recently posted an album from Wixel but I wanted to add another from the group as they have taken up the challenge of recording 12 albums in 12 months time (over the course of 2009). One for each month and each revolve around some sort of central idea or approach. So far this year they have made it to their third release which is the one I am writing about here. Although I have only heard it a couple of times through it has quickly become my favorite so far and has gotten me exited about hearing the way the project progresses through the year. Typically with this type of approach you end up with a lot of poorly conceived songs without much in the way of real production quality or interesting results for that matter but Wixel has made it seem effortless and I have yet to find a song among this project that left me feeling anything but satisfied. From what I understand from the sites they have set up I believe the music is primarily created by Wim Maesschalc the founding member of the group who is from Belgium.

As for the music on this release they have taken their normally instrumental sound and added soft vocals to many of them and while the music is primarily guitar and vocals the layers of sound and production make it a wonderfully polished and subtle record. The music is a low key collection of songs. In my usual desire to want to come up with an example of where I could imagine this music being enjoyed most I find myself thinking of lying around on a carpeted floor on a blanket and pillows with someone... just lying there with eyes closed while it plays. Im not sure why but maybe you will see what I mean if you hear it. Its a beautiful record and not one to pass up.

I will try and add the other albums from the project slowly on the site so they can be included in its archives. Both links below will take you to a place where you can hear the album streaming and purchase it by naming your own price to do so.

Artist Page • BandCamp page where you can purchase the songs (name your own price!)

Tags: Wixel

Wixel - Somewhere Between the Sun and the Moon

I am a big fan of the subgenera of music that many have been calling ‘folktronica’ which is a term that I think sounds kind of silly but it works as some general way to describe artists that make this sort of music. It is a sort of light hearted, playful sort of a sound that often uses a minimal approach to composition and the elements in the songs combine acoustic instrumentation along with simple electronic production elements such as sampling environments or light use of other electronic sounds. The combination is common among modern music but it’s the minimal, pleasant, and sometimes avant-garde approach that defines the genera.

Wixel is an artist I only recently discovered and I wanted to add a couple albums from them here on You Disappear. I decided to start with this album which is a wonderfully subtle album of acoustic guitar and playful light feeling that makes for a great album to put on during a sunny day. I feel this album would be perfect for laying in the sun. For whatever reason I imagine lying on a floor in the afternoon sunlight as it comes streaming through a window catching the particles of dust as it floats through the air. I think that pretty well describes the music. Warm and sort of comforting and peaceful in a way. If only every moment in life could be this calm.

Artist Page • Album Page (a page the artist set up to sell the album where you can preview the songs)

Tags: Wixel