Losing his mother when he was twelve, Albert af Ekenstam and his sister were forced to grow up more or less alone. Ashes is in part a meditation on loneliness and inner-strength, how determination can not only co-exist with but actually derive from fragility. As such, grief and sadness colour the songs but do not define them, leaving that to the incandescent moments of defiance and joy which spit and spark through the dark, like fireflies on a summer’s night, embers blown high on the wind.

To help us better understand the range of emotions that went into Ashes, Albert af Ekenstam has crafted us a list of songs, one for every situation and circumstance that cropped up during the creation of the record. Not only does it serve as a great way to explore the influences behind Albert’s work, it also makes for a rather beautiful listen.

When you dream…

Ashes is out today (14th October) via Kning Disk and you can get it from iTunes or listen via Spotify.

The post The songs behind Albert af Ekenstam’s Ashes appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Over the course of three years, the sounds of acoustic guitar, pump organ, piano, banjo and voice were caught on tape, rearranged, processed and, coupled with other sounds and recordings, left waiting for months on end. All the while life changed, relationships ended, new life began and older lives ended. More sounds were recorded, arranged, and left to wait.

Eventually these recordings eveloved into finished tracks, and the band enlisted the expert help of Kristopher Strom, Nils Frahm and Heather Woods Broderick. Said tracks have now been packaged into a full-length LP entitled Teeth Out. You can hear the first track ‘Worry, Glory’, which sees Broderick taking on vocal duties, in the player below:

The Silence Set are due to release Teeth Out on the 6th of November. You can pre-order it now via Mini50 Records.

The post The Silence Set announce album on Mini50 Records appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Tracklisting

1. Saturday Night – The Wooden Sky
2. Wings – Field Report
3. Infestation – Bear Medicine
4. Cigarettes – Oquoa
5. Chris Bell – M. Lockwood Porter
6. Ride On, Molina – Rivulets
7. Farewell Transmission – Songs: Ohia
8. HSKT – Sylvan Esso
9. Reconstruct (feat. Seafloor) – Photay
10. Second Night – Mansionair
11. Beacon – DEAREST
12. Sweetness – Wayne Szalinksi
13. Yellow Leaves – Ezkiel
14. Travel Advisory – Baby Mollusk
15. ESRT (2001) – Whatever, Dad
16. Black Kettle – Real Life Buildings
17. Six Dollar Sunglasses – Steve Palmer
18. I Have Heard of a Land – C.Strøm
19. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues – Wes Tirey
20. Breaking Bad – Talons’
21. Raft – Sarah Winchester
22. Ontario Gothic – Foxes in Fiction
23. Thrown – Kiasmos
24. You (Nate Connelly Rework) – Nils Frahm
25. Form By Firelight (With Raphaelle Standell) – Jon Hopkins
26. Lights – Mt. Judge
27. I Love – David Karsten Daniels

Remember that we make a mix like this every month, so if you want even more cool new music then head over to the Wake the Deaf 8tracks page, or read the site itself!

October 2014 Mix from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

The post October 2014 Roundup – A Mixtape appeared first on Various Small Flames.

“Me” rework of Nils Frahm by Romain Assénat from Romain Assenat on Vimeo.

You can buy the album ’Screws’ from Erased Tapes.

The post WTD’s Advent Calendar – 21 – Nils Frahm’s SCREWS Reworked appeared first on Various Small Flames.

… and darkness came by Various

The post . . . and darkness came appeared first on Various Small Flames.