Port St Willow Archives - Various Small Flames

Advent Calendar [5th]: River Tiber – The Star Falls

Jon Doyle — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 14:18:00 +0000

Canadian singer/producer Tommy Paxton-Beasley, better known as River Tiber, uses vocals, instruments, samples and sounds to create rich, melancholic soundscapes that fall somewhere between ambient and electronic music. ‘The Star Falls’, the title track from his latest EP, is a reflective track where gentle croons and far-away yelps combine to from something reminiscent of Port St. Willow, with added beats.

You can get the Star Falls EP now, and a full-length, entitled Synapses, is due out in 2014.

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Port St. Willow – Holiday

Jon Doyle — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:16:49 +0000

Nick Principe, AKA Port St. Willow, caught my attention a while back with his EP ’Even // Wasteland’. A multi-intrusmentalist, Principe creates vivid soundscapes complete with a beautiful falsetto. I really don’t want to over-do this but growing up he spent a lot of time playing and recording with Peter Silberman (of The Antlers) and I think the parallels between their work is somethign special. I really like the idea that two men worked together from a young age (although I confess I have no idea how young, I’m going by the PR blurb) and developed style that they have since mastered. Obviously both have different methods (and therefore sounds) and each is very much his own artist which makes it all the more noteworthy. I in no way intend to pigeon-hole Principe, in fact quite the opposite. The way in which he has stayed true to what is obviously the type of music he excels at is admirable and the link to Silberman is an interesting (and heartwarming, in a way) tale of two talented friends who are now receiving acclaim.

’Holiday’ is the new LP from Port St. Willow and continues everything that was so so good about his previous work. Each tracks blends into the next conveying an almost loop-like sense of continuity, the feeling that you could put the album on repeat and let it cycle around and around. Again his vocals are earnest against the electronic sounds and has no problem raising to the occassion when the drums kick in and the tempo is lifted. As he suggests himself, I’d say this would sound even better looking out of a train window or half asleep on an overnight flight. The sort of record which takes you to a different place or brings some sense of meaning to the place in which you are in. The very same effect that I got from Silberman’s Hospice. I would love to see how the songs take shape when performed live since there was a very real difference between Hospice on record and in a show. I wonder if he sticks to the ambient style or leans towards rock songs a bit more? Either way I bet it would be a real spectacle in the right environment.

Holiday is out now. It can be streamed from his Bandcamp page or downloaded for a meagre $7. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

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Mojave Bird

Jon Doyle — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Grace Peters, AKA Mojave Bird, is another find courtesy of Port St. Willow. Grace is from Portland, OR, and makes lovely ambient music which she has described as ‘haunted’. Her self-titled EP is a free download on Bandcamp so give it a listen.

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Port St. Willow

Jon Doyle — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:20:00 +0000

Port St. Willow is Nick Principle from Portland, Oregon. I came across Nick on the brilliant I Guess I’m Floating, who were recommended him by Peter Silberman of The Antlers fame. Similarities between Principle and Silberman are there for all to hear, a delicate voice almost becoming a new instrument throughout the EP.

You can download the EP Even // Wasteland for however much you feel like giving. I’m sure a donation would be more than welcome so give what you can.

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