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New Release
Full-length Albums
Magnetic Vines
electroacoustic . lush ambient . cinematic
Magnetic Vines’ debut album is a slowly unfolding exploration of textures and contrasts — lush electronic layers blend with minimalist, lo-fi acoustic sounds; tracks inspired by the growth of tiny plants segue into vignettes of an endless night sky; a portrait of a garden in a bustling city yields to sonic imagery of peaceful alpine springs. Through it all run the underlying rhythms of growth and decay, a melancholy meditation on transience and the passage of time.
A Telescope in a Garden
ambient . cosmic . avant-garde
“A Telescope in a Garden” is a study in contrasts: the microscopic and the cosmic; the dissonant and the consonant; the spontaneity of improvisation and the meticulous tinkering of arranging and production. A collaboration with Yohei Shikano, the nine tracks on this record offer a whimsical exploration of sounds and textures. At times cozy and melodic, and at times alien and dissonant, the music incorporates elements of jazz, electronica, folk music, and the avant-garde.
Empty Sky Field Recordings
american primitivism . psychedelic folk
“Empty Sky Field Recordings” is a collection of improvisations, each track recorded live in a different outdoor setting. Erik conjures rustic, contemplative sounds from an old travel guitar tuned down to the baritone register and carried on long hikes through the wilderness. A sense of solitude and deep connection with the natural world permeate the record, which contains elements of psychedelic folk and American primitivism.
Snake River Improvisations
free improvisation . solo piano
Each piano is unique, but the one-in-a-million quirks and qualities of the Beckwith centenarian nestled against the wall of Jens Kuross’ Boise studio proved the perfect conduit for the Magnetic Vines’ first solo piano release. While in Idaho to work with Jens, Ross was so intrigued by the possibilities of this instrument that he came to the studio early one morning to spend some time exploring and familiarizing himself with the piano. This session of free improvisations, inspired by the natural beauty of Idaho and the back-and-forth exchange of musician and instrument reacting to one another are documented on this album.
EPs
Sentinel Pine EP
ambient folk . meditative music
Sentinel Pine is a collection of 5 songs that loosely weave a story beginning thousands of years ago and ending billions of years in the future. The songs in this collection examine the paradox of being a human in the modern world: feeling insignificant and helpless, while knowing our actions can have an enormous impacts.
A Lake, Slowly Freezing
detuned guitar . winter . remoteness
Recorded in the dead of a Montana winter, this solo guitar EP captures the bleakness and isolation of the remote north country. Guitarist Erik Miron performs a series of miniatures, and producer Ross Garren’s skillful sonic treatment pushes an old detuned guitar into the realm of cosmic ambience. The coldness of a freezing lake is juxtaposed against the emptiness of the ever-expanding universe, and though the album is often mournful it ends on a more hopeful note–perhaps the end is just another beginning.
Summer's End
solo piano . improvisation . meditative
“Summer’s End” is a collection of three meditative solo piano vignettes recorded in early fall of 2021 in Washoe Valley, Nevada. Nestled against the Eastern Sierras, this idyllic landscape is home to wild horses, mule deer, bald eagles, and black bears. Recorded informally as part of a series of live stream performances, this particular morning’s set captured the essence of the stunning pastoral setting in those transformative days as summer turns to fall.
On May 19 2022
experimental . synthesized . whimsical
A strange story of juxtaposition from Magnetic Vines and Pfred. Acoustic piano inhabits a synthesized landscape; spontaneous improvisations form the threads woven into meticulously crafted tapestries.
Singles
Long Sleep
acoustic textures . earthy lyrics
Layers of acoustic guitar, trumpet, and harmonica weave a blanket for mellow vocals in this ode to winter. A collaboration with Lisa Servilio, the track explores ideas of embracing shifting seasons, synchronizing oneself with natural changes, and ceasing to resist inevitable endings.
Impermanence
minimalist piano . introspection
Recorded in a few spare moments at the end of a commercial recording session, “Impermanence” documents Ross’ first explorations of free improvisation in over a decade. Having run ahead and with their work complete, engineer Harriet Tam kept recording, capturing this carefree moment of introspection, self-exploration, and quest for clarity — a mindset Ross would return to often over the coming months.
Sentinel Pine
ambient folk . dark meditation
“Sentinel Pine” is an ambient folk exploration of deep time and the transience of the human experience. Lisa Servilio’s vocals and lyrics blend with music by Magnetic Vines to create a dark and mysterious meditation on the changing of the earth within the cosmos.
Remixes
Impermanence (Proper Keith Remix)
ambient . modular synths
The debut release of Properkeith, the modular synthesist alter ego of Grammy-nominated producer Keith Armstrong, is a study in perspective and refraction. Properkeith deftly deconstructs and reconstructs this earthy solo piano performance, launching it to the cosmos and back. What returns is a wholly transformed vision of the source material that maintains the tranquil and meditative nature of the original.
Silver Creek Spring (Brady Cohan Remix)
tape loops . synthesizers
Tape loops, modular synthesis, and the verdant imagination of acclaimed film composer and guitarist, Brady Cohan, drive the peaceful waters of “Silver Creek Spring” beyond the open space of the high desert. The piece wanders imaginary frontiers, conjuring a slow-moving current through untouched wilderness in distant corners of the multiverse.
Magnetic Vines (Beles Remix)
lo-fi . experimental
“Magnetic Vines — Beles Remix” is an experimental lo-fi hip hop exploration by drummer and producer Jake Jamieson (Rhye, Moses Sumney). Jake deftly re-imagines the brooding textures of Magnetic Vines’ original track with a driving yet idiosyncratic beat reminiscent of Flying Lotus. Pulsing layers of percussion and rhythmic synthesizers propel the music through immersive and contemplative textures that conjure images of wandering an empty city at night.