Lush, off-the-beaten-path bedroomy indie pop.
I was walking by the music office one day when this caught my ear... I’m happy it did. It’s really lovely, creative work from Brooklyn-based composer/producer Robbie Lee – at times melancholy, curious, meditative, experimental in its instrumentation… strongly reminiscent of Microphones/Phil Elverum (especially with the natural imagery) with a softer version of Lou Barlow thrown in.

From artist: “This record was made over a period of several years, as I was learning how to use the studio not just functionally, but as an instrument itself. I’m inspired by the way things were done back in pop’s golden era, that special organic feeling of music, and am trying to bring that spirit back to right now.” (Big Freak Media)

No FCCs detected. Start with 2 and 12, 13… 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 14 all good…

RIYL Microphones/Mount Eerie, Sebadoh with the edges taken off, Ben Folds, Jon Brion

1. **Say It’s Right Now (2:15) mid. lovely mixed up jangly pop w/ nostalgic strings, bright riffs, gentle toms. vaguely hopeful.
2. ***Rain Steam and Speed (6:16) slow, then mid. opens with somber, brooding piano, drums join in. beautiful… “I’ll run away to escape being bored and depressed.” around 4:34 changes tone and becomes darker/more forceful, chanting/meditative, lush and so very Microphones-y. could be an outtake from Glow Pt. 2. I love it so.!
3. *Antikythera (3:48) med-slow. darker jangle guitar again, maracas?, deep vocals alternate with crazy cacophonous sections. sailing on, a destination in mind, does it matter if we get there? maybe not…
4. Specimen Date (1:22) mid. instrumental. harpsichord? no idea what this instrument is but it feels like iridescence, encompassing, nicely paired with a hum-like bass note.
5. *Under the Arc-Light (3:50) slow to mid. stark dissonance, higher-pitched delicate vocals, with “na na na”s that come together in a sudden burst of energy and instrumentation. piano in background, awesome little twists of guitar and what sounds like wind chimes.
6. *Kids (4:57) slow. meandering guitar instrumental and piano joined soon by storytelling vocals. calming, like having a moment to watch the sunset alone. features a melody I swear is in The Beatles’ “Long Long Long”… and surely enough he mentions that song here. nice homage.
7. *The 10:04 (2:47) mid. more uptempo, plucky guitar+drums, Sebadoh + Eels
8. **Interstate Ex (2:56) slow. Microphones again: slow, lovely, thoughtful spidery vocals and acoustic picking, with some harmonica and even horns. thoughts while driving on an endless stretch. ends in chaos.
9. Fludd’s Folly (7:20) mid. instrumental. feat. something called a “crumhorn” which buzzes a lot amidst high-pitched notes, bass kick, dissolves into marching guitar, which dissolves into more weird buzzes and then a really sudden, cheerful, pounding section ~5 min in
10. **The Seals are Sailing (2:27) slow. intimate tune set to slightly unsettling acoustic picking. “a haunted, beautiful frustrating/do they think they’ll make me crazy?”
11. After The Deluge (2:40) slow. bright, sunny picking on - is that a banjo? soft vocals that sound like “wait” being repeated over and over. also features sleigh bells and some kinda flute
12. ***Chytrid, My Chytrid (4:31) slow. yess. sludgey shoegazey riff and low, understated vocals. cymbals create a mood like waves crashing. his voice climbs higher for a beautiful unintelligible chorus.
13. ***Firefly (2:49) slow. opens with wind chimes and that broken-piano- harpsichord-thing. cheerful and offbeat haunted nursery rhyme ... about finding light in the hell we live in.
14. **Bears Making Bear Trees (4:21) slow. drones and bells mix with 8-bit noise and ride cymbals, become more melodic and quite beautiful as the backdrop to chant-like vocals. never really reaches crescendo but haunting nonetheless.