Zoning Out Edition: Marisa Anderson, Elkhorn, 75 Dollar Bill & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
By Aaron Stein Aug 24, 2016 • 1:41 pm PDT
Marisa Anderson: Into The Light
This week I’m featuring a quartet of new albums that are great but also great for just zoning out to. First up is guitarist Marisa Anderson‘s newest release, Into The Light. I’ve featured many wonderful guitar players in this space over the years and Anderson is among the best. Her playing is a blissful, modern take on old traditional sounds with slide and resonator guitars mixed in. Her newest record is lovely, with just enough external sounds to complement her playing. Totally mesmerizing and highly recommended.
Elkhorn: Elkhorn
While we’re zoning out to beautiful guitar playing, it’s a good time to check out Elkhorn. These guys are a guitar duo consisting of old friends Jesse Sheppard and Drew Gardner and their newly-released debut self-titled album out on Beyond Beyond Is Beyond has already made its impression on me. The music consists of traditional finger-picked 12-string that creates a lovely, hypnotic backdrop while an electric guitar curls and curves around in an assortment of psychedelic and dreamy melodies. Perfect music for some heavy thinking or not thinking at all. Enjoy!
75 Dollar Bill: Wood/Metal/Plastic/Pattern/Rhythm/Rock
Before your brain floats away too far, be sure to check out Wood/Metal/Plastic/Pattern/Rhythm/Rock, a bit of a zone-out masterpiece from another duo, NYC-based 75 Dollar Bill. Here percussion and guitar meet in the middle and consummate in elaborate, slow-developing soundscapes. Bit by bit they shift and form and bit by bit your mind gets sucked into their void. Sometimes a groove forms, sometimes you’re totally untethered, but all around, it’s an incredibly unique and yet utterly inviting sound. Covering 40 minutes in four tracks, your willing submission and patience will be rewarded.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: Ears
Finally, I’ll send your floating consciousness on its blissed-out way with some seriously transcendental electronic music courtesy of Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. Simply called Ears, the album is a mind-voyage of digital and analog delights, shimmering shape-shifters with Smith’s altered voice occasionally mixing in with her synthesizers. Relaxing, beautiful, engaging, it’s perfect music for zoning out to.
