Drone Edition)

Well we have made it yet to another year-end list season. It’s been a long-ish year for me, but there has been plenty to soundtrack the angst-y days and anxiety nights. What do I do to cope with the mental anguish and shadowy unknowns? Well, I listen to music. I exercise as well, but the […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2023(Mid-Year Edition)

It’s been a few years since I’ve sat down to do a mid-year album review for Complex Distractions. Not sure why I’ve let that go by the way side. Granted, it’s a lot of work for me. Making lists the old fashioned way, by pen and paper; ranking albums in accordance to my adoration and […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2022 Part III(20-11)

Hey hey folks. We’re in the countdown now. Not only are we five days away from baby Jesus, three wise men, and all that jazz, but we’ve gotten to the top 20 favorite albums of the year. Whose favorite albums? Well mine, of course. Who am I? Well I’m your friendly neighborhood hermit who enjoys […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums of 2019 – January to July

It’s been a pretty amazing year for music, I gotta tell ya. So much to dig into and get lost in. There have been some pretty great music years over the last few years, with 2012, 2014, and 2017 standing out considerably. Record labels such as El Paraiso Records, Holodeck Records, Azure Vista Records, Burning […]

Marine Eyes : To Belong

The eloquent, hushed sound world of Cynthia Bernard, aka Marine Eyes, is one of mystery and ethereal soundscapes. Combining heavily-effected guitar, subtle synthesizers, and her own layered vocals, Bernard creates records of dream-like beauty and crystalline visions. Her ambient recordings are not unlike stepping into another world, one built from a foundation of longing for […]

36 : Reality Engine

Dennis Huddleston, aka electronic artist 36, makes electronic music in the grand tradition of trailblazers like Edgar Froese, Klaus Schulze, and Jean-Michel Jarre. And what I mean by that is 36 works on grand scales, building crystalline sound worlds where one gets lost for a bit. Where some ambient feels like slow motion cloud formation […]

Long Story Short(Ambient Edition) : Slow Dancing Society/Billow Observatory/zakè/Chihei Hatakeyama, Hakobune, From Overseas, zake

2024. So how’s the new year been treating you? Already one month down, just eleven more to go and we’ll be looking at 2025. But hey, let’s not rush it. It’s going to go by fast enough as it is. Let’s talk about some soothing, heady sounds that might help you through it all, shall […]

“The Boundless And The Infinite” : In Conversation With Musician, Composer, And Label Runner zakè

Central Indiana is a vast, endless horizon of cornfields, farms, and the occasional city strewn in for good measure. If you’ve ever been to West Texas you’d feel right at home in this Midwest pocket of agriculture, small town life, and the feeling of being nowhere and everywhere in just a single glance. Interstate 65 […]

Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea Return With “Cadere”; New Album Out Spring 2024

There’s a special kind of magic that happens with Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea. A musical alchemy occurs within the lush sound layers, processed noise, and ethereal melodies that emanate from their songs. My first experience with this ambient music project was their 2020 release Liberamente, which came to us via Azure Vista Records. […]

Cosmic Returns : The Space Traveler’s Guide To SFI Recordings

By now if you’ve been a semi-regular reader here then chances are you’ve heard of SFI Recordings. If you’re not a regular reader and stumbled by because you searched “anxiety”, “Midwest”, “sad, middle-aged guy”, or “heavy synth”, then welcome! Glad you stumbled upon my little spot along the information super highway. Regardless if you’re a […]