Recordings from the Åland Islands, Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer (8/10)

Ok I had seen a lot of artists I really respect posting about this album, and it had been on my to-listen-to list for a while. The premise is dope. Jeremiah Chiu (who is this techy-sonic-genius-guy) and Marta Sofia Honer traveled to the Åland Islands (in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland). Inspired by the dreamlike serenity and strangeness of the islands, they were awarded a grant to perform a concert at this medieval church there - the concert was recorded and mixed with field recordings they had done to create this album. Okay - I'm a fucking sucker for that kind of experimental field-inspired shit. Also the cover art???? love. Even with such a dope story, the album could disappoint, and it doesn't. Bird sounds and rushing water and even voices sometimes take the background behind violin, organ, piano, and just other synth-y sounds. I really like experimental contemporary instrumental stuff like Bing & Ruth - and I loved this album. It was not no-skips for me, which is why it's an 8/10 - but it's really good. Fav tracks were Under the Midnight Sun, Voices, and Rocky Passage.