<p><span><span>- <strong>Analogue Attic</strong> has just released Alex Albrecht’s debut album <em>Campfire Stories</em>. With the ever-consistent Analogue Attic, Albrecht has produced a bevy great records since 2014 that showcase the 'gentle side' of electronic music down under. The album reflects his penchant for collaboration and improvisation, delivering a work that “explores dreams, the unconscious and the intertwining of feelings and memory”.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>It starts off with the serene <em>Puppeteer</em>, setting the mood for the rest of the album with its soothing pads, live piano, and the characteristic field recordings. <em>Sunshower</em> has a jazzy, downtempo groove with what sounds like upright bass, silky piano and subtle drumming with brushes. The blissful atmosphere continues with <em>Yarra Bend</em> feat. <strong>Carla Oliver</strong> (of <strong>Badskin</strong>), the acoustic guitar fitting seamlessly into Albrecht’s atmospheric dreamscapes. I love the uplifting vibe and heavy percussion on the dreamy <em>Forest From The Trees</em>. The shuffly downtempo rhythm is matched by beatific chords before the syncopated bass comes in. It’s a stunning track, invoking the best of <strong>Gigi Masin</strong>’s newer productions with <strong>Johnny Nash</strong> and <strong>Gaussian Curve</strong>. <em>Adam's Charm</em> starts out spaced out and beatless before metallic percussion punctuates the ambience. There’s some sublime flute playing from <strong>Adam Haliwell</strong> (of <strong>Mildlife</strong>), like a glorious <strong>Iasos</strong> track or <strong>Paul Horn</strong> <em>Inside The Taj Mahal</em> but to a concise beat. Similarly the <em>The Summit</em> featuring the deft drumming <strong>Ziggy Zeitgeist</strong> (of <strong>30/70)</strong> goes in a dance direction, the intricate drum rhythms almost alluding to drum-n-bass. Again Ziggy’s drums in <em>Fairground</em> are outstanding, showing off some <strong>Tony Allen</strong> level dexterity. We are taken out by the titular <em>Campfire Stories</em> with <strong>Thomas Gray</strong> and a little bit of spoken word from <strong>Allysha Joy</strong> against a soothing backing.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>As ever, Albrecht’s songs marry acoustic and electronic elements masterfully. The tracks build and deliver while maintaining that spontaneous, improvised field. There are<strong> </strong>equal parts ambience, jazz and dance (which is hard to pull off)<strong>. </strong>Again,<strong> </strong>Albrecht has given us a record with a lot of feel and finesse; I've come to expect nothing less.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Hillfolk.</span></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1080461146/size=large/bgcol=f…; seamless><a href="https://analogueattic.bandcamp.com/album/campfire-stories">Campfire Stories by Alex Albrecht</a></iframe>