Soundscape is a weekly look at local and international releases making an impression on our musical radar. The list offers a cross-section of EPs and albums arriving at the station.

We have been busily scouring the Soundscape! Check out some of our favourite finds for this week 12 October 2020.

BLAKE SCOTT - NISCITAM (WING SING RECORDS)**ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Niscitam is the debut release from the frontman of celebrated Melbourne three-piece The Peep Tempel. Produced by multi-instrumentalist John Lee, the album seeks to reconcile Scott’s hopes for peace and justice against all of the contrary evidence presented in front of him. Driven by Scott’s front-bar drawl, Niscitam dials the punk energy of the Peep Tempel back to something more structured and introspective, though teetering on chaos, filled with meticulous and rich arrangements with help from musicians Jacey Ashton and Nick Finch.

KYLIE AULDIST - THIS IS WHAT HAPPINESS LOOKS LIKE (SOUL BANK MUSIC)

The latest solo work from the Melbourne based singer of The Bamboos and Cookin’ on Three Burners, is, true to its title, an unbridled expression of joy and celebration, brimming with big pop hooks, funk grooves, lush disco synths and soulful vocals. Of the album, Auldist has said "Some albums are written fast, some take a long time, some albums experience setbacks, become beset by creative blocks and personal issues, and can generally be a whole lot of hard work which makes you question why you even bothered to start it in the first place - this was not one of those albums - hence the title This Is What Happiness Looks Like,"

MACHINEDRUM - A VIEW OF U (NINJATUNE/INERTIA)

The ninth studio album from the acclaimed LA producer Travis Stuart explores the concept of the out of body experience. “The feeling of being out of your body feels infinite. It feels like time has stopped. It feels like the birth of creation,” explains Travis. A View of U latches onto this theme of the infinity fusing IDM, UK rave, jungle and bass culture and blending it with a myriad of US regional hip-hop and club variations. “As I became aware of my OOBE through song creation, choosing what songs should go on an album as well as through my meditation, I realized that this was meant to be the central theme of the album.”

ELA STILES - SONGS ON HARMONIUM WITH VOICE (INDEPENDENT)

On Songs on Harmonium with Voice, Ella Stiles has reworked songs from her released and unreleased body of work reconfigured on nothing but voice and harmonium. Styled in this way, the songs become something entirely new, sustained by the strength, vulnerability and emotional range of her vocals. The harmonium, droning and creaking under Stiles' voice, sounds both ancient and modern, bridging the gap between the church organ and the synthesizer.

SETWUN - OUR WORLD (MANDARIN DREAMS)

Setwun is the project of the prolific Sydney-based composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Panakera-Moloney. His latest EP ‘Our World’ is a worship record to the power, healing and uniting capacity of music. With sincere connection to his roots and influences, Setwun stacks a pallet of styles, sounds and inflections which become uniquely his own within the flourishing Australian groove landscape.

EMMY THE GREAT - APRIL / 月音 (BELLA UNION)

April / 月音 charts a reconnection with home. While in the case of Emmy the Great this very specifically relates to her return to Hong Kong after a long stint in NYC, there is a universality to this story of returning home and being reminded of our deep connection to history. There is a feeling of fleeting freedom and togetherness here which reflects the place and time of Hong Kong at the time it was written, twenty years since the beginning of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, but just preceding the anti-extradition law protests and continued struggle for democracy which has plunged Hong-Kong into ongoing unrest and international newspaper headlines.

HEADIE ONE - EDNA (SONY)

EDNA follows on the heels of Drake publicly launching Headie One into mainstream consciousness as his latest UK protege, declaring Headie ‘the best drill artist in the world.’ It also comes on the back of a string of incidents linking Headie to North London’s knife-crime wave, including a 6 month jail stint for knife possession, and lyrics which, it has been suggested, perpetuate postcode warfare. On his new album, named for his mother who died when he was a child, Headie attempts to reconcile his troubled past with his current success and status, trying to “live differently”, starting his own label, enjoying the good life (“eating seafood in Dubai”) while still paying homage to his friends in prison and, at times, reinforcing himself as a man who “made a killing both in the countryside and in the city.”

MARIA MINERVA  -  SOFT POWER (100% SILK)

Soft Power breaks a six year hiatus for the Estonian born, LA-based alt-pop singer. The eight tracks follow a loosely autobiographical path, following her journeys from Detroit to New York, London and to LA, where the record was recorded. The album is “pure Minerva,” a daydream construction of hazy clubs, neon nights and bedroom encounters: “Taste this love till the morning sun”

FLEET FOXES - SHORE (ANTI-)

Shore is the fourth release from indie-folk giants Fleet Foxes. The new album, released without notice or fanfare, was written and recorded in studios around the world (Portugal, Los Angeles, Upstate New York, Paris), almost exclusively by band-leader Robin Pecknold. The record covers common ground for Pecknold both musically and thematically, with existential concerns and the shadow of death being swept into the band’s signature euphoric wall of sound choruses. Pecknold, however, is in a more introspective and reflective space here, well into his fourth decade. Gratitude and acceptance runs through the album, preaching for remaining true to yourself, expressing what comes naturally and the value of refinement over reinvention.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - LIMBS VOL 2 - FROM INSIDE, OUT (MOONSHOE RECORDS)

Sydney label Moonshoe Records release the second volume of their LIMBS series, with the first - For Wildlife - released in January as a bushfire benefit. The proceeds of volume 2 are earmarked for Seed Mob, an indigenous youth climate network. Offering brand new cuts for the release are the likes of Angus Mills, Gallery B and Setwun to name a few of the dozen local talents on display. The collection is billed as a “a slip'n'slide through different moods landing you safely in the end-zone, feeling ready to ride again.”