Cool Albums
LAST CEREMONY - Sunsets & Late Night Drives - I've listened to quite a few LAST CEREMONY releases in the last year or so, but this one's my favorite. The title track is a gorgeous introduction to this appropriately named album, of starting your drive at blue hour and continuing well into the night time as passing cars are fewer and fewer, and turning off your car in the driveway at 2:00 a.m. with bleary eyes and clarity. Kinda reminds me of how I try to organize my Late Night Lofi tracklists a bit. The only complaint I have about this album is minor, and a bit of a compliment: I wish it were longer.
TCR-4 - Ｍｏｓｔｌｙ Ｃｌｏｕｄｙ - A short but sweet signalwave album (that gives me hints of barber beats with the sample selection) that's inspired by the Pacific Northwest. It's relaxing, it's cozy, it's quite pleasant.
ｙｏｕ ｓｔｉｌｌ ｆｅｅｌ ｔｈｅｍ ｏｕｔ ｔｈｅｒｅ， ｄｏｎ＇ｔ ｙｏｕ - 最 後 に 永 遠 に - Admittedly, slushwave can be hit or miss for me. Whether it's the sample selection, what is being sampled in the song (I feel like you've seen me say more than once that I wish people didn't use full versus and choruses as a crutch and get a little more creative in what the song is sampling, which may be a hot take), but this album from YSFTOTDY is BEAUTIFUL. Great sample selections, and the tracks take me on a hell of a journey. I usually see a 26 minute song and think "why in the world does a track need to be this long", but 木 の 誕 生 / 竹 月 worked fantastically, reminding me of the end of one of my favorite Deerhunter songs in how both tracks make you feel like waves are crashing around and over you. While Little Kids by Deerhunter leaves you feeling disturbed, 木 の 誕 生 / 竹 月 provides nothing but tranquility.
Various Artists - SΞCRΞ+ ΞXPLORΛ+ION PROGRΛM [Vol. 1] - Vįr+üål Åįrßñß did an incredible job in curating this release. There's not really a spoken theme, but the cover makes me envision an alternate universe where the Boston Dynamics robots took over the earth, and the effects of global warming are reversing itself as nature overtakes what humans built. All of that to say, it's really pretty, and half of this compilation is appearing in future Neon Nights* episodes.
死夢VANITY - lavish memories - 死夢VANITY has returned with another lovely late night lo-fi album that could be the soundtrack of a luxurious date night, or a soundtrack of a top notch spa experience, or a soundtrack to shopping for very expensive jewelry. It's very rich sounding, kinda borderline barber beats-y as well with the sample selection, and I love it. Welcome back, homie.
New Releases
Mitch Murder x Pizza Hotline - Anti Gravity Tournament - Released December 6, 2024
Notorious Secret x [carteBlanche] - Moondial - Originally released August 25, 2023, but received a physical release via Underwater Computing_ on December 13, 2024.
Various Artists - Sailing Vol. 2 - Released December 13, 2024 (I am on this comp!)
Donor Lens - The Singles (2019-2024) - Released December 13, 2024
days of blue skies & desert sand feels warm at night - Perli tal-Passat - Released December 16, 2024
LAST CEREMONY - Ambience of Absence - Released December 13, 2024
Florida Rains - Tampa Theatre - Released December 13, 2024
FIJI島の水 - INMY5Y5TEM - Single. Released December 16, 2024
Crystal Eternal - Ibiza Danse Magick (Radio Edit) - Single. Released December 15, 2024
* Neon Nights is my online radio show that airs biweekly, every other Tuesday, at 10:00 p.m. eastern. I play a lot of what gets highlighted in these posts, and I sometimes like to do themed episodes, too. A new episode is actually airing tonight, if you'd like to come in and check it out! Here's the link to the show. Also, fun fact: the next episode after this one falls on New Year's Eve, and it will be a two hour 2024 Neon Nights retrospective, a.k.a. Late Night Lofi VII (which I previously highlighted on the blog), and tracks that fit the vibe of the LNLF mix. It'll be a beautiful episode. If you're gonna tune into any of them, choose that one.
Until next time!
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