A Closer Listen
Winter Postcards Vol. 1, a lovely joint venture between Echoes Blue Music and Silent Sonic Records, lives on the opposite pole from Summer Memories Vol. 1, which appeared six months prior minus a day. The EP is perfect for January, when snow covers much of the land and the tableau is placid and contemplative.
Across four continents and eight countries, twelve ambient artists held winter conversations, enjoying collaborative efforts by exchanging musical postcards. The visual cards can be seen on the release page by clicking on the individual tracks. As winter can often be viewed as a solitary season, this compilation rings with its antidote: the warmth of communication, making the world seem a little less large: as much a testament to friendship as it is to the season. As the tracks blend together so smoothly, one also thinks of the softening effects of snow, which highlights commonality rather than difference: an integral message for the new year. The only downside: when it’s over, one yearns for more.
Go Outside x John begin the set with “Winter Glow,” each piano note a softly-falling flake, an invitation to venture out and play. These are the idyllic snows of childhood, bearing gentle breezes rather than howling winds. “pine & shadow,” by Be Still the Earth x rhubiqs, revels in the green that lasts the whole year long, while concentrating on the peculiar angle of the sun. Adding light field recordings of fire and forest creatures and a whiff of “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” “Embers in the Snow” operates as a late-arriving Christmas hymn. Even the pairing of names – Memories of the Forgotten x The Goodnight Project – suggests happy memories from years gone by. “The Snow Remembers,” says Norvik x Philippe Deschampes, and so do we, with soft voices and light hearts. It is because we remember idyllic snows that our hearts still sing at forecasts of white.
“The Light We Carry” represents a slight shift, the sonic edges a bit more abraded, the message more personal. Even in the darkness, we are charged to be the light: embodying hope or sharing an encouraging word that sparks the spirit like a hearth. Center of Attention x Stillhed offer this track as a candle of hope. Harbor Rift x Runaway Horses follow with “Between Lake and Marsh,” a peaceful piece that implies beauty and life in the midst of cold; and finally Good Weather for an Airstrike x Winter Silhouette – the last artist aptly names – close the set with “Silence Descends Across the South Downs,” wintry field recordings conjuring images of sunsets over open fields.
The set is short, but it has traveled a great distance, nearly around the world. Its peaceful tones bear messages of connection, cooperation and collaboration: a little warmth to balance the cold. (Richard Allen)
Sat Jan 24 00:01:16 GMT 2026