Today’s The List is a five-count mix of independent and mainstream artists, studio albums, a single, and a soundtrack. What glues them together is they are of seriously high quality.
Johan Agebjörn — Southern Forest
Swedish electronic maestro Johan Agebjörn has issued some ambient-electronic releases outside of his main gig, Sally Shapiro, but Southern Forest marks the first time since 2015’s Notes that he’s done so in a solo capacity. This time, we find Agebjörn exploring enriching and gorgeous synthscapes that have an essence of storied acts like The Orb and Tangerine Dream. As with any solo effort from the artist, he’s still bringing in some fellow musicians to round out the 10-track collection. For example, frequent collaborator Mikael Ögren joins the gorgeously energetic number “Their Shadows” and the delightfully contemplative “Shorefront” and synthwave queen NINA does a vocal reading on the entrancing “Little Fluffy Clouds.” Overall, the harmonization of everything from 1980s kosmische muzik to 90s ambient electronic and many shades modern gives us listeners an enriching and memorable sonic experience. Out today via Constellation Tatsu.
Nine Inch Nails — Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have been scoring music under their own names for about 15 years, consistently upending viewers’ expectations of what a score can be (and pissing off the dogmatic classicists in the process). This time, they’re using their band name and bringing out some vocal cuts. Even though it’s basically the same people behind this music, using the storied Nine Inch Nails moniker just makes the experience taste differently. In other words, this music is great as both a score to the latest tentpole Tron flick, but the vocal songs are also just damn good NiN cuts. HALO 4 LYFE. My favorite vocal number is below, the single “I Know You Can Feel It.” If you were conjure a collaboration between Nine Inch Nails and Massive Attack that appeared on Mezzanine, this would be it. Out now all over the place, including a divine physical form.
Fawn — “Pink Clouds”
The married duo of Ida No (formerly of Glass Candy) and Nat Walker (formerly of Chromatics, Desire, and Symmetry) are back with a dreamy, guitar-driven single that floats around your mind, creating a mist of colorful sonic bliss. Available now via Bandcamp.
Miami Nights 1984 — Cosmopolis
Say you essentially created a vast swath of the synthwave genre 15-plus years ago. What are you to do in 2025? For Miami Nights 1984 (AKA Michael Glover) the task required dissolving what’s left of the boundary between synthwave and vaporware, unleashing a warm bath of serenity. The British Columbia-based Glover still throws on the rhythms, though. On “City Life,” the title of which appropriately suggests a song with city pop vibes, there is a funky bounce. “Dividends” is the most classic MN84 cut on here, stacked with the right kind of sizzling synths and robust rhythm section. Overall, Glover’s turned out an enjoyable record that fits well on the shelf alongside the likes of Brothertiger and Hotel Pools.
Available now in digital and physical formats via Retro Synth and Lazersteel.
Duett — Departure
One of my all-time favorite synthwave projects returned in September with this fantastic LP. Mercifully, Duett brought back the inimitable Stewart Lockwood for some impressively expressive vocal turns. Much of what we all love about Duett is here: the sharp songwriting, the blend of period-accurate sonics and modern production, the gorgeous album art. What’s changed is that this collection is a bit more late-night, minor-key-centered than previous fare. This doesn’t necessarily mean the music adheres to the nature of the album’s title, but it is indeed a different shade of Duett. Available now in digital forms on Bandcamp.
P.S. — (Don’t miss that new Lou Rebecca single.)
