With Strawberry Roan, Cole Pulice and Nat Harvie brewed together a kaleidoscopic jazz oasis that you’ll want to savor again and again.

We have the good folks over at Aural Canyon to thank for this little DIY ambient gem. This cassette contains cottony soft soundscapes made up of analogue synthesizers and samplers, along with a healthy dose of pedal steel guitar, sax and cello. It’s equal parts pastoral and sleekly modern. The warmth of the acoustic and brass instruments compliments the glowing lo-fi synth work beautifully.

Most of the record has the cosiness of a contented dream, especially on the celestial sound bath that is “Wishbone Split Clean and Perfect.” Songs like this one wash over you with a pool of electronic drones, playful sax melody fragments and waves of sympathetic strings. Lush green landscapes and star-lit skies hanging brightly over still waters are suggested in these moving pieces of music.

Elsewhere on this record, you’ll find Delia Derbyshire-like creations (“Parrish Blue”) and tunes (“Below a Pack of Swans”) that belong on the In Search Of soundtrack (very high praise indeed!).

Strawberry Roan is an ambient album that most people could find relaxing, pleasant and even soul stirring. If Brian Eno, Phillip Glass and Boards of Canada are big in your world, then you need to get this album today. Get it here.

-KH

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