Vanaprastha (The Man Who Went Into The Woods To Find Himself) vinyl

With the literal translation of this album title being Retiring to the Forest, the third stage of the Varnashrama system of Hinduism, you should probably be able to guess where Alex Smalley - AKA Olan Mill, AKA Ilm - is coming from. It feels almost like you step into Vanaprastha in the same way you would a world unto itself. Through the wormhole, down the rabbit hole we go. Fear not, though, what's waiting for us is really rather nice.

Understatement of the century, this is ambient at its organic and most endearing, painting textured tapestries of sound that float on a soft and inviting mood. It's hard not to feel yourself sinking ever-deeper into the refrains, which themselves are pure melodic bliss without necessarily presenting themselves as such in any obvious way.

Juno Recommends Leftfield, Juno Recommends Ambient/Drone