For LA\u00a0<\/em>will soon be offered in an expanded edition from Nettwerk Records, but the needs of the mourning, displaced and rebuilding are immediate. All proceeds from both volumes support \u201cWe Are Moving The Needle\u201d and \u201cGiveDirectly\u201d.<\/p>\nThe generous crown jewel of the current collection is a pair of pieces from the estate of\u00a0Ryuichi Sakamoto<\/strong>, which launch and close the set. \u00a0The first one is a live recording from Ace Hotel in downtown LA, poignantly recorded in February 2019, before COVID, before the change in administration, before the fires, before Nakamoto\u2019s death: exactly five years later, so much has changed. \u00a0The second is an LA field recording from 2015, another time capsule, a portrait of the way things once were and can be again. \u00a0The artist also appears with\u00a0Goldmund\u00a0<\/strong>(Keith Kenniff) on the tender collaboration \u201cA World I Give\u201d later in the set, a tribute to the everlasting nature of friendship, even beyond this mortal coil.<\/p>\nThe second volume contains 31 tracks in all, an ambient fan\u2019s delight. \u00a0While ambient music is meant to soothe, it can also provide solace. \u00a0Kazuma Obayashi<\/strong>\u2018s \u201cReverence of Mine\u201d is an early highlight, washing over the listener like soft mist falling on a ruined home. \u00a0Bigo & Twigetti\u2019s\u00a0Jim Perkins\u00a0<\/strong>contributes the piano-based \u201cUncertainty,\u201d capturing the mood of the region as it takes stock. \u00a0Ben Crosland<\/strong>\u2018s \u201cOrison\u201d has a similar patina; the word means\u00a0prayer.<\/em><\/p>\nOne of the set\u2019s most surprising \u2013 and welcome \u2013 pieces is\u00a0Lights & Motion<\/strong>\u2018s \u201cWhen the Shadows Sing.\u201d \u00a0The Swedish post-rock artist delivers a fully uplifting work that exemplifies its title, exuding a spirit of hope. \u00a0Bedroom<\/strong>\u2018s \u201cGather\u201d is a sweet guitar piece that borders on shoegaze, especially in its closing moments. \u00a0Two-thirds into the compilation another surprise emerges as electronic artist Botany\u00a0<\/strong>contributes a new work, sparkling like the LA sun.<\/p>\nIn title and sound,\u00a0B9<\/strong>\u2018s \u201cPhotograph\u201d and\u00a0Neighborhood Libraries<\/strong>\u2018 \u201cWhat Will We Have Left\u201d are reminders of the physical artifacts that have been lost: family photo albums, books and personal treasures. \u00a0One of the saddest scenes, played over and over, is that of a family returning to a home and raking through the rubble. \u00a0These artists lend them dignity. \u00a0The penultimate piece, \u201cFireflies and Falling Light,\u201d comes from Room40\u2019s Lawrence English<\/strong> and is perfectly positioned between the Sakamoto \/ Goldmund collaboration and Sakamoto\u2019s closing field recording. \u00a0Relying on the sounds of nature for solace, the piece is a reminder that some blessings continue even as others retreat. \u00a0Australia had its own disastrous wildfire season in 2019-20; there is great empathy to be heard here, an encouragement from one who has seen and survived.<\/p>\nMany more discoveries await the curious and generous listener. \u00a0But perhaps the most soothing discovery is the realization that the world cares. \u00a0<\/em>When disaster strikes, we are reminded of our shared human fragility. \u00a0A chord struck in one location resounds in another. \u00a0(Richard Allen)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/a>The fundraising event of the season now enters its second stage, with a third still to come. \u00a0Hollie and Keith Kenniff\u2019s\u00a0For LA\u00a0<\/em>will soon be offered in an expanded edition from Nettwerk Records, but the needs of the mourning, displaced and rebuilding are immediate. All proceeds from both volumes support \u201cWe Are Moving The Needle\u201d and \u201cGiveDirectly\u201d.<\/p>\n