CCMusic.com

The music of Jordan Reyes, founder/owner of American Dreams Records, hones wide-ranging explorations to a fine sonic point - featuring bass, synthesizers, trombone, lap steel, choral vocal layers - moving with the instruments' notes in concert. Robert Stokowy, a German sound artist whose work exercises great restraint, treats sound as a raw material to shape into aural sculptures. Stokowy released Strife of Permanence, which filters his meticulous process through the aesthetics of black metal, on American Dreams last year; he mainly presents his work via site-specific, longform installations. On the surface these approaches couldn't seem more different. A focused collaboration between the pair would seem a challenge, if not impossible. Northern: Ashroud Is My Country synthesizes their approaches into a unique whole, combining Reyes' propulsive investigations with Stokowy's patient architecture, and creating an immersive space for listeners to explore.