Andrew Weathers

"A Great Southern City" by Andrew Weathers
Ambient Drone Full Spectrum Records 2010



Download A Great Southern City

Now, here I have the newest album from Andrew Weathers, the Greensboro based ambient artist creating what could be interpreted as an album dedicated to Greensboro itself. Which would not be out of the question, as Greensboro is indeed A Great Southern City.

Andrew Weathers is known for his stellar minimalist compositions, as found in previous albums In Gold and . In this album though, he throws some new weapons into the mix. Those being acoustic guitar, some strings, and, most welcoming, a few vocals. What this culminates to is an engaging, accessible romp through folk, ambient, noise, and drone.

The album starts with "Anchor", a track mostly composed of acoustic guitar that welcomes the listener into the album's sonic abode. This then goes smoothly into the next piece, "Dusty Summer Ghost"a smooth 9 minute ambient piece. What is to note here especially is the fantastic production work, akin to yesterday's Atlas Sound album.

The track that stands out to me is the third track "First Front Porch Brooklyn". This song perfectly integrates the folk aspects with the ambient style. The textures work well together in creating moments that are some of the most intricate on the album.

What makes this album standout is its variety in sounds. It varies from sounding like acts like Charalambides, to Atlas Sound, to Infinite Body. But through this trekking, one never loses a sense of Weathers. Comforting also are the sparse vocals, reminding the listener of humanity's existence; as it's always easy to forget everything with ambient music this good.

For Listeners Of: Emeralds, Charalambides, Atlas Sound, Vacation Dad, M. Pyres, Non Horse, Sky Limousine, Grouper, Infinite Body, and Endless Endless Endless, stop/eject, Fira Fem, Acid of All Ruins, Pushmi-Pullyu, Rogaland Hot Club