Written by: Jen Dan
Virtuoso down-tempo instrumental composer Martin Kennedy returns as All India Radio, releasing his 10th studio album, The Slow Light, April 15th worldwide on iTunes and his Bandcamp site and via Minty Fresh in the U.S. and Canada. The Slow Light is what dreams(capes) are made of – a gentle ambience of unhurried to mild beats, glowing washes to poignant drops of synths, unfurling to reverb guitar lines, and the occasional reflective piano notes. Kennedy melds drifting dream-pop reveries with chill trip-hop and Western noir guitar, crafting inwardly-gazing, yet expansive soundscapes that take the listener to another place and time and mood.
It’s difficult to choose a “Track Of The Day” from The Slow Light’s 10 songs, but the captivating and relaxing title track is a definite highlight. An effusion of luminous synths radiates throughout the tune while a measured trip-hop beat, kissed with a bit of static, marks the time. Languorous, but sparkling guitar chime hangs suspended in the air amid heightened synth uplift. Slowly curving reverb guitar lines wind through the rarefied atmosphere and never touch the ground. Exactly what you’ll feel like when listening to “The Slow Light” – and pretty much every song from the album.
The audio and video for “The Slow Light” is exclusively available at Kennedy’s All India Radio Bandcamp site:
Since all the songs off The Slow Light are top-notch, it would behoove you to also take a listen to (and watch) the delightful “Galaxy of Light” which features Kennedy’s 12 year old daughter, Hollie Houlihan-McKie, on sweetly airy vocals (and as the Spacegirl in the video):
