What: “Magic Tree” by Swagman Didgeridoo
Netlabel: Free Range Beats
This EP was released over a year ago (December 2012) but it’s a recent discovery to me so I’m declaring it new. (I’m allowed to do that, right?) The five songs on “Magic Tree” feature didgeridoo, which I’ve always liked; it is used here by the Swagman in several interesting musical flavors.
The first track “Healer” is a stand out, but is also somewhat out of character compared to rest; it’s sort of funky in a way:
The remaining tracks are of varied style but tend to be a bit mellower than the first. The title track and “Mist” are almost ambient drone, with the didgeridoo and nature sounds mixed with both electronic elements and acoustic instruments. “Autumn Day” has a strong Chinese feel to it with plucked strings and flute, while closing song “End of Time” is the most experimental and sinister sounding of the bunch. It features a horror movie piano line mixed with murky and distorted voice samples. It’s nice hearing the didgeridoo in such a mixed bag of musical styles.
Free Range Beats was founded in 2009 and they say: “Our philosophy is to encourage experimentation over outright imitation.” I would say they are genre-neutral. The label has been fairly quiet over the last year while they transition to a more self-controlled platform, but they promise more music will be coming…here’s hoping it’s soon.