Spacey songs with geographic imagery, enhanced by loops, samples and cinematic orchestration incorporating Neil Young's forlorn beauty, Wilco's dreamy textures and Yo La Tengo's mesmerizing ambience.

10 MP3 Songs
POP: Ambient Pop, POP: Folky Pop



Details:
for fans of: Neil Young, Wilco, Yo La Tengo, Sigur Ros, Red House Painters, Stars, The Cardigans, Hayden, Sufjan Stevens, Ron Sexsmith, Cowboy Junkies, Iron and Wine.

North Atlantic Explorers are captained by Vancouver B.C.âs Glenn DâCruze who stepped out from behind the drum kit to navigate his own ship. Glenn played with Vancouver bands who released albums on Mint Records and Nettwerk Productions and performed in thirteen countries, including South-By-Southwest in Austin, Texas and Denmarkâs Roskilde Festival with legends like Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, Uncle Tupelo, American Music Club, and Sonic Youth. He also currently plays with Anniedale Recording Artists Jonathan Inc.


THE VOYAGE THUS FAR ...

Skylines is the debut record from North Atlantic Explorers on Anniedale Records. Itâs a beautiful, engaging, and sonically stimulating record flavoured with strings, horns, loops, samples, vibes, xylophones, banjo, upright bass and vintage organs and pianos, with Glenn handling the songwriting and much of the instrumentation including lead vocals, guitars, drums, and piano.

Glenn teamed up with an ensemble of players and co-producer, Jonathan Inc. leader and founding Radiogram member, Jonathan Anderson (In Medias Res, Paula Toledo, Jack Harlan, Hinterland) at Jonathanâs Buena Vista Audio studio where songs were lushly layered while others were stripped down to a more subtle and understated form. Some songs were scrapped altogether; others went through many incarnations being abandoned and re-invented several times over. Working out of Jonathanâs own studio gave Glenn and Jonathan the ability to explore and experiment, with no obligation to commit to anything that didnât feel right, and enabled them to spend as long as necessary for the exploration process.

Skylines contains hypnotic, eight minute epics (When My Ship Comes In, Anchors Away), 1930's style ballads (Sweetheart), swirly, futuristic tracks (Aerial View), lazy, spacious country (Blue Moon On The Rise), atmospheric instrumentals (Sundrenched, Coast Starlight), and multi-layered orchestration (Springtime) reminiscent of Procol Harumâs âA Whiter Shade of Pale.â The album also includes an endearing version of âTonight You Belong To Meâ originally sung by Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters in âThe Jerkâ and a rendition of Lloyd Coleâs âI Will Not Leave You Aloneâ described by Cole himself as âlovely.â


PRESS

" ... Glenn DâCruze circumnavigates ambitious terrain; he and his band mates have managed to simultaneously charter new territory while maintaining familiar ground ... Itâs an admirable accomplishment to have forged an album that mixes the least obvious elements of new-Americana, Sigur Ros, and Galaxie 500 and create something this enjoyable." (The Big Takeover - USA)

"... Skylines is a mixture of the atmospheric abstraction of Sigur Ros and the down home simplicity of Neil Young, The Red House Painters and The Cowboy Junkies. Packed with emotion, Skylines is a first-rate debut from a group not only willing to challenge listeners but also themselves." (Mote Magazine - Canada)

" ... Skylines is one of the prettiest rock records to come out in awhile ... North Atlantic Explorers craft lush, beautiful songs rich in melody and atmosphere ..." (Indieville - Canada)

"... the best âout of the blue, I never heard of this artist and man does it blow me awayâ album I heard last year. A gorgeous ethereal album of long-haul songs. It takes the best of the moody Mercury Rev soundscapes and combines them with the melodic pop sensibility of Luna." (The Westender - Canada)

"... a curiosity; swirls of bagpipes, a solar system of space rock, blissed out country and lovelorn ballads ... their approach lies somewhere between The Flaming Lips and Godspeed You Black Emperor ... for fans of Yume Bitsu, Sigur Ros or Yo La Tengo, the sound that angels slow-dance to." (Americana UK - UK)

"... North Atlantic Explorers make the kind of drifting, dreamy music best suited to long journeys ... the themes are unashamedly romantic, and with a style of music one might term âaccessibly experimental Americana-tinged indieâ - this is an album to file next to Mercury Revâs âDeserterâs Songs" ... an album for lovers of lush arrangements of sad, quiet songs. Very nice." (Penny Black Music - UK)

"... the songwriting and production abilities of Glenn DâCruze really impress ... the listener may sometimes be reminded of Low - the melancholic mood and the very slow pace, Yo La Tengo - the taste for stretching out songs and the numerous instrumental parts, or Wilco - the countryish accents and the voice ... North Atlantic Explorers have excellent songs, a universe of their own, and are highly skilled at what they do ..." (Millefeuille - France)

"... a fusion of extraterrestrial experimentalism and pop naivety ... that the band can simultaneously accomplish Americana and electronic ambience is probably good enough reason to check Skylines out, but that they can do it to proficient effect is the real kicker."
(CDReviews.com - USA)

"... with an atmospheric flair akin to Sigur Ros, DâCruze and fourteen fellow musical explorers employ a rich array of effects-laden instrumentation to sail ethereal waters ... Skylines is an ideal soundtrack for pensive stargazing from a town in Northern Ontario." (Terminal City - Canada)