two releases have been getting played non-stop in the home on the fringe offices: July Skies‘ The Weather Clock and Our Sleepless Forest’s debut self-titled record.

i first came across july skies through some article on some website written by some author, it might have been an interview for all i know. it isn’t important, but what is important is that at the time i was, and still am, heavily into slowdive, especially their Pygmalion album, and i was looking for like-minded artists. as i recall, july skies, otherwise known as antony harding with occasional appearances from epic45, was born out of an affinity for that dreamy aesthetic many of us have come to love but without the sweeping, epic structure many bands that are influenced by slowdive tend to adopt. july skies focuses on the personal and intimate moments that are most often ephemeral and are always touching. for the past few years, july skies has released records that draw from childhood memories, deja vu, english countrysides, radio program chatter, and the old adage that everything used to be so simple. when you’re young, everything is so new and fresh you don’t question the validity or the weight of any particular thing. for instance, my recollection of camping as a young child is so pronounced that to return to that place would not be as poignant as to recall with fondness specific moments of those trips. whether it be the songs that played on the radio, certain smells, old photographs, or speaking with my sister or my parents about our time together, there are specific things that will trigger those feelings of being there without having to go there. i believe this is what july skies sets out to do; to capture the sense of being somewhere you’ve been or someone you’ve known without having to go to that place or see that person and to simply rely on what memory or idea of a memory you have left. The Weather Clock is carries this idea even further and, i believe, is his best album yet. i would advise people to pick it up as soon as possible from makeminemusic records because the first 350 copies come with a free EP that includes some demo versions of songs and some other great songs not on the album. not only is it the perfect accompaniment to a great album, it also works as a separate entity that should be listened to independently.

on the other hand, Our Sleepless Forest have embraced the sweeping, epic structure of slowdive but only as inspiration. their record, which is self-titled, involves a smörgåsbord of influences that all seem to come together at once to create a beguiling sound that follows no known path. i’ve read that the band consists of three young gentlemen that were originally supposed to release this record on Type, one of my all-time favorite record labels in the history of the world. what happened is anyones guess, but it is also Resonant Recordings‘ gain. although Resonant has closed up shop(scroll down a bit for a post about their demise), at least for the time being, they are ending on a very positive note with this and an album of Port-Royal remixes entitled Flared Up.