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NOSTALGIA PICK #5: "He Has Left Us Alone But Shards Of Light Still Sometimes Grace The Corner Of Our Rooms" by Silver Mt. Zion

   Silence is something rarely explored in modern music, and for that the ludicrously titled but haunting He Has Left Us Alone... is an utterly absorbing listen. Instead of the album bringing the music to you, you are invited to lean in and discover, an experience similar to understated, subtle thrillers like Denis Villenuve's Prisoners (seriously, go watch it if you haven't already). Of course silence isn't really silence, and the silence on He Has Left Us Alone... is cold and grainy, a time to sit and marinade in the experiences you are being encouraged into. This is an album similar to another previous Nostalgia Pick, Swans' Soundtracks for the Blind, not only in the sound of it but the way it has morphed and changed with me over time. Its openness has allowed it to mould and develop as I have, and I can't recommend it or state its importance enough. Absolutely, it's pretentious and self-indulgent, but there is a time and a place for that, and He Has Left Us Alone... surpasses a lot other similar records for me - it really does take you to its own, unique place that has become increasingly familiar and welcoming to me as time has passed.

   Are there any records you can always come back to and get something different out of it each time? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to discuss with you!
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