In my recent absence from regular PMW updates, I managed to miss the chance to help promote the release of one of the best albums that I’ve had the pleasure to hear this year - Seismograph’s exceptionally pretty third album, In Oblivion. In some ways, it’s a hard album to talk about because it feels so intimate and personal, but therein lies the talent of the artist behind Seismograph, Portland based multi-instrumentalist, Jonathan Ioviero. In Oblivion finds Ioviero creating a world of vivid textures, harmonies, and earworm melodies, that feels free from a singular concept, but wholly original to the artist’s catalog all the same. It’s a beautiful snapshot of an artist maturing and finding his voice on his own terms - vivid and widescreen, but delicately personal. There’s so much to love. Pick up a copy and help spread the word on this magnificent new record. 

Cloud Ellyn is the new loop-based project from Portland's Jonathan Ioviero (Seismograph). “Stillness Reigns” was written and recorded over five weeks with a focus on simplicity and atmosphere, trying to think as little as possible. Stream/Download the album on Bandcamp and order the limited edition cassette on Snowbeast Records.

I’ve been waiting patiently to share this artist with you, the readers, for a few weeks now. Cloud Ellyn is the captivating new project from Portland based musician, Jonathan Ioviero (Seismograph, as well as the touring band for Cemeteries). The new moniker and material does not mean the end for Seismograph, but rather another outlet for the artist to explore new soundscapes. The world of Cloud Ellyn is a dream-like space of brisk, autumnal ambient pop. Make that late-autumn. Closer to winter. There’s a chill in the air - but that’s not to say that this is the sound of desolation. The first single, “Blackened”, is a stark lullaby - sweetly haunting, but lovely and inviting. You can hear it now, and next week the full length, Stillness Reigns, will be released through Snowbeast Records.