LP - 140g Classic Black Vinyl inside a heavyweight reverse-board jacket, with IARC OBI strip and poly-lined innersleeve. Pressed at Pallas in Germany with lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST.Extra Stars is Gregory Uhlmann's solo debut on International Anthem. It's a deep and gorgeous expansion of the LA-based multi-instrumentalist producer / composer's rhythmic ambient side, as nascently explored in his much-lauded duo with Meg Duffy, his trio work with Josh Johnson and Sam Wilkes, and in the gentler moments of SML (the improvising trance-jazz unit of which he is a member).A radiant sidereal serenade, the album's fourteen miniature infinities swirl serendipitous synthesis and measured, melody-rich song into a panoramic menagerie of sound. For a record that seldom incorporates percussion instrumentals, the music is distinctly rhythm-forward, while Uhlmann also leans heavily into swaths of pastoral beauty. Extra care was clearly poured into the kind of harmonic depth that's often missing from vibe-only "ambient" music, making for a delightfully refreshing take on the electronic, processing-heavy quiet sound.
