Patron Saint of Hummingbirds: Environmental Music Vol 2 (digital outlets)

Elsewhere is not averse to ambient or atmospheric music, or even that stateless music which seems designed for relaxation massage centres. When we are writing something which requires concentration it can provide an interesting backdrop which puts a curtain between the focus and the noise of life outside.

Patron Saint of Hummingbirds is the performance name of a Californian artist (who prefers to remain mostly anonymous) and although her website goes a long way down the path into esoterica, Aztec gods, something about stars in retrograde and such, what attracted us was the dedication to Hiroshi Yoshimura and the Japanese ambient genre known as Kankyo Ongaku which we had written about previously.

That genre isn't just weightless nod-off music but incorporates atmospheric sounds drawn from or evoking nature and was played in commercial and retail settings.

So Patron Saint's reference points are rather more interesting than most ambient music, and so it proves on this collection of 14 pieces – four of them around 10 minutes each or more for deep immersion – where sounds allude to the natural world (birds, wind in branches etc) or evoke temple bells and meditative atmospheres.

If you are looking for some music while you work (or for when you aren't) this is very diverting.

Apparently Vol. 1 will follow.

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You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here