Stream Orchard Thief’s “The Gentle World”
The latest album from local experimental musician Orchard Thief (Sam Molstad) couldn’t have come at a better time. In an age when anxieties press in on us from all sides and threaten to overwhelm, the tranquility of The Gentle World is like a salve. It’s eight tracks of chill mood – from gentle melancholy to easygoing bliss.
Molstad mainly achieves this through pure ambient instrumentals consisting of electronic guitar, synths, and drum machine, though standout track “The Body” also features a choir and a couple of other tunes use field recordings. There are all kinds of sonic touchstones referenced – from Vangelis to Eno (Molstad even names one of his tracks “Working Man’s Eno”) but this is also unmistakable an Orchard Thief project. Molstad has sounds like he’s perfected his own unique sound, which he’s been honing over the course of the last decade.
As far as real life goes right now, “A Gentle World” this is unfortunately not. Thematically the cassette feels aspirational in it’s tone, which is likely what a lot of people could use right now. As we quarantine ourselves, hunched over our computers, reading devastating news article after devastating news article, a little bit of optimism certainly couldn’t hurt. When I listen to the final track “Living In The Gentle World,” I certainly wish that is what we were all doing.
Stream The Gentle World below and/or order from Already Dead Tapes & Records.
— Jon
