photo from Jesy Fortino's Flickr account. Jesy Fortino is not a tremendously prolific artist. That is why every new recording under her alias as Tiny Vipers or in collaboration with artists like Grouper, Balmorea, or The Sight Below feels like a gift. On her newest album, Tormentor, she returns to the spare acoustic sound that defined her early work. She is this week's spotlight artist. -- Tiny Vipers - Hands Across the Void (Sub Pop/2007) Tiny Vipers - Laughter (Ba Da Bing!/2017) Mirrorring - Foreign Body (Kranky/2012) Tiny Vipers - Life on Earth (Sub Pop/2009) Tiny Vipers - Ambience 3 (Box Bedroom Rebels/2015) Tiny Vipers - Tormentor (Bandcamp/2025) -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.   Track Listing   Tiny Vipers - Forest on Fire [0:00] Tiny Vipers - The Summing of Moments [6:30] Mirrorring - Fell Sound [10:19] Tiny Vipers - cm [16:31] Tiny Vipers - Tape II [19:31] Tiny Vipers - American Prayer[24:23]

Rafael Toral is a Portuguese artist who has been exploring his fascination with sound, silence, electronics, space, and the electric guitar for more than three decades. His newest album, Traveling Light, was recently released by Drag City. He is this week's spotlight artist. Rafael Toral - Spectral Evolution (Moikai/2024) Rafael Toral - Open Space (Bandcamp/2020) Rafael Toral - Violence of Discovery and Calm of Acceptance (Staubgold/2001) Rafael Toral - Liveloop (Noise Precision Libary/2009) Rafael Toral - Electric Babyland / Lullabies (Tomlab/2002) Rafael Toral - Traveling Light (Drag City/2025)   Track Listing   Rafael Toral - Intro + Changes [0:00] Rafael Toral - III.III [6:10] Rafael Toral - We Are Getting Closer [9:34] Rafael Toral - Liveloop 2 [13:11] Rafael Toral - slo [21:28] Rafael Toral - Solitude [26:26] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Jon Porras first came to prominence as part of the San Francisco psychedelic drone duo Barn Owl along with Evan Caminiti. He is also the author of a good number of solo albums including the newest, Achlys, just released by Shelter Press. He is this week's spotlight artist. -- Barn Owl - Ancestral Star (Thrill Jockey/2010) Jon Porras - Black Mesa (Thrill Jockey/2012) Jon Porras - Arroyo (Thrill Jockey/2020) Jon Porras - Orilla Oscura (Immune Recordings/2012) Jon Porras - Light Divide (Thrill Jockey/2014) Jon Porras - Achlys (Shelter Press/2025)   Track Listing   Barn Owl - Night's Shroud [0:00] Jon Porras - Candlelight Mirage [2:10] Jon Porras - Arroyo [7:34] Jon Porras - Holy Hex [14:49] Jon Porras - Pleiades [19:23] Jon Porras - Sea Storm [24:15] -- Support the artists! Click on label links for download

Separately and together, Tortoise have been a cornerstone in the Chicago music scene for more than three decades and helped to early on define the (sometimes contentious) genre of post-rock. Their first new album as a group in almost ten years, Touch, is soon to be released on International Anthem records. They are this week's spotlight artist. -- Tortoise - The Catastrophist (Thrill Jockey/2016) Tortoise - Tortoise (Thrill Jockey/1994) Tortoise - TNT (Thrill Jockey/1998) Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey/2009) Tortoise - Standards (Thrill Jockey/2001) Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die (Thrill Jockey/1996) Tortoise - It's All Around You (Thrill Jockey/2004) Tortoise - Touch (International Anthem/2025)   Track Listing   Tortoise - Yonder Blue [0:00] Tortoise - Tin Cans & Wire [3:23] Tortoise - Ten-Day Interval [7:41] Tortoise - Prepare Your Coffin [12:22] Tortoise - Firefly [15:56] Tortoise - Glass Museum [19:49] Tortoise - Five Too Many [25:10] Tortoise - Layered Presence [29:34] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

David Letellier emerged as Kangding Ray at the tail end of the Clicks and Cuts era of experimental techno. Recording extensively for the German Raster-Noton label he explored precision and the inner qualities of micro-detailed digital music. He currently runs his label, ara, and his soundtrack for the film Sirāt was recently released by Invada. He is this week's spotlight artist. -- Kangding Ray - Cory Arcane (Raster Noton/2015) Kangding Ray - Stabil (Raster Noton/2006) Kangding Ray - Automne Fold (Raster Noton/2008) Kangding Ray - Ultrachroma (ara/2022) Kangding Ray - 61 Mirrors / Music for SKALAR (ara/2020) Kangding Ray - Solens Arc (Raster Noton/2015) Kangding Ray - OR (Raster Noton/2011)   Track Listing   Kangding Ray - Brume [0:00] Kangding Ray - Status + Light [4:20] Kangding Ray - Apnée [8:25] Kangding Ray - Pearls + Lichen [10:50] Kangding Ray - Cnidaria [14:31] Kangding Ray - Amber Decay [19:41] Kangding Ray - Mojave [26:09] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Matthew Sage is a self-described "musician, intermedia artist, writer, and gardener" out in the tall grasses of Front Range, Colorado. He plays an interior-reaching brand of Americana that has continued to evolve since the early 2010s. His newest album, Tender / Wading was recently released by RVNG Intl. He is this week's spotlight artist. -- M. Sage - Catch a Blessing (Geographic North/2019) M. Sage w/ The Spinnaker Ensemble - The Wind of Things (Geographic North/2021) M. Sage - Camouflage Repertoire (Patient Sounds/2012) Sage / Martens - Riding Fences (Edições Cn/2022) M. Sage - No Same River Twice (Scissor Tail/2014) Shabason, Krgovich, Sage - Shabason, Krgovich, Sage (Idée Fixe/2024) M. Sage - Lux Collapsing (Patient Sounds/2012) M. Sage - Music for Interior Shadows (Bandcamp/2011) M Sage - Rife W/ Typo (Orange Milk Records/2016) M. Sage - Tender / Wading (RVNG Intl/2025)   Track Listing   M. Sage - Michigan Turquoise [0:00] M. Sage w/ The Spinnaker Ensemble - Luffing Adrift [2:54] M. Sage - Motion Dazzle ii [5:40] Sage / Mertens - Rodeo Daughters [7:23] M. Sage - Hibernation Study [9:58] Shabason, Krgovich, Sage - Old Man Song [13:51] M. Sage - Sink the Stable [17:33] M. Sage - Maria Sheets [21:20] M. Sage - Progress Trap [24:03] M. Sage - Witch Grass [26:21] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Mariska Baars is a Dutch artist whose main body of work has been released under the aka soccer Committe since early in the 00s. She is also a member of various duos and collectives that explore worlds where folk and improvised music and poetry meet. Her new album, Eye, was just recently release by morc records. She is this week's spotlight artist. -- soccer Committee - soccer Committee (Bandcamp/2005) soccer Committee - ❤️ /Lamb (Morc/2023) Machinefabriek, soccer Committee - Drawn (Digitalis/2008) FEAN - FEAN (Moving Furniture Records/2018) Piiptsjilling - In Spoar (Cloud Chamber/2023) soccer Committee - sC (Bandcamp/2006) Piiptsjilling - Fiif (Peter Foolen Editions/2017) soccer Committee - Tell from the Grass (Morc/2021) soccer Committee - Eye (Morc/2025)   Track Listing   soccer Committee - Look at You [0:00] soccer Committee - Aride Afar [2:12] Machinefabriek, soccer Committee - Very Well Drawn [4:25] FEAN - Oardesis [6:55] Piiptsjilling - Blaustimzen [15:16] soccer Committee - Flock [21:01] Piiptsjilling - Delstrutsen [23:32] soccer Committee - Song for Staying [27:00] soccer Committee - Horseclatter [28:43] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music

This week's spotlight, which is a little shorter than usual, is on Glasgow-based musician, painter and poet Joanne Robertson. She has been releasing music since 2007, both solo in collaboration with artists like Dean Blunt. Her new album Blurrr just came out on AD93. -- Joanne Robertson - The Lighter (Textile Records/2007) Joanne Robertson - Wildflower (Escho/2016) Joanne Robertson - Blue Car (AD93/2023) Joanne Robertson = Black Moon Days (Feeding Tube/2015) Joanne Robertson - Blurrr (AD93/2025)   Track Listing   Joanne Roberton - Lit [0:00] Joanne Roberton - Heven [3:16] Joanne Roberton - River Shock [7:33] Joanne Roberton - Black Moon Days [10:42] Joanne Roberton - Friendly [14:16] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Photo by Daniel Aime Andy Cartwright is an English guitarist who has been playing recording as Seabuckthorn since 2008. His music, which can be found on a number of fine boutique labels, is a brand of uncanny folk that is resonant, at times unsettling or alternatively calming. His new album, A Path Within a Path, is due soon from Laaps. He is this week's spotlight artist. -- Seabuckthorn - The Silence Woke Me (Bookmaker Records/2012) Seabuckthorn - Through A Vulnerable Occur (IIKKI/2020) Seabuckthorn - Of No Such Place (Laaps/2022) Seabuckthorn - A House With Too Much Fire (Bookmaker Records/2018) Seabuckthorn - In Nightfall (Bookmaker Records/2011) Seabuckthorn - They Haunted Most Thickly (Bookmaker Records/2015) Seabuckthorn - This Warm, This Late (Quiet Details/2024) Seabuckthorn - Turns (Lost Tribe Sound/2017) Seabuckthorn - A Path Within a Path (Laaps/2025)   Track Listing   Seabuckthorn - Gathered and Unkept [0:00] Seabuckthorn - Sunken Room [3:37] Seabuckthorn - The Furnace and the Stillness [6:12] Seabuckthorn - What the Shepherds Call Ghosts [10:20] Seabuckthorn - Burnt Offering [13:36] Seabuckthorn - They Haunted Most Thickly and Sang [16:09] Seabuckthorn - Serre Noir [19:11] Seabuckthorn - The Trail Already in My Mind [22:08] Seabuckthorn - As Quiet as the Ruined House [26:02] -- Support the Artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Cover photo by Harald Krichel -- Rebecca Foon has long been a fixture of the Montreal music scene, known as a key figure in and/or founding member of groups like A Silver Mt. Zion and Esmerine. She stepped into a lead role starting with her Saltland project in 2013 and is now about to release another new album called Black Butterflies under her own name in October for Envision Records. She is this week's spotlight artist. -- Esmerine - Dalmak (Constellation/2013) Set Fire to Flames - Sings Reign Rebuilder (Alien8/2001) Fifths of Seven - Spry from Bitter Anise Folds (Les Disques Du Soleil Et De L'Acier/2005) Saltland - A Common Truth (Constellation/2017) Sarah Neufeld, Richard Reed Parry, Rebecca Foon - First Sounds (Envision/2024) Rebecca Foon - Waxing Moon (Constellation/2020) A Silver Mt. Zion - Born Into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upwards (Constellation/2001) Rebecca Foon - Black Butterflies (Envision/2025)   Track Listing   Esmerine - Barn Board Fire [0:00] Set Fire to Flames - Love Song for 15 Ontario (w/Singing Police Car)... [4:09] Fifths of Seven - Coeur, Arteries and Veins [7:18] Saltland - Under My Skin [12:09] Sarah Neufeld, Richard Reed Parry, Rebecca Foon - Day Three [15:27] Rebecca Foon - Ocean Song [20:14] A Silver Mt. Zion - Tho You Are Gone I Still Often Walk w/ You [24:21] Rebecca Foon - In a Time of Truth [29:04] -- Support the Artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Mexican electronic artist Fernando Corona has recorded and performed as Murcof since the early 2000s. After making the Leaf label his primary home early on,  he's since branched out in styles, collaborations, and variety of projects, though his focus on the acoustic orchestral and it's combination to electronics has remained. His most recent releases have been under the Twin Color banner for InFiné recordings. He is this week's spotlight artist. -- Erik Truffaz + Murcof - Being Human Being (Mundo/2013) Murcof + Vanessa Wagner - Statea (InFiné/2016) Murcof - The Etna Sessions (Facade Electronics/2024) Murcof - Lost in Time OST (Casino Luxembourg/2014) Murcof - Remembranza (Leaf/2005} Murcof - Utopia (Leaf/2004) Murcof - Twin Color (Extended Play No. 2) (InFiné/2025)   Track Listing   Erik Truffaz + Murcof - Human Being (edit) [0:00] Murcof + Vanessa Wagner - Gnossienne n°3 (Erik Satie) [5:27] Murcof - Valle del Bove [11:18] Murcof - Chapitre VIII [15:54] Murcof - Ruido [18:44] Murcof - Muim (Colleen mix) [20:47] Murcof - Cosmic Drifter (edit) [25:08] -- Support the artists!Click on label links for download.

In a short time claire rousay has amassed an incredibly impressive discography of work, both solo and collaborative, that showcases her skill at a variety of styles from concrete sound to ambient electronics to subtle pop that explores very emotional depths. She is this week's spotlight artist. -- claire rousay + more eaze - never stop texting me (Orange Milk Records/2022) claire rousay - everything perfect is already here (Shelter Press/2022) claire rousay - a softer focus (American Dreams/2021) claire rousay - sentiment (Thrill Jockey/2024) claire rousay + more eaze - an afternoon whine (Ecstatic/2021) claire rousay + more eaze - no floor (Thrill Jockey/2025) claire rousay - a little death (Thrill Jockey/2025)   Track listing   claire rousay + more eaze - arms [0:00] claire rousay - it feels foolish to care (excerpt) [4:26] claire rousay - a kind of promise [8:22] claire rousay - sycamore skylight [11:12] claire rousay + more eaze - smaller pools [16:13] claire rousay + more eaze - the applebees outside kalamazoon, mich [21:11] claire rousay - just (feat. m. sage) [27:02]>/p> -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

UK electronics artist Stephen Bishop has been recording an uneasy blend of ambient, noise, and dance music as Basic House since 2012. He is also the founder and operator of Opal Tapes, which is where his most recent release can be found. He is this week's spotlight artist. -- Basic House - I'm Not A Heaven Man (Sores, Sound + Matter/2012) Basic House - Ambrosias Vol. 1 (Koppklys/2012) Basic House - Pathetique (Vis/2017) Basic House - Calm in Bird Form (Digitalis/2014) Basic House - Non-Canon (Opal/2025)   Track Listing   Basic House - Soft Cores [0:00] Basic House - Amateur UFO Films [4:10] Basic House - Double XP [10:54] Basic House - Field 0.08 [17:27] Basic House - Holding a Dead Hand [22:47] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to buy music.

cover image by Tinyflare This week's spotlight artist is Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, whose new album Gush is due out soon on Ghostly International. Enjoy the bounty of Buchla and more! --- Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Kid (Western Vinyl/2017) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Euclid (Western Vinyl/2015) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Useful Trees (Bandcamp/2012) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Let's Turn it Into Sound (Ghostly International/2022) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - EARS (Western Vinyl/2016) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Suzanne Ciani - FRKWYS Vol. 13: Sunergy (RVNG Intl/2016) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Mosaic of Transformation (Ghostly International/2020) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Gush (Ghostly International/2025)   Track Listing   Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - To Follow & Lead [0:00] Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Escapade [4:52] Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Spruce [8:32] Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Then the Wind Came [11:28] Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Envelop [14:21] Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Closed Circuit (excerpt) [19:10] Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Spine is Quiet in the Center [22:42] Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Gush [27:39] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Steve Gunn has a new record coming soon on Three Lobed Records, so it seemed like a good time to Spotlight his discography. Given what seemed to be his consistent presence of late it was a bit of a surprise to find that his recorded output starts less than 20 years ago, but in that time he has established a guitar imprint that combines tradition fingerpicking, Easter-influenced psychedelia, and free ranging improvisation. Enjoy! cover image "borrowed" from Foxy Digitalis -- Steve Gunn - Boerum Palace (Three Lobed Recordings/2009) Steve Gunn - Nakama (Matador/2022) Steve Gunn & David Moore - Reflections Vol. 1: Let the Moon Be a Planet (RVNG Intl/2023) Beings - There is a Garden (No Quarter/2024) Gunn-Truscinski Duo - Ocean Parkway (Three Lobed Recordings/2012) The Black Twig Pickers & Steve Gunn - Seasonal Hire (Thrill Jockey/2015) Steve Gunn & Mike Cooper - FRKWYS Vol. 11: Cantos de Lisboa (RVNG Intl/2014) Steve Gunn - Music for Writers (Three Lobed Recordings/2025)   Track Listing   Steve Gunn - Dusted Mind [0:00] Steve Gunn & Mdou Moctar - Protection [4:57] Steve Gunn & David Moore - Painterly [9:26] Beings - Morning Sea [13:51] Gunn-Truscinski Duo - Minetta River [15:39] The Black Twig Pickers & David Gunn - Cardinal 51 [20:45] Steve Gunn & Mike Cooper - The Enchanted Moura [25:08] Steve Gunn - Sky (debesis) [27:41] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Brad Rose is one of those artists who seems to have discovered extra hours in each day. He is prolific, not just producing new music both solo and in a variety of collaborations under a panoply of aliases, but he's also the curator and head content generator at The Jewel Garden and the Foxy Digitalis website. Cover image "borrowed" from the Artists Creative Fund website. Enjoy.-- Peak Eloquence - Fifth Column (The Jewel Garden/2023) Brad Rose - Reflexive Wizardry (The Jewel Garden/2021) Indian Weapons - Messiah (Sunshine Ltd/2013) Space Dive - 21st Century Sport (Digitalis Ltd/2009) Altar Eagle - Mechanical Gardens (Type Records/2010) The North Sea - Last Great November (Private Chronology/2011) Ajilvsga - Choker (The Jewel Garden/2022) Brad Rose - A Life We Once Lived (Quiet Details/2025)   Track Listing   Peak Eloquence - Clay Shards [0:00] Brad Rose - Code Spectrum [5:06] Indian Weapons - False Claimant [7:51] Space Dive - Gargoyles[16:13] Altar Eagle - Honey [19:23] The North Sea - Keystone Process Revealed [23:33] Ajilvsga - Untitled [26:31] Brad Rose - Particular Phantoms [29:51]--Support the artists!Click on label links to purchase music.

Our next summer spotlight is on Lucrecia Dalt. This Colombian artist exemplifies the long-running tagline of the show, "exploring the soft boundaries between experimental and pop music." Her work has been accompanied by artitst such as Gudrun Gut, Nicolás Jaar, and Aaron Dilloway, with whom she's collaborated on two albums. 2022 was a big year, with two soundtracks for the films The Seed and The Baby, and her RVNG Intl. album ¡Ay!  picked by The Wire as record of the year. Her follow up, A Danger to Ourselves, is due out on RVNG Intl. in September. Enjoy -- Lucrecia Dalt - Cognost (Pruna Recordings/2011) Lucrecia Dalt - Commotus (Human Ear/2012) Lucrecia Dalt - Syzygy (Human Ear/2013) Lucrecia Dalt - Anticlines (RVNG Intl/2018) Lucrecia Dalt - No era sólida (RVNG Intl/2020) Aaron Dilloway & Lucrecia Dalt - Lucy & Aaron (Hanson Records/2021) Lucrecia Dalt - Ou (Care of Editions/2015) Lucrecia Dalt - The Seed OST (Invada/2022) Lucrecia Dalt - ¡Ay! (RVNG Intl./2022) Lucrecia Dalt - A Danger to Ourselves (RVNG Intl./2025)   Track Listing   Lucrecia Dalt - Car Song [0:00] Lucrecia Dalt - Escopolamina [4:34] Lucrecia Dalt - Levedad [8:29] Lucrecia Dalt - Eclipsed Subject [10:06] Lucrecia Dalt - Endiendo [11:22] Aaron Dilloway & Lucrecia Dalt - Voyria [15:37] Lucrecia Dalt - Iot (edit) [17:07] Lucrecia Dalt - The Gardener [19:07] Lucrecia Dalt - Contenida [20:30] Lucrecia Dalt - Caes (ft. Camille Mandoki) [24:58] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

So, I decided, a week or two too late perhaps, to make this a spotlight summer. What this means is, rather than our usual flow of brand new music, we would do pocket summaries of artists who've been putting out great work for some time and who've kept popping up in the show's playlists over the years. Nothing fancy, just fun. First up, Steven R. Smith. You can check out his bio and discography here at Worstward, which is also where the episode photo was 'borrowed' from. Enjoy. -- Steven R. Smith - Turning (Worstward/2025) Ulaan Khol - Milk Thistle (Desastre/2023) Steven R. Smith - In the Spires (Cold Moon/2021) Steven R. Smith - The Anchorite (Important/2006) Ulaan Markhor - Spiral Horns, Black Onions, et al. (Soft Abuse/2014) UIaan Passerine - Dawn (Worstward/2023) Hala Strana - These Villages (Soft Abuse/2004) Steven R. Smith - Ending / Returning (Immune/2013)   Track Listing   Steven R. Smith - Turning [0:00] Ulaan Khol - Rain Tea [3:27] Steven R. Smith - Scaffolds [7:51] Steven R. Smith - Procession [11:29] Ulaan Markhor - No Train Like Water [14:43] Ulaan Passerine - Birds of the Corporeal Age [18:28] Hala Strana - Dressed in Rushes [22:16] Steven R. Smith - Last Town on Earth [25:02] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

Okkyung Lee - just like any other day (어느날): background music for your mundane activities (Shelter Press) The FURICO Music Team - Le Cube Dans Mon Rêve (Kitchen.Label) Julia Gjertsen & Gustav Davidsson - Wandering Mind, Drifting Weather (Whitelabrecs) Alexander Holm - Head Stroll (Stroom.tv) Akhira Sano - D-R (Laaps) Jo Johnson - Escape Now (Quiet Details)   Track Listing   Okkyung Lee - good morning, harrison, it's time to go [0:00] FURICO Music Team - Le Rêve Restauré (Dream Restored) [3:02] Julia Gjertsen & Gustav Davidsson - Into the Night [8:21] Alexander Holm - Song Passing [13:27] Akhira Sano - Réponse Deux [18:26] Jo Johnson - An Unexpected Observation [23:24] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.

M. Sage - Tender / Wading (RVNG Intl) Meitei / 冥丁 - Sen'nyū / 泉涌 (Kitchen.Label) Perila - Omnis Festinaio Ex Parte Diaboli Est (West Mineral Ltd) Asher Tuil - Untitled Fictions II (Room40)   Track Listing   M. Sage - Tender of Land [0:00] Meitei / 冥丁 - Sen_nyū - Yon-no-yu 泉涌 - 四湯 [5:46] Perila - Lava [13:11] Asher Tuil - Untitled Fictions II.I [18:37] -- Support the artists! Click on label links to purchase music.