Press Release​
​In February 2019 we released the debut album by an anonymous artist named Glåsbird, in the form of Grønland, a sonic expedition of Greenland. The album received much critical acclaim despite being from an anonymous artist and was even featured on Bandcamp Daily under their ‘best Ambient’ feature. CD copies of this record have long since sold out, but the Glåsbird continues its flight to a new destination: Svalbard.

Svalbard lies 78 degrees north, is inside the Arctic Circle and had a population of around 2600 people and an estimated 3000 polar bears! Its calendar year divides between the midnight sun and the polar nights. The former is a period of constant daylight and the latter is the opposite. However, the dark season is broken from time to time by spectacular Northern Lights.

In Svalbarð, Glåsbird became immersed once more in this next excursion, through means of Google Earth, 360° photos, blogger accounts of the isles, maps and also, videos by Efterklang who were an obvious reference point with the band having visited.
This time, we are treated to a greater number of tracks, as ten movements weave Modern Classical influenced Ambient soundscapes. The pristine, polished reverb of Grønland is replaced with a slightly muddier, more lo-fi approach to the sound as the artist strived to present a tape-eroded aesthetic to their work. The recordings deal with dramatic landscapes, glaciers, an abandoned coal community, a seed vault, the Island’s capital city Longyearbyen and of course, polar bears. Each piece feels icy cold, yet the warmth and hiss provided by the decaying tape effects provide a comfort blanket for the listener as perhaps you take in these scenes from a lonely cabin, at one with isolation and natural beauty.

The packaging for the album includes photography from Svalbard itself, courtesy of Aldona Pivoriene who is a professional photographer based in Norway. We are also set to release the next Glåsbird album next year. Where will the destination be? For now, we hope you enjoy immersing yourself in this new set of works exploring Svalbard.

Credits
released August 10, 2019

Written and produced by Glåsbird
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Aldona Pivoriene (www.aldonapivoriene.com)
Packaging design by Harry Towell

Press release
Glåsbird returns following the debut EP ‘Drift Stations’ which was a digital only release on Whitelabrecs just prior to Christmas last year. The eagerly awaited full-length debut album is something that this currently anonymous artist has carefully shaped over a lengthy period of time and it is entitled Grønland. Those looking to the themes of the North Pole and travel through the treacherous Arctic Circle which were contained within Drift Stations, will see a pattern of travel or rather, migration developing. Next stop – Greenland, the world’s largest island as well as one of the most uninhabited landmasses on the planet, which is thanks to stark temperatures and the permanent ice sheet which occupies most of this land.

Glåsbird imagined that they were assigned the task of scoring the soundtrack to a film about Greenland and spent a great deal of time researching the subject. Hours of documentaries, drone helicopter footage, NASA and satellite images, Instagram traveller accounts, 360° photos, web articles and maps were surveyed, to the point where this artist felt sufficiently immersed in this sub-zero but beautiful land. One such traveller/photographer who has physically witnessed the splendour of Greenland is Lennart Pagel, who kindly provided the cover image; the shot not only captures the essence of this country with its iced mountains, freezing lake and primary-coloured cabin but also there is a bold starkness which lends itself to this soundtrack.

Two releases in and whilst we’re no clearer as to who is behind this project, it is clear that Glåsbird is becoming synonymous with storytelling and specifically travel or migration, if you prefer.
The music itself adopts a Modern Classical approach with icy piano shards shimmering alongside glacial violin and cello drones as well as the occasional hint of grounding electric guitar. We’re told that the artist even recorded some sections of sounds to cassette before placing the tape in the freezer to give an added chill factor.

We’ve decided that such an impactful concept would suit a special ‘gatefold LP’ style packaging that we’ve run a couple of times as well as an increased run of 100 copies. Where will the Glåsbird land next?

Creditsreleased February 9, 2019

Written and produced by Glåsbird
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Lennart Pagel
Packaging design by Harry Towell

Press Release​
Glåsbird is an anonymous project by an established artist within the Ambient/Modern Classical scene. To date this artist has not produced any work that has been published and we're proud to present both the first ever Glåsbird release as well as the debut album, due out early next year.

The Glåsbird sound is undefined and we're told that it will be used to demonstrate working to themes, ideas and soundtracks. The artist studies their chosen topic intently before crafting electro-acoustic recordings into evocative cinematic soundscapes. The debut album Grønland is a sonic expedition to Greenland, tracking the enormous frozen ice cap, the colourful scandi huts and its lack of human inhabitants.
The preceding Drift Stations EP features two tracks which tell the story of embarking on this imaginary journey to Greenland, as it begins in the North Pole before traversing the frozen Arctic Circle sea towards the monolithic landmass.

In a brief section of recording space, the artist has stitched together a shrill and lonely coldness using violin, cello, sparse piano notes and other digitally effected acoustic instruments. Drift Stations is then set off with a magnificent photograph, taken on Greenland by photographer and tour guide Lasse Kyed.

Credits
released December 14, 2018

Written and produced by Glåsbird
Mastered by James Edward Armstrong
Photography by Lasse Kyed (www.instagram.com/greenland_explorer)