Ambient Neo-classical Artist Alaskan Tapes Releases New Album ‘Who Tends A Garden’
January 13, 2023 BY Jason Currell
Today, Juno-nominated Toronto-based composer Alaskan Tapes shares his new album, Who Tends A Garden. The musical project of visionary Brady Kendall, the new record explores the metaphorical and literal meaning of a garden, whether it’s composed of sound or of the dirt in one’s yard. The concept for the garden theme came to him in an old bookstore on a trip to the Adirondack Mountains in New York, where he came across the book, Who Loves A Garden by Louise Seymour Jones, a title from 1935 filled with old poems and essays on the subject.
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The record includes his atmospheric recent singles, “Then,” “Library Fields,” “Who Tends A Garden,” and “W(e)ave.” It is the first full-length release from the compositional ambient artist since his acclaimed 2021 album, For Us Alone. Brady adds, “I wanted this album to be my stripped-back album but instead of the usual guitar and microphone, I chose my ‘garden of sounds’ which consisted of my piano, trumpet, various synths and effects pedals, and knowledge of production. It’s also my first album since ‘We All Speak In Poems’ that has only had myself on it, no session musicians, it’s pure Alaskan Tapes.”
In addition to the record, Kendall teamed up with Chicago-based poet Ben Niespodziany for a limited edition print book that is comprised of a photo from each single paired with a written work by Ben. The book is available through Bandcamp only.
Growing up, Brady played the drums in metal bands before he discovered the drum & bass scene. He started to create and post liquid drum & bass tracks online before becoming more focused on what he calls “drawn-out minimal sounds.” Out of these style tracks, the project was born. Starting in early 2016 with the debut EP Beyond the Streets and then a full-length, We All Speak in Poems, later that same year, Alaskan Tapes began releasing a steady stream of music that gradually ebbed and flowed into new sonic territory and served as a natural progression of Kendall’s tastes and sound experiments which even includes a popular podcast titled the same as his debut full length. Prolific with seven LPs in seven years, plus a myriad film scores and soundtrack compositions, Brady has allowed his work to progress organically and build upon its foundations, gaining millions of streams and fans along the way. He has also become known for his cinematic music videos, which have received numerous nominations and awards at film and music festivals and have been picked several times by Vimeo for the coveted Staff Pick selection.
