Portland Artist & Composer Ann Annie Shares Magical New Song “Silver C”; Fifth LP ‘The Wind’ Out June 7
May 10, 2024 BY Emma Orland
Portland composer and multi-instrumentalist Eli Goldberg, who releases under the moniker Ann Annie, is known for his minimalist and pastoral approach to ambient music. With a mix of acoustic instruments and modular synthesizers, he’s been lauded for his contributions to both folk and electronic music by the likes of Bandcamp Daily, DJ Mag, and more. On his forthcoming album, The Wind, Ann Annie’s explorations are delicate yet playful and there’s no greater example than this latest offering “Silver Creek.” The lumbering banjo line combined with the warble of a tape machine give way to lush pedal steel, evoking the vast western sky. Suddenly, a flurry of euphoric synths bubble up to the surface with blinding energy. Though only two-minutes and twenty-seven seconds, this song contains multitudes. Listen to “Silver Creek” on all digital retailers (here).
Eli recalls: “This was the only banjo song I was able to record before the head mysteriously split in half. The banjo was supposedly from the 1850’s with the original deerskin head.”
“Silver Creek” joins recent singles like “Lamb’s Ear,” “Willows,” “The Wind,” “Sweet Coast,” and “Three Chords,” which will all appear on his forthcoming album The Wind due out June 7th via Nettwerk.
PRE-ORDER THE WIND HERE: https://annannie.ffm.to/thewind_album
Listen & Share “Silver Creek” Here:
https://youtu.be/GC2yMmzdCzg
Ann Annie’s The Wind is quietly transformative music that achieves a rarified intersection of subtlety and pure transcendence. The fourth record and Nettwerk debut from Portland-based musician Eli Goldberg conjures pastoral ambience through delicate yet weighty arrangements and warm, enveloping melodies—all possessing the entrancing effect of watching snow fall slowly on the horizon, or leaves spiraling in a miniature ground gust. These eleven songs are a showcase for Goldberg’s deeply felt songwriting and accomplished musicianship, charting new territory for the Ann Annie project while also refining past influences in search of blissful unvisited horizons.
The Wind is the latest sonic evolution for Goldberg, who started playing music at the age of 5 after a babysitter brought over a Casio piano to his house. After graduating early from high school to focus on music full-time, he dove headfirst into self-recording with his sad. rad project, which started as an exploration of indie rock’s trappings before Goldberg discovered the wonders of modular synthesizers. “I’ve always loved synths since I saw a picture of Daft Punk’s modular synth setup,” he recalls. All the while, Goldberg continued to gravitate towards the world of ambient music, taking particular cues of inspiration from the Album Leaf’s seminal 2004 classic In a Safe Place: “I didn’t even know it was ambient at that point, I just knew it was music I’d never heard before.”
The Wind represents the convergence of Goldberg’s ambient leanings, his lifelong love of classical music, and the radiant tones of cosmic instrumental folk music like James Blackshaw and William Tyler. It was recorded in his Portland home (“I love to weave in house sounds”) and the creative process was inspired by time off from making music, which allowed him to rethink what Ann Annie represented to him as a project. “I started to expand my idea of what it could be, which was an exciting experience,” he explains. “It gave me time to think about how things change and how to move through change—what that looks like for me. I wrote a lot of these songs in an attempt to let go of a lot of things, while being OK with doing so.”
ANN ANNIE IN THE PRESS…
“Ann Annie Makes Music Out of Subtle Exploration of Universes”
– Willamette Weekly
“Eli Goldberg’s project, named for a Himalayan peak, expands from electronic landscapes to acoustic collaboration…”
– 48Hills
“…fashions homey scenarios…”
– Pitchfork
“… weaves threads of acoustic strumming into beds of textural static, sometimes mirroring the flow of a coke bottle–clear river, other times emulating the thrash of a cool breeze ripping through a field.”
– Bandcamp Daily
“…lucid and mesmerizing… exploring soothing ambient textures and vast, captivating soundscapes…”
– DJ Mag
“…an eminently approachable and welcoming record brimming with warm pastoral ambiance and a comforting air of nostalgia.”
– Stationary Travels
Ann Annie – The Wind TRACKLIST:
1. Opening
2. With Violet
3. Sweet Coast
4. Aviary Reverie (Waltz in No. 2 in C)
5. Introduction
6. The Wind
7. Lamb’s Ear
8. Interlude
9. Willows
10. Drift Creek
11. Silver Creek
12. Cottonwood
13. Three Chords