One of my favorite traditions this time of year has absolutely nothing to do with the holidays. It does, however, have everything to do with the experimental sounds emanating from the French label Eilean Rec., which chugs along, day after day, curating and releasing records of sublime quality and gorgeous presentation. Every year around this time the label pauses and takes stock in their catalog, presenting for the diehard fan a compilation of the artists who have graced the release page over the previous twelve months.
It’s now time for the 2017 stable to shine.
Eilean doesn’t disappoint (I mean, they never do), and Eilean 58 ups the ante just a bit: the hand-numbered CD (edition of 175) arrives in a metal box (!) and comes packaged with a glossy color A3 recto-verso poster and five stickers. I know what I’m getting 162 of my friends and relatives for Christmas! (Yes, there are 13 remaining as of this writing.) [UPDATE: sold out! Buy digital!]
So ignore those boring old year-end lists on your favorite music sites (I kid, I kid!) and dive instead into the sheer grandeur of Eilean 58, a year in the life of Eilean Rec. It’ll probably have most of your 2017 favorites on there anyway (but not Arca).
