Various Artists – Mailbox Records: Music for Another Sky

This collection of ambient music is curated by British record label Mailbox Records.  From their Bandcamp site:

About this release:

This compilation has been put together in order to raise awareness and/or raise money for the UK charity, Refuge. This means 100% of proceeds from all sales will go to them (after the standard deductions from Bandcamp and PayPal).

It was 1971 when Refuge opened the world’s first safe house, so this year marks the 50th year they’ve been helping women and children escape a life of abuse and violence; the first to make the point that violence in the home was no longer “a private matter” for society to simply turn a blind eye.

Refuge’s reputation of helping vulnerable people comes at a time where domestic violence (globally) has increased recently by nearly 30%, according to the UN; this is due in no small part to the government lockdowns brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Victims often now find themselves under constant surveillance by their abuser where phones are regularly checked and/or confiscated, making it harder than ever to call or text for help.


The title, Music for Another Sky, is derived from the 1890 poem There is Another Sky by Emily Dickinson. It’s a poem where Emily is addressing her brother, yet it appears to tap into the same sentiment of hope I imagine considered by many a domestic violence survivor; the hope and possibility of living another life without fear or worry.

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields –
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is evergreen;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Please, my brother,
Into my garden come!


Credits:

Mastered* by Nathan Moody at Obsidian Sound
obsidiansound.net.

*Rodrigo Stradiotto & Karen Vogt – Noctilucent, mastered by Rodrigo Stradiotto
(instagram.com/r_stradiotto)

*Rosalina Teche – Slightly Affected, mastered by Francis M. Gri (krysalisound.com/mastering)

Artwork/cover by J. Nathan Dziedzic
instagram.com/formandtype

This is a worthy cause for people on any side of the political spectrum. Please contribute if you can.