We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Retired Cosmonaut [EP]

by R.J. Stefanski

supported by
rebecca__goldberg
rebecca__goldberg thumbnail
quailman
quailman thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $5 USD

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    UNTIL further notice ~ I cannot ship outside of the US ~ Includes download of album, as well as limited (to 25 hand numbered sets) CD with b/w printed label in sturdy cardboard case, and 5" X 7" high quality b/w album cover art print on pro glossy 70lb paper housed in rigid plastic sleeve. Merch typically ships within 3 days of order.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Retired Cosmonaut [EP] via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 25 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD or more 

     

1.
Pt. I (Look at the Stars) 09:55
info
buy track
2.
Pt. II (Hamtramck 1914) 08:44
info
buy track
3.
Pt. III (Meeting of the Moonwatchers) 12:40
info
buy track

about

"The Retired Cosmonaut" began in April 2013 as a two track single, each piece over 8 minutes in length and combined backyard field recordings with sparse, original keyboard-based instrumentation. The result was two hazy, psychedelic soundscapes influenced by Brian Eno's "Thursday Afternoon" and Stars of the Lid's "Ballasted Orchestra".

Part I (Look at the Stars) blends synths recorded in my old apartment in Hamtramck with a ballad performed on an old piano at the Traffic Jam restaurant in Detroit. Bookending the track are two recordings of my nephew, who was a toddler at the time. I especially enjoy the opening moments where you can hear him marvel at a night's sky full of stars. Blended throughout you will hear a procession of found sounds including a light rain, a wind chime, church bells and bird song. The keyboards finally fade back into the backyard where we join my sister, mom, niece and nephew playing with silly string.

Part II (Hamtramck 1914) begins with near silence, slowly revealing layers of a desolate, windy ambiance with chirping birds and morning doves. A sample from Arabic AM radio is manipulated into a bizarre loop that works its way up in the mix. A rainy road with passing cars merges with a string-based drone and eerie synths appearing from the periphery. While Part I has a definite melancholy to it, this part veers into the world of dark ambient.

This new reissue subtly retouches these two parts and throws in a brand new extended track, entitled "Meeting of the Moonwatchers". This extended journey was pieced together with a combination of field recordings from 2013 and a few new captures. The long intro and outro are designed to enhance the cinematic nature and ambiance. Once again we are in the backyard - of the house I grew up in - but building leaf piles with my brother and our niece and nephew. Layers of found sounds slowly enter and exit the mix, leading the listener on an equally relaxing and eerie journey. Sounds from space ISS communications, a water stream from Prospect Park, Morse code, and original piano drones emerge and recede into the horizon as the track ebbs and flows over its 12 minute runtime. Eventually the piece resolves into the patter of rain on an umbrella, AM radio transmissions, and the same backyard we set off in.

credits

released May 1, 2020

All sounds and artwork by R.J. Stefanski 2013-2020.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

R.J. Stefanski image

R.J. Stefanski

Field Recordist, Soundscape Producer, Ambient DJ & Mixtape Curator. Based in Brooklyn, NYC via Detroit, MI. Contact for bookings, sampling, collaborations or questions.

contact / help

Contact R.J. Stefanski

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like R.J. Stefanski, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now