Plutonic Rainbows

Euro troubadour Milan Warmoeskerken charms our darned socks off with an instant classic entry to the pantheon of timeless Stroom beauties - daydreamy, hydroponic pastoralism to soundtrack urbane yearnings RIYL CS + Kreme, Dirty Beaches, Mittland Och Leo, Eyeless In Gaza, Cocteau Twins, Les Disques Du Crépuscule, Enno Velthuys, Felt, or the most crushed Joanne Robertson & Dean Blunt jams.

‘Leave Another Day’ is arguably the magnum opus of Milan W., whose breadcrumb trail of work as Crumar Young, and as part of Mittland Och Leo, Speedqueen, Beach, and others, has lured listeners deep into the s/Lowlands backwoods imagination over the past 16 years. The album’s dozen songs illuminate the thoughts of an old head on young shoulders; gilding and binding aspects of dusky country, folk-rock, blues, chamber-like jazz noir, spangled kosmiche and indie-pop, with flushes of synthetic warmth and a strikingly poised voice for the ages, perfectly suspended in-the-mix, floating moody above it all.

The Antwerp artist’s music could hardly be a more apt for release on Belgium’s Stroom, carrying with it a certain modest, lowkey vitality and slowness of thought we’ve come to associate with that strange, gently undulating sliver of Europe where things occur at their own time-out-of-joint (or as one put it to us, akin to an “absurd England”). It’s maybe a tenuous link, but the expressive instrumental synthy sentiment of ‘Blue Heron’ shares a title and evocative European soundscape feeling with Enno Velthuys’ early ‘80s peach, and can be heard as symptomatic of a smoky magique and almost medieval meets modernist appeal that riddles the whole album.

We could almost be hearing a more full voiced CS + Kreme (from that other eerie England, Oz) cooing from the floating chamber music of ‘I Wait’, whilst ‘All The Way’ evokes the Midlands lilt and jangle of Felt or less histrionic Eyeless in Gaza, and ‘Face To Face’ weaves in the soft female counterpoint of Martha Maieu, who lends nuanced, harmonised filament to swaying Lynchian centrepiece ‘Ballad’ and the simply gorgeous ‘Memories’. Milan’s contemporary colours are worn more explicitly in the skull-rub synth detunings and city pop detour coda of ‘Wanda’, which makes the stylistic balance of crepuscular airs from anachronstic eras feel all that more intoxicating, when contrasted with the contemporary x classical touches of chef’s kiss synth and strum that come together in his parting piece.

You can get the album now by heading over to Boomkat.

I recently picked this up and have to say it is one of the most incredible gourmands I have ever tried. The opening of Melt My Heart is as irresistible as it is complex, drawing you in with the rich, velvety warmth of dark chocolate. This is no ordinary chocolate note — here, it is bittersweet and luxurious, like the finest artisanal confection. Its smooth richness is immediately captivating, evoking the feeling of indulgence and the allure of forbidden pleasures. The chocolate feels dark and enigmatic, setting the stage for the sensuality that follows.

Interwoven with the chocolate is the elegant and creamy essence of orris butter, which lends a powdery, almost buttery floral quality to the fragrance. The orris root’s softness tempers the intensity of the chocolate, creating a delicate balance between richness and refinement. The orris introduces a sensual, tactile element, reminiscent of the feel of silk against the skin — cool, smooth, and intimately close. This interplay between the edible and the ethereal makes Melt My Heart a fragrance that feels simultaneously grounded and otherworldly.

This sumptuous oriental fragrance contains pure orris butter, a sought-after delicacy in perfumery for which there is no substitute. Like the warmth of true love, orris butter is irreplaceable. Our sensual blend is deepened by the sultriness of beloved oud and sandalwood, soothing ylang ylang combines with a hint of white magnolia and French sage to boost spirits. With their irresistible influence, purified ginger, stimulating mandarin, and luscious dark chocolate complete this enthralling creation.

As the fragrance evolves, a heart of oud and sandalwood emerges, grounding the composition with a smoky, woody depth. The oud here is subtle and refined, not overpowering, but present enough to give the fragrance a sense of exotic allure. The sandalwood is creamy and smooth, adding to the richness of the scent, while the ginger adds a slight spiciness, a warmth that contrasts beautifully with the cool powderiness of the orris.

The drydown of Melt My Heart is where the true magic happens. As the chocolate fades into the background, the base of amber and myrrh reveals itself, creating a warm, resinous cocoon that lingers on the skin for hours. The amber is golden and sweet, while the myrrh adds a smoky, balsamic touch, giving the fragrance a mystical quality.

I've finally finished configuring the CloudFront Distribution for the site. Previously, gzip compression was being enabled in the upload config file. However, it has now been configured to avoid that and only have CloudFront compress static files automatically.

This fragrance has been out for some time now but I recently managed to get a small sample for testing purposes. Vanilla Diorama is a unisex offering from the house that contains a mixture of ambery and gourmand notes.

Vanilla Diorama, the new creation of Dior perfumer-creator François Demachy, is a warm and joyful ode to vanilla. For this noble beauty, he composed a fragrance that is instantly pleasing, round and seductive, both rich, and shot through with freshness, revealing a joyful portrait of true vanilla perfection.

I first tried this a few weeks ago and wasn't totally sold on its qualities. However, it has sort of grown on me a bit and I will try to find a bottle at a decent price.

I am also waiting for a sample of Roja Parfums 'Lost in Paris' to arrive. I will update on that when it finally gets here.