In this program I’m giving you a taste of what’s in store for the upcoming new season of The Relay Station, a sort of holiday stocking stuffer for your inbox with some delightful sonic treats for this wintry season. I have two featured artists on the program that both defy stylistic boundaries and have tracks that bring a different sentiment for the holiday season. My first featured artist is Clarice Jensen who has a unique take on the neoclassical genre, introducing looped cello with a variety of effect pedals to produce a mesmerizing work. And Louis Gardner’s ambient-inspired lo-fi folk has me absolutely enamored — enough to break my own rules of no music with sung vocals on the program, and share with you an enchanting and deeply pensive track. Plus up ahead, new music from Ed Herbers, Twilight Sleep, Paul Beaudoin, City of Dawn and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable, join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station. Artist information Clarice Jensen Were it not for my relationship with the Jensen Group and their artist representation, this next track and the amazing collection of works from which it comes, would have likely gone unnoticed in my world. Cellist and improvisational composer Clarice Jensen has taken a more avant-garde approach to contemporary classical music, adding other tools and layers to her live compositional approach to neoclassical music. Clarice considers the solo cello works of J.S. Bach as a central backdrop to her new album, displaying a rich range of voices created by one instrument alone. Having found ways to expand the sound and voice of the instrument through various electronics, Clarice found it fitting to return to Bach’s works — music that she’s played for many years — as a way to connect back within the tradition of the instrument. In addition to her instrument, she affects the sound only through a few effects including octave displacement, delay, tremolo, and looping. https://claricejensen.com Louis Gardner Louis Gardner is a singer-songwriter and artist based in London and has garnered my attention through his spell-binding and emotive new album “Emotionally Suited to be a Solo Pianist”, out December 20th, 2025 through WhiteLabRecs. The album unmistakably falls outside the norm for programming on the Relay Station, but it’s his delicate coalescence of neoclassical music, ambient minimalist sensibilities, and experimental lo-fi folk songwriting that has me absolutely enamored. I’m a huge fan of José González and his minimalist, loop-like approach to songwriting in the neo-folk world — and I’m ceaselessly on the lookout for artists that carry that same esthetic in their artistry. Well Louis Gardner blends improvisational piano, muted acoustic guitar with decades-old guitar strings, accordion, dulcimer, and soft, hushed vocals performed with a feeling of contemplation, longing, and melancholic solitude. The album is a must-listen, even with it falling just outside the bounds of the ambient genre. https://louisgardner.bandcamp.com/https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/ Playlist * “The Lights Turned Down Low” by Twilight Sleep from “The Ghost Of Christmas Passed” [Passed Recordings, 2025, 5:36] * “The Joy On Their Faces That Morning” by Asha Patera from “The Ghost Of Christmas Passed” [Passed Recordings, 2025, 6:10] * “A Tibetan Path” by Ashot Danielyan from “Winter Whispers - Soothing Holiday Melodies” [Heart Dance Records, , 6:41] * “1,2” by Clarice Jensen from “In Holiday Clothing, Out Of The Great Darkness” [FatCat / 130701, 2025, 4:08] * “Hearth” by City of Dawn from “Winter Whispers - Soothing Holiday Melodies” [Heart Dance Records, , 2:33] * “The Moon (How Bright It Is)” by Ed Herbers from “The Ghost Of Christmas Passed” [Passed Recordings, 2025, 4:31] * “Moonlight on the Bare Winter Trees” by Paul Beaudoin from “A Deep Winter’s Snow” [, 2025, 4:28] * “I Can’t Wait To See You This Christmas” by Louis Gardner from “Emotionally Suited To Be A Solo Pianist” [WhiteLabRecs, 2025, 8:29] * “Entropy” by Tapemoth from “The Ghost Of Christmas Passed” [Passed Recordings, 2025, 2:57] * “Branches, Leaves, and Dirt” by Kilometre Club from “It Doesn’t Snow In Toronto Anymore” [Imaginary North, 2025, 15:13] Thank you for your ongoing support of The Relay Station. If you’d like to go the extra distance, become a monthly supporter today to help offset operating expenses and contribute towards my goal of making the program entirely carbon neutral. Thank you! Season seven begins January 4, 2026! Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe
