The album is a testament not only to the importance and scarcity of true creative chemistry, but also to the need to make art regardless of the obstacles in the way. All of us were born to create; it's as natural as breath, as necessary as food, and comforting as sleep. We grew up drawing pictures, singing songs, staging plays - but we kept growing, and we found ourselves working in banks, managing retail shops, selling insurance. The only singing we do now is in cars piddling along in rush hour traffic.

'Mountain Sounds' is a step away from what we've become and back towards who we were. Six years removed from their last collaborative recording project, Portland, Oregon's Tim Hoyt and Guatemala's own Franc Castillejos came together to make something vital and new in the only place they could: a vacant orphanage in the mountains of Central America.

Former band mates separated for years by arbitrary ideas like nationalities, immigration laws, and time zones (not to mention several thousand very real miles), Hoyt and Castillejos found themselves discouraged and sputtering after years apart; drifting ever farther from the life they loved, ever closer to a life neither of them wanted. On the verge of acquiescence, they chose instead something altogether different: a last-ditch attempt to be who they used to be.

After a summer spent recording and trading demos separately, Tim quit his insurance job and left his home in Portland, Oregon, relocating to Franc's family's property on a secluded patch of land in the Cordillera Alux mountain range west of Guatemala City. The two set up shop in an old, out-of-use orphanage on the grounds, transforming the space into a functioning studio using what limited resources they could find.

For three months they lived and breathed nothing but their music, taking breaks only for meals, even sleeping in the makeshift studio. The long, cold rainy season ensured that they spent almost every waking moment in that space, working without interruption. Their seclusion provided extraordinary focus; their extreme limitations, an opportunity to try everything differently.

After three months, they emerged with twelve songs that showcased their distinct voice; songwriting defined by complex catchiness, minor chord melancholy, and sparse, deliberate arrangements.

Nothing about 'Mountain Sounds' was easy or without risk. Nothing was normal: not where it was made, or how. Not how its creators reunited after years apart, putting their entire lives on hold to pursue something they hadn't done together in ages. But concepts like "easy," "safe," and "normal" don't matter very much when you're doing what you were born to do. And with 'Mountain Sounds,' Franc and Tim are finally back where they always should have been.

1. Lion or the Bee (instrumental)
2. Find That Man (instrumental)
3. When You Have Money (instrumental)
4. I Do What I'm Allowed (instrumental)
5. Breathing Fire (instrumental)
6. Tired Birds (instrumental)
7. The Barely Living Son (instrumental)
8. Fake It Well (instrumental)
9. Miles To Welcome (instrumental)
10. Everything Will End Up Underground (instrumental)
11. Faces Of Friends (instrumental)
12. Productivity (instrumental)

Listen to: the entire album.

Release date: 04/05/2015
Mountain Sounds lives in Oregon USA

Tagged as: Alt Rock, Rock, Classic rock, Instrumental, Prog Rock

1. Numa (instrumental) by Numa: Hard rock with a heart
2. Megaton Robotic Apple Pie (instrumental) by Chinaski: dark and driving energetic alternative rock
3. Vintage is Now by Ray Montford: Evocative, melodic and haunting instrumental guitar music
4. S-clave by Oliostere: Progressive jazz frolicking on melodic polyrhythms
5. My House is the Sky by Mundi: Early music meets global folk at the Penguin Café
6. Kettleblack (instrumental) by Kettleblack: original, blues-based rock and roll
7. Handshake Smiles by Arthur Yoria: catchy, whip smart alt-rock
8. Megaton Robotic Apple Pie by Chinaski: dark and driving energetic alternative rock
9. Burst by Red Sky Lullaby: Lush Downtempo Electroacoustic Grooves
10. The R Complex (instrumental) by Connor B Fitz: a one man indie project - half shy romantic hermit, half loud obnoxious rocker
11. You Are It (instrumental) by OGMA: deliciously melodic and energizing friendly folk rock
12. Shapeshifters by Curl: Groovy, French downtempo electro-rock songs
13. YA! by The Headroom Project: Vivid world-electronica grooves
14. Jungle Out There (instrumental) by Funkinchely: Experimental Funk with hints of exotic beats and world grooves
15. Highland Sunrise by Dixie Cannon: Rock solid Pop rock, Vintage rock, Classic rock, Folk rock and Art rock
16. Musings ballads and paradoxes (instrumental) by Shadows from the Underground: edgy, gritty rock for music tastemakers
17. Determination by Quantum Milkshake: A surreal, soundtrack-inspired, dance band
18. The End of the Beginning Instrumental by Cancer Killing Gemini: a blend of modern rock, downtempo, industrial and post grunge
19. in the beginning (vocals removed) by woodrowgerber: indie/electronic pop fusion - for daydreams, nights out, and everything in-between
20. Define Believe (vocals removed) by Zeph Allen: Harmonious thoughtful songs traverse popular forms

• MP3: High quality MP3 variable-bit-rate files. Most people download these: they are audiophile files that play everywhere.
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• WAV: Perfect quality WAV files. This format works everywhere, and is an exact audio copy of the original CD. It sounds fantastic. Album art and artist info is unfortunately not possible with this format.
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