A multi-instrumentalist, the producer, and composer, Ambling, reigns from North Carolina. Pulling from her classical piano background, profound love of R&B, and fondness of orchestral and film scores, Ambling showcases a very eclectic blur of genre lines in the compositions that she puts forth.
Sarah, affectionately known as Ambling, began producing and composing Lo-fi and Neo-Classical instrumental pieces under this moniker. Her most recent project takes Ambling's wide-range of genre inspiration and eloquently fuses them together in a strikingly brilliant manner.
Ambling's version of "Silent Night" begins with the discordant mashup of elements that put us into a wavy dreamscape. Initially starting with the unrecognizable instrumentation, we slowly start to hear the traditional carol that we all know and love as it familiarizes itself with the speakers. "Silent Night" can be found on Ambling's upcoming Christmas EP, 'Among the Leaves So Green.' Here she takes on traditional Christmas carol melodies and plants them into dreamy Lo-fi, orchestral settings.
Once you start listening to the layers that Ambling showcases in this custom creation, you can hear the passion behind each piece as every component has a moment to shine throughout this instrumental composition. Getting back to her roots and honing in on major Classical vibes as the record progresses, Ambling adds her essence as we can easily hear this in the queue of the Christmas playlists in households far and wide. If "Silent Night" is a representation of what the 'Among the Leaves so Green' EP will carry out, we are ready to submit to the warm and eclectic embrace that Ambling is gracing us with.
Congratulations on the release of, “Silent Night,” off of your EP, 'Among the Leaves so Green.' This rendition of “Silent Night,” transported us to an entirely different Christmas vibe! Is this your first time adding your twist to Christmas carols and if so, what was the creative process like for you?
Thanks so much for having me. This is my first official Christmas release! I was having so much fun when I first started writing and releasing lo-fi music at the beginning of quarantine and then I hit a certain wall with my writing. I had trouble sitting down and working on new music. I think having those familiar carol melodies helped lure me back into the writing process and took the pressure off a little bit, in terms of coming up with the melodies myself. I had so much fun arranging them in different ways and felt a little freer to experiment with different instruments. I love unexpected chords under familiar melodies and I definitely had fun creating that throughout this EP.
On 'Among the Leaves so Green,' did you choose Christmas songs that happen to be your favorite? What is your favorite record on the project?
I tried to choose some of the more obscure of my favorite carols. I do have a heart for the old English carols and melodies so that definitely played a role as well. I think my favorite song on the project is either Here We Come A-Caroling or Auld Lang Syne. I feel like Auld Lang Syne is very fun and cheery - it definitely conveys those happy Christmas vibes to me. I also had so much fun piecing that jazzy guitar together. Here We Come A-Caroling has that opposite feeling for me - cozy, chill Christmas. I actually put the sound of a crackling fire throughout it to bring that comfort I feel during winter evenings in my cozy home.
What type of ambiance do you have to set for yourself when creating something specific to a holiday versus any time of year?
I thought that I would surely be the person who would deck out my little studio in Christmas decor, lights, etc, while I was writing, but honestly, I didn't make any ambiance changes whatsoever except my seasonal candles! I think that ultimately helped with my whole vision for this EP though, which was to have the familiar Christmas carols and melodies but put in the non-traditional backdrop of lo-fi beats and textures. I feel like lo-fi is so often listened to when other music seems too busy or when words/lyrics seem to fail to describe how you're feeling. The genre itself is a comfort to have on in the background, much the same as Christmas music, and I wanted to highlight that crossover for sure.
What would you like your listeners to take away from this project as a whole?
I hope it brings some joy and comfort to this season. It's been such a bizarre year, I hope it adds some familiarity and coziness to these long winter nights. I always wait to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but then I go hard and keep my same playlist favorites on repeat. By the second week of December, I'm already tired of all my favorite songs, so I'm hoping that when I or others hit that point, this little EP might provide that holiday respite.
What can fans anticipate to hear next from you?
I've been trying to release a lo-fi single every two months, so I'm planning to release my next one in January. I'm thinking a Christmas EP might become an annual release. There are just too many good carols to pass up! Thanks for listening!