#12 ALBUM OF THE YEAR - 9/10 STARS - "Michael Cottone (aka the Green Kingdom) continuing on his own merry electronic way when one of those industry big wigs at Lost Tribe Music suggested he concentrate on the organic and acoustic side of his music. My word has it paid off. 'The North Wind and The Sun' is a gorgeous album." - NORMAN RECORDS

BEST ALBUMS OF 2017 - DIVE INTO THE SUN

FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF 2017 - IRREGULAR CRATES

TOP ALBUMS OF 2017 - HOP BLOG

"A fragility exists within the lovingly woven music. A gentle picking mirrors the rippling of water and the quiet life of the river. The North Wind and the Sun is gorgeous. Prepare to fall in love." - A CLOSER LISTEN (smarturl.it/acltgk)

"It's certainly capable of soothing the soul and banishing from one's thoughts the kinds of troubling realities that regularly darken our collective days; its nostalgic evocation of carefree summers certainly offers a welcome respite from the latest go-round of political turmoil grinding the spirit down." - TEXTURA (smarturl.it/tgktextura)

ALBUM OF THE WEEK - "Ricchezza di suggestioni ed estremo equilibrio nella creazione di un placido microcosmo acustico, nel quale nostalgia e leggerezza si fondono nella pacifica serenità delle atmosfere di “The North Wind And The Sun” che, traccia dopo traccia, danno forma a una vera e propria delizia ambient-folk." - MUSIC WON'T SAVE YOU (smarturl.it/tgkmwsy)

"Cottone (aka The Green Kingdom) fuses the more acoustic and Americana elements with his electronic / ambient influences to build a bridge between the two styles that exist as separate entities or as a cohesive piece." - DRIFTING, ALMOST FALLING (smarturl.it/daf.tgk)

"You’ll be utterly mesmerised and know for certain that you own a record that’s likely to be a highlight in your collection for a lifetime." - IRREGULAR CRATES (smarturl.it/tgkicrates)

"Un viaggio delicato e avvolgente che ci lascia immergere in un universo accogliente disegnato attraverso un lessico inaspettato, ma certamente efficace." - SOWHAT (smarturl.it/tkg.sowhat)

"Evocative and hypnotic lines of refined electroacoustic textures" - ONDA ROCK (smarturl.it/tgkor)

"The Green Kingdom has managed to build beautiful, deep, contemplative and poetic songs, melodies filled with melancholy with, on the one hand, titles evoking childhood and on the other hand titles sometimes with Western accents evoking great wilderness. Without doubt the most beautiful album of The Green Kingdom to date." - HOP BLOG (smarturl.it/tgk.hopblog)

"A career best work finished in beautiful and gentle idyllic sound!" - PASTEL RECORDS (smarturl.it/tgk.pastel)

"HOME NORMAL - ARTIST OF THE MONTH - Michael has a genuine ability to move between electronic organics and straight-up meditative guitars, with the even rarer talent of tying each album up in a perfect and complete way. Each work identifies to each album so perfectly, yet always maintaining that classic 'TGK' sound. His most recent 'The North Wind and the Sun' release is by far his most direct and to the point, highlighting what a carefully nuanced artist he truly is." - Ian Hawgood - HOME NORMAL (smarturl.it/tgk.homenorm)

"Minérale et minimaliste, l'ambient-folk instrumentale concoctée par The Green Kingdom se conclut finalement avec un Children of Light qui fait figure de sommet introspectif, les cordes frottées y faisant leur apparition pour donner du relief à des compositions qui n'en avaient même pas besoin pour dégager une sérénité limpide." - INDIE ROCK MAG

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If one is searching for a beacon of light in Lost Tribe Sound’s undeniably dark roster of releases this year, look no further.  The Green Kingdom’s new full-length album ’The North Wind and the Sun’ is like a cool breeze on a heated summer day.  Perhaps music this gentle feels out of place, even glutinous, given the currently harsh climate of the world, yet the truth may be that we need it now more than ever.  Music like this offers an opportunity to pause, to regain our center, to shift focus towards bettering our surroundings versus cursing them.  

With over a decade of creating albums of the dusted-down ambient electronic variety, The Green Kingdom has finely honed his abilities to express these concepts of transformation in a non-verbal way, utilizing a deft blend of majestic post-rock style guitar, rolling bass and an unusual palette of acoustic instrumentation weaving them into a wide variety of electronic gear and synths. On a mission to find the right dose of aural sanity, Michigan native, Michael Cottone (aka The Green Kingdom) has experimented with a wide variety of electronic styles from dub to drone, yet his strongest efforts were perhaps born of his electro-acoustic works. His greatest strengths center around his ability to write some of the most ear pleasing melodies imaginable.

Of course, here at headquarters we pondered what would happen if Cottone abandoned the majority of his electronic equipment and limited his arsenal to nearly all acoustic instrumentation? It’s a similar question to the one we proposed to Cock & Swan back in the day, with their exceptional album ‘Stash’. Asking Cottone kindly, he obliged. After a number of months of trial and error TGK delivered us this experiment, titled 'The North Wind and The Sun.' We were floored, not only is the music still undeniably that of The Green Kingdom, it seems to exude a new sense of wonder and confidence.

'The North Wind and the Sun' is the aural equivalent of the fondest, hazy memories gleamed from childhood days past. The melodies are playful and comforting like womb-filtered lullabies. While this new delivery may shock some familiar with TGK’s previous outings, Cottone seems quite comfortable with this new primarily acoustic set of sounds, inventing his own heart-warming brand of Americana.

That said, the music pays respects to its roots, no doubt recalling the more pastoral, primitive works of William Ryan Fritch, Western Skies Motel and John Fahey, the woozy mechanically-inclined folk of Boards of Canada or Part Timer, the bright, sincere melodies of Amiina or mbira virtuoso Richard Crandell. Throughout the thirteen song album, 'The North Wind and the Sun,' The Green Kingdom gives us a very intimate look behind the curtain, one brimming with personality, a tender collection of homespun reveries one can tell has been building in Cottone’s mind for years. This is a rare and sublime new direction for TGK, one we hope he continues to develop upon for years to come.

It should be noted, this is the first ever chance to own The Green Kingdom’s music on vinyl. 'The North Wind…' was originally slated to release on cassette only, but when handed this much beauty it seemed only right to honor it with vinyl. Limited to 175 hand-numbered copies, ‘The North Wind and the Sun’ is being pressed onto high quality lacquer cut vinyl. The album was mastered for vinyl and digital by Taylor Deupree at 12K Mastering, who’s skills have served us well over many vinyl endeavors including Western Skies Motel’s 'Settlers', Mute Forest’s 'Deforestation', and From the Mouth of the Sun album 'Hymn Binding'.

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