Billow Observatory

Billow Observatory is a trans-Atlantic ambient collaboration between Danish musician Jonas Munk (aka Manual) and Jason Kolb from the Michigan space rock band Auburn Lull. The two create vast, slow-moving vistas which occasionally tap into dubby textures. Their self-titled debut surfaced in 2012, and they’ve continued exploring their hypnotic, wintry sound on subsequent full-lengths including 2022′s Stareside and EPs such as 2024′s Soliton. Munk and Kolb have been working together since 2006. Auburn Lull and Manual planned to release a split EP together, and when that didn’t materialize, the two musicians began trading ideas back and forth. Mostly consisting of analog-recorded guitar drone pieces, the duo’s self-titled debut as Billow Observatory came together at an unhurried pace, finally appearing on the Felte label in late 2012. The slightly more rhythmic II: Plains/Patterns was issued by Munk’s Azure Vista Records in 2017. The sparser, more abstract III: Chroma​/​Contour followed in 2019. Returning to Felte, the comforting Stareside appeared in 2022. The dub-influenced EP Calque was digitally released in early 2023. Soliton followed in 2024, and both EPs were released as a single LP. ~ Paul Simpson