nae-ˈstal-jə is the phonetic spelling of nostalgia, a word that describes a wistful yearning for a past period or irrecoverable condition. nae-ˈstal-jə is also the name of this music, which I wrote and recorded during the most emotionally challenging period of my existence. My world was upside-down and inside out; the days were dark in my heart despite the clear skies above. Learning and living the true meaning of nostalgia crystallized my awareness of my paralyzing situation as well as fanned my desire to overcome said situation. And, as always, for me the best way out was via music. nae-ˈstal-jə, then, is an ambient portrait of being in the unforgiving fog of memory and sonically attempting to slice through it. Arranged in a continuous mix, nae-ˈstal-jə embarks upon a journey of pendulating moods & themes. The mix opens with the frosty, mist-covered ground and cold, crisp air of "Until The Fall" and slides into the hypnotic trance of "Sleep Forever." Then the music expands into the multidimensional "Out There In Empty Space" and ventures into the cinematic aural landscape of "Free This Broken Heart." The arc continues with the open-room atmospherics of "Back In The Day" and the experimental guitar tones and textures of "Fall Years Ago," which evoke yesterday with a free melody and intertwining vocal harmonies. "The Lonely Walk Away" depicts an old friend walking off into the distance perhaps forever, and, lastly, "Holding On," with its rhythmic chimes piercing a swirl of echo, tells the tale of surviving the myriad memories of bygone days and moving into the present tense.