Before diving into Mark Schwaber’s new release, “Glacier,” I suggest you put on your headphones or earbuds, as this record is best experienced when you can listen closely. On the 11 tracks here, Schwaber, who lives in Greenfield, utilizes various instruments, electronic sounds, and even snippets of field recordings to create a rich sonic landscape that reveals something new with each listen.

“Glacier” will be officially released on all streaming services on Friday, Aug. 23, and Schwaber will host a digital release party that night at 8 p.m. on his Bandcamp page. He will play music from the album, answer questions on the chat, and even have some giveaways.

“Glacier” is the follow-up to “Everything Around Me,” a work that found Schwaber dealing with his mother’s death. Themes of death are present in this release too, as reflected in his sparse, poetic lyrics, but while “Everything Around Me” was more of an exploration of grief, the songs here take a more philosophical approach to the subject.

Schwaber recorded “Glacier” at home and played all the instruments: guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and mandolin.

A native of Westfield who moved to Greenfield almost 10 years ago, Schwaber has a long history on the local music scene, having worked with bands like Home and Hospital and working with musicians like Lloyd Cole, Lou Barlow, Joan as Police Woman, and many others. You can hear the influence of his past musical excursions on “Glacier,” and even though the majority of songs here are acoustic guitar-driven dreamscapes, there are traces of experimental music, rock, pop, and even the hardcore music of his early career.

The disc opens with “The Bee, the Moth, The Paper Wasp (The Destroyer I),” a quiet song that features gentle acoustic guitar washing over a simple drum beat. Some synth-generated sounds gives added texture here as Schwaber delivers lines like “lost in your light, shiva.” The song ends with an audio clip of a violent argument from the movie “State of Grace.” It then segues into “Blast Furnace,” a rocker that lives up to its name, and showcases Schwaber’s excellent work on the electric guitar.

As different as the two songs are, they complement each other, and Schwaber chose to release them together a couple of weeks ago.

“I feel very strongly about the concept of the record,” said Schwaber in an email. “One of my favorite things about creating songs is knowing that there will be almost a new breath of life put into certain tracks based on releasing them as a collective.”

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He added that these first two songs go together less as a narrative and more as a musical soundscape. “I feel like there is a short film in them, and I think I helped force that issue by including the audio from the ‘State of Grace.’”

The disc ends on an ambitious note with the wide-ranging seven-minute-plus opus, “Just Rode On Past (The Destroyer III).”

“When I started putting this record together, there was a theme of death and destruction that was overriding most others,” explained Schwaber. He said that over the past couple of years, he has explored the topic in great depth, noting that in our culture, talk of death and destruction is considered taboo. He even explored how other species respond and react to these things.

“The songs with ‘The Destroyer’ as a parenthetical title are where the voice of some of those animals and other earth inhabitants speak the most loudly (octopuses, hawks, wolves, trees, mushrooms, etc), though the theme runs through nearly all of the record.”

“Glacier” is a work of great emotional depth and sonic beauty that demands repeated listening. I asked Schwaber what he hoped listeners would take away from the album.

“As always, I hope they find something that speaks to them or moves them,” he said. “I think the ‘how and why’ it speaks to them or moves them is too subjective for me to wax poetic about, but my general hope is always that people can find something that resonates towards a deeper part of who they are,” he said. “We are bludgeoned with so many things in the shallow end; I always hope to offer something from the other end of the pool.”

To order “Glacier” on CD and to attend Schwaber’s digital release party, visit markschwaber.bandcamp.com.

When people think of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah,” they might think of the Jeff Buckley version. Buckley recorded a beautiful version of the song on his only studio album, 1994’s “Grace.” After its release, Buckley worked hard touring to support the album (including playing at the Iron Horse in Northampton). Still, the album, and especially his version of “Hallelujah,” didn’t take off until after his death in 1999.

According to some critics, “Grace” is considered a classic and one of the best albums ever made. Its success stems from Buckley’s incredible, wide-ranging, angelic voice.

On Friday night (Aug. 23), Florence-based Buckley tribute band, Grace: A Jeff Buckley Tribute, will perform at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls at 8 p.m. This show coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of the “Grace” album.

How does one even attempt to take on the distinct music of Jeff Buckley?

“I ask myself that question every day! Some friends of mine were playing in various tributes, and I was looking to level up my career. Problem was, I’m a lead singer, and I couldn’t think of an artist I sounded enough alike … until someone suggested Jeff Buckley,” said Tony Bernardo, who is the singer in the band.

This friend also pointed out to Bernardo that there were zero active Jeff Buckley tributes in the world, so why not fill that void.

“My earliest vocal training came from listening to and mimicking Jeff Buckley. I would listen … on repeat. I couldn’t help but sing along, which forced me to explore my vocal range,” said Bernardo. “I had to find ways to sing every note, and I did.”

“Now, as an adult, I see it as a chance to push the envelope of my vocal abilities, and use it as an excuse to grow,” he added. “Oh, and I freakin’ love the music. It’s top five albums of all time for me.”

The band will play the album “Grace” in its entirety, and there will also be a few surprises.

Tickets are available at sheatheater.org, or at the door.

Permaculture Place wraps up their summer music series on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m. with a show with Green Heron. Hailing from New Hampshire, Green Heron is Betsy Heron on fiddle, banjo and vocals, and Scott Heron on guitar, banjo and vocals. The duo has been sharing stages together since 2017 and play old-time, Americana, bluegrass, country, Celtic and blues music.

Pack a picnic, bring your blanket or lawn chair and head to the lawn at the Permaculture Place located at the Mill in Shelburne Falls. Tickets are available at Permacultureplace.org Sliding scale tickets are always available by emailing PermacultureSeries@gmail.com. There is a rain location if needed.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.