The cover was a dead giveaway: a blurry, double-exposed photograph, obscured behind vellum paper. This CDr is a sonic palimpsest of blurry synths, lonely field recordings, droning organs and gentle piano. While certainly not as complex or as all encompassing as say, Tim Hecker, Calendar Islands succeed by giving their pieces, and listeners, space to breathe. The second track begins with a gorgeous piano motif looped over a spacey dub beat while barely-there, delay-soaked melodies shift and sway like sunlight through trees, little bits of sound being endlessly and subtly manipulated – one of the strongest tracks on “Ending Winter” without a doubt. Thankfully, the rest of “Ending Winter” remains varied, yet very organic and cohesive. Some moments harken to an almost Hecker-ian processed density, while others offer stark piano and the sound of rain beating against glass; every moment is sepia-toned and simply alluring. The strongest element at work here is the almost krautrock-inspired use of rhythm alongside the beautiful collages of sound, helplessly pulling the listener into Calendar Island’s sunshiny sonic world. 7/10 -- Curran Faris (18 August, 2010)