Jennifer Castle now sings like she can see the sunshine

JENNIFER CASTLE “ANGELS OF DEATH” (IDÉE FIXE)

This Toronto singer-songwriter released one of the most beautiful records to come out of that city in years, 2014’s “Pink City.” On it, she embraced jazz phrasing, lush string sections, and utilized some of the city’s best players to frame her unique narratives. To follow it up, Castle embraces more of a psychedelic country-rock direction, with shades of vintage Memphis R&B, both of which suit her increasingly soulful vocals. Castle’s music used to be considerably more introverted; she now sings like she can see the sunshine. Which is odd considering the lyrical content here, much of which, as the title would suggest, deals with morbid matters. But death is not something to be feared, in Castle’s view. It’s something that’s ever-present, something that informs every decision and therefore worth singing about. She dances with these ghosts and celebrates life: this is not at all a dreary downer of a record. It is, however, a work by an artist deadly serious about her craft: “No one said poetry was easy / living with a song inside your heart / living with the muses all around me / waking up to soothe them in the dark.”

Stream: “Tomorrow’s Mourning,” “Texas,” “Rose Waterfalls”

JEAN-MICHEL BLAIS “DANS MA MAIN” (ARTS AND CRAFTS) JONAS BONNETTA “ALL THIS HERE” (INDEPENDENT) PEPPERMOTH “GLIMMER” (SIX DEGREES)

Where were these records in the deep, dark winter, when we needed them? These three new releases form an ambient trifecta of calming musical therapy, each of them elevating a musical genre that’s been diluted by too many sparse piano records underscored by lapping waves.

Jean-Michel Blais is a Montreal pianist whose debut album topped classical charts with his original compositions and minimalist approach. On “Dans ma mains,” he expands his sonic palette to include electronic textures and occasional drum machines — a far cry from the sound of one man alone in his apartment, which is what comprised the debut. The change is more than welcome: Blais is no onetrick pony, and elements of Tim Hecker and Sigur Ros work seamlessly with his natural talent. The only time the album stumbles is when he ventures into Moby territory on tracks like “Igloo,” which are fortunate outliers on an otherwise consistently pleasing album.

Jonas Bonnetta usually performs as Evening Hymns, a project features many quiet, beautiful moments, albeit rooted in the indie rock singer-songwriter mode. On this album under his own name, Bonnetta fleshes out sketches he composed for a documentary about Fogo Island, off the coast of Newfoundland, where he also made this music. It’s suitably evocative, in part because many tracks are based on field recordings made on the island, which Bonnetta used as a “spirit guide” to the music he made in a saltbox house while reading Michael Crummey’s poetry and R. Murray Schafer’s book, “The Tuning of the World.” Droning strings by former Guelphite Mika Posen (Timber Timbre, Merganzer) were added later, to great effect. Can’t afford to head out to Fogo Island? This album might be the next best thing.

Peppermoth is Guelph’s Andrew McPherson, whose Junonominated project “Eccodek” crosses many cultural borders set to electronic beats. (He’s also put out folkie singer-songwriter records under his own name.) As Peppermoth, McPherson indulges his love of Brian Eno’s work in the ’80s, along with the textural explorations of the 4AD catalogue. If “Eccodek” is all about sequencing and loops, “Peppermoth” is performed live on acoustic instruments (piano, guitar, trumpet, upright bass, Tibetan bells), with all manipulations done with tape delays and analog synthesizers. As with the debut, “Now You Hear Me,” McPherson proves to be a master of this genre: not only for his choice of sounds, textures and the high production values, but for the melodic composition and for creating ambient music that functions equally well as active listening as it does background music.

Stream Jean-Michel Blais: “Outsiders,” “Dans ma mains,” “Blind”

Stream Jonas Bonnetta: “Fogo,” “Island Harbour,” “Joe Batt’s Arm”

Stream Peppermoth: “Whirlpool,” “Follow Me,” “Abyss”