LONG BEACH, Wash. and ASTORIA — Portland bands Robin Bacior and Grand Lake Islands are embarking on tours in honor of their new respective albums. Both groups will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8 at the Adrift Hotel, located at 409 Sid Snyder Drive in Long Beach, Washington. Then, both will play at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan 9 at the Voodoo Room, located at 1114 Marine Drive in Astoria.

Bacior’s voice speaks of a much older soul. Born and raised in California, Bacior took great influence from California folk traditions and brought them with her to New York. She began collaborating with cellist Dan Bindschedler, combining classical arrangements with simple folk structures. In 2012, Bacior relocated to Portland, and she and Bindschedler collaborated cross-country. During this time, Bacior had frequent dreams about bodies of water, and felt they signified her grappling with an overwhelming amount of transition.

As a result, Bacior wrote a new collection of songs, later named “Water Dreams,” her album that comes out Tuesday, Jan. 13. The songs center around Bacior’s departure from New York, the collapse of paths that felt certain, and humbly moving forward — essentially, how it feels when it doesn’t work out. Bacior brought the songs to Bindschedler (who has since moved to Portland), and the two sat down and arranged more fleshed-out pieces. The music was then presented to recording engineer/producer Rian Lewis.

The result is something within the realm of New Music; a classical duet playing composed pieces fused with experimentation. Bacior uses the piano as a rhythmic base while Bindschedler laces his cello’s sound through various pedals, creating a more atmospheric, sonically wide space. Throughout the cello/piano movement, Bacior’s alto vocals carry their own strong melodies.

Grand Lake Islands is also releasing a new record, “Song From Far,” on Jan. 20. Grand Lake Islands is a collective band led by songwriter Erik Emanuelson. The project began in New York City as Emanuelson’s evening pastime while teaching English. As his songs grew increasingly stronger, he decided to leave his career and focus on music, moving to Portland. There he met collaborators Evan Krogh (guitar/lap Steel), Kyle Hartlet (bass) and Bob Reynolds (drums).

Grand Lake Islands’ forthcoming “Song From Far” was produced by Victor Nash at Destination Universe. It was recorded following a highly productive period of collaboration between band members during Portland’s bleakest months. The songs reflect a period following a sea change that occurred in Emanuelson’s life.

Emanuelson’s expressive tenor delivers lyrics soaked with stark emotional landscapes. Themes of isolation and uncertainty are echoed in songs like “Silver Moon,” where he sings, “emergency red, and outdated, with an ear to an unplugged phone, pacing around waiting for that old dial tone.” Yet other songs, such as “Atlantic/Pacific” and “Monterey,” evoke a kind of carefree lightness.

Recorded mostly live, the album’s synchronized energy feels cohesive as it moves from ethereal texture to more straightforward folk-country grooves. The songs break into wide-open brightness with sparkling guitar, swelling lap steel, and snapping snare hits before being swallowed again by interludes of dark, aerial, nearly distorted tones. With one eye to the darkness drifting over the horizon and one eye on the light coming over the other, “Song From Far” is a snapshot of a sky in motion.