Meredith Monk
Turtle Dreams

★★★★

Monk has always been one for the playful and open minded, and this album is no different. In fact it sounds like the most fun she's had on any record so far and it's even enjoyable to hear her creating such an intriguing, almost childlike album. Full of innocence and wonder, it makes any person feel like they're discovering the human voice once more. 

The first song is nearly 18 minutes long and works quite well as a summary of her musical work and statement. The second song seems to taunt you, especially with the vocals which have been riddled with some effects. I do really enjoy the piano playing on it however. The synths too are pretty funny, like an 8-bit game. These two are the longest songs and arguably the most effective on the album. 

On "Engine Steps" Monk takes you to the play set; toy trains and wooden blocks. This theme continues on "Ester's Song" with the keyboard pattern that is brings to mind days of sitting by yourself making your own songs. Clicking and clacking on your own keyboard and humming along or yelling and screaming your nonsense songs. "View 2" is the most somber of the bunch and ends the whole album on this nostalgic but downtrodden tone. Especially with the spectacular vocal performance by Monk. 

This album is not just for the playfully curious mind but also a reminder of what power the human voice has. In all its wordlessness and jubilancy there's an importance that cannot be understated in her music and influence. And it'll take longer for that to fully set in. 

Favorite Song: Turtle Dreams (Waltz)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Jo David Meyer Lysne & Mats Eilertsen Kroksjø     ★★★½   Jo David Meyer Lysne and Mats Eilertsen are two Norwegian musicians who have come together once more, on the Hubro music label (also originating from Norway). This encounter seems to place focus on the textural environment and less so on the improvisation techniques of Lysne (on acoustic guitar) and Eilertsen (on bass). The title Kroksjø is the Norwegian word for an oxbow lake, in which a "U" shaped lake is formed after being cut off from a river. Lysne has stated that these geological formations helped inspire this endeavor and that he views them as a symbol of the artistic effort, being impermanent and forever changing. Hypnotic motifs are lost and found on this record, and with the help of a turntable, the comfort of physical home audio is brought forward. Sounds from the natural world and folk musings seep through to the heart of this record, providing points of focus that solidify t...
Read more
Image
Jason Lescalleet The Pilgrim ★ ★ ★★ Everything I've been listening to has been really great recently. This is a very heavy and somber record by Jason Lescalleet. Part of the newer cohort of abstract electronic music, he's known for working with people like Graham Lambkin and Kevin Drumm. This class of individuals have been creating intense and vivid textures in their music with the help of outside sources, mostly field recordings. That concept is also utilized here but not in the usual manner.  Summed up, this album is about the relationship Jason had with his father, and a sort of memorial in remembrance of his passing. It's not easy to create an artistic project like this for anyone, in any medium or platform. Especially not in the niche and sometimes conceptual subgenre that Lescalleet resides in. But he does it beautifully and in great effect. The album starts off with a spoken introduction bye Lescalleet describing how his father felt about his mus...
Read more
Image
Joe McPhee, Piotr Michalowski & Andrew Drury  Live at Edgefest ★★★½   Edgefest serves as one of the larger American Midwest's avant-garde jazz festivals. Since 1997, the Kerrytown Concert House has provided an up-close and personal listening experience through this now four-day long festival. Its popularity, support, and collaborations have continued to grow in recent years. In 2017, Joe McPhee, Andrew Drury, and Piotr Michalowski performed three improvisations that have finally met my ears nearly two years later. Joe McPhee is no stranger to me, and while I have not heard Drury's music, I know that the two have played with each other before. Michalowski resides in Ann Arbor and besides being a self-taught horn player, he teaches at the University of Michigan and writes for the Ann Arbor Observer. So this setting and player arrangement was all new to me, and I was determined to go in with little expectations and to really listen to the interactions...
Read more