02/04/21: Worlds, Mundane and Magical
Featuring Martin Suckling, Matilde Meireles, Maria Moles, and Tomasz Bednarczyk
Happy Friday, and welcome to Keeping Score! This week I have four new releases.
The Music
Something Sung
Scottish composer Martin Suckling released The Tuning, the title piece featuring poetry by American London-based poet Michael Donaghy, and a string quartet ode to Emily Dickinson and Schubert, the British poet Frances Leviston reading her own text. Original and exciting, Suckling creates sonic worlds that really capture the listener and bring them in.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.
Something Recorded
British composer Matilde Meireles released Life of a Potato, featuring two field recordings inspired by the humble tuber. Meireles writes:
Life of a Potato uses a series of field recordings to unveil varied sonic perspectives of a garden near Pewsey in the Southwest of England…Side A explores the various sounds around the garden and sounds of the repetitive, yet enjoyable, task of roasting the potatoes…Side B is slightly more abstract. It explores various sounds of energy used to cook the potatoes, the potatoes’ crackling sounds as they come out of the oven and sounds of the garden in an early evening, in October, when the potato season is finished.
Enjoy this fun album, and hopefully it won’t make you too hungry.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.
Something Rhythmic
Tasmanian and Australia-based composer Maria Moles released For Leolanda, inspired by Filipino “Kulintang” music, a type of gong-chime music. Moles used a synthesizer to match some of the timbres, and the result is a experimental and unique album.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.
Something Minimalist
Polish composer Tomasz Bednarczyk released Windy Weather Always Makes Me Think Of You, using field recordings from around the world and the last ten years. Bednarczyk uses repetition, dense and murky sounds, and gradual change to weave these disparate pieces together into one unified album.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.