Your weekly submersion into new and experimental music.
Voices, either softly spoken or delivered with a harsh growl, have the power to spark deep emotions on the ear. With this in mind, it’s a wonder how few artists in the ambient/noise game mine its obvious potential; Ian William Craig’s latest album A Turn of Breath makes confident strides in this pursuing the quality of the voice.
Craig’s voice exists in the same way Barwick’s ghostly echoes successfully dwarfed the atmosphere of Nepenthe. A place where words were rarely decipherable, though human voice undoubtedly the source of its majesty.
Craig opts not to limit himself to vocals only as tape loops, guitars and field recordings splatter the canvas of his world, though never in a way you would stop to notice a particularly cool guitar riff or vocal phrase. Cohesive immersion is the aim here and it largely succeeds.
‘On the Reach of Explanations’ begins with the repeated click and whirr of what sounds like a record player, signifying the conclusion of a side. Here it serves as introduction to a chorus of Craig’s looping and ethereal, noisey vocals. Some sound peacefully serene, while others bear the distorted grit of hallowed static. Together, they combine for some of the most perfectly orchestrated moments of melancholy and sanguine noise this year.
