An Unopened Seashell
New Focus, 2024
8/10
Listen to An Unopened Seashell
The debut from the composer Yi-Ting Lu, these 5 solo pieces illustrate her ability to use music as a way of exploring extra-musical phenomena.
“Slimy Tracks” starts with Daniel Lippel’s fascinating guitar playing that unfolds with quirky, unpredictable patterns, and “Taxidermy” follows with Ben Roidl-Ward’s clever and artistic bassoon that mesmerizes us with its colorful delivery.
“Half Decorations” lands in the middle, and showcases Ben Melsky’s profound abilities with a harp in very minimal, ominous areas as well as bright and intimate gestures, while “Sewing In Thin Air” places Lam Wong on piano for both pretty and rumbling moments of meticulous keys.
The title track exits, and it involves Thomas Giles’ stunning alto sax prowess that quivers and manipulates sound with breath, slap tonguing, altissimo and multiphonics present.
An excellent introduction to Lu’s iconoclastic vision, each track here is creative, unique and memorable.
Travels well with: Travis Laplante- The Golden Lock; Tina Davidson- Barefoot