Coincident
New Focus, 2023
9/10
The Minneapolis composer Scott L. Miller aligns himself with the Twin Cities outfit Zeitgeist for these experimental, electroacoustic pieces that were recorded through remote technology, and it makes for a technical, aesthetically exciting 8 tracks.
“Coincident Episode 5” opens the listen and makes an immediate impression thanks to Joseph Horton’s mysterious, often wordless vocals and Pat O’Keefe’s well timed bass clarinet in the unpredictable climate, and “Exit Velocity” follows with Nikki Melville’s playful piano and Cara Tweed’s moody violin complementing the percussion acrobatics from Heather Barringer and Patti Cudd.
At the halfway point, “Coincident Episode 4” benefits much from Miller’s kyma manipulation in the droning, intimate landscape, while “Sonata II” places Melville on piano and Miller with kyma for a sometimes sparse, sometimes rumbling album highlight that focuses much on tone and mood.
Approaching the end, “Sonata III/Sonata IV” is a charming percussive track with Barringer and Cudd making much deliberate noise in an ambient versus nature-esque fashion, and “hARvest” exits with the percussion, clarinet piano and kyma spreading out over 14+ minutes of dynamic, distanced interaction.
Part avant-garde, part chamber and entirely creative and iconoclastic, Miller and company make for a captivating and unparalleled listen that explores telematic collaboration superbly.
Travels well with: Guy Barash- Killdeer; Aaron Myers-Brooks- Oblique