Hello Halo
New Amsterdam, 2025
9/10
The violinist, composer and sound artist Ruby Colley is joined by EXAUDI’s many voices for these unclassifiable 6 tracks that uses field recordings and much imagination.
The title track opens, and employs Colley’s brother, Paul Colley, who is neurodivergent and non-verbal, where gestures through live voice and recordings fuel the folk influenced start.
“What Is It?” follows, and radiates many bright voices in a harmonic fashion, while “Duet 1- Then” pairs the tense strings with various vocal inflections that are unpredictable and intriguing via both intimacy and exploration.
On the back half, “Echoes” emits a distinct rhythm thanks to the meticulous violin and wordless voices, and “Cosmology” exits with lovely singing and a striking ambience that recruits beauty and a strong tonality.
Colley is versed in folk, classical and plenty of avant-garde ideas, which are all present across these emotive and meticulous pieces that are from unconventional yet easily enjoyable.
Travels well with: Daniel Wohl- Artificial; Adam Tendler- Inheritances