Problematica
Peoples Places, 2024
8/10
The American-Canadian composer India Gailey returns with a 3rd album of cello music, where the 7 classically oriented songs unfold with much care and creativity.
“I Long”, by Sarah Rossy, starts the listen with strong attention to tone, where the precisely manipulated strings emit much warmth, and Nicole Lizée’s “Grotesquerie” follows with wordless vocals used as an instrument, via a highly experimental climate that unfolds amid the atypical string sounds.
In the middle, Joseph Glaser’s “Joinery” is quite calm during the 7+ minutes of hazy voices and minimal string use, while “Universal Well”, puts the cello to great use thanks to the strategic bowing and intimate mood of the Fjóla Evans piece. Thanya Iyer’s “Where I Can Be Big As The Sun” then exits with mesmerizing, plucked strings the suit the poetic singing.
An album of ethereal, color and a distinct beauty, musicians such as Ashley Bathgate and David Darling could be reference points, as Gailey continues to bridge classical and experimental gestures like few others can.
Travels well with: Nick Joliat- Casio Music 2; Yang Chen- Longing For_