Lara Somogyi - ! – expanded

A Closer Listen

! is an album that deserves a second chance, and this new expanded edition is a rejuvenation.  The original versions now co-exist with acoustic versions, remixes and orchestral expansions, painting new colors on the tonal palette.

Harpist Lara Somogyi has always been fascinated with the expansion of harp music.  She uses a bow, a milk frother, loops and pedals, and of course her hands, extracting every possible nuance from her instruement.  The back half of “acceptances” – the opening song on ! – can even be construed as a foray into dance, which makes the orchestral expansion sound like a backwards remix; choral voices lead to a calmer patina, while the strings take center stage.  In like manner, the 34-second “in out” doubles its length and shifts from ambient to modern composition, the electronics receding while Somogyi’s harp is front and center.  A similar approach is used on “breathwork;” the oceanic original gives way to a celestial rework, preserving the waves while adding the clouds.  It’s interesting to hear more harp in a harp rework than in an original, a facet that sets this album apart from other redux releases.

The stringed version of “hundred00” is the same length as the original, retaining its percussive nature while upping the dramatic ante, the expansion more sonic than temporal.  Stops and starts create rising tension, the staccato strings making one last surge before the harp calms everything down, saying peace, be still.  Hearing these orchestral expansions, it becomes clear that there is something to be said for each version, which is why they coexist.

The expanded set also contains two “traditional” remixes, which point the artist in the direction hinted at on the original “acceptances.”  Arriving deep in the album, they suffuse the speakers with joy.  The “Joviale” rework has no counterpart on the original album, just as “interior gardens” has none on the expanded edition.  It’s also the album’s only vocal track, looped and layered, providing a brief blast of positivity.  Percussion blossoms in the final minute, a precursor of “self.seed,” the closing track on both editions.  The original already had the makings of a club piece, with a clear electronic tempo, ebullient harp melodies and subdued beats. CARM & Trever Hagen take it to the next level, exchanging the brass undertones for live horns, quiet beats for strong.  Somogyi’s main melody still occupies center stage, while her counter-melodies provide gorgeous texture, unusual for a dance track.  We can see this piece becoming a crossover hit.

If you missed ! when it first came out, you’re in luck; the expanded edition is even better.  If you loved the album when it first came out, Somogyi will give you ten reasons to love it even more.  (Richard Allen)

Lara Somogyi Website

Mercury KX