A Closer Listen
In our very first year (2012), ACL ran a year-end list called Music for Synagogues and Cathedrals. Since then, the boundaries of spiritual music have greatly expanded. From haunted organ to repurposed hymn, spoken meditation to abraded choir, these artists have experimented with form and function, while retaining an essence of holiness. While they may occasionally touch on the traditional, their approach is decidedly modern. Mention “church music” and some people will preemptively close their eyes; play these albums and they will snap to attention. In these recordings, the church itself is often subject to criticism, as in Wild Up and Julius Eastman’s tribute to Joan of Arc; yet an undefined revelation shines through, like light through a stained glass window.
Our cover image comes from the Chapel of Thanksgiving in Dallas, Texas, while the name of our article was inspired by Headphone Commute’s annual year-end lists.
Andrew Ostler ~ The Blind Sublime (Expert Sleepers)
The combination of drone and anthem may hearken back to medieval times, but modern drone is different from ancient drone. In this four-part piece, the choir sings over sustained tones, rising to a peak on the side-length closer, “Meditation.” Chords and voices mingle, merge and create a holy miasma, suggesting the album’s shades of blue.
Original Review
Andrzej Pietrewicz ~ #8 (Self-Released)
Through breath and bell, spoken word and sensual exhalation, Andrzej Pietrewicz continues to redefine the divine. Repetitions of phrases prompt new interpretations, restoring to Scripture its sense of mystery. Extra credit to the evocative cover image, which incorporates the third eye and creates connections across a myriad of faiths.
Original Review
Ghostwriter ~ Tremulant (Subexotic)
Ghostwriter’s album may start in traditional fashion, but by the sixteen-minute “The Anchor,” the ground has shifted. The players pass the hymn through a multitude of genres, opening new doors of entry. The track begins as a poem, turns impressionistic, flirts with post-rock and finally makes us question why we ever preferred verse-chorus-verse.
Original Review
Kali Malone ~ All Life Long (Ideologic Organ)
Composed for pipe organ, choir and brass quintet, the album alternates between approaches, creating a quilt of holy sound. The works twist and turn and find their way home, collapsing in each other’s arms. The spirit of an earlier time seeps through vintage organs, dating back to the 15th century. Time dissolves, and the eternal begins.
Original Review
Laurence Pike ~ The Undreampt-of Centre (The Leaf Label)
Percussion is the distinguishing feature of this modern requiem, composed for electronics, drums and choir. Dually inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Sonnets to Orpheus” and the failing health of his father, the composer draws on ancient sources to produce something unique, “undreampt-of” until this juncture and brought to vibrant life.
Original Review
Maria W Horn ~ Panoptikon (XCatedral)
The story behind the White Dove Prison is harrowing, directly confronted by Maria W Horn’s installation in Luleå, Sweden’s panoptikon prison. Charged with miscarriage and abortion, more than fifty women were isolated, monitored, tortured and executed. Horn provides them with a voice, offering the dignity stolen from them in life.
Original Review
Salt of the Sound ~ Meditations Vol. 6 (Echoes Blue Music)
The latest in an ongoing series is as lovely as they come, producing calm, quietude, inner peace. Salt of the Sound (Anita and Ben Tatlow) may remind some of Enya, offering music to uplift and encourage, their tones like lullabies and their notes like grace. A trio of guest stars sweetens the feeling of deep connection.
Original Review
Sarah Davachi ~ The Head As Form’d in the Crier’s Choir (Late Music)
Is it mere coincidence that this is the second album on our list to reference Rilke’s famous poem? Davachi’s music rises like Orpheus from the underworld. Her sound continues to expand as she incorporates wind quartet, baroque strings, chamber choir, soprano, Mellotron, tape delay and a quartet of vintage organs, “making the crier’s a choir.”
Original Review
Shards ~ Bird Song (Erased Tapes)
Marking the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, Shards honors the composer with a series of reimagined works, in which voices warble and warp, mingling with reverent electronics. The English composer was forced to work and perform in secret, making the preservation of his songs a minor miracle. Wearing new clothes, these ancient pieces sparkle and shine.
Original Review
Wild Up ~ Julius Eastman Vol. 4: The Holy Presence (New Amsterdam)
The late Julius Eastman is honored by Wild Up in this vibrant presentation, while Eastman honors Joan of Arc, burned at the stake as a heretic, partially due to her penchant for dressing as a man. The church would (much) later apologize, but their prejudice remains intact. Seeing through the hypocrisy, Eastman celebrates what it means to be not a man or a woman, but an icon.
Original Review
Richard Allen
Sun Dec 08 00:01:13 GMT 2024