Single Reviews: 13 June 2023: Laura Wolf, Dessauer, Catch Prichard, Aaronson, Inge Weatherhead Breistein

Laura Wolf - Alluvial Fan

alternative

Making music that is both intelligent and fun is a perennial challenge, yet for cellist, singer, and producer Laura Wolf, this balance seems to come naturally. Her recent single, "Alluvial Fan," is taken from the album "Shelf Life," self-produced between her Providence, RI apartment and the attic of her New Haven, CT familial home. Wolf pulls off cool 8-bit drops with style and collages her whispery melodies with precise texturizations and what sounds like accidentalisms. Although the lyrics touch on themes of expiration, the vibe is refreshingly fresh, and Wolf crams her already bountiful arrangements with odd clatters and sound effects. These additions are always tasteful and keep the ear excited, if not on their toes.

Dessauer - Illusion of Separateness

ambient

Hyperactive sequences of arpeggiated notes turn to lush tones and heavenly synths before fading out into disharmony on "Illusion of Separateness," the most recent single from US artist Dessauer. Now based in Germany, Dessauer (a stage name taken from his grandmother's lineage) spreads his sonic environments wide, twisting and turning their intentions with measured calmness and a proclivity for the epic that results in a mood that is both comprehensive and compact. "Illusions of Separateness" is taken from Dessauer's upcoming EP "Limbic Resonance."

Catch Prichard - Beauty Drone

alternative

At 19, musician and artist Sawyer Gebauer embarked on a creative journey that took him from his small Midwestern hometown to Europe, where he founded the art-folk project Brittsommar, and later to Oakland, California, where he began his new project, Catch Prichard. Constantly seeking unconventional spaces to inspire his work, Gebauer's recent single "Beauty Drone" merges decidedly soft textures with ambiguous songwriting for a hypnotizing whack of somewhat eldritch, fully gorgeous music.

Aaronson - Where Do You Go When You Disappear?

ambient post-rock

Cardiff ambient post-rock ensemble Aaronson takes the listener interstellar on the single "Where Do You Go When You Disappear," which builds up from muted calmness into a grand swell of punchy drums, illuminating guitar tones, and throttling bass. This transient element, reinforced by the song title, offers a moment of escape, even if a sense of nostalgia and imagination is required to fully enjoy the ride.

Inge Weatherhead Breistein - Vardetopp

IDM/glitch

Norwegian jazz saxophonist, electronic musician, and composer Inge Weatherhead Breistein fuses electronic music and jazz in a uniquely chilled cocktail of experimental sounds and capricious sonic structure, segueing from spacey ambient to frenetic glitch with effortless flow. "Vardetopp" is taken from Breistein's new album "Skogskammer," which is out now.