Carr / Theodoratus / Morcaldi - Places I've Walked - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Andy M. Stewart - Fire in the Glen [COMPACT DISCS] date 06/27/1989

Spreading throughout Europe from the 12th century onwards, the vast Gothic church spaces, like wonders of stone suffused with light, inspired the Ensemble VocaMe to produce this album. Four female singers with an enchanting fusion in unison and large spectra in polyphonic singing, along with the tonal colors of multi-instrumentalist Michael Popp, represent the musical extension and interpretation of the church space. The program consists of sacred music that evolved up to the Gothic period. At it's center is the Tournai Fair held in the 14th century. It is regarded as the earliest testimony of a mass, which was entirely set to music, as evidenced by medieval manuscripts. During the Gothic period, Paris was one of the most important cultural centers from whence the new Gothic spirit spread throughout Europe. The intellectual elite of this period gathered around it's large cathedral and many new compositions of the 13th century emanated from this environment, the so-called InchNotre Dame SchoolInch. The compositions, like the Tournai Mass, are part of a high culture of music - music that could probably only be heard in the great cathedrals. VocaMe combines this with more folk-like or modest melodies from the Codex Calixtinus (book of Saint James) and the Las Huelgas Codex, among others. Thus, a Gothic soundscape emerges, ranging from simple monophony to the splendor of medieval polyphony.

2022 . Hitting play on the debut album from Plains, the duo composed of Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson, we're immediately teleported into a world of Southern sunsets, wide open spaces, and the unapologetic nature of Country music. Written between Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Marfa, the album was recorded in Durham, NC with collaborator and producer Brad Cook. The creative magic of only a few vocal takes, tracking with a band comprised of Spencer Tweedy and Phil Cook, gives the album a feel of fresh, on-the-spot conception. The trust and history of Crutchfield and Cook's collaborations (Saint Cloud, Great Thunder EP) set the tone for this new container of spontaneity and experimentation. And that's the thing about Country music, and what so much of this album nods to - from Waylon and Willie, to The Judds, The Chicks, Trio, and beyond - these are groups that are formed out of family and friendship, that lyrically take their listeners on a voyage of sorrow and hope. Crutchfield's sharp, honest edge of truth telling paired with Williamson's ability to paint the scene with candles, plains, sunsets, and small Texas towns is one of the strongest parts of this album.