Magda Drozd has written albums about plants and high-rises, and now the composer and electroacoustic musician’s new album »Divided by Dusk« takes its inspiration by time spent in Japan—indeed, the Swiss-based artist even enlisted goat (jp) members Rai Tateishi on flute and producer Koshiro Hino to help out with these eight pieces—and her native Poland’s folk traditions. It is probably no surprise then that »Divided by Dusk« feels at home in in-between states, navigating between sometimes vastly different moods and modes of expression.
Even when she sings or picks up the violin, Drozd’s background as a sound designer shines through from the very first minutes. Opener »Eclipse« greets its audience with might be organ or accordion sounds that slowly give way to the sound of rain and mournful glossolalia singing, before the title track ventures into post-minimalism territory with strings, thundering drums, and even a circular lick on electric guitar. Even Tateishi’s playing on »Rounds« doesn’t so much stand out as it is rather integrated into a thick, multi-layered sonic soup.
The real surprises come in the form of the chamber music piece »Piosenka Ludowa« and the vocal-heavy »From the Depths,« the former an adaptation of a traditional and the latter inspired by Polish folklore. They add even more contrast to an album that is built upon presumed differences and aims at collapsing them altogether.
Divided By Dusk
