Mira Calix - Skimskitta on CD

Description

Warp stalwart Mira Calix has a reputation for building compelling and idiosyncratic sound collages. Skimskitta, recorded in remotest Suffolk, follows on from her successful debut LP OneOnOne, utilising the same musique concrete approach but moving her sound in a slightly different direction. Where the sonic potpourri of her first LP bristled and crackled into action with sometimes frightening alacrity,Skimskitta has a more restive, even reflective feel. The naturally meandering compositions on the album are created from a variety of sources--processed guitars, vintage synthesisers, stones being knocked together, sticks being tapped, even her own vocals (recorded low in the mix and used as a textural element). The music here still reaches peaks of percussive and melodic drama, and Calix still happily courts dissonance to create compelling contrasts, but the album overall feels surprisingly coherent and can only be described as utterly bewitching. --Paul Sullivan