I was a big fan of Lia Kohl's album last year. For something based upon "found sounds", it was one of the warmest records of the autumn. Lia is back with Zander Raymond and their new one is out this week via Un je-ne-sais-quoi.
In Transit consists of pieces that mix found sounds and cello and synth from Lia Kohl with synths from Zander Raymond. The sounds were recorded in public transit spaces, and embellished after. The results are sort of magical. "This was in the" sounds like a snatch of music being heard in a busy station, while the elegiac "Not in the hand" is even better, Kohl's cello stretching out the vibe which Raymond punctuates with modular synth efforts. "In the taxi" is more straightforward. On that one, like on the best pieces here, Kohl's cello carries a hint of a melody forward, while noises, sounds, and synth stuff follow that sonic path.
This is a special record. I realize that it's not going to appeal to everyone, but in its blur of the public and private, the found and the manipulated, there's a lot of beauty. What sounds on paper like an austere audio experiment, is really quite an emotional album. For some reason I'm put in mind of the gentle instrumental passages on Spirit of Eden, the famed Talk Talk masterpiece, where the build-up contains a world of possibilities about to unfold. That vibe is here, though the music is quite different, of course. Highly recommended.
In Transit by Lia Kohl and Zander Raymond is out this week via Un je-ne-sais-quoi. Details below.
[Photo: Jack Garland]