Each track on the new record from Lea Bertucci creates a world. And within each world, there is music (or a hint of it), plus found sounds, and a note or two stretched into nothingness. The Oracle re-imagines minimalism for our age with a consistent deliberation which is very impressive.
"The Place Where the Sky Was Born" has murmured vocals, backwards tape loops, a note on a cello (I think) held until it collapses, and a tense energy coiled within the piece. "Oracular Chasm" is built around what sounds like a flute, or clarinet, with the notes mere fleeting echos in the space of the piece. These are stunning selections, and ones where Bertucci is creating distinct environments for silence and music to gently jostle, and meaning to emerge.
This is not ambient. The title number, for example, uses a minimal set of sounds and vocal bits to conjure up a kind of dread; so good luck in using that as music to relax with. The piece stands closer to Throbbing Gristle than it does to Brian Eno, frankly. The epic "Sister of Sleep" adds a percolating synth to things, with the riff repeating with urgency behind taped vocals, and bits and pieces of noise and instrumentation. The track has got an odd momentum, and while the elements here are simple ones, the resulting art is borderline hypnotic.
Lea Bertucci is one of many musicians making music that blends found sounds, synthesizers, and strings. Lia Kohl, for one, operates in a similar space. What sets Lea Bertucci apart is the mood that lingers in parts of The Oracle. On a Lia Kohl record, for example, it feels like music is being found. On this new Lea Betucci album, it seems to this listener as if we are being directed, with precision and confidence, to hear something new as the instruments, voice, and sounds conspire within each selection. Add to that, The Oracle has this undercurrent running through it that's unsettling but strangely comforting. It puts me in mind of those recently reissued early tape experiments from His Name is Alive. Smartly realized, and measured in its approach, The Oracle by Lea Bertucci is very highly recommended.
The Oracle by Lea Bertucci is out now. Details below via Bandcamp, or via the official website.
[Photo: Katherine Finkelstein]