The music of Ruth Mascelli is stuff I've covered here before. But, now with Ruth teaming up with Mary Hanson Scott, there is a whole set of new moods and vibes in this kind of material. The duo's newest, Esoteric Lounge Music Now is fantastic.
"Haunted Hearts" sounds a bit like some Marc Almond records, while the more ethereal "Could a Wound Be a Window?" evokes a kind of wonderfully sad vibe that is completely hypnotic. "Hedonist Arc" mixes in faint trip hop beats to conjure up something like Basehead or Tricky, while "Self Control" reminds me of This Mortal Coil's cover of "Holocaust" in the best possible way. Mary Hanson Scott's mournful sax solos here remind me of the similar sax efforts from Richard Thomas of Dif Juz on It'll End in Tears. There's a lot here that places it in that same space, even the more elegantly omninous "The Fool". On that one, synths from Mascelli joust for space with Scott's flute and the the whole track sort of lumbers towards its own doom. It's glorious, really.
What's on Esoteric Lounge Music Now is sort of ambient music, I guess, but it's closer to things I'd listen to in the Eighties from labels like Projekt and Mute, with Ruth's vocals in spots giving this a really cool, faintly goth vibe. There's a premium here on electronic effects and textures, with the selections sounding desolate, emotional, and haunted. This a soundtrack for a night in, where you want to just lose yourself in your darkest thoughts and let the sadness wash over you. While things seem minimalist here, there's a lot of heart and warmth in this too. The players seem ideally suited to each other, and the results are clearly the product of an intense and intuitive collaboration. Highly recommended.
Esoteric Lounge Music Now by Ruth Mascelli and Mary Hanson Scott is out now via Disciples. Details below as well.
[Photo: Tom Camilleri]