Marina Hasselberg - Red [Redshift Records]

Scheduled for release via the Canadian imprint Redshift Records on October 21st, 2k22 is "Red", the debut album by Vancouver-based cellist Marina Hasselberg. Accompanied by a quadruple set of artists providing support on guitar, drums, electronics and violin Hasselberg tackles a total of ten pieces over the course of her roughly 48 minutes spanning firstling including six of her own as well as compositions written by the likes of Domenico Gabrielli, Linda Catlin Smith, Martin Reisle and Craig Aalders. Informed by vast knowledge and understanding of as well as a widespread experience within the musical field which lead her from classical training to adventures in early music, experimental composition and performance and even touching base with mainstream Pop artists at some point the music featured on Marina Hasselberg's "Red" is as diverse, going from the solemn Classical Music opener "Ricercar Primo" to the somewhat dark'ish, brooding and spine-tingling "So", the outerworldly Ambient pads and dronings of "Deep Blue" which are paired with a background of scraping, partially violent and explosive string bending and abuse which is nicely contrasted by the almost rural flow and innocence provided by the subsequent "Ricercar". Furthermore we see the title piece "Red" combine plangent, slightly off-kilter strings with buzzing micro movements and retrofuturist electronic bleepings, "At A Distance" comes at us with more of a nocturnal vibe and highly dramatic build-ups before the final cut aptly named "Things Fall Apart" presents more of a score'esque and grandiose panorama arrangement of tender, slowly Ambient-leaning pads and melancholia-infused melodies for a closing, just to name a few.