Amy Brandon - Lysis [New Focus Recordings]

Released via the Canadian label New Focus Recordings on August 16th, 2k24 is "Lysis" which marks the sophomore longplay effort for composer x artist Amy Brandon which sees a set of eight of her compositional pieces executed and interpreted by the likes of Quatuor Bozzini, India Gailey, Chartreuse Trio, Alkali Collective and others over the course of 51 minutes with her actually being invlvd in two of them as a performing artist, contributing electronics to the 2023 piece "Caduceus" as well as to 2017s "Intermountainous". Drawing inspiration from a rich and widely varied experience as a composer as well as her initial musical training as a jazz guitar player Brandon's approach to this album reflects exactly that, starting from a fascinating angle of solo flute treatments oftentimes rather related to electroacoustic experimentation than to anything approximately Jazz- or Modern Classical-infused, moving forward into unsettling score works and wildly intense string explosions beyond any traditional tonal boundaries performed by a corresponding triple setting of viola, violin and cello before pairing intricate, sparkling yet spars 10-string guitar movements with sparse atmospheric electronic backings in "Intermountainous", a piece which suddenly, yet not out of nowhere, completely changes its dynamic range after almost five minutes of total playing time. Furthermore pieces like "Tsiyr" combine hammered single piano chords with periods of near silence and x or off-kilter string responses to an intriguing effect whilst flirting with echoes of eerie Minimal Music with the eerie- and otherworldliness bleeding over into the haunting Contemporary Classical piece that is "Affine" whilst the concluding title cut "Lysis" brings forth a series of electronically enhanced, warped and surely otherworldly sounding string swells just to name a few. This is more than just another showcase in Modern Composition. This a trip worth taking for a reason, even if one is not familiar with the intricacies of Contemporary Classical music or whatever the term Avantgarde might mean these days. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!