The pitch: Based in rural East Anglia, Laura Cannell’s work draws on the emotional influences of the landscape and the sometimes dissonant chords of early and medieval music.
The analysis: While Cannell’s new album comfortably sits within the realms of neoclassical, there’s a keen avant-garde element to the tunes here, in her unusual musical structures, as well as unconventional approached to playing conventional classical instruments.
As the title indicates, there’s something of a wild side to the performances, and some sharp edges lacerate the string-led calm. Not that it’s as calm as all that: Cannel creates some tempestuous moments here, and the success of ‘Beneath Swooping Talons’ is the way it feels like a single body of material rather than a succession of separate and individual pieces. And as a unified piece of work, the effect is cumulative, and Cannell probes her way into your psyche subtly and unexpectedly. Admirable.
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Laura Cannell Online
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