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On Sea-swallowed Wands (40:11) shadow builders Jolanda Moletta & Karen Vogt explore dimensionless parameters. Throughout its eight otherworldly works we find two exceptionally alive spirits together adeptly producing an accord of cultivated vocal tones and ethereal textures. Singing at such a high altitude Moletta & Vogt realize a rare celestial accompaniment from a heavenly upper register. Each piece does not resolve so much as dissipate pleasingly in a vaguely wandering reverie. Such an encounter with otherness is generated by ideas of proportion and scale. Yet, for the material of each piece this duo is utilizing the human voice, which the listener should connect back to their own life. Bringing strangers into scenes of intimate exchange, at its best Sea-swallowed Wands comes across as an unmediated transmission from the songwriter's soul. Spirited performances elevate the material - and reward an unfiltered contemplation. In whispers, reversals and reveals the dual dramas drift languidly towards the next moment of sonic splendor. The gently rocking, softly cryptic chords, comprised of layers of delicate vocalize, processed by untold devices and concepts, wander lightly from major to minor keys, then on to the verge of oblivion. As a nebula of notes condenses quietly sustained sounds emerge, rise then permeate the space - extending dark, then darker still. Hovering on the edge of silence, voicing interior realms Sea-swallowed Wands imparts a wondrous sense of things much bigger than and far outside of one's own self.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 10 July 2025 |
