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Cantus Figures Laurus
Artist
Sarah Davachi
ReleaseProduct
Cantus Figures Laurus
Label
Late Music
Catalogue Number
LMIDLX
Release Date
May 28, 2021

Genres

This boxset compiles some of the inter-related releases that Sarah Davachi’s Late Music label put out in 2020 of her own solo work. Including the first album featuring her own vocals (Cantus, Descant), the two disc live set (Figures In Open Air) and an extended EP of sketches for these releases.

Cantus, Descant largely consists of droning organs which slowly morph over the course of several minutes. Occasionally these drones etherise into something unsettling - the ‘Passing Bell’ interlude being the most obvious example - but by and large this is a positive-sounding record. Sometimes Davachi’s tones are curious, sometimes uplifting, sometimes almost joyous, but whatever mode she’s operating in the general mood of Cantus, Descant is one of upbeat drift.

One notable evolution of Davachi’s sound here is the use of vocals, an element which hadn’t previously featured in her music. ‘Play The Ghost’, for instance, is an inviting number which plays Davachi’s gentle singing and techniques influence by Black Sabbath’s Planet Caravan against woozy organs and languid, cascading melodies. It’s a dreamworld delight, one with an ethereal feel that means it wouldn’t sound out of place in a David Lynch film. Davachi is a very productive artist who has released several albums of keyboard music over the past few years. However, Cantus, Descant is a generous offering even by the standards that Davachi has previously set - this album runs to seventeen tracks and well over an hour in length.

Figures In Open Air is described by Davachi as a ‘complement of sorts’ to her 2020 studio LP Cantus, Descant. As such, it’s no surprise that different versions of several tracks from that album can be heard here - an instrumental take on Cantus, Descant highlight ‘Canyon Walls’, for instance, spins out the etherised dream-pop of the original into almost fifteen minutes of eerie FM drones and pensive woodwind harmonies. Laurus, an extended EP previously only available on cassette is a collection of demos and sketches for these sessions. Taped in the Summer of 2017, these pieces are, in Davachi’s own words, “a more raw and improvisational representation of the composition process [for Cantus, Descant] in its early stages”.

Digital Tracklist

Disc 1

  1. 1 Stations II 5:47 Buy

    Stations II

  2. 2 The Pelican 5:50 Buy

    The Pelican

  3. 3 Ruminant 3:01 Buy

    Ruminant

  4. 4 Still Lives 4:27 Buy

    Still Lives

  5. 5 Stations V 3:58 Buy

    Stations V

  6. 6 Midlands 9:45 Buy

    Midlands

  7. 7 Play The Ghost 5:01 Buy

    Play The Ghost

  8. 8 Stations IV 3:18 Buy

    Stations IV

  9. 9 Passing Bell 1:25 Buy

    Passing Bell

  10. 10 Hanging Gardens 5:48 Buy

    Hanging Gardens

Disc 2

  1. 18 Live in Berlin 52:30 Buy

    Live in Berlin

  2. 19 Ruminant (Version) 10:45 Buy

    Ruminant (Version)

  3. 20 Live in San Francisco (Excerpt) 16:19 Buy

    Live in San Francisco (Excerpt)

  4. 21 Live in Chicago 58:40 Buy

    Live in Chicago

  5. 22 Canyon Walls (Instrumental) 14:50 Buy

    Canyon Walls (Instrumental)

  6. 23 Diaphonia Basilica (Version) 5:29 Buy

    Diaphonia Basilica (Version)

Disc 3

  1. 24 Herber Well 6:25 Buy

    Herber Well

  2. 25 Laurus I 4:05 Buy

    Laurus I

  3. 26 Laurus II 2:07 Buy

    Laurus II

  4. 27 Accord of Voice I 8:22 Buy

    Accord of Voice I

  5. 28 Accord of Voice II 2:39 Buy

    Accord of Voice II

  6. 29 Laurus III 3:50 Buy

    Laurus III

Show All Tracks 29

Sarah Davachi

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Sarah Davachi

Late Music

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Ambient and Modern Classical

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