Play-In: V. Bošković v. E. Fullman & T. Wong

[baystateoftheart]

Seed #30A:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Velika Praska by Valentino Bošković

Nominated by: LedZep
Genres [RYM]: Neo-Psychedelia

Seed #30B:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Harbors by Ellen Fullman & Theresa Wong

Nominated by: Streams
Genres [RYM]: Modern Classical, Ambient

Instructions:

If you have not already, please listen to both albums in full before voting. Share your thoughts and/or your vote in this thread. This poll will be tallied in no fewer than fourteen days. See Tournament Spreadsheet for the full bracket.
_________________
Add me on RYM

[Streams]

While Ellen Fullman is not the first to use a long string instrument (LSI), she is certainly its primary innovator. And Wong and her cello are probably the most interesting compliment to the LSI since Pauline Oliveros and her accordion. The LSI trusses up several 40+ meter strings across a room, among which Fullman walks with rosined fingers playing them like a violin except parallel, making the very room the resonating body of the instrument. There's some EAI stuff happening with the cello, but the 'genre' this is closest to is probably drone, where the focus is on naked harmonics, the physicality and spatiality of their sound waves, how they reverberate, refract, and interact or synthesize together in space - a live performance is always preferable to embed the listener in these interactions and provide the opportunity to hear wildly different interactions in different parts of the room, but this recording is pretty good at conveying that feeling. I think this piece has quite a bit of movement, especially with what the cello's doing, but listening asks for a smaller scale than something like verse-chorus-verse songs; the pulses of wave cycles provide the rhythm, their interaction the harmony. While I chose Harbors because it is a deep, rich listen, I also chose it because I can link the score (control/command+F "harbors"), which provided a helpful guide in my listening and I hope it will in yours too. There's often a lot of snobbery around notation, but I find open or alternative notation can provide intuitive pathways for those illiterate in traditional notation to more deeply understand the music it represents.

It's available on Spotify, but also streamable here.

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

[Fischman]

Two very interesting nominations, neither of which I would likely have found were it not for this game. I found much to like in both, as well as some things that didn't quite sit well either. Nevertheless, both were far more positive than not and overall both very much enjoyed. I leaned toward Fullman in the end. Part 2 was especially captivating for me.

[LedZep]

[19loveless91]

[kokkinos]

Probably the coolest matchup of the play-in mini tournament, two records I would have never touched weren’t it for this game.
What I liked the most about Velika Praska is how balanced it was both in terms of structure - it was keeping a focal point and was trying to expand based on that, in other words varied yet cohesive - and in terms of sound - it was refreshingly modern yet innocent and nostalgic.
The language barrier didn't matter one bit. (Ok, I have to admit I wasn’t super concentrated, It took me a couple of minutes to start thinking something’s wrong and then I realised this isn’t English, lol – which has nothing to do with the album itself, it just shows how much attention do I pay to lyrics when it’s not hip hop). Though based on LedZep ‘s thorough analysis, I suspect they would have elevated the overall listening experience to a higher level of enjoyability, as they would add an extra dimension of humour that is missed. The closing track was the most puzzling part of the album, haven’t decided if it’s the highest or the lowest point of it – but it certainly stands out one way or the other.
Harbors was even more outlandish for me. I appreciated having the chance to listen to something like that, but I wouldn't go beyond that.
Also, slightly off-topic, but

[baystateoftheart]

Velika Praska is a cool album full of breezy, well-produced pop. There's a decent amount of musical variety, good vocals (except for the last track), and several outstanding songs. I did hear some parts that were a bit too reminiscent of other music I've heard. For instance, when the opener basically copied the Good Times bassline, I started hearing Rapper's Delight in my head. Not every song is a winner, but many of them are gorgeous, and this is a groovy record that deserves more attention. 3.5/5.
_________________
Add me on RYM

[Luigii]

Both of these albums were quite excellent. I would say Harbors is the better album of the two due to how striking and hypnotizing the strings make the album. There was two points during my listen. Like how in the beginning, the was a bit of certainty of being a 100. It wasn't. As well as this album felt like it was hitting the late 2010's of Tim Hecker's discography. Also Virgins. And I think the main reason for me not loving this to the max would be how the drones could get a bit to bright for me or how this album didn't have that particular scope of Virgins. While Velika dabbled in a lot of "space disco"? I know it says Neo-Psychedelia in its description but there is something about the vibe and grooves that could be considered space disco. And I do love that vibe and style. So far this pay off section of the tournament has been really solid and hopefully it contiunes.

Grade for both albums:90

[baystateoftheart]

Harbors is another very good album, and an entrancing listen. In contrast to Fischman, for me the bookends are where it shines. The instruments used and their interplay are both super cool. While it is high-quality throughout, there aren't many standout moments, which is perhaps intentional. In a fairly close call, Velika Praska gets my vote because it has higher highs. 3.5/5.
_________________
Add me on RYM

[EyeKanFly]

Streams and LedZep, I really thank you both for the exposition and background behind each of the 2 albums. Fantastic work nominating these 2.

Fullman/Wong: this filled an itch I've had for experimental classical music. For whatever reason, it was absolutely the perfect album to listen to the other day when I heard it for the first time. And on another listen, you start to catch layers of the LSI (and cello too) that weren't apparent at first. Great recommendation.

Bošković: I feel like the single genre descriptor on RYM doesn't do this album justice. There are a lot of inspirations from all different angles here, from synthpop to art punk to even a little funk. But yes, neo-psychedelia seems to be the best descriptor if you're only using one.

Overall I think the classical album was really really cool, but Velika Praska was overall slightly more interesting to me. This was a tough decision, but I went with the latter.
_________________
51 Washington, D.C. albums!