Into the Great Unknown

Into the Great Unknown

Acclaimed German cellist/composer Anne Müller shakes loose from the confines of classical music and explores the infinite possibilities of her instrument

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Into the Great Unknown

Over the years, avid neoclassical fans may have seen the name Anne Müller popping up alongside the genre's staples like Nils Frahm, Ben Lukas Boysen and Ólafur Arnalds. And for good reason -- the classically trained Berlin-based cellist and composer is known for her inventive approach to compositions, a skill which has manifested itself in her (perhaps best-known) contribution to Frahm's 2011 7fingers and 2017 Solo Collective Part I, a live project she co-founded with violinist/singer Alex Stolze and pianist/conceptual artist Sebastian Reynolds.

After a handful of joint efforts, she finally decided to carve out her own path with her debut solo album, Heliopause. Written, recorded, arranged and produced entirely by herself, the six-track collection draws its inspiration from the outer edge of the heliosphere, which Nasa's Voyager crossed on its 40-year-plus journey. This also serves as a fitting metaphor for what she's achieved so far in her career and what she's setting out to explore next.

The record opens with Being Anne, an atmospheric piece packed full of cello flourishes and distant percussive elements. There's an unmistakable cinematic quality here that perfectly captures the moments before and after the aforementioned spaceship crossed over into the heliopause. A classically trained cellist, Müller more than lives up to her reputation on following tracks Solo? Repeat! and Nummer 2 where her dynamic, awe-inspiring cello virtuosity glides to the fore.

Even on the quieter offerings like the piano-driven Aarhus / Reminiscences and closing title track, her knack for constructing a crescendo of harmonics shine through. In Heliopause, nothing ever feels static, and that's especially true on the seven-minute centrepiece Drifting Circles. Set to layer upon layer of ever-evolving cello loops, the song conjures up the vast nothingness of space which is both unresolved and freeing at the same time.


The verdict: Not only has Müller emerged as an artist in her own right with this solo debut, she also succeeds in demonstrating how seamlessly cello can be worked into the sonic fabric of ambient experimental minimalism. Heliopause is indeed a revelation, one that should thrill fans of minimalist pioneers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass.
Listen to this: Being Anne, Solo? Repeat!, Drifting Circles.

THE PLAYLIST

 

Twain / Inner Beauty

"I can see so clear/ I can see/ In a beauty now," Mat Davidson ruminates in the first verse of Inner Beauty, a near eight-minute opener from his latest solo LP under the name Twain. And just like the title suggests, the song exudes the kind of unhurried, contemplative exquisiteness that goes beyond run-of-the-mill piano balladry. Davidson, himself a precise songwriter, sings with clarity and melancholy over the deceptively simple piano chords. As it unfolds, the song gifts us with unexpected surprises like a singular piano note that goes slightly afield and Davidson's vocals that glide into falsetto towards its final minute. It's these small details that make Inner Beauty such a stunning revelation.

Luke Lalonde / Waiting For The Light To Change

Waiting For The Light To Change is the third single from Canadian singer-songwriter Luke Lalonde's sophomore solo record, The Perpetual Optimist. Like the previously shared title track and Dusty Lime, the two-minute song finds Born Ruffians' frontman trading the electro-indie edge of 2012's Rhythmnalsfor a hefty dose of Bob Dylan-esque barn-stomping 70s Americana. "Just waiting for the light to change… a cha-change, cha-change, cha-change, aha!" he croons in a rootsy drawl against the backdrop of rollicking twangy guitars and lurching vocal harmonies.

Coldplay / Champion Of The World

The latest single to conclude the roll-out of Coldplay's double album, Everyday Life, arrives in the form of Champion Of The World. Inspired by Owl John's Los Angeles, Be Kind and including a sample from Harcourt Whyte and Choir's Otuto Nke Chukwu, the mid-tempo offering is a tribute to Scott Hutchison, the lead singer of Scottish indie-rock band Frightened Rabbits who committed suicide last year. Production-wise, it's all quintessential arena-rock Coldplay, particularly with Chris Martin's trusty Little Prince songwriting tropes with the mention of things like "rocket ship" and "firework".

Amason / Reach Out More

They might be best known for their covers of classics like Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is and The Mamas and the Papas' California Dreamin', but Swedish indie-pop five-piece Amason keep proving that they're more than capable of holding their own. Lifted from their upcoming follow-up to Galaxy I, lead single Reach Out More is a further testament to the fact -- an 80s-inspired synth-pop stunner made even better by frontwoman Amanda Bergman's lush vocals. It recalls the soulful, late-hour R&B vibes of artists like Rhye and Jessie Ware, with a degree of Nordic coolness thrown in for good measure.

Kesha / My Own Dance

Kesha is back and keeping it consistently unapologetic with new single My Own Dance. A follow-up to Big Freedia-guested Raising Hell, the track adds to her growing collection of brash pop bangers revolving around swaggering guitar strumming and percussive elements. And it wouldn't be a Kesha jam without a shouty chorus and snappy one-lines addressed to her haters (here we've got gems like "hungover as hell like 2012" and "don't circumcise my circumstance"). More of these is scheduled to arrive early next year along with her fourth full length album, High Road.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT