Historically there’s been a lot hay made about being “one with the Universe,” but what if you’re really only interested in being “one with” a particular aspect of the Universe? Hardly anybody wants to achieve synergy with a family of dung beetles, for instance; so nobody can really blame Lea Bertucci for wanting to become essentially a human sound wave fluttering through the open air and just leave it at that…can they?
This year alone, the ambitious composer and musician toured internationally, co-authored a book “exploring the relationship between sound and image” called The Tonebook, and found herself all-up-n NYC’s Madison Square Park for Josiah McElheny’s Prismatic Park exhibition. All along the way, Bertucci’s formal skill with the bass clarinet and alto saxophone has continued to serve as the siren call to her ongoing acoustic exploration. (Come along, won’t you?)
But the latest and greatest opportunity to submit to Bertucci’s unique sonic beckonings comes on February 9, when Metal Aether comes out on NNA Tapes. The new LP’s four colossal tracks were recorded in two locations: a former military base in Le Havre, France, and ISSUE Project Room in NYC (where she was previously an artist-in-residence). Each of those tracks then received another layer of environments through incorporated field recordings that originate from “diverse locations,” including Mayan pyramids(!)…and then? Well, Bertucci continued to manipulate the hell out of things.
Metal Aether will follow this year’s All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, which showcased similar-minded compositional bona fides. Pre-order the new one here, watch a relevant video below, and try your best not to float away between now and next February.
Metal Aether tracklisting:
01. Patterns For Alto
02. Accumulations
03. Sustain And Dissolve
04. At Dawn