A Colorful New Release from Percussia
- R.A.G.
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
A beautiful new set of songs from Percussia delivers a beautifully lush and alive feeling set of soundscapes with amazing percussion along with harp, viola, flute, and more, all performed by this outstanding group based out of Queens, New York.
This is such a warm and well-rounded set of pieces that are all very much theatrical, blending classic goal approaches and giving off an absolutely gorgeous set of tones and textures that managed to come together like puzzle pieces.
The album is called Murmuration and is contrived of pieces written by some amazing composers from Matthew Welsh to Bill Clark, Alexis Lamb, Ljova, who performs violin and fadolin on the record itself, along with Dennis Tobinsky, and Carlo Nicolau.
The "Murmuration" series on the album consists of Parts one, two, and three, all written by Alexis Lamb. Each one of these provides something a little bit different to chew on.
Each of these segments feels a little different, but they are also connected at the same time. The record is broken up into these segments written by different composers, spanning anywhere from three to seven songs long.
Some of the most interesting of these segments are the Dennis Tobinsky ones, titled Starfish at Pescadero. Each one of these provides some very intense vocal approaches that are bright, vibrant, and backed by Lush and different instrumentation.
The percussion and flute work along with violins across this record are absolutely outstanding, and the tonalities and shimmer of each of these instruments blend together at different times throughout the record seamlessly.
This was quite a gorgeous set of pieces, and I think this is something very unique.
Flutist Margaret Lancaster does an impressive job bringing the instrument to life and shaping its sound a little differently for each song. Each piece of music released on this album has its own sort of personality and adventure to it.
You can hear a range of these emotions that shine through here and there, but mostly, you feel invigorated by how bouncy and colorful some of the songs come through.
Ljova is not only outstanding at putting together certain compositions originally, but is also an amazing fiddle player who brings her talents to the songs, not just on her compositions, but throughout different ones on the record itself.
Again, this is classically driven, but it has elements of jazz in its underbelly, which is refreshing, and there are no two pieces that are quite alike.
The songs and pieces go off in different directions each time and take you for these small but impressive musical Journeys that can be very quick and sporadic at times, spanning maybe a minute and a half long, two pieces that are over 10 minutes.
As I mentioned earlier, there's plenty to chew on throughout the release, and between the different instruments and compositions, you hear stories. Melissa Fogarty sings soprano on the album, and the pieces that she is on come through with an amazing vibrancy.
Each performer on this release is a professional, but they also have a real love for performing, which is something you can clearly hear on every piece of music on the album.
This is one of the records that I would suggest driving right into, as the first three pieces of music by composer Bill Clark, I'll have this sort of smooth, jazzy feel to them. They are cinematic and a little bit spacious, but perform such intricate and amazing melodies, and give that breath of life to the start of the record, opening the door for the rest of the release.
Having said that, there is so much more throughout this album to soak in, and I suggest that you do it with headphones.
This is a massive release with over 21 pieces on it; otherwise again, separated into segments by composers, performing these sorts of story lines and ideals, and bringing different sets of instrumentation to the mix.
It is all very well composed and performed with a gusto and liveliness rarely heard, so listening to it with headphones on lets you take in all these flavorful layers, tones, sounds, and instruments perfectly.
Definitely check this out and see what kind of effect it has on you. If you listen to the full album, it's quite a brilliant experience, which again is something I strongly suggest.
Take a deep dive into this one now so you can hear exactly what I mean.