As they reach the halfway point of their year documented in sound and art, Laura Cannell and Kate Ellis release an EP that embodies the glistening of the ocean.
The JUNE SOUNDS EP marks the apex of our year documented in sound & art. We are deep in our sonorous exploration, creating a legacy that reflects our changing world. The summer sun is blazing through our feet on burning sand, creating the shadows that we pass through. Its glittery light glistens on ancient oceans and leans upon us as we spin.
At this, the mid-point of our project, there are 6 EPs, 24 new tracks, 6 new videos and countless recordings which didn’t make the cut. Some of them were too emotional to include, but mainly we have been true to our cause and presented the raw emotions of light, dark and all of the interesting bits in between and as they happen. We wrote some of June’s music while the sun seemed endless. I have now put the heating back on, but hope to be receiving the summer glow again soon.
Between writing, recording and producing the music, followed by all the label business that goes into releasing music every month, there have been walks in fens, marshes and wooded lanes. These are never really separate from the music though; I am not playing or listening but I am still hearing melodies and ideas silently in my head. I once read that imagining practice, and rehearsing mentally at times when you can’t be playing your instrument or doing your creative practice, can be as useful as physical practice. I have held this in my mind for years. It’s a really good method and actually does keep you on top of things. So even while not performing live, I often visualise being on a stage and going through the process and feelings associated with playing live. I play through music I have composed in my head, in real-time. And allow the music to have air around it, space to develop and resonate. It’s a really important part of my mental preparation and I do the same thing in performance. I let the music lead me, and then I find all of these new places; new feelings that can only be accessed through sound. These places are conjured both by the instrument and for the instrument, in the act of playing and the channeling of unspoken feelings. The psychogeography of an instrument and a person in time and place.
A few weeks ago on one of my walks, the farm estate that our house is on had a ‘burn up’ in the field opposite, and a massive 15-foot tree stump caught on fire. I came back from my walk in the opposite direction to find a full fire brigade blocking the lane, and a charred tree giant with its stunted arms raised and snarling bark faces staring out, with a witch’s circle of charcoal surrounding it. It has become a new character in the neighbourhood.
This month has felt quite optimistic yet I also feel monosyllabic. I will let the music speak for me and invite you to watch our film ‘There were Times Like These’, by André Bosman (who is also my fiddle duo partner on Reckonings, featured here at CBTR back in 2018 https://www.caughtbytheriver.net/2018/05/laura-cannell-andre-bosman-reckonings/).
Sleeve notes for this month’s EP…
1. ACROSS SANDY PLAINS
Across sandy plains we waited for the call and listened to the crickets sing.
2. BETWEEN EARTH AND SNOWY HEAVEN
Between Earth and Snowy Heaven,
Woven Garlands,
The Star is coming round.
We long to find the sea calm,
But Anger is stirred in hidden storm-winds.
A whirling choral dance,
Now I need your horses,
With tangled ropes to free me,
I need their strength to fly,
A star flashed like metal,
Piercing the Sky.
3. THERE WERE TIMES LIKE THESE
There Were Times Like these,
We hold our breath and see.
4. IN THE SUN SHADOWS WE WALKED
We walked in the sun shadows – the glistening of the ocean and the soft inhale and exhale of the waves answering our call.
All tracks composed, recorded & produced by the performers:
Laura Cannell – Violin / Overbowed Violin /Voice
Kate Ellis – Cello
Find the EP here.
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Our artist this month is André Bosman who has created an animated world for the track THERE WERE TIMES LIKE THESE.
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These Feral Lands – A Year Documented in Sound and Art is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.