“Has the sea developed its own tinnitus? Spence’s final notes are an elegy for all that has been lost: a mournful goodbye to species we have known, and many we never had the chance to meet.”
a veil, the sea is Alexandra Spence‘s second sea-themed release of the summer, arriving on the heels of Blue waves, Green waves on Room40. Her Mappa album retains the drone-like fascinations of the prior work while increasing the amount of field recordings. From the start, one hears the gurgling of currents, the ebb and flow of tides, the crashing of waves. Spence then adds her own music, similarly fluid, a seamless integration. Submerged tapes, ceramic pipes and blown bottles foreshadow what is to come.
When Spence speaks, her voice is so light that it bobs on the sea. An old, recurring dream: I’m floating in a big, big wave. The artist is in love with the ocean; it nourishes her, sustains her. The first half of “a veil” is awash in wonder, although the juxtaposition of waves and motors leads one to pause.
Originally published by A Closer Listen.Read the full review on A Closer Listen