The Tunnel Singer
Lee Ellen Shoemaker
'Water Birth'
(Tunnel Singer Records LES003)
I am very fond of overtone singing, and atmospheric music in general. This new album by
Lee Ellen Shoemaker is one of the most original and refreshing that I have ever heard.
Recorded using an empty 2-million gallon cistern at old Fort Worden in Port Townsend,
Washington. The concrete cistern, sometimes called "The Cistern Chapel," is
profoundly silent until sound awakens its 45-second reverberation...a reverberation nearly
twice as long as the Taj Mahal's. Falling grains of sand, water droplets, bird songs and
the drone of planes and insects add subtle texture to the incredible ambience.
Lee Ellen's music utilizes vocal improvisation to unify random sounds, creating
instruments of music from tunnels, stairwells and parking garages that are hauntingly
beautiful. She embraces a tonal language of emotional content that is universally
understood. Her powerful vocals interwoven with intimacy and warmth, take the listener on
a timeless musical journey. Groups
like Jim Cole & The Spectral Voices, David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir, Stewart
Dempster and Pauline Oliveros have, through fresh interpretations, brought attention to
this ancient form of vocalization. The sounds seem to vibrate endlessly and soar to the
heavens.
The thirteen compositions on
"Water Birth" slowly evolve like a wordless mantra, suggesting an underwater
environment of sea creatures, slow undulation of underwater plants and inner space, with
echoing voices cascading against each harmonic overtone to produce a giant modulating
chord. The album is excellently recorded, beautifully presented, and divinely inspired.
This is a unique listening experience that will take you on a trance-like journey to your
inner self. Highly recommended.
information:
email: music@tunnelsinger.com
website: http://www.tunnelsinger.com
Review by Ben Kettlewell, Editor Alternate Music Press
P.O. Box 2087
Hollywood, CA 90078
http://www.alternatemusicpress.com
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